Gentle Shepherd Ministries

Some time I am very surprised at how many

Christians just do not really understand what

they have in Jesus Christ. If we don't get

a revelation of what we have, how can we

appropriate what we have in our personal

walk with Jesus ? I know that most have

the first part down, because if you didn't

you would not have been saved by his

wonderful grace. Isa, 45:18 say's

"Look unto me, and be saved, all the ends

of the earth: for I am God and there

is no one else." This is the scripture that

God used to bring English preacher,

Charles Haddon Spurgeon to his knees

and to salvation. What a wonderful day

that was Because of his personal revelation

Spurgeon preached the salvation message far

And wide and many were won to Christ.

Faith For Salvation

This is based on an old testament passage.

Numbers 21:8-9 says "And the Lord said

Unto Moses made thee a serpent of brass,

and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to

pass, that every one that is bitten, when he

looketh upon it shall live. And Moses made

a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole,

and it came to pass, that if a serpent had

bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent

of brass, he lived." Israel tried God many

times on their way from Egypt to the promised

land. One o the ways their unbelief came out

was their murmuring. They would complain

and make all kinds of remarks and blamed

God for their problems. Instead of being

thankful for what God was doing for them,

they complained and murmured against

God and Moses. This was one occasions.

God had so much patience with them. But

In spite of God's patience, they blamed

Him for all their problems. You know

I think it is natural to complain. Man is

By nature a sinner. He is unsettled and

wants everything to go exactly the way he

thinks it ought to the go. You have seen the

type. A constant complainer. This action

on the part of the freed slaves was very

offensive to God. They would take the good

from God and blame Him for all the bad.

I f that is your policy, it is wrong.

1st. Thessalonians 5:18 says, "In everything

give thanks: for this is the will of God in

Christ Jesus concerning you." God is

Sovereign and is over all. He has promised

to make all. He has promised to make all

things works together for our good and His

glory (Romans. 8:28). When one start

murmuring it is unbelief in His promises

and a declared unwillingness to go though

what He allows. Jesus told Nicodemus in

John 3:5, "Jesus answered, Verily, verily,

I say unto three, Except a man be born of

Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into

The kingdom of God." Jesus then explains

What one must do to experience this new birth.

John 3:14-16, "And as Moses lifted up

the serpent in the wilderness, even so much

the son of man be lifted up: That whosoever

believeth in him should not perish, but have

everlasting life." Jesus says, "As Moses

lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even

so must the son of man be lifted up: That

whosoever believeth in him should not perish,

but have eternal life." God has made the

plan of salvation so simple that man refuses

to accept that the eternal destiny of a man's

soul is as simple as believing. If a child

has been bitten by a fiery serpent, I can

visualize a mother picking up the child and

holding him up above the crowd so he could

see the serpent made of brass and I can

rejoice with her as she lowers the baby

completely free of a sign of illness caused

by the bite of the serpent. God's plan of

salvation is as simple as that. What is

your faith in? Are you willing to trust Him

by faith and believe that looking to the cross

for the forgiveness of sins is all one has

to do? There is a song that I love to sing

called" My House Is Full, But My

Fields Are Empty" and that song just

wrenches my heart, for so many of us never

grow past our own selfish need for salvation

enough to reach out to a lost and dying world.

We have first of all been given salvation

so that we can then have an" Outward

Look In Service" John 4:35, Say not

Ye, There are yet four months, and then

Cometh the harvest? Behold, I say unto

you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the

the fields: for they are white already to

harvest ." Jesus saved the woman at

Jacob's well as is recorded in John chapter

4. She went back into town and brought

several people with her. When Jesus saw

this group of people coming, He said to

His disciples in John 4:35, :Say not ye

There are yet four month, and then cometh

Harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift

up your eyes, and look on the field: for

they are white already to harvest." There

is much to do as we wait on His return.

Waiting on our Lords return is not sitting

around and waiting. It is to be busy about

His business reaching as many with the gospel

as we can before it is too late for them.

After the rapture,, there will be no

opportunity for salvation for those who

have heard the gospel before the rapture.

This is found in 2nd. Thessalonians 2:7-2

"For the mystery of iniquity doth already

work: only he who now letteth will let,

until he be taken out of the way. And

then shall that wicked be revealed.whom

the Lord shall consume with the spirit

of his mouth, and shall destory with the

brightness of his coming: Even him,

whose coming is after the working of

satan with all power and signs and lying

wonders, And with all deceivableness of

unrighteousness in them that perish:

because they received not the love of the

truth,: That they might be saved. And

for this cause God shall send them

strong delusion, that they should believe

a lie: That they all might be damned who

believed not the truth, but had pleasure

in unrighteousness."

Your Upward Look O f Faith

Psalms 5:3, "My voice shalt thou hear

In the morning, Lord; in the morning

will I direct my prayers unto thee, and

will look up." Immediately after the

Lord's ascension the disciples stood

Looking up upon the spot where He

was taken up. This is recorded in

Acts 1:11, "Which also Said, Ye

men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing

up into heaven? This same Jesus, which

is taken up from you into heaven, shall

so come in like manner as ye have seen

him go into heaven." How does our

intense look for our Lord's return

affect us? We are told in 1John 3:2-3

"Beloved, now are we the sons of God,

and it doth not yet appear what we shall

be him; but we know that, when he shall

appear, we shall be like him; for we shall

see him as he is. And every man that

hath this hope in him purifieth himself,

even as he is pure." For us to look

for His return has a sanctifying effect

on us. John says, "Every man that hath

this hope in him purifieth himself, even as

he is pure." It will also cause us to seek

the salvation of our family. Matthew

24:42-44, "Watch therefore: for ye know

not what hour your Lord doth come. But

know this if the goodman of the house

had known in what watch the thief

would come, he would have watched, and

would not have suffered his house to be

broken up. Therefore be ye also ready:

for in such an hour as ye think not the

Son of man cometh." We do not know

when He is coming. We live in a day

when men are attempting to set dates

for the Lord's return. Their calculations

are based on their understanding of some

of the signs. But we are not to look for

signs. We are to look for Him. He

will come again and He will come with

out warning. We are to live each day as

if it were the last. If we do this ,we

will be looking for Him just as he says.

The Scriptures teaches you assurance

That He Is beside You To Guide You 

Psalms 16:8, "I have set the Lord

always before me: because he is always

right hand, I shall not be moved."

It is good to know that the Lord is

Always before us. We look to Him

and He will be honors by His children

as we depend upon Him by faith to

move us in the right direction. Psalms32:8

says, "I will instruct thee and teach

three in the way which thou shalt go:

I will guide thee with mine eye."

Isaiah 30:21 says, "And thine ears

shall hear a word behind thee, saying

This is the way, walk ye in it, when

Ye turn to the right hand, and when

ye turn to the left." One of the great

promises of Scripture is that our Lord

will guide us. We are the sheep, He

is the shepherd He is always there

to guide us to safety and to protect us

from harm. What a great comfort it is

to us to know we are never alone. He

is always there to protect us from the

evil one. And I might add, to protect

us from ourselves. We so easily wander

into dangerous territory and if it were

not that we were surrounded by His

glorious power and His holy angels

we would have been in the grave years

ago.

Your assurance that He Is around to

deliver You Psalms 34:7," The angels

of the Lord encampth round about them

that fearhim, and delivereth them. "

Romans 8:31-32" What can I say about

such wonderful things as these? If God

is for us, who can ever be against us.

Since God did spare even his own son

but gave him up For us all, won't God,

who gave us Christ, also give us everything

else?" There is so much we do not understand.

How do we get understanding of Gods word?...

By praying that as we reachthe Word, the Holy

Spirit will open the eyes of our understanding.

His will.

Power From On HighJesus wants us to be

baptized in the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the

baptizer. Joel 2: 28,29We serve a God who

wants to impart unto you His anointing

for service. Not to just be able to say "I am

A Spirit filled Christian." In today's world,

Pentecost has become powerless in many circles.

This powerlessPentecost has been the "norm" not

the exception. With more perversion than power,

more playboys than prophets, and more compromise

than conviction, we need the Holy Spirit! He

condescends to indwell mortals and fill us

full of himself.