PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, LOVE THAT CROSS: MOB CONFORMITY

 

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From John Collins Ministries:

"Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:11-12 (NKJV).

There is a day that is on the way and the devil knows it. His days have been numbered and he fights against it. Do not be naïve to the evil influence in this world nor to the wickedness that grows more pervasive with each season.

There has been an ever growing demand for conformity to believe as the mob movements want you to believe. Gather enough people and say what you believe often enough and it becomes truth for those who look to society to gauge the ‘right’ way to think and behave. Ah, but you must be careful, as totalitarianism can creep up on the unsuspecting and before you know it, you are trapped. You must think, act and believe as the mob says to do so or you will find yourself on the outside and cancelled. So, there are apologies demanded for centuries old realities and offences that must receive contrition and reparation for. Where does it end? If the history is erased and enough people and companies bow down and accept the demands of the mob, does it stop there? Do you really think that a shift in power would balance things out and reduce the demands? When will it become clear that the motivation of the current movement in society is not driven by righteousness and clarity but by a desire for power and control? This movement in our midst is violence driven, emotion driven and demands complete submission.

Who is determining the standard to which everything is determined as right or wrong? By whose judgement and standards are the views and agendas being based? The only righteous judge is God and His Son. These mobs in our midst that are demanding reparations, demanding the removal of our history and demanding that the people of this land agree with them or be damned are not doing so because they are standing in a place of righteousness. They are being propelled forward by the enemy of God and Jesus. They are being influenced by the devil whose time draws near.

When a person or group of people demand that their beliefs be accepted as truth and that their way to do things must not meet any opposition or those who oppose them will have to face consequences, then those who must accept their will are without choice and are no longer free. When free speech and opposing views are no longer tolerated, you are now at the mercy of totalitarianism and are at risk of losing all.

Do not be swayed by gilded tongues and clever words. The devil has many tricks to make you stumble. Your standard should always be the truth of God. Your beliefs and your conduct should always be measured by His word. How do you navigate this reality of negativity, demands for cancelling our history and erasing our past while the mob has a new expectation of apology if they are offended? Conciliation is for the weak and we know that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

I will say this clearly that the mobs that have taken over and demanded eradication of our history are driven by the devil. The movement to force name changing and brand removal due to offense is not about offense at all but is a demand for and a show of power moving towards a very real denial of freedom of speech and all other freedoms will follow and fall. This is not about race, this is not about offense, it is about power and it is using race to get to the place that it wants to be. It is about demanding conformity to their will and this movement is wicked and evil. Remember who the true judge of this world is and choose who you will submit to.

“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.” Revelation 20:11-12 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

This is copied with permission from Pastor John Collins. Reach Pastor John Collins through John Collins Ministries at www.johncollinsministries.com or through email at jcollinsministries@gmail.com.  Listen to Pastor John Collins on Heaven's Country Radio Sundays at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Mountain Time.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, DAILY THOUGHT: GOD AND CV-19

From Pastor John Collins:

transcripted with permission from a recent Sunday broadcast:

“I think we’ve been saying over the past eight years that one day, God is going to get tired of getting slapped across the face by people.  We are going to have a wake-up call for something to happen, because He wants us to turn back to God.  We need to get rid of politics and get back to the Cross, first and foremost, but that is the problem.

“God didn’t do this.  People going out into the public when they weren’t supposed to, not wearing masks when they were supposed to, not social distancing when they were supposed to, that was the problem.  This could have been not as deadly as it was, in my opinion, if we would have done these things.”

 “You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah” (Deuteronomy 6:16, NKJV).
“Jesus said to him, “it is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God’” (Matthew 4:7, NKJV).
“And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the LORD your God’” (Luke 4:12, NKJV).

“I think there’s Scripture that says “do not tempt the LORD thy God.” Why would you go out and do things that would harm yourself or harm another person then blame it on an Almighty God?  That’s what I don’t understand.

“I’m hoping that people use this time….you know a couple years ago we did a whole Sunday show on pastors in the pulpit and how their egos were dividing churches and people were leaving the churches, and in a lot of cases, God wasn’t even allowed into His own home, because He wouldn’t be affiliated with the doctrines that are being preached. I hope that people are using this time to get their knees dirty, to get their arms heavy from having to lift them to the sky, getting a crick in their neck from bowing their head and closing their eyes. I hope they are using this time to get closer to an all-powerful and just glorious God. I hope people are taking this lull that they have of not being able to go into a building that man built that when they go back in, and give it back to God.  He has been merciful to an awful lot of people through this pandemic.  There are prayer warriors.  We are going to make, it sooner than later, we do make it.  Let’s just be faithful.

“Here’s the thing, “where two or more are gathered, I am in the midst” (Matthew 18:20, NKJV, paraphrased). Don’t lose your faith because you can’t walk into that building. Go online and get your GOD on that way, get your Jesus on that way! God hasn’t let us down, and if we are down, He will pick us up, that’s what He does.  We have to be faithful to Him.  Now is a great time to get into your Bible, now is a great time to pray, more importantly, now is a great time to get a better relationship not only with your family, but…GOD!

“GOD is doing things to empower people to develop a relationship with Him again.  And for the people who are church-burned, for the people that stopped believing, now is a great time to get to know Him again because He is a great, almighty, perfect GOD and they should never forget that.”

LOVE THAT CROSS!! PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

If you have questions, if you are hurting, if you are searching, please reach out to Pastor John Collins through his website, www.johncollinsministries.com or by email at jcollinsministries@gmail.com. God wants us back!

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, DAILY THOUGHT: ARROGANCE, EGO, PRIDE

From John Collins Ministries:

Pastor John Collins: An age of arrogance, ego and pride

Pride gets us nowhere with God

The Giant Goliath held King Saul and his army in a siege.  In his arrogance, he taunted the army threatening anyone who would stand against him. Young David, years from becoming the next king of Israel, was there and stepped up to face Goliath.  Goliath's pride and arrogance would not allow him to see the threat that David really did present.  David's faith and humility in facing that giant pleased God, and God allowed David to defeat Goliath by hitting him with a stone thrown from a sling and then David cut off Goliath's head.  Pride gets us nowhere in the face of God.

Pride and humility.  We are a proud people here in the United States.  We have so much that we have accomplished, the rest of the world sometimes looks at us in disgust because we give the appearance of not being satisfied.  It’s never enough and we draw attention to ourselves where ever we go.  Celebrities are recognized and lifted up as examples for us to live by.  Through all of the media, it’s “look what I can do”.  God resists the proud. Pride will not get any soul into heaven.

“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18 (NKJV).

Our faith as Christians today doesn’t measure up to the faith of Abraham, of Noah, of Moses, of David.  These men were humble to begin with and knew the value and spirit of humility before God.  Our pride gets in the way.  How would God choose from among us today?  We often don’t have the strength of faith to worship Him, let alone look beyond what our human hands and minds create and put before God.  Our offerings of ourselves lack humility.  We need to let go of pride and ego, let go of the pride that we have accomplished something and let God and Jesus Christ work in our lives.

Evangelist Pastor John Collins began a revival of awakening.

That awakening stirs the spirit of those who hear him.  From a pulpit or behind the microphone of a recording studio, his words are Biblically correct. Being Biblically correct in a very politically correct world is difficult for most of the strongest of Christians today.  

Pastor John Collins says it well and puts pride and humility into this perspective:

“Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, and said to them, ‘Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.’” Luke 9:46-48 (NKJV).

Who is worthy to be lifted up? How does God choose those that He would separate and use for His purposes? He chose Abraham and Abraham was considered a friend of God’s. He chose David and David was a man after God’s own heart. He sent His Son who died for us all.  Even those who walked with Jesus thought of themselves and the impact that they would have on this world. This is so wonderful to know that the human instinct to desire to rise above and be great was felt in those men who walked with Christ. This allows us to recognize this in ourselves and work to overcome that ego. They were corrected and they learned what true humility is. They witnessed their Lord humble Himself to the Cross. Yet there are so many that want to be great in the name of the Lord. They call attention to themselves and think highly of themselves. But, God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Believe me when I tell you that God knows what He is doing and He knows our hearts.

Pastor John Collins of Redeeming the Gospel Revival, John Collins Ministries continues on: God has no use for pride.

God does not want servants that think highly of themselves and their eligibility. God wants people to serve Him that are humble of heart. When we choose to walk with Jesus it should be with a pure heart and a true devotion to obedience to the Lord. We should never seek our own acclaim. We should not care what others think of us. We should be concerned only with whether we are an asset to the kingdom of God or a burden. If we have selfish ambition in our heart and a desire to stand out and be important, we are seeking status in this life and we are then unworthy to be a true servant of the Lord.

We must be careful when we desire to leave a name for ourselves, to want to be recognized for our importance or to be valued among men. A truly worthy person that will serve God well is a person that has no ambition in his heart. This person thinks of salvation when he looks upon the souls of this world. This person has sadness in his heart because of the condition of the human race. This person worries of the state of others’ faith in their lives. This person considers opportunities to share the gospel and help others come to Jesus. This person wants to see others go to heaven and lives his life as an example. This person will sacrifice and find ways to be a light in a world of dark. This person will please God.

“Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” James 2:5 (NKJV).

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” Matthew 5:3-6 (NKJV).

Learning to be humble takes a commitment to become obedient to God.  In order to become obedient to God, we need to learn to draw near to Him in prayer and through the words in the Holy Bible.  God wants each of us to have the opportunity to come to know Him, so that we all can go home to Him one day.  That is the reason He sent His Son Jesus Christ, for our salvation through His sacrifice on the Cross.  Jesus humbly accepted the punishment of our sins, died publicly in humility and obedience.  God won’t ask us to do anything that He won’t equip us to handle.  We can become obedient and humble ourselves before God, just as His Son did.  God wants us to come to know Him and His love, to help us with our lives and be part of our lives here in this world.  Pride and ego turns us from God.  To be meek, to be poor in spirit means to be humble; we need to learn the humility of Christ. Bring back God in our lives, come humbly to the foot of the Cross.

“God is never secondary in my life, He is always Primary”- Pastor John Collins, Evangelist.

So you’ve disappointed God, now what?

Pastor John Collins says "It is not possible to go through this life without sinning and it is impossible to not have disappointed God at some point in your life, but what is most important is what you do about it. It is not easy for mere humans to recognize the ways of God and to know the miracles and hope that suffering produces. In Jesus' name, with faith, there is now the hope of forgiveness and of acceptance into heaven. With your own suffering comes humility and growth in your faith. Faith is something that you have to fight for and want. Faith is not a given and it is not just a belief. It is a trusting and a knowledge that Jesus did die for your sins and with this knowledge comes a willingness to live in hope and obedience to the word of God.  It is easy to allow your humanly interpretations of situations and your own personal desires to get in the way of the will of God. Every so often you need to do a self-check and examine your motives and desires in this life and to see if they line up with the word of God. Do your best to not interfere with the will of God and do your best to not confuse the will of God with your will. You can tell the difference between the two by examining which one will produce righteousness in your life. Which choices in your life will bring about godliness?  When you feel that you have disappointed God then it is time for you to repent. You can't live in perpetual guilt and you cannot allow your mistakes to drive you away from God.  You must become humble so that you choose to come before Him and seek His forgiveness and His guidance, so that you can move forward in your life with confidence and trust, knowing that you are seeking the kingdom of heaven above all."

This is a sample of Pastor John's new sermon series.  This powerful message does not promise false hope, does not promise wealth of money or property, and won't leave a false feeling of security. What he does do is focus attention on salvation and pleasing God.

Pastor John Collins feels that there is a great need in the United States to get away from the prosperity gospel, to get  priorities right, that there is no price to be put on a soul.  Each person is precious and deserves to hear the word of God in its entirety and without it being watered down.  Pastor John Collins is available to travel to speak to churches or groups for this sermon series.  He can be reached through John Collins Ministries, www.johncollinsministries.com.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: CONNECT

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, REDEEMING THE GOSPEL REVIVAL

CONNECT

If there is one thing that you can do for yourself in your daily lives, it is to take the time to connect with the Lord ~ Pastor John Collins, John Collins Ministries

“Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ‘Father, glorify Your name.’ Then a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, ‘An angel has spoken to Him.’ Jesus answered and said, ‘This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.’” John 12:27-30 (NKJV).

Jesus grew up knowing the duty and responsibilities that He had been given. He knew what would come and He lived with an awareness of what was to be gained. He did not live with His own needs and wants but with those of His Father’s. Jesus was driven to give as He had always seen God give.

It is so clear that Jesus wanted those He encountered to understand the gifts that came from the Father. He wanted them to know that God was reaching out to them. He often pointed out that certain things were done for the benefit of others. Jesus did not need the reassurances that we need and did not lack the understanding that we do.

I believe that we often take too much of life for granted. We should slow down and look up. We should stop in our tracks and pray. Jesus was mindful of God always and was mindful of His impact on our souls. Jesus cares for us and wanted only the best for those that He ministered to. His life was full of determination for all of the right things. We have so much to learn from Him and we have so much be thankful for.

If there is one thing that you can do for yourself in your daily lives, it is to take the time to connect with the Lord. You should be seeking the opportunities to quiet your lives and to become more aware of God. You should think about what you have done in your life and what you want to do. But do this according to the gospel of Christ and see where that takes you.

God has always done things to reach us and has always provided a way home. God has given us His Son and we should take note of the character of Jesus so that we can learn from Him. Jesus pleased God in every way and we should seek to do the same. It is possible for us to have the commitment to God that Jesus displayed by choosing to follow our Lord.

Let us be aware of the efforts of God and Jesus and let us respond to their love. Let us be honest with ourselves in our lives and be willing to sacrifice for our eternal souls. Let us become more faithful people who choose to pay attention to the things that are above over the things of this earth. Let us praise God for His consideration and selfless love.

“Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.  And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” John 12:31-32 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS! PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

You are not alone!  Reach Pastor John Collins through JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES website www.johncollinsministries.com or email jcollinsministries@gmail.com

God bless you!

photos courtesy Google images

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: FEAR! THE WORLD IS CLOSED!

From John Collins Ministries:

In the face of COVID-19, fear abounds across the world.  Remember, God is with us, Immanuel:

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:17 (NKJV).

Fear is where bad thoughts and bad decisions lie. Fear can make you be suspicious of your loved ones, fear can make you act crazy and overbearing towards your children, fear can make you act territorial on your job and fear can costs you relationships that you cherish. Fear can make you hit the bottle, buy a bag or slam the needle. Fear can keep you from living your life peacefully. Fear can keep you inside your home, fear can keep your from opening up to others and fear can ruin your life. God does not want us to live in fear whether we are aware of it or not. God does not want us to be weak because of fear nor give in to what we do not believe in because of fear, whether it is fear of not getting along and being accepted, fear of getting hurt or fear of losing something or someone. God wants us to be strong and confident in the face of fear because we know that His promises are true.

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV).

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18 (NKJV).

Some people are driven by fear. They are afraid of failure, of success, of others’ opinions, of death, of life, of pain, of happiness and on and on. It is natural to experience fear in this life. There are times when it is appropriate and there are times when it is paralyzing.

The faith that we have and the trust that we have in God and in Jesus is meant to help us overcome our insecurities and ourselves. We need to know that we do not belong to this world but we belong to God. That truth, when it is planted in your heart, will banish your fears and fill you with hope.
The apostles and prophets were killed in terrible ways and yet they held on to their hope and the love of God and the power of Christ to get through the suffering. Whatever may bring fear to your door is never going to be bigger or stronger than God and the promises that He has made. When you find yourself struggling with fear or anxiety just stop and say a little prayer and move forward. Trust that He will see you through the day and that is just what you need to know, that day by day He has got you and you have nothing to fear.

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.” Psalm 56:3 (NKJV).

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV).

There have been many self-help books and seminars on fear and on the power of positive thinking. Many people have grasped the concept of positive thinking and have chosen to devote themselves to changing the way that they think in order to have better outcomes on their situations in life. There are 2 options when it comes to positive thinking: you can stand in your personal power to think yourself into a positive outcome of whatever place you find yourself or you can stand in godliness and trust in the Lord to help you find solutions to your problems and grace to accept your failures along with wisdom to grow in your faith which allows your soul the maturing that God is hopeful that you will claim while you live here on earth. God is aware of all of your joys, problems, fears and complications in your life. God wants you to stand strong in your faith with loyalty to Him and with a heart for Him. God wants you to learn to trust Him and to know that without Him you are nothing, without Jesus you are nothing. That is the truth of this world. Positive thinking comes from knowing you are loved and in return you are obedient to the will of God. Positive thinking that leads to heaven comes from knowing that you are meant to live your life with the knowledge that it gets messy and how you deal with all of it is the test and it is your greatest opportunity to show your love and faith in God.

Positive thinking is good when it is based on faith in God. But positive thinking that is based on what you can create and claim for yourself is arrogant and selfish and without true knowledge. We must move forward in this life with confidence and faith and not fear, but we must also move forward with humility and not pride and a true desire to please God because it matters and where your soul ends up depends upon it.

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.  For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.” Hebrews 12:2-3 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

 

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS DAILY THOUGHTS: 1 LOST SHEEP

From John Collins Ministries:

'Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV).

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.” Psalm 51:12-13 (NKJV).

The gang-banger, the drug dealer, the thief, the liar, the cheater, the adulterer and every other sinner out there is a soul in need of Christ. We live in a world of despair and fear of our fellow man. We have so many horrible truths that fill our streets that we are cautious and wary. There are bad people in this world and many of them do not want to change. I believe that there are also so very many people that have not been given the chance to change. Their environments have created a need to survive and there seems to be so few ways to get out.

There are many outreach programs that are trying to help. I believe that more can be done. It is not only in the inner cities and slums that these lost souls reside. The address of a soul in need is not of importance. Remember the 1 lost sheep and know that our responsibility to each other is greater than we have owned up to. We are all God’s children and we should all be willing to enable change in another. Sometimes it is just believing that change is possible. Sometimes it is faith in helping another create the desire to change within themselves. 

Change is possible.

The true hope of the gospel is this change. This is what getting to heaven involves. We cannot claim to believe and then not change our lives and ourselves. It is the hope of Christ that allows us forgiveness and with that forgiveness comes change. We are new creatures and we are no longer the same person that we were. Sometimes we must bear with the doubt and judgment of others. Sometimes we must overcome the doubt within ourselves. I don’t care what your past was because whatever that past was it is now your testimony once you have come to Jesus and become His disciple.

This is what we should look for and hope for in others. We should be encouraging the drug addict, the alcoholic, the cheater, the gang-banger and the abuser. All these would be terrible sinners are the souls of the lost until they find the truth in Christ. Each one of us will find in our lives opportunities to encourage faith in others and we should be willing to take the chance to do so. Remember Jesus did not come to heal the healthy but the sick. Do not look down on someone that is a prisoner of Satan’s, look up to God and pray that the lost be touched by the Lord and drawn to Him. Do not doubt the transformation that comes with the Cross. That is the beauty and hope of our faith.

“For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Romans 8:13 (NKJV).

Love That Cross, Pastor John Collins

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS DAILY THOUGHTS: PICK AND CHOOSE CHRISTIANITY?

From John Collins Ministries: 

“Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which makes a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.’” Mark 12: 41-44 (NKJV).

You cannot only be a Christian when things are going good in your life and you cannot only be a Christian towards those whom you like and approve of. The whole point of being a Christian is to be Christ-like and believe me, Jesus was kind to those whom He knew to be sinners and those whom He would not approve of, which is the reason that He was sent to earth, to save those who were lost. Jesus gave all that He had down to His last breath, for us.

Many people take their own lives and situations too seriously and become defensive and ignore those who are around them. Many people justify their self-absorption by claiming tragedy, turmoil, victimhood and obligations. You cannot justify acting nasty or dismissive to others because you are not in a comfortable situation or in a place of stability. God tests you on how you behave under pressure, under stress and in the tough situations. God tests you all of the time and if you really are interested in how you are doing, just go and read the Sermon on the Mount and see how you measure up.

The words of Christ when He spoke are not to be dismissed, they are to be obeyed and that is how you will be tested. God doesn’t want you to wait until you are happy and financially stable to help another. It is your suffering that makes you able to have compassion and it is your willingness to put another before yourself that makes you rich.

Be willing to be a follower of Christ when no one is looking and be willing to open yourself up to another when they are in need. Not everyone needs money as charity. There are so many lonely people in this world that need love and faith. Be willing to offer both freely because God knows that Jesus always will.

“Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have the glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” Matthew 6:2 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, Pastor John Collins

Read more about JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES, or reach Pastor John Collins, Evangelist personally through JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES at www.johncollinsministries.com.