"Ye are the light of the world..." Mt. 5:14

The Lords Supper, a Constant Cycle

GJblogger — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 02:41:17 +0000

We all remember the Lord’s supper (A.K.A. last supper) Right? How Jesus ate with His twelve disciples and let them know that one of them was going to betray Him. Well then, the question I would like to pose is what significance, if any, does the Lord’s supper have in our lives today? In order to effectively answer those questions, you must first fully understand the process of the Lord’s Supper.

The first thing Jesus did according to Matthew 26:26 was Take the bread, then He Blessed the bread, next came the Breaking, and finally He Passed out the bread amongst the disciples. There are 4 things there, the number 4 has significance in the word of God. There are 4 seasons, 4 basic elements, 4 is the number of cycles. Notice the 4 steps in the cycle, taken, blessed, broken, and passed out. That is the constant cycle we live in our daily lives as people of God!! Think about it! At one point in our lives we are either being taken by God, out of a situation, or into a situation, out of an environment, or into an environment. We are being blessed by God, spiritually, financially, emotionally and much much more! We can’t even begin to put a number on the blessings of God! Or we find ourselves being broken by God, Which doesn’t necessarily feel good, but is critical to our growth in Christ. This is the step that we so often want to skip in our walk with God. No one likes the breaking that comes from God, because most of the time (if not all) it is just downright uncomfortable. But we have got to learn to embrace the breaking, for without it we will just be stuck in our own sinful ways! God wants to break our stubborn will, and conform it to His will! That just leaves the passing out. Once we have been taken, blessed and broken, God wants us to share our experiences with all those who we come in contact with. That is being the Light! We as people of God are the light in this dark world. And allowing God to pass us out is one of the ways we let that light shine. So what process of the cycle are you in? Take a look at your life and see where God has you in each situation in your life. Just something to consider.

In His service,

Brother G.J.

Who’s the Man?

GJblogger — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:12:06 +0000

A question that is seldom answered in today’s society. From the very beginning however, Man has been required to take responsibility, to be held accountable for his own sinful actions. Remember what happened to Adam in the Garden of Eden (Genesis Ch. 3)? It wasn’t until Adam partook of the sin when God came and was asking for him, “…she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?”Genesis 3:6-9. And when God did come, notice, he didn’t ask for Eve, even though she was the first one to partake of the forbidden fruit, He asked Adam “Where art thou?” And God knew where Adam was, He could see him hiding in the bushes, but what God was really asking him was “Where is your head at man?!” You see Adam knew not to eat of the fruit that God Himself instructed him not to partake of. As the head of his family (Eve), Adam was supposed to make sure that Eve had it right. He was responsible for instructing her as God had instructed him. So the Title question comes to mind again, Who’s the Man? God was even giving Adam another chance to repent before He passed judgment by asking him where he was at, but what did Adam do with that chance? He didn’t take responsibility “And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” Gen. 3:12. So typical of a man right? He makes a mistake and looks for the next person or situation or thing to point a finger of blame at! And of course Eve just followed suit and blamed it on the next guy, “And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” Genesis 3:13. “My brethren, these things ought not so to be!” James 3:10. We as men must understand the importance of accountability! God holds us accountable for the actions and mis actions of our families! So then, again I ask, “Who’s the man?!” I just wrote an article called “Who can find a virtuous Woman?”, well I would like to pose the same question for this article, Who can find a virtuous Man?! Who can find a man who will stand up and be a man according to God’s standards? Who can find a man who is after God’s own heart as King David was? Genuine men of God are rare in today’s society, but to all those who do seek to be men after God’s own heart Keep on!!

In His service,

Brother G.J. Matthews

Who Can Find a Virtuous Woman?

GJblogger — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 04:27:06 +0000

A virtuous woman? Someone who is few and far in between especially in today’s society. It is a shame that women of this caliber are so rare in this day and age. And just to clarify, I am not saying that they are nonexistent, just rare. For all those who are, and strive to be, keep on! But I am eluding to those who just don’t care. those who are too selfish to realize that they are far from being where God would have them be. Just what is a virtuous woman? Proverbs 31:10 -31 defines her,

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” Proverbs 31:10-31
What has caused women to stray so far from this Ideal? Have they lost sight of who they are in Gods eyes? Women of God to day must remember that they are they weaker, or more precious vessel as I Peter 3:7 says, and that God desires for them to hold up the standards of virtuous women. For all of those who are holding up that standard, keep on, for those who are striving to, keep on. Just something to think about…

“But seek ye first the kingdom of God…” Matt. 6:33

GJblogger — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:00:45 +0000

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What exactly is the kingdom of heaven? Is it something that is untouchable, unattainable until death? Or do we have access to it now? Many people think that the kingdom of God is only something that we are working towards, something that is coming or on its way, but that is only half true. Let’s rightly divide the word shall we? Matthew 5:10 says “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Past tense or present tense? Theirs IS the kingdom of heaven, indicating something that is; presently. The verse stated in the title says to “seek” the kingdom of God, indicating that it is something that can be attained now. Seek and ye shall find, the word of God says, so the more we seek the Kingdom of God, we will find it. But what exactly are we looking for? Is it literally a kingdom with a castle and everything? Romans 14:17 says “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Past tense, futures tense, or present tense? The Kingdom of God is not just something physical. It’s not a kingdom that is corruptible ” …the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever.” Daniel 2:44. The kingdom of heaven is now! It is that righteousness peace, and joy in the Holyghost that God freely gives to those who seek it! We have access to the kingdom “where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”Matthew 6:20. What a privilege! God is calling everyone to this kingdom, who will have ears to hear? Think on these things….

Brother G.J. Matthews

True or False: Repentance can be true or false.

GJblogger — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:32:54 +0000

Lately true repentance has been on my mind a lot. Not just towards God, but towards one another also. We do hurtful things sometimes with no intention of repenting, or with just an impersonal, cold “I’m sorry” to one another and to God. “…My brethren, these things ought not so to be.” James 3:10. We have to go back to what is in our foundation. The very thing that opened the door for us to be saved, true repentance! Repentance from our dead works! Heb. 6:1. Putting off the old man! Col. 3:9. We must go back to the basics, we must exercise true repentance in all of our relationships!
The process of genuine repentance is made up of three things, the “three R’s” as they are called. Recognition, Remorse, and Rejection. The three R’s of repentance. In order for someone to truly repent, these three things must be evident. Not necessarily in that order, but all three have to be present for someone to genuinely repent. If you feel bad for something you did (remorse) and you know what it is that you did wrong (recognition) but you don’t make sure that your heart is set against that thing (rejection), its going to come back and you will commit the sin over again. If there is remorse and rejection of a sin, but you don’t recognize what it the sin is, the root of it that is, it will come back cloaked as something else and cause you to commit the same sin! Think about it, what do you do when you repent? Well you have to be able to recognize (as in James 4:17, Luke 12:48, and Genesis 3:9-13) what you have done so that you can know what to repent of right? And the guilt or remorse, as spoken of in II Corinthians 7:9-11, has to take place or else you won’t feel bad for the wrong that you committed. Rejection of course, as found in II Chronicles 7:14, is what gives your repentance it’s backbone. It is that resistance by choice and obedience. True repentance is something that is rare nowadays, even amongst people of God. We as people of God have to pay attention, examine ourselves as I Corinthians 11:28 instructs us to. It is in that examination, that we will find what gets in the way of true repentance. Whether it is our way of thinking that is not in line with God’s will, or our pride that won’t allow us to go any further than simply recognizing what we have done wrong. When we examine ourselves, DAILY, as God’s word instructs us to, the path to true repentance can be found. Consider with me II Corinthians 7:11, a wise man of God said that this passage is repentance, True repentance in a nut shell. “For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” “Finally brethren…think on these things.”

Brother G.J.

God’s way vs. Your way (Luke 22:42)

GJblogger — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 01:52:23 +0000

Jesus gave us the example, as indicated in the scripture referred to above. In the kingdom of God it’s not what you know, it’s whose will you are connected to! Consider St. John 7:14-17, and know that wherever Jesus went, whatever decisions he made- daily -he reasoned within himself and purposed in his heart to do the will of God. Because Christ was our example, we too then must desire to know God’s will for our own daily decisions! Choosing to do God’s will is something that we must do on a daily basis. EVERY DAY. According to Luke 22:42, even unto death Jesus was willing to allow God’s will over his own. In consideration of John 7:14-17, “He shall know of the doctrine…” That same doctrine is what our foundation is built upon (Hebrews 6:1-6, The doctrine of repentance, the doctrine of Faith, and so on). So then, if we don’t allow God’s will to come to pass in our lives, we are disobeying that same doctrine. Unwillingness to do God’s will is the same as disobedience to his word. I Timothy 1:8-10 tells us how God views those who disobey His Word. He views the disobedient in the same light as murderers and whore mongers! II Timothy 4:3-5 lets us know to be how Christ was at Gethsemane,(the olive press) even unto death to endure, even though it was going to hurt to endure, even though it was not going to be comfortable to endure, “Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.” Luke 22:42. II Timothy 4:5 is a road map to discerning the will of God. Starting from the very first thing it says to do, “watch thou in all things”. How is a watchman? He is alert, listening to every sound, eyes constantly moving, constantly aware, looking for the slightest change in surroundings. often times, just completing this step in discerning God’s will is one of the hardest things to do! I mean really, when that person says that thing that gets you instantly peeved, and you are ready to let them have a piece of your mind( or your mouth rather) how easy it it to stop, “Watch thou in all things” and seek out the will of God in that situation? I submit to you that is much easier said than done! But yet it is required if you really want God’s will accomplished in our daily decisions.

To do the will of God, or not to do the will of God? That is the question. Choosing to do God’s will over our own is one of the most important, yet overlooked decisions we must make on a daily basis. It is so easy to get our “Want-toers” out of whack. “I want to do this…” “I think I should do that…” “I want to say this!” What about what God wants? How much does that matter to you? We as people of God must be determined to do the will of God no matter what the cost. Just as Christ gave us that example when he was about to be put to death, “…Nevertheless, not my will, but thine, be done.” Luke 22:42. Even at the price of death Jesus was willing to allow God’s will to be done over his own.

In His Service,

G.J.

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Love Endures…

GJblogger — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 19:13:54 +0000

Love does endure all things, it is patient, kind, and long suffering, but does that mean that we should allow those whom we love to abuse it? Not so. Gods love is all those things first, but there are consequences when you abuse His love. So then it is the same when you take advantage of your love for each other, husband to wife, brother to sister, and so on. Thats why God gives us the instruction in Matthew 18:6-11, to cut off those things that prevent us from being who we need to be in Christ. Jesus says in Luke 14:25-35 that we must be willing to forsake those who are close to our hearts for Him, just as Abraham was willing to sacrifice his own son for God, Just as Jesus gave His very life so that God’s will could be accomplished. All of us as people of God will reach that point in life, if you haven’t already, and will be required to make that same decision. God requires it of all those who claim to be His! He wants to see if we really will give up everything just to be His disciple. When that time comes we have to be as Joshua was in 24:15, and have a made up mind to serve the Lord. Think on these things,

His servant, G.J. Matthews

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What is life?

GJblogger — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 04:52:29 +0000

So what is life anyway? Is 80, 100+ years (if you are truly blessed) all we have to live? I think not. There has got to be much more to life than the few years that we are alive in this world. What kind of existence would it be if all we had was 100 years to be in existence? What is 100 years compared to an eternity? Not even a blip on the radar. But yet so many people are living their lives as if they will no longer exist after they die. Live life to the fullest they say, thats halfway right. We do need to live life to the fullest, Doing everything we can for God because only what we do for Christ will last. We shouldn’t be living to see what we can get in this life, I mean really, what can you do with a jet ski when you die? Or a quad? Or a beach house even? All these material things don’t amount to anything when it comes to where you spend eternity. You can’t take them with you, the bible says in Matthew 6:20 to “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven”. Our focus shouldn’t be on material things, because they all go away in the end. But instead remember, only what you do for Christ will last.

Just a thought,

G.J.

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The LAMS Light is here!

GJblogger — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 04:07:00 +0000

Our First Issue of the LAMS Light

Volume 1 Issue 2
This publication is the first of many from Lighthouse Apostolic Ministries of Sacramento. We hope that many lives will be touched by the articles and that people will be able to come to the realization of who God really is. Our desire is that people will be able to know God, I mean really KNOW Him. Living a life for God is about more than just going to church every Sunday or just being “religious”. It’s about knowing God for who He really is, our savior, our protector, our friend, and so much more.

In His service,

Brother G.J. Matthews

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