On Friday, Jesus was crucified.
He died.
He was buried.
BUT...
ON SUNDAY HE ROSE AGAIN!
Let this Resurrection day be your day of Victory!
Do you face depression?
That debt has been paid.
Do you face rejection?
That debt has been paid.
Do you face loneliness?
That debt has been paid.
Do you face disease?
That debt has been paid.
Do you face persecution?
That debt has been paid.
Do you face poverty?
That debt has been paid.
Do you face addiction?
That debt has been paid.
All of the hurts, pains, condemnation, disappointments, sins, and misfortunes of your life do not define you!
Today, only ONE thing defines you!
Today the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who died, was buried, who defeated the enemy, and Rose Again...This is what defines you!
In that one moment in time Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice to give you the victory.
He bought the victory for all of mankind... past, present, and future.
In one Glorious instance his eyes opened and His burial garments fell to the ground.
The stone rolled away and the tomb door opened up.
Out stepped our Risen Savior as YOUR victor!
He won your victory at that moment!
He paid your debts Once and For All!
Accept it today!
Accept Him today!
He longs to share in this day of Victory with you and to give you the everlasting and abundant life that he lived, died, and Resurrected to give you!
You are not just a number or a name to Him.
He knows you personally and LONGS to live with you, inside of you, through you.
If you do not know Him or want to know Him again, then say this prayer:
Lord Jesus,
I believe that You ARE the Son of God.
I believe that you were crucified, died, defeated the enemy, and Rose Again!
I believe that You paid the debt for all of my sins!
I accept you as my Savior Today!
I Love You,
Amen!
After you have prayed this prayer then begin praying more prayers, and more prayers, and even more.
Get to know your Father, God.
He longs to spend time with you.
Talk with Him like He is your closest friend.
Believe me, He WILL become your closest friend.
Whether you just accepted Jesus as your savior, or you have known Him for a long time, Praise God because no matter what your circumstances appear to be, today IS your day of Victory!
The next time the enemy tries to remind you of your shortcomings your promises, the stresses of life, shout the Name of Jesus at him and stand firmly in the finished work that was paid for you on Calvary!
God Loves You So Much!
He sent His only Son to pay the sacrifice of all of your debts.
There is no greater love then to lay down your life for another.
That, my friends, is just a taste of how much our Daddy God loves YOU!
Today is your day of Victory!
Today Is The Resurrection Day!
As Always Remember:
God Loves You!
God Created You!
God Accepts You!
Until next time,
SavedByGrace
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Jesus at the Gay Bar?
Tonight I experienced something that most people would consider out of the ordinary.
I went to a local gay bar to watch a Gospel Drag Show!
Yes, you read that correctly, a gospel drag show.
All of the performances were set to gospel music with a couple of contemporary Christian songs thrown in.
You may be asking yourself some questions.
Were the performers making fun of Christians?
Was there anyone in the audience to actually watch the show?
Were they hostile toward Christianity?
Well, here is what I found:
The drag queens who performed treated their songs much less like a drag show and more like worship.
They worshiped God with their talent and their heart the best and purest way they knew how.
I saw one performer dance with joy and exuberance as she worshiped God during her song.
I saw another performer testify about how the show was not about her, but was all about Jesus, followed by a round of "Amens!" from the audience.
Speaking of the audience, how was the crowd?
By the end of the show the place was standing room only!
I watched people raise their hands in worship and clap along with the music as if they were sitting in an old time Pentecostal tent revival!
What amazed me the most about this experience tonight was seeing people from many backgrounds and faith traditions, many of whom were sipping on a drink from the bar, finding genuine excitement in old southern gospel songs.
They were worshiping God without the pretensions of church or the mask that so many typical church going Christians wear.
They were being themselves.
Many people were laughing.
Many were drinking.
At times some people were even tearing up, moved by the presence of God that was very real and very beautiful.
The drag queens and singers who performed were being themselves.
The audience members were being themselves.
There was no holier then thou attitudes about how worship should look a certain way or fit a certain mold.
There were real people, acting like real people, worshiping a real God, who loves them with a real love.
Do you know who loves real meetings like this?
The Real Jesus!
And, you can bet the farm that Jesus was at the gay bar tonight.
He was walking through the crowd, touching lives and healing wounds.
He was taking joy from the authentic worship from people who felt no need to pretend for acceptance.
He was laughing with those who laughed and crying with those who cried.
Jesus was loving the expression of worship from the drag queens as well because He saw it for what it was; pure worship from a true place of genuine love for our Savior.
Sure, there were people there who didn't worship freely and some who kept up walls of defense that didn't appear to be torn down.
Of course, who really knows, besides God, who's walls fell and who's didn't?
I even heard a few laughs from the back during worship.
But, whether some people allowed God to minister to them or not, they were there.
They stayed for the show.
And, Jesus met them there, right where they were, in a drag show in Birmingham, Alabama.
He planted seeds and began tearing down walls of hurt and rejection.
Isn't that the beautiful way that Jesus works so many times?
Even 2000 years later He is still hanging out with the outcasts who are having some drinks and being too loud and raucous.
It should come as no surprise that Jesus was hanging out at the gay bar tonight.
He always hangs out with the folks that the Religious Establishment typically judges instead of loves.
God has built His church on people like this.
He is very fond of us outcasts!
What does all this mean?
The lesson here is very simple but very important.
God does not want us to act like a different person in front of Him.
He doesn't want us to hide behind a facade.
After all, we can never actually hide from Him anyway!
Our Papa God loves us and wants to be part of our lives even when we don't think we are Holy.
Guess what.
We will never be Holy enough to be in God's presence on our own.
That's where Jesus steps in.
Because we can never attain perfect righteousness on our own, Jesus paid the ultimate price as the spotless sacrifice for us so that we could get rid of our masks and pretensions and approach the thrown of God with Confidence!
We are saved through the work that Christ did on Calvary!
Our Salvation was bought and paid for that first Easter.
Our Righteousness was given to us that day.
Our Healing was given to us that day.
Our Hope, our Joy, our Freedom to prosper mentally, physically, and spiritually was all given to us freely, as a gift, the moment that Jesus died and resurrected 2000 years ago!
I urge you today to take off your mask and be real with God.
Accept His promises for you and worship Him with the gifts you have!
Just like the drag queens I saw tonight, give God your talent.
Give God your praise.
Give God your worship in the purest way you know how from the most genuine part of yourself!
This is how you find peace.
Worship Him without that facade of perfection and know that He loves you right where you are!
Accept that you are saved by His Grace, not your works!
Once you decide to be honest and real in His presence, you can truly Surrender to Him and Trust Him to do the work in your life that He desires to do.
This real surrender builds a real relationship that leads to your real peace!
God has a destiny for you!
God has a purpose for you!
God has promises for you!
Take off your mask and let Him work on your heart so that He can give you His Joy that is your strength.
As always, remember:
God Loves You!
God Created You!
God Accepts You!
Until Next Time,
SavedByGrace
I went to a local gay bar to watch a Gospel Drag Show!
Yes, you read that correctly, a gospel drag show.
All of the performances were set to gospel music with a couple of contemporary Christian songs thrown in.
You may be asking yourself some questions.
Were the performers making fun of Christians?
Was there anyone in the audience to actually watch the show?
Were they hostile toward Christianity?
Well, here is what I found:
The drag queens who performed treated their songs much less like a drag show and more like worship.
They worshiped God with their talent and their heart the best and purest way they knew how.
I saw one performer dance with joy and exuberance as she worshiped God during her song.
I saw another performer testify about how the show was not about her, but was all about Jesus, followed by a round of "Amens!" from the audience.
Speaking of the audience, how was the crowd?
By the end of the show the place was standing room only!
I watched people raise their hands in worship and clap along with the music as if they were sitting in an old time Pentecostal tent revival!
What amazed me the most about this experience tonight was seeing people from many backgrounds and faith traditions, many of whom were sipping on a drink from the bar, finding genuine excitement in old southern gospel songs.
They were worshiping God without the pretensions of church or the mask that so many typical church going Christians wear.
They were being themselves.
Many people were laughing.
Many were drinking.
At times some people were even tearing up, moved by the presence of God that was very real and very beautiful.
The drag queens and singers who performed were being themselves.
The audience members were being themselves.
There was no holier then thou attitudes about how worship should look a certain way or fit a certain mold.
There were real people, acting like real people, worshiping a real God, who loves them with a real love.
Do you know who loves real meetings like this?
The Real Jesus!
And, you can bet the farm that Jesus was at the gay bar tonight.
He was walking through the crowd, touching lives and healing wounds.
He was taking joy from the authentic worship from people who felt no need to pretend for acceptance.
He was laughing with those who laughed and crying with those who cried.
Jesus was loving the expression of worship from the drag queens as well because He saw it for what it was; pure worship from a true place of genuine love for our Savior.
Sure, there were people there who didn't worship freely and some who kept up walls of defense that didn't appear to be torn down.
Of course, who really knows, besides God, who's walls fell and who's didn't?
I even heard a few laughs from the back during worship.
But, whether some people allowed God to minister to them or not, they were there.
They stayed for the show.
And, Jesus met them there, right where they were, in a drag show in Birmingham, Alabama.
He planted seeds and began tearing down walls of hurt and rejection.
Isn't that the beautiful way that Jesus works so many times?
Even 2000 years later He is still hanging out with the outcasts who are having some drinks and being too loud and raucous.
It should come as no surprise that Jesus was hanging out at the gay bar tonight.
He always hangs out with the folks that the Religious Establishment typically judges instead of loves.
God has built His church on people like this.
He is very fond of us outcasts!
What does all this mean?
The lesson here is very simple but very important.
God does not want us to act like a different person in front of Him.
He doesn't want us to hide behind a facade.
After all, we can never actually hide from Him anyway!
Our Papa God loves us and wants to be part of our lives even when we don't think we are Holy.
Guess what.
We will never be Holy enough to be in God's presence on our own.
That's where Jesus steps in.
Because we can never attain perfect righteousness on our own, Jesus paid the ultimate price as the spotless sacrifice for us so that we could get rid of our masks and pretensions and approach the thrown of God with Confidence!
We are saved through the work that Christ did on Calvary!
Our Salvation was bought and paid for that first Easter.
Our Righteousness was given to us that day.
Our Healing was given to us that day.
Our Hope, our Joy, our Freedom to prosper mentally, physically, and spiritually was all given to us freely, as a gift, the moment that Jesus died and resurrected 2000 years ago!
I urge you today to take off your mask and be real with God.
Accept His promises for you and worship Him with the gifts you have!
Just like the drag queens I saw tonight, give God your talent.
Give God your praise.
Give God your worship in the purest way you know how from the most genuine part of yourself!
This is how you find peace.
Worship Him without that facade of perfection and know that He loves you right where you are!
Accept that you are saved by His Grace, not your works!
Once you decide to be honest and real in His presence, you can truly Surrender to Him and Trust Him to do the work in your life that He desires to do.
This real surrender builds a real relationship that leads to your real peace!
God has a destiny for you!
God has a purpose for you!
God has promises for you!
Take off your mask and let Him work on your heart so that He can give you His Joy that is your strength.
As always, remember:
God Loves You!
God Created You!
God Accepts You!
Until Next Time,
SavedByGrace
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