Restoring Faith Even in the Face of Pain and Suffering

Covenant of Hope Ministries Wednesday Sermon_2_18_2014

Good afternoon, and welcome to this Midweek Study for Covenant of Hope Ministries. I am Elder Cal Jennings. Find us posted on Sundays and studies on Wednesday. Our locations are online only:

Main Site: http://covenantofhopeministries.blogspot.com/

Rev. Laura’s Other Sites: Facebook & Twitter & Google+ & Blogspot

Our Main Video Feed: Covenant_of_Hope

We have email (instant messenger if you need me) through Facebook every day. Look for my name minus the title. These are now extremely variable. Our Elder Cal Jennings is just as variable and can be found on several sites as noted by his sermons. We’re still working this out between the two of us as to what will happen, our minister Rev. Laura A. Neff and my self, Elder Cal Jennings. We will inform you further regarding changes. These changes were made due to health reasons. The sermon length has shortened dramatically. We are unsure as to when there might be video presentations.

Prayer List: We have many on our prayer list. Some wish to remain anonymous, and others only wish to have their first names mentioned. Our prayer list has grown from last week. This is our current prayer list for this week.

- Continue your prayers for Phoebe Fair’s family as they continue to grieve her loss.

- Please keep Elder Cal Jennings in your prayers as his health doesn’t know where it wants to be.

- Please pray for my friend Teresa’s sister who is in stage four cancer. Keep Teresa and her daughter in prayer for many other things that have been weighing down on their hearts, minds, and spirits.

- Please keep others known by any of us up in prayer for whatever they might need.

- Please keep my friend Heather in prayer for patience and safe haven.

- Please keep my whole family in prayer for the pain, suffering, and chaos we are going through.

- Pray that the adversity and the pain we have seen around the world would be relieved, and swept away. May we find common ground in many ways, even if we start with just one step.

- Remember those who have been lost either violently or peacefully this week.

- Keep the ministry in your thoughts, each member, no matter their location, their circumstances, because a group of friends, a ministry, should support one another.

- There are many in our ministry who are searching for more in regard to our presence with my health, and with the health of others. We pray that there would be health found once more, and that we have answers to all and for all.

Sermon: Romans 8:38-39

King James Version (KJV)

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I just went through a risky and painful procedure on my heart to see if there was anything that could be done to help. Although it wasn't as successful as some might think, it has somewhat improved my breathing and my eyesight and hopefully will stop the frequent occurrences of passing out. Just when I thought all was lost, God guided the hands of the doctor into making something right even if he says that he only went in and looked to see what could be done. He told me that he was going to try medications since the passageways were too small to splint, yet, I'm breathing and seeing better. As close as death seemed, God snatched me up from its clutches once again, proving that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in the Lord Jesus Christ.

I was ready to accept my fate, quit the ministry, and resign myself to fading off to the other side. Evidently, God had other plans. Just as Job was near death and was restored, so was I restored to God's service.

Hebrews 10:23-25

King James Version (KJV)

23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Sometimes, when we think we're at the end of our rope, when all is lost, and all that's left is for the fat lady to sing, God writes a new chapter for our lives. It's up to us to get up and do something with it. Well, today I'm getting up and doing something with it in spite of the pain. My heart is pumping well enough for me to see the screen even if barely, so I'm doing my job and writing something that I hope will enlighten and inspire some of you.

We should all do what we can to promote the good news that Jesus died for our sins and freed us from judgment if only we believe in Him. God gave dominion over the earth to Jesus for his selfless sacrifice and in turn freed us all. That's right. We're free of judgment from sin. Does that mean we should run out and do everything sinful we want? No. We were bought with a price and in return should do good to honor the one who paid that price.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

King James Version (KJV)

12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.

17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.

18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.

19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

God was warning against being an idolater of the lusts of the flesh as a Christian. He compared it to joining with a harlot... a prostitute. So how now is the law fulfilled?

Galatians 5:14

King James Version (KJV)

14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

We need to love our neighbors as ourselves. That means that we need to love our neighbor regardless of race, religion, sexual preference, nationality, or anything else that might appear to separate us. Regardless of our differences, we are to love our neighbors and do to them as we would have them do to us. You recognize that. It's the Golden Rule.

What other things should Christians be concerned with doing?

Galatians 5:22-26

King James Version (KJV)

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

We should be good, kind, loving, longsuffering, gentle, faithful, meek, and temper ourselves. We are to avoid the lusts of the flesh, not only sexual lust, but lust for power and money as well. Of course, we all need enough on which to live, but beyond that, we should not be concerned other than to help others and to fulfill our work for the Lord. We don't need mansions, sports cars, limousines, golf courses, and bowling alleys to fulfill God's work. Instead, that money should be concentrated on food banks, food kitchens, shelter from the weather for the homeless, hospitals for healing the poor free of charge, and the other good works that Christ and his Apostles did. These days though, most of us are having trouble meeting our own needs for survival.

All of the money had become concentrated in the hands of a wealthy few, leaving little for the rest of us to survive on. This is one reason the bible states the following:

1 Timothy 6:10

King James Version (KJV)

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

We hear many preachers these days telling people how Jesus will make you rich. Yes, he will make us spiritually rich, but why would he give us something that is the root of all evil? Would a Father give his son a snake when he asked for bread?

Luke 11:11

King James Version (KJV)

11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

No, the Father gives only good gifts. Gifts that enrich your lives and your spirits, not your financial status. God is love and wants us to live in peace with one another. He does not want us to do harm to others, but help others when we can as we can. If everyone pitched in and did their share to help others, the world would be a much better place for everyone, including those doing the helping. There would be more joy, more love, more peace, more kindness. The whole world would open its eyes and want to be a part of that world. After all, how many want to go where they're always condemned and made to feel they need to be punished. Don't be fooled. There are many that fall into this category but that is not what Jesus offered us. He did, however, warn us against doing some things.

Galatians 5:19-21

King James Version (KJV)

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Although they may be lawful for us, they are not expedient. They are not good for us and they are not good for others or as examples to others. They keep our light from shining through the darkness. They lend toward causing strife between neighbors. They cause fights. They cause wars. They cause envy. These things do not bring about the fruit of the Spirit but the spirit of darkness which engulfs many. It is better for us to turn away from these things and to concentrate on taking care of our bodies which are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We shouldn't partake in things that destroy but things that build up so that we may build up one another. Doesn't that sound like the reasonable thing to do?

Love, Hope, Peace, and Christ be with you,

Cal Jennings

Love, Hope, Peace, & Christ Be With You,

Cal-el
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Our mission for Covenant of Hope Ministries and Poetic-Expressions is not to exploit fear, but to conquer it, and overcome all that is created through fear together as the rainbow in the darkness.