The Words that Changed the World.

In John 3, Jesus was sought out by a man Nicodemus.  Nicodemus was a great teacher and leader in Israel.  He came to Jesus by night and in that conversation, Jesus made a statement that changed everything.  What was that statement?  It was, you must be born again.  Jesus revealed that before a person can know God their heart has to be more than changed, it has to be removed and given a new heart.  This concept of heart transplant was foreign to people's thinking until 1969, then Christian Bernard a heart specialist in Capetown, South Africa, performed the first successful heart transplant.  His patient's old heart was removed and given a new heart.  That is what God does.  He takes our old heart of sin and shame and gives us a new heart full of grace and truth.  One moment we are walking away from God and the next we are walking towards God.  We have been born again.  Salvation has had its full and complete work. As I have stated before, I am fascinated by salvation and redemption.  God in a moment takes a sinner and makes them a saint.  This transformation can be subtle and gradual or dramatic and quick.  The wonderful thing is that God changes lives.  Today let these words, "you must be born again," sink into your heart and let Jesus change you from the inside out.

Persistent Faith

The Bible is full of great accounts of Jesus ministering to the ordinary person.  One time there was a woman who lived around the area of Sidon in modern day Lebanon.  She heard that Jesus could heal and so she came down to where Jesus was and asked him to heal her child.  At first Jesus ignored her.  This seemed out of character for Jesus but from the story we learn He was seeing how bad she wanted her child's healing.  She refused to be ignored or not to get her answer.  She was persistent and Jesus eventually told her to go home and her child would be made well.  It was her persistence that Jesus was impressed with.  When she did not get her answer the first time or even the second she did not give up.  She kept asking.  Persistent faith is the type that never gives up.  You do not give up until the Lord blesses.  Jacob when he was wrestling with the Angel of the Lord, He put a head lock on the angel and would not let Him go until the angel blessed Jacob.  You have to do the same.  You never give up.  You stay with something until God answers one way or another and you know it.  The Lord says, "Test me and see if I do not open the windows of heaven."  What do you want from God?  What do you need from God?  Do not give up until you have your answer.  The woman from Sidon didn't and she got her child healed.  You must do the same.

Jesus is Still the Answer!

Jesus has all the answers.  He is the reason for salvation.  One time a man ask me a question.  "Is Jesus the only answer God gives for salvation?"  I said, "If Jesus is not the answer for salvation than you are asking the wrong question."  Mankind would love to tell you there are many ways to God but Jesus is God's only answer.  Jesus came that mankind could have eternal and abundant life.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father but through Him.  All the other religious figures and founders are dead and gone.  Jesus is the only one who is still alive.  He is the only person who ever rose from the dead and is still alive.  Jesus even now is sitting at the right hand of the Father making intercession for us.  When Jesus was on this earth He made it very clear that His mission was to save mankind from our sns.  Sin is disobedience to the laws and statutes of God.  All of us have done it and because of that Jesus Christ came so that all of us would have an opportunity for forgiveness of sin and to become the sons and daughters of God.  You are probably saying to yourself.  Robert Dean, you have been talking a lot about salvation and Jesus Christ lately.  That of course is because, I have been studying the Life of Christ and Jesus came for one reason and that was to save us from our sins.  I love redemption because one moment you have a sinner who is away from God and after they give their lives to Christ they have been made righteous.  That is so wonderful.   I know when it happened to me, I was so grateful.  So today, live in the full salvation Christ brings and if you have not given your life to Christ, please do.  He offers a great salvation one that will give you eternal and abundant life.

Jesis must be Lord

This year I have been studying the Life of Christ more than any time in my Christian history.  I wanted to once again come to know this wonderful man and Savior.  It is interesting that whenever scripture introduces Jesus Christ it always introduces Him as Lord and then Savior.  Before He can be your Savior He has to be first be your Lord.  That word, Lord means that He has to be your master.  You have to bow your knee and heart to Him.  He is not first Savior, He is Lord.  In fact recently I heard a man of God say that you cannot be a Christian or servant of God unless first Jesus is Lord.  Jesus came not just to be a Savior but He came to establish a Kingdom in the hearts of those who would bow and say Yes, to His Lordship.  The problem today is many people want Him to be Savior first and then when they get around to it they will make Him Lord.  When you accept someone as master or Lord you are willing to give your time, talents and treasures to Him.  You say, "Whatever you want Lord I will do."  In our "me", and "I", driven society this is becoming more and more uncommon.  Most people want Jesus on their terms and not His.  I am afraid it does not work that way.  If Jesus is not first Lord, He is not your Savior.  So what have a choice.  Let Him be Lord because without His Lordship He is not Savior.

Jesus the Only Savior

I am totally fascinated with redemption as I have stated before.  To know that I can be saved from my sins and have forgiveness of sins and be a friend of God is a wonderful thing.  Jesus stated in John 14:6, that He was the way, the truth and the life.  I remember one time I was buying some glasses in the city of Yellowknife and I was talking to the owner of the store who happened to belong to a group of universalists.  They are the people who believe there are many ways to God.  They say that Jesus is a Savior but just one of many.  He stated to me, "You know what I don't like about you Christians, you say that your way is the only way to heaven."  I replied, "it is not us that said it but Jesus."  I then quoted John 14:6 and said that Jesus who said, He was the only way not me.  His response was, "I now see."  Now I did not lead him to Christ but I planted a seed in his life.  He now knew beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus was the way.  Today there is a tension going on in the church where more and more Christians are falling into the trap of believing that Jesus is a Savior not the Savior.  If Jesus was not the Savior but a Savior the universality of the message is not applicable.  Budda, Krisha, Confucius, Aristotle or some other historical figure could be classified as a Savior.  Jesus however made it very clear.  He is the way, the truth and the life and no man comes to the Father but by Him.  It is through Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone that men can be saved.  Hs salvation is full and complete.  I experience it in Oct 1974 and you can receive Him today.  Just asked Jesus into your heart by faith and experience redemption that comes through jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone.

Jesus My Redeemer

The whole concept of redemption absolutely thrills me.  Here one moment you have a sinner who is away from God and the next they are a Sons and Daughters of God.  Salvation is so beautiful because one moment you have a person who is doing things that are not right and the next moment they want to follow God.  In that moment of salvation their minds get changed.  In my case my conversion was so dramatic that my friends knew I was different.  I remember the Monday after I had gotten saved.  I returned from the young people's convention and entered the house and my mother looked at me and said, "What happened to you?"  Without hesitation I replied, "I have become a Christian?"  I could have lied, I could have made up some excuse but instead I told the truth.  In fact before that moment I would have probably made up some story but now that I was a Christian I had to tell the truth.  You see when salvation came into my life I was a new creature all things had become brand new.  How could I deny the very thing that transformed my life.  I knew I was different.  I had never felt this way before and I did not want it to go away.  When I told my mother about this she looked at me coldly and said, "Well I do not want any of that nut house religion, I have my own religion."  I did not press the issue but 12 years later I had the privilege of leading her to Christ.  You see over those 12 years she saw my life change and what I had was real.  That reality has been going on for 38 years and I am so grateful.  Even now as I write this blog I feel God's Spirit and that feeling has never left.  I can honestly say that there has never been a day in my life where I was not aware of this wonderful salvation.  Jesus did all of that on the cross for me.  He can do the same for you.  Open you heart and let the full salvation He brings into your life today.

A Time of Rest

This is a short weekend thought.  Each weekend we have the opportunity to relax if we have a job that goes Monday through Friday.  If we work shift work or have a job where we work on the weekend we have to take time during the week to relax.  The essence of what I am saying is relax.  Today for example my family is forcing me to relax.  This morning I am going to the R.V. show and this afternoon my wife is taking me to see the movie, "the hobbit."  They obviously have looked and seen me as a person that is focused on preaching the gospel in one form or another seven days a week.  Here I am sitting at home and writing a blog for CJCA.  I love what I do but I like everyone else need to learn to relax.  So today whether you name is Robert Dean Steel or someone else.  Learn to relax.  The Lord promised us rest when we need it.  Today let the Lord help you to find rest.  There is a place of rest for all of us.  Use it to regenerate, be restored and if necessary get healed.  Meet the Lord there and let Him be your strength.  Today I get to hang with family.  That could be rest or stress,  But is it not interesting that it you change just remove two s's in stress you get rest.  So get the S' out of your life and rest.