PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: BAD DAY

From John Collins Ministries:

“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I hope in Him!’” Lamentations 3:22-24 (NKJV).

Have you ever had a bad day that just went on and on into the next and then the next? Have you ever enabled your own sin by saying to yourself that you have already sinned so what does it matter? You do not have to allow one bad day to just stretch into an undetermined amount of time while you wallow in your own filth and excuses.

God is amazing and His mercy and compassion is fresh and new each day so if you messed up yesterday and regret it there is no reason to continue today. You have to stop your own self-sabotage at some time and just get on with it. There is no excuse for any of us and we are prone to justify our mistakes. God does not want justifications, He wants us to accept responsibility and to make the effort to change our ways.

God does not expect perfection but He does expect you to care enough to make the effort. He knows when you are slacking in your faith, making excuses and just refusing to change your ways. If today was a bad day for you, find your remorse and then with a prayer seeking forgiveness you can move on and hope again in a new day, a new opportunity to get it right and a new chance to bear good fruit.

You have to decide that you are worth it and that you matter enough to desire heaven because God has already done that for you by sending Jesus and He died on that cross for you which proves His love and His belief that you are worth it. With our Lord validating your self-worth you need to do the same and choose to obey the gospel of Christ. Let each day be a day that you praise God and thank Jesus.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: BITTERNESS

From John Collins Ministries:

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.” Hebrews 12:14-15 (NKJV).

Bitterness is something that we must be on guard against and we must have complete honesty with ourselves if we are to monitor our hearts so that we can repent if we find ourselves gone astray. Bitterness will creep up on you and it is easy to allow to happen. We like to think of ourselves as deserving the best and we become very offended when others hurt us, reject us and when we perceive that we have not received our ‘due’.

We must be careful to find the balance of self-worth and humility. Sometimes people just don’t think things through with faith. Do you deserve health, happiness, wealth, love, respect, honor, recognition or to walk through this life without hurt? Does the Bible promise that? What about Lazarus? What about our dear Lord Jesus Christ who not only died on the Cross for us but was rejected, told he had a demon, was cursed and taunted, beaten and tormented and forced to carry his own instrument of death?

God does not want us to hurt but there must be a desire for God inside of us and we must come to recognize His lessons and His love. There will be seeds planted in our hearts; seeds of love, anger, hate, joy, bitterness, forgiveness and the list just goes on and is replenished regularly. We must make the choice about which seeds we choose to water and which seeds we choose to pluck out.

We are the children of God and we have Jesus. This world is evil and has no hold upon us. Our home is in heaven and if this is what we know then we should act like it. Remember that we are not promised a blissful life on earth but we are promised that blissful life in heaven, but you have to get there first.

“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper;I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: TODAY'S BEATITUDES

From John Collins Ministries:

Hope, Trust, Grace....blessings for today.
Pastor John Collins

BEATITUDES FOR TODAY

“Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed. O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come. Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.” Psalm 65:1-3 (NKJV).

Blessed are you who know the power of the cross and the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Blessed is the lonely pilgrim making his way home because of the hope that the cross provides. 

Blessed is the one who looks upon Jesus with trust and conviction. 

Blessed is the sinner who finds redemption in grace. 

“Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.” Psalm 65:4 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: THE BATTLE WITHIN

From John Collins Ministries:

Pastor John Collins writes:

“The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lords’; But the earth He has given to the children of men.” Psalm 115:16 (NKJV).

God has given you life and you need to enjoy it. As you walk the path that leads to righteousness, you will face many situations that make you realize that it is a battle not just outside in the world and with those you encounter but also within yourself. God wants you to fight the good fight. God wants you to seek to please Him and to do the right thing in life. Be charitable, be good, be kind, be forgiving, be loving and compassionate toward others. As you go about doing these things you will have to battle your own demons. We all have them. We all think of the easy path, the shortcut and the darker temptations in life and it is that battle that you must encounter each day.

So, what are you fighting for? Is it just to get to heaven? That narrow focus can make a person crazy, burn out or just give up. If you cannot see that life has meaning, that you can enjoy life then it is easy to lose your way and fall off the path of the faithful. You have to take the time to live, to feel really alive and to acknowledge that your life is a blessing for all of the struggle. What makes you feel alive? Is it standing in the rain, walking on a beach, riding on a four-wheeler in your swimsuit in the middle of winter surrounded by snow, or maybe it’s a candlelight dinner with your most special someone followed by a dance? Whatever gives you pause and delights your soul is what you should take the time to do. It does not have to be often and it does not have to be so planned that the moment gets lost but you should be looking for those moments in your life that become the memories that you prize. You will take those with you because they belong to you forever.

In your day to day life you may feel run down and overwhelmed with the mundane. In your day to day life you may become discouraged. You need to allow yourself those special moments where you catch your breath and you even need to make the effort to recognize the moments that you have already had and seek out more. That is what you are fighting for in your faith. You see, heaven is full of joy and people who feel that intense awareness of love and hope and happiness every day. You will never truly seek to become a righteous person if you don’t believe in that promise and in order to truly believe in the promise you need to trust and believe in God. It is easy to believe in the truth of God when you can glimpse joy in its perfection in experiences in your life that touch your soul and become engraved on your heart. That is a blessing from God and you should never underestimate His greatness and your connection to Him.

“May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children.  May you be blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth.” Psalm 115:14-15 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS!!  PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: THE SIN AND THE SINNER

Hate the sin, not the sinner, Pastor John Collins:

Stop the excuses, become humble~
Pastor John Collins

Hate the sin and not the sinner is all well and good to do but a sinner who continues in his sin without repentance and submission to the will of God through the salvation of Christ will eventually be judged as an enemy of God.

It has become easy to say that Jesus was the only perfect one and therefore there could never be any expectation for anyone else to live up to those standards although Jesus Himself said to be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect. It has also been noted that Jesus would be hanging out with the sinners and not with the righteous if He were to be here today and although that is true He definitely would not be hanging out with them to condone their sin but to heal them and to help lead them to righteousness in order to provide them with salvation.

Salvation does not come packaged with an acceptance of sin. God may have mercy and love for His people but He definitely does not have an enabling heart and He does not reward rebellion. He is slow to wrath and longsuffering but eventually His perfect and righteous judgment will fall on all and everyone will receive what they deserve.

It is time to stop making excuses by just saying that we are all sinners because Jesus knows, God knows and every sinner knows that they can do better, be better and can influence others to do the same. Righteousness is very achievable in life and begins with humility and a willingness to sacrifice. Each person chooses their destination in the end and it is necessary that the standards of God begin to be met because there has been too much loss of souls already and it just doesn’t have to be that way. It matters what you do here on earth and it is possible to go to heaven, you just have to want that more than you want to enjoy your existence while you are here and you have to want to obey God and know that He is right more than you have to want to be right yourself.

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: So......you've sinned A LOT!?

From John Collins, Evangelist:

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” 1 Timothy 1:15 (NKVJ).

Okay, so you have sinned, A LOT!!

There are many who don’t bother to call on Jesus
because deep down they don’t believe that they are worthy
of forgiveness~Pastor John Collins

At what point do you give up and believe that you are not savable? At what point do you believe that God would not forgive you, that only the devil will have you and that you are not worth saving anyway? This is more common than you may think. As many as justify their sin and take Jesus for granted, there are just as many who don’t bother to call on Jesus because deep down they don’t believe that they are worthy of walking the streets of heaven and living in eternal bliss.




Satan has done his work well. He has planted doubts and he has spread so many lies that many have come to believe that they are truth. God is not a cruel dictator in the sky and Jesus wants to forgive you and died for you before you even knew that you needed Him. God is merciful and compassionate and has forgiven the murderer in David, the whore in Solomon, the rebellion in Jonah, the persecutor of the church in Paul, the doubter in Thomas not to mention the sins in the twelve sons of Jacob and He is willing to forgive your sins too.

God is waiting for you to recognize your worth to Him and for you to honor that worth by believing in Him and His Son. The Christian must believe that they are worthy of forgiveness and work to submit to the will of God and to obey the commandments of Christ. It is important that your hope be true and your commitment to living the gospel be complete. You are not supposed to live in sin and just not care and you are not meant to give up on yourself because God does not want to give up on you.

You matter and the proof that you matter was given on the cross while Jesus gave His last breath for you. The Lord says that you matter so do not give up on you and do not give in to the devil.

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:12-13 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS!! PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: GOD-compassion, love, kindness, WRATH, justice, righteousness

Pastor John Collins~Many people only want to think of God as love, compassion, kindness and grace and they choose to ignore that He is righteous anger, justice and truth. God is full of love and grace for the soul who seeks Him and believes in His Son which is why it is so important to care for your soul before you care for anything else.

I am here to put an end to the FAKE Christian nonsense
 in this world and to give a pure picture of the one true God of this world.
Pastor John Collins

From John Collins Ministries:

“Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down! That the mountains might shake at Your presence- As fire burns brushwood, As fire causes water to boil- To make Your name know to Your adversaries, That the nations may tremble at Your presence! When You did awesome things for which we did not look, You came down,The mountains shook at Your presence.” Isaiah 64:1-3 (NKJV).

God created mankind and has not left him alone. God has come down, given His word, directed and fought for His people and has given His Son for us. God has come down and instructed His people and God has given man free will. God has not given up on mankind and yet so many want God to come down again.

What would you do if God came to you? Would you feel justified in His presence, would you welcome Him and would you feel good about discussing your life and your choices with Him? If God came down would you be ready and would your faith allow you to believe?

Many people only want to think of God as love, compassion, kindness and grace and they choose to ignore that He is righteous anger, justice and truth. God is full of love and grace for the soul who seeks Him and believes in His Son which is why it is so important to care for your soul before you care for anything else because once you pass away then you have to deal with God’s righteous anger and justice if you have failed to obey His instructions.

Benjamin Franklin said that you should not put off until tomorrow what you can do today and today you can get right with God so that when He does reveal Himself to you, you will be ready. “But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And we are all the work of Your hand.” Isaiah 64:8 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

As you may or may not know, I spent some time in prison for a white collar crime over a decade ago. I have not hidden my past and have been willing to openly admit that my life before I was called by God was devoted to money and enjoying all that life had to offer. I don’t continuously speak about my past but I do take the truth and impact of the call of the Lord on my life very seriously.

I am not here to be some charismatic preacher who gains recognition and stirs up crowds in order to satisfy my own ego. I am here for all of you. I am here to put an end to the FAKE Christian nonsense in this world and to give a pure picture of the one true God of this world.  God is not to be mocked, ignored or used. God is not to be slapped in the face anymore. God is not to be blamed and God is not to be credited with evil. God is all that is holy and good and I am here to wake this world up.

There is revelation coming and change will follow.  If you need conversation, prayer, ministering, wish for a guest speaker or a revival, do so through jcollinsministries@gmail.com. Visit www.johncollinsministries.com for podcasts and other information about John Collins Ministries.

GOD bless you all, thank you for reading my blogs, John Collins, Evangelist.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: PERFECT TIMING

JOHN COLLINS EVANGELIST: THE HOUR IS COMING...

GOD's timing is perfect and He will hold you safe from all~
Pastor John Collins

“Most assuredly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself, and has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth-those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.” John 5:25-29 (NKJV).

This is one of the truths of the bible and of this world and the perfection of God that should amaze everyone. God is all-knowing and from the beginning of this world and the first deaths of this world those souls were held in waiting for Jesus. They slept and their faith while they lived and the deeds that they did would speak for themselves as to whether or not they would believe in Jesus Christ when He spoke. Those that were true believers in God and those who lived by faith heard Jesus and believed in Him immediately upon waking. Those who were not believers in God and did not live by faith awoke to condemnation and eternal hellfire.

God will always be perfect and this world has yet to have all revealed to them. When new revelations come, as with Jesus, those who truly belong to God will hear the truth and follow that truth. There will be sons of damnation that will try to challenge your faith and your belief but God knows those who are His and He will always call them home. Trust that if you truly want to belong to God, you will because you will choose Him over this world and He will hold you safe from all.

“I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” John 5:30 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: SOCIAL MEDIA

FROM JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES:

G.O.A.T...........


                                                                                        ........GOD

LOVE THAT CROSS!!

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: A SEASON, A TIME

From John Collins Ministries:

“Thus says the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the might man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, excercising lovingkindness, judgment and  righteousness in the earth.  For in these I delight,’ says the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NKJV).

Give and take life

Loving kindness is compassion, that is Christ-like.
Pastor John Collins

A kind person with a kind heart will do kind things for others. Mercy and compassion will drive a person to be considerate of others and to take the time to help others out. Thoughtfulness comes in so many different ways. It can be helping out a friend to move, getting groceries for an elderly neighbor, helping someone change a tire, giving a few dollars to the homeless or it could be taking the time to hear out your son or daughter which will give them the confidence in your relationship to learn to act with maturity and transparency.

Jesus has said that we should love one another. He gave us perfect examples for doing so. What happens when we deny another the opportunity to help us when it is our time? Our pride can stand in the way of our path to heaven. To everything there is a season and time. As we go through life, we will not always be in a position of helping others. We will come to a time or times in our lives when we should be accepting the help of others. You see, this is important in our faith. God will bring people into our lives that will further the faith of both parties. Sometimes you are the helper and sometimes you are the helped.

“Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, And so find favor and high esteem  In the sight of God and man.” Proverbs 3:3-4 (NKJV).

Testing Faith

Each of us cannot stand alone. We were never meant to. It is a give and take in this life. We need to learn to be compassionate and kind as well as learn to be accepting of that same compassion and kindness when we need to. Our bodies are deteriorating all of the time. You cannot expect a 70 year old woman to move her household furniture by herself. She has passed the age of being able to do so. 

The Levites that took care of the tabernacle did so from the ages of 30-50 years. Their strength was greatest during these years and their service was limited to that time. There are seasons in all of our lives of physical strength and those seasons do pass. Do not let your pride deny others of their opportunity to serve God by helping you. Do not lean too heavily in either direction so that you do not become a burden nor defensive.

This is true for all aspects of our lives. We will go through situations in our lives that will bring us low and sting our pride. We will go through times of being lifted up that will challenge our egos and tempt our pride. Both sides of this coin is needed to test our faith and teach us the ways of God. We must be able to become humble. It is not worth it to hang on to your ego or to cling to your stubborn pride. Be done with it and let it go because it will never serve you well. In order to enter the kingdom of heaven we must allow God to stomp our pride in the dirt. Be willing to welcome that huge piece of humble pie. Gobble it up and ask for more!

“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.” Romans 12:3 (NKJV).

Love That Cross, Pastor John Collins

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: "I'M FINE"

FROM JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES:

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (NKJV).

'I'm fine' How many time do we avoid being honest
with those who we love~John Collins, Evangelist

‘What’s wrong?’, ‘Nothing.’, ‘How are you?’, ‘I’m fine.’ 

How many times have these questions and answers been given in your life? How many unsaid issues get brushed aside, pushed down and built up? How many avoidances have you given or received? Why is it so hard to express what is going on inside? Our children don’t talk, we don’t talk, everyone avoids the real issues and ignores what is really going on. Is it any wonder why there are so many therapists out there? When did it become necessary to talk to strangers in order to express the truth? Why can’t we be honest with our loved ones? When did they become the enemy, the judge, the jury and the executioner? Is that how we feel about them, as if they couldn’t handle the truth of our souls?

Honesty has been buried in a wave of ‘I’m fines.’ Small issues and hurt feelings become grudges and hate. This world is turning in itself one person at a time, one family at a time, one neighborhood at a time, one city at a time, and one country at a time. Everyone is at war. No one wants to be honest and no one wants to find a solution and our reality has become a shell game of existence of hiding one part of our lives from the other. Where is the transparency of life, the simplicity of truth and the willingness to share all of who you are with the ones you supposedly love?

Avoidance breeds distrust and distrust breeds suspicion and suspicion breeds assumptions and the process undermines love and relationships are lost in the desire to avoid confrontation which leads to an explosion of emotion and words said that cannot be taken back and actions that follow that cannot be taken back when honesty and a willingness to listen and really hear what is being said can resolve so many issues in the first place.

Jesus taught us to listen with our hearts as He does and as God does. You would be surprised how many times your heart would have you forgive someone and your mind stirs up hate over and over again, how your heart would have you take time to help someone in need but your mind spreads fear and you give that instead, how many times your heart would have you humbled and apologize but your mind demands that you are right and deserve that apology instead, that your heart would have you reaching out for help but your mind isolates you into a world of despair.

Become more Christ-like today and begin to listen to your heart instead of your mind.

“Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: SORROW AND COMPLACENCY

FROM JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST:

"The end is near?" 

Is there a returning to  God and Jesus? Pastor John Collins

“As for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You. Nor have I desired the woeful day; You know what came out of my lips; It was right there before You. Do not be a terror to me; You are my hope in the day of doom.” Jeremiah 17:16-17 (NKJV).

Jeremiah knew what was coming to Jerusalem. He was spreading the message of God and although it was not received, Jeremiah knew the truth of it. Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet and he was full of sorrow for the stubbornness of the people of Judah and what would be their destruction.

Do we need to have calamity and terror fall upon us in order to cling to God? There have been so many examples in history for us to learn from and yet we just keep getting farther and farther away from our Lord.

So many people today are claiming the end is here and that destruction is upon us, but do you see a returning to the Lord? Do you see the stubbornness of a people that like to have their own way? We should all be weeping at the evidence of apostasy in our nation.

God knows something that we don’t like to admit and that is a complacent people must be shaken up in order to even acknowledge Him.

We should never become so confident and satisfied in our own accomplishments either as individuals or as a nation that we forget the necessity of God. Let us pray today that His mercy stands and that revelation comes so that there can be a returning to the Lord.

“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; Save me, and I shall be saved, For You are my praise.” Jeremiah 17:14 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: COMEDIANS ON THE PULPIT

The Bible will help you tune out the nonsense that so many
toss around these days~Pastor John Collins

From John Collins Ministries: 

“I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor as their fathers forget My name for Baal. The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. ‘What is the chaff to the wheat?’ says the Lord. ‘Is not My word like a fire?’ says the Lord, ‘And like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?’ Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who steal My words every one from his neighbor. Behold, I am against the prophets, says the Lord, who use their tongues and say, ‘He says.’Behold, I am against those who prophesy false dreams, says the Lord, and tell them, and cause My people to err by their lies and by their recklessness. Yet, I did not send them or command them; therefore they shall not profit this people at all, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 23:25-32 (NKJV).

There have been churches built on the lies of a ‘prophet’, there have been millions and millions of dollars collected on the basis of the lies of a ‘prophet’ and it has become nothing for people to say that God is giving them dreams and telling them this or that and that this person or that is a prophet to the Lord and is anointed.

There is a higher price to pay for deceiving people in the name of the Lord but the most awful price is paid by the one who is convinced by the deceiver. God is not unable to make His will known to all. God is not without the power to make sure that His message is received and it is unmistakable. God’s voice thundered from heaven when Jesus was baptized. The magnitude of the miracles that were done by Jesus and in the name of Jesus was not questionable. When God wants you to know something, He is not subtle.

Many a foolish person has been taken in by a bible scholar who can spin the scriptures to delight the listener and convince them of the authority of the speaker. Do not be fooled by clever orators who eventually base their ‘church’ on themselves and demand your pocketbook and your complete devotion while claiming to have visions from God and instructions from God.

Get a bible for under 10 dollars and read it. Then read it again and again. It will help you to have the ability to rightly discern the crackpot churches that have been around for centuries and it will help you tune out the nonsense that so many are tossing around these days.

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.  But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.” 2 Timothy 15-16 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: LIVE SAVING BELIEF

Pastor John Collins says:

Believe me, there is still plenty today for Jesus to weep over.
John Collins, Evangelist

“It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’  Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.”  John 6:45 (NKJV).

The teachings of Jesus were insightful and revealed the heart of the law.  He came with miracles and truth and compassion and mercy.  He came with clarity and sadness for the people.  It is sad to see people refuse to get right with God, to see people rebel in their hearts and choose their own will over God’s will.

It is sad to watch people choose to be sinners and choose to harm others to lift themselves up.  Believe me, there is still plenty today for Jesus to weep over.

Our world is filled with people choosing to self-govern and claim rational thought for themselves and believing that there is no God, that their own moral code will sustain them and see them through this life and that there is no cause to concern themselves with an eternal life.  There are people on the pulpits sharing the good news without teaching the requirements of being a follower of Christ.  There are stubborn people who choose to believe that there is not a right or a wrong way to worship God and that we get to self-determine our God and how we navigate our faith in our life and have concluded that by doing so we will enjoy the outcome that we have decided upon.  It doesn’t work that way!  God came and gave instructions on how to worship Him.  Jesus came and gave insight into the law and gave instructions on how to worship Him.

Nothing has changed.

Grace is given and faith is free but obedience is required to claim them.  You cannot claim to be a person of faith and have fellowship with God when you are living a life of selfishness and unfaithfulness.  If you are a greedy, lying, cheating, vain, malicious, gossiper and drunk then you are not obeying God.  If you are full of bitterness and resentment and refuse to forgive those who you believe have done you wrong then you are not in obedience with God.  If you are consumed with materialism and are obsessed with your looks and your appearance then you are not in obedience with God.  If you are abusing drugs and your body and are not a believer then you are not in obedience with God.  If you are not in obedience with God then you will not see the kingdom of heaven when you die.  It really is that simple.

You must obey God to claim the gifts of God.  Salvation is claimed by those who believe because those who believe will submit to the will of God and will obey God.  I am not talking about casual belief but the belief that produces results in a life, belief that produces change and purity in a life and belief that transforms a life of darkness into one of light.  There is always an opportunity to truly claim Jesus as your savior, not in word only but in truth.  You know whether your life is truly a life that would have God’s stamp of approval and there is just no reason to live in denial.  There is not any time to waste on self-indulgence and sin.  It is time to examine your existence and if you are not right with God then it is time to get right with Him.

Believe in the Son and claim salvation.

“I am the vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”  John 15:5-6 (NKJV).

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS~LOVE THAT CROSS!!

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: FEAR AND HOPE

“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).

We do not belong to this world, we belong to God, that truth
will banish your fears and fill you with hope~
Evangelist, Pastor John Collins

“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).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: ARGUING GOD AND THE BIBLE

BY JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST:

I know that the bible speaks the truth and I know that
God is the Creator and Father of us all~Pastor John Collins

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV).

Did God really create the earth, heavens, animals and us in just six days? Did Lot’s wife really turn into a pillar of salt? Did Jonah really get swallowed by a big fish? Is the bible believable? What about slavery, the treatment of women and is God just a big ole meanie?

I must say that Satan is working hard and has claimed so many. The debates that take place about the bible, the truth of God and the relevance of the bible are just amazing. You have so many atheists and haters of God arguing that God is mean and the bible is myth.

None of these current non-believers were there in the beginning when God was creating this world and they would benefit from reading Job. We do not know exactly how long those first six days were because we do not know how long a day was then. I know that the bible speaks the truth and I know that God is the Creator and Father of us all. I believe that Lot’s wife did turn into a pillar of salt and that if there is not any understanding as to why and what lessons are provided in the telling of that story then it should be read again and again but I will say that disobedience and a longing for this world were a part of her character. I do believe that Jonah got swallowed by a big fish and I know that it was a foreshadowing of Jesus’ time in the ‘tomb’ which was when He descended into the lower parts of this earth to preach to those who slept.

I believe that slavery has been a part of humanity since the beginning of time and just because we believe ourselves ‘civilized’ does not mean that it does not still occur in this world or that it will not be seen again by those who believe that it is a thing of the past. There are instructions in the bible to honor women and to respect them just as there are instructions for the men to be respected as well but the one that deserves the most honor and the glory is God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

There will be naysayers and non-believers that will try to undermine your faith by preaching their philosophy of civilization and education but I know that the most civilized place with the most educated souls reside in heaven and it is the blessing of the believer to be permitted to enter those heavenly gates upon their death.

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.” 2 Timothy 2:15-16 (NKJV)

LOVE THAT CROSS!! PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: PROCRASTINATION

FROM JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES:

Pastor John Collins:  what do you want to
accomplish in line with the will of God?

“The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor.” Proverbs 21:25 (NKJV).

“He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!” Proverbs 28:19 (NKJV).

Procrastination is a problem for many. There are many reasons to procrastinate and all of them come with excuses that we make up in our heads. You can’t find the time to work out because you are always at work which is why you can’t find the time to get to your kids’ games or events. You can create an excuse for putting off anything that you feel guilty for avoiding but in the long run it just creates more guilt.

Life is complicated and we set goals for ourselves and when we don’t meet those goals we end up punishing ourselves mentally. Procrastination becomes a habit and a way to hurt ourselves when we don’t feel that we deserve to meet the goals that we have set, whatever those may be.

God does not want you miserable or hating yourself. You should always ask yourself if what you want to accomplish is in line with the will of God and then you should seek to accomplish those things that would please God and provide your life with a greater sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

The time is going to pass, regardless of what you do. Each day is going to continue to go by whether you get off the couch and begin to get healthy, get a job, get educated, get out into the community that you belong to and make a difference in a positive way which is what Jesus wants for each of us to do or if you do nothing at all. But none of us are guaranteed tomorrow and none of us knows when our time is up so it should be spent in doing what we mean to do and in meaning to do good.

“Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Proverbs 27:1 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: CARELESS IN GRACE

Pastor John Collins:

Your work begins with your obedience-Pastor John Collins

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Eph. 2:8-9 (NKJV).

“Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” James 2:17 (NKJV).

We are blessed creatures to be able to experience life. There is a cost, though. In the end, we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. That means we must come to know of our condition, what caused us to live under this impending judgment and what we must do to be found acceptable in the eyes of God. Sin entered the world through Adam and Eve and all of mankind enters this world with a choice; obey God and accept Him and the Salvation that He offers or don’t. Sounds simple enough, right? The Salvation that He provides is reconciliation which means that all mankind has sinned, all have broken His Commandments and all will fall under that judgment someday. Jesus was sent by God to die for us and it is through Him that we are able to lay hold of that grace that is the supreme mercy of God toward us. Sound like old news, right?

Unfortunately, grace has been distorted, misunderstood and abused. Grace has been preached incorrectly and there is a carelessness that has become woven into the principals of grace. Yes, Jesus died for you and your salvation is free, it is the grace of God that sanctifies you. It is your reception of this free gift that should produce a gratefulness in you that prods you to the works that you should be doing in the name of the Lord. Many people think that means they need to leave the country and go become an evangelist or humanitarian in some other part of the world, or that they need to give more money to their churches, but that is just not so. Your works begin with your obedience. Do you keep the 10 commandments, do you forgive others, do you care more about what others think of you than God, do you care more about your lifestyle, stuff and your looks than you do about God, do you care more about your love life than your bible study and do you live a godly life at home keeping your family firmly in the word of God so that they have the tools to remain unspotted in this world? It all began with a marriage, a union that produced a family and we need to make sure that our families are truly Christ centered, praying together and knowledgeable about the instructions of God so that we can follow those instructions and keep ourselves unpolluted and on the path of righteousness. 

Charity is fine to do, but, what good is charity if you leave from your volunteering to go home and gossip and slander those who were there as well, or just write a check to some non-profit and consider yourself good? You can go and dig a well for some foreign nation all the while you are full of hate toward your brother. You must check your heart and be honest with yourself about your feelings, motives and desires because it will be the fleshly temptations that trip you up and you must be on guard against the dangers of becoming lazy in your faith.

It is necessary to understand that the grace of God is not meant for willful sinners. We all sin, we all stumble and we are meant to repent and seek forgiveness and go and sin no more. We are not meant to think that Jesus died for all of our sins yesterday, today and tomorrow so we have complete assurance and no need to worry about whether we are in obedience to God or not. We should never take the gifts of God for granted, whether that be the breath that we have in our bodies or the grace that He has provided for our souls. We must always strive to purify our lives through our choices, our actions and remember that tomorrow is not guaranteed and we need to be right with the Lord today.

“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” 1 John 1:6 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: CHRISTIANITY AND THE TORAH

FROM JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES:

Pastor John Collins-"Jesus was clear-obey the Father, not just
believe"

Jesus answered them and said, ‘My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me. If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.” John 7:16-17 (NKJV).

Christianity is going through a crisis of immense proportions. People have been waking up to the truth of the history of the church, to the paganism within the church and to the abuse of grace that has produced so much disobedience to God. Jesus was very clear in stating that you must obey the Father and not just believe, for it is those who love Him that are obedient. That being said, there are Christians everywhere who are taking their wake up call that was from God and jumping ship all together. There are Christians who have desired to start at the beginning, get to know the Torah and study the word of God to know what sin is, what obedience consists of, and what is promised in the prophecies. You have Christians going from learning about the feasts and wanting to observe them which has led to many seeking out rabbis to teach them which has led to them ditching Jesus and taking the steps to convert to Judaism. This is a problem and a big one. Those who are weak in their faith are finding themselves being convinced that Jesus is not the Son of God, that He was not the Messiah and that He was not even Torah observant Himself, but introduced pagan beliefs to His followers and created a new religion that has nothing to do with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Heaven forbid, but, it is true.

I will be very clear on this. God clearly instructed His feasts to be observed, they are prophetic and should be part of your knowledge. God clearly said that swine is an abomination, not only in the Torah but in Isaiah and unclean birds and detestable beasts are mentioned in Revelation which means that there are still clean and unclean animals. God said that the Sabbath was eternal and a sign between Him and His people and that keeping it would bring blessings. Now, there are many who claim that Jesus nailed to the cross all of the law of Moses, but, in truth what He did was pay the price of the curse of the law, as sin brought death and His death brings life, so we escape the penalty that our sin demands. There are many verses that clearly indicate that you should keep the law, but, there are the verses about grace too and there are so many parts of the law that are not possible to keep so there are many possible stumbling blocks to trip the believer up.

What does God want from you? He wants you to believe in Jesus and He wants to become a person after His own heart. How do you do that? You not only love your neighbor as yourself, but you study the word of God, you do your best to be obedient. Always think of the Sermon on the Mount and know that you are to not only obey the letter of the law, but more importantly, you are to obey the spirit of the law. Remember Jesus said, ‘Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.’ Matt. 5:19. Are you going to hell for not keeping the feasts? Certainly not, especially if you didn’t know. If you know, should you keep them to the best of your ability? Yes. Should you keep Sabbath? Certainly. If you work and are providing for your family, will God know and also know your heart? Yes. Jesus has given us freedom to trust Him, to love Him, to find the strength to forgive, to let go of hurt and find peace, to stop gossiping and to stop using our bodies to sin. By His stripes, we are healed.

Those who choose to honor God, to obey Torah and to seek to worship Him as it instructs, that is good as long as you don’t find yourselves lost in Jewish teachings, pitching Jesus into the trash bin and chucking your salvation into the toilet. To those who choose to continue to worship Jesus and God as they always have and to ignore the Torah people and the confusion that is running rampant, stay in prayer and trust that the Holy Spirit of God will guide you and keep you. It is better to cling to Jesus and trust in His grace than it is to see Christianity as only evil, Judaism as the only truth and lose your salvation through confusion, doubt and thereby ultimately rejecting your Savior.

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.’” John 14:6 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: 2 MASTERS

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: FAITH WORK

Pastor John Collins: strong faith and walk a righteous path

“But Jesus answered them, saying, ‘The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” John 12:23-26 (NKJV).

Jesus speaks often of not being able to love this life and serve Him, of not being able to serve two masters, of following Him and being His servant in obedience in order to claim heaven as our home. Jesus may have spoken in parables but His message was clear. Those that truly believe must work at having a strong faith in order to live the life that is necessary to receive the rewards upon death.

People have allowed their faith to become weak and polluted in this life. Too many people are just not sure of what the truth is to them and what it means. Too many people do not devote enough time to prayer, bible study and to seeking righteousness.

It is too important to your eternal welfare for you to not care about your soul. It is too important to those you love that you show a strong faith and walk a righteous path in submission to Jesus. God did not make us weak and God did not create us to be pushovers or enablers in this life. God did not create us to be corrupt but God knows that this world is corrupt and our influences are poisoned. God has made it so that His grace is known and that His truth is right there in front of us so that we can choose. There is a point in life when we know that we are choosing His way over the world’s way, if we want to belong to Him and we believe.

As much temptation as is possible for you to encounter, the power of God and the pull of His love will always be stronger if you paying attention. There comes a time when personal indulgences must stop and submission to God must start of you want to go home to Him.

“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.’” John 12:27-28 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: PURE LOVE

Posted by Pastor John Collins:

“Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NKJV).

The love that Paul describes here is holy and pure. It is not the love that so many speak of in this life. Too often people will claim to be in love, then out of love, then in love with another, there is puppy love, your first love, your last love, lust described as love and the list just goes on. You have marriages without commitment and parents without the desire to parent and you have the greatest love of all: the love of self but you do not have an abundance of holy and pure love.

Why is it that people do not have the capacity or desire to embrace a lasting relationship based on love and have a life that is committed to love? People are not committing their lives completely to God is why. It is when you truly understand the gospel of Jesus Christ and have committed to living your life as God has instructed us to live that you begin to know the love of God.

Having given your life to Christ does not make you exempt from hurt in this life but it does soothe the wounds that come. We learn from those things that cause hurt and we grow in our capacity to love. We must first dedicate ourselves to learning how to love in a pure way and that means that we must purify our hearts and forgive the old wounds so that we can heal. We need to be willing to lift others up and not ourselves and be willing to be patient in our lives. This generation of people carries around self-entitlement like a badge of honor. It is shameful and we need to get back to humble roots.

Jesus was humble and always had His priorities straight. Let this generation be willing to learn from Him and be willing to slow down and learn to desire the grace of God. Let your heart swell with love and pray it lingers and sheds light on another in the name of Jesus Christ.

“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NKJV).

 LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

WHO I AM- JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: WHO I AM

A personal look into the life of Pastor John Collins

Thank you, and God bless you for reading this blog.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, JOHN COLLINS MINISTRIES: THE "LOANER"

POSTED BY PASTOR JOHN COLLINS:

Pastor John, John Collins Ministries:
live our lives shining for Jesus.

“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:63 (NKJV)

Prior to emotional maturity, there is physical maturity and too often young men and women use their bodies to prove that they are grown. The physical body is used to prove love, interest, devotion and desire. Often the body is used to prove health after sickness as well as proof of life.

When you use your body to gain control of a situation or person, to fill an emotional need or to prove that you have value then you are a slave to your flesh. The body profits nothing unless it is in service to the Lord. Whatever we do, we are to do to further the kingdom of heaven and glorify God.

The flesh of the body is often misused and misunderstood by many Christians. Our physical bodies are not here to serve our emotional needs and they are not here to be bartered as property for what we desire. Too many people use their bodies to get what they want and to fulfill their demanding egos.

Our bodies are on loan to us from God and we should be using them to serve God in whatever capacity we are able. Each of us has been gifted with different levels of ability and should be thoughtful of how we can use our time and our flesh to serve others in the name of God. Maybe your neighbor needs their lawn cut and is unable to do it themselves? Maybe you know someone who needs a ride to the store or church? Maybe you know someone who is in prison who needs a letter filled with hope and the Lord’s love? Maybe you know someone who needs a hug?

Let us be mindful to use our bodies for good and not for our own selfish needs and desires. Let us be willing to do more good deeds in the name of God and let us become more determined to live our lives shining for Jesus.

“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN

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