Truth Will Set You Free

10 Most Common Lies

1. We’ll stay only five minutes
2. This will be a short meeting
3. I’ll respect you in the morning
4. The check is in the mail
5. I’m from the government, and I’m here to help you
6. This hurts me more than it hurts you
7. Your money will be cheerfully refunded
8. We service what we sell
9. Your table will be ready in a minute
10. I’ll start my diet and exercise program tomorrow

Deception is the main ploy of Satan. The worst part of being deceived is that I am the last to know. Deception takes on so many forms. Offense has deceived me more than once in my life. Allowing myself to be offended by others has robbed me of many blessings. Jesus warned that the thief comes "to steal, to kill and to destroy." Because of offense, relationships have been destroyed and opportunities have been robbed from me. Satan won and I lost.

Lust is deceptive. God's best for me is Michelle, my wife. Lustful thoughts try to convince the mind of the great pleasure awaiting in the arms of another. What deception! Trouble and only trouble awaits there. Life will never be simple again. Great pain and torment will be caused by following the lure of lust.

The truth of God's word reminds me that a man who has been crucified with Christ can never be offended. The truth of God's word exhorts me that "he who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord." The truth is that if the energy spent on an extramarital affair is spent on my marriage it will yield great results in my marriage.

Jesus said, "You shall know the turth, and the truth will set you free." Proverbs 23:23 states, “Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding.” Seek after truth.

Peace,

SS

The Countdown Has Begun

In the third chapter 2 Peter, we read about scoffers coming in the last days saying, “Where is the promise of his (Christ’s) coming?” These casually observe the world around them and conclude that everything is the same from the beginning of time. They willing ignore Noah and the flood. They also ignore signs which Jesus told us that point to the Day of the Lord. The passing of time is no indication that Jesus will not return. God measures and values time differently from people. A day with the Lord is a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. God is not willing for people to perish, but that all should reach repentance. But, the Day of the Lord will come like a thief.

The Day will come suddenly with not warning. Repeatedly, Scripture describes Jesus’ return to earth as a thief in the night. Most people will be caught off guard. They will not be ready. You, however, do not have to be surprised. You can be alert and ready.

In the third chapter of 2 Timothy, Paul describes the last days as times of stress. He wrote that people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their own parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. This, written over 2000 years ago is an apt description of people today. These signs point to the return of Jesus Christ to the earth.

In Matthew 24, Jesus answered a question concerning the end of the world. He answered, “Many will come in my name saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. They will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death. Many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will lead many astray. Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”

There are over 2000 practicing gurus calling themselves ‘Christ’ in the world. There have been over 150 major wars since the end of World War II. Over 100 million were killed in warfare during the 1990’s alone, including 1 million Tutsi in the genocide in Rwanda in 1995. 4 million people die yearly from starvation; that is 30 every minute or 40,000 every day. 1.3 billion people have no access to clean drinking water. There are constant minor earthquakes on earth. There is an average of 18 major earthquakes (7.0-7.9) every year, and one great earthquake of 8.0 or greater on the Richter scale.

There are more than 160,000 Christian martyrs yearly. Only 42% of Americans said recently that the meaning of Easter is the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. The gospel has been preached to over 4 billion people. The Bible has been translated into over 2230 languages. I personally know individuals who preach in Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist nations. I myself have preached in some of these nations. Christian television and radio reaches the entire planet with the gospel. Signs point the Day of the Lord.

The Day of the Lord is judgment day. When Father God determines the time, angels are dispatched with loud blasting trumpets. No one on earth will miss the event. Unready people from every nation will lament and mourn. God’s elect, Christ’s followers, from heaven and earth will supernaturally be gathered together to participate with the return of the Lord to the earth.

Christ’s followers will be judged according the works they have done while on the earth, following their salvation. Selfish works will be burned up, while eternally valued works will be rewarded. The person herself will be saved. Unbelieving persons will be brought the Great White Throne to be judged according to their works. Everyone whose name is not found in the Book of Life will be cast onto the lake of fire, which is the second death. Nothing unclean will ever enter into heaven or the New Jerusalem, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. The Day of the Lord is coming. Are you ready? Further information can be found in 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; 1 Corinthians 3:12-15; Revelation 20, 21 and 22.

Peace,

Stan

In All the World

Jesus said, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world; and then the end will come." I am watching this prophecy come true. I just had the priviledge of spending a few days with my fellow Christ followers in a predominantly Buddhist country. They are preaching the gospel with boldness. Many are turning to the Lord.

What a great joy to see such commitment to the cause of Christ. They endure poverty and persecution to advance the kingdom. I am grateful to be of assistance in such a small way. Every American Christian should visit the church somewhere in the world, where life is difficult. Real joy is seen everywhere.

Peace,

SS

As Far As I Can See

Go as far as you can see, and when you get there you will always be able to see farther.

There is a story to the effect that a certain society in South Africa once wrote to David Livingstone, “Have you found a good road to where you are? If so, we want to send other men to join you.” Livingstone replied, “If you have men who will come ONLY if they know there is a good road, I don’t want them.”

^“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

Peace,

Stan

Supernatural Living

Jesus told us that when he left the earth it would be for our advantage. He would send the Holy Spirit to us. In John 16, Jesus said that when the Spirit of Truth comes he would guide us into all the truth and show us things to come. In Acts 1:8, Jesus said that we would receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. Supernatural living is available to every Spirit filled Christ follower. We should expect revelation, guidance and power.

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul taught about how the Holy Spirit operates through the lives of believers-special abilities the Holy Spirit gives each of us. We should desire and learn how to operate words of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, gifts of healings, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues and interpretation of tongues.

These gifts are given as the Spirit wills to benefit others. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. Be a blessing to others.

Peace,

Stan

Have More Fun

I find many people to be too serious, too cautious, too controlling and too boring. Those who ought to be joyous and carefree seem to be the worst of all. When born again Christians are portrayed on television or in the movies, they are usually grouchy and hateful. Where did the writers get this image? Is this fair? Obviously, the characterization is unfair. Yet, there is truth in the portrayal.

Those whose sins are forgiven and whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life in heaven should be the most joyful, happy people on earth. My message to Christians is, “It is time to have more fun.” Psalm 126:1-3 reads, “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.”

There is a healing benefit with laughter. Laughter helps a person to build a stronger immune system. It reduces stress hormones cortisol, epinephrine and adrenaline. It increases health enhancing endorphins and antibodies. Laughter reduces pain in the body and is a natural anti-depressant. There is a physical and emotional release when a person laughs. A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm and heart. Laughter assists one in refocusing attention away from anger, guilt, stress and depression. Laughter is contagious. People desire to associate with those who laugh freely and often.

A warped theology concerning pleasure has damaged the ability of many church members from being able to enjoy life fully. It is ungodly to pursue sensual desires for food, sex, materialism, fame, money and status in an unbiblical manner. We often hear about guilty pleasures? Yet, there is a godly fulfillment of all of these desires. Sex, for example, was God’s idea. There is a godly fulfillment of this primal desire. Jesus taught that we should love our neighbors as we love ourselves. I feel sorry for our neighbors. Most people do not love themselves very well. There are over 350 references to joy and rejoicing found in Bible. Your joy matters to God.

There should be a balance of work, rest, worship and play in every person’s life. Balance suggests equal portions. A proper mixture of these four ingredients is what I am suggesting. Everyone needs meaningful work to do. Many do get enough sleep and down time. Corporate, private and family worship time refreshes a person. Many adults overlook the importance of play. Most of us need to have more fun. A missing or insufficient part of life is often the fun part. We all need to find fun activities and fun friends with which to spend our time.

Most issues of life can be categorized as small stuff. As they say, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” Selfish rituals can alleviate stress. A quiet cup of coffee and a good book can do wonders for the psyche. I like to take bike rides on gravel roads or on trails found in state parks and conservation areas. Others may enjoy working crossword puzzles. 1 Timothy 4:16 reads, “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.” Change is an unstoppable force of life. Many resist change and are stressed by the thought of change. Learning to embrace and welcome change turns stress into invigoration.

My final advice is to slow down and take more breaks. Slim down schedules, meals, commitments and goals. Sit down and live in the present. Too many spend useless time grieving and begrudging the past. Many are living for a better day to come in the future. Living in the past or in the future robs one of the pleasures of the present. We all need to look around and enjoy the beauty of nature and the beauty of other people, especially our family and friends. It is time to have more fun.

Cornerstone Church Vision Statement

At Cornerstone Church of Chillicothe, Missouri, we passionately love God and genuinely love people. Mark 12.30-31, "Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

We want every Sunday to be a family reunion. We want Sunday to be the best day of the week, an exciting gathering of our church family and new friends. Our services are marked by enthusiastic praise and heartfelt worship of our Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit has complete liberty to minister to and through us. We teach the Bible with a practical emphasis for every day life.

At Cornerstone Church, we love kids. Through our facilities, staff, programs, and volunteer ministers, we demonstrate our commitment to nurturing a generation of young people who passionately love God. They are trained to believe they can do all things through Christ who strengthens them.

LIFE Groups are the lifeblood of our church. No one should have to go through life alone. We want to do life together with people who love us just the way we are, but exhort us to get better. Everyone should have a place to be him or herself, without having to put on airs. At church, we want every person to find good friends who are a delight and who provide comfort and stability during life’s difficult times. We want to build a church where people laugh freely and often.

We are always designing ways to reach out to people. Our people are trained and excited about sharing the Gospel with others. We reach out to people through LIFE Center Food Pantry, the media, in jails and prisons, at work, and wherever we go. We go, send, and support mission work all over the world. We have a part in the harvest of souls on every continent and in islands of the seas.

Peace,
SS