Gospel

God has made us stewards of the Gospel.  We have been given three components of being good stewards of the Gospel.  We are to receive the Gospel. This includes experiencing the Gospel firsthand as an act of faith in God.

            We are to share the Gospel. God expects us to bring God’s message into the world that all who believe in God will have eternal life.  Remember Jesus’ last words at the end of the Gospel according to Mathew? Paraphrased, it is simply to go, teach, make disciples, baptizing in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 

            The third component is to reflect the Gospel. When others see us, they should see Christ in us.  We demonstrate by our daily living the acceptance of our Christian responsibilities.

            We are stewards of property.  Everything we’ve had, we have, and shall have comes from God as gifts.  In appreciation, we choose to share a portion of these gifts.  Giving money to the church and the offering of ourselves in service and devotion to God are symbolic acts.  Giving is a practical matter because the offerings make it possible for the church to pay its bills and carry out its mission in Christ’s name. 

Love?

"Love, Love, Love! All the world needs is love." So goes the familiar line. But in today's society, the meaning of the word love has become so distorted that the Christian meaning has been diminished. Some view love as a feeling, but it is more than that. It is a decision followed by action. Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." and "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34, 35).

Someone once said the difference between sympathy and compassion is that the one who sympathizes, sees and feels, but does nothing. The one who has compassion, sees, feels and then does something about the need. The word sympathy is used very few times in the Bible, but the word compassion and its forms are used extensively. Jesus always had compassion on the crowd and the people He came in contact with. He did something about their needs. And so we as His followers, must bear also bear our cross and follow Him. Be like Jesus!

The word "love" is used so extensively in the Bible that this compilation would be very lengthy. Therefore, the compilation has been reduced by eliminating some verses containing forms of the word "love" from the Old Testament. Otherwise, the compilation is complete. You may wish to observe how love for God and obedience to His commands go hand in hand as you study

Revenge?

Morningstar we have all been hurt, and at one point we have all wanted to get revenge. It might have been a friend who stabbed you in the back, or it might have been an .ex boyfriend or ex girlfriend who cheated on you .We all can identify with it. When we are wronged, often our first reaction is to get even. It's a natural desire to want someone to hurt like they made you hurt.

In our fallen world, it is often deemed acceptable by some to tear people down verbally or to get back at them if we feel hurt. We feel as though the revenge is justified. It makes most of us feel devilishly good inside to see someone suffer like they made us. Like they say, Revenge is sweet...Or is it? The reality is that by taking revenge in our own hands it makes you hold onto the pain and ends up hurting you more...the desire is doing you no good. A grudge destroys you with hatred and bitterness and revenge only escalates hostilities.

There have been times in my life where I was severely wronged by people I loved. For a long time, I suffered because of the things they did. I became extremely angry, hateful, and bitter, and it killed me inside, leading me to seek revenge. I sought out revenge thinking it would help heal my wounds and through those times of vengeance, I learned that getting even is actually self-destructive.

Instead of planning vengeance, pray for those who hurt you. Rise above getting back at those who hurt you. By loving and praying for our enemies, we can overcome evil with good. According to Jesus, it is more important to give justice and mercy than to receive it.

Your best approach would be one of godly behavior: You should show others the kind self-giving love that Christ shows. By being exemplary Christians and showing a changed life, others may join you and become Christians too. A changed life speaks loudly and clearly, and it is often the most effective way to influence. Others may be won over by your love

Are you alone?

Maybe you are feeling lost, like no one cares about you. Perhaps you need a friend. 

Do you know that God loves you so much that He sent His only son to die for you, so that He could have a closer relationship with you? It is hoped that something on this page will encourage you and let you know that you are loved! You are so important! You were thought so highly of Jesus died and shed His blood for you, so that you might have eternal life in Heaven!

Friend, you are most definitely not alone! We are all brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus! We here at Morningstar  do not care what you have done, or where you have been. We want to introduce you to Our Savior! Please reach out to use and let us know how we can help you. Someone will call you back as soon as possible, or if you prefer, they will contact you by e-mail. Please do not be embarrassed, or feel ashamed. We all came to Christ on our knees, or at least we have at some time or another in our Christian walk!

  We promise we will reach out to you as you have reached out to us! You do not have to be alone! We love you, and God loves you!

FORGIVE OTHERS

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT FOR US TO FORGIVE OTHERS? BEFORE

ANSWERING THAT QUESTION, I BELIEVE THERE IS A QUESTION THAT

WE NEED TO ASK OURSELVES. DO WE WANT GOD TO FORGIVE US

WHEN WE SIN AGAINST HIM? IN MATTHEW 6:14, JESUS SAID THAT IF

WE REFUSE TO FORGIVE OTHERS, GOD WILL REFUSE TO FORGIVE US.

THE POINT IS, WHEN WE REFUSE TO FORGIVE OTHERS WE ARE

DENYING OUR COMMON GROUND AS SINNERS IN NEED OF GOD’S

FORGIVENESS. GOD’S FORGIVENESS OF SIN IS NOT THE DIRECT

RESULT OF OUR FORGIVING OTHERS, BUT IT IS BASED ON OUR

REALIZING WHAT FORGIVENESS MEANS. IT IS EASY TO ASK GOD FOR

FORGIVENESS, BUT DIFFICULT TO GRANT IT TO OTHERS. WHENEVER

WE ASK GOD TO FORGIVE US FOR OUR SIN, WE SHOULD ASK

OURSELVES, “HAVE I FORGIVEN THE PERSON WHO HAS WRONGED

ME?” GOD GRACIOUSLY ACCEPTS US EVEN THOUGH WE DON’T

DESERVE IT. BECAUSE GOD FORGIVES US EVEN WHEN WE HAVE

IGNORED OR REJECTED HIM, WE SHOULD GRACIOUSLY FORGIVE

OTHERS.

What is success

What is success ? Most people define success in terms of  achieving  goals, acquiring wealth, and having prestige, favor, status, and  power.  "Successful" people enjoy the "good life" - being financially  secure,  emotionally secure, being surrounded by admirers, and enjoying  the  fruits of their labor. Their example is emulated and their  accomplishments are noticed. Most people's definitions of success only  deal with the "here and now" of this life. Even in many churches today  the definition of success is in terms of numbers, size, dollars and  prestige.                     

But success is measured and defined differently by God. God's measure of success involves our obedience and faithfulness to Him, regardless of opposition and personal cost. His measure of success is whether or not we are being loyal to Him in our personal relationship with Him and in our life, and whether we are accomplishing His goals & purposes for our life

A Prediction

'God's Word will still be true in 2012.  God means what He says, He says what He means, and what He says is so.  The words of politicians, entertainers, leaders, presidents, CEO's, kings, editors, and  writers, will come up short at times.  Promises will be forgotten, treaties will be disregarded, covenants will be broken, truth will be spun, and lies will be spoken. Therefore, I predict that people who are  sincerely seeking the Truth, looking for time-tested solutions, and desiring to live lives that work, will turn to the Bible as the one sure Guide in an unsure world."

Why should I follow Jesus?

Does your life have a real meaning or purpose? Are you enjoying freedom and fulfilment? Are you confident that the good that you do now will last forever?
Or do you feel that everything you do is a waste of time? Do you feel trapped by the daily grind? Do you sometimes despair that all your efforts will be lost, when you die if not before?
God designed men and women to live lives of purpose and fulfilment. His intention has always been for us to live as his friends and to look after the earth he made and put us on.
However, we human beings turned away from God and started to run our lives as we saw fit, ignoring his instructions and warnings. Not surprisingly, lots of things went wrong. Just look at the state of the world today to see the effects of this. Nothing we do seems to work out as we hope. One result is that men and women die, missing out on God’s intention for them of living forever with him.
But God loves each one of us, the people he made, too much to leave things in this mess. He wants to bring each of us back to the fulfilled life that he always intended.

Forgiveness

A boy who was dumped by his girlfriend says, "She really hurt my feelings. How can I ever forgive her for what she did to me?"
A boy whose father sexually abused him for years asks, "Why should I forgive him for that?"
The drug dealer who wants to turn his life around wonders, "Will God really forgive me for all I have done?" How do we forgive others who have wronged us? How do we accept God's forgiveness?
God hates sin; He cannot stand to look at its ugliness. Therefore, unconfessed sin in our lives comes between us and damages our relationship with the Lord.

"Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, or his ear too dull to hear, but your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that He will not hear." (Isaiah ;59.1-2)

Not only does unforgiveness come between us and God, it also breaks our relationships with others.

"He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends." (Proverbs 17,9)

Believe in Prayer

As everyone knows, I twisted my ankle this past Friday while I was out working in the yard.  I woke up Sunday morning and couldn't hardly move my leg.  It was very swollen and I couldn't put any pressure on my leg.  While I was at church Sunday morning I went to the prayer room as I do every Sunday.  Zakie felt lead to place hands on me to pray for healing.  Sunday afternoon I started the soul winning class; we had a great turnout.  We listened to one another's testimonies and it was such a blessing.  When I was praying in class I got a warm sensation all through my body.  When I arrived home I took my brace off and all my swelling and the brusing has went away.  I got up and now I can stomp my feet with no pain as if I have never been hurt.  I am saying all of this because prayer works.  It may not be on our time but it is definitely in his time.  I am saying outloud that Jesus healed me.  So let's celebrate that Jesus is still Lord of Lords.  Let's not ever forgot that Jesus is still in the healing business. 

Do you really believe?

Do we really believe He is worth abandoning everything for? Do you and I really believe that Jesus is so good, so satisfying and so rewarding that we will leave all we have and all we own and all we are in order to find our fullness in Him? Do you and I believe Him enough to obey Him and to follow Him wherever He leads?


With the best of intentions, we have turned away from Jesus. We have blindly and unknowingly embraced values and ideas that are common in our culture but are to the gospel He taught. [We] need to revisit the words of Jesus, . We need to return with urgency to a biblical gospel, because the cost of not doing so is great for our lives, our families, our churches and the world around us.

You and I can choose to continue with business as usual in the Christian life and in the church as a whole, enjoying success based on the standards defined by the culture around us. Or we can take an honest look at the Jesus of the Bible and dare to ask what the consequences might be if we really believed Him and really obeyed Him.