Call Upon Ministries

07/31/2023

07/22/2023

Always surprised to hear how many Christians aren't watching/haven't watched The Chosen. It's a great show! It'd be one thing if you weren't watching anything and just all your leisure time was spent reading scripture and listening to gospel hymns, but come on now, I know you're watching SOMETHING. Why not watch an, IMHO, very scripturally sound show about Jesus, that is also one of the highest-quality Christian productions in history?

07/21/2023

God does not require that we be "ready" for any new endeavor. He only requires that we be willing and desiring. The more "ready" we are for something, the less opportunity there is to just step out in faith, like "I really don't know what I'm doing or where I'm going, Lord, but I'm just trusting you."

This isn't to say there is no place for preparation. The gospels mention a number of times that Jesus arrived "prepared." But the preparation isn't the point. Preparation isn't so we do a good job - it's God who will do the good job, working in us. Preparation is for US, to give us something productive and meaningful to do with our time, and perhaps just as much to keep us away from things we shouldn't be doing.

In all our endeavors, we will arrive at an intersection of faith and readiness, and we should always choose to step out in faith, trusting that it will be God, not ourselves, that gets us through it. Our heart, above all, should be in a good place - to, above all, be desiring and willing to press forward with any good work, in the name of Jesus, no matter how "unready" we may otherwise be.

07/21/2023

When we place our trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ for our eternal salvation, we are, all at once:

1) forgiven of all our sins past, present and future, "saving" us from the punishment of those sins. (1 John 2:2)

2) born again. We were born carnally in the womb, but either upon inherited sin nature or upon the moment we first sinned, (there is understandable debate on which is the case, but the result is the same) our spirit is dead. Upon the moment of salvation, our spirits are regenerated by the Holy Ghost, making us "alive" spiritually. (John 3:3-17)

3) baptized by the Holy Spirit. Baptize does not only refer to water; the word baptize means to be immersed. We are immersed by the Holy Spirit/Ghost, accomplishing three important things: 1) as previously mentioned, it regenerates our spirit. 2) the Holy Spirit separates our soul from our body and "seals" us until the day we receive our new glorified body, the day of redemption 3) the Holy Spirit remains with us, permanently indwelling in us. (John 1 Peter 1:23, Matthew 3:11))

4) made members of the spiritual "Body of Christ". This means that we are permanently and literally WITH Jesus. We are now "in Christ," and Christ is now "in us." (1 Corinthians 12-27)

5) made children of God. Modern Bible translations have erred in referring to Jesus as the only son of God. WRONG. Even Adam was a son of God. And all believers in Jesus are also sons and daughters of God. Unbelievers are God's creation, but not God's children. We are children of the Most High, priests and kings in THE Royal Family. (Galatians 3:26)

6) Purchased by the blood of Jesus. God "bought" us at a price, the price of the shed blood of Jesus. While the Christian life, under grace and not law, is full of liberty, we do now literally belong to the Almighty God. (1 Corinthians 6:20)

7) Saved forever. If these truths do not make it already very obvious, no member of the Body of Christ can ever lose their salvation. We couldn't go to Hell EVEN IF WE WANTED TO. God IS taking us to Heaven, kicking and screaming if need be. (John 10:28)

07/20/2023

Front and back Ephesians 2 8-9 design

07/20/2023

Had to crop out Rick Eason's head to keep the gospel bumper sticker in the shot. Sorry, Rick! You're welcome, Jesus!

07/20/2023

The hoodies look good even with dog hair all over them! Now that's quality!