Silver and Gold No, But What I Have I Give You- Pastor Ray Melograne

God's Answer to Current Events

“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.” Genesis 1:27-28 (NIV)

This past Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have the same right to marriage as a man and a woman do. 

When God created mankind, He created them male and female. There is no place in scripture where we read of a third gender as part of Almighty God’s design. 

There are, however, several places in the Bible that mention the sin, or the tendency toward un-natural sexual desires. Two of the most noted are Leviticus 18:22 and Romans 1:26-28. 

Jesus talked about man’s desire toward sin in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10. Read His response to the Pharisees who asked Him about divorce. 

” Jesus replied. 6 “But at the beginning of creation God ‘made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ They are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” When they were in the house again, the disciples asked Jesus about this. He answered, “Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. (Mark 10: 5-12- CEV)

Yet, neither the sin of divorce nor of homosexuality are the most grievous; nor are they the most unforgivable of sins! A little later on in the same Mark 10 chapter, Jesus goes on to meet a rich man. This man held on to his wealth so tightly that he even rejects Jesus’ invitation to heaven in order to keep his earthly wealth. 

The Bible book of Romans gives us a good picture of how God, the Authority above all human authority, wants us to live. Romans 3:23 says that all mankind sin and fall short of God’s glory. Why, you ask? It’s because the first man created, Adam, sinned and all of us have inherited the tendency to sin from our original father, Adam. 

How did God respond to the sin of mankind? He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ to earth to submit to earthly authorities and to die on a cross for each of our sins. 

“For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:56-57 (NLT)

Mankind’s natural desires: Galatians 5:19-21 “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” (NLT)

God’s answer: 1 John 1:7-9 “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (NLT)

Does Your Soil Go Deep?

"Now listen! A farmer went out to scatter seed in a field. While the farmer was scattering the seed, some of it fell along the road and was eaten by birds. Other seeds fell on thin, rocky ground and quickly started growing because the soil wasn’t very deep. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched and dried up, because they did not have enough roots. ." Mark 4: 3-6

In this parable of the sower, Jesus describes some Christians with roots that do not go deep enought into the soil. Good soil along with sunlight, fresh air, and water are imperitive for healthy plants to grow. In Jesus' analogy of the farmer "good soil" represents the Word of God; the Gospel message! (Mark 4: 14).

What we do with the Gospel has an everlasting effect on the person we become in life and also eternally in heaven. How we apply God's Word to our lives has eternal consequences; both positive and negative.

In his book Gutenberg to Google, James O. Davis describes mankind as visual learners.

Why is the visual sense so dominant? it is estimated that the nerve endings of eyes are struck by literally 700,000 stimuli every instant. We cannot escape the massive impact of this bombarment on our brain. Psycologists have said that viewing something three times has the power of one actual experience. This fact alone has enormous consequence, The power of vision can be used for good or ill. But there is no question that it is a strong power. (Decker, 82).

Think about the amount of negative imagery we allow into our minds on a daily basis. The amount of time we spend viewing the news and the amount of time we spend in front of the computer or in front of the television! Now compare this time to the amount of time we spend reading and meditating on God's word. How much time do we spend visualizing the Bible's stories and applying them to our daily lives? How does our time viewing the secular and the spiritual compare?

For most of us the answer is sobering. As Christians we must continually be examining our soil. Just as the plants in our garden need good soil in order to thrive into healthy and beautiful eye delights; we must continually be striving to take care of the soil in our spiritual garden, if we are to become produtive Christians.

"But a few seeds did fall on good ground where the plants grew and produced thirty or sixty or even a hundred times as much as was scattered. Then Jesus said, “If you have ears, pay attention.” Mark 4: 8-9

North Shore Assembly of God, Oyster Bay, NY

Join us for our upcoming events: Visit our website @ www.northshoreaog.org for more information and directions

CHRISTIAN SINGLES PRAYER & FELLOWSHIP- FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2007 @ 8pm. (AGES 25- 55 OR ANY)WE WILL ENJOY SPECIAL TIMES OF INTIMATE PRAYER FOR OUR FUTURES, OUR MATES, AND OUR DESTINIES!COME FOR INSPIRATION AND VISION. LOCATION: 84 ORCHARD ST. OYSTER BAY, NY 11771

PROPHETIC CONFERENCE- WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14 &15
PROPHET & TEACHER ALAN ROSS
Alan Ross lives in Glasgow, Scotland. In his home church in Scotland, Queens Park Baptist Church in Glasgow, Alan is a Pastoral Leader under the leadership of Senior Pastor Edwin Gunn. Alan ministers 4 months of the year in the U.S.A. and his U.S. base is Living Waters Church, Elk River, Minnesota under the leadership of Pastor Bob Pullar.
In addition to this Alan is an active member of ministry associations, Life Links International, led by Pastor Dave Wells and Prophet Keith Hazell (see www.lifelink.org and www.antioch.org for further information) and Grace Outreach International, Neand Grace Outreach International, New Hampshire, USA, which is headed up by Pastor Paul Berube (see www.goiam.us). Alan is also ordained and fully licensed as a minister of the gospel by GOIAM.

CHRISTMAS CONTATA- SUNDAY, DECEMBER 23 @ 10:30AM & MONDAY, DECEMBER 24 @ 7:30PM. Enjoy special Music & Worship by both our Adult and Childrens Choirs. We will also enjoy a time in the Word and Fellowship.

NEW YEAR'S EVE SPECTACULAR- DECEMBER 31 @ 7:30PM. Enjoy a bring your own disch Pot Luck Dinner. Followed by a Special Live Concert with Contemporay Christian Artist Ray Melograne. We will also enjoy coffee, cake & a Special Pray in the New Year Service. Concert starts @ 9:30PM.