PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, DAILY THOUGHTS: LOOK INSIDE

Pastor John Collins: Your own light

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV).

There are many Christians who feel compelled to go out into the world and bring the salvation of Jesus to the ‘lost’. There are many ‘Christians’ who sit in silent judgement with condemnation in their hearts for those who are not Christian. There are many churches who preach that their church is the only way to heaven. There are many who need to stop and look in the mirror before they condemn those that have yet to come to the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ.

There are a bunch of self-righteous people in this world and many of them call themselves Christians. The first thing that a true Christian needs to be able to do is to look within themselves and see all of the ugly that they are carrying around and to look to the King of Kings so that they can clean it up and become followers of Jesus.

Just because someone is not a Christian today does not mean that they will not seek salvation prior to their death. Don’t go rushing off to another country in order to save those of another religion because you think that you are meant to do so. Make sure that your own salvation is sure and make sure that your own life is lit up as a beacon to those you encounter before you go thinking that you hold the key to another’s salvation. God is more than capable of bringing the truth into a person’s life so that they can make the choice of whether to believe in His Son or not. God is more than willing to offer salvation and healing to this world and will provide revelation to His people in His own time.

There have been too many churches and too many people that have abused the calling of Jesus in order to condemn others, in order to control others and in order to gain power and prestige. Keep things simple in your life and be committed to getting right with God yourself and living a life that shines for Jesus and don’t allow your heart to be filled with condemnation for others nor filled with your own superiority and imagined righteousness.

“Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:44 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN, BELIEVE THAT

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, DAILY THOUGHTS: 3 STEPS TO REPENTING

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: REPENT

Repent. 

What does the word “repent” truly mean? John the Baptist made it his clarion call as he prepared the way for Jesus Christ to make it on the scene over 2000 years ago.  The Old Testament has many passages about repentance before Jesus Christ came.  God wants us to truly feel sorry for our sinful natures and ask for forgiveness because God truly wants His children to come home to Him.  Guilt is a useful tool that helps us recognize that we are in the wrong before God, writes Pastor John Collins of Love That Cross Ministries.  Until we feel genuine remorse for the actions that we have done that offend God, we cannot find salvation nor can we expect to make our way to heaven.  Heaven is not a guarantee just because we say we are Christian, just saying we are sorry and saying we are Christian isn’t going to get us anywhere if we don’t change how our hearts act.  Actions speak louder than words, and God knows exactly what we really feel and how we really are.  There’s three steps to repentance:

• 1.       To repent is to recognize that we have offended God by not following His commandments.  Sin.  Repentance means to feel genuinely sorry for our actions.
• 2.       Seek forgiveness.  We will sin every day because we are human.  Ask for forgiveness through Jesus Christ and mean it from the heart.
• 3.       Make an effort every day to become a better person, seeking to become Christ-like, acting in compassion and caring for others.  This is a life long journey, the race that Paul refers to.

It really is as easy as that, Pastor John Collins preaches.

The problem with the word “repent” is that it sounds offensive.  Street hawkers of “repent and be saved” who stand on the corners waving a Bible spouting Bible verses of doom and hell are threatening and drive more people away from God and the Word of the Gospel.  Shoving religion in the public’s face in a manner that is threatening is no way to win souls for God.  It certainly wasn’t the way Jesus did it.  Teaching the Gospel with sincerity and candor, with a nonjudgmental approach will draw attention of people, and those people when drawn will come to listen, and in listening will come to understand the concept of repentance.  Pastor John Collins is an evangelist who preaches the truth, reaches the heart, and draws listeners closer to God.

“I don’t believe that there is a true understanding by most people of what repentance is. Repentance is recognizing your sin and the wrongs that you have committed against God and being sorry about it. It is knowing that you need forgiveness and that what your actions, feelings, thoughts and words have reaped is worthy of sending you to hell. This is an acceptance of God’s law in your heart and soul and it produces a genuinely contrite heart. This will then produce the desire within you to stop those sinful behaviors and to seek to obey the laws of God.” Pastor John Collins, Love That Cross Ministries (April, 2018).

Pastor John Collins began preaching over a decade ago, and more recently began a revival of hope and trust in God.  As the head pastor of Love That Cross Ministries and John Collins Ministries, Pastor John Collins reaches congregations around the United States, bringing God back to those who hear him.  As an evangelist, Pastor John Collins has a passion and love for the Cross that is unwavering.  So many people have been disillusioned by churches, the false doctrines of pastors who are looking for nothing more than money in their pocket and bodies in the pews to fill the offering plates, or the prestige of being on a pulpit but not practicing what is preached. Pastor John Collins is determined to bring faith in God back for the people, recognizing that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been watered down like so much Kool-Aid to fit the need of the people in the pulpit, not the needs of souls in the seats.  The Gospel needs to be redeemed says Pastor John Collins, it needs to be made clear and understandable so that people can find their way to God.

Pastor John Collins writes:

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.’ ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” Mark 1:1-4 (NKJV).

John the Baptist preached repentance, Jesus preached repentance and His Apostles preached repentance, even the Prophets preached repentance.

I don’t believe that there is a true understanding by most people of what repentance is. Repentance is recognizing your sin and the wrongs that you have committed against God and being sorry about it. It is knowing that you need forgiveness and that what your actions, feelings, thoughts and words have reaped is worthy of sending you to hell. This is an acceptance of God’s law in your heart and soul and it produces a genuinely contrite heart. This will then produce the desire within you to stop those sinful behaviors and to seek to obey the laws of God.

Now, how is it possible to feel these feelings with a genuine heart and not just give a mental nod followed by lip service? You must agree with God. That is where true faith, repentance and forgiveness begin. You must agree that God and His laws are right and that it is for you to obey them.

If you don’t agree with God, you will never truly submit to Him, repent of anything nor claim true salvation.

If you don’t agree with God, you will find ways to justify your point of view and to excuse yourself for your sin. Every human sins and every human has an opportunity to have a relationship with Jesus.

If you see the laws of God as antiquated and therefore don’t agree with them and choose to disregard them, even if you come to know Jesus and seek forgiveness for your past sins, your heart will not genuinely be remorseful. Imagine a man who cheats on his wife and she never finds out about it. He sees it as hurting no one. He goes to church and claims Jesus as His Savior. In his old age, his cheating stops and he does ask for forgiveness. But his heart does not really feel sorry because he feels that what his wife never knew never hurt her and it really was not any big deal. His heart is unable to feel the remorse required to be forgiven.

Just because we ask for forgiveness does not mean that it is given. We have to mean it. We show that we mean it by choosing to live lives that do not embrace sin. Like Paul says, if you stole, steal no more. We are to quit the sinful behavior and seek to alter our actions, words, thoughts and feelings. We begin to make these right choices when we agree with God. That is why to be friends with the world is to be enemies with God.

“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” Matthew 4:17 (NKJV).

Love That Cross, Pastor John Collins

Our hearts have to come to know what our sinful behaviors are.  Repenting, being truly and honestly sorry for our actions is the beginning of changing our lives, here and eternally.  The right choices will take us along the road back to God, home to heaven, and those actions are a daily commitment to changing.  Allowing Jesus into our lives is the key to changing our hearts. Asking forgiveness means we believe we are indeed guilty, and we have the humility to admit it.  No one of us is free of sin; no one of us will be able to make it to heaven without Jesus.

Pastor John Collins can be heard at 1000 am Mountain Time weekly on Sunday on Heaven’s Country Radio with Marty Smith. You can listen via the Internet at www.heavenscountry.com.  Other sermons, recordings, blogs, interviews, Youtube clips, and other media of Pastor John Collins can be found by clicking on the links within this post.  Pastor John Collins is available for prayer, discussion and ministry-not to debate-at jc65777@yahoo.com.  If you want Pastor John Collins to come to speak to your church or group, contact can be made through the same personal email.  Pastor John Collins is in it to win it for God.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, DAILY THOUGHTS: CEASELESS PRAYER

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST:  Pray without ceasing

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 Paul’s letter in 1 Thessalonians 5 says to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” ( 1 Thessalonians 5: 16) NKJV. Pastor John Collins preaches that God wants to hear our prayers.  Some doctrines teach that there needs to be a person to intervene for your prayer; this is not so.  God sent Jesus Christ to be our intercession for prayer.  When we pray, we are to pray in Jesus’ name, as the old hymn says “what a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer.” 

God wants that personal relationship with us, He wants to hear our prayers ~ Pastor John Collins, 2018.

What a wonderful thing to be able to talk to our Father about anything and everything, from thanks to pain to worries about family, God is our loving Father who wants to hear from us.  Yes, God knows exactly what we need and He knows what is going on for us, but as our Father, He wants that personal relationship with us.  How do we do as Paul instructs to pray without ceasing?  We couldn’t work, we couldn’t attend to our physical responsibilities, and we physically cannot stay on our knees unceasingly.  The Hebrew word for without ceasing means “constantly recurring”.  Instead of trying to pray without ceasing, God wants us to tune in frequently.  As Pastor John Collins has preached, prayer should be the first thing you do when you wake up and the last thing you do before you fall asleep.  If you happen to fall asleep while praying, it’s ok, when you wake up, you will remember you were praying, finish that prayer, God understands and will hear us. Prayer and conversation with God should be a priority in our lives.

“We have a God that wants to hear from us, wants that relationship with us and He is seeking those who would worship Him in Spirit and Truth. Let your life be grounded in prayer, built upon prayer and fueled with prayer. Always be willing to prioritize your time and know that prayer should be at the top of the list.” Pastor John Collins, April 2018.

Pastor John Collins is an American evangelist and head pastor of Love That Cross Ministries and John Collins Ministries, Inc.  Pastor John Collins travels throughout the United States to bring revival of faith and hope back to churches and congregations around the country.  Communities are looking for hope and change, and Pastor John Collins is a voice of hope among the craziness in society today.  Pastor Collins posts devotionals on his Facebook page to help to explain where our faith should be, redeem the Gospel, and talks about difficult issues that many pastors won’t.  Pastor John Collins is determined to redeem the Gospel and bring God and Jesus back into our lives.

Pastor John Collins writes:

“In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple,And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.” Psalm 18:6 (NKJV).

We are told to pray without ceasing, to give our burdens to the Lord and to seek Him in all that we do. Too often people get busy in their lives, they have things to do, jobs to go to, children to raise, families to see to and trying to carve out some personal time to enjoy social activities all while trying to maintain a strong relationship with God. Sometimes prayers are whittled down to the bare necessities or even cast aside until a day of trouble and calamity. Prayer is personal and essential to your walk of faith. Prayer is your journal of love, hurt and worry written on your heart and trusted with the One who is trustworthy. Prayer is your place that you can admit all that you hide from the world, where you can be more honest than you ever dare to be out loud. Prayer is the place you are safe.

We should be taking the time to pray in thanks to our Creator and be willing to voice that praise out loud to all. We should be casting our cares upon Him and sharing our fears and worries while trusting that all things work for the good of them who love the Lord. We should be seeking wisdom and righteousness in all we do, coming prepared to every situation, having been founded in prayer. We should be connecting with God continuously so that His strength is what we carry with us through the days. We should never put off our prayer, ignore our need for prayer nor should we allow our prayers to become rote. We have a God that wants to hear from us, wants that relationship with us and He is seeking those who would worship Him in Spirit and Truth. Let your life be grounded in prayer, built upon prayer and fueled with prayer. Always be willing to prioritize your time and know that prayer should be at the top of the list.

“I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; My heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.” Psalm 16:7-8 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

God loves us, we are His children.  Like any good parent, He wants to know what is going on in our lives first hand from our own hearts and minds.  Prayer is our way to talk to God. 

Pastor John Collins is a dynamic and charismatic preacher with humility and a love for God and Jesus that sets an example for everyone.  Pastor John Collins is a featured speaker on Heaven’s Country Radio, www.heavenscountry.com, on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. Mountain with Marty Smith.  Other content of Pastor John  Collins can be accessed by clicking on links through this blog post, including interviews, radio programs, sermons, and YouTube recordings.  Pastor John Collins is determined to bring God back to church, family, and society through redeeming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pastor John Collins walks the walk and talks the talk.

In all things, pray.  Believe that.