PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, EVANGELIST: REVIVAL OF HOPE
This country needs HOPE. Where did our hope go? What happened to it?
There is an epidemic of violence, continuing issues of racism, younger and younger people becoming addicted to drugs, domestic violence, child kidnappings…..all of this is drowning the United States in a wave of hopelessness. That hopelessness is coming from the deliberate choice of the society of the United States in general turning its back on God and His Son Jesus. Those who are Christians and were once addicts and alcoholics, or those who have lost everything but their lives hitting rock bottom, all who have turned their lives around will flat out attest to the HOPE that can be found in giving it all up to Jesus. Surrendering it ALL. Jesus IS Hope. His death on the Cross gave us the Hope for eternal life, and He gave us Hope to be able to endure the day to day pain and struggle that we deal with here that is life as a human being. Evangelist Pastor John Collins has based the ministry Love That Cross on Hope.
Pastor John Collins began Love That Cross Ministries with a focus on revival.
It began in Wheatland, Wyoming and spread across the country. Revival of faith, revival of Christianity, not religion, but the revival of the HOPE that comes from acknowledging Jesus as a savior of mankind, ALL of us, is the central purpose of Love That Cross Ministry and Revival. Without Jesus, there is no Hope. The sorrow, the sadness, the pain, the anger, the violence that comes with living in the world today seems unbearable. Pastor John preaches that it IS possible to have HOPE. That hope is submitting all to the love that is Jesus and God.
Who took our hope away?
To some degree, we have willingly given it away through political correctness, fear, trends of society. We as Christians allowed men to “interject their will upon the people and Christianity has suffered. Religion will get you nowhere if you are complying with the traditions of men while ignoring the commandments of God, “says Pastor John.
Knowing Jesus, allowing Him into your heart, having faith in Him to help carry us through a day has been twisted into canned sermons and litanies, false doctrines meant to sell a product rather than to save souls, or even lukewarm “God loves everyone, so be happy” attitudes: all meant to keep people sitting in a pew on a Sunday, but not meant to stir the heart or the soul into repentance. Pastor John Collins calls a spade a spade. Faith is meant to save souls, to guide lives toward righteousness and to keep hope alive. Faith is meant to carry you through the tough times and to help you get to heaven. Churches continue with their traditions and doctrines that man has implemented; people continue attending them because they are comforted by the familiar. That comfort is not providing a growing population in heaven. It is time to step out of that comfort zone and wake up.
People have got to wake up and see that Christianity
is broken and needs truth and healing. People need to turn away from the glitter and the traditions that have them going through
the motions of worship only to leave
them without the tools to apply the gospel to their lives in any real way.
When was the last time you could recall details about a sermon given on
a Sunday all the way through a week until the next service, or even a month or
more after it was spoken? THOSE sermons
are the ones that have touched a heart, sparked
a soul, moved someone to think about and reconsider
what they are doing in their lives.
THOSE sermons make us, all sinners, wonder
about whether we really are heading to heaven by saying we are Christian, or if we have work to do. Looking at the society in which we live, it’s
a pretty good indication that we all have work to do. Not enough people know that there is a God or
that Jesus even exists, not to mention those of us who profess to be Christian on Sunday but walk past the woman on the sidewalk on Tuesday
who simply needs a meal or help off of the street into safety. There is a lot
of work to be done.
Pastor John calls it as it is: we
HAVE turned from God as a nation and slapped Him away from our homes, families,
children, our hearts. The time is NOW, and God WILL help us REVIVE our faith,
IF we turn to Him and His Son Jesus.
God
is waiting
and willing to help us come to learn the truth and to embrace that
truth. People must be willing to want that honest relationship that genuine faith provides. We can’t continue to lie to ourselves that we
can wait for another day. We are NOT guaranteed tomorrow. Only God knows just how long we have to work on our souls and our redemption. We CAN’T wait. It will be too late when we die, get there,
and then go “Oops” because we didn’t do anything to help
ourselves, even though help was available.
We no longer believe that God is paying attention
nor do we believe whole-heartedly that He will intervene in our lives directly.
Oh, we say we do, but it is obvious in our lack of obedience that we do not
fear any real repercussions from God. We do NOT respect or revere God. We do not fear Him.
Jesus does offer salvation to us for free. Yet, He
Himself has demanded that we repent, sin
no more, and that we obey His commandments. He also said for us to fear Him who is able to destroy both
body and soul in hell. Do we take Him seriously and adjust our behavior
accordingly or are we just banking on that price being paid and going about our
lives with evil hearts and evil minds acting in evil ways and speaking evil
words? Think about the standard that is set by Jesus. Think about the
requirements of our faith. We cannot just say that we believe. We must
believe so strongly that we are moved to change our ways. Remember the young
man who was obedient to the law and yet was told by Jesus to sell all and give
to the poor and follow when he asked what must he do to have eternal life? We
cannot do some. We must do all. If you are not doing all that the Lord has
commanded you cannot be assured of claiming the salvation He offers.
Begin again by coming to truly fear
God. Renew your faith by refocusing your priorities in life. Claim your
salvation by a belief that is so strong you know that nothing else in your life
matters in comparison. That is saving faith. Know that no matter what amount of
faith and obedience you have today, you can always and should always seek
more. That is the faith that will give
us HOPE.
