“Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24). To what extent are we to come after Christ? To what extent are we to deny ourselves? To what extent are we to take up our cross? To what extent are we to follow Him?

Pastor John Samuel Barnett encourages us to answer 100% to those questions as we are called to commit our entire lives to God.

https://youtu.be/l1NFtmpJid8
(From 2015JAN04 – FTF-14 – The Best Life Possible – Living & Walking In The Spirit)

Along with our outlook, God also calls us to consecrate our bodies and our entire life to Him. Join Pastor John Samuel Barnett as he shows us that God calls us to offer our lives as a living sacrifice – holy and acceptable to our Lord.

https://youtu.be/Va9XAWwhLBM
(From 2015JAN04 – FTF-14 – The Best Life Possible – Living & Walking In The Spirit)

This week we looked at elements of salvation in a believer’s life. However, some of us still struggle with sins that have a tight grip in our lives. We are to fight and wrestle against them and subdue them. But what if a believer refuses to repent of a sin? That’s the topic of this week’s Q&A with Pastor John Samuel Barnett.

https://youtu.be/Z0EK6gcC5hY
(2012DEC09 – Q&A-26)

Have you ever been given a gift by someone and didn’t know if it was ok to open it right away or not. Maybe your birthday wasn’t for another two days or you didn’t want to seem greedy by opening it so soon or maybe you were scared that the gift was going to be bad. It may have taken the gift giver slightly prodding you to give you the OK to open the gift.

Today, some of us have yet to open the biggest gift God gives us and some of us have torn it open and are willing to help others to open their gifts faster. The gift of forgiveness provided by God is the ultimate gift we could ever receive. Make sure you are responding to the Gift Giver’s call to open the gift and, if need be, ask those who have already opened theirs for help.

Today’s charismatic movement stems from the incessant desire to try and have God speak to us in audible form, in visions, in dreams, in new revelation. This need overshadows and subverts all other needs or desires. Is this a bad thing, if true? Isn’t the status of the Christian spoken of as a relationship between us and God? Isn’t a healthy relationship built on good communication?

The thing is, God not only has spoken but He continues to speak and He was the first one to speak. In Timothy Keller’s excellent book “Prayer” he says, “Prayer is continuing a conversation that God has started through His Word and His Grace, which eventually becomes a full encounter with Him.”

For the past couple of days we looked at the Christian’s desire to be used by God and have a correct understanding of both God and man. The biblical Christian understands the need to confess their sins to God for the purpose of asking forgiveness. But in James 5:16, we are told to confess our sins to one another.

This week’s Q&A with Pastor John Samuel Barnett deals with what that exactly means in the context of the rest of James 5.

https://youtu.be/CFz9DigI2Ic
(2012OCT21 – Q&A-22)

“But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.'” (Luke 18:13-14)

For the sake of space only a portion of this passage has been cited (start at verse 9 for greater context). Why is it that the publican is viewed as the justified one?