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Message from Bishop
May 2002
And Jesus came up 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 the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20 (NAS)
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Why do I need Faith?
There are many reasons why you and I need faith.
The following are 4 reasons for you to consider:
Salvation
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
(Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
(John 3:16-17 KJV)
Salvation only comes through believing [having faith] that
Jesus died for your sins. You cannot be saved [enter into the kingdom of
heaven] through your own good works.
Pleasing God
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
(Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter.
He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.
He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.
(Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
How can you please God if you do not believe in Him? How
can you please God if you do not believe in His son, Jesus Christ. For it
is the belief that Jesus died and rose for us that mankind was reconciled back
to the Father.
If you do not believe in God, then all that you do is a futile
effort to please yourself.
If you believe in God and earnestly seek Him, then your desire
will be to do that which He wants you to do.
The rewards that you may obtain for yourself pale in
comparison to the rewards that God will provide when you believe in Him.
Your Testimony
For by it
[faith] the elders obtained a good testimony.
(Hebrews 11:2 NKJ)
And they overcame him [the devil] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
(Revelation 12:11 KJV)
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
(Matthew 12:36 KJV)
So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
(Romans 14:12 KJV)
Your testimony comes through your faith.
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How can you testify or witness to someone if you do not
believe in what you are saying?
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Your witnessing to others about Jesus comes through your
faith.
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At the time of judgment, your testimony [account of your
life] will be your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Fear of the Lord
That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side."
Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.
A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.
Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.
He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
(Mark 4:35-41 NIV)
Faith enables us to fear [respect] the Lord rather than to
fear [be afraid of] our circumstances.
Your Servant in Christ,
Bishop Vernice Seriale, Sr.
Founder and Senior Pastor
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Bishop Vernice Seriale, Sr.
Founder and Senior Pastor
