Sopp Ministries Blog

Just a thought: I’m continually told that more than 80% – perhaps even 90% of the people within the USA say they believe in God, but is that enough? James 2:19-20: “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (NASB)

Oops! I guess just believing in God isn’t enough. So what is enough? John 6:29: “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.’” (NASB) Why? So you can be born-again with God’s Holy Spirit. (Ezekiel 36:26-27)

When are we going to stop trying to do the work of God when God has already done the work through His Son Jesus? What kind of sense does that make? Particularly when, even from the start, our works of righteousness are doomed to failure. The Law tells us – shows us that much.

Prayer: Oh Lord, deliver me from my works to Your work through Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection, before I miss You completely – before I’m estranged from You for eternity. Amen and Amen!

Is it worth a little of your time and $18.99 to make sure you don’t miss God’s glorious salvation?

Guided by God’s calling upon my life as His Watchman, I spent six years and countless hours in prayer to give you an opportunity – to give you a device to examine yourself – to give you a spiritual mirror to see if God’s Holy Spirit now dwells within you before it’s too late.

Seeing that God’s judgment is now upon us, would you please take advantage of this opportunity afforded to you? Utterly consumed by this burden God placed upon my heart, I just do not know how I can make this any clearer to you.

Book: The Portrait of a Christian by Raymond D. Sopp

You can order my book anywhere books are sold, and all royalties go toward helping this ministry reach the lost.

Note: You can read an unedited version of my book online for free, but if you can afford it, I’m told by everyone that the book is a much easier and better read.

For more information:

www.SoppMinistries.org/index37.htm

The following quote is taken from my book, The Portrait of a Christian by Raymond D. Sopp:

Note: I awoke with the following chapter from my book upon my heart. My heart was so burdened that tears came into my eyes. So burdened that words fail me as to how to encourage you to click on the link below to read the entire chapter, and then perhaps, prayerfully consider ordering a copy of my book through the other link offered to you below. So allow me to say it in this way: By the authority given to me by my calling as God’s Watchman, I encourage you – no, I implore you to at least read this entire chapter from my book, and if possible, order a copy of my book for you or to give to a friend. And please, please encourage others to do the same. Whatever your response is, thank you and God bless you for at least reading about the burden God placed upon my heart.

Chapter: Jesus said in John 8:32, “. . . the truth shall make you free.” But, how can you know what the truth is with so many voices saying so many different “truths” about God, and Christianity in general? The first thing you must do is place such a great value in your heart for the truth that you will seek it with all your heart. Matthew 13:44-46: “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it.”

The truth can only become that valuable to you if you come to understand that you have a need to be set free. For example, we see that the Pharisees thought they had no need to be set free in John 8:33, “They answered Him, ‘We are Abraham’s offspring, and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, You shall become free?’” The Pharisees knew the Scriptures inside and out; they could quote volumes of Scriptures at the drop of a hat. Almost every day they spent the day debating the Scriptures but somehow they did not know they were slaves to sin and needed to be set free.

John 8:34-36: “Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. And the slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.’” In the pride of their heart the Pharisees thought they already had the truth; they were Abraham’s offspring, holy, and God’s chosen people. Therefore, Jesus’ statement, “the truth will set you free” had no real value to them; upon seeing no value in the truth, (being unteachable — unyielding — stubborn) they turned away from the truth and embraced a lie. The Pharisees’ pride blinded them to the truth. Jesus had said something to them that they did not want to hear; after all, they already knew the “truth” — or so they thought.

But you might say, “That was the Pharisees; what does that have to do with me?” The Apostle Paul, talking about the last days in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 said, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.” If this is indeed the last days, should we not be careful that we do not reject the truth simply because it was not what we wanted to hear? Millions are going to hell, because they (like the Pharisees) don’t like being called a sinner, and therefore, they accept the myth, “it’s an alternative life style.” Beware that you don’t reject the truth for a lie because you are too proud and hardhearted to accept it. If you think that cannot happen to you — think again. Jesus told us — no, He commanded us, that we must forgive. But how many of us quickly reject that truth because that is the last thing we want to hear after someone has deeply hurt us?

Proverbs 1:7: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” If you want to be blessed with the discernment to know the difference between truth and error, you must be humble and teachable. The word “fear” as used here just means you respect God — respect God enough to take His Word seriously. To fear (respect) God enough to esteem His Word even if it is not what you want to hear; allowing God’s Word, and not your emotions, to be a lamp unto your feet.

You can read the entire chapter from my book at:

www.SoppMinistries.org/index15.htm

Book Website: www.SoppMinistries.org/index37.htm

Psalm 32:3-4: “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer.” (NASB)

1 John 3:7-10: “Little children, let no one deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices (lifestyle) sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot (remain in) sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.” (NASB)

Just a thought: There has been a movement formed within God’s Church called “accountability” in an attempt to keep people, pastors, and ministers from sinning. This movement pairs you up with another person to keep you accountable – to keep you from sinning. Can I ask you this question: Why? In my Christian walk there have been times in my past when I’ve stumbled and sinned, but when I did, the above passages of Holy Scripture came alive within me. Oh, there were times that I tried to be recalcitrant, but as my vitality drained away from within me, I soon found myself face down in repentance. I think the record for my recalcitrance was about thirty days. Believe me when I say that thirty days is a very, very long time to remain beneath God’s heavy hand. And that’s an experience that I never want to repeat as I felt my heavenly Father’s heart break – yes, even His heart within me; through which, I’ve learned the meaning of being constrained from sin by His love – by His Spirit within me. How can I remain in sin as it now breaks my heart – His heart within me? I’m kept from sin by knowing its sinfulness – by knowing its ability to bring death and separation.

So I ask again: Why do we need to pair up with mankind to keep us (mankind) accountable when we have God’s Holy Spirit within? By using mankind, isn’t that a little like leaving a fox to guard a hen house? After all, we can hide from and lie to man, but not so with the Holy Spirit. Did we need to begin this movement because most people, pastors, and ministers within the Church at-large are not born-again with God’s Holy Spirit? I’m asking, because you cannot find such pairing up in the Holy Scriptures. I see pairing up in the Holy Scriptures to eliminate the possibility of accusations, but not for the purpose of keeping someone “accountable” – of keeping someone from sinning. Isn’t that the Holy Spirit’s job? If you need mankind’s presence to keep you from sinning, perhaps – just perhaps, you need to be born-again with God’s Holy Spirit!

Prayer: My Father, my Lord, search my heart to see if You see Your Holy Spirit within me. Lord, if I’m not sure, may I stay on my face until I am, because it is written that no one will see Your Kingdom – Heaven without being born-again with Your Holy Spirit. It is also written that without holiness no one will see You, and that holiness must be produced from within – not from without. Therefore, may I also seek You without delay, for again it is written: Today is the day of salvation – the day of Your favor. Amen and Amen!

Website: www.SoppMinistries.org

In the Pursuit of Holiness:

www.SoppMinistries.org/index3.htm

1 Corinthians 11:28-32: “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world.” (NASB)

Before I even begin, I want to make sure I’m not misunderstood so I’m making the following statement: I do believe all sickness and death began with the original sin of Adam and Eve. However, in the following paragraphs I’m not saying that all personal sickness is due to personal sin and/or personal lack of faith, and may God forbid anyone from saying I do.

Just a thought: Being personally heavily involved in prayer networks for more than twenty-five years, I’ve noticed a seemingly vast increase of sicknesses within the Church at-large over the past couple of years. And now, for the past couple of weeks, I have not been able to get the above verse of Scripture off my heart and mind. If I combine the above Scripture with the fact that the Church at-large is now statistically identical to the world, ranging from divorce to pornography, the above verse of Scripture has to give you pause, doesn’t it?

That said, perhaps if we find ourselves sick, we should at least take a spiritual examination before we do anything else. This is something that only you can do. And perhaps, we should not be so quick to encourage someone to even take communion without first encouraging that person to take the time to look within – to reflect – to take a spiritual self-examination.

Prayer: Father, it concerns me greatly to see so many sick among us. If we fall sick, please my Father, and my Lord, help us by way of Your Holy Spirit to spiritually examine ourselves, before we even take our next step – our next breath. Help us to at least eliminate the above possibility first – not only for the sake of our temporal lives, but more importantly, for the sake of our eternal lives. Amen and Amen!

Website: www.SoppMinistries.org

The Portrait of a Christian:

www.SoppMinistries.org/index37.htm

James 3:9-12: “With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Neither can salt water produce fresh.” (NASB)

Just a thought: Forgiveness toward others will always follow as we begin to understand within our heart the awesome unsolicited sacrifice of God’s only Son; just to provide to us the bridge of forgiveness in order to restore the intimate fellowship with mankind that He once enjoyed. Yes! Even if no one used that bridge, it was still provided. That selfless – that loving act of my heavenly Father literally takes my breath away.

Prayer: My Father, my God, how can I hold back an unsolicited act of forgiveness toward another after what You did for me? May it never be! Amen and Amen!

Website: www.SoppMinistries.org

Neither Can Salt Water Produce Fresh

www.SoppMinistries.org/index24.htm

Matthew 28:19-20: “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.” (NASB)

Just a thought: When it comes to the Great Commission – the salvation of souls, it transcends someone’s so called territory and/or denomination. It must be a joint effort as a body with Jesus as the head.

Prayer: Father, it is written that we need each other in order to properly function as a body. Can the mouth say to the foot, I have no need of you? Of course not! It is also written that there is consummate unity within the God Head for the salvation of mankind. My Lord and my God, may we begin to see that same selfless unity reflected in Your ambassadors here on earth. Please, do not allow Satan – the Devil even a small victory over the proclamation of Your glorious Gospel message through any form of division or territorialism within Your Church. Amen and Amen!

Website: www.SoppMinistries.org

The Priceless Gift!

www.SoppMinistries.org/index14.htm

2 Thessalonians 2:3: “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it (the day of the Lord) will not come unless the apostasy comes first.” (NASB)

1 Timothy 4:1-2: “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron.” (NASB)

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12: “With all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” (NASB)

Just a thought: The most important end-time sign of God’s coming judgment, and then the return of our Lord, can be found within the “Church” at-large. What makes this “Dark Age” different from the past, and absolutely bone-chilling to me, is the fact that this apostasy is happening in the face of the widespread knowledge of God’s Word. Whereas, in the past, God’s written Word was cut off from the general public. For the first time in human history, we are seeing the confluence – the fusion of apostasy and blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit (calling evil good, and good evil) not in ignorance, but in the face of knowledge, i.e., the only unpardonable sin. (Note: We’re seeing this same scenario take place outside the “Church” as the Gospel is now being preached throughout the world. Again, another very important end-time fulfillment.)

In reference to the apostasy, right now, the fruit that the Church at-large is manifesting is statistically identical to the world, ranging from divorce to pornography. This cannot – it must not stand. Can God’s judgment be far off? After reading God’s very clear and precise warnings, none of us can afford to be looking to our left or to our right, can we? We must start looking into our own spiritual mirror. Let’s look at this logically: Looking at the dreadful statistics of the Church at-large, it cannot always be the other person, can it?

2 Corinthians 13:5: “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you – unless indeed you fail the test?” (NASB)

The following quote is taken from the Preface of my book, The Portrait of a Christian: “If there was ever a time in the entirety of mankind’s history to take the above verse of Scripture seriously – it is today. In the above portion of Scripture, the Apostle Paul was not speaking to the unbeliever, but he was directly addressing his admonishment (warning) to those who identify themselves as Christians. This is very significant as Paul seemed to be very concerned about the very real possibility that everyone in Corinth who identified himself as a Christian may in fact not be a genuine born-again Christian at all.”

1 Thessalonians 5:3-6: “While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.” (NASB)

Prayer: My Lord, my Father, through the mirror of Your Word and the warnings of Your prophets, give me the eyes to see my true spiritual condition before it’s too late and terminal darkness – terminal blindness invades my heart. Oh Lord, I clearly see the labor pains of this world all around me, please open the eyes of my heart before destruction – Your judgment suddenly falls upon me and this world. Wipe the sleep from the eyes of my heart so that I may be alert and sober. For it is written, that today is the day of salvation. In fact, there may be no tomorrow for me, or Your age of grace may suddenly come to an end. Today is the day! Amen and Amen!

Website: www.SoppMinistries.org

Book: The Portrait of a Christian: Preface:

www.SoppMinistries.org/index36.htm

Book: The Portrait of a Christian:

www.SoppMinistries.org/index37.htm