PASTOR JOHN COLLINS, REDEEMING THE GOSPEL: BELIEVING VS. BELIEVE IN

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: Believe

There is a difference in believing and believing in.  Many people believe that God is there, is real, that Jesus is the Messiah, that He was crucified on a cross and died for our sins.  It is one thing to believe, it is another to believe in.  To believe in something is to give everything you have to that purpose, that idea, that concept, that cause. To believe in something is to pursue it with determination, tenacity, a single-mindedness that will not sway you no matter what.  Paul the apostle says it is running a race, and Pastor John Collins, evangelist and head pastor of Love That Cross Ministries and Pastor John Collins Ministries, Inc., preaches it means to run the race of a lifetime, full out, all in. 

There are a lot of people who say that they are Christians and give only lip service to belief.  They go into a church on Sunday for appearances or to socialize, maybe it is a tradition or a habit, but they are not going there to learn how to give their whole life to believing in Jesus Christ and God. “Just because you go into church on Sunday doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going into a garage makes you a car” says Pastor John Collins.  This is a humorous analogy, but it is truthful.  

People go to church and are pew warmers, putting in the appearance, but for whom?  God sees what your heart truly is, whether you believe in His Son and the salvation that is offered by the sacrifice that was given over 2000 years ago.  To believe in something is to do it with everything you have. 

To believe in something is to take it fully, with your whole heart.  That is what God wants, that is what God expects.  He knows that it is going to take more than saying you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, it takes more than saying you are sorry for the sins that you have committed in your life, it takes more than saying the words.  It means having to learn, and if you truly with effort and dedication and devotion accept that you have to accept Jesus as Savior and wholeheartedly admit you are a sinner and repent, meaning a willingness to change your ways, God and Jesus will take that tiny little kernel of faith and grow it into a beautiful rose bush, full of blossoms.  The thing is, so many churches get tied up in the rituals and the rules that the “believe with all your heart, soul, mind, strength” part is lost in the routine of another Sunday.

“Why do you believe in God and Jesus Christ? Is it what you were taught as a child, what your spouse believes, what your heart tells you is true or is it self-preservation and hedging your bets? There are many reasons why people claim that Jesus is their Savior and not all of them are because they genuinely believe this to be true and unfortunately many that do believe are not being responsible in their own faith because they are not living lives that are truly committed to God.” ~ Pastor John Collins, May 2018.

It is time for revival of hope and faith in the United States says Pastor John Collins.  People who say they are Christians need to give more than lip service to their faith, and people who don’t know Jesus and God need to be taught about Them.  Pastor John Collins has been across the country for three years spreading a revival of hope and faith.  Pastor John Collins posts daily thoughts on his Facebook page to stir our hearts and souls.  So many pastors, preachers, ministers and priests are silver coating the Gospel so that the message of redemption from sin has become lopsided; not recognizing that to be redeemed, one must believe in God and Jesus, not just simply say “I believe” says Pastor John Collins. John 3:16 says that “whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life”.  To believe in Jesus does not mean to say “yes, I believe” and keep on lusting, lying, gossiping, slandering, envying, holding bitterness, resentment, hating….all those actions that God clearly says He does not tolerate.  It means to believe in what Jesus taught from God, to love each other, to care, to have compassion for the weak, the sick, the lonely, and to take to heart that it means no matter what that person looks like, acts like, smells like, who that person works for or doesn’t work.  Every single one of us should have the same chance at the choice of salvation and taking that salvation to heart, believing in that salvation, that sacrifice, and the free gift of forgiveness.  The sad truth is, there are generations that have absolutely no clue what it means:  people go to church because it’s what you do, then go home and do the same sin, the same life, the same routine without keeping Jesus right there beside you each and every step of the way.  Either that, or those pastors, ministers and priests and a judgmental congregation have made it too hard for someone who is truly seeking God to have their questions answered.  Pastor John Collins preaches it is time for a change, and that time is now. 

Pastor John Collins writes:

“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” James 3:13-16 (NKJV).

Why do you believe in God and Jesus Christ? Is it what you were taught as a child, what your spouse believes, what your heart tells you is true or is it self-preservation and hedging your bets? There are many reasons why people claim that Jesus is their Savior and not all of them are because they genuinely believe this to be true and unfortunately many that do believe are not being responsible in their own faith because they are not living lives that are truly committed to God.

It is easy to allow self-seeking in this life keep you from truly giving your life to God. It is very easy to seek God out of self-interest as well. Many people pray to God because they want something from God in this life such as wealth, health, love and success. Many people choose to go to church for all of the wrong reasons. Don’t be a Christian out of habit and don’t bother going through the motions if your heart is not truly in it because God knows the difference.

You should never want a relationship with Christ in order to gain something in this life. The promises and rewards that do come from faith in God are eternal and priceless but if you are self-serving and self-seeking in this life then you can be sure that you will be given your reward here on earth and will not be given anything further.

You should want a relationship with Christ for all of the right reasons. You should place the salvation of your soul at the top of your priority list and do all that you need to in order to make sure that you get right with God and stay there. You must be conscious of your faith day by day and behave accordingly. You must be careful to know the why behind everything that you do, including why you seek God.

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” James 3:17-18 (NKJV).

LOVE THAT CROSS, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS

Commit yourself to God and Jesus, you cannot sit on the fence and hedge your bets on your faith.  There is no other living God, and no other person died and came back to life.  There is no other way to secure eternal life in the presence of God, instead of in Hell.  You can’t simply believe as if Jesus Christ and God are Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, you need to believe in, full on, all out.

BELIEVE THAT!

Pastor John Collins is featured Sunday mornings in a broadcast on Heaven’s Country Radio with Marty Smith.  You can hear Pastor John Collins’ sermon at 10:00 a.m. mountain time at www.heavenscountry.com.  Other sermons, recordings, blogs, YouTube, and media by Pastor John Collins can be viewed by clicking on link found within this blog post.  If you wish to reach out to Pastor John Collins, you can do so by email at jc65777@yahoo.com.

Pastor John Collins is in it to win it, for God!