Victory!

Victory, A Place for Grace won our parking determination, Thank you so much for all of you that came out to support us. We look forward to serving our community!

Building Momentum Towards Our Grand Opening!

Our dinner event was a great success. Our gratitude goes out to the 18 souls who who served to make this possible. A special thank you goes to Miss Sherland for giving the inspirational, speaking that God is Love, and we should be compelled to Love one another.

The event drew 104 souls to the dinner and the spirit of the Lord was felt through the food eaten, gifts given, and our fellowship with each other. It was a time of Joy and fun. Our prayer; that lives were changed last night for the better for a brighter tomorrow.

This is dedicated to a facebook friend who asked why pastors always preach that we live in sin.

Perhaps because it is our common ground, it is a personal battle that we fight daily until we pass away and are released from flesh to go home to Jesus.

Let us take a closer look at mankind’s fallen state:

As many will know it all started with Adam when he decided to disobey God and ate from the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Through the seed of Adam, which is the flesh sin was passed to all of mankind. Apostle Paul, best clarifies this fallen state and the battle that is within us in Romans chapter 7, where our spirit and flesh are locked in a continuous battle.

Now Jesus was not born from the seed of Adam, but through the power of the Holy Spirit, born of spirit directly from the seed of God. He came as whiteness for man to reveal what God attended man to be without sin. Then through his sacrifice on the cross he bridged the gap created from sin so all can experience a real relationship with God. Through our relationship with God we are given the power to defeat sin in our personal life.

These two events caused two works in us, one of flesh and one of spirit. From birth to death we gain knowledge on what is good and evil. On the day of our salvation to our death we gain knowledge of the true nature of God and grow spiritually in our relationship with God. So those who are saved are born twice, one of flesh and one of spirit thanks to Jesus and his work on the cross.

The first and most pernicious lie is when Satan told Adam and Eve that you will not surely die if you eat of the fruit. But in reality they did die a spiritual death, when their sin separated man from God. Scripture calls Satan the father of lies, in which he continues to deceive man in many ways. Scripture also highlights the root of all sin. Lucifer was cast out of heaven for his sin of pride and his desire to be God. It goes on further to say his pride caused all kinds of matters of iniquity.

In contrast, the greatest prophet other than Jesus was Moses, and they both had one trait in common. Now this man Moses he was very humble, more so than anyone on earth. Numbers 12:3. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Mathew 11:29. As we see both are humble, the exact polar opposite of pride.

In answer to my friend’s question, pastors often speak of us as sinners because it is the first step to understanding our need for salvation and this is best accomplished with a large audience. If you are saved these sermons may sound redundant to you. If this is the case, then may I suggest small groups that most churches offer or engage yourself in bible study. Remember God works in seasons and our growth in Christ is a lifetime journey. Personally I love the sermons concerning our fallen state. They myriad of ways I have witnessed the gospel preached has both enlightened me, encouraged me, and has given me a better standing on what it is to be a child of God.

Clearly humility should be sought after, for even though God is God he is not your God until you humble yourself to him. I will leave you with passage in hopes you will start to train your mind by thinking of higher thoughts, wholesome thoughts.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

In text links have been provided for further study and as a reference to what is written here.

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James Wise a humble servant of Jesus Christ.

The Bible, God’s written word

There are times that I grow weary of the great intellects that put much effort and thought towards the goal to debunk the Holy Bible.  Having four years of higher education I was left knowing I have just scratched the surface of the pursuit of knowledge, humbled by the experience.  In contrast I see other college graduates prideful thinking themselves superior intellectually to those who have not gone through the academic process.

My end experience with college left me wanting more knowledge.  After countless papers being written from the different studies I was engaged in through my pursuit of higher learning, there has been only one book that I have found to be the most profound and it is the bible. 

I was saved on July 16, 1977, in which I entered into priesthood and devoted much time to the study of scripture; however I parted from that path after ten years to pursue a family life.  Four years ago my journey in life led me back to my first Love Jesus.  At which time I poured myself back into scripture but this time it was not an intellectual experience for me.  Suddenly all that I learned in scripture so many years ago was awakened in me as if I had just learned it yesterday. As I read the bible once again I found that what I had read and first learned so many years before, came into a new light, shaking me to the core and fundamentally changed me.  My desires started to change; my personal beliefs were radically re-aliened towards truth. 

 Friends, no other book has given me new life as I pour my life into the study of it.  People have asked, “How can I be so sure the bible is true?”  It is a simple answer; because I bear witness to myself.  I sin less then I once did. 

Once I was controlled by alcoholism for twenty five years in fact.  As my drinking grew in intensity I began to cause great harm and carnage to every life that was in my circle. Some in that circle are still affected by the harm I caused.  December 13, I will be rejoicing and praising Jesus for my 8^th year anniversary from alcoholism.

I cannot give credit to myself, because I am now living a life I always wanted but could never do on my own.  Through the help of others Jesus put in my life, through grace the Holy Spirit has imparted to me, and God’s work in bringing the bible to life for me, I stand as a new person, adopted into God’s family.

With all this said I challenge you to pour yourself into the Bible, read the words with your heart and ask the Holy Spirit for understanding, seek understanding with others.  You will find new life, because the words have the power to transform you unlike any other book.  I will leave you with two passages to ponder.

                           
Every scripture inspired of God `is' also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16

For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4;12

No amount of intellectual sophistry can convince me that the bible is a lie or that it did not originate from the inspiration of God.  I am a living witness to the otherwise.  For scripture has taught me to walk in greater righteousness.  His word is active and alive which has empowered me to have victory over alcoholism and many other character defects I once walked in. 

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James Wise a captive of Jesus Christ who has seduced, inspired, and motivated me by his great Love.