 One salesman we heard of was a master of diplomacy. His boss was going to send him to Ottawa in the middle of January on some business. “I would rather you send someone else,” replied the salesman. “Why is that?” asked his boss. “It’s too cold this time of year,” the salesman answered. “Besides, there’s nobody in Ottawa but hockey players and ugly women.” His boss sat upright in his chair: “Hold it one minute,” he protested. “My wife is from Ottawa!” Without a moment’s hesitation the salesman shot back, “What position does she play, sir?”
Diplomacy is one of those jewels hidden in the Kingdom of God that each one of us can find if we seek for it. “Seek and ye shall find,” Jesus declared. “He that seeketh findeth” (Matthew 7:7-8). Wise people do not catch a falling star and put it in their pocket. They are diligent to strive for greatness. It takes hard work and discipline. If we desire excellence we will push ourselves to be a cut above. True wisdom never requires recognition, it just speaks for itself. It’s a gift. Making people great is what God does. He is committed to giving us what we need and, believe it or not, what we desire. Paul the apostle wrote, “But covet earnestly the best gifts…” (I Corinthians 12:31). He encourages God’s people to have a strong desire to be the best. The three D’s that help keep us on track are: be decisive, diligent, and dedicated to being the best. First, we have to decide what we want to do with our lives then we must be diligent and dedicated to pursuing our decision. Too many people have been stunted by indecisiveness. Deciding to leave the noise and traffic behind, a city family headed for the wide open plains. Intending to raise cattle, they bought a western ranch with a hundred acres. Some friends came to visit them a few months later and asked what they had named the ranch. The father spoke up and said, “Well, I wanted to call it the Flying W and my wife wanted to name it the Suzy Q, but one of our sons like the Bar J and our daughter preferred the Lazy Y. So we compromised and call it the Flying W/Suzy Q/Bar J/Lazy Y ranch. One of the friends spoke up and asked, “Well, where are your cattle?” “None of them survived the branding!” replied the father. Indecisiveness can be a killer. We must determine that we were made by God for a purpose then be diligent and dedicated to pursuing that purpose. History teaches us that great people followed God’s plan for their lives. They became putty in the hands of God for Him to form for His glory. It is obvious that when we fulfill God’s plan we are successful, people are blessed, and God gets the glory. When we give glory to God for our blessings He in turn gives us more favor and increase. I can say for a fact that it is a wise decision to honor God by giving Him the glory. The decision causes Him to direct our paths and to supply all of our needs. For more info you can visit us at www.JoyChristianMinistries.com  Water Baptism is like a wedding ring: they both symbolize a transaction. The wedding ring symbolizes marriage just as water baptism symbolizes salvation. Wearing a wedding ring does not make you married any more than being baptized makes you saved. To elaborate: if a person puts on a ring he may or may not be married, but if he does not wear a wedding ring we can almost assume that he is not married. And so it was in New Testament days. If a person was not baptized, it could probably be assumed that they were not a believer.
On this we must be clear: baptism is a symbol of salvation and only a symbol. But, like a wedding ring, it is such an effective symbol that it should never be taken for granted. Repentance and water baptism go together. Notice, repentance is always first. When the Apostle Peter was preaching Jesus to the people they asked him, “…what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” Look at this scripture in Acts 2:37-38. Repentance is first then followed by water baptism. This is a common occurrence in the New Testament. A minister was seeking to explain the significance of water baptism to a new convert. He was gesturing as he talked and noticed that as he was using his hand, its shadow fell on the ground. He said to the new convert, “Do you see the shadow of my hand on the sand? Now that is just a shadow. My hand is the real thing. And when you come to Jesus, believe in Him, and repent of your sins, that is the real baptism. You are now joined to Him and what happened to Him also happens to you. Jesus was alive then He died on a cross, was buried, and then He rose again. That is the picture of what has already happened in your spirit. Water Baptism is a symbol to teach us what happens to us when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” Also, it is an act of obedience. Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believes not shall be damned” (Mark 16:15-16). We see that believing is first then water baptism follows which puts these two dynamics together. When a person truly repents he has a heart-felt desire to obey the word of the Lord. He truly hungers to do everything that pleases God. This is an act of obedience which brings the Lord and His church together. They team up as a single unit. Yes, only Jesus can save us from our sins making this a true spiritual experience. But the Lord will baptize no one in water. He made this the function of the church and its ministry. It takes a man of God to perform the physical act of water baptism. And for this very reason Jesus created the church. He called people to preach the gospel, baptize in water, pray for the sick, exemplify the Word of God, and work the ministry. For more info you can visit us at www.JoyChristianMinistries.com  Back in September 2005, on the first day of school, Martha Cothren, a social studies teacher at Robinson High School in Little Rock, did something not to be forgotten. With permission from the school superintendent, the principal, and the building supervisor, she took all of the desks out of the classroom. The students walked into first period and there were no desks. Obviously, they looked around and said, “Miss Cothren, where are our desks?” She replied, “You can’t have a desk until you tell me how you earn them.” The students though out loud, “Well, is it our grades?” “No,” she said. “Is it our behavior?” And again she stated, “No, it has nothing to do with your behavior.” So they came and went in the first period with no desks in the classroom. Second and third periods came and same thing.
By early afternoon television news crews had gathered in Miss Cothren’s class room to find out about this crazy teacher who had taken all the desks out of her room. The last period of the day, Martha gathered her class together. They were at this time sitting on the floor around the sides of the room. She said, “Throughout the day no one has really understood how you earn the desks that ordinarily sit in this classroom. Now I’m going to tell you.” She went over to the door of her classroom and opened it and as she did 27 United States military veterans, wearing their uniforms, walked into the classroom, each one carrying a school desk. They placed the desks in rows then went and stood along the walls. And by the time they had finished placing those desks, the students, for the first time, understood how they earned their desks. Miss Cothren stated, “You don’t have to earn those desks; these veterans did it for you. They put them out there for you, but it’s up to you to sit here responsibly to learn, to be good students, and good citizens. Our veterans paid a great price for you to have your desk and don’t ever forget it!” Yes, our nation is the greatest nation on the planet all because our founding fathers were deeply committed to their faith in God and His Word. They were radicals for freedom. As soon as a community was founded a church was built. Also, whenever a community was established, its members developed practices and ways of life which reflected their belief in God. They would enforce moral laws for all to know and obey. Today, these principles are quickly eroding from life. And yes, our nation is reeling from the effects of it. Solomon, the wise king, wrote: “Righteousness exalts a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). His father, King David, also wrote, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12). These two kings were powerful leaders. Their kingdoms were successful and prosperous. The people were healthy and blessed. God hasn’t changed!! For more info you can visit us at www.JoyChristianMinistries.com |
Pastor J.C. Myers, III
Pastor J.C. founded Joy Christian Ministries in 1992. He was Sr. Pastor at Joy Christian Ministries in West Sacramento, California from 1992-2016. He was succeeded by his 2nd son, Pastor Brandon Myers who had been under his father's ministry and teaching for 39 years. Archives
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Joy Church is a Jesus loving, Spirit filled, non-denominational, Christian church in West Sacramento, California. We exist to 'Lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.' We are a church that honors the Holy Spirit, a church that wins souls, a church that makes no apologies and feels no guilt for believing the Bible, and a church that is a blessing to your family and to this nation.
Joy Church is a Jesus loving, Spirit filled, non-denominational, Christian church in West Sacramento, California. We exist to 'Lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.' We are a church that honors the Holy Spirit, a church that wins souls, a church that makes no apologies and feels no guilt for believing the Bible, and a church that is a blessing to your family and to this nation.
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825 Sunset Ave. West Sacramento, CA 95605
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