salvation

The Walking Dead

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

Watching shows or movies about zombies takes me back to watching horror flicks with my father. Late Saturday nights, we would stay up and laugh at the creative ridiculousness of such things as giant spiders or rabbits that killed people.

Recently, while watching a zombie show, I realized that even though zombies do not exist in real life, in real life, we have people all around us that are the walking dead. You see, the truth is that those who have not accepted God’s love and his free gift of his son, Jesus, are dead in their sins.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, Eph. 2:1 (NIV)

It’s eerie how like zombies, the walking dead who live in sin seem to want to bite and infect the healthy. The “healthy” are those who are alive in Christ Jesus. Those who have had their sins forgiven by accepting Jesus as their savior.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. Eph. 2:4-5 (NIV)

As we get closer to the end of the world, the devil is working overtime to keep people from knowing the truth. One way is to get them wrapped up in the world’s issues so they focus on that instead of recognizing God’s love and relentless pursuit to bring them into the family of God. Another way is to keep their personal life in chaos.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Eph. 2: 8-9 (NIV)

No one can save themselves from eternal destruction in hell. No one can be “good” enough. You still come up short, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23) The ONLY way is to accept Jesus and to ask for forgiveness of your sins. Then, when you die, you will walk the streets of heaven alive.

Accept Jesus into your life before it is too late. Walk with and among the living. Life is better when you are truly alive.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady.

Simply Beautiful!

/ Mark Brady / 6 Comments

I was on a road trip a few years back. It was one of those journeys where you simply don’t have an agenda and don’t mind where you wind up. On this particular one, I came around a long sweeping bend in the road, and suddenly, one of the most beautiful churches, no cathedral I had ever seen, stood. I think I was in Pennsylvania.

The pinnacles scratched the underneath side of heaven as they soared high. The sides of the enormously large structure glistened in the sunlight. Then I noticed it was built straddling a river. As I turned into its parking lot, I realized that the front of this edifice was cantilevered over a large waterfall. The rising mist from the falls made the building look like something from a fairytale or Disneyland. As I started walking toward the grand entrance, I could see that the river underneath split into two veins and there was a small island of rock between. The place was beautiful.

The inside was just as lovely. As I entered through the tall, sturdy glass doors, I noticed the ceilings were so high you could hardly see the top. Gold and silver furnishings accented the royal red carpet. It seemed like a church service would be starting soon, so I entered a massive room with a large collection of seats. I found one down front and placed a book in it to hold it.

I thought I had better find a bathroom before things started. I went back into the grand foyer and turned right. Many hallways lead away from there, and they had many doors. Even though I was no longer in the entryway, the beauty and elegance didn’t stop. Winding wood staircases, still covered in the same carpet as where I entered, led to other floors. The place looked like a museum with eye-pleasing artwork on the polished wooden walls. But no bathroom.

I could hear music from the auditorium, but I just had to stop and look through the window that gave you a stunning, breathtaking, up-close view of the water, falling over the rock cliff. There, I realized the exterior was made of stainless steel to keep it from rusting with the constant moisture and mist that enveloped it. The view made my desire to find a restroom even greater. I thought there had to be one near the entrance, so I returned. As I did, I saw what I assumed was the senior pastor dressed in a royal robe greeting people. Then I turned to my left and saw a small hallway. It was down this path I found what I was looking for. The bathroom. I opened the door, and it, too, was beautiful. Marble walls lined the room, and it almost seemed too nice for the business I needed.

Then, I woke up. And yes, I had to go to the bathroom.

As I pondered the dream, the following scripture came to mind:

As he walked away from the Temple, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at that stonework! Those buildings!”

Jesus said, “You’re impressed by this grandiose architecture? There’s not a stone in the whole works that is not going to end up in a heap of rubble.” Mark 13:1-2 (MSG)

Jesus went on to teach the few disciples who asked, about the end times. About what will happen on earth before Jesus comes to gather his bride. Those who have accepted him into their heart, into their life.

May your life shine for God. May it reflect His glory, power, splendor, and majesty! May it draw others to him through you. May people want to stop and be in the presence of God that dwells about you. May they be in awe of God and enquire, “Where’s the entrance?” How do I enter into the kind of life you live?” And then, at that moment, you can share God’s love and how He gave us such an enormous, extravagant gift in his son, Jesus.

Don’t be misled by big, successful-looking anything on earth. But instead, seek the spirit of it all. “Is this, or they, of God?” should be the question one asks. Don’t let the grandeur cloud your discernment. The message of salvation, Jesus dying on the cross to forgive us of our sins, is so simple. Even children can understand it and accept it. I did. That message is so loving one could sum it up by saying, “Simply beautiful.”

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Just Try to Stop Me!

/ Mark Brady / 3 Comments
Photo by: Rodolfo Clix

I was in a college speech class. There were no women, so the language and topics could be crude, even from the professor. One week our assignment was a free subject talk. God asked me to share about Him, his son, Jesus, and explain salvation. I was scared but wanted to be obedient, so I wrote out my talk.

Two days before I was scheduled to give my talk, I developed a nasty sore in my throat. My great-grandmother rubbed Merthiolate on it with a long Q-Tip. It wasn’t going away, so I scheduled a doctor’s visit. Yep, my appointment was on the same day and time I was to give my talk. (Ummm, Satan?)

I took my notes with me the day before, and as it turned out, the guy seated in front of me was not prepared to give his talk. I suggested to the professor that I give my talk in his place as I would not be there the next day. He pondered, then agreed. So I got up and preached my first sermon. Silence until the professor said, “Well, Amen!”

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” 1 Cor. 3:6 (NIV)

Even though we may be fearful of the opinions of men, what they think of us, it is better to obey God and not think twice about our reputation. Planting seeds and watering those seeds is so important. Without those two steps, there could be no harvest. We cannot know the results of our actions as farmers for God until we get to heaven!

Oh! The following day I canceled my appointment as my nasty soar was gone, as well as any signs of it!

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Nine Lives?

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment
Photo by: Marko Blazevic

They say cats have nine lives, and in some weird cases, that may be true, but a man?

“I have fallen off two roofs, maybe three, I can’t remember. I was digging a hole for a tank, and I hit a transmission line. I was lying on the ground about forty-five feet away when I woke up. A witness said there were lots of sparks and I should have died. Then there was the time I was involved in a vehicle accident where my truck went off the road and landed in some trees thirty feet above the ground,” said a man I had recently met.

I was shocked and amazed, and my reaction showed it. Then he said there had been several other times he probably shouldn’t have survived. The phrase of having “nine lives” was spoken. I sensed the Holy Spirit, and I said. “Man! God really must love you because your life has been spared so many times!”

“I don’t know about that.” He said.

“Well, do you have a personal relationship with God?”

“No.”

I then explained how one could have a personal relationship with God by asking His Son, Jesus, into their heart. How doing so would forgive them of their sin and wrongdoing. He squirmed and acted like he didn’t want to hear this. Then I felt as though he thought if he accepted Jesus into his life, he would have to change his behavior. I explained to him that getting to know God is the best thing to do. Start loving Him back. I mentioned how a relationship with God was not about “rules” or “do’s and don’ts.”

 “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. John 3:16-18 (MSG)

I went on to explain that everyone will die once, not nine times. Then they will be standing before God giving an account of how they lived their life. I explained how if one has accepted Jesus, they will continue that loving relationship with God for eternity in heaven. Or they will be forever separated from God’s presence in hell if they have not. He said he was a good man, and I agreed that he was. But I then informed him that our good doesn’t forgive us of our wrongs. That is why we needed Jesus. How Jesus was a perfect sacrifice for sin when He died on the cross.

Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Christ’s death was also a one-time event, but it was a sacrifice that took care of sins forever. And so, when he next appears, the outcome for those eager to greet him is, precisely, salvation. Heb. 9:27-28 (MSG)

He then told me that he had to return to the project he was working on. My heart was broken knowing how much God loves us all. He simply wants us to receive His love and have a great relationship with him. Before we finished our conversation, I told him that he had heard the truth and there was no way he would ever be able to tell God, “No one told me!” Now you have been told as well.

Prayer: God, may everyone receive your love and your Son, Jesus, into their life. May they experience that love in all areas of their life. May they feel your love and go tell others so that no one will perish but have everlasting life with you.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Just Add Water

/ Mark Brady / 3 Comments

April and I visited a church that we had never been to before. It was one of those “mega” churches. The worship was great. I sensed God’s presence in the house, His house! The sermon was good as well. The pastor spoke about the attitude of giving. I had found two pennies earlier that morning and told April, “Here’s our offering today. Like the widow’s mite.” He spoke about the attitude of the widow when she gave her offering. April turned to me and smiled.

Just then he looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. He said, “The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all!” Luke 21:3-4 (MSG)

Then, at the end of the service, the worship team was again singing. A bright light came on to the right of the platform. There, standing in water, were several individuals huddled up. They broke the huddle, and one by one, they were baptized. Now I have seen many water baptisms in my lifetime, so when my eyes teared up, it surprised me.

It didn’t take me long to realize that the one who was being baptized was being led through the process by, most likely, the one who led them to God in the first place. That technique I had never witnessed before. As each person rose out of the water, the congregation applauded with enthusiasm. It was then I got a glimpse of heaven and angels standing, looking over the edge and applauding as well. More tears flowed. I later learned this church does this at the end of every Sunday service.

Pastor Robert Morris teaches that there are three baptisms.

  1. Baptism into salvation. The act of accepting Jesus as God’s Son and what He did on the cross to forgive us of our sins.
  2. Water baptism. The act of going public with your decision to accept Jesus into your life and symbolically the washing away of your sins.
  3. Baptism into the Holy Spirit. Receiving the Holy Spirit is getting the power to minister and the ability to be used by God supernaturally as He leads.

Water baptism is an important step in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. If you haven’t taken this step, I pray that you will consider getting it done soon. You won’t believe how clean you feel when you rise up out of the water. Find the one who introduced you to God, and then just add water.

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Catch The Boat

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But it has never rained before, just like Jesus has never returned for his church before. As in the days of Noah, it is difficult for people to believe when they hear the truth. It takes faith. Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)

Can you imagine the ridicule Noah had to endure every single day when people realized he was building a boat? And not a little fishing boat but a small cruise ship. Big enough for more than just his family, for all who believed.

Noah’s ark was a type of salvation. God provided a way to save humankind from destruction if they believed the message. God did not tolerate man living for themselves, so he allowed them to destroy themselves. The same goes for today. God has sent out his message to all that He gave his son, Jesus, to us to forgive us of our sins if we believe.

Last week, April and I had the privilege of seeing and entering the full-size replica of Noah’s ark. We went in two by two. It is located in Williamstown, Kentucky. The size of the boat was impressive. Inside, you get to see how Noah and his family lived and how they fed and watered the animals and removed their waste.

The exhibit did a great job answering the questions of man. How did Noah get all of the animals there? How could they all fit? Etc. Noah was a man of great faith! He did not care about what others thought of him. He knew it was better to be obedient to God and that God loves and honors obedience.

Even today, God still rewards obedience. If He is asking you to do something, you may not understand or know how to get it done, it is best to try anyway. Do what you can with his help. Ask Him constantly for guidance, direction, and wisdom in the matter. As Noah did, you will succeed in the task He asks of you.

Believe me, God will once again say, “Enough of mankind doing their own thing,” He will dispatch his son, Jesus, to come back to earth to gather his people. Then, the end will come. If you are still on earth when that time begins, you will regret not listening to God’s message through countless ministers, friends, and family members. You may think people who believe in God are crazy, but they aren’t. They accept the truth and act on what they believe.

“God, please help people believe in you and your Son. Help them accept the truth concerning salvation by accepting your Son into their life and believe the impending end times.”

Copyright © 2023 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

“I See Dead People”

/ Mark Brady / 2 Comments

Yes, the title of this blog post is a very famous line from the popular M. Night Shyamalan movie, “The Sixth Sense.” If you have seen the movie but didn’t see the twist coming at the end, like I didn’t, then you, too, were shocked to find out the truth.

I go through life doing my best to take care of it. In the process of doing so, I encounter a lot of people. They all have different stories they can tell. They come from different walks of life and make different decisions, yet I see them.

No matter how someone lives their life, there is only one decision to be made when they come to the end. Where will they spend eternity?

Everyone has to die once, then face the consequences. Heb. 9:27 (MSG)

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Rom. 3:23 (NKJV)

The answer to that question is straightforward. If one has accepted Jesus Christ, then his actions on the cross, dying for our sins, cover any and all sins; therefore, the recently deceased will live forever in heaven.

If the recently deceased have not accepted Jesus into their life and have asked for forgiveness, then they will die forever in hell as payment for their own sins.

With this being the case, as I am living life, conducting life, if I encounter a person who doesn’t know Jesus, then I, in fact, see dead people. This is why we who have seen the light and have the hope of the gospel need to look for any and all opportunities to share the truth of Jesus with them. They deserve to know there is a better way to live. They should have the chance to live life and to live it abundantly.

16-17 It’s news I’m most proud to proclaim, this extraordinary Message of God’s powerful plan to rescue everyone who trusts him, starting with Jews and then right on to everyone else! God’s way of putting people right shows up in the acts of faith, confirming what Scripture has said all along: “The person in right standing before God by trusting him really lives.”

Ignoring God Leads to a Downward Spiral

18-23 But God’s angry displeasure erupts as acts of human mistrust and wrongdoing and lying accumulate, as people try to put a shroud over truth. But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being. So nobody has a good excuse. What happened was this: People knew God perfectly well, but when they didn’t treat him like God, refusing to worship him, they trivialized themselves into silliness and confusion so that there was neither sense nor direction left in their lives. They pretended to know it all, but were illiterate regarding life. They traded the glory of God who holds the whole world in his hands for cheap figurines you can buy at any roadside stand. Rom. 1:16-23 (MSG)

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady. All rights reserved.

Look in the Mirror

/ Mark Brady / Leave a comment

What makes people decide to accept God?

  1. The airplane is about to crash!
  2. They’re afraid of hell.
  3. A life changing moment.
  4. They are so moved by the love of God.

For me, it was the second one.  I was only 7 and we attended a church that was pastored by a “hell fire and brimstone” preacher.  Meaning, he held nothing back when it came to sharing what sin, wrong doing in your life, truly cost. At that age, I was a convicted cookie thief!  I disobeyed my mother and then would lie about it.  I was afraid if I died without God’s forgiveness I would go to hell. As I got older I learned being saved from your sins was actually about having a relationship with a loving God through Jesus.

But for others what is it? What has to happen in their life to get them to realize how loving God is? Do they need to be face to face with death before they will finally make a decision? What if they don’t have a conscience mind when they are crossing the threshold between life and death? By not making a decision is making a decision.

58 Then they pounced on him and threw him outside the city walls to stone him. His accusers, one by one, placed their outer garments at the feet of a young man named Saul of Tarsus. 59 As they hurled stone after stone at him, Stephen prayed, “Our Lord Jesus, accept my spirit into your presence.” 60 He crumpled to his knees and shouted in a loud voice, “Our Lord, don’t hold this sin against them.” And then he died.
Acts 7:58-60 (TPT)

I am convinced this really messed with Saul.  So because the Holy Spirit had been drawing him to God, when he saw Jesus appear he was ready to believe. You see, God had been pursuing Saul.

3 So he obtained the authorization and left for Damascus. Just outside the city, a brilliant light flashing from heaven suddenly exploded all around him. 4 Falling to the ground, he heard a booming voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 5–7 The men accompanying Saul were stunned and speechless, for they heard a heavenly voice but could see no one. Saul replied, “Who are you, Lord?” “I am Jesus, the Victorious, the one you are persecuting Acts 9:3-7 (TPT)

Talk about a life changing moment! Wow.

God is pursuing you too! If you pay attention to moments in life you will see God. You bump into him more than you realize. It’s like the car mirror, “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear”. God is closer than you think.

“The only way people come to me is by the Father who sent me—he pulls on their hearts to embrace me. And those who are drawn to me, I will certainly raise them up in the last day.” John6:44 (TPT)

Copyright © 2022 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

In the Beginning

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“First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.

God spoke: “Light!”
    And light appeared.
God saw that light was good
    and separated light from dark.
God named the light Day,
    he named the dark Night.
It was evening, it was morning—
Day One.”

Genesis 1:1-5 (MSG)

In the End

Because of sin, God saw that the earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. It needed light!

God gave his only Son: “Light!”
    And light appeared.
God saw that Light was good
    and separated Light from dark.
God named the light, Jesus,
    he named the dark, satan.
It was evening, it was morning—
Day One of the end.

Light, Jesus dispels darkness.  Over takes it.  Walk into any room and flip on the switch and immediately darkness is gone.  This Christmas, accept the fact that hope remains and any darkness, trouble, depression. pain, or discomfort can be eased or dispelled by the power Jesus has over darkness, over satan, because He is the light of the world, here at Christmas time and forevermore.

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.

Not Automatic

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I stood there in the bathroom with soap on my hands.  Soap that was dispensed automatically.  In an automatic world there is now a dispenser that tells me how much soap is enough, and a towel dispenser only gives me enough to wipe a finger or two.  So why wouldn’t there be an auto faucet that turns on for me and decides what temperature is appropriate? I’ve seen them before.

I moved my hands up and down, back and forth, closer and further away trying to get the water to turn on.  All the while soap was dripping from my hands.  I tried everything.  Over and over again.  Then, I guess the man waiting behind me had enough.  He reached around me and turned the water on by raising the lever.

Having a relationship with God is not automatic either.  Going to church doesn’t determine your destination for eternity.  Have you ever noticed at most funerals the friends and family assumes their loved one is in heaven?  The Bible says this:

Enter through the narrow gate because the wide gate and broad path is the way that leads to destruction—nearly everyone chooses that crowded road! Mat. 7:13 (TPT)

So odds are, unless their friend, or loved one made a public confession of their faith in Jesus Christ and have asked for the forgiveness of their sins they aren’t in heaven.  Sorry, but that is truth from the word of God.  Not my words.

God wants to have a relationship with us.  He gave us his only son to die for us which paves the way.  God invites us and has done all but make the decision for us.  He leaves that to us and our freewill.  The relationship with God is not automatic.  Your sins aren’t washed away automatically without asking Jesus to cleanse you.  How you live after you are in the kingdom of God is between you and him.

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Phl. 2:12-13 (NKJV)

The above words are good words to live by, and to the man who helped me in the bathroom, “Thank you.”

Copyright © 2021 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.