Pastordonsharp's Blog

Thanks Keith

pastordonsharp — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:19:17 +0000

Thanks brother. It is working.

Me, You and Jesus

pastordonsharp — Sun, 22 May 2011 04:22:56 +0000

Radical a : very different from the usual or traditional : extreme b : favoring extreme changes in existing views, habits, conditions, or institutions c : associated with political views, practices, and policies of extreme change

Liberal: favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs.

Progessive: favoring or advocating progress, change, improvement, or reform, as opposed to wishing to maintain things as they are, especially in political matters: a progressive mayor.

As a young man, I took pride in the fact that I could be described by all three of these definitions. Something very interesting happened when I was saved by Jesus Christ. I found myself stuck between two worlds; liberal and conservative. I used to say that I endorsed liberal ideas except where they supported biblical sin: homosexuality for instance. However, as the years passed, I began to truly fear the direction our nation was heading. Thirty years ago I thought that liberals were interested in helping the less fortunate and those who could not help themselves. I felt that these were biblical principles, and that liberals had good intentions. I have to question this belief now. My fear is that the liberal agenda is, and has been, to replace God with socialism. I believe that the church has allowed this to a great extent. It has let others do the work it should have been doing. As a result, our nation is looking for humans to solve its problems, and is turning less and less to God. Ultimately, that is a disaster for humanity. While people focus on food, drink, housing and daily needs, they often overlook their ultimate need: salvation.

Today, I find that the above definitions fit me still. Only now, it is to change the focus back to Jesus Christ. The church needs to proclaim salvation through no other name, and dedicate itself to the social reforms that truly promote godly love. It needs to reject any agenda, liberal or conservative that is not firmly rooted in scripture.

Action and discussion need to be brought to the forefront of the church. The church needs to become radical in its conviction to sharing Christ with a dying world. We need to become the force behind reform and change, but only as Christ would be glorified. Where can we begin? It begins with me, you and Jesus, and with you, your friends and Jesus. It starts with us. Love – Pastor Don

COGJapan Elections

pastordonsharp — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 04:47:20 +0000

Every year, at the end of March, the COGJapan has an annual meeting, planning the direction for the church and electing officers. Pastor Yasuhide Kohatsu has served the maximum term, and a there will be a new president elected this year.

Pastor Tomizou Takahashi is the pastor at Sakata, in NW Japan. He was one of the first converts from Brother Shelhorn’s work in the 1950’s, and has a very active ministry

Pastor Masahiro Seki’s church is at Kasugai, a suburb of Nagoya, the largest city in the central part of Honshu island. He has a wonderful group. Wakako Takashi and her son Fukuda have been to Baden. She came for Brother Shelhorn’s memorial and Fukuda stayed for a week, hanging out with Josh and the boys.

Pastor Sadao Watanabe lives in Matsusaka, which is a major city near Ise Jingu, the national Shinto Shrine. He has a good sized congregation and also meets with area churches that work hard exposing Christian cults that are in the area. There is a high school and a college close to the church. His daughter Manaka attends there.

Lord, Forgive Me

pastordonsharp — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 04:38:26 +0000

Lord, Forgive Me

Lord, forgive me. How long do you think it takes to say those three words? Surely, not very long. No more that a second, maybe. That’s how long it takes to be saved from an eternity of punishment for your sins. I won’t win any popularity contest by asking the question, but due to the events of the last week or so, I must ask it anyway. Has the Lord forgiven you? I He you God and Savior? It only takes one second, but you don’t have a second to waste. You don’t know what God knows. Our lives are not promised any longer that right now.

Ecclesiastes 9:12 (NIV)
¹²Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come: As fish are caught in a cruel net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly upon them.

Romans 10:9 (NIV)
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

If it only take a second to ask for forgiveness, how is it the men fall unexpectedly? The answer is, ”because men do not believe” The forgiveness we seek, must come from the heart, and be firmly held on to, or it is of no use and our cry for mercy is in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:2 (NIV)
By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

Why is this important? Jesus is going to return some day, and only believers will be saved. I am not saying that a person that is not saved is bad. I am saying that they are lost, and unless they call upon Jesus to forgive and save them, they will be lost when they die, or He returns. The only thing that will save a person is their faith in Jesus Christ; nothing else. Look at Ecclesiastes 9:12 again. This is what verse 11 says: The race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong, nor does food come to the wise or wealth to the brilliant or favor to the learned; but time and chance happen to them all.

We place so much trust in these things. We believe that we can tell if God loves us or not, but what we have or how strong we are. Verse 11 begs to differ.

Mark 4:14(NIV)
¹⁴The farmer sows the word. ¹⁵Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.

My heart is broken for the Japanese people, and for everyone who is lost. There is no time to waste. All is not well on earth. Simply talking about the “times” is not enough. We need to act upon what we know.

Matthew 24:4-8 (NIV)
⁴Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. ⁶You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸All these are the beginning of birth pains.

If you don’t believe this, there is nothing I can say that will convince you. I am praying that all of us turn to Christ. He is not ours alone. He came to save the world, not my world. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Him. If you are not saved, or if your faith he grown weak, please pray about what I have written. Each passing second finds people who have waited too long, or who don’t believe or love the truth.

2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 (NIV)
They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. ¹¹For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie ¹²and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

Lord, Forgive Us

Jesus Is Coming Again, But First…

pastordonsharp — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 16:31:39 +0000

Birds falling from the sky have brought new discussions about the end of the world. Thousands have died around the world and have caused the creation of the new word: Aflockaylipse. Scientists are trying to explain this phenomenon and people are quoting scripture concerning birds and other animals.
Ezekiel 38:20—The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground, and all the people on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned, the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground. Hosea 4—Hear the word of the LORD, you Israelites, because the LORD has a charge to bring against you who live in the land: “There is no faithfulness, no love, no acknowledgment of God in the land. There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Because of this the land dries up, and all who live in it waste away; the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky and the fish in the sea are swept away …”
Zephaniah 1:3—”I will sweep away both men and animals; I will sweep away the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The wicked will have only heaps of rubble when I cut off man from the face of the earth,” declares the LORD.
Scary stuff, but is this the sign of Jesus’ return? I admit that I have never heard of such a thing, but according to Jesus himself, we have a sign that will leave no doubt for Christians.
Matthew 24:15 (NIV)
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel–let the reader understand–
What did Daniel say?
Daniel 9:27 (NIV)
He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him”.
Daniel 11:31 (NIV)
“His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.
Daniel 12:11 (NIV)
“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290
days.

Jesus taught that the anti-Christ would put an end to sacrifices in the temple, and he would desecrate the temple, after which there would be 1290 until the end, and the second coming. If you read Revelation, chapter six, you will find that the abomination happens 3 1/2 years after the tribulation begins. So, we have to wait a while longer before Jesus comes again to establish His kingdom on earth. Until the temple is built in Jerusalem, Jesus will not return. However, much can happen until then, and it is imperative that we call upon the Lord and be saved today.

Shooting in Baden

pastordonsharp — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 02:04:37 +0000

Nine teenagers were shot across from the church on Christmas. A girl was killed and a boy is most likely paralyzed. Their ages ranged from 14 to 17 years old. Pray for the families of these kids, and the ones that shot them. It is easy to get angry or grow hard hearted, but Jesus loves each of them. We have 3 kids in a youth group that we just started. We need to prepare our children for their future. Pray for them; Anyea, Halley and Sebastian. Love – Pastor Don

Keith Green – Until That Final Day – August 30, 2010

pastordonsharp — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 14:39:34 +0000

It has been the desire of my heart to please Jesus, for the last 29 years. There have been so many failures inside this one victory. My flesh has fought me every step of the way, often leaving me dazed and confused. But, this one thing remains, God’s promise of victory. Thank you Jesus. Lord, I pray that you set me free from unseen chains that hold me in bondage to my sinful flesh Help me to realize that the victory has been completely won, and that You have made me more the a conqueror. I am a pleasing child.

Until that final day, Don

My flesh is tired of seeking God, but on my knees I’ll stay.

I want to be a pleasing child, until that final day.

My mind is full of many thoughts that clutter and confuse.

But standing firm, I will prevail, in faith that I’ll be used.

Amen, I’m asking once again.

Won’t you help me my friend, Lord Jesus.

Holy, Lord Spirit, set us free,

From chains we cannot see,

Come release us.

I wrestle not with flesh and blood, my fight is with the one,

Who lost the keys of hell and death, to God’s most precious son.

One sleepless night of anguished prayer, I triumphed over sin.

One battle in the Holy war, God’s promised me to win.

Amen, I’m asking once again.

Won’t you help me my friend, Lord Jesus.

Holy, Lord Spirit, set us free,

From chains we cannot see,

Come release us.

My flesh is tired of seeking God, but on my knees I’ll stay.

I want to be a pleasing child, until that final day.

Keith Green – Easter Song – August 27, 2010

pastordonsharp — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 14:25:04 +0000

Easter Song

I would like for you to watch the video today.

Love, Don

Here the bells ringing,

They’re singing that you can be born again,

Here the bells ringing,

They’re singing Christ is risen from the dead.

The angel up on the tombstone,

Said He has risen, just as He said,

Quickly now, go tell his disciples,

That Jesus Christ is no longer dead.

Joy to the word, He has risen, hallelujah,

He’s risen, hallelujah,

He’s risen, hallelujah.

Hear the bells ringing,

They’re singing that you can be healed right now,

Hear the bells ringing, they’re singing,

Christ, He will reveal it now,

The angels, they all surround us,

And they are ministering Jesus’ power,

Quickly now, reach out and receive it,

For this could be your glorious hour.

Joy to the world, He has risen, hallelujah,

He’s risen, hallelujah,

He’s risen, hallelujah, hallelujah…..

The angel up on the tombstone,

Said He has risen, just as He said,

Quickly now, go tell his disciples,

That Jesus Christ is no longer dead.

Joy to the world, He has risen, hallelujah,

He’s risen, hallelujah,

He’s risen, hallelujah, hallelujah…..

Keith Green – The Promise Song – August 26, 2010

pastordonsharp — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 15:26:17 +0000

What great and precious promises we have from our Lord. Our names will be written in the book of life. We will be kings and priest who’s feet will be kept on the path of light. Simply put, we need only Jesus. To obey, keep and seek His will. Do you love your enemies, and if fact all men. Do you have a line that you simply will not cross? Jesus asks no more of us than He has already done for us. I have an idea. Can we start with just or brothers and sisters in the Lord? After all, the world will know that Jesus sent us, by our love for one another.

Love, Don

Oh if you keep My word, I’ll make you as a tree,

Planted by the streams of life, if you’ll submit to me.

And if you love the hateful ones, who mistreat you constantly,

The book of life shall bear your name, if you love your enemies.

Yes, Lord Jesus. Yes, Lord Jesus.

And if you do my will, I’ll make you living stones,

To build up in My Father’s house, if you serve Me alone.

And if you love all men, especially the least,

I’ll raise you up, the lowest ones, and make you kings and priests.

Yes, Lord Jesus. Yes, Lord Jesus.

And if you’ll seek my face, and set your life apart,

I’ll let myself be found by you, when you search with all your heart.

And if you never turn aside, to the left or to the right,

I’ll be a lamp unto your feet, and keep you on the path of light.

Yes, Lord Jesus. Yes, Lord Jesus.

Keith Green – To Obey Is Better Than Sacrifice – August 25, 2010

pastordonsharp — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:52:51 +0000

The beauty of this song is the truth that there is no need for sacrifice, and we now have the ability to obey. God has made a new covenant with us. He did what we couldn’t and then made it possible for us to live in obedience. We need to love Jesus for who He is and want He has done. He doesn’t need us, but He does want us. Lord, I want to be Yours every day. I want to be satisfied with what You give me. I don’t want my flesh to be fed. My spirit longs for Your presence, Thank You.

Love, Don

To obey is better than sacrifice,

I don’t need your money, I want your life.

And I hear you say that I’m coming back soon,

But you act like I’ll never return.

Well you speak of grace and my love so sweet,

How you thrive on milk, but reject my meat,

And I can’t help weeping of how it will be,

If you keep on ignoring my words.

Well you pray to prosper and succeed,

But your flesh is something I just can’t feed.

To obey is better than sacrifice.

I want more than Sunday and Wednesday nights,

Cause if you can’t come to me every day,

Then don’t bother coming at all.

Lah, lah,lah….

To obey is better than sacrifice.

I want hearts of fire, not your prayers of ice.

And I’m coming quickly, to give back to you,

According to what you have done,

According to what you have done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzWyZxlwGKI&feature=PlayList&p=81316B92F34DCDCB&playnext=1&index=1