MINGLED VOICES
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HAVE YOU CHOSEN WHERE YOU WILL SPEND ETERNITY?
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I am but a Single Voice Amongst A Body Of Many,
Telling the Whole World About JESUS CHRIST,
One Click of the Mouse at a Time.
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MINGLED VOICES
by
Rev. S.R. Elwood
© 1999
Tears of sorrow flowing freely
as the sentence, loud is read
Tis for naught your life you squandered
marked by your name; Eternal dead
Flames of torment around you scorching
waves of pain that will not cease
And in sight, just over yonder
Heavens Land, Eternal Peace
"I've no time!" you said in living
to the Christians who did speak
To you then of sins condition
Eternal Dead, in pain you shriek
Mingled voices loudly jumbled
screaming, screaming, please no more
And to think right now they could have
been in Peace on Heaves Shore.
THE POWER OF THE CROSS
by
Rev. S.R. Elwood D.D.
© 2003
Eternal life is sought by all
But some shall it not find,
Because they do not heed the call
When the call does come, don't mind.
They seek to search both near and far
For something they know they need,
They would travel to the furthest star
Yet the Spirit's gentle call don't heed.
It seems to simple for their mind
That all they need to do is ask,
They seek forever but do not find
And in Christ's presence they'll never bask.
If this message you do read
Let it sink into your heart,
Listen and his sweet voice heed
He'll give to you a brand new start.
Let not the logic of the mind
Draw your sinful mind away,
Christ Jesus is there for you to find
He will give new life today.
Bow before His rugged cross
Accept His Holy Blood,
He will keep you from eternal loss
If you kneel within the holy Flood.
Let the flow now wash you clean
Let Him in today,
Let Him make sweet from mean
As He washes all your sins away.
SOMEWHERE
by
Rev. S.R. Elwood D.D.
© 2002
Shadows beckon to the dawn
Approaching from the east
As morning creatures greet the dawn
To begin a new days feast.
Fed by God who laid the plans
For this earth so long ago
All nature works so perfectly
With God's Grace it all does flow.
Within this plan all creatures work
As designed for them to be
The only flaw within this plan
Is mankind, yes, you and me.
Nature works as it was planned
But we are flawed and frayed
Because man sinned the plans were changed
In the garden we should have stayed.
But sin stole man away from God
And sin brought to us death
Then God became a man and died
To refill us with His Breath.
His Holy Blood flowed from the tree
And still, through time and space
And bought us back by rugged cross
As God hung there in our place.
Somewhere is the time to pray
Somewhere is the place today
Somewhere is place to stay
Safe within His Hand.
I STAND AMAZED
by
Rev. S.R. Elwood
© 1999
I stand amazed beneath the form
of Calvary's Rugged Tree
Where Jesus Christ The Son of God
did Give His Life for me
Where all our sins were nailed up
Cleansed Within The Blood
As Saving Grace Flowed From my Lord
Eternal Saving Flood
Suspended high above the earth
betwixt the stars and man
The Holy Spotless Lamb Of God
Completed His Great Plan
That once for all by His Great Gift
mankind could finally be
Redeemed and Bought no more to roam
that we could all be free
That we could freely seek His Face
and in His Presence stand
As washed within His Holy Blood
we head for Heavens Land.
WHEN WE STRAY
by
Rev. S.R. Elwood
© 2001
Grazing on the grass so plenty
But one, within the shepherd's flock
Being cared for oh so gentle
The wolves at bay the Lord does block.
But greener pastures beckon to me
Fragrant clover do I smell
And soon the sheepfold I am leaving
Temptations sent from deepest hell.
Unconcerned I travel forward
Seeking pastures oh so sweet
Then the fragrance turns to sulfur
As then the hounds of hell I meet.
Trying hard to find some shelter
The safety of the sheepfold gone
The hounds of hell at heels are nipping
I'm terrified and all alone.
Then the hungry wolves are crouching
Ready for my life to take
I realize and cry for mercy
Knowing full now my mistake.
A Cry of panic in the wolf pack
With yelps of pain they try to flee
I'm trembling, shaking, His Mercy Showing
As The Shepherd rescues me.
Draped across His neck and shoulders
Held in place by nail pierced hand
Homeward bound toward true green pastures
Heading for sweet Canaan 's land.
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ONLY JESUS
by
Rev. S.R. Elwood D.D.
© 2002
Who cared for me when I was lost
Who gave Himself to pay the cost
Who shed His Blood on yonder cross?
Only Jesus He's the one.
Who took the stain of sin away
Who stays beside us night and day
Who will find us if we stray?
Only Jesus He's the one.
He's the one who bore the Cross for me
He's the one who died to set me free
He's the owner of eternity
Yes it's Jesus He's the one.
He's the one who cares as we have pain
He's the one who takes our load and strain
He's the only one who gives us gain
Yes tis Christ the Son of God.
Upon the Cross so long ago
Where He shed His Blood in Holy Flow
That sweeps us clean yes white as snow
Precious Jesus He's the one.
He's the one for me, the only one
He's God's Precious only Begotten Son
He's my strength my joy and all my fun
Yes tis Jesus Christ my King.
Tis the Holy Child from Bethlehem
Tis the bridge from death on which I stand
Tis the Will of God, Salvation's Plan
Yes tis Jesus He's The One.
SWEET PEACE
by
Rev. S.R. Elwood D.D.
© 2001
Weeping endures but for a moment
Pain endures but for a day,
Glory exists in all my tomorrow's
In Christ's presence forever I'll stay.
Heartache lasts but for a second
Sorrow's a vapor in time,
But Joy is Eternal, Forever Unending
At Rest, in Heaven Sublime.
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WHEN THE SUNSHINE HIDES
by
Rev. S.R. Elwood D.D.
© 2003
When the sun does hide its face from us
And darkness rules our world,
When it seems theres no tomorrow
And into despair our lives are hurled.
When we can't see the day before us
And all things are out of sight,
When it seems we are trapped forever
In the grip of endless night.
Turn your eyes to Calvary's Hill
Where the Lamb of God was slain,
Kneel before the Rugged Cross
Where The King did take our pain.
Let His Holy Blood flow o'er you
As before His Cross you pray,
Be immersed within the Holy Flow
Each and every day.
For it's only there on Calvary
That the price for sin was paid,
And it's only in the now empty tomb
Where our Risen King was laid.
So kneel before the Master
If your sunshine hides away,
Kneel before the Son of God
Jesus Christ, Eternal Day.
Let His Holy Light Shine Upon You
Let His Holy Blood Flow Within,
Lay your all before His Cross each day
And be free from all your sin.
For tis sin that causes darkness
Yes tis sin that chases 'way,
The light within our shells of clay;
Choose right now Eternal Day.
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WHEN DEATH STANDS AT THE DOOR
by
Rev. S.R. Elwood D.D.
© 2003
When sorrows roll upon us
And pain does have its way,
When life it seems has ended
And we can't face another day.
When troubles raid our peaceful lives
And clear skies we see no more,
Are you anchored to the Cross of Christ
Or bound for the rocky shore?
Tis Christ who gives us mercy
Tis our King who eases pain,
Tis our Lord who bears our burden
If we will trust He'll give us gain.
For our future's not in this shell of clay
But in bodies from Heaven, New,
The tears upon our cheeks right now
Will turn to heavenly dew.
So lean upon The Master
Take hold the Rugged Cross,
Plunge in the flow of Holy Blood
And all your sins before Him toss.
For your sins and sorrows transfer
To the Man from Galilee,
That died upon that Rugged Cross
Then Arose to Set You Free.
Our pain is but a shadow
Our tears just falling rain,
But Salvation is Eternal
Choose Christ, no loss just gain.
Your fear's a thing to conquer
Your pride will make you fall,
But Christ will hold you safely
Through Forever if you call.
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RAIN DROPS TO SUNSHINE
by
Rev. S.R. Elwood D.D.
© 2003
Turn raindrops to sunshine
Gray sky to blue,
Sorrow to gladness
Teardrops to dew.
Turn fear into bravery
Despair into joy,
Weeping to laughter
With God's Baby Boy.
Turn darkness to daylight
Lost into found,
By kneeling at Calvary
On Salvation's sweet ground.
Turn sins stain into cleanness
Be Immersed in the flood,
That flows from Mount Calvary
Tis Christ's Holy Blood.
Turn forever to praising
By accepting The Lamb,
That died on the Cross
The Son Of I AM.
The babe from the stable
Born so long ago,
Tis God become man
His creation to know.
So that in the knowing
Salvation to bring,
To all who accept Him
Forever they'll sing.
We'll sing of His Mercy
With sadness no more,
We'll Be Singing Forever
On Heavens gold shore.
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ACROSS THE EDGE OF ETERNITY
A Sermon
by
Rev. S.R. Elwood D.D.
© 9/21/05
Each day we each stand on the threshold of eternity, one foot in life and the other dangling over the precipice of death. We seem not to notice but for a glimpse now and then as something happens to make us realize just how fragile we are, then within a few ticks of time we are back inside our shell of delusion hanging once again within a heartbeat of demise.
The further into this life we walk we slowly begin to realize that we are not as infinite as we first thought and we begin to slow down and start to take measures to safeguard our existence. Some never learn this and are usually the envy of many as they become known as daredevils, risk takers and even become famous. Others suddenly and quite unexpectedly find themselves standing face to face with eternity and some of these find that they were fatally foolish in their thinking and in their preparation for what comes after death.
Some take steps to ensure their eternal existence and prepare themselves for the after-life in many ways using many different beliefs and techniques. There are so many religions on this planet, some of which I have never heard the name of because people without a proper guide will follow anyone that claims to know the way.
All of the religions I have heard of teach that you have to do something to prove yourself worthy of eternal life, something to please the god of their belief; all that is except one. This one exception teaches all you have to do is to accept eternal life as a gift and to believe in the God which offers this gift of Life and of all the religions on this planet, this is the only leader which has gone through this life, died and has returned to guide those that will choose to follow Him.
Human beings in general are very strange creatures and one point of this diagnosis is that the Only religion which does not Force its followers to do great deeds and to prove themselves worthy is the one which is rejected by most of the people in the world as wrong. This is because in general humans have a need to do something so they can be better than others around them. In general the human species desires to be greater than each other, to have more than each other and to dominate each other and this religion I speak of teaches that if you desire to be a leader you must become the servant and this goes against the grain of the human ego-system.
There is only one person which has ever died, been dead for three days and without a crowd of spectators come back to life. Many of you that hear and/or read this and have studied the bible will right away say, Well what about Lazarus? What about him? He had a crowd of spectators because his death was for one purpose. He was the one which was to be an example for the One which raised him from the dead so that when He left His tomb people would know by faith just what had happened.
In the bible where it says Jesus wept over the death of Lazarus, know this. He was not weeping because Lazarus died, He was weeping at the lack of faith of His creation but especially for the lack of faith of those which followed Him. They had been with Him for a year or two at that point and even after being present for miracle after miracle they were still living in unbelief and this grieved Jesus to tears.
By the way, just in case you haven't guessed yet just whom I was speaking earlier when I was talking about the only religion that had a leader which had died and then returned to guide it followers, I was speaking of being a Christian and of Jesus the Christ the Only Begotten Son of the Living God.
No one is going to get out of this life alive except those which are still living when Jesus returns and calls away the believers. You don't believe this? It doesn't matter if you don't believe it from the standpoint of it taking place because your disbelief will not prevent it from happening. Your disbelief will keep you out of Eternal Paradise though and if you happen to be one of those living when Jesus does return it will keep you from being one of those that are taken up into Glory with Him.
This will upset a lot of people hearing that their disbelief or unbelief will not make a difference whether the Bible is true or not because there are some which actually believe if they don't believe strongly enough, that if what is written in the Bible does happen, their unbelief in God or in His Christ will prevent anything in the Word of God from affecting them. Weird isn't it; this is just one of the other religions I spoke of earlier that I have heard of.
Just think what would happen if there were as many people that believed as strongly For Christ Jesus and in Him as there are that take their stand against Him? This world would be changed for Christ more in one week than in the last two or three hundred years.
There are people within the churches of the Living God, those which claim Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior that do not believe everything the Bible says or they believe that what it says is not for this day and age. Many say that it was for the New Testament Church. If you are one that actually believes this I have news that will startle some of you, we that Truly Believe in Christ Jesus Are the New Testament Church!
The time is coming when every human which has ever lived will stand either before the Great White Throne of God for Judgment or be Judged by Christ Jesus Himself. Those whose names which are written in the Lambs Book of Life will be judged by Christ Jesus; those whose names are not there, those which have never while In Life have chosen to accept Jesus the Christ as Lord and Savior will stand before God the Father for the judgment of the damned.
I say the words In Life because after this all starts to take place Everyone Will Believe. However, believing After Death will not make a difference because those that do not Choose Him in life as Lord, Savior and King choose to Reject Him and will pay the price for their unbelief in Eternal Death.
At the Judgment Seat of Christ every believer will answer for every single sin which was not under the Blood when they died or when the Trumpet Sounds and declares the end of time as we know it now. We will all have to answer for things we did and for things we did not do but that we should have for the Kingdom of God and for those that will be standing before the Throne of God forever condemned to eternal death.
This is why it is so very important that we as Ambassadors for Christ do everything we can to reach those that are lost. We in the church have heard the term (Lost) for so long that we have become calloused to it and really have no conception of its true meaning. One of the many visions I have been allowed to see is a glimpse into the bowels of hell and into the coming lake of fire. People in this day and age speak of hell as if it is just a word without meaning and by our jokes we make it a name which is without effect. There will be some of you that read this or hear the words which will wind up standing at the Great White Throne and there will be people which some of you know that you think are forever lost which will be standing at the Judgment Seat of Christ Jesus. Those which will be judged by Christ Jesus have by His Holy Shed Blood gained Eternal Life through Faith. Being Judged by Christ is a good thing because it means you will be with Him forever but all will suffer shame for the things we have done and not done.
Jesus makes it clear in the scriptures that there is a sin which is not unto death and it is that for which the redeemed shall be judged. We shall also be judged for our deeds and misdeeds. Our thoughts will play out before all of heaven and we shall stand in front of our King, ashamed and abased as our every failure. Every soul we knew we could have and should have won but were too busy to witness to, will be displayed to all who are present.
Those which stand before the Great White Throne shall be sent into the Lake of Fire which was made for Lucifer and the fallen angels. God never intended for humans to wind up in the lake of fire, but through their choice to reject Christ Jesus they will place themselves as enemies of God and followers of Lucifer. Every human will spend Eternity with the god or the God they chose to worship. Lucifer fell when he made his choice to fight against God and to take his place. Lucifer makes himself out to be a god and everyone that does not Choose Jesus as Lord and Savior, chooses Lucifer by default in their rejection of Christ Jesus.
We must take upon ourselves a burden for the lost if we are to avoid looking into the eyes of Christ and feeling His pain and anguish as we understand that WE let Him down. How much are you doing for Christ Jesus? Are you making a difference? Do you do what His Spirit guides you to do? Do you speak what He gives you to speak?
If the Church does not do what it is supposed to do and soon, there is going to be a calamity which will out shine in horrid terror all of the calamities which has befallen mankind in the last several hundred years. We must open our ears and our hearts to the Spirit of God and soon or He will get the attention of the lost souls some other way and we will have just one more failure to answer for.
The hurricanes this year have not been coincidences, they have been warning signs to the Church and to the lost. Many lives have been lost in the storms and many more will step into eternity unless we heed the signs of God and drop all of the things which occupy our time that have nothing to do with reaching lost souls. We have become a powerless mass of (Oh well, someone else will do it if I don't and I just do not have time, - I have a family to take care of and bills to pay and can not help the homeless.)
We were called to be followers of the One that fed thousands with a few fish and a few loaves of bread. We were called to be followers of by the One which spoke to the storm and it stopped at His command. We are called by the Creator Himself and Ordained to take the gospel into all the world which includes the cities and towns in which we live. Jesus told us 'Not only these things shall ye do but Greater things than these shall ye do because I go to my Father'.
St. John 14: 12-17
12 Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me, the works that I do he shall do also, and greater works than these he shall do, because I go to My Father.
13 And whatever you may ask in My name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
15 If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, so that He may be with you forever,
17 the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive because it does not see Him nor know Him. But you know Him, for He dwells with you and shall be in you.
Jesus Himself speaks to everyone who will listen and believe. Everything He did we can do because He said we can. There are a lot of people that try to use the power Christ gave to us for the wrong things and for the wrong reasons.
If our goals and our desires do not match the goals and desires of Christ, we will never be given access to the full potential and abilities He wants us to have and to use for the Glory of His Father. Think of what Jesus would be doing and where He would be going if He were here right now.
Ok, now that you are thinking along that thought think of this. Everyone that has accepted Jesus as Lord, Savior and King has Him inside of you this very moment. The very second someone asks Jesus to forgive them for their sins and to enter in their heart has Him by the Spirit of God inside them from that moment on. He remains inside until they either leave this life or tell Him to leave. It is up to us whether we are able to do everything Christ Jesus gives us to do and tells us that we can do. Our level of faith determines the level of our abilities. If there is a single doubt that He will not do what He said, we will never see the wonders God has planned for us nor will we ever reach our full potential.
It does not matter how nice your church building is or even if you have a building at all. Most of the Ministries which are reaping the greatest harvest of souls for Christ are the poorest because they wait upon God and trust that He will provide everything they need. If we concentrate on what Christ wants us to do and we use the tools He has given us to use, which are the 'Gifts of the Spirit', we will experience a harvest beyond anything we have ever dreamed is possible and in the process we will bring joy to Christ Jesus and to the throne of the Father Himself.
What are you doing for Christ Jesus and is it what He wants you to do. What could you do to make yourself more able to do what God wants you to do? Are you using the Gifts that Jesus gives to His followers and are you using them the way He intended. Ask yourself these questions and answer them as you are kneeling at the Mercy Seat.
Ask these questions as you meditate upon what you would say if you were to stand before His Judgment Seat today.
Ask yourself these questions as you lift your petitions up to the One which has Set Us Free.
Jesus Christ is Lord of All, But, Have You Made Him Lord of Your Life?
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Jésus Christ est le Seigneur de tout, Mais, vous L'avez fait le Seigneur de votre vie
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Ist Jesus Christus Herr von allen, Aber haben Sie Ihn Herr Ihres Lebens gemacht
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Christ di Jesus è il Signore di tutto il, Ma, lei L'ha fatto il Signore della sua vita
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Is jesus Christus Heer van alle, Maar hebt u aan Hem Heer van je leven gemaakt
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Jesus cristo é Senhor de todo, Mas, fezê-lO Senhor de seua vida
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Jesus Christ er Lord av all, But, har De laget Him Lord av Deres liv
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耶稣·基督是全部的勋爵，但是，你使了他成为你的生活的勋爵吗
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耶穌‧基督是全部的勛爵，但是，你使了他成為你的生活的勛爵嗎
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