SAM HONIBALL BLOG

JOHN 3:16 “FOR G OD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS O NLY BEGOTTEN S ON THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT P ERISH BUT HAVE E VERLASTING L IFE.” That’s the most famous verse in the Bible. It’s often called the GOSPEL IN A NUTSHELL or CHRISTIANITY SUMMARIZED. If you were only going to memorize one verse in the entire Bible this would be the one I would recommend – John 3:16 – because it is the gospel – the Good News – summarized. In fact, you can even see the word “gospel” spelled out. Notice the letters “God’s … only …Son…perished… eternal… life “– which spells “gospel.” This verse explains why God created you, put you on this earth, why Jesus Christ died for you, and how you can have a ticket to heaven. It’s all there. I want you to notice first of all there are 25 WORDS in this verse – John 3:16. The MIDDLE WORD, THE THIRTEENTH WORD IS THE WORD “SON” talking about Jesus Christ. The FIRST HALF of the verse is ALL ABOUT GOD. “For God so love the word that He gave His...

JOHN 14:6 "I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO ONE CAN GET TO GOD THE FATHER EXCEPT BY MEANS OF ME." How is it something could happen 2010 years ago, approximately, and still have an effect today? What does it mean? A lot of people say, "I believe in the resurrection. I just don't understand it." George Gallup did a pole and said that even 84% of the people who never go to church, believe that Jesus rose from the dead. It's an historical fact. It wasn't done in secret. The whole city of Jerusalem knew about it and eventually the whole Roman Empire . It was news. If CNN had been there, they would have had it live. There are at least 15 historical references to Jesus meeting people, touching people, talking with people. One time He cooked breakfast for some people. One time He talked to about 500 people after He had risen from the dead. A lot of people saw Him. Even if you don't believe Jesus Christ is who He said He was, you still use Him a...

MARK 16:17-18 AND THESE SIGNS SHALL FOLLOW THEM THAT BELIEVE; …; 18 …; THEY SHALL LAY HANDS ON THE SICK, AND THEY SHALL RECOVER. THE ABC’S OF A DIVINE HEALING MINISTRY A – A VAILABILITY 2 CHRON 16:9 FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD RUN TO AND FRO THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH, TO SHEW HIMSELF STRONG IN THE BEHALF OF THEM WHOSE HEART IS PERFECT TOWARD HIM. JAMES 4:17 THEREFORE TO HIM THAT KNOWETH TO DO GOOD AND DOETH IT NOT, TO HIM IT IS SIN. B – B OLD B ELIEVING PROV 28:1 THE WICKED FLEE WHEN NO MAN PURSUETH: BUT THE RIGHTEOUS ARE BOLD AS A LION. EPH 3:11B-12 … CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD: IN WHOM WE HAVE BOLDNESS AND ACCESS WITH CONFIDENCE BY THE FAITH OF HIM. C – C OMPASSION MATT 14:14 AND JESUS WENT FORTH, AND SAW A GREAT MULTITUDE, AND WAS MOVED WITH COMPASSION TOWARD THEM, AND HE HEALED THEIR SICK. MATT 20:34 SO JESUS HAD COMPASSION ON THEM, AND TOUCHED THEIR EYES: AND IMMEDIATELY THEIR EYES RECEIVED SIGHT, AND THEY FOLLOWED HIM. HEALING 101 GET TENACIOUS AND GET FED UP W...

One day a man walks up to Jesus and he says, "LORD, WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE BIBLE?" Jesus said, "I want you to love God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. Nothing matters more than that. That’s the number one thing in life. I want you to love Me passionately." NOTHING ELSE MATTERS IN LIFE IF YOU DON’T LOVE GOD PASSIONATELY. God doesn’t want you to love Him half-heartedly. He wants you to love Him with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind and all your strength. I love the paraphrase of that verse, Mark 12:30, from The Message "Jesus said, ’LOVE THE LORD GOD WITH ALL YOUR PASSION AND PRAYER AND INTELLIGENCE AND ENERGY." The word "passion". in Greek, is the word "heart." God is saying I want you to PUT SOME ENERGY, PUT SOME EMOTION INTO YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH ME. Don’t be a wimp about your relationship with Me. Don’t be half-hearted. Give it all you’ve got. Jesus is saying, "If you’re goi...

ACTS 20:24 (NCV) “THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT I COMPLETE MY MISSION , THE WORK THAT THE LORD JESUS GAVE ME TO TELL PEOPLE THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT GOD’S GRACE.” That’s your mission. Somebody told you. You’ve got to tell other people. We’re to pass it on. There’s a word for this. It’s the word “EVANGELISM.” Evangelism is just the Greek word for “GOOD NEWS.” So we’re to share the good news. We are to pass on to others what we have heard. You don’t have to defend God. You don’t have to be a salesman for God. He says, “I WANT YOU TO BE MY WITNESS.” What’s a witness do? All they do is say, “THIS IS WHAT I SAW... THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME…” IT’S SHARING WITH OTHERS WHAT GOD HAS DONE IN YOUR LIFE. Tell your friends. Tell your relatives. Tell your neighbors. Tell anybody who crosses your path. Tell your co-workers. Tell the paper delivery boy. Tell the guy who fills your car with petrol. Tell the clerk, the person at the supermarket. THERE ARE ONLY TWO THINGS YOU ...

In life it doesn’t really matter how long you live. What matters is how you live. IT’S NOT THE DURATION OF YOUR LIFE THAT MATTERS. IT’S THE DONATION OF YOUR LIFE. Not every Christian is a pastor. But every Christian is a minister . You were called to serve God and that is called your ministry. Any time you use your gifts, your talents, your abilities to help somebody else in the name of Jesus that’s your ministry. You don’t find your self-esteem through STATUS. Because you’re always going to find somebody who’s a little bit higher on the pole than you are. You don’t find your self-esteem in your SALARY because you can always find somebody making a little bit more money than you are. You don’t find your self-esteem in SUCCESS because you can always find somebody who’s achieved a little bit more than you have. You don’t even find your self-esteem through SEX. THE BIBLE SAYS YOU FIND IT IN SERVICE, IN SERVING. Jesus said it like this, Loose your life to find it. Yo...

God’s plan has always been to make you like Jesus Christ. Once you’re in God’s family He wants you to take on the family likeness. He wants you to become like His Son – like Father, like son. He wants you to see things and feel things and think of things the way He does and act the way He would. So God wants you to grow up. EPHESIANS 4:15 (MSG) “GOD WANTS US TO GROW UP LIKE CHRIST IN EVERYTHING.” Babies are cute. But if a baby never grew up that would be a terrible, terrible tragedy. And it’s a terrible tragedy when you don’t grow up spiritually. What does it mean to grow up spiritually? What does it mean to be spiritually mature? It says like Christ in everything. If you want to know what God wants you to look like, to be like, to act like and to feel like its Jesus Christ. That is the picture of spiritual maturity. This doesn’t just happen overnight. It’s a process. It takes your entire life. This process is called DISCIPLESHIP. Discipleship is simply the process of becoming like Chr...