The Grand Finale

Here is a display of some of my shell craft that I made for Camp Washington, for them to sell to help them in special needs in their camping programs. The currect director supplies me with the shells, and I design and make the crafts!

I am speaking here at Camp Washington at a youth camp in the month of May to some 50 campers and leaders,. It was a special opportunity for me to share my testimony of God's faithful leading in my life over the past some eighty years! They listened with such interest, that you could have heard a pin drop - well, maybe not a pin, but there was absolute attention. It was quite a nostalgic moment for me, as I was a Camp Director for twelve years in this very place.

The Great Finale!

During these days there is a great fervor and hype in the world of sports, as to who will be the final champion in the World Cup Finals. Billions of dollars have already been spent, and are being spent, in the preparations for, and current activities, not to mention the world wide travelling back and forth of players and spectators to that great country of Brazil.
However, unless something out of the ordinary happens, the determining day will come, when one team and one nation,  will be the winner of the World Soccer Cup! Have you ever wondered if the Scriptures address anything similar to this situation the world is in today?
In a letter written by the Apostel Paul to the Corinthians, Paul tells us something very interesting about  final results of  sports.  It mentions “the running of a race”.  From this we can glean truths valuable for all other sports as well, including soccer, or ball games, etc. Here the Apostle reminds the Church at Corinth, that in the sport of running a race, all runners take part, but only one will win the prize.  Isn’t that the same in what is happening over in Brazil today?
What’s more, the Apostle mentions that, the ones competing in the games, discipline themselves regularly by  exercising strenuously.  They do this that they might achieve a crown, which is only temporary. Then the Apostle goes on to remind the believers there at Corinth in the following manner: “Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Athletes excercis self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. So I do not run aimlessly , not do I box as though beating the air, but I punish my body and enslave it, so that after proclaiming to others I myself should not be disqualified.” (1 Cor. 9:24-26))
Dear friends of all ages, so enthusiastic these days in the World Cup Soccer Games, we just want to remind you that the Scriptures in no way are contrary to sports, but they do remind us that the final results of the winner is of short duration – it is not lasting; it is perisable.
During these days, the Media, in speaking of famous players of world soccer games, use the PAST TENSE, mentioning names of players who were once famous, but are only names in history now.  That glory is past, it was not lasting.
Would it not be much better, friends,  to give more attention to the Eternal Gospel which we can receive without money, without price, because the price has been paid for each and every one of us. However, even though the price has been paid, there remains this one fundamental truth: God created man in His image, giving him a will to make his own decisions.  A human being is not like an animal who is controlled by instinct. Even as birds and insects are governed by instinct, which is a form of law in them which guides them to immigrate from one place to another. However, we as human beings are created in the image of our Heavenly Father, who are responsible for his or her own decisions.  In God’s Word we read so clearly that the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, is to be proclaimed to all mankind, and that he who believes is saved, and he who does not believe is condemned already.
Dear friends, regardless of age, there is nothing more unpleasant in this world than to live day after day WITHOUT Christ as Savior and Lord.  Also, there is no greater JOY, even during times of suffering, then to be IN Christ Jesus, our Lord!
Do not forget, since Christ died and arose again for all mankind, the truth remains: those who believe are saved, and those who do not believe are  condemned.  Repent from your sin, and put your faith in the Son of God as your only Savior.
Then you will not have run in vain! You will receive the imperishable crown! Believe and run!

Jesus is the Door!

Not long ago as my husband and I were pulling out of the parking lot at Elmar, NV, here in Aruba, when a lady approached our car, with a pamphlet in her hand. Since we were ready moving, my husband  just rolled down the window, put out his hand and received it.  This is what the lady gave us:  A pamphlet with the heading:  THE ONLY DOORWAY!  Of course it caught our attention, and I began reading it. This is what I read:  JESUS IS THE DOOR TO HEAVEN.

Jesus is the door – He said in John 10:9, “I am the Door:  by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, to find pasture.” Jesus is the Way.. “I m the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

 (John 14:6)

Jesus is the only doorway to heaven. My friend, let me ask you a most  important question. Are you trying to enter Heaven some other way than through the way Jesus provided? If you are, Jesus said you are a thief and a robber. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. (John 10:1)

There is no other way to get to Heaven. Religion is not the way! The preacher or priest is no the way! Water baptism is not the way! Church membership is no the way! Being a moral person is not the way! Doing good works is not the way!

The Bible says in Acts 4:12, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” There is nothing you can do to earn salvation or your way into heaven. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,” (Isaiah 64:6a)  Only by receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour can you enter into the Kingdom of God.

HOW CAN YOU ENTER THE DOOR?

You enter the door by asking Jesus to come into your heart and save you. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1:12)  The Bible states, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans : 9:10, 13.

Don’t let the devil deceive you by making you believe there is another way. The Bible says that the devil..” is a liar, and the father of it.” (John 8:44b)

Eternal salvation is a free gift to all who will simply receive Jesus Christ into their heart. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9)

Jesus said in Mark 1:15, “…repent ye and believe the gospel.” Believing the gospel is believing “…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3,4)

Jesus died on the cross, was buried and was resurrected by the power if God for our salvation. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

My friend, if you want to be sure that you are saved and heaven will be your home, pray this prayer of one similar to it, meaning it with all your heart. “Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner, going to hell. I know that I cannot save myself. I repent of my sins and put my faith in the blood that you shed for me on the cross to pay for all my sins. I now accept you as my Saviour and trust You to take me to heaven. Thank You for saving me. Amen.

The Bible says in John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” Please do not reject the Gospel! Trust Christ today!

The little pamphlet  given to me that morning  was a tract printed by the Fellowship Tract League, from Lebanon, Ohio. USA., and, so, we we share it with you today on our blog.

 

Hello there!  This is a picture of  me at Baby Beach after my first attempt to go snorkeling after my two hip replacements! What a happy feeling it was to go into the shallow waters with the help of my husband, of course, to make sure I would not fall. I gave the legs lots of exercise, and snorkeled a wee bit. So this picture is always a pleasant memory for me!

Today we are going to see what the Scriptures tell us about a certain book called:

THE BOOK OF LIFE

There is something that we are all familiar with in this life, and that is “books”!  From childhood we became familiar of all kinds of books: small books, big books,  thick ones and thin ones, about every imaginable subject and content. From the day we began school, there were books and more books!

Really, without books it is of course quite impossible to advance in the wisdom and knowledge necessary to compete in our world today.  Indeed, wisdom has increased to such an extent that we are and have been using modern technology to progress in the many different studies and branches thereof. In fact we have arrived to the point, it seems, that there is really no further need of books.  If you know which key to click on the computer, you can get a rapid response to your questions; no need of breaking your head with books.

Today I want to present another unique and only book as to its content and quality. No one would have discovered about this book, had the Lord not revealed it to us through His word, the Bible. The very first place we read about this book , is in the Book of Daniel, chapter 12:1-4.  “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of stress, such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people – everyone whose name is found written in the book – will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of heaven, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

Then in Luke 10:20, the Lord Jesus encourages His disciples to rejoice that their names are written in heaven. Later the Apostle Paul mentions some women and other brothers and sisters who were contending, together with Paul in the proclamation of the Gospel, whose names are in the book of life. Take a moment here and read Philippians 4:1-3.

It is good for us, beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, to pay good attention that - having our names written in a church membership book is not the same as that of our names being written in heaven. In a membership book, important as it may be, there may be errors committed. But in the book of life that is in heaven, there can never be error, and I repeat, can never be error.  That is why it is imperative that we pay attention to the warning the Scriptures have for us: “Examen yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves ”2 Corinthians 13:5. Take time to read the entire book of Galatians, for it has many warnings for us in this direction.  In Revelations 3:1-6, we read about a very solemn warning given to the church at Sardis.  These members here had a reputation that they were “alive”,  professing to have a relationship with God, when in fact the truth was other. The Lord warns them to repent or receive the due consequences.

Continuing in Revelations 13:1-12, we are warned about a system of false teaching aimed directly against our  God. The result of this system , is that all inhabitants of the earth will fall down and worship what is called “the Beast”, who has received its authority directly from Satan. But the Scripture is telling us here is that the true believers -  all whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, will not worship this beast.

Please take time to read the above chapter; permit the Holy Spirit of God to speak to us by repenting and admitting our sins of carnality and worldliness to the Lord God, and ask Him to help us obey Him implicitly and without delay. Also, let us not commit double error by exalting ourselves over others, but without any hint of hypocrisy, rather give thanks and praise to our Heavenly Father, through and in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Beginning in the seventeenth chapter of Revelations, this system of religion that will and is already governing our world to this very day, is revealed very clearly. This system will remain in this world till the end, when our Lord and God Almighty will judge it. In the eighteen chapter beginning with verse four till 24, we can read about the final sad end to this religious system.

The in chapter nineteen the celebration of the multitudes in heaven begins with Aleluja! The reason?  What the Scriptures call the Marriage Supper of the Lamb is taking place. The bride, the Church, is dressed in fine linen, bright and pure – for the fine linen are the righteous deeds of the saints. Beloved in the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ -  today, yes, now is the accepted time to obey from the heart, and with  joy, which is provided for us daily by the Spirit of God, we should be laying up in heaven treasurers where neither moth nor rust can corrupt. 

Then in chapter nineteen of Revelations verses 11- 15, we read of the FINAL judgment of those WHOSE NAMES are not found written in the Lamb’s book of life.  We read that in this final judgment, those who have died,  great and small, will stand before the white throne, and will be judged according to their works. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev. 20:15)

Dear friends, beloved of God, we need to be grateful that these ever so solemn warnings have been written for us. For today is the day that we can repent of our sin and be reconciled to God through His Son’s reconciliatory death on the cross for us. That we freed from sin might become the righteousness of God in Him (Christ). Because by His wounds we have been healed.

The Lord willing, we will continue this topic in the upcoming blog.

Hi, this is a photo of Bicento and I taken at Camp Washington - a place very special to us. I worked here for 12 years as Camp and Youth Center director; they were wonderful years, unforgettable and rewarding. Today a young couple is living there and taking up management and we are so thankful to God for providing workers for this much needed ministry.

We invite you now to follow with us in a short message about the:

THE WAY OF THE CROSS

During this past Lent Season, we all saw either on television, in the movies, or out in our streets different activities pertaining to the “Way Of The Cross”.  Even here in Aruba people were invited to come and take part in: following the,  “ Way Of The Cross” on different days and places.

Usage of the cross goes way back in history. Many criminals and slaves were crucified on crosses before the time of Christ; it was considered a humiliating and cruel way to die. Even for all the humiliation of a death on the cross, we need to try and understand the victory that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ accomplished for all humanity on the cross! This victory includes our God, and Father, the Lord Jesus Himself and the Holy Spirit of God. When the Apostle Peter wrote to the believers about the power of God, which is a part of the Gospel, he writes the following” “Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia and Bithynia, who have been chosen and destined by God the Father, and sanctified by the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ, and to be sprinkled by His blood.” (1 Peter 1:1,2)

We would like to encourage each one of you to read this letter Peter wrote, and take time to read it slowly and meditatively, depending on the Holy Spirit to help us understand what we read and then obey.

In our most recent Blog, we endeavored to explain the true meaning of the words CHRIST and MESIAH, indicating that the two words n fact have the same meaning in relationship to the Holy Spirit of God. Therefore it is important to pay attention when you read the letter written by the Apostle Peter, by noticing how many times the word, “Christ” is mentioned with its due and proper meaning, so that we may understand, with the help of the Holy Spirit the great and costly price that was paid for all of humanity. And this great salvation is offered to all people everywhere, even including the many precious souls living on our islands here. We give this short and emphatic message very clearly based on God’s word and it is: “There is no salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among man by which we must be saved.” ( Read Acts 4: 8 -12)

Now then, since it is the Holy Spirit that inspired the Apostle Peter to write these words, that: there is no salvation in no one else, in no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. We here in Aruba and surrounding islands should understand that this truth is for us today as surely as it did at the time Peter wrote these words to the dispersed believers, and that goes for all people everywhere all over our world today as well.  And may I repeat? “There is no salvation in no one else” – only in the name of Jesus. Do you believe?

Dear friends loved by our Lord JesusChrist Himself, we can see and we can hear how people are dying all around us everywhere: men and women, old and young, poor and rich. It is appointed unto men once to die and then comes the judgment.  According to the Scriptures there is coming the day of the resurrection of the just and the unjust. And as to who the just are, and who the unjust are, the Word of God is absolute and emphatic.

Take your Bible and read the entire Chapter 3  in the Book of Romans. Pay attention to these words: “There is no one who is righteous, not even one.” Continue reading and notice that in 3:21 it says, “But now apart from law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and prophets, the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ. For there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ.”

We encourage all of you who have read this short message today, but are still living in darkness and uncertainty as to the work of Christ, Who came to this world to seek and save sinners -  then know  that the Spirit of God through His servants have told us, “ at an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you. See, now is the acceptable time; see now is the day of salvation.”

This means, dear friends young or old, that we are actually living today in that “acceptable time, the day of salvation”, of which the Scriptures call our attention to. We just wanted to remind you about the: the way of the cross, talked so much about in these last weeks; it is easy to take part in dramas depicting the way of the cross, act very religious for some time preceding the resurrection of our Lord, denying ourselves this and that, and yet ignore and make light of the true meaning of Christ’s death on the cross in our daily living. According to the Scripture, “He Himself (Jesus Christ) bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24). That is why repentance is absolutely necessary on our part, and faith in the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, otherwise all outward gestures like wearing crosses, taking part in the many “walks” following a cross, etc., etc., as we witnessed on television, on the streets around the world, and here in Aruba, are in vain. Repent and Believe.

AUTHORITY

What does Scripture say about “Authority”?  In order for one to live in accordance to the will of our Lord God and Heavenly Father in our relationships and obedience to our government, and all who are in authority, it is important and necessary for us to know what the Holy Spirit guided His servants to write in the Scriptures about this subject.

Writing to the brothers and sisters in Christ living in Rome, the Apostle Paul told them the following: “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be fee from fear from the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring judgment on the wrongdoer. Therefore it is necessary to submit to authorities, not only because of possible punishment, but also because of conscience.”  Romans 13:1-7

Those of us living on this small island of Aruba, or on our neighboring islands Curaçao and Bonaire, or anywhere else for that matter, must understand that the system of government in large nations may differ than ours, but the Biblical principles are the same. For example there are Kings and Queens, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Emperors, and other such titles. Do not think that because they are called servants of God in the Scriptures, that this necessarily means that they are Christians or true believers. Whoever it may be, and whatever title he or she may carry is included in the word “humanity”, and Christ died on the cross for all mankind everywhere, and if Christ died for all, He also rose for all. And that, my friend, includes all government officials in all the nations of the world. Yes, it includes great people that carry names like Scientists, Doctors, Medical Specialists, Soldies, Police, and on and on the list goes.  Every single person in these categories, and for that matter all categories are called  to REPENT and BELIEVE in the Gospel of our Lord and Savior JesusChrist. According to the living Word of our Lord and God, there is  no person whose life is good enough, that he  or she need not repent and believe. No, all must repend, and that is the reason why our Lord Jesus said on one occasion when he was teaching the disciples, and multitudes: that it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God!

However, in another passage of Scripture we read that it is not hard only for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God, but it is difficult for all people everywhere. Even a very religious person, with high positions in her or his religion, if if or she does not REPENT and accept, by faith, the Lord Jesus Christ as his/her personal Savior dies in his or her lost condition - according to the Word of God. No religious robe (garb), no religious name, no religious gestures can save a  person from eternal condemnation. That “lost condition”  is true for every single person in the world. Jesus came to seek and to save that which was lost. Christ Jesus died on the cross to free us from sin, that we might live for righteousness. It is by His wounds we were healed. We need to be reminded again and again that our lives are like a vapor or mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Please take a moment and read the passage in the Book of James, chapter 4, verses 13-17.

That is why the Holy Spirit inspired the writer in the Book of Hebrews to give us these words: “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? The answer to this question is right there in the same question!

Dear friends, loved by the Lord Himself, it does not matter in which category we belong in the human race that we are a part of, remember this: we encourage you by the authority of the living Word of God, to humble yourself before God Almighty, acknowledge that you are a sinner, and need Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, and that you accept Him, by faith. One thing is sure, you will never be sorry that you repented and made this very important decision in your life.

Written & prepared by Bicento & Betty Henriquez

PS Feel free to post a question or a comment to us.

THE NEW YEAR

As we are writing this small message, it is New Year’s day! As is done traditionally, we, too, wish all of you today, “A HAPPY NEW YEAR”, and may all that is good and pleasing be yours today and every day!
But remember! A day has only 24 hours in it, and soon we will be back in the same routine as before. It is good for us to look back, examine ourselves, and learn from our mistakes and achievements. We readily understand how, instigated by leaders, there is a demand for CHANGE in the near future. Newspapers are full of people crying for a change! To be sincere, such tendencies have always existed - not only in our islands, but also in the great nations of our world.
That is why we want to take this opportunity to encourage you who are reading this short New Year’s message: take your BIBLE and read it and ask God for help to understand HIS WORD and obey the Holy Scriptures, which remind us in advance of the crisis that is coming upon our world in these coming days. But the Scriptures also present to us the only source of victory for us and our children, Who is JESUS CHRIST, the Son of God, Who delivers us from the wrath of God that is coming.


We also want to leave this verse for all the precious men and women living on our islands and around the world, which is found in Hebrews 13:8: “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.”

WHICH FAITH SAVES - from the pen of Bicento Henriquez

How about a slice of melon from our own little plot? Oops! I forgot - we took it to Bonaire to share with our friends Alan and Jane Gross - and it was good, I must say so, as did they and Bicento. What about some of Aruba Cashew Nut fruit? It tastes good and makes the best of juices! Try it!
(A Translation of the Papiamento Blog: “CUA TA E FE CU TA SALBA?”)
The Bible tells us so plainly and clearly that: without FAITH it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
As I am writing today’s Blog, I have my Bible before me, and I read and see that it explains very clearly to us everything concerning the subject of FAITH. I (Bicento) have lived here in Aruba for most of my lifetime, and from the time I was very small I heard the word FAITH (“FE”) mentioned many times, but it wasn’t until I was twenty three years old, that I heard, for the first time, about THE FAITH that is according to the Scriptures. Indeed, I have repeated the so-called CREED since childhood: “I believe in the Father God Almighty and in His Son, our Lord… etc., etc.” However, for the greater majority of us, it was only endless repetition of religious words, which we repeated time after time with our mouths, when in fact our hearts were very far from God.
By saying that, I do not mean that the words in the Creed: “I believe in the Father God Almighty,” etc., are wrong or erroneous, but the problem lies in the fact that we say them only with the mouth, and our hearts are cold and indifferent towards God – therein lies the problem! Let us take a moment and see what the Scriptures have to say to all peoples of the world, which of course, includes the people of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, just like the rest of humanity.
In Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans, he was writing to the believers living in Rome, and he says: What shall we conclude then? Are we any better? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways, and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that whatever the law says, it is to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” (Romans 3:9-20)
Dear friends of all different ages, perhaps you are asking – if indeed the keeping of the law is of no avail as an escape from eternal punishment, why then was the law given?
I would like to encourage each precious one of you, reading this message at this moment, to take time and read the entire letter to the Roman believers, and the letter to the Galatian believers, as well as the letter to the Hebrew believers. In those three books we learn a lot about the WHY of the LAW, the PURPOSE of the LAW and the FULLFILLMENT of the LAW. According to those Scriptures the LAW in itself is holy, just and good. More than that the LAW was given because of failure to perform, or because of transgression, but NOT TO GIVE LIFE! (Galatians 3:19)
The possible question remaining is: WHICH FAITH THEN SAVES? The answer is very clear in the Scriptures. The faith that saves is the FAITH that comes by hearing the WORD OF GOD. In the letter to the Romans, we read this (Rom. 10:8-13). But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth, in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: 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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scriptures say, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame. For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile –the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him.”
Dear Blog reader: that is the FAITH that saves! Believe what God says in His Word about Himself, His Son, and His Spirit, and believe in your heart in Him Who was raised His Son back to life and confess Him unashamedly. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life!
Have any questions, feel free to drop us a note - either to our email address above, or comment at the end of this blog.

IN WHOM AND IN WHAT IS YOUR FAITH ANCHORED?

According to the Scriptures, at the end times, when the actual world system that man has already been living in for many ages, and time will run its course, there is a DAY OF JUDGEMENT coming. And that is, as far as we can understand, for ALL mankind living on this planet called earth – from the time of Adam to the last person still to be born.
In Revelation chapter twenty, there is a description about that day. We can read the what the Apostle John writes (and let us be sure that THAT DAY is coming) about the future and final history of humankind on this actual earth: “And I saw a great throne and Him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)

Dear reader of this blog, the above words in Revelation were written for you and me, for every human being, be it man or woman from every nation without exception. And the purpose for which the Lord revealed these truths to us, is for us to repent and believe the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we neglect or do not pay attention to these sacred and solemn warnings, it simply means that we are turning our backs to all the spiritual blessings in heaven that are eternal, instead facing and living a life that never before did or could give true happiness. We came into this world empty and empty we will go to the grave.
But for those who have heard and obeyed the blessed gospel of our God, we read in God’s word the following: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him!” (Read 1 Cor. 2:6-16).
The Lord willing, in our next blog, we will consider other passages of Scripture that touch this subject of the Judgment of God.

IN WHOM AND IN WHAT IS YOUR FAITH ANCHORED?
According to the Scriptures, at the end times, when the actual world system that man has already been living in for many ages, and time will run its course, there is a DAY OF JUDGEMENT coming. And that is, as far as we can understand, for ALL mankind living on this planet called earth – from the time of Adam to the last person still to be born.

In Revelation chapter twenty, there is a description about that day. We can read the what the Apostle John writes (and let us be sure that THAT DAY is coming) about the future and final history of humankind on this actual earth: “And I saw a great throne and Him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:11-15)

Dear reader of this blog, the above words in Revelation were written for you and me, for every human being, be it man or woman from every nation without exception. And the purpose for which the Lord revealed these truths to us, is for us to repent and believe the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we neglect or do not pay attention to these sacred and solemn warnings, it simply means that we are turning our backs to all the spiritual blessings in heaven that are eternal, instead facing and living a life that never before did or could give true happiness. We came into this world empty and empty we will go to the grave.
But for those who have heard and obeyed the blessed gospel of our God, we read in God’s word the following: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him!” (Read 1 Cor. 2:6-16).

The Lord willing, in our next blog, we will consider other passages of Scripture that touch this subject of the Judgment of God.

Hello everyone! For one of the passtimes Bicento and I love,is to jump into our car and go exploring our island; it seems there are always place we have not seen or not in a long long time. This particular picture was taken in the North East part of the island not long ago:large spacious areas filled with rocks and stones that make you stand in AWE! Here is one particular stone that intriqued us!

And now to what the Bible teaches us about Negligence to God's Word:

In our past three blogs we emphasized the importance of faith. We actually could have gone on writing on the importance of the doctrine of faith, because all other fundamental doctrines are interlaced or interconnected with the faith. Apart from faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it is quite impossible to please our God. That is why in this short message today we want to write about the matter of NEGLIGENCE or IGNORING.
In Hebrews 2:1-3, we read the following words, “We must pay the more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by the angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?”
Dearly beloved friends of our Heavenly Father, and by our Lord Jesus Christ Who gave Himself voluntarily to free us from the bondage of sin by means of His death on the cross. It is to us who are alive today that this solemn warning is directed.
Very many people living here in Aruba and in the Antilles have heard the Gospel again and again. Yes, we have heard it from our childhood. Do not forget that the word “Gospel” means Good News. And that Good News is that we can receive forgiveness of our sins, if we repent and accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our only Savior.
Now, what does to neglect or ignore mean? Actual every day in one form or another we experience the meaning of that word. At this very moment that I am writing, my wife is busy in the kitchen preparing food. She is putting either what is fish or meat in a pan and putting it on the burner to simmer or cook. What will happen if she begins to do other work and neglects or ignores the pan on the lit burner? Well, She will come back to find the pan and food burned into charcoal. This can easily be taken care by buying another pan and purchasing other food.
HOWEVER, in relation to the blessed Gospel of our Lord, it is another matter and here in Hebrews 2:2 we read the following words: “HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE IF WE NEGLECT (ignore) SUCH A GREAT SALVATION?” The message and warning in those words is that there is NO ESCAPE. During my short life span, I have heard about other chances or opportunities after death. We were even taught that there is a place called purgatory, where a person goes after death with sins not confessed. That person will pass through the purgatory fires till he is purified of his or her sins. Such teaching is not Scriptural; it is not found in the Bible, and what is more, it contradicts the Gospel of Grace. The clear and persistent teaching in the Word of God is that: whoever hears the message of pardon and eternal life which is only in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and is thus convinced by the Holy Spirit of God, such a person, whoever that may be, admits that he is a lost sinner.
Then that person repents of his sins and puts his or her faith absolutely and completely in the Lord Jesus. That person then receives pardon of all sin, and begins a new life. The Bible calls that transformation, regeneration or being born again. No matter if you are someone advanced in age, or a young person, or a child who has reached the age of understanding… you are a new creation. However, you are a baby in spiritual matters, and are in need of the spiritual milk of the Word of God. You will need to grow and become an adult in spiritual matters. (Read Ephesians 4:1-16 and 1 Corinthians 12:12-31).
In conclusion for today I give this warning in the love of Christ. Remember I started this message using the word “negligence”. There are so many precious souls living here in Aruba and in the Antilles, and yes, around the world who permit this danger of negligence to overtake their lives. Many, no matter what age, when hearing the Gospel – the Good News – say, “yes, it was a good message, lovely words,…” but what happens? Nothing! The person keeps on living his or her life, religiously not religiously, and does not OBEY, God by repenting and believing ( having faith) in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By doing NOTHING, the just judgment remains: “HOW SHALL WE ESCAPE IF WE NEGLECT SO GREAT A SALVATION?”

FAITH continued

Cactus growing in the form of a donkey's head! It was an incredible sight.

In our first message about FAITH, we mentioned about warnings the Holy Spirit gives in the Scriptures for these last days we are living in. The Scriptures say: SOME will abandon the faith, or fall from the faith, by giving heed to deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Since the Apostle Paul mentioned that some will abandon the faith, this solemne warning is especially to such who teach and preach to others.

For that reason, the Apostle warned Timothy to teach the Word, or preach and proclaim the message of the Gospel. The Gospel means "good news". The exhortation was to be ready at all times to preach the Good News. Paul said to Timothy: I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage -with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great amount of teachers so say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."

Be sure of this dear friends in the Lord, the Holy Spirit is not warning us today of this great danger which will have tremendous consequences for those who turn their ears away from the Truth in Christ to live in the world of deceit and lies. And worse when we come to the place where people do not want to hear about repentance from sin and faith in Christ for eternal life. Then the Apostle Paul concludes with these words of encouragement for each one who has his or her faith in Jesus today and is willingly walking in His footsteps: "For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of rightousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to ALL who have longed for His appearing."
(1 Tim. 4:6-8).

The Word of God solemnly exhorts and encourages us about FAITH in Christ in our daily life. But this FAITH comes through the Word of God in the Scriptues. That is why the Lord gave gifts to people. God gave spiritual gifts to the Church - the body of Christ - after Jesus' resurection and ascenion. Read Ephesians 4:1-16. In verses 11-13, we read: "It is He who gave some to be Apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fulness of Christ."

It is not the will of God that we remain infants tossed to and fro by the waves and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

The Lord willing we will continue this topic in our next Blog as a conclusion for now. Take time and study more on this topic and together let us do what the Scriptures exhort us to do: examen ourselves to determine if we are in the faith.

FAITH

Today we want to share a little about what the Scriptures say about Faith, but in particular what we read about faith in the New Testament. The O.T. mentiones the word "faith" only two times, whereas the N.T. mentions this word "faith" around 240 time! Surely this would indicate to us that Faith must be an important factor for our daily lives.

Also, I would like to emphasize that this message is for such who have already professed or confessed FAITH in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

In 1 Timothy 4:1,2 we read the following: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith, and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared with a hot iron"..etc. These warnings are for each and every one of us, who profess FAITH in Christ. Why? It is not possible to "abandon" or "fall from" something you do not have. These words are directed to believers. These Scriptures indicate the possibilty for believers to follow deceiving spirits and thereby abandon the faith.

Take your Bible and turn to 1 Timothy 3:6. Here we have a similar exhortation:"If anyone teaches false doctrine and does not agree to the sound doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to fiancial gain." Continue to read through verse ten.

Dear friend, believe it or not, any one of us who is sincerely believing in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, can be in danger of falling into false and wrong teachings. The true answer is found in verses 6-8. In is in this category each one who believes in Christ for his or her salvation, belongs in: "But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and we can take nothing out of it."

GODLINESS is each one of us living in fellowship daily with God, our Heavenly Father, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is the greatest blessing one can have, and it can be mine and yours! The Apostle Paul calls this GREAT GAIN or TOTAL SATISFACTION.

There will be more on this subject of FAITH in our next blog, the Lord willing.So remember to log in soon.
Betty and Bicento Henriquez

TEARS
No one loves tears or enjoys crying! Did you know that one day God will wipe away ALL tears?
We are living in a world today that is familiar with tears, and we experience again and again what it means to shed tears. As human beings each one of us experience what it means to be in tears - in one way or another, for one reason or the other. We cry for many and varied reasons, but mostly because of SIN. Just as soon as the first man and wife on this earth sinned, death came, and with death came tears. There is not a single person in this world that does not experience this. Even our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in His incarnation suffered tears.
We have all surely come across the verse in the Scriptures that reads: “Jesus wept” – see John 11:35. This was in the connection with the death of His friend Lazarus. We also read the following in Hebrews 5:7: “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One Who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission.” In fact this portion of Scripture is much more profound than fear of death. We must try and grasp the truth that the cause of death is sin. In other words, our Lord suffered when He was tempted to sin. In the same book, namely Hebrews, we can read that it is for this reason He suffered…. “in bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the Author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Look at verse 18 of Hebrews 2:10-18.. “Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” Read all the verses.
The word “tempt” should be understood as a test or trial. In the same book of Hebrews, in Chapter 12, we can read how our Lord was put through testing, and how He triumphed over death on a shameful cross. Then we here in the Antilles and around the world should are exhorted to consider the hostility that our Lord suffered at the hand of sinners, and not lose courage in our battle against sin. The will of our Heavenly Father is for us to encourage one another through the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, through His Holy Spirit given to us as a seal of our redemption.
Remember dear ones in Christ, that SOON, and very SOON our Lord will wipe away ALL tears from our eyes. There will be no more death, nor mourning, or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Read Revelation 21:1-8.
God willing, we will write a little more on this topic in our next Blog. Remember our Email- bettyvicenteaw@yahoo.com and write us a note, or make your comments on Facebook. All are appreciated: we learn, and we are encouraged. So until next time… B&B Henriquez

TEARS
In our previous blog we spoke about “TEARS” and what the Scriptures say about tears. We mentioned that even our Lord Jesus Christ shed tears during his public ministry while He was here on this earth in a human body. And this was especially when He was being tempted by Satan to sin and disobey God. We are living today in what the Scriptures call the “last days” – days just before the return of our Lord for His saints. We are exhorted by the Apostles, but especially so by the Apostle Paul who warns us of very terrible and difficult days ahead of us. “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
Beloved friends, these words were written more than two thousand years ago, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God. Pablo mentions that these kinds of people had a form of godliness, but denied its power. The question which each one of us needs to ask ourselves is this: Do we have this kind of form of godliness and denying of its power here in Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire, and other parts of the world? The answer is simple and clear for us in the Scriptures: saying we are living (then already) in the last days, how much more so now? Open any newspaper today, and you can see and read how we are drifting away from the truth!
Our Lord, who authorized the Apostles to proclaim the Good News of forgiveness and eternal life, warned of the falling away from the faith, and note especially that the Scriptures say “the faith”. This is happening on our islands this very day and around the world – O how much religiosity there is! What outward kind of godliness! Is there any power, any change in our lifestyle? Are we new creatures in Christ? When the Scriptures speak of “the faith”, it speaks of something very unique. This faith is inseparable from the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are speaking of a personal faith on the part of a sinner (you and I) in the One Who died in our place, paid our death penalty for sin, and was resurrected on the third day. And this faith comes from hearing and obeying the Gospel by the help of the Holy Spirit of God. That is why we are being warned in the Scriptures to not allow our hearts to be hardened towards the Good News that comes from God Himself.
Friends, it is only possible through Jesus Christ that we can be reconciled back to a Holy God. The Scriptures talk about tears of repentance.(2 Cor. 7:10; Job 42:6). Oh that our tears today will be tears of repentance, and faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Remember this: our days are short, death can visit unexpectedly – yes, that is a fact. Therefore, do not delay!

TEARS

No one loves tears or enjoys crying! Did you know that one day God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes?

We are living in a world today that is familiar with tears, and we experience again and again what it means to shed tears. As human beings, each one of us experience what it means to be "in tears" - for one reason or another! We cry for many and varios reasons:loss of a loved one, loss of a job, a friendshop, loss of money, posessions,etc., but mostly because of sin. Immediately after Adam & Eve sinned, this sin nature was passed on to all mankind, and with it tears and death.There is no one in this world that has not experienced sin, and seen death. Even our Lord Jesus Christ, in His human body wept, suffered and died.

We surely do remember the verse in Scripture that says, "Jesus wept" (John 11:35). Why did He weep? His dear friend Lazarus had died! And the home of Mary and Martha, where He often visited was in sadness: they were in tears! And Jesus also wept. In the book of Hebrews we also read the following: "During the days of Jesus' life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the One Who could save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission." (Hebrews 5:7)

In fact this portion of Scripture is much more profound than just fear of death. We must try & fathom the depth of the truth, that the cause of death is sin. In other words, our Lord suffered when He was tempted to sin, to disobey God. In the same book of Hebrews we also read that it is for this reason He (Jesus) suffered... "in bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for Whom and through WHom everything exists, should make the Author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Look at verse 18 of Hebrews 2:10-18.."Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He was able to help those who are being temped." Take a moment to read all sixteen verses.

The word "tempt" should be understood as a test or trial. In the same book of Hebrews, in chapter twelve we read how our Lord was put through testing and how He triumphed over death on a shameful cross. Here in Aruba and the Antilles, yes, and around the world should be, and are exhorted to consider the hostility that our Lord suffered at the hand of sinners, was for us, and not to lose courage in the battle over death and sin. The will of our Heavenly Father is to encourage each and every one of us through His love shed abroad in our hearts, through the Holy Spirit given to us as a seal of our redemption.

Remember dear ones in Christ, that soon, and very soon our Lord will come and He will wipe away all our tears. There will be no more death, no more mourning or crying, or the suffering of pain and sorrow: for the old order of things has passed away! Praise His name forever! Read Revelation 21:1-8.

God willing, in our next blog we will write a little more about the topic "tears" - so until another time. Remember to share with us your thoughts, questions and trials, and together we can search the Scriptures for an answer. So until...

Our Phone # and Email address

Hello everyone! We are working on our next blog, but I have to figure out Windows 7, and also new computer. What's more, Bicento needs to get a little stronger. He is still trying to cope with exhaustion. Our new email is: bettyvicenteaw@yahoo.com and our phone number is 297-744-1111. Have a great day and remember "all things work out together for good to them that love the Lord."

THE CROSS AND THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

Hello there! It has been a long time. We have had three months of endless trips to doctors, labs, hospital, and what have you, not to mention troublesome computer problems. But I did manage today to get this short Easter message onto our blog. We have been issued the green light for our trip to Curacao for Bicento's radiation treatments for his diagnosed "Bacterial Lyphoma". We are hoping to leave this coming week - the exact date has not been issued, but we are ready!! Pray for Bicento - that the radiation will do its work and that, God willing, he can taste again and eat again. He never complains about eating soup twice a day, and I try and think up new recipes daily!!

We are nearing the Easter season, and preparations are under way for the celebration of Good Friday, and then Easter Sunday and Monday. Do you take time to ponder, meditate and read what the Scriptures have to say about the Gospel and the Cross of Christ?

According to the Scriptures, the Good News that God provided forgiveness of sin and eternal life to ALL people everywhere - is inseparable from “the Cross of Christ”. Nevertheless, when we mention the cross of Christ, we are talking about the manner in which He died for all the world. In those days the punishment of being hung on a cross was for criminals and wicked people. The Jews, under the leadership of some very religious heirarchy considered Jesus Christ a blasphemer because He was telling the disciples and multitudes that He was the Son of God! And for that reason, they persisted and managed to achieve support from a large throng of Jewish people. They also managed to convince the Roman government at that time to consent to the killing of Jesus on a cross.

The purpose of this short message, is not to try and explain all that the Scriptures say in relation to the Cross of Christ, but want to try and give a solemn exhortation about some false teaching we hear - about the cross. Before we continue, I would like to encourage you to open the Scriptures now and read some very important passages about the death of Christ on the Cross, on which He carried the sins of the entire world in His body. (1 Cor. 1:17-25, Gal. 6:12-16, Eph. 2:14-18, Phil. 2:5-11, Col. 1:19,20 as well as Col. 2:13-15. Then turn to Hebrews and read 12:1-3 and Gal. 2:20,21).

The false teaching that I referred to in the above paragraph has to do with the many different forms of crosses that thousands of people around the world are using today to receive some form of spiritual blessing and assurance after they die. At this moment, according to the Scriptures, our Lord is seated at the right hand of God, the Father, and is the ONLY MEDIATOR between man and God. I want to repeat: Jesus is the only mediator between man (you and I) and God. According to the Word of God we also read that God is NOT WILLING that anyone should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance and knowledge of the TRUTH. Take a moment and read 2 Peter 3:8,9.

Dear friends of all ages, according to God's Word there is no other way to receive forgiveness for we, sinners, to receive forgivness for our sins, and eternal life, except through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. In Galatians 3:13,14 we read, “ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, “Cursed is every one who hangs on a tree -”

Our religious world is filled with crosses of every kind of shape and form, but none of those, I say none, can free a sinner from the judgement that is to come. The only way in which our Lord God provided a way for us to receive pardon for our sin, and receive eternal life is THROUGH FAITH IN HIS BELOVED SON, Who carried our sin (my sin, your sin) in His body on a cross. Therefore, Salvation is by FAITH, in Jesus Who died in our place on a cross; not in a cross.

God willing,we will continue this topic in the following Blog. May this meditation stimulate your heart and mind, and ask yourself in what am I trusting, you trusting for our life in the hereafter?

By Bicento and Betty (Ratzlaff) Henriquez

This is to say I am sorry that I by mistake put a Papiamento Blog into the English blog. Give me a few days, and I will get back to you in English. Bicento and I want to wish all of our readers a Blessed New Year - walking each day in the fulness of the blessing of the Lord as we obey His Word. Let us let GOD'S WORD dwell in us richly this year! Have a great weekend with family and friends. B&B

Faith And Obedience

A glimpse of our summer flowers on our porch! We are saying goodbye to them, as snow is around the corner! Some places like Calgary had snow today!! We are on our way, the Lord willing, to the tropical paradise called "Aruba" - October 6/10.

And now I ask you to read with care, and having your Bible open to read the Scriptures mentioned for yourself! The subject is:
FAITH AND OBEDIENCE
In accordance with the Scriptures, which we call “The Bible”, we read that it is impossible to please God without faith, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him – that is those who seek Him in sincerity. (Hebrews 11:6)

There are other Scriptures that affirm this: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (or other nations that are non-Jewish). For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from; a righteousness that is by faith from the beginning to the end (or: from faith to faith); as it is written:” But the RIGHTEOUS man shall LIVE BY FAITH.” In common terminology we could say: Salvation is by faith from A to Z. (Take time to read Romans 1:14-17)

The doctrine of FAITH is covered (or runs through) from Genesis to Revelation. In Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, and the rest of the world, you will find those that believe and those who do not believe! And when I say “those that believe” I am not referring to religious people, or to those who say they believe in God. Because millions of people living in our world say they believe in God, but unfortunately that is not sufficient! Read what the Scripture says about this in James 2:19 “You believe that there is one God. You do well; the demons also believe and shudder (tremble).”

But, how can we obtain that faith, a special faith that is so very crucial and important for every single person in the entire world? The answer is loud and clear in the Scriptures for us. Romans 10:17 says this: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Read Romans 10:1-21)

I would also like to mention here that faith and obedience go together. They cannot be separated. In Acts of the Apostles we read that after the Apostles received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they went about proclaiming the gospel, even though they were resisted and threatened by the Jews, especially the Jewish religious leaders. In Chapter 6 verse 7, we read: “And the word kept spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great number of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.” Note “priests – religious leaders” were “becoming obedient to the faith!”

Here we can clearly see that faith and obedience go hand in hand. And dearly beloved friends, you who are loved by the Father Himself, this is the message we have in all the Scriptures, that is: Hearing the Word, the Gospel, then faith (believe) and obedience (obey). Obedience here means simply that we obey our Heavenly Father’s declaration about His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Who carried our sins in His own body on the cross, that we might be freed from the guilt of our sins and live unto righteousness. That is, by His stripes we were healed of our guilt and sin.

Dear friends around the globe: when we obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, it is not people we are obeying, but God Himself! The offer of pardon and eternal life to you, to me, was a very costly price for God, the Father, and for this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape IF we neglect so great a salvation? (Read Hebrews 2:1-4)

We will continue this, God willing, in our next blog... B&B Henriquez

Should you have a question, a comment, do feel free to comment on the blog or send us an email at bbhenriquez@shaw.ca. After October 6th, we will place our new address as soon as we get reconnected again!

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR

Dear Blogger friends,

It is our prayer and ardent desire that you will rejoice always in the Lord, and that you will

not worry about anything. But that you will bring to the Lord all

of your circumstances, no

matter what they may be! He has promised to meet your every need! It also our wish that the peace of God which passes all understanding will be yours in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

WE WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR. from Bicento and Betty Henriquez

My three sisters-in-law

These three amazing ladies are three of my seven sisters-in-law still living today. The are all between 90 and 93! We had a wonderful visit this week. A lot of remeniscing. This is in our small apartment here in Canada.