Leap of Faith
Christian Chaplaincy Ministry

Trusting God is a spiritual pilgrimage.
Don’t make the journey to eternity alone.

     

 FIRST: You need to be saved. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23 "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God." John 3:3b SECOND: You cannot save yourself. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us ..." Titus 3:5 THIRD: Jesus has provided for your salvation. "Who (Jesus) his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed." 1 Peter 2:24 FOURTH: You must accept Jesus for salvation. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." Acts 16:31 "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." John 1:12 "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. "Romans 10:9 FIFTH: Now is the time to accept Jesus as your Savior. "Behold, now is the accepted time, behold now is the day of salvation. II Corinthians 6:2 "As the Holy Ghost says, today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts... Hebrews 3:7-8 Reference: Baptist Bread 

     

 So, you claim to be a Christian. Well, millions throughout history have. There are those who know that they are Christian Believers. And Jesus knows them. Then there are those who call themselves Christians, but Jesus doesn’t know them. Which one are you? Here’s what Jesus had to say on the subject. Matthew Chapter 7, Verses 13 - 23 of the New Testament (NASB) This is where Jesus answers those who profess Him as Lord. The Narrow and Wide Gates 13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it. A Tree and Its Fruit 15 “Beware of the false prophets, (1) who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ (1) - ‘Prophets’ also includes proselytizing priests, ministers, chaplains, ministries, missionaries, 'prosperity evangelizers', 'Christian cultists' etc. “Christians must be careful. Spiritual appearance is not a guarantee of spiritual integrity. We must test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” (Walking with God -David Jeremiah) So, beware of ‘Counterfeit Christianity’! “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1 NASB) Matthew Chapter 25, Verses 31 - 46 of the New Testament (NASB) This is where Christ literally separates the ‘wheat’ (true believers) from the ‘chaff’ (false believers) in judgement. The Final Judgement 31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (2) 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or as a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for Me, either.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (2) 1 Corinthians 2:9 says "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him". (KJV) So, where do you fit in? 

 “The preferred future vision becomes the star that you steer by, not a simple map to be followed.” (American futurist Glen Hiemstra) The 'North Star' of the Leap of Faith online ministry is to disseminate the Knowledge of God, His Goodness, His Redemption for mankind and how to live a godly life in preparation for an eternal destiny of infinite love with Him the Eternal Father. The phrase ‘from the womb to the tomb’ signifies the terminal, linear nature of mankind from an earthly perspective. Out of all the fears and anxieties that humans experience, the fear of death and what if anything happens afterwards has no equal. There is, however, a time-tested remedy for the fear of dying. It is the hope of living an eternity in young, incorruptible, glorified bodies in harmony with God and fellow man as written in His Word (Bible). In this respect mankind's existence is not linear but is part of a ‘Wheel of Life’ which starts at birth and revolves around God for eternal life. The Leap of Faith online ministry provides Scripture based spiritual guidance with Topics which can be likened to wheel spokes on a Christian's life's journey. Examining Christianity through regular Bible Study typically follows this progression of belief: Exploring Christ - “I believe in God, but I am not sure about Christ. My faith is not a significant part of my life” (1) which will lead to: Growing in Christ - “I believe in Jesus and am working on what it means to get to know him” (1) which will lead to: Close to Christ – “I feel really close to Christ and depend on him daily for guidance” (1) which will ultimately lead to: Christ-Centeredness – Discipleship in that “My relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship in my life. It guides everything I do.” (1) (1) Christian Leaders Institute MIN 320 Leadership Course, Bruce Ballast, (https://christianleaders.org/course/view.php?id=844) 

     

 Hymns What a Day that will be (When My Jesus I Shall See) Jim Hill There is coming a day, When no heart aches shall come, No more clouds in the sky, No more tears to dim the eye, All is peace forever more, On that happy golden shore, What a day, glorious day that will be. What a day that will be, When my Jesus I shall see, And I look upon His face, The One who saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the hand, And leads me through the Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that will be. There’ll be no sorrow there, No more burdens to bear, No more sickness, no pain, No more parting over there; And forever I will be, With the One who died for me, What a day, glorious day that will be. What a day that will be, When my Jesus I shall see, And I look upon His face, The One who saved me by His grace; When He takes me by the hand, And leads me through the Promised Land, What a day, glorious day that will be. Near the Cross Frances J. Crosby 1. Jesus, keep me near the cross, There a precious fountain— Free to all, a healing stream— Flows from Calv’ry’s mountain. o Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, Be my glory ever; Till my raptured soul shall find Rest beyond the river. 2. Near the cross, a trembling soul, Love and Mercy found me; There the bright and morning star Sheds its beams around me. 3. Near the cross! O Lamb of God, Bring its scenes before me; Help me walk from day to day, With its shadows o’er me. 4. Near the cross I’ll watch and wait Hoping, trusting ever, Till I reach the golden strand, Just beyond the river. 

 Journey to Chaplaincy Parable of the ‘Lost Seed’ Once upon a time, a twelve-year old boy felt a calling from God. A ‘Daniels Week’ later he met God on a sidewalk; kneeling down next to a parking meter, which was a fitting expression of doubting faith, since he was a loner and well acquainted with the streets and back alleys of his hometown. As it was at the beginning of creation, when the “evening and morning were the first day” (Genesis 1:5) so it was that night, when the young man became a new creation. And the Holy Spirit of God sowed seeds of Faith, Hope and Love into a willing heart. Faith and Love were large seeds which attached themselves to the outer shell of the young man’s heart. However, his faith and love for fellow man grew shallow over a few years because of the ‘thorns of life’ where the “worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22) The young man’s heart became calloused; with sin-skinned scars; as it lost its way over time through a wilderness excursion of confusion, bad life choices, fruitless searches for existence and finally personal rejection. But the Holy Spirit of God who “hovered over the waters” in creation (Genesis 1:2) made the seed of Hope purposely small so it could work its way down into the soft, fertile recesses of the hidden, inner heart of the young man. Despite the tempest tossed failings of life, that small seed slowly made roots, deep and strong which eventually made their way upward over decades of time. Embedded within the seed were two fledgling baby seeds of Faith and Love. Together they emerged and continued to grow as a late-in-life palm tree awaiting the ‘later-day rain’; whose witness branches boldly proclaim the coming of the King of Kings with a chorus of “Baruch haba b'Shem Adonai!” “It will come about after this, That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.” (Joel 2:28) “I delight to do Your will O my God. Your Law is written in my heart.” (Ps. 40:8) “Create in me a clean heart, O God and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take away Your Holy Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to you. (Ps. 51:10-13) “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart, O God You will not despise.” (Ps. 51:17) My journey to Chaplaincy can be best represented by the slow growth of the Talipot Palm Tree. “The talipot palm is another gargantuan plant (compared to other palms), which grows up to 25 meters (82 ft) high and has a one-meter-thick trunk. Also, its branched inflorescence is a remarkable six to eight meters (19 to 26 ft) tall—the largest of any plant. It takes extreme patience to see this tree in bloom, as it only flowers once when it is 30 to 80 years old. However, seeing the bloom is somewhat bittersweet, as it means the palm’s life is coming to an end. It expends all of its built-up energy to produce golf ball-sized fruit, which rain down by the hundreds of thousands just before the palm dies." May the Lord in my sunset years produce through me a harvest like the Talipot Palm. Grant, S. "10 Of The Slowest Plants To Ever Bloom." ListVerse, 13 Aug. 2013, (listverse.com/2013/08/11/10-ridiculously-slow-to-bloom-plants/.) 

     

 "This Holy Week, Melania and I join in prayer with Christians celebrating the crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ — the living Son of God who conquered death, freed us from sin, and unlocked the gates of Heaven for all of humanity. Beginning with Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and culminating in the Paschal Triduum, which begins on Holy Thursday with the Mass of the Lord's Supper, followed by Good Friday, and reaching its pinnacle in the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night. This week is a time of reflection for Christians to memorialize Jesus' crucifixion—and to prepare their hearts, minds, and souls for His miraculous Resurrection from the dead. During this sacred week, we acknowledge that the glory of Easter Sunday cannot come without the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on the cross. In His final hours on Earth, Christ willingly endured excruciating pain, torture, and execution on the cross out of a deep and abiding love for all His creation. Through His suffering, we have redemption. Through His death, we are forgiven of our sins. Through His Resurrection, we have hope of eternal life. On Easter morning, the stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty, and light prevails over darkness — signaling that death does not have the final word. This Holy Week, my Administration renews its promise to defend the Christian faith in our schools, military, workplaces, hospitals, and halls of government. We will never waver in safeguarding the right to religious liberty, upholding the dignity of life, and protecting God in our public square. As we focus on Christ's redeeming sacrifice, we look to His love, humility, and obedience — even in life's most difficult and uncertain moments. This week, we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon our beloved Nation. We pray that America will remain a beacon of faith, hope, and freedom for the entire world, and we pray to achieve a future that reflects the truth, beauty, and goodness of Christ's eternal kingdom in Heaven. May God bless you and your family during this special time of year and may He continue to bless the United States of America." 

President Donald J. Trump