Pastor Marc Bertrand

Victory in Jesus Victory in Jesus – Victory over Sin “Victory in Jesus” is an exciting topic to explore! Just saying those three words should bring joy to your heart. As a believer, what victory do we have in Jesus? None of us deserve forgiveness, but that is the amazing thing about grace! God loves us so much that He willingly took our sins to Calvary and nailed them to the cross. Romans 3:23 sa ys, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” He bore the burdens of my sin that day -- my sin, and yours -- so that we may have victory in Jesus through the blood that He shed on the cross. Jesus is waiting and willing to forgive you of your sins! It doesn’t stop there, however. Not only does He stand ready to forgive, He also forgets your sins! He graciously wipes the slate clean, transforms your heart and mind, and gives you the Holy Spirit to guide you. Victory in Jesus – Victory over Death and Life Challenges Praise GOD! Jesus was not defeated that day at Calvary! Satan ha...

Honor. A Christian co-worker came to me at work to say Hi in the cafe,and while we were talking she express her disappointment about a incident or an event of a Son making plans with His elder father in a senior citizen home.The plan was to take His father on a outing or to see the sights.A change of pace from the old age home for Him to move the old legs,and to put a smile on the old mans face. ,But the son did not show up or even give His elder father a call to explain what happen,and so no reason was given,and the father never got the outing he was looking forward to,and there was no smile on the face,but anger in his spirit ,and pain in his heart for this elderly man was hurt.There was not a call from His son to make other arrangements with His father for another time.It was like He threw His father away like His father now means nothing. This brings me to the commandments of God.In Exodus 20:12 where it says to honor thy Mother,and thy Father .Do we really understand what that com...

Good Samaritan. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is precipitated by and in answer to a question posed to Jesus by a lawyer. In this case the lawyer would have been an expert in the Mosaic Law and not a court lawyer of today. The lawyer’s question was, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25). This question provided Jesus with an opportunity to define what His disciples’ r elationship should be to their neighbors. The text says that the scribe (lawyer) had put the question to Jesus as a test, but the text does not indicate that there was hostility in the question. He could have simply been seeking information. The wording of the question does, however, give us some insight into where the scribe’s heart was spiritually. He was making the assumption that man must do something to obtain eternal life. Although this could have been an opportunity for Jesus to discuss salvation issues, He chose a different course and focuses on our relationships and what it mean...

Should We Be Baptized in Jesus’ Name Only? Should we be baptized in Jesus’ name only or in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Are there two different formulas for Christian baptism? Many have wondered why the book of Acts speaks of baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:16; Acts 19:5), whereas Jesus Himself told the disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all t he nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). These are not different ways of baptizing, as some suppose. “In the name of” The phrase “in the name of” means “by the authority of.” Whether “in the name of Jesus Christ” or “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” the meaning is the same. Either way, it means that when the apostles baptized someone, they were doing so by God’s authority. That is what the apostles were doing in the above references from the book of Acts. Those references do not tell us the exac...

What Is the Day of the Lord Mentioned in Bible Prophecy. Prophecies concerning the Day of the Lord can at times have a former and later fulfillment. What that means is that the messages of the ancient prophets applied in part to the people to whom they were preaching, but many of these prophecies also refer to a future time when God will intervene in the affairs of mankind—a time that is yet to o ccur. Many references to the Day of the Lord in the biblical books of Isaiah and Joel refer to punishment God poured out on ancient Israel and Judah. But when reading these prophecies, and comparing them with historical information, it is clear that they are dual in nature and were only partially fulfilled. These verses primarily look to the future when God will pour out His judgment on an unrepentant humanity before the second coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. In end time prophecy, the Day of the Lord comes after heavenly signs (Joel 2:31), which come after the Great Tribulation (Matthew 2...

Hidden Symbols in the Loaves and Fish. Yeshua fed a multitude of five thousand with five barley loaves and two small fish. What do the fish and the loaves represent? Why do we associate the fish-symbol with Yeshua? The Master asked the twelve, “How many loaves do you have?” They had none. He told them, “Go look” (Mark 6:38). Andrew located a young boy with a few wafers of bread and two small fis h. He said, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” (John 6:9). The Master said, “Bring them here to Me” (Matthew 14:18). The five loaves did not resemble large loaves of bread such as one might purchase at a bakery today. Rather the unleavened wafers of barley bread resembled small, flat pitas, each one, perhaps sufficient as one or two servings. The course barley bread, less expensive than wheat flour, made a staple for the poor. The two fish were probably dried sardines such as the fisheries from Magdala produced. The fish and loa...

WHO ARE THE 144,000? The 144,000 are an important group of people who play a vital role in the events that take place just before the Second Coming of Christ. They first appear in Revelation chapter 7. This chapter is a continuation of chapter 6, in which the various categories of people who will be judged in the “Investigative Judgment” are presented. You may want to read “What’s Going On in Rev elation Chapters 4 and 5?” and “What are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse” in order to get oriented to this concept. The last category of people to be presented in chapter 6 are the unbelievers who are alive at the time of the Second Coming of Christ. They are so terrified that they cry out to “the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16). In their rebellion and unbelief they can see nothing in Christ except exposure of their own guilt and sin, and they cannot imagine that anyone could stand to...

Does God Hide from Us? Or Do We Hide from Him? How many times have you heard Christians say (or heard the words from your own mouth), “So-and-so is not a Christian but he’s searching”? It is a common statement among Christians. The idea is that there are people all over the place who are searching for God. Their problem is that they just haven’t been able to find Him. He is playing hide-and-seek. He is elusive. In the Garden of Eden, when sin came into the world, who hid? Jesus came into the world to seek and to save the lost. Jesus wasn’t the one who was hiding. God is not a fugitive. We are the ones on the run. Scripture declares that the wicked flee when no man pursues. “The pagan trembles at the rustling of a leaf. The uniform teaching of Scripture is that fallen men are fleeing from God.” People do not seek God. They seek after the benefits that only God can give them. The sin of fallen man is this: Man seeks the benefits of God while fleeing from God Hi...

Appropriate Intimacy in Dating What is the Assemblies of God’s position on appropriate and inappropriate intimacy for Christians in dating and in premarital courtship (engagements)? It is commonly believed among Assemblies of God constituents that lenient attitudes toward sex before or outside of marriage are completely contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture. It is also felt that uncontrolled and irresponsible expressions of affection and sexual permissiveness are directly responsible for the breakdown of much in our society. Dating and Courtship Dating and premarital courtship as practiced in the 20th-century are entirely different from the process of mate selection in Bible days. In ancient times dating and courtship were virtually nonexistent. Marriages were arranged by fathers; and great importance was placed on family lines, histories, and dowries. Few in modern culture would care to return to the marriage system of ancient civilization. It is safe to say most of u...

"If an unmarried couple has sex, are they married in God's eyes?" It is true that sexual relations is the ultimate fulfillment of a couple becoming “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). However, the act of sex does not equal marriage. If that were so, there would be no such thing as premarital sex—once a couple had sex, they would be married. The Bible calls premarital sex “fornication.” It is repeatedly condemned in Scripture along with all other forms of sexual immorality (Acts 15:20 ; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:13,18; 10:8; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Jude 7). The Bible promotes abstinence before marriage as the standard of godliness. Sex before marriage is just as wrong as adultery and other forms of sexual immorality because they all involve having sex with someone other than your spouse. If an unmarried couple has sex, does that mean they are married? The Bible gives us no reason to believe this to be the case. The act of sexual relatio...

Appropriate Intimacy in Dating What is the Assemblies of God’s position on appropriate and inappropriate intimacy for Christians in dating and in premarital courtship (engagements)? It is commonly believed among Assemblies of God constituents that lenient attitudes toward sex before or outside of marriage are completely contrary to the clear teaching of Scripture. It is also felt that uncontrolled and irresponsible expressions of affection and sexual permissiveness are directly responsible for the breakdown of much in our society. Dating and Courtship Dating and premarital courtship as practiced in the 20th-century are entirely different from the process of mate selection in Bible days. In ancient times dating and courtship were virtually nonexistent. Marriages were arranged by fathers; and great importance was placed on family lines, histories, and dowries. Few in modern culture would care to return to the marriage system of ancient civilization. It is safe to say most of u...

Is Oral Sex Okay? This is such a milestone question,and it should be marked with an epic episode. You ask the questions,and we get a lot of questions about relationships, dating, marriage, and of course sex. And that leads to episodes that may not be suitable for all readers, and are really designed to be read to by married couples. Such is the case today. In this post. The question have arrived on the question of oral sex. The question is always the same: Pastor , is this practice permissible in a Christian marriage, or is it always sinful? Questions relating to sexual intimacy should, I think, be handled with what you might call verbal modesty, rather than shocking or crass words. I think dressing and talking in immodest ways are both ways. So that is kind of governing some of my language now. These are real concerns. I am okay with this question. It is a little bit difficult and sensitive, but it is okay. People want biblical guidance, and so here is my effort at biblical wisdo...

"How far is too far?" Many young people enter the dating world completely unprepared for the powerful emotions, desires, and temptations awaiting them. Even Christians firm in their conviction that sexual activity before marriage is off limits can be caught off guard by all the steps in between celibacy and intercourse. Abstinence teaching often fails by not being specific enough about the complexity of sexuality and the hidden dangers of “messing around.” There is no definitive answer to the question “how far is too far?” If our goal is to go as far as we can in good conscience, we may already be facing moral defeat. Anytime we approach sin with the attitude of “how close can I get before I have to repent?” we are setting ourselves up for failure. For a Christian, the question should be “how can I keep my heart and my thoughts honoring to God in this dating relationship?” And better still is the Christian who wonders, “How can I protect the purity of the person I am dat...

Don't Play Games With God In Acts 4:32-5:11, we learn a little about life as an early Christian. It was a time when unity of heart and mind came together and culminated in the sharing of possessions and resources. Yet even then, these passages show two very different kinds of people. Both claimed to be "Christian", yet one was a positive model, and the other a very negative model. On the surface, they seem the same, but nothing could be further from the truth. The positive model was named Barnabas. A man with a sincere faith, who was generous and truthful. The Bible says that he sold some land, and donated the entire amount to the Church. No one forced him to do so, it was in his heart to give. Barnabas may have been the inspiration behind Paul's instruction in 2 Corinthians 9:7, "You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. 'For God loves a person who gives cheerfully....

JUST A THOUGHT For all of the unlearnt Christians.I was sitting in my office today,and a thought came to my mind. I was thinking of all the Christians who believe that there church can save them or they can be saved from the judgement to come or the structure of the building can save them on judgement day.You better wake up,and wake up soon,and very quick.The structure of the building cannot save you for it's not the church you are in.You better wake up from your sleep.For church people cannot save themselves or save the church by themselves on the day of judgement. Worse! if you're one of those who believe that the Pastors words can save you BAD NEWS,he cannot even save himself from the wrath to come if he's living a life that is contrary to the word of GOD ,so what are you going to believe.I believe that's the question?. . ,And just in case you do not know or you're not sure.The answer is quite clear THE WORD OF GOD the Holy word of God,b...

MY OPINION!? I am curious here for one of the BIGGEST lies that individuals in the body of Christ tell each other in the church daily or on the sabbath when they come together to worship. Is that they claim to have the love of God within them,and that is a blatant lie of the HIGHEST kind. The reason WHY I say this is founded in ( Psalms 51:5 : Kjv ( Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me) ,So this only means that a diluted version of a carnal human understanding of fickleness is what is given to us as we're growing up,and lied to,and told that this is love.This falesness or lies becomes us,and this is what we give each other,and call it the love of God,and that is where the BIG lie comes in. ,So the sad part here is that this kind of love,and the love of GOD they do not match,and the character references of each of them are not even close. Revelation 3:17 (Niv) 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do no...