PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: SIN IS A SIN

Difficult issues of today’s society are often avoided from the church pulpit.  Pastors and ministers do not want to hurt feelings and tread on toes in fear of losing congregation membership.  Pastor John Collins of Love That Cross Ministries does not hold back on any “hot topic” that is an offense to God.  In general, most church sermons and pastors’ preaching have become a cool zone.  Pastor John Collins will tell you he is not politically correct, Jesus Christ was not politically correct and not preaching and teaching the TRUTH from the pulpit is NOT pleasing God. Cushioning the truth behind what society deems acceptable is leading a congregation to complacency and acceptance of sin.  According to Pastor John, “men have interjected their will upon the people and Christianity has suffered. Religion will get you nowhere if you are complying with the traditions of men while ignoring the commandments of God.” 

Abortion, drugs, addictions, hate and racism are all part of society today.  Lies, gossip, slander, pride and ego are all part of everyday life.  These are the hard topics that pastors MUST talk about to their congregations in order to teach TRUTH.  Pastor John Collins does exactly that.

God sent Jesus to teach and preach God’s Law.  Jesus went about the countryside, living and talking among the sinners, not the ones who were self-righteous in what was taught and conceived as law by man.  Men took God’s Law from the time it was written on the tablets by Moses and twisted it to their uses and purposes.  These were the priests and holy men of the time, people who were looked to as examples of faith and religious conviction to the Jews.  Jesus came and taught what was right: kindness, love, looking after those who had need, the poor-everything wrapped up into the commandment of love your neighbor as yourself.  In other words, treat others the way you want to be treated if you were in their place. Jesus taught that what was of this world is sin.  Two thousand plus years later, Pastor John Collins began his ministry of revival in Wyoming with Love That Cross.  The very same lessons from Jesus are the lessons that Pastor John preaches in his revivals. Abortion is murder. Drugs and alcohol and addictions are gluttony, among other issues associated with them.  Hate and racism has no place in God’s creation-there is only ONE race-the HUMAN RACE.  Pastor John Collins teaches that these sins are no different than lying, cheating, or stealing. A sin is a sin, one is no worse than another in the eyes of God.  Pastor John teaches that as Christians, we do need to be tolerant, but we also need to be aware of our faith and where our hearts are in relation to the sin that is being witnessed. It is not up to us to bombard others with our faith and beliefs, but we also have to be cautious to not conform to their beliefs.  Pastor John says that we must know as Christians what our beliefs are so that we do not compromise what is in our minds and in our hearts.

Pastors, ministers, reverends, preachers are held to a higher accountability according to the Bible.  Pastor John takes that accountability seriously; God comes first in his life. Jesus taught to be aware of “false prophets”, those that look like a Christian pastor, but inside are truly a predator, a wolf in sheep’s’ clothing. Jesus taught that there was only one way to get to Heaven and that was through Him.  Pastor John preaches that pastors on the pulpit who do not know how to get to Heaven and preach otherwise, or who are there for profitable gain and not to save souls should not be on a pulpit.  The Bible very clearly shows that “there is only one way to get to the Father, God Almighty, the Creator of the Universe. That is through Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior who died on the Cross for us and became the pure sacrifice on our behalf so that He could pay the price for our sin and conquer death and Satan once and for all; that by our belief in Him and our seeking forgiveness through Him, we are permitted access to the Father and the kingdom of heaven.” These words of Pastor John’s call it like it is.

Pastor John challenges pastors to preach without crib notes for a change. Instead of meticulously writing out a lengthy sermon or a tick list, set to fill a specific allotted time during a church service, preach from the heart.  Let go of the restriction of the mind and preach FILLED from the HEART by GOD’s WORD.  God wants us to know Him, to FEEL the Spirit within.  Pastors who are truly serving God CAN preach, just like the apostles of Jesus’ time, speaking from the HEART, where the Spirit lives.  It can be done without preparation and the fanfare of technology.  One simply must TRUST God and Jesus to put the words in their heart and then speak it on their behalf.  Pastor John challenges those same pastors to search their hearts and minds and take a stand, once and for all, on the difficult issues.  What are the difficult issues?  Sin.  The pulpit has become a soapbox to profess the love of God and Jesus, and sugar coats the reality of the Resurrection.  Sin is what keeps us from that beautiful awful sacrifice of Jesus’ life for us to be able to have eternal life with God, not eternal life in Hell with Satan. Sin has become a topic of distaste.  If pastors don’t preach from the heart, don’t talk about the difficult issues of gossip, being a busybody, lies, resentment, adultery of the heart, abortion, gluttony, greed, addictions and how it all keeps us from sharing in the grace of God through His Son Jesus, then there is no Hope.  Pastor John knows that there is Hope, and in order to bring revival, there has to be change and the difficult issues have to be faced head on.  That time is NOW.

Pastor John’s revivals confront us to take our faith seriously, to not take the Bible lightly, and to not take our belief in Jesus for granted.  The society we live in is chaotic and confusing.  So many people do not know God, do not know Jesus, and do not know the Bible.  Even those who say they know the Bible and who “know” Jesus are not as educated in the Bible as they think they are.  The lack of knowledge allows Satan to mislead many people who say they are Christians away from God and away from Jesus. Pastor John teaches that God wants us back, He wants us back Home with Him.  The only way to do this is to get back into the Bible by reading it and by coming to know Jesus and what He teaches that is written in that Bible as a blueprint for how to live. Pastor John teaches that obedience to God and to Jesus is the only way we are going to get back Home to God.  We have to stand firm in the truth, facing the hard issues with the armor of faith in God, trusting that we are held FIRMLY in His hands.

“God is never secondary in my life, He is always Primary”- Pastor John Collins.

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: God Matters!

Pastor John Collins, head pastor of Love That Cross Ministries, is one of the 15 most influential pastors living today.  Inspirational Faith Magazine  highlighted the ministry of Pastor John Collins.  His faith is unwavering and inspirational.  His preaching is spiritual and moving.  His style is vibrant and animated. He is a fresh and honest example for evangelism, revival, and renewal that is sweeping the United States.

Pastor John is a man of God and he lives to serve God.  He was not always a Christian and didn’t believe in God.  For the past ten years, Pastor John has grown into an outspoken, dynamic evangelist, very much like a modern day Billy Sunday of the 1930’s.  Late last month, Pastor John Collins heard God tell him to walk for Him. Pastor John is quoted to say “Was sitting Sunday watching the Cubs play when I felt GOD tell me to walk for him” and he believes that when God asks Pastor John to do something, Pastor John obeys.  Creating a sign which says “Blessed are the peacemakers, BLUE LIVES MATTER, GOD MATTERS,” Pastor John Collins walked 19 miles the next day in the July heat. Pastor John did not look for attention for that walk, but people did notice and have spread that message across the country by social media.  “GOD MATTERS.”

Too many times, God asks us to act for Him and we ignore Him or we don’t hear His voice.  That quiet voice is drowned out by a chaotic world that is noisy and all too quick to turn its back on the One who created it.  Pastor John Collins is not ashamed to profess his faith.  Pastor John does not ignore that quiet voice. Pastor John does not turn his back on God.  Pastor John Collins will take a firm and unshakeable stand on the difficult issues that are facing this country.  That stand takes guts and courage. That stand includes taking a sign across country, 19 miles, to tell people “GOD MATTERS”. 

Pastor John is NOT a marathon runner.  He DOES NOT devote hours every day to working out to improve his stamina or increase his strength.  Pastor John is very much an average man of middle age.  Pastor John did not have time to have a professional sign created to catch the eye or to promote the appearance of God’s task.  Pastor John did not have any specially made footwear or athletic clothing to accomplish God’s task.  Most people struggle to walk two miles on any given day as a form of exercise for their health benefits. Pastor John simply felt God’s call, got up the next day and began walking.  He did not know when he started out just how many miles he would walk.  His goal was to walk to the next town, carrying a sign that stated “GOD MATTERS”.  That next town was 19 miles away: not two miles or five miles, but 19 miles.  

What is so special about walking 19 miles carrying a sign?  

Most Americans take about 20 to 45 minutes to go 20 miles in a car, depending upon where they live. In a days’ time when Jesus Christ lived, the average distance covered by Jesus and the disciples was about 1 or two miles to get from one town to another.  Pastor John walked those 19 miles unconditionally without any special preparation in advance, without any special training, without any specially designed clothing, and without any advance notice to media to bring awareness to his mission.  Pastor John did it many of us because he knows with all his heart that GOD MATTERS in everything.

How have the dedication to anything that would inspire us to get up and go do something without any preparation or planning in advance?  Most churches take months to go from suggestion to implementation of a decision.  Most people don’t have the enthusiasm to participate in something like a marathon or competition without months of preparation and planning.  Pastor John is dedicated to God.  GOD MATTERS so much in Pastor John’s life that he did what he was asked and then paid a physical price of discomfort for days. The message here is that God really wants us as a country and a people.  He hasn’t given up on us even though society on the whole has given up on Him. Pastor John’s message is very simple:  God should count in our everyday lives, whether it’s while watching a baseball game or when we are in the depths of misery.  GOD MATTERS and He wants to be part of our lives unconditionally.  

Pastor John Collins will tell you candidly that he is not politically correct, but he IS biblically correct.  What was written over 2000 years ago in the Holy Bible is just as applicable today as it was when it was written.  God mattered then and GOD MATTERS now. The Holy Bible holds records of men and women who were called by God to perform and complete what to us were impossible tasks. Those men and women had faith that barely exists in today’s world.  Pastor John demonstrated a rock solid belief that God moved him to walk for Him. Pastor John’s rock solid faith allowed him to walk 19 miles in the heat of a summer day to serve God, without any special preparation or fanfare, to spread the message that “GOD MATTERS.”

Pastor John Collins gives us all an extraordinary example of how to obey and honor God.

To Pastor John, “GOD MATTERS.”  Pastor John Collins chooses to serve God by obedience to what God asks of Pastor John.  God has played an important role in Pastor John Collins' life for over 10 years.  Pastor John will tell you that he was once so far from the Cross that he needed binoculars to see it.   But now, by the Grace of God and all that He has blessed Pastor John with, Pastor John Collins will tell you that he has splinters in his hands from clinging to that Cross. GOD MATTERS.

With God, everything is possible.  Peace, ending violence, ceasing chaos, living in harmony is not a fairy tale or an impossible dream.  Pastor John Collins wants as many people to know that God knows what is happening here in the United States and around the world.  His message of GOD MATTERS is meant to reach everyone, everywhere.  What God wants, according to Pastor John Collins, is for us as people to get to know God again. We have all stepped so far away from God that we have forgotten that He really does exist. GOD MATTERS.  Pastor John will tell you that God wants us to read the Holy Bible again, that He wants us to talk to Him again.  Pastor John preaches that God sent Jesus Christ to us as our salvation and our hope.  Pastor John preached that hope through his walk for God with the simple message “GOD MATTERS”.

You can read excerpts from his sermons and Facebook archives of daily devotionals by clicking on http://lovethatcrossministries.blogspot.com. Pastor John Collins through Love That Cross Ministries that began in Wheatland, Wyoming has preached across the country, from Idaho to Wyoming, Georgia to North Carolina and many places in between with the message that GOD MATTERS.

Pastor John Collins says“It’s time for us to get to know GOD again. GOD MATTERS, BELIEVE THAT.”

LOVE THAT CROSS MINISTRIES, PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: COME BACK TO THE CROSS

"the End is near."

On any given Christian based television or radio program you will hear preachers exclaiming that “THE END TIMES” are here in the world and that Jesus Christ is going to come back and take Christians to Heaven any day now.  It stirs a sense of fear in people who do not believe in God, people who want to know why they feel something is missing in their lives but don’t know what it is. Those people do not know that God even exists. Sadly, this is the same message that has been repeated over and over for decades by doomsday sayers. 

Pastor John Collins of Love That Cross Ministries will agree that today’s world is worse than Sodom and Gomorrah of the Old Testament, but Pastor John feels that God wants the people of the world to ALL have a last chance at the Hope of salvation through Jesus Christ and His resurrection.  Pastor John Collins began his ministry with the faith and knowledge that God wants people to come back to Him.  Person by person, church by church, the world has turned from God.  Pastor John Collins’ mission has been to reach out to people and churches across the United States, one person at a time, one church at a time to bring renewal of faith and hope in God and Jesus Christ. Pastor John Collins knows that it is not yet the time of Revelation as written in the Holy Bible, but it IS a time of REVIVAL and RENEWAL.

Love That Cross Ministries began in Wyoming, focusing on the message of REVIVAL.  In his first revival through Love That Cross Ministries in Wyoming communities came together to worship and celebrate the presence of God through music and witnessing. From a small town in the west, over 600 people attended the free concert and heard a message of hope and salvation by well-known entertainers from around the country.  Pastor John’s message is compelling-there is STILL Hope for everyone through the salvation by Jesus Christ and His resurrection.  It is selfish for Christians to pray for Jesus Christ to return with so many people in the United States and the world not even knowing who God is and who Jesus Christ is.  In order to please God, we need to revive FAITH. God wants us back, and that means as many as possible, not a select few.

A REVIVAL of FAITH does not come overnight.  The deterioration of faith did not happen overnight.  Pastor John Collins will tell you to take a look at the history of the United States.  This is a paraphrased excerpt from Pastor John Collins’ radio programming:  A country that was founded on the premise of freedom no longer values those freedoms!! God blessed the men and women who settled the United States and established a nation that was based on faith in God!!  But now, for more than 50 years, the United States has increasingly kicked GOD out of everyday life!! In the 1960’s prayer and devotions were taken out of the public school system because it offended a child!! Today Christian youth have to seek special permission to worship God publically during school hours!  The freedom of religion and freedom of speech within schools is NO FREEDOM at all.The United States court houses have been mandated across the country to take the Ten Commandments down from the buildings.  The Ten Commandments are the foundation of justice, sent from GOD who is JUST and FAIR. God has been banned from courts whose JUSTICE is not based on faith in GOD but on what is POLITICALLY CORRECT. Faith within families has been cast aside for more alluring attractions like television programing, computer games, social media, and technology that are EMPTY of the Word of God and the values that were taught by Jesus Christ. Churches have kicked God out, putting emphasis on profit, congregation size, and performances of the people on the pulpit rather than building FAITH and FEEDING THE SOUL to prepare for eternal life, not the life that we live HERE. Pastor John’s message in that radio programming is sadly on target.  We as a country have kicked God out of every part of our everyday lives.  God does not force Himself into our lives; He waits with Jesus to be invited in.  Our society is the way it is because we turned our back on God.

As a country, we are getting exactly what we are asking for from God.

Pastor John Collins has devoted Love That Cross Ministries to reviving the Word of God and the Hope of Jesus Christ across the United States.  He believes that God wants this country to have a chance through revival, one person at a time, one church at a time. Televangelists do preach that there is REVIVAL and RENEWAL crossing the United States.  The REVIVAL that is needed, according to Pastor John, is one of individual faith.  Without healing ourselves first, we cannot heal a church or a community. We need to turn ourselves back toward God in order for God to turn our country around.  We need to come humbly before God and seek His forgiveness so that we can REVIVE our country.  It isn’t about politics and doing what won’t offend people, it isn’t about being POLITICALLY CORRECT.  Pastor John Collins and many other preachers will tell you:  JESUS CHRIST was not POLITICALLY CORRECT!!! Being POLITICALLY CORRECT is not going to save your soul and it’s not going to save the United States. 

Pastor John Collins passionately preaches that in order for us to have REVIVAL in our country, we need to get down on our KNEES in PRAYER.  PRAYER is the way to REVIVAL.  REVIVAL is needed for our salvation. The only way we are going to turn this country around, one person at a time, is to seek the SALVATION that faith in GOD and JESUS CHRIST offers.  Pastor John will bluntly tell you it isn’t about sending money to a televangelist to pray for us.  He will tell you it isn’t about simply going to church and sitting in a pew on any given Sunday.  It IS about REVIVAL of your faith and doing what God wants and Jesus taught by getting your knees dirty, by caring about others, by helping the poor, by walking, living and acting your faith EVERY DAY, not just on Sunday. We have to come back to the Cross, and LOVE the Cross for what was given there for us by a God who is THERE and is WAITING for us to turn back to Him in REVIVAL and FAITH.

 In the words of Pastor John: “BELIEVE THAT!!”