Hank’s Place

Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

Here at Hank’s Place we love 2 Corinthians 5:17 and 21. They read, “Now, if anyone is enfolded into Christ, he has become an entirely new person. All that is related to the old order has vanished. Behold, everything is fresh and new.” And, “For God made the only one who did not know sin to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God through our union with him.”

If you have made Jesus your Savior, life has become an entirely new ball game. As the Passion Translation notes for verse :17: “This would include our old identity, our life of sin, the power of Satan, the religious works of trying to please God, our old relationship with the world, and our old mind-sets. We are not reformed or simply refurbished, we are made completely new by our union with Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.” And for verse :21, “This one verse is perhaps the greatest verse in the New Testament to describe our salvation through the sinless Savior and his substitutionary death on the cross. A wonderful divine exchange took place at the cross. All of our sins were left there, our guilt was removed and forever gone, and we walked away with all of God’s righteousness. …Every believer today possesses the perfect and complete righteousness of Christ. We are seen by the Father as righteous as his Son.” As righteous as His son. Whoa!

The Apostle Paul urges us to GROW in this new reality. To put off our old self, belonging to our old manner of life and put on the new, created in righteousness. Ephesians 4:22-24. Get out of those old duds, old lifestyle, and put on those righteous wedding garments!

Yes, wedding garments! Remember the parable of heaven Jesus told in Matthew 22 of the wedding feast? One person at the feast was not in wedding clothes. It was the custom at the time for the host of the wedding to provide proper garments for all the guests. The guest refusing the garments was tossed into outer darkness.

This is a real issue in churches today where many, for whatever reason, continue in their old identity. Persisting in old lifestyles can be deadly.

Just listen to Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11: “Surely you must know that people who practice evil cannot possess God’s kingdom realm. Stop being deceived! People who continue to engage in sexual immorality, idolatry, adultery, sexual perversion, homosexuality, fraud, greed, drunkenness, verbal abuse, or extortion—these will not inherit God’s kingdom realm. It’s true that some of you once lived in those lifestyles, but now you have been purified from sin, made holy, and given a perfect standing before God—all because of the power of the name of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and through our union with the Spirit of our God.”

Seriously put off – and put on – my friend; and help other believers do the same. They’ll — COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

I say, preach the good news. Not a preacher? Hey we ALL have been commissioned to preach the Good News of Jesus. Matthew 28:19, Mark 16:15. And there’s no limit on how we preach. We don’t even have to use words.

Paul tells Timothy to “preach the word” – “preach the truth” – “preach sound doctrine.” By that he means proclaim Jesus, the Living Word, for it’s Jesus who gives meaning to the written word. When we “preach sound doctrine,” we are telling people about Jesus Christ – who He is, why He came, and what He reveals about the character of God. It’s really Good News.

Paul cautioned Timothy that many were preaching something other than the Good News of Jesus, and in 2 Timothy 4:2–4 he warned that in time people will not want “sound doctrine” but want their ears “tickled.”

Who are those wanting to have their ears tickled? They are those who have the natural man on the throne of their lives. The natural man has no real interest in the things of God. In 2 Timothy 3 Paul lists some characteristics of these last days people, which include being lovers of self and money, without self-control, brutal haters of good, loving pleasure rather than God, yet holding to a form of godliness but denying the power of God to change lives. Example? Consider the struggles within the Methodist denomination and others regarding homosexuality.

There’s more. Messages that declare we’ve not gotten a passing grade in Christianity yet, are not good enough yet, had better study more, repent more, give more, sacrifice more, serve more — are NOT the Good News. Nor are messages that call us to rely upon our own strength and understanding. Nor messages with principles for living – keys to success. That if we do the right things and makes the right decisions we’ll impress God and be blessed.

Sound doctrine includes the message of repentance. How does one preach this message? I suggest with gentleness. For Romans 2:4 says, “Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” God’s kindness leads a person to repentance. Not harsh accusation. As Dr Paul Ellis writes, repentance is responding positively to God’s kindness and grace. Our repentance does not move God to forgive us. Rather, our repentance is a response to the love and forgiveness He has already shown us through His Son.

I urge you my friend, tell others about Jesus. Share the kindness of God. His lovingkindness. I am confident you can preach this word concerning Jesus in season and out. Yes you CAN, and in doing so you will help many others — COME ALIVE!

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In the Old Testament we kind of see Jesus. He is hidden in types, shadows, and prophecies of a wonderful coming king and kingdom.

In the New Testament we find Jesus revealed! First in the Gospels we see Jesus ‘and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,’ revealing the nature and character of God. Then in the book of Acts, sometimes called the 5th gospel, we find Jesus further revealed as He works through His Body of believers, the Church. Then in Revelation, sometimes called the 6th gospel, we see Jesus still further revealed as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, crowned in glory, all powerful, all conquering over evil, putting an end to darkness forever and creating a new heavens and earth — for us!

That last book of the Bible is entitled ‘the Revelation (singular) of Jesus Christ.’ If we read it with the intent to know Jesus more intimately, then we are reading the book with the purpose for which it was first and foremost intended. Some read it with an idea of seeing events described that happened right after the book was written. Others read it with the idea of tying it to current events, as if it were a future historical record of things to come. On earth. Some take the events and images as literal, others do not. For me, and I hope you, I want to know Jesus better with each reading! After all, it IS the revelation of Jesus Christ!

Before John is brought up to heaven to see ‘coming things,’ we find Jesus addressing 7 churches. The names are names of real churches that existed at John’s time. Seven. The number of completion. Are they words only for those 7 geographical churches at that time? Some say so. Are they words to all churches for all generations, like perhaps your church or mine today? Some say so. Are they a prophetic application of 7 distinct phases of church history from John’s time to when Jesus returns? Some say so. Some say these words are a personal application to individual believers who have ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to them. People like — you perhaps?

Each of these views have some basis in Scripture. Since you are here at Hank’s Place, let’s ask Hank what he does. Thanks for asking! Although it is not easy, I urge you to begin if you haven’t already, to give God your heart. With all the hurts we have experienced growing to adulthood, all of us have layers of protection against further hurt. God speaks to our hearts. How can we hear Him unless we open our hearts to Him?

Today, I urge you to do what Hank does: give Jesus your heart and read Revelation with the desire to know Him better. I am confident God will speak to you, that you will know Him better, and in doing so you’ll — COME ALIVE!

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There are wonderful insights to be found in scripture – insights which cause us to marvel and glorify God. For instance in Mark 14 Jesus is arrested and is brought before the high priest and religious leaders who aggressively question Him. It reads, beginning in verse 61: But He kept silent and did not offer any answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and said to Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Tearing his clothes, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him as deserving of death.”

Our new high priest, Jesus, standing face to face with the Old Covenant high priest. One is of the order of Aaron; the other of the order of Melchizedek. One a sinful man; the other, the sinless Son of God.

One of the requirements to be high priest is that you must never tear your clothes. If you do you disqualify yourself from the office of high priest. That obscure requirement is found in Leviticus 21:10. Caiaphas in tearing his clothes is now stepping aside (although he did not realize it) and God’s true High Priest was taking his place. What drama! The new replacing the old.

Paraphrasing Hebrews 8:13, the New Covenant with its better promises necessitates the abandonment of the inadequate Old Covenant!

Four ‘better promises’ in the New are found in Hebrews 8:10-12. Here they are:

1 Superior Power — the Promise of Regeneration and Inward Transformation
“For this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws into their minds,
And I will write them upon their hearts.” Hallelujah!

2 Superior Relationship — the Promise of a Secure Relationship with God with No More Apostasy
“And I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.” Hallelujah!

3 Superior Knowledge — the Promise of Universal Revelation and Knowledge of God based on Personal Experience
“And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, And everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ For all shall know Me, From the least to the greatest of them.” God does this for us hallelujah!

4 Superior Forgiveness — the Promise of Permanent Forgiveness of Sins Based on Finality of the Sacrifice of Christ Jesus
“For I will be merciful to their iniquities,
And I will remember their sins no more.” Hallelujah!

Today, consider these wonderful promises of Power, Relationship, Knowledge and Forgiveness. Then give a big shout out to Jesus, and — COME ALIVE!

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Recently I’ve been sharing with you about the grace of God – His mercies, forgiveness, His lovingkindness. He is a GOOD Father. I’ve shared that Jesus bore our sins and transgressions and took the punishment for ALL of them so we could be adopted into God’s own family with all the rights and privileges and favor of a first born son, hallelujah!

He has given us the Holy Spirit, the down payment of our inheritance, Ephesians 1:14. And in His amazing grace Jesus has also offered us the baptism in the Holy Spirit, that we could experience the powers of the age to come NOW, to change things for the good here on earth, for the Body of Christ, for others and for ourselves.

The Holy Spirit with His gifts were given on the day of Pentecost. These gifts were components of the ministries of the New Testament believer. Nowhere does Scripture indicate that any of the works of Jesus or His apostles should not be seen today. Now there are denominations that declare such things have passed once we received the completed Bible. That there is no longer any need once they authenticated Jesus Christ. No my friend, they are the weapons of our warfare to destroy strongholds of darkness. Just look around you my friend. See any darkness?

Hebrews 2:4 reads, concerning those who heard the words of our Lord Jesus, “Then God added His witness to theirs. He validated their ministry with signs, astonishing wonders, all kinds of powerful miracles, and by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which He distributed as He desired.” Not just the apostles but those who heard the Word.

Paul in speaking of his ministry to the gentiles wrote in Romans 15:19 “For many non-Jewish people are coming into faith’s obedience by the power of the Spirit of God, which is displayed through mighty signs and amazing wonders, both in word and deed.”

What was true in the years following Pentecost is true today. Scripture says Jesus is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33. So, if you haven’t already, ask Jesus, with faith, to baptize you in the Holy Spirit! You’ll COME ALIVE!

What? You say you’ve been taught you already have all the Holy Spirit Jesus has to give? That you received this baptism when you first believed? Well then, I invite you to exercise your faith. Strongly desire spiritual gifts as 1 Corinthians 14:1 commands. You have been qualified by God to receive and use them. So get going with them, for there are many who need — to COME ALIVE!

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Scripture firmly declares we are righteous new creations through Jesus’ work at Calvary. Our sins HAVE been removed; and in fact ALL sins past, present, and future have been paid for in full at Calvary.

Hebrews 8 states that under the New Covenant, God has written His laws upon our minds and hearts, giving us a knowledge of the Lord and His will, and giving us a desire to do His will, from our heart. And regarding any sinful actions on our part, God under the New Covenant says “I will be merciful toward their wrongdoings, and their sins I will no longer remember.” Hebrews 8:12.

This is God’s word, yet there is a lot of preaching and teaching out there that misses God’s amazing grace. Maybe you have heard that God keeps track of your sins. That if you sin you have broken fellowship with God and He will remain far away from you until you confess it and ask forgiveness. Maybe you have heard that God punishes or reprimands you with hardship or sickness. None of this is true!

In life we are growing into our new identity. We are working out who we really are. There is the worldly to put off and the godly to put on. Philippians 2:12; Ephesians 3 & 4.

We all stumble from time to time. We all make mistakes while growing. Even sin, not as a practice, but as an instance. When that happens, we may bear the consequences. The fruit of our actions and not God teaching us a lesson. Should you happen to sin dear friend, you have God’s word, “I will be merciful to their wrongdoing.”

So what happens at that time? God heals and restores us. He redeems us from the messes we have made; His grace abounds toward us, always, for NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. He does not apply the rod of correction or scourge us with sickness. Instead he reminds us who we are, His beloved children.

He does not punish us! All sin and its punishment was already placed upon His son Jesus, remember? Isaiah 53:5. Nothing we do – no matter how stupid or destructive – can separate us from God. Hebrews 13:5. We do not maintain our salvation. Jesus does, for He is our High Priest who intercedes continually for us. Hebrews 7:25.

So did you slip up and sin recently?
Does God remember that sin? No! Hebrews 10:17.
Does the Holy Spirit convict us of sin? No! In fact John 16:10 says he convicts us of our righteousness.
Does God withdraw from us until we confess our sins? No! Hebrews 13:5 again.

My Christian friend, have you been living under a condemnation cloud because of a sin that you stumbled into? Well throw it off! Thank Jesus for bearing all your sins. Come running into the Father’s presence to receive the mercy and grace you need at this time. You’ll COME  ALIVE!

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This world offers no end of things to do, steps to take, for us to try to get closer to God or experience God or be touched of God. Whatever. I’ve heard of bringing back past moves of God. What? The emergence of Revival hubs. Apostolic centers. Houses of prayer. Kingdom centers. Glory hubs. Wells of Revival. Healing rooms. One book author said, “Father is placing men and women in small towns and big cities to dig deep wells of revival and refreshing.”

Hmmm. I can’t speak to that, but I know there is only one thing that pleases the Father, and that is, yep: FAITH in God. Faith in His son as our Savior. Faith in His promises as true for all of us for all time. Not believing in any old thing, but having faith in God.

In Hebrews 3 and 4, we find the Israelites did not enter God’s rest because of unbelief. They died in the wilderness. Death by unbelief. Then the author exhorts us, saying God has set a certain time, a certain day: TODAY, to have faith in Him and enter His rest.

Hebrews 4:10 reads, “As we enter into God’s faith-rest life, we cease from our own works, just as God celebrates his finished works and rests in them.” Cease from our own works. He cautions us not to fall short by following the same pattern of doubt and unbelief as Israel did.

Most “centers” require you to go through their training, most of which is quite lengthy and expensive, before they qualify you in their program. Digging wells at your own expense. Have you been digging wells? Working hard, getting exhausted? Yet God still seems so distant? Trying to earn a healing? Trying to be worthy of a God experience? To be qualified in the eyes of men? You say you DO BELIEVE but you are not getting healed, experiencing miracles, prophetic gifts? Time to stop digging and enter his faith-rest!

What did the Canaanite woman do? She ASKED Jesus and her daughter was healed. What did the blind man do? He ASKED Jesus, and was healed.
The multitudes? They ASKED for themselves, family members, servants, and received.

Jesus in John 14:14 said, “If you ASK Me anything in My name, I will do it.” In John 16:23 He said, “…if you ASK the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.” There is no substitute for first having faith in God and then asking God.

Have faith in God, dear friend. Ask Him for what is needed, and receive. It is that simple. Ask today, keep on asking, and COME ALIVE!

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A single word can change everything. “Not guilty” in a courtroom – changes everything. “Fair” on the playing field – changes everything. A woman’s “Yes” to a marriage proposal – changes everything. Yet, there has never been a single-word spoken that has impacted history more than what Jesus said in John 19:30.

It reads, “Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

Found only in the Gospel of John, the Greek word translated “it is finished” is ‘tetelestai,’ an accounting term that means “paid in full.” Jesus was declaring the debt owed to His Father, the debt owed by mankind—the debt of sin, was paid in full. Jesus had made peace between God and man. The 300+ prophecies found in the Old Testament were fulfilled. Judgment of sin completed. Forgiveness completed. And His resurrection proved He was successful.

There’s more. ‘Tetelestai’ is in the perfect tense. That speaks of an action which has been completed in the past with results continuing into the present. It is saying “This happened and IT IS STILL IN EFFECT today.”

There’s still more! The Passion Translation includes the Aramaic: “When he had sipped the sour wine, he said, “It is finished, MY BRIDE!””

We can look at His last words, that all sin has been atoned for, God’s wrath satisfied, righteousness available, peace with God, and so forth — AND realize that BEYOND Jesus saying all the suffering on the Cross was done and over with, that He had an even GREATER thought in mind, as expressed in the Aramaic: His BRIDE. All this suffering was for – His BRIDE. His BRIDE.

What remains is for His Bride, that’s all who believe in Jesus, to make ourselves ready. Revelation 19:7. How? I suggest it is by putting on those robes of righteousness He has provided us, and RECEIVING ALL He has done for us! The Holy Spirit will help us, dear friend.

You see, the preparation of the Bride is a co-operation between the Holy Spirit, and the Bride. We find that in the Book of Esther where she prepared herself with the help of 7 maidens, a picture of completeness, the number 7, AND, the 7-fold spirit of God!

Do you doubt Jesus was thinking of His BRIDE at that time? Check out Hebrews 12:2 “who for JOY set before Him, (the JOY of a perfect, completely beautiful BRIDE) endured the cross, despising the shame….” Jesus saw His Bride, righteous, dressed in white, adorned and ready for Him beyond the cross. It was worth it all: eternal JOY, with His Bride, with us.

See His eyes – eyes of love – for you. How can you not reach out to Him right now? Yes, reach out — receive all He has to give you today, and COME ALIVE!

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Those serious about Yoga and other religions, strive to become one with – Their surroundings. Nature. Even the vast reaches beyond earth. The universe.

There’s that joke about the Buddhist monk who goes up to a hot dog vendor and says, “Make me one with everything.” The hot dog vendor hands over the hot dog and bun with all the trimmings, and the Buddhist hands over a twenty. The vendor pockets it. The Buddhist asks “Where’s my change?” and the vendor replies “change must come from within.”

Jokes aside, all other religions speak of YOU changing YOU, and at best feeling a oneness with nature.

What about Christianity? Well, what have I been sharing recently? That Jesus went to the Cross, bearing our sins and same and taking our punishment, that we would become one with Him, and in Him, and the same with God the Father, and that they would come and live within US!

It’s in the Bible! For example:
1 Corinthians 1:30 in the Good News Bible says he has brought you into UNION with Christ Jesus.
John 15:5 records Jesus saying, “I am the Vine, you are the branches” That’s UNION.
John 14:20 records Jesus saying, “I am in the Father, you are in me, I am in you.” That’s UNION with God.
John 14:23 records Jesus saying, “We will make our home in you.” Union. And Jesus did it, hallelujah!

Yes, Jesus has made it possible for us to become united with the CREATOR of the universe! And it is not our struggle, our efforts; this is a God thing. It’s what Jesus prayed, and Jesus’ prayers have never failed.

He prayed this? Look over His prayer in John 17:
“I pray for them all to be joined together as one even as you and I, Father, are joined together as one.”
“I pray for them to become one with us so that the world will recognize that you sent me.”
“For the very glory you have given to me I have given them so that they will be joined together as one and experience the same unity that we enjoy.”
“You (Father) live fully in me and now I live fully in them so that they will experience perfect unity.”

This is massive my friend. Are you experiencing even a little fraction of Jesus’ prayers and these Scriptures? Or is God far away to you?

A couple being married become one according to God’s word. They can believe it and live no longer as two individuals but as one. Or, they can live separate lives, two people living under the same roof, not as one but two, missing out on the fullness of marriage. Same with our being in union with God. It is a reality, so let’s not be unbelieving about it.

Dear friend, embrace the TRUTH today — You’ll COME ALIVE!

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There’s a 13th century proverb most everyone has heard. Benjamin Franklin wrote it this way,
“For the want of a nail the shoe (horseshoe) was lost,
For the want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For the want of a horse the rider was lost,
For the want of a rider the battle was lost,
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost,
And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail.”

One seemingly minor thing, can make all the difference in life!

This point was brought home to me recently as I was watching a tennis match on TV. The set score was 4 games to 3, and in the game being played the fellow with the 4 served to his opponent who could not return it. That would have won the game and made the set score 5 to 3. However, a spectator had cried “OUT” at the moment of the serve. The point had to be replayed. The opponent fellow won the point and then the game, making the set score 4 up. Had it been 5 games to 3, the next game would have won the match for the fellow who had been leading, but the match eventually went to a tie-break and the fellow with the 3 games originally won. One spectator, shouting out a one word, cost one point in one game of one set and it changed the outcome of the match.

What will be the outcome of our match? Our life here on earth? Will it be heaven or hell? Since the days of Adam we’ve been sinful wretches, bound up in sin, creatures of wrath. Unable to free ourselves, make ourselves right with God and earn our place in heaven. By grace, God predetermined that He would accomplish salvation for us. He would pay the price to eradicate our sins. He would do all that was necessary to make us His own sons and daughters. He would even go so far as to place us IN HIM!

So how do we avail ourselves of this wonderful salvation? What is that ‘one thing’?

Paul in Acts 16 told the Philippian jailer. “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household”
In Romans 10 he stated everyone who believes in Him, Jesus Christ, shall never be put to shame.
Jesus Himself told the disciples in Mark 11 to have faith in God. He challenged them about their faith in Him after rescuing them from the violent storm on the sea of Galilee in Mark 4.
The writer of Hebrews spends all of chapter 11 focused on those who found favor with God because of their faith in God.

That one word, JESUS, spoken in faith – as Savior, as Lord. If you haven’t already, do so now.

You’ll COME ALIVE!

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