Category: Hank’s Place

Welcome to Hank’s Place —

When I turned to Jesus in 1976 it was honeymoon time! God the Father loved me! Jesus made His home in me thru the Holy Spirit! I was soaring, in love with God who loved me!

Then the law guys began their subtle work on me. “Gotta get things right, Hank.” “Right living is needed in order to please God and be blessed by Him.” Talk about pressure to perform! I became SELF-conscious. Was I doing it right, or done enough to please God? You see, I had grown up believing I was unable to please my father. At best he would grump. Or angry silence. Or “Why’d you do that? You should know better.”

I believed I could not please my earthly dad. Yikes! Now what about my Heavenly Dad? Impossible! Every preaching teaching leading opportunity brought with it pressure, tension, headaches – lots of headaches. Condemnation city.

I had become a law-man, a ‘gotta get things right’ man. Listening to the law teachers. Law teachers measure success, our religious progress, in avoiding sin, for sin is breaking of the law. “The law” these days refers to rules or regulations that define some standard of right living.

Churches and denominations are fond of packaging these rules as laws. Keeping the Ten Commandments, the teachings of Jesus, denominational or church traditions or practices. They might cover – church attendance, giving, moral conduct, dress codes, hair length, diet, spiritual disciplines, women in ministry, listening to music, communion, confession, etcetera.

At that time only thing I knew about ‘grace’ was how to spell it. Then – graciously – God delivered me from a childhood demon of unworthiness. And slowly I began to grow in the grace of God and find freedom from the Law.

Yes, for us Christians we can find LIFE, abundant life, the life found only in Christ Jesus. Regarding religious laws: “We died to the law.” Romans 7:4. “We have been released from the law.” Romans 7:6. “We are not under law” Romans 6:14 and Galatians 5:18. And “Christ is the end of the law for all who believe.” Romans 10:4.

Dear friend, are you, like I was, struggling to “get things right” in the sight of God? Then it it is time to reckon yourself to dead to any and all religious laws. The law has no jurisdiction over the believer who has died with Christ.

Then, grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus! Receive that free gift of righteousness to reign in life. Romans 5:17.

You know what? You’ll COME  ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place —  

In these times of political, national, world unrest it is easy to feel insecure and uncertain. But what about eternity, our eternal destination?

I’ve shared many times that the Cross has changed everything. At the Cross Jesus took the sins of humanity, and their punishment. In exchange, for those who would BELIEVE this GOOD NEWS, Jesus has imparted HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

As Romans 8:1 declares, “So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.” Eternally uncondemned.

Through Jesus we have been liberated from the “law” of sin and death. Our having to make ourselves acceptable to God. Every righteous requirement of the law has been fulfilled through the Anointed One living His life in us.

But if you think you can sin all you want and still get to heaven, well, I wonder if you are born again, for Paul throughout his epistles basically says, “You ARE NO LONGER an unbeliever, a sinner, so don’t act like one. Having nothing to do with the old life that you came out of, lest you fall back into the old ways.”

We have been joined to the Spirit of the Anointed One. Now Christ lives His life in us!
We have received the “Spirit of full acceptance,” enfolding us into the family of God. We should never feel orphaned. Listen! Can you hear the Holy Spirit whispering, “You are God’s beloved child!” Romans 8:16.

Dr Paul Ellis has compiled over 130 New Testament promises guaranteeing our eternal security. A link to these are found in my message description.

Here are just a few:
Hebrews 13:5 – He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,”
John 6:37 – Everyone that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out.
John 14:16-17 – I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever…(and) you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.
Hebrews 10:17 – And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no longer.

AND –
Revelation 3:5 – The one who overcomes (and that is those who believe in Jesus) will be clothed the same way, in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels.

God’s got us believers, dear friend. He is keeping us safe – and secure. Be confident.

And COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

Psalm 68:20 says, “God is to us a God of deliverances; And to God the Lord belong escapes from death.” We saw that happen with Donald Trump 8 days ago. I like the way Detroit Pastor Lorenzo Sewell at the RNC defined God’s sovereignty as His being Almighty God who can do what He wants when He wants; and His providence, Divine Providence, is God’s doing what He wants, when He wants – for YOU! In this case, Donald Trump.

In my July 4th message I asked the question: “Could God be at work cleaning house, changing the spiritual atmosphere in America?” I thought so and asked that we PRAY for that change.

Since then we have seen God’s divine intervention for Donald Trump. A Republican National Convention where I heard speakers call upon God, call upon our Lord Jesus Christ, and declare America is One Nation – Under God. I could hardly believe my ears – politicians calling upon God for His help!

One morning this week as I was thinking of America, this thought came to me, “Truly I have heard the cries of My people. Behold, I am making all things new. You will see the enemies of My people wither, dry up and disappear before your eyes. Strongholds are falling.”

I was reminded of the promises of God found in Psalm 37. Here are 3 of them:

Verses 1 & 2: Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers!
For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb.

Verses 10 thru 13: In just a little while, the wicked will be no more; though you look carefully at his place, he will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace. The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.

And verses 35 & 36: I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree. But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.

So, today, let’s continue to pray. For God’s divine intervention. Fulfillment of His promises. His rescue of America. And for you and me, the word is RECONCILE. While God does His work, let us RECONCILE people to Him. At one time we all were enemies of God. Yet He sent His son to reconcile us to Him. May we help others become reconciled to God through Jesus.

After all, it is everyone’s day – to COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

Listen to 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 from the Passion translation.

“Now, it is God himself who has anointed us. And He is constantly strengthening both you and us in union with Christ. He knows we are His since He has also stamped His seal of love over our hearts and has given us the Holy Spirit like an engagement ring is given to a bride—a down payment of the blessings to come!”

Awesome words! And promises! He has stamped His seal of love over our hearts my friends! Also, I’ve read that God has sealed believers with a seven-fold seal: 

(1) a seal of security, sealed tightly and kept secure in God’s love, 

(2) a seal of authentication that marks us as God’s very own, 

(3) a seal to certify genuineness, 

(4) a seal of ownership, 

(5) a seal of approval, 

(6) a seal of righteousness,

(7) a seal denoting a promise to be fulfilled.

I’ve provided the Scripture references in my program description.

The mark given by the beast is upon the forehead and hand, indicating thoughts and actions of the natural man, but the seal of Christ is over our hearts. Jesus, our Bridegroom, invites us to place Him over our hearts like a fiery seal of love, the jealous flame of God that burns continually in our hearts. Song of Solomon 8:6. 

We are born of the Spirit, sealed with the Spirit, indwelt by the Spirit, baptized in the Spirit, filled with the Spirit, made one in the Spirit, that is, become unity with God, which is beyond comprehension, given gifts of the Spirit, and given ministries by the Spirit. 

The Holy Spirit is a promise, a seal, and a guarantee of receiving our full inheritance. Notice in these verses 21 and 22 that the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are involved in bringing all this to pass.

Why am I saying all this? That you might realize God loves you and has laid hold of you. Firmly. Positively. Approvingly. Eternally. Marked you as belonging to Him. Forever. He is never letting you go! You are His! And He is helping you grow by the Spirit into your eternal destiny. You are not forsaken, not forlorn, not judged inadequate, not inferior, not a failure. 

So jump up out of the mire. Shout a holy hallelujah — and COME ALIVE!

Scripture references to believers being sealed (courtesy Passion translation)
(1) Deut. 32:34; Job 14:17; Matt. 27:66
(2) 1 Kings 21:8; Est. 8:10; John 6:27
(3) Est. 8:8, 10; John 3:33
(4) Neh. 10:1; Jer. 32:44; 2 Cor. 1:22
(5) Eph.1:13-14
(6) Rom. 4:11
(7) 2 Cor. 5:5; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30

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Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

Did you celebrate America’s Independence Day this 4th of July? Here we thanked God for the freedoms we have in this wonderful country.

The Spaniards came centuries ago looking for gold and eternal life, as in the ‘fountain of youth.’ The English came looking for wealth from profitable trading down in Jamestown, Virginia.

But the group that left their enduring mark were the God-fearing Pilgrims who left England seeking religious freedom, to worship God other than as dictated by the Church of England. They landed at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts, and before debarking they crafted the Mayflower Compact, which was the first time in history that free and equal men voluntarily in writing covenanted with GOD and each other to create their own civil government.

The New World settlement grew and in 1776 declared independence from England. It was very difficult, but independence was achieved. The new country crafted amazing documents of government, such as the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. Now 248 years later, we are in the most difficult battle for survival as a free and God fearing nation since the Civil War.

Only faith in God keeps me steady as I look around at the condition of America. Especially after watching the recent presidential debate with all the media and political freaking out, afterward!

I urge YOU dear friend, to have your faith anchored in our faithful GOD. Remember His mercy, lovingkindness. His grace. Do not be disturbed from your composure by mere men, media, or politicians. God rules.

Could GOD be at work cleaning house, changing the spiritual atmosphere in America? I think so; we could use the change! Let’s PRAY for the change! Remember, as believers in Jesus Christ we belong to His body. We are in union with Him thanks to His work at Calvary. He has promised to answer our prayers – see John 14 and 16. We can come boldly before God for His throne has become one of grace – Hebrews 4:16.

Under the New Covenant the only conditional aspect to having our prayers answered is that of having FAITH in Him. FAITH that His sacrifice was sufficient. FAITH that He hears our prayers. And will answer them, hallelujah.

Do not, as so many believers do, think they have to get back under the OLD COVENANT to get their prayers answered. They pull out 2 Chronicles 7:14, “IF My people will humble themselves, you know, turning from their wicked ways, etc, THEN will God answer.” NO NO NO. NO! All conditions were met by Jesus at Calvary! We are in Christ Jesus and are New Covenant masterpieces of RIGHTEOUSNESS because of the shed BLOOD. We pray, God hears, God answers.

Believe it. America’s best days, and yours, and mine, lie ahead. So PRAY — and COME ALIVE!

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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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