Relationship with God

When preaching, I often speak about having a relationship with God. I talk about the importance of developing, and sustaining the relationship. This should be paramount and priority in the life of every Christian. You can't have a relationship with God without spending time with Him and studying His word. Just like you can't get physically fit without exercising and eating right. You need both. If you eat right, but don't exercise at all, your muscles get weaker and your skin may become saggy. If you only exercise, your arteries and organs become polluted by the content of your poor food choices. One works on the outside, the other works on the inside. Both are important, and work well in tandem. You can't continue doing neither, or only one of them and expect grand, sustainable results.

Spiritually, spending time with God softens us; it breaks away the layers of cynicism, hurt, and pessimism added onto us by our circumstances and environments.  Being in the Master's presence gives us the heart power we need to love Him and others. Adopting His love allows us to not only love others, but also helps us to forgive. This is because, "love covers a multitude of sin." 1 Peter 4:8. How do we spend time with Him? Enter into His presence? We do this by Praying, Serving, Praising, and Worshiping Him. Singing and playing music is a great conduit for this, but not necessary. You can enter His presence by simply talking with Him. He wants to hear from you.

Studying His word increases faith (faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God Romans 10:17) and we need faith to please Him. It also helps us to recognize His voice. (My sheep know my voice..) That word 'know' is the same as when "Adam knew Eve" and "depart from me I never knew you". It's a word that signifies intimacy. We must really consider if we know Him. Have we studied enough to where we can distinguish His voice amongst the competing noise of the world? How to accomplish this? Get yourself a good study bible. Get a version that you can understand. Do not feel bad, or embarrassed if the wording is complicated, or difficult to understand. The point of a study bible is found in the margins. For example, in many of them, much of the historical significance is explained in the margins. Also, references and definitions (or where to find them) can be found in the margins. You can, and should seek others who are like-minded. In other words, get into a bible study group.

There are many translations and versions. The more you study, the more you'll understand. He will speak to you through His word. He will reveal Himself, and His will to you as you read. Why do you need both? Well, if you only study you might become legalistic, dogmatic, and unfeeling. This is a problem today, but also happened a lot to people in the Bible. If you only pray, praise, and worship you might be deceived or swayed (tossed to and fro as in Ephesians 4:13-14) due to a lack of knowledge and spiritual maturity. We must do both! Spend time with the Father by praising, serving, worshipping, and praying...AND studying His word. Really get into the Bible, and see what He wants to say to you through His word. Get to 'know' Him. Get intimate with Him.

We love you, and we are praying for you. 

~Pastor, Dr. Erroyl McGinty, Jr.
SALT

Sis. Pinky's Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, thank you for drawing us close to you. May we never become complacent in our relationship with you. We love you and give you praise!

In Jesus’ name, 

Amen

(Please contact us if you would like suggestions on versions of the bible, and local bible study groups. We are always happy to point you in the right direction. The chart below is a spectrum, and can help you get started)
Link to chart.

The Big Switch

In 2020-

Christ is Risen!

In quarantine-

Christ is Risen!!

Amid Covid-19-

Christ is Risen!!!

For such a time as this-

Christ is Risen Indeed!!!!

Good morning SALT of the Earth. 

This lesson is on what I call, “The Big Switch”. 

Today, you will ignorantly hear thousands of “Happy Easters”.  The same way you ignorantly, and erroneously heard people say “Happy” Good Friday, and/or “Happy” Passion Week. Don’t be mad with them. Understand their act for the ignorance it is. They may not true Believers, as they claim, and so wouldn’t know.  Also, many churches have never actually taught on this. There has been lots, and lots of preaching on this. But, little to no real “teaching”. That ignorance is pervasive.  And yes, tha is an indictment against the church. We must do better, and hold teachers of the word accountable. 

     The reason we don’t say those things is because they trivialize what Jesus went through on, and on His way to, Calvary.  There’s nothing happy about the scourge (torture/beatings) that He endured during Passion Week. And, certainly nothing Happy about Jesus Dying on the cross. The result is Glorious! That’s why it is perfectly appropriate to say Happy Resurrection Day!

The word “Easter” appears only once in the Bible, and that is in Acts 12:4. And, of course it has nothing at all to do with Jesus. It refers to the Hebrew holiday  “Passover”.  

Easter was the Pagan Goddess of fertility.——(Ēostre

According to Bede in his “De temporum ratione” (“The Reckoning of Time”), the Christian holiday “was called after a goddess of theirs named Ēostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated in that month.” Ēostre is variously depicted by scholars as a fertility goddess and a goddess of dawn and light. Apr 5, 2015

The Times of Israel › the-pagan-god...

The pagan goddess behind the holiday of 'Easter')——

     That’s how it was switched on us. It’s why many of us still this very day hide eggs, and give rabbits (chocolate or real). Both symbols of fertility, and again have nothing whatsoever to do with Jesus. 

      So, I challenge all believers to take a stand. A small, but loud stand.  To only say, “Happy Resurrection Day” If/when someone says, “Happy Easter” to us.  We reply with LOVE, “Happy Resurrection Day.” They will get it. And if not, share with them what I’ve shared with you here. 

Prayer: Thank you Lord for exposing truth. May I take it and share with others so that we can walk in victory. 

In Jesus’ name, 

Amen

Happy Resurrection Day!

~SALT

We love you and we are praying with and for you. 

~Rev., Dr. Erroyl, and Min. Pinky McGinty

God wants your best!

God wants your best!

Genesis 4,offering,Cain and Abel,What God requires

God never requires more than what you already have... In Genesis 4:7 He asks Cain,  "If you do your best, will not I accept you?" In other words, all He asks of us is the best from what we already have, not our leftovers.  The expectation is found earlier in chapter 4 of Genesis by the mentioning of Cain's vocation. He was a tiller of the soil: a farmer. Our best is not that time we fit into our schedules, or the offering that we give after having paid our bills, and other expenses. Can we not plan to serve God with our time, talents, and treasure just as we plan parties, a guy’s night out, or to buy expensive items? Why is it that we can boast about work attendance and punctuality, we make sure our children go to school everyday, but we cannot seem to make it to church on time? Is that our best? Is that really what we give to God?
The adjective used to describe the fruit that Cain gave to God was "some". Is that what we give God "some" fruit? Nothing special, not the best, just "some" fruit. (On a sidenote, there are some who would argue that Cain’s sacrifice should have been one of blood. Because, in the Hebrew tradition there is no forgiveness without blood. That’s how we get to Jesus by the way. However, in the situation in Genesis 4, we don’t know the purpose of the offering. I believe their occupations were listed and then commented upon with God’s favor, or not, as a clue to the type of offering that was required of them. When we check both ideas against scripture Heb 11, they both stand well.)
God required a calf from Abel, because Abel raised animals. He required fruits from Cain, because Cain was a tiller of the ground. Notice that He did not require Abel to give fruit, nor Cain to give from a flock. If you want to know what God requires of you, look within. He’s already placed it in your care. Be it your writings, cooking, or singing, your listening ear to hurting persons, event organizing, praying, or serving. God did not place that gift in you simply so that you could sustain an Earthly life. Whatever it is, remember that you should give a portion to God, and when you give God His portion, it must be your best--in order for it and you, to be accepted by the Lord. Look again at what Abel gave to God. It was the first born from his flock, and the fattest of the firstborn. He gave God the best of the best. And that's what we should do with who we are, and what we give to God.
Another part of that scripture (Gen 4) tells how Cain was feeling after this offering. His countenance had fallen. In other words he felt rejected, and miserable because of it. Don't we feel the same way after we give God less than our best? When we present God with a version of ourselves that is not the best we can be, don't we feel our countenance has fallen? Hmmmm.

We love you, and we are praying for you.
~SALT, Pastor Erroyl and Sis. Pinky

Sis. Pinky's prayer:

Almighty God, maker of heaven and earth, we thank you for placing spiritual gifts in us. Help us to give you our best at all times, especially when it's sacrificial. Let us not allow worldly things to get us distracted nor self created idols to take the place of You. We thank you for being patient, loving, merciful, and full of grace. 

In Jesus' name we pray,

Amen

Acting on God’s Voice

Hello SALT. This is a quick, but vital lesson. Ok, not so quick. 

Listen and obey what God tells you.  Even “Godly” people say things that may contradict. Here’s one of my personal examples:

     In regards to Sickle Cell (chronic hereditary blood disorder) and this season, God has told me that “His Grace is Sufficient for me.” He’s had several corroborating scriptures to practically leap off of the page so that I didn’t miss and mess it up. Scriptures that I already knew yes, but of which I had to be reminded in this season (if you want them, let me know and I’ll send them to you). Now, I know He’s told me about His Grace... but so many people of faith come to me with “By His stripes...” and encouragement about having faith. 

    Are they wrong? Am I right? Well, the answer is, “yes”, and “no”, and “not exactly”.  I always listen to what these people are saying, even if it is completely inapplicable. Why do I listen when I know it’s not for me? A few reasons. Random order:

1) God may be using that moment to increase their confidence for evangelizing, or prophesying.

2) It’s ALWAYS good to hear scripture. It just is. 

3) Checking my spiritual barring. Same season? Mission changed? Am I still hearing “My Grace…?”

4) God may be working on my patience. My flesh, which does not like to waste time, wants to simply say, “that’s not for me, remember Paul’s thorns?”

5) Their intentions are pure. 

6) Spiritual maturation is not something you can gauge, by human means. Since we do not have the tools to accurately assess this, we shouldn’t try. Only the Holy Spirit can, and should, do this. Now the problem arises because we CAN see areas of spiritual immaturity. Mostly in others and seldom in ourselves. It’s a foolish thing to try to get someone who is not spiritually mature to understand that God works on countless, shifting seasons, and on simultaneously moving planes. It is difficult for them to understand that while God is consistently telling them that, increasing faith = their breakthrough healing, at the exact same time He’s telling me about His sufficient grace.

Of course both of these situations are mutually correct and accurate. But, it depends on the seasons, and the walks.

We love you, and we are praying for you.

Pastor, Dr. Erroyl and Sis. Pinky

SALT- Saved Anchored Living Transformed

Sis. Pinky’s Prayer: Help us God to learn to discern the season we’re in and the seasons others may be in so we may say things of the Spirit and not of the flesh.

In Jesus’s name, 

Amen

“Throw your hands in the air!”

I Throw Your Hands in the Air

In Acts 27 - Paul, other prisoners, and sailors find themselves in the midst of a great storm. There came a point when the winds were so strong that the sailors could only take their hands off of the wheel (v 15), lest the ship be tossed and broken.

There are many lessons to be learned from this event in history. 

1. Listen to advice from Godly people to avoid the storm.
2. Don't follow the majority simply because they make logical sense.
3. Some storms can be avoided.
4.  If you wind up in the storm, lighten the load - extra baggage does you no good in a storm.
5. Know whose you are. There is an abundance of knowledge, protection, relationships, opportunities, and blessings just from that knowledge alone.

The lessons that you can get from this scripture go on and on (The WORD is rich y'all)!

Primarily, but briefly, I want to focus on this one fact;  You cannot drive a ship well (safely, accurately, without serious danger) while in a storm. Even though smaller storms are easier to navigate through, and the repercussions are not as great, a small storm can seriously injure.  The size of the storm, and severity of the repercussions from the outcome, typically have a directly proportional relationship. In other words, the bigger the storm is, the more damage it can do... potentially. 

The ship in the example represents your life. As with the ship, your life has a purpose, route, and a destination. They both have a captain, a crew, and passengers.You, your family and friends, and those folks that are just along for the ride. They both have luggage, and baggage. Some things you need, and some you do not. And, they both WILL encounter storms.  

Knowing that there are storms coming can be scary. But, that also gives us the opportunity to prepare for the storms, and the opportunity to learn what to do while in the storm. Here the crew tried everything to make the situation better. Eventually it was realized that the best thing to do was take their hands away from the wheel, and allow the storm to drive them. We have to get to a point sooner or later when we realize that God is in control of the storm!  Prov 16:9  says that a man makes plans, but God makes the way. We must realize that the storm was designed by God to accomplish a purpose. Maybe to get your attention, maybe to warn you, maybe to begin or end a relationship, or maybe to call you home to glory. Regardless though, we have to take our hands off and let Him guide. Trusting Him while in the storm might be difficult, but it is vital. We tend to, just like the crew from the scripture, try everything first and eventually release the control. This surrendering is what God wants. It’s obedience. God honors this and this is when we are in His divine will. Let go of the wheel!

By the way, while your hands are off the wheel go ahead and raise them a little bit higher and give God some praise.

We love you, and we are praying for you

~Pastor Erroyl and Sis Pinky

SALT

Father, 

Help me to take my hands off the wheel in every aspect of my life. Help me to surrender and praise You for being Alpha and Omega! 

In Jesus’s name we pray, 

Amen

It takes two baby.…Do your part!

Many times we will say things like "the Lord needs to do a work in me". And while that is certainly true, sometimes what that statement does is give us a cop-out to doing the work we need to do.

The Scriptures say "Faith without works is dead" James 2:26. Because God lives outside of time, He has already begun the work in you. That is evidenced by the fact that you know work needs to be done. He placed that desire to "get it right" in you, He placed the people and situations in your path.    

That was His part. The first part for you is to believe. That is the faith. The next part -the work... Some people find it easy to work, and others find it easy to believe. You must have both. Why, because work without faith is just work... So yeah, it takes two baby.

I love you and I am praying for you. 

~Pastor Erroyl

SALT

Endure in the season: Unpacking Colossians 4

In the season: Unpacking Col 4 

It’s seasonal, but in most cases in the book of Colossians I can substitute the word and meaning of prison with ailment.  My life has been a medical rollercoaster. Like Paul, I know the reason for my bondage. So, I no longer pray for life’s inclement seasons to end. Now understanding that our Father uses ALL things to shape us. He may be using that valley that you’re going through to humble you. To make you look more like Jesus. I suspect that Jesus was not a handsome lad after having been scourged. That unexpected, right on time, unmerited blessing that you received,... yeah that was Him expanding your completely inadequate understanding of who He is.  He’s bigger than that. He’s stronger than that, and He loves you. I no longer pray for healing, for myself.... Wait, wait, wait... before you stop reading  (labeling me a lunatic no doubt) listen to this. I no longer pray for healing, for myself in regards to certain things. That may seem like an odd thing to hear a pastor or preacher say. Do I want to be healed? Yes.  Do I believe He can do it? Of course, but I know what He has told me corn this season. In many things, most notably the encephalitic coma of 2015, I am in a, “by His stripes, I am healed” situation. But, in others, most notably, Sickle Cell Disease, I am in a, “My Grace is sufficient for you” situation. It’s not time to be healed. DO NOT let anyone tell you that all you need is faith. All you need to do is believe and God will do it. First we must realize the caveat.  His volition; the Father’s will is first and foremost. Secondly, “Faith without work, dead” (James 2:26)

I also don’t pray to be stronger as I used to. Why not? He says to me that, “in your weakness, My strength is made perfect.” Seriously, why would I (anyone) ever want to use my minuscule, ever failing, constantly depleting strength, and forego His infinite stores. So, I do not pray to be stronger. I pray for Him to increase my endurance in all things. After all, “the race is not given to the swift” (Ecc 9:11), right? I pray, “...(Col 4:3) that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— “ I pray for Him to grant me knowledge. To increase my understanding, and to bless me with wisdom.  I pray for the Mind of Christ. 

(Colossians 4:2–6)

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak. 

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. 

So, while in this season, while trekking through wilderness, climbing this mountain, weathering the storm...Endure. Be ye steadfast. Do not grow weary in well-doing, Endure until the end. 

We love you SALT, and we are praying for you. .   

SALT

~Pastor Erroyl and Sis McGinty 

Sis. Pinky’s Prayer:

Lord, help us to remember that your grace is sufficient, especially during the turbulent times of our lives. We need to always rely on Your strength and not our own.

It is in the majestic name of Jesus we that we pray,  Amen. 

***SALT Ministries is based on Col 4:5-6.  We believe those two verses of scripture are poignant and encapsulate much, if not all that a church needs as its “mission”.