Hank’s Place

Welcome to Hank’s Place, somewhere in Venice, FL

Being new to Venice, and Florida, I recently thought to look over some local church websites. Here’s an excerpt from one, with a few aside comments from me. Maybe it’s a lot like your church:

Sunday service at (our church) lasts a little over an hour (so you can get on with your busy life), where you can expect a safe environment (feeling ‘safe’ is so important when someone is ‘woke’) that is exciting, casual, and relaxed. Come as you are. When you join us, you’ll have the chance to connect, discover, and encounter. Enjoy uplifting worship and a relevant, engaging message from our Pastor, Rev Average Joe. (Did we touch all the bases?)

Think about these words. They are people oriented, people focused, aren’t they? Like an ad for a good restaurant or entertainment? 

Yikes.… What. About. God? Almighty God. Creator of the universe; of all things. Even time and space. Creator of you and me. 

Way back in 1975 when I was wondering if God was real, and what it meant to believe – in Him – I realized something: IF God was real, and as big and powerful and able as described in the Bible (I’d begun reading the Bible by then), well, then I’d better be prepared to fall on my face, forsake all and follow Him, like those early dudes did in the Gospels!

I began visiting churches, some nice churches, some formal, others informal. I did not know it at the time but I was looking for a place where God’s Spirit manifested. Not someplace comfortable for my body or emotions or that fit MY personality. No, someplace you could say, to scare the hell out of me to make room for heaven to come in. Not threatening fire and brimstone messages, but the presence of God —A place where I could surrender to the Lord of the Universe, and let Him write the rest of my life’s story, a destiny beyond what I could ask or think! I was looking for a place to scare the hell out of me to be captured by the love of God.

I think that’s a good quest, even today — how about you?

Hey, if you visit Hank’s Place in person, you’ll experience the love of God and the grace of God. It’s not a ‘safe place’ — it’s a place of His grace and His Spirit. If you are not already in a place like that, why not pray for God to lead you to one? 

Or simply visit Hank’s Place  — you’ll  COME ALIVE!

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Here at Hank’s Place where we are still recovering from Hurricane Ian, as is a sizable portion of Florida. Many thousands of people have suffered water and wind damage, the loss of their homes and possessions, and find themselves being preyed upon by unscrupulous frauds, scammers, charlatans and thieves! Pray, please, that our Mighty God provide for and deliver them!

In these circumstances I am reminded of Paul writing in Romans, 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Then he wrote of the Holy Spirit interceding for the saints according to the will of God, and giving us a promise so incredible that we can only receive it by faith, and that is, verse 28: “… we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” The devil, this world, evil people, all try to destroy the people who love God — but their efforts cannot succeed, in fact, they are worked for the good.

Paul says this is true for those who love God — meaning those who have come to Him through Jesus and His blood.

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” asks Paul in verse 31. God does not accuse His children, us, or do us evil; He justifies us through Jesus, who demonstrated God’s love for us in dying for our sins.

Paul then writes some apparently contradictory words, saying if Jesus died for us, then certainly this gracious Father and Son will freely give us all lessor things. But some believers will be killed, as sheep to be slaughtered. When you understand this please share your illumination with me! My own understanding is that being in Jesus and Jesus being in us – this unity of relationship with the God who is love, is so much greater than anything on this earth, that even our mortal lives lose their importance.

Life, death, all things in between — NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. In fact, “In all these things we are more than conquerors, that is, overwhelmingly victorious, through Him who loved us.” Verse 37.Today, if you have not yet surrendered your life to God and cried out to Jesus to save you, stop waiting, ACT now!

If you have and are going through difficulties, read Romans 8. Put your eyes on Jesus, receive His love, His help, His strength, His wisdom — and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place coming to you from Paradise

This edition of Hank’s Place came during recovery from nearly Cat 5 Hurricane Ian. I was not able to prepare a script but spoke what was on my heart at this time.

The verses referred to were Esther 4:14, Isaiah 43:1-2, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, and Galatians 2:20.

The point being we may find ourselves in dire, even life threatening circumstances and may question the ‘why’s’ of what’s going on. Perhaps we’ve been sent there ‘for such a time as this’ and are God’s ANSWER for the challenges people are facing.

We have God’s promise that no matter what, HE is our Deliverer, mighty to save.

Regardless, we have been bought with a price, been crucified WITH Him, the life we have we live for HIS glory, not our own.

Today, put your eyes on Jesus, who loves us to the point of His own death — and COME ALIVE!

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In reading the Bible, you’ll find numerous scriptures exhorting us to BE HOLY, and it may appear that holiness is something we must work at obtaining. For example, 1 Peter 1:14-16, “As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

So are we working to get holy? If we were on the Old Covenant side of Calvary, we would be working for it, being very careful to observe the Law and all the commandments of God.

But praise the Lord we are on THIS side of Calvary! JESUS has cleansed us from all unrighteousness – by His blood – at Calvary, making us His set apart people.

As Rev Paul Ellis has clarified in a few words, the holiness answer is that God is calling us to be who we truly are. He is saying, “You are my sanctified children. Act like it. Be who I made you to be.”

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones has said: “Holiness is not something we are called upon to do in order that we may become something; it is something we are to do because of what we already are….”

Our part is to mature into what He has already made us. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 3:18 we are “being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.” Notice it’s “from glory to glory,” not “from garbage to glory.” His blood has made us holy. New Creations in Christ are already holy, forgiven, and accepted by God.

If you are trying to make yourself holy by acting holy, behaving holy, doing holy things, STOP. You just can’t do it. Instead, see Jesus, the One who transforms believers into holy new creations.

We have been given a new nature, so we don’t act in the pattern of our old one. That’s hypocrisy. It’s pretending to be someone we — no longer are.Romans 6:19 can be paraphrased as, “Just as you used to live unto wickedness when you were wicked, live unto holiness now that you are holy.”

The exhortations to live holy are pictures of the wholesome, healthy life we get to enjoy as we allow Christ to express His holy life through us.”

Today, if you are born again, may you grasp that you ARE holy, allow Christ to express His holy life through you — and COME ALIVE!

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First Corinthians is a remarkable letter to the saints at Corinth, one of the great cities of the ancient world, prosperous, busy, growing; with a deserved reputation for the reckless pursuit of pleasure. Hmmm. Perhaps you are living among today’s Corinthians, my friend!

There was a partisan spirit there: “I am of Paul, I am of Apollos, etc” and Paul urges them instead to come into agreement concerning Christ, specifically, the message of the Cross of Christ, which he writes in verse 18, is “foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.”

The Cross is God’s wisdom, bringing salvation in a way no one was expecting. Jews were looking for great signs, a mighty deliverer in the pattern of Moses, only much greater. The concept of the Savior being put to death in the most hideous, demeaning way possible was not conceivable to the Jew.

To the Greeks the Cross is foolishness. How could a man put to death possibly affect the lives of every human for all time in a positive way? Foolishness they said. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

So the crux of the Gospel is the Cross and what happened upon it. Is that message often or ever heard in your church? Is there even a cross erected in your church? Perhaps you have smoke and darkness, strobe lights and loud music instead?

Concerning this Spurgeon comments, “Certain divines tell us that they must adapt truth to the advance of the age, which means that they must murder it and fling its dead body to the dogs… which simply means that a popular lie shall take the place of an offensive truth.”

Let every pulpit rightly say, “we preach Christ crucified!” A strong church I am told, once inscribed these words on an archway leading to the churchyard. Over time, two things happened: the church lost its passion for Jesus and His gospel, and ivy began to grow on the archway. The growth of the ivy, covering the message, showed the spiritual decline. Originally it said strongly, “we preach Christ crucified.” But as the ivy grew, one could only read “we preach Christ,” and the church also started preaching “Jesus the Great Man” and “Jesus the Moral Example” instead of Christ crucified. The ivy kept growing, and one could soon only read, “we preach.” The church also had even lost Jesus in the message, preaching religious platitudes and social graces. Finally, one could only read “we,” and the church also just became another social gathering place, all about “we” and not about God.

Today, don’t be like that church. Preach Christ crucified, if only to yourself — and COME ALIVE!

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[Video begins with outtakes from the previous message}

Speaking of the last message, I had stated Christians escape the Final Judgment because they have been judged already: by placing their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior, Jesus’ work of atonement at Calvary became theirs. Judgment was averted, eternal life issued in an awesome demonstration of the grace of God!

Does that mean as Christians we can sin as much as we want and get away with it? What? Are you crazy? Don’t you understand? Haven’t you read 1 John chapter 3? 

First verse, “Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God.” ‘Behold.’ Study, to take a good look. The Father, overflowing in passionate love, saw to it our sins were removed, righteousness imparted, and adoption as His very own took place. 

Spurgeon comments, “‘There,’ God says, ‘you poor people that love me, you sick people, you unknown, obscure people, without any talent, I have published it before heaven and earth, and made the angels know it, that you are my children, and I am not ashamed of you. I glory in the fact that I have taken you for my sons and daughters.’” How can a person sin in the face of such love?

John continues, “Beloved, now we are CHILDREN of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, WE SHALL BE LIKE HIM, for we shall see Him as He is.” We are being conformed into the image of God. We shall be like Him. 

If that is our hope, then we purify ourselves, for He is pure. We don’t do sin, we RUN from sin. Our desire is to be — like Him. Verse 6 says, “Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him.” The grammar John uses indicates John is talking about habitual, continual sin. Someone who PRACTICES sin — like practicing putting or your tennis backhand — is making a firm statement that THEY DO NOT KNOW God. 

When we have a genuine encounter with the LIVING, HOLY, PURE, RIGHTEOUS GOD of all creation, we are changed. He changes us — and we want to be like Him. We put off sinful ways. They don’t please Him, and now they don’t please us any longer. With our new nature we no longer want to participate in the deeds of darkness!

That happened to me back in 1976. My life was transformed from darkness to light. Has it happened to you dear friend? Or are you practicing sinful deeds? Then I urge  surrender to His lordship —receive His love — He will free you from sin — you will COME ALIVE!

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There are some serious verses about judgment for the Christian found in the New Testament without even getting into the Book of Revelation.

For example: 1 Peter 1:17, “If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work.” Then there’s Jesus’ saying in Matthew 12:36, “I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.” Or Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:13, “each one’s work… will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.”

These verses lifted from their context sound fearful, but actually, there is nothing to fear on Judgement Day — for believers. Why? For there is only one work by which we shall be judged. It’s recorded in John 6:29: “This is the work of God—that you believe in the One He has sent.”

Now add John 5:22, “The Father, in fact, judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son.” So the Father is not judging. Nor Jesus, for John 12:47-48 says, “If anyone hears My words and doesn’t keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.” Jesus then added, “The word I have spoken will judge him on the last day.”

There are inescapable consequences for rejecting Jesus. He came to save, not to judge — but His coming was itself a judgment, for He declared Himself the promised Messiah, the Savior of the World. What have we done about that? Did we believe and respond accordingly? This is what Peter meant when he said we will be judged according to our work.

Believers need not fear. John urges us to have confidence on Judgment Day, 1 John 4:17. And Jude :24 assures us that we will be able to stand “blameless and with great joy” on that day.

On Judgement Day believers will not be judged for our sins but by our response to the Savior. Did we heed him who suffered and died for our sins? Did we take Him at His word when He offered salvation? We who have put our faith in Jesus are not judged because we have been judged already. The moment we said YES to Jesus as our Savior, we passed out of judgment and gained eternal life. That’s John 5:24; believers do not come into judgment, for they have passed out of death into life.

We heard the word of grace and we believed. TODAY, let those fears of judgment GO, and — COME ALIVE!

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Ephesians 2:8 is a marvelous verse. “For by GRACE we have been saved through faith; and this is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God.” Salvation is a gift of God, by His GRACE toward us. Faith is also a gift from God “as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” Romans 12:3. Some theologians have used the illustration of a hose carrying water. The water is the important thing, but the hose, representing our faith, is what carries the water from God to us.

Faith in God, no matter the extent of God’s grace, is always needed. Take the example of the lame man at pool of Bethesda in John chapter 5. Jesus, the anointed one, came to one man, lying there for 38 years, waiting for the stirring of the waters. 38 years.

“Do you want to get well?” Jesus asked him. The lame man answered, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 38 years of disappointment. 38 years of suffering. Yet his words show HOPE was still alive within him. And FAITH, for even without a man to help him, he kept trying to reach the waters.

Jesus said, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” Why pick up your pallet? Perhaps Jesus was indicating this was no longer the lame man’s home; he was free to move on, praise the Lord! From past experience of dealings with devils, I suggest the devil at this moment, tried to sow fear and doubt into the man, even as he felt strength coming into his limbs. Doubt that spoke, “you can’t be healed, it is hopeless – and you can’t pick up your mat; that is breaking the Law.” But the man’s faith triumphed, he received the grace of God in the form of a mighty miracle!

The rule keepers could care less about the miracle. They challenged the man immediately for breaking the Sabbath. The healed man did not back down, did not admit to wrong doing: “The one who healed me told me to do this,” he said. Put that in your pipe and smoke it! That’s an idiom I added.

My friend, what challenges do you face? Some long time challenges? Impossible things? Others get healed, promoted, whatever, but not you? TODAY, like this man, keep your hope alive; keep your faith alive. Look to Jesus, not your circumstances not the past. See His hand extended; hear His word of victory, and — COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – Coming to you from Venice, Florida

Last message, I shared that the Triune God dwelt in Jesus in bodily form fully; that Jesus dwells in us, and therefore so does the Godhead – by faith, not our efforts. A truth beyond human comprehension. We are growing day by day into what Paul calls the fullness of God. Not only a greater understanding of but an actual oneness with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And, when Jesus returns, we shall know Him just as He is, fully, for we shall be like Him – is God’s promise to us! 1 John 3:2.

In every epistle of Paul’s, we find him exhorting believers to put off the old man, the carnal ways of living, for we have been made new creations, and the old no longer fits us. Instead we put on the new, the GOD ways.

Peter agrees, saying we …have purified our souls in obedience to the truth, ridding ourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, for we are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession. That’s 1 Peter 1:22, 2:1, and 2:9.

One new creation way of living is in the matter of giving. Paul described the Philippians as giving in 2 Corinthians 8 out of their deep poverty. Their giving was sacrificial. And in Philippians 4:19 Paul thanks the Philippians for their generous support of him through his difficulties, and lest any think that as a result they may have to go without, he assures them God is well aware, saying, “I am convinced that my God will fully satisfy every need you have, for I have seen the abundant riches of glory revealed to me through Jesus Christ!” Jubilee Translation.

What a promise dear friends, for us as well in OUR giving, for God’s promise – unbreakable promise, to His children, is to supply all our need out of HIS, riches in glory. And there are NO LIMITS TO THOSE RICHES.

So today, dear new creation believer, be not afraid to give to others. It’s in your new nature. It’s important to follow the prompting of the Spirit, although you can help the poor whenever you wish to, Mark 14:7. God has got you, He has got me, and will see that our needs are more than met, and in the unfolding we will —  COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – Coming to you from Paradise (Venice, FL)!

Last message, from Colossians chapter 1, we found that through faith, not works, Jesus, son of God, the Holy One, dwells in us, which is beyond comprehension.

It gets better, for in Colossians 2:9-10 Paul wrote, “… in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, that means ALL of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and in Him you have been MADE COMPLETE, and He is the head over all rule and authority.”

Paul makes powerful revelations in a few words! All of God dwells in Jesus in bodily form. He who created and fills the universe, who holds it together fits into Jesus? If you can explain it please let me know! This is totally contrary to skeptics who said God despised material creation and had no part in it.

Now if all the fullness of God dwells in Jesus, and as believers we are united to Him in a faith-relationship, then WE are also complete in Him. The completeness of Jesus, and our resultant completeness in Him, tells us that other philosophies, religious observances and traditions are unnecessary.

Totally unnecessary. Friend, if you are a believer, all the fullness of the Godhead dwells in you, through Jesus. YOU ARE COMPLETE IN HIM, Who is the head of all principality and power. This can only be true because Jesus is truly God. If He were not God, we couldn’t be complete in Him. Anything that says we are not complete in Him also takes away from the deity of Jesus. There is no need to go elsewhere to be fulfilled, be it for the Colossians, or us.

It may not look like it; it may not feel like it and the devil is sure to point out any inconsistencies in our walk or talk, but we are complete in Him.

Although we are complete in Him, we are continuing to GROW in Him. Col 3:10 says we, “… have put on the new self WHO IS BEING renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.” This process has been initiated by and is ongoing through God Himself.

Today, dwell on what Jesus has done for you; then stop letting the devil push you around, but — COME ALIVE!

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