Pastor John Collins, Wyoming Evangelist: Living example of Fruits of the Spirit

Evangelist Pastor John Collins of Love That Cross Ministry and Revival that began in Wyoming was called by God over 10 years ago to serve Him.  Pastor Collins was not a godly man, he will tell you he didn’t believe in God and had very little experience with God and Jesus in his life.  That has changed for him because he accepted Jesus into his heart as his Lord and Savior.  Now he clings to the Cross that is everyone’s salvation with all his strength and all his might.  Why?  Because he knows that Jesus is the only Hope that this sad, lost, and seemingly hopeless world has.  Wyoming was a turning point in Pastor John’s career as an evangelist.  He had his first revival there through Love That Cross, and he has been leading more people to Christ ever since.

An evangelist is someone who is set apart by God to teach the ways of God.  God knows that people are visual and hands on learners, merely reading and hearing the words in the Bible isn’t enough, even though it should be.  We need to see how to act, too.  Evangelists are in the public eye because they are outspoken and profess their faith so plainly that it is hard to ignore them.  They make you uncomfortable because they cause you to take a look at what you are doing in your life, or at least that is what an evangelist is supposed to do.

What is so important about acting and being Christian? Why does it matter?  First and foremost, there really is one, living God.  He created mankind because He wanted us.  He loved us, loved us all first, and loves us still.  We don't know Him anymore, not like the oldest recorded people of faith in the Bible.  God showed His love to those who showed Him their love.  The sin that was brought into the world by Adam and Eve took all of us away from God.  We need to be perfect in our souls to get back to Him, and we simply cannot do it ourselves. This verse is probably the most singularly memorized verse in the Holy Bible:  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. KJV.  God put Adam and Eve in Eden and instructed them how to act, giving them one very important rule to not eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  They disobeyed, got evicted from the garden.  Man lived without written rules from God for centuries until Moses was anointed to lead God’s people, Israel out of Egypt.  God spoke to Moses who wrote His commandments on stone tablets so that man would have the needed guidelines so that we could properly worship and serve God.  There were many other directions that were given to Moses that went along with the commandments, how to live safely in the desert, how to come humbly before God, through priests.   

We still couldn’t get it right.  We needed an example to help us see and understand.  We don’t follow directions well.  God sent His Son Jesus to us so that He could teach us and show us firsthand how to be godly, how to be Christ-like.  God knew we can’t do it on our own.  He loves us so much that He sent Jesus to teach us, show us, then sacrifice Himself for us to take away the sins of the world so that we can live a Christ-like life.  All we have to do now, instead of lists of directions in the Old Testament with old blood sacrifices and priest intervention, is believe.  Simply believe.  And in believing then change ourselves to be godly, not sinners.  Jesus led by example so that we would SEE how we are supposed to act and behave.  He taught the disciples who became His apostles who went out into the world and showed all who would listen how to turn toward God through Jesus.

 

Pastor John Collins shows us that in order to get to God, we have to believe in Jesus.  We have to act like Jesus Christ.  We have to act like Christians.  There is where we fail horribly, to ACT like Christians.  Christians are supposed to help the poor, Christians are supposed to treat others as they would like to be treated.  The two commandments Jesus taught were to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength….to Jews this is part of the Shema and is the foundation of their faith in God…and the other commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself.  Pastor John Collins not only teaches these commandments in each and every one of his sermons, he acts them so that people can see how Christians are supposed to act.  Christians aren’t supposed to show up in a church pew on a Sunday and act Christ-like for that hour or so of worship.  Christians are supposed to act Christ-like every minute of every day.  We fall far short of that.   

Pastor John teaches and walks the walk.  He lives humbly.  So many evangelists who are in the public eye have multi-million dollar homes, expensive new cars, designer clothing and pristine mega churches that they launch their ministry from.  Pastor John lives in a middle class home, drives used vehicles and preaches from pulpits of moderate to small churches all over the country.  He is quick to help the little girl who walks into a church in her pajamas and carrying a doll, not only in feeding her, but helping the family find a way to manage the reality of latchkey children left on their own.  A conversation with a diabetic woman reveals that she has no food and is unable to get out to a store because she is ill.  A phone call to an area food bank and senior center from Pastor John helps the woman get through.  An addict who needed to get into rehab couldn’t find an open bed was assisted into a rehab center that hadn’t had any beds open.  Waiting in line at a fast food drive through, Pastor John has been known to pay for the meals of the car behind him.  Taking people in off the street to allow them a meal and place to stay, opening one of his churches up on frigid nights as a shelter to those who have nowhere else to go…all are examples of being Christ-like in the life of Pastor John Collins.

It isn’t only the acts toward people in need, it is living the fruits of the spirit, every day, in everyday life:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  It is being truthful, having integrity, standing in faith of God in the face of the world and not caring what the world says about him.  Pastor John says frequently “Being Christian isn’t about going to church on Sunday.  Sure, it is good to go to church to worship Jesus, but it is what you get out of the sermon, what you do in your everyday life that matters as a Christian.  It’s what you do from Sunday to Sunday that counts, not showing up and putting your time in.  Just because you go into a garage doesn’t make you a car, and just because you go to church doesn’t make you a Christian.  It’s what you do that matters.”  

Pastor John takes his faith seriously.  He takes his relationship with God seriously, he takes the salvation offered by Jesus seriously.  He walks that walk every day, every minute.  He admits he is a sinner, he knows that he isn’t perfect, but he also knows that people are watching and need an example to live by, just like 2000 years ago when God sent Jesus to show mankind how to act.  Pastor John strives to show how we are to act as humans, as Christians.  At the end of the day, he asks for forgiveness and repents of the sins and gets up the next day to try and try and try to be the best that he can be, for God and for Jesus. 

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

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: SAVING FAITH

This country needs HOPE.  The epidemic of violence, continuing issues of racism, younger and younger people becoming addicted to drugs, domestic violence, fear, child kidnappings…..all of this is drowning the United States in a wave of hopelessness.  That hopelessness is coming from the deliberate choice of the society of the United States in general turning its back on God and His Son Jesus. Those who are Christians and were once addicts and alcoholics who have turned their lives around will flat out attest to the HOPE that can be found in giving it all up to Jesus.  Jesus IS Hope.  His death on the Cross gave us the Hope for eternal life, and He gave us Hope to be able to endure the day to day pain and struggle that we deal with here that is life as a human being.  Evangelist Pastor John Collins has based the ministry Love That Cross on Hope. 

Evangelist Pastor John Collins began Love That Cross Ministries with a focus on revival.  It began in Wheatland, Wyoming and spread across the country.  Revival of faith, revival of Christianity, not religion, but the revival of the HOPE that comes from acknowledging Jesus as a savior of mankind, ALL of us, is the central purpose of Love That Cross Ministry and Revival.  Without Jesus, there is no Hope.  The sorrow, the sadness, the pain, the anger, the violence that comes with living in the world today seems unbearable.  Pastor John preaches that it IS possible to have HOPE.  That hope is submitting all to the love that is Jesus and God. 

Who took our hope away? To some degree, we have willingly given it away through political correctness, fear, trends of society.  We as Christians allowed men to “interject their will upon the people and Christianity has suffered. Religion will get you nowhere if you are complying with the traditions of men while ignoring the commandments of God, “says Pastor John. Knowing Jesus, allowing Him into your heart, having faith in Him to help carry us through a day has been twisted into canned sermons and litanies, false doctrines meant to sell a product rather than to save souls, or even lukewarm “God loves everyone, so be happy” attitudes:  all meant to keep people sitting in a pew on a Sunday, but not meant to stir the heart or the soul into repentance.  Pastor John Collins calls a spade a spade. Faith is meant to save souls, to guide lives toward righteousness and to keep hope alive. Faith is meant to carry you through the tough times and to help you get to heaven. Churches continue with their traditions and doctrines that man has implemented; people continue attending them because they are comforted by the familiar.  That comfort is not providing a growing population in heaven. It is time to step out of that comfort zone and wake up.

People have got to wake up and see that Christianity is broken and needs truth and healing. People need to turn away from the glitter and the traditions that have them going through the motions of worship only to leave them without the tools to apply the gospel to their lives in any real way.  When was the last time you could recall details about a sermon given on a Sunday all the way through a week until the next service, or even a month or more after it was spoken?  THOSE sermons are the ones that have touched a heart, sparked a soul, moved someone to think about and reconsider what they are doing in their lives.  THOSE sermons make us, all sinners, wonder about whether we really are heading to heaven by saying we are Christian, or if we have work to do.  Looking at the society in which we live, it’s a pretty good indication that we all have work to do.  Not enough people know that there is a God or that Jesus even exists, not to mention those of us who profess to be Christian on Sunday but walk past the woman on the sidewalk on Tuesday who simply needs a meal or help off of the street into safety. There is a lot of work to be done.  Pastor John calls it as it is:  we HAVE turned from God as a nation and slapped Him away from our homes, families, children, our hearts. The time is NOW, and God WILL help us REVIVE our faith, IF we turn to Him and His Son Jesus.

God is waiting and willing to help us come to learn the truth and to embrace that truth. People must be willing to want that honest relationship that genuine faith provides.  We can’t continue to lie to ourselves that we can wait for another day.  We are NOT guaranteed tomorrow.  Only God knows just how long we have to work on our souls and our redemption.  We CAN’T wait.  It will be too late when we die, get there, and then go “Oops” because we didn’t do anything to help ourselves, even though help was available.  We no longer believe that God is paying attention nor do we believe whole-heartedly that He will intervene in our lives directly. Oh, we say we do, but it is obvious in our lack of obedience that we do not fear any real repercussions from God. We do NOT respect or revere God.  We do not fear Him.

Jesus does offer salvation to us for free. Yet, He Himself has demanded that we repent, sin no more, and that we obey God’s commandments. He also said for us to fear Him who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell. Do we take Him seriously and adjust our behavior accordingly or are we just banking on that price being paid and going about our lives with evil hearts and evil minds acting in evil ways and speaking evil words? Think about the standard that is set by Jesus. Think about the requirements of our faith. We cannot just say that we believe. We must believe so strongly that we are moved to change our ways. Remember the young man who was obedient to the law and yet was told by Jesus to sell all and give to the poor and follow when he asked what must he do to have eternal life? We cannot do some. We must do all. If you are not doing all that the Lord has commanded you cannot be assured of claiming the salvation He offers.

Begin again by coming to truly fear God. Renew your faith by refocusing your priorities in life. Claim your salvation by a belief that is so strong you know that nothing else in your life matters in comparison. That is saving faith. Know that no matter what amount of faith and obedience you have today, you can always and should always seek more.  That is the faith that will give us HOPE.

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

PASTOR JOHN COLLINS: WALKING FOR GOD-GOD MATTERS

This article was published in Christian Newswire:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pastor John Collins, through Love That Cross Ministries that began in Wheatland, Wyoming, has preached across the country, from Idaho to Wyoming, Georgia to North Carolina and many places in between with the message that GOD MATTERS.

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