***IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT***

***IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT***

Today (August 20, 2023) marks my formal retirement from LoveStream Temple (a.k.a. LoveStream CyberChurch) and also from the Facebook Devotional of Pastor Wayne M. Bass.  I have been actively engaged in ministry for 56 years (commencing on July 14, 1967), and I preached my first sermon exactly 56 years ago today (on August 20, 1967) at the age of 15.  Moving forward, my ministry focus is (1) writing and publishing Christian books, (2) mentoring younger ministers, and (3) speaking in various ministry venues as the Lord allows.

I am highly appreciative of the tremendous support and encouragement I have received from my wonderful wife and ministry partner, Lady Belinda McClendon Bass, from my gifted children and extended family members, and from all who have supported me via fervent prayer and personal participation.  Most of all, I am indebted to Jesus Christ for His matchless grace, mercy, assurance, guidance and love.

During ten years of composing  the Facebook Devotionals, I have never requested an offering, and will not do so now.  However, if you have been blessed by my ministry (and if you can afford to do so), I’d be honored if you would consider purchasing my recently published book entitled “Reimagining The End-Time Church.”  The paperback is available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com for $16.99.  Many of you have already purchased a copy.  This book will also be a beneficial blessing to your Pastor, as a special ministry gift from you.

My dear colleagues and friends, until the Rapture, it is my earnest prayer that you and your family will be highly favored and continually blessed as you walk hand-in-hand with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Maranatha!

-Pastor Wayne M. Bass

LOVE...JESUS STYLE

LOVE…JESUS STYLE

How did Jesus describe the love of God?

In Luke 15, He says it’s like knocking on the door of the home of an estranged family member, dreading possible rejection, only to be greeted with happy hugs, tears and a welcome home party thrown in your honor.

In Matthew 18, He says it’s like owing a crushing debt that is entirely of your own making and nearly impossible to repay, only to be told by your lender that the whole balance is forgiven.

In Matthew 18, He says it’s like being a sheep lost in the wilderness, alone and afraid, when your shepherd leaves the rest of the flock to find and rescue you.

In Matthew 20, He says it’s like putting in an hour’s work and then receiving a full day’s pay.

The grace, mercy and love of God are entirely awesome, yet absolutely available.  Amen.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING. Maranatha!

DON'T MISS HEAVEN

DON’T MISS HEAVEN

Famed churchman, Dwight L. Moody, used the following fable in one of his sermons:

There’s an old legend of a swan and a crane. A beautiful swan alighted by the banks of the water where a crane was wading about seeking snails. For a few moments the crane looked at the swan in wonder and then inquired, “Where do you come from?”

“I came from heaven!” replied the swan.

“And where is heaven?” asked the crane.

“Heaven?” asked the swan, “Have you never heard of heaven?” And that beautiful bird went on to describe the grandeur of the Eternal City. She told of streets of gold, and described gates and walls made of precious stones, a river of life pure as crystal, and a tree whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. The swan even painted a verbal picture of the heavenly hosts, but without stimulating the slightest interest on the part of the crane. Finally the crane asked, “Are there any snails there?” “Snails?” repeated the swan. “No, of course not!”

“Then,” said the crane, continuing its search along the slimy banks of the pond, “you can have your heaven. I want snails!”

Moody concluded his spiritual fable with the following: “How many young persons whom God has granted the gracious advantage of a Christian home have turned their backs upon it and searched for snails? How many men have sacrificed their wives and families, their all, for the snails of sin? How many girls have deliberately turned away from loving parents and learned too late that heaven has been forfeited for snails?”

My friend, stay focused, grounded, connected and committed. Don't miss out on your eternal heritage of joy and peace in the very presence of Almighty God.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

REGRET

REGRET

Robert Oppenheimer was the primary scientist responsible for the development of the atomic bomb used against Japan at the close of World War II. He was born in 1904 in New York City, and showed an early interest in science. He entered Harvard at 18 and graduated in 3 years with honors. He was considered one of the top ten theoretical physicists in the world, and specialized in the study of sub-atomic particles and gamma rays. 

From 1943 he began directing 4500 men and women at Los Alamos, New Mexico, with the sole purpose of building an atomic bomb. Two years and two billion dollars later, they successfully detonated the first atomic bomb. When he saw what he had made, Robert Oppenheimer underwent a radical revaluation of his values. Upon seeing the first fireball and mushroom cloud, he quoted from the Bhagavad-gita: “I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”

Two months later he resigned his position at Los Alamos and spent the remainder of his life trying to undo the damage, trying to get the genie of atomic weapons back into the bottle. Lesson learned. It is incumbent upon all of us to think deeply about whatever we are doing. There are some mistakes that are nearly impossible to reverse.  And that’s why we need grace.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

LET IT GO

LET IT GO

A young child was raising a terrifying cry after he had shoved his hand into the opening of an expensive Chinese vase and couldn’t pull it out again. His parents tugged on his arm, with their child howling all the while. Finally, there was nothing left to do but to break that beautiful and costly vase. Then, as the heap of shards lay on the floor, it became clear why the child had been so hopelessly stuck. His little fist grasped a paltry penny he had spied at the bottom of the vase, and in his childish ignorance, would not let go. 

My friend, the “Frozen” Disney character, Elsa, was absolutely on target: “Let it go!”

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

JUST GET IT DONE!

JUST GET IT DONE!

Bernard L. Brown, Jr., former president of Kennestone Health Care, relates a curious story about the occasionally silly struggle over who will get the necessary work done.

A patient knocked over a cup of water, which spilled on the floor beside his bed. The patient was afraid he might slip on the water when he got out of the bed, so he asked a nurse's aide to mop it up. The patient didn't know about the hospital policy which stated that small spills were the responsibility of nurse's aides and large spills were taken care of by the housekeeping department.

The nurse's aide decided that the spill was a large one, so she called the housekeeping department. A housekeeper arrived and declared the spill to be a small one. An argument followed.

“It's not my responsibility,” said the nurse's aide, “because it's a large puddle.” The housekeeper did not agree. “Well, it's not mine,” she said, “the puddle is too small.”

The exasperated patient listened for a time, then took a pitcher of water from his night table and poured the whole thing on the floor. “Is that a big enough puddle now for you two to decide?” he asked. It was, and that was the end of the argument. 

My friends, let’s not quibble over the size or scope of the task; let’s just get it done!

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!

KNOW WHAT YOU POSSESS

KNOW WHAT YOU POSSESS

The following true treasure story was printed in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on May 17, 1987:

A rock collector named Rob Cutshaw owns a little roadside shop outside Andrews, North Carolina. He hunts for rocks, then sells them to collectors or jewelry makers. He knows enough about rocks to decide which to pick up and sell, but he’s no expert. He leaves the appraising of his rocks to other people. As much as he enjoys the work, it doesn’t always pay the bills, so he occasionally moonlights, cutting wood to help put bread on the table.

While on a dig twenty years ago, Rob found a rock he described as “purdy and big.” He tried unsuccessfully to sell the rock and kept it under his bed or in his closet. He guessed the blue chunk could bring as much as $500 dollars, but he would have taken less if something urgent came up like paying his power bill. That’s how close Rob came to hawking for a few hundred dollars what turned out to be the largest, most valuable sapphire ever found. The blue rock that Rob had abandoned to the darkness of a closet – now known as “The Star of David” sapphire – weighs nearly a pound, and could easily sell for $2.75 million dollars. 

My friend, what’s in your hands that you potentially devalue?  In Exodus chapter four, God used the simple rod that was in Moses’ hands to come to life miraculously.  Undoubtedly, He is fully capable of bringing forth whatever resides in or around you to fulfill your ultimate purpose and destiny.  Be absolutely aware of what is in your hands.

Sisters and brothers, be continually blessed, and please (above all else) MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO MEET OUR SOON COMING KING.  Maranatha!