Forgiven Christians (Ephesians 2:8-9)

FORGIVEN CHRISTIANS (Ephesians 2:8-9) is a website ministry. We do not have a formal meeting place for worship at this time.

There is no substitute for being an active member of a healthy, "Christ Centered" Church. The intention of this ministry is to compliment the teachings and prayer life you experience at your local place of worship and to introduce nonbelievers to the true source of joy, peace, and love, Jesus Christ our Savior.

In some seasons of our lives, we are unable to attend a place of worship. Physical and emotional limitations may be keeping us from being fully engaged in a public environment.

Through radio, television, and the internet we can thank God for the opportunity to hear and apply the Word of God from just about anywhere. Forgiven Christians desires to serve you as a supplement to your local Church, and to guide you to other Biblically based sites. You can find links to some of our highest regarded ministries in the "Other Resources" section of this website.

Please know that Joe's heart goes out to those who are homebound for whatever reason, whether it is physical, psychological, or a sense of "not belonging." Christ knows your heart, loves you personally, and desires an intimate relationship with you.

Feel free to contact Joe at joe@forgivenchristians.org with prayer requests or simply to have someone to visit with. You are loved, and God knows your needs and anxieties. Psalm 139 affirms that Jesus understands exactly what you are going through and will never abandon you.

Our Mission:

FORGIVEN CHRISTIANS exists to encourage and unite those of us who know we've lived hard and realize that through our own power our lives are messed up. We've been "bucked off" time and again, and many of us have seen and done things we look back on and consider "unforgivable." Yet, we cling to the hope and understanding that there's only one way to get back on the horse, to realize peace in our hearts - through grasping the pierced hand of Jesus.

It is the purpose of this ministry to assure all Christians that God is a loving and faithful Father, Jesus has redeemed us once and for all (our works are the fruit of our gratitude for the Salvation He provided us), and the Holy Spirit is our constant companion and source of our life as Christians.

We believe the surest way to witness to unbelieving friends and neighbors is to let our lives be a conduit for the Joy of the Lord. We must look for opportunities to reach out to others using Matthew 25:34-40 as our inspiration. We are grateful for every opportunity to share the Gospel with others.

Being a "good person" and doing "good works" are as filthy rags unless we point others to the source of our strength, the Gospel and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, knowing the Gospel without having love  in our hearts (1 Corinthians 13) renders us useless.

We do not subscribe to "name it and claim it" preaching. Jesus was specific that we as Christians would come under pain, suffering, abuse of all kinds for His name's sake. Our joy which surpasses all understanding is that we are "more than conquerors" (see Romans 8:31-39) through Jesus Christ. We are in this world but not of this world. We would rather have a stable in heaven than a Ferrari in our garage. Whatever state we are in, we are content (Phil.4:11).

About Joe:

Joe was born and raised Roman Catholic, and after high school attended Seminary for one year, discerning his call to ministry. He felt called to leave the "shelter" of the Seminary and experience what life was really about before he could reach out in the Name of Christ to a hurting world.

One of  the favorite memories of his youth was spending a couple of summers on a friend's horse ranch. Hard work, down to earth honesty and a love of the outdoors are qualities Joe admires and strives to live by.

He spent many years as a "lapsed Christian" following his own heart and getting deeper into the ways of the world. Without going into detail, he has experienced pain and suffering, and has been responsible for inflicting the same. He relates well with the parable of the Prodigal Son.

Among other things,  Joe has worked in the construction field for over thirty years. His heart is with the "blue collar" folks who work hard to feed their families and live with integrity. If you are comfortable in blue jeans, know the simple pleasures of a warm fire and a full stomach, shared exhilaration and grief with close friends, love the smell of horses and diesel in the morning, and don't think too highly of yourself, he hopes you will relate well to this website. 

Eventually he started attending a Baptist Church and voraciously began reading the Scriptures, listening to audio tapes and reading books by John MacArthur, R.C Sproul, Charles Stanley, Brennan Manniing,  Adrian Rogers, Max Lucado,and others.

Joe is a Christian first,, last, and always. His passion is to reach out to all denominations as well as unbelievers with the message that we are saved by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and, through repentence, our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Joe's faith and core beliefs are deeply aligned with  the Biblical commitment of the Protestant Reformers, yet recognizes the differences in worship of the various denominations. Rather than pitting one denomination against the other, he prays for reunification of the Christian Church without compromising Biblical Truth.

In simple terms, Joe sees the value of the various "true" (by that he means Bible believing) Christian denominations as a means to study God's Word with great passion, and that Our Lord is using the various denominations as a "refining fire" helping each other to stay true to the Gospel of Christ.

Jesus taught us to "love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, and with all of your strength...you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30,31). If we are members of a Biblically based denomination that really has a grasp on the Biblical Jesus and the Trinity, this commandment ought to be our compass.

Respect for all truly Christian denominations and prayers for their leadership is integral to this ministry.

Joe's desire is to share the liberating power of the Gospel with everyday folks dealing with difficult times.

He graduated from the Master's College and is quite content to be identified as a child of God.