When we see someone attempting to start a fight, then we know it is time to refrain from answering back and walk away. The winner of that kind of argument is the one who refuses to engage in the first place.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
It's Really Quite Simple
We need not worry about the results when we share Christ, that is His business. It is enough to share, all the rest is left to Him. Their response to us is not a measure of "our" effectiveness, but rather the condition of their own heart.
Mark 16:15
"And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."
Notice God does not say, "go and do it right and there will be results."
Romans 1:16
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
"It is the power of God for salvation", what? The power of God for salvation is not our delivery, but the Gospel that is the power of God for salvation.
Acts 10:42
"And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead."
When we think we are not seeing results, never fear, that is God's business, He will take care of His own business.
Matthew 10:27
"What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops."
Our job: proclaim the gospel, that's it!
Mark 16:15
"And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."
Notice God does not say, "go and do it right and there will be results."
Romans 1:16
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."
"It is the power of God for salvation", what? The power of God for salvation is not our delivery, but the Gospel that is the power of God for salvation.
Acts 10:42
"And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead."
When we think we are not seeing results, never fear, that is God's business, He will take care of His own business.
Matthew 10:27
"What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops."
Our job: proclaim the gospel, that's it!
1 Peter 5:7-9
"…7 Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.…"
Does God Always Hear Us?
Psalm 66:17-19 "…17 I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. 18 If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; 19 But certainly God has heard; He has given heed to the voice of my prayer.…"
A very sobering and even frightening thought, that if we do not confess our sin to be cleansed, then the Lord will not hear our prayers nor will He speak to us.
A very sobering and even frightening thought, that if we do not confess our sin to be cleansed, then the Lord will not hear our prayers nor will He speak to us.
Maturity Comes With Asking
Many believers are caught up in false teaching that keeps them spiritual and emotional babies. To grow in holiness we must be asking for Christ in us to show us truth, while being willing to let go of every deception that we have ever been taught by our culture.
God will not give wisdom to those who will not ask, but He will give much to those who want it.
James 1:4-6 "…4 Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.…"
God will not give wisdom to those who will not ask, but He will give much to those who want it.
James 1:4-6 "…4 Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.…"
Struggling with Sin
As long as we are in this body of death, the flesh, we will struggle with sin. The key is that we do struggle, we hate it, we confess and are cleansed and then another sin surfaces that we need to confess and be cleansed of. God is showing us our inability to be good, that He must continually cleanse us to the very end of our life, while His blood covers our sinfulness. We only grow in holiness if we confess each sin as it emerges.
Many people remain spiritual babies, even though they are born again, because their pride prevents them from openly confessing their sin. We grow in direct proportion to how freely we confess.
In the mean time as all this is going on, the Lord's shed blood covers our sinfulness so that we can approach the throne of grace boldly, not because we are without sin, but because we belong to Christ.
Christ is before the Father all the time saying, "Father this one is mine", "that one is mine."
1 John 1:7-9 "…7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.…"
God wrote the words of 1 John to born again believers. This life is a battle with sin for believers. It is not a battle with sin for non-believers, they love their sin, refuse to say what it is and continue with it without conscience.
When we have grieved the Holy Spirit with our sin, we hate it, we are tormented in our soul until we confess. The non-believer doesn't do this, they have no sense of compassion for those they hurt and even justify it.
Ephesians 4:30-31 " 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.…"
God will not cleanse us of a sin we refuse to confess, either to Him or to the ones we have wronged. Relationships in the body of Christ continue to be broken and remain so because of the refusal to own their own sin.
There is amazing blessing in being able to freely and openly tell on ourselves. The sense of relief that comes when the sin has been removed and we continue on in greater fellowship with Christ. The freest person in the world is the one who keeps close accounts, confessing each wrong attitude or action as it is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.
There is no peace in the one who will not confess, nor is their peace in relationships that are not healed for lack of confession.
The goal for the believer in this life is to honor and glorify God. We should not be concerned about the creature comforts or the pleasures of this world. We enjoy those blessings from God, but they are not our goal, our goal is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our brethren as much as we already love ourselves.
Matthew 22:36-40
"36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Many people remain spiritual babies, even though they are born again, because their pride prevents them from openly confessing their sin. We grow in direct proportion to how freely we confess.
In the mean time as all this is going on, the Lord's shed blood covers our sinfulness so that we can approach the throne of grace boldly, not because we are without sin, but because we belong to Christ.
Christ is before the Father all the time saying, "Father this one is mine", "that one is mine."
1 John 1:7-9 "…7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.…"
God wrote the words of 1 John to born again believers. This life is a battle with sin for believers. It is not a battle with sin for non-believers, they love their sin, refuse to say what it is and continue with it without conscience.
When we have grieved the Holy Spirit with our sin, we hate it, we are tormented in our soul until we confess. The non-believer doesn't do this, they have no sense of compassion for those they hurt and even justify it.
Ephesians 4:30-31 " 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.…"
God will not cleanse us of a sin we refuse to confess, either to Him or to the ones we have wronged. Relationships in the body of Christ continue to be broken and remain so because of the refusal to own their own sin.
There is amazing blessing in being able to freely and openly tell on ourselves. The sense of relief that comes when the sin has been removed and we continue on in greater fellowship with Christ. The freest person in the world is the one who keeps close accounts, confessing each wrong attitude or action as it is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit.
There is no peace in the one who will not confess, nor is their peace in relationships that are not healed for lack of confession.
The goal for the believer in this life is to honor and glorify God. We should not be concerned about the creature comforts or the pleasures of this world. We enjoy those blessings from God, but they are not our goal, our goal is to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind and to love our brethren as much as we already love ourselves.
Matthew 22:36-40
"36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
37 And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
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