I have encountered so many people who will not listen to reason that I have almost completely given up speaking directly to anyone. Instead I write and write and write, hoping that anyone who is willing to listen will see and either be blessed and encouraged because I said something they already knew, or someone will learn something new.
Then there are those times when others write things and I am blessed, because they said something I already knew or they said something I had not heard before, but shed new light on an old principle from God's Word.
Goodness.......this sounds like a family... could it be, that families can interact in love, sharing what they know and being willing to admit when they needed to learn something they didn't know?
The family of God is unified, not because they compromise truth to be friendly, but because they are all seeking truth. Each one is at a different level, a different ministry, personality and bent, but all completely unified by Christ. We call this "Kindred Spirits", Family.
Each one in the family of God bears burdens and encounters varying degrees of spiritual growth. Each believer is unique with an individual task they have been given for a collective purpose......to spread the good news of the gospel and to Glorify God.
1 Peter 4:7-11
"7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.
8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins.
9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint.
10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."
Each one of us has a job to do, no one else can do our job for us and no one can judge us for the job God has given us. If anyone suggests we do something God has not told us to do, then we simply reply in love, "God never told me to do that, He told me to do this."
EVERY believers has a job.......EVERY BELIEVER!
1 Corinthians 12:14-26
"14 For the body is not one member, but many.
15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?
18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.
19 If they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now there are many members, but one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,
24 whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked,
25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it"
Do not think that God has not given you something to do, no matter how small you think it might be, He has a purpose and we never know where HE will take our work. It is not up to us to count numbers or evaluate technique, we are simply to ask Him what we are to do and then obey when He presents us with our assignment.
Let no one discourage you, do not look for praise and honor from men, but embrace Christ, to be pleasing to Him. No one is above another one, everyone is equal in God's eyes.....sinners saved by Grace only useful because they are in Christ.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Thursday, January 8, 2015
To Be Unequally Yoked is Disobedience.
Fellowship with the world through close friendships and marriage is dangerous to us and to children that may come later.
Non-believers do not share the same standards that Believers do. In marriage, business or club interactions, they will devise solutions for life issues that are against the standards of God.
A non-believer will love the movie industry and have little or no standard for what is shown on the screen.
A non-believer will follow the ways of psychology and ungodly attitudes of the modern professionals in their dealings with children and other adults.
A non-believer lacks the discernment of the Lord in matters of morals and relationships.
A non-believer will not see anything wrong with living together, smoking, bar hopping, drunkenness, filthy language, foolishness in adults, the entertainment mentality and immoral clothing. They will also be angry at the believer for disapproving of these things.
A non-believer will love the company of other non-believers while hating the company of godly believers.
Notice that when believers spend too much time with non-believers, they tend to take on the ways of the one who dishonors God. At the very least they remain silent in the face of sin and immorality indicating approval.
Diluting their Christian standards, while in the presence of the non-believer, a believer diminishes their own standard to gain the love and admiration of the non-believer.
1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
Deuteronomy 7:3-4 “3 Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your [a]daughters to[b]their sons, nor shall you take [c]their daughters for your [d]sons. 4 For [e]they will turn your [f]sons away from [g]following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you.”
God shows clearly in this passage that our children’s hearts will be turned away from God by the influence of the unsaved parent.
King Solomon was a good example of this, he married many pagan wives, they turned his heart away from God and toward the worship of their idols. He began determined to please God and throughout his life was influenced by his wives to practice their ways, even allowing their pagan gods into his house and bowing down to them himself.
1 Kings 11:1-13 “11 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not [a]associate with them, nor shall they [b]associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love.
3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.
4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
5 For Solomon went afterAshtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after [d]Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites.
6 Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow theLORD fully, as David his father had done.
7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is [e]east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon.
8 Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORDhad commanded.
11 So the LORD said to Solomon, “Because [f]you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.
12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
2 John 1:9-11
“9 Anyone who [b]goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.”
It is a serious matter, to follow after an unsaved person either to be their close friend or to marry them.
Dating is the pre-curser to marriage, to become emotionally close to someone who is not of the same mind as ourselves is playing with dynamite. Not only do we ruin our own lives when we walk with the unsaved, we bring hardship on our children as they are confused by the influence of the unsaved parent. We should not be surprised when an unbeliever walks away from a marriage, they do not have the same commitment as a strong believer would have. They are easily influenced by their unsaved friends and the media.
More often than not, children will follow the unsaved parent’s ways because they are enticing and natural to the child. The world has much encouragement for the child to ignore the advice and teaching of the righteous parent while praising ways of the unsaved parent.
When one is married to an unsaved person, they will either give in to their spouse in the ways of the world to avoid conflict, or they will remain lonely as they follow hard after Christ and their spouse remains angry at this choice. There is a separateness in the same household, a detached emotional experience because the married couple are not in agreement.
Proverbs 3:5-7 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil”
While the born again believer desires to seek the Lord in all things, the unsaved spouse will not join their spouse in this, they will do things out of God’s will because they want to follow their own heart in the matters of life.
James 1:22-25 “22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [a]natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, [b]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but [c]an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in [d]what he does.”
We are commanded by God to obey Him, but an unsaved person does not care about this and will become angry when we cannot follow after them in disobedience against God’s principles.
James 4:7-10 “7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
God commanded us to obey Him rather than man, Acts 5:29. When we need to obey God and our spouse does not want to do that, then there is conflict in the marriage.
Proverbs 3:5-10 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your [a]body And refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord from your wealth And from the first of all your produce;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine.”
When we marry outside our faith we open ourselves to much conflict and frustration, as we attempt to obey God and our spouse refuses to do so.
The same is true of friendships, we cannot walk with those who do not share our goal and principles of life as seen in God’s Word. They will either prevent us from fully following after Christ or they will turn us entirely away from Him. It is a constant struggle.
I believe I have presented some scriptures here that well support what I have been saying in the matter of dating and even friendship with unbelievers. There are many more Scriptures and accounts of lives mentioned in the Bible that clearly show the pitfalls of disobedience to God.
1 John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Those who are in love with unbelievers have fallen in love with the ways of the world or they would not be attracted to an unsaved person.
When we are in love with Christ, we love the things of God to such a degree that an unsaved person is not spiritually or physically attractive to us. Outer beauty fades quickly when the character of the unbeliever loves the world.
Non-believers do not share the same standards that Believers do. In marriage, business or club interactions, they will devise solutions for life issues that are against the standards of God.
A non-believer will love the movie industry and have little or no standard for what is shown on the screen.
A non-believer will follow the ways of psychology and ungodly attitudes of the modern professionals in their dealings with children and other adults.
A non-believer lacks the discernment of the Lord in matters of morals and relationships.
A non-believer will not see anything wrong with living together, smoking, bar hopping, drunkenness, filthy language, foolishness in adults, the entertainment mentality and immoral clothing. They will also be angry at the believer for disapproving of these things.
A non-believer will love the company of other non-believers while hating the company of godly believers.
Notice that when believers spend too much time with non-believers, they tend to take on the ways of the one who dishonors God. At the very least they remain silent in the face of sin and immorality indicating approval.
Diluting their Christian standards, while in the presence of the non-believer, a believer diminishes their own standard to gain the love and admiration of the non-believer.
1 Corinthians 15:33 “Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."
Deuteronomy 7:3-4 “3 Furthermore, you shall not intermarry with them; you shall not give your [a]daughters to[b]their sons, nor shall you take [c]their daughters for your [d]sons. 4 For [e]they will turn your [f]sons away from [g]following Me to serve other gods; then the anger of the LORD will be kindled against you and He will quickly destroy you.”
God shows clearly in this passage that our children’s hearts will be turned away from God by the influence of the unsaved parent.
King Solomon was a good example of this, he married many pagan wives, they turned his heart away from God and toward the worship of their idols. He began determined to please God and throughout his life was influenced by his wives to practice their ways, even allowing their pagan gods into his house and bowing down to them himself.
1 Kings 11:1-13 “11 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women,
2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not [a]associate with them, nor shall they [b]associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods.” Solomon held fast to these in love.
3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away.
4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.
5 For Solomon went afterAshtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after [d]Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites.
6 Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow theLORD fully, as David his father had done.
7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is [e]east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon.
8 Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
9 Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORDhad commanded.
11 So the LORD said to Solomon, “Because [f]you have done this, and you have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you, and will give it to your servant.
12 Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen.”
2 John 1:9-11
“9 Anyone who [b]goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; 11 for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds.”
It is a serious matter, to follow after an unsaved person either to be their close friend or to marry them.
Dating is the pre-curser to marriage, to become emotionally close to someone who is not of the same mind as ourselves is playing with dynamite. Not only do we ruin our own lives when we walk with the unsaved, we bring hardship on our children as they are confused by the influence of the unsaved parent. We should not be surprised when an unbeliever walks away from a marriage, they do not have the same commitment as a strong believer would have. They are easily influenced by their unsaved friends and the media.
More often than not, children will follow the unsaved parent’s ways because they are enticing and natural to the child. The world has much encouragement for the child to ignore the advice and teaching of the righteous parent while praising ways of the unsaved parent.
When one is married to an unsaved person, they will either give in to their spouse in the ways of the world to avoid conflict, or they will remain lonely as they follow hard after Christ and their spouse remains angry at this choice. There is a separateness in the same household, a detached emotional experience because the married couple are not in agreement.
Proverbs 3:5-7 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and turn away from evil”
While the born again believer desires to seek the Lord in all things, the unsaved spouse will not join their spouse in this, they will do things out of God’s will because they want to follow their own heart in the matters of life.
James 1:22-25 “22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his [a]natural face in a mirror; 24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, [b]he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. 25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but [c]an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in [d]what he does.”
We are commanded by God to obey Him, but an unsaved person does not care about this and will become angry when we cannot follow after them in disobedience against God’s principles.
James 4:7-10 “7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
God commanded us to obey Him rather than man, Acts 5:29. When we need to obey God and our spouse does not want to do that, then there is conflict in the marriage.
Proverbs 3:5-10 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your [a]body And refreshment to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord from your wealth And from the first of all your produce;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine.”
When we marry outside our faith we open ourselves to much conflict and frustration, as we attempt to obey God and our spouse refuses to do so.
The same is true of friendships, we cannot walk with those who do not share our goal and principles of life as seen in God’s Word. They will either prevent us from fully following after Christ or they will turn us entirely away from Him. It is a constant struggle.
I believe I have presented some scriptures here that well support what I have been saying in the matter of dating and even friendship with unbelievers. There are many more Scriptures and accounts of lives mentioned in the Bible that clearly show the pitfalls of disobedience to God.
1 John 2:15 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Those who are in love with unbelievers have fallen in love with the ways of the world or they would not be attracted to an unsaved person.
When we are in love with Christ, we love the things of God to such a degree that an unsaved person is not spiritually or physically attractive to us. Outer beauty fades quickly when the character of the unbeliever loves the world.
Spiritual or Physical Strength Which is Better?
Excerpts from the Berean Call Newsletter. January 2015
by T.A. McMahon
"In other words, godliness, which is the spiritual exercise of living out what the Word of God teaches, is significantly more to be sought than "bodily exercise" in order to improve a believers everyday life on earth as well as to yield rewards in one's eternal life."
"What are the spiritual fundamentals for growing in godliness? First of all, it must begin with a new birth. As Jesus declared to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.....Ye must be born again." (John 3:3-7--Emphasis added). Without the transformation of being born spiritually from above, it is impossible for anyone to manifest godliness. This new birth comes about when a person admits that he is a sinner, turns to Jesus by faith alone, believes that He paid the full penalty for his sins, and accepts the free gift of salvation that only Jesus could and did provide."
"There fore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature..." (2 Corinthians 5:17) Even though he has been miraculously transformed into a new being, a born again believer retains his old nature, but no longer is he under its sinful control: "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth."
"Lie not one to another seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man , which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (Colossians 3:8-10...emphasis added). "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24). We shouldn't be surprised, however when within the born again believer, the resident old nature, though no longer in control causes a sometimes-fierce struggle in our hearts and minds. This spiritual battle will continue throughout our temporal lives, but daily victory can be ours. Why? Because God Himself has provided everything that a believer needs to grow in "righteousness and true holiness."
"What are the Scriptural fundamentals for growing in godliness? First of all, it must begin with a new birth,. As Jesus declared to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God....Ye must be born again." (John 3:3,7--emphasis added). Without that transformation of being born spiritually from above, it is impossible for anyone to manifest godliness. This new birth comes about when a person admits that he is a sinner, turns to Jesus by faith alone, believes that He paid the full penalty for his sins, and accepts the free gift of salvation that only Jesus could and did provide."
by T.A. McMahon
"In other words, godliness, which is the spiritual exercise of living out what the Word of God teaches, is significantly more to be sought than "bodily exercise" in order to improve a believers everyday life on earth as well as to yield rewards in one's eternal life."
"What are the spiritual fundamentals for growing in godliness? First of all, it must begin with a new birth. As Jesus declared to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.....Ye must be born again." (John 3:3-7--Emphasis added). Without the transformation of being born spiritually from above, it is impossible for anyone to manifest godliness. This new birth comes about when a person admits that he is a sinner, turns to Jesus by faith alone, believes that He paid the full penalty for his sins, and accepts the free gift of salvation that only Jesus could and did provide."
"There fore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature..." (2 Corinthians 5:17) Even though he has been miraculously transformed into a new being, a born again believer retains his old nature, but no longer is he under its sinful control: "But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth."
"Lie not one to another seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man , which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: (Colossians 3:8-10...emphasis added). "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24). We shouldn't be surprised, however when within the born again believer, the resident old nature, though no longer in control causes a sometimes-fierce struggle in our hearts and minds. This spiritual battle will continue throughout our temporal lives, but daily victory can be ours. Why? Because God Himself has provided everything that a believer needs to grow in "righteousness and true holiness."
"What are the Scriptural fundamentals for growing in godliness? First of all, it must begin with a new birth,. As Jesus declared to Nicodemus, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God....Ye must be born again." (John 3:3,7--emphasis added). Without that transformation of being born spiritually from above, it is impossible for anyone to manifest godliness. This new birth comes about when a person admits that he is a sinner, turns to Jesus by faith alone, believes that He paid the full penalty for his sins, and accepts the free gift of salvation that only Jesus could and did provide."
We Are Completely Changed
Some of the earmarks of a true believer are written about in Bible.
Galatians 4:6
"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."
John 14:16-17
"16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
Did we see that word in verse 16, "FOREVER."
We cannot be born again unless we have the Holy Spirit. We do not get the Holy Spirit by doing good works or thinking good thoughts, we get Him when we have placed our faith in Christ and God sends Him to live in us.
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."
Deuteronomy 7:9
"Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"
Romans 8: 38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Those who love the Lord live a lifestyle of obedience to Him, even though they may stumble, they continue to grow and God is cleansing us daily until the day we die.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Numbers 23:19
"God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?"
2 Timothy 2:13
"If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself."
Let us all desire to be cleansed more and more, becoming holy as He is holy.
John 3:30
"He must increase, but I must decrease."
Galatians 4:6
"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."
John 14:16-17
"16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
Did we see that word in verse 16, "FOREVER."
We cannot be born again unless we have the Holy Spirit. We do not get the Holy Spirit by doing good works or thinking good thoughts, we get Him when we have placed our faith in Christ and God sends Him to live in us.
Ephesians 1:13-14
"13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."
Deuteronomy 7:9
"Know therefore that the LORD thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;"
Romans 8: 38-39 “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Those who love the Lord live a lifestyle of obedience to Him, even though they may stumble, they continue to grow and God is cleansing us daily until the day we die.
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Numbers 23:19
"God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?"
2 Timothy 2:13
"If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself."
Let us all desire to be cleansed more and more, becoming holy as He is holy.
John 3:30
"He must increase, but I must decrease."
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
God Did It With Only 300 Men
In these last days of apostasy there will be very few people who will want to listen.
The church is not a building full of people, it is people scattered all over the place waiting for the return of their Savior.
God clearly said to me, "just do what I told you and don't worry about where it goes, I will take it where I want it to go."
If what we are doing seems small and insignificant, then that is only through our human eyes. We never know where God will take it, perhaps in places we never expected.
Be satisfied with what He gave you no matter how small it looks to you, and when we get to heaven we may get to see what He did with it.
Israel defeated the enemy, tens of thousands of soldiers, with only 300 men. If we get too big we start thinking it was us.
Bless you brothers and sisters as you carry on in faith with the job He gave you to do.
The church is not a building full of people, it is people scattered all over the place waiting for the return of their Savior.
God clearly said to me, "just do what I told you and don't worry about where it goes, I will take it where I want it to go."
If what we are doing seems small and insignificant, then that is only through our human eyes. We never know where God will take it, perhaps in places we never expected.
Be satisfied with what He gave you no matter how small it looks to you, and when we get to heaven we may get to see what He did with it.
Israel defeated the enemy, tens of thousands of soldiers, with only 300 men. If we get too big we start thinking it was us.
Bless you brothers and sisters as you carry on in faith with the job He gave you to do.
The Commandments are Actions
We have some pictures of the ten commandments on our walls done for a company many years ago, they are reproductions.
On the picture demonstrating the third commandment to "not take the name of the Lord in vain", is a picture of a man walking out of church with a big Bible. He has his nose in the air, while a begging old woman is on her knees at his feet, he is piously ignoring her completely, as though she has no value, like a dog or cat. Many years ago, when the Bible was the only source for spiritual wisdom in this country, everyone understood what that commandment meant.
Since we live in a world of superficial Christianity, the people think everything is about words. If we say something then those words have power. This is new age concept that is not in Scripture.
Most of our churches have errored in teaching children not to take the Lord's name in vain through speech while neglecting the training in actions to live as evidence of what they say.
Even the word love in Hebrew is an action word, either to give or to withhold, depending on what is needed.
Words do not have power but actions do.
Our culture says "I am a good person", while they sack up with their unwed partner. They say " I am a good person", while taking from others and never giving back.
They say "I am a basically good person", those who are thieves in jail think they are good because they didn't murder. They say "I am a good person", when their life demonstrates exactly the opposite. This is the reason they are so angry when they are shown by the commandments that they are not good people and never have been. They have chosen to pretend they are good, even though in their heart of hearts they know they are not, the reason they become so angry when anyone challenges their goodness.
There are two sayings that impacted my life many years ago, because I saw people saying things about themselves that didn't seem to ring true. God showed me through His Word that no one is good and those who like to say they are, have to say in place of the reality.
Saying is not equal to being! What we say carries no weight at all unless it matches how we live. What we say can easily be refuted by the evidence of actions.
The two sayings:
"Your actions speak so loud I can't hear a word you are saying."
"Actions speak louder than words."
If we are wanting to live for the Lord, it is better to remain silent about ourselves and just live for Christ in our actions.
Colossians 3:5-10
5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,
7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
James 1:26
"If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain."
1 John 3:18
"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."
On the picture demonstrating the third commandment to "not take the name of the Lord in vain", is a picture of a man walking out of church with a big Bible. He has his nose in the air, while a begging old woman is on her knees at his feet, he is piously ignoring her completely, as though she has no value, like a dog or cat. Many years ago, when the Bible was the only source for spiritual wisdom in this country, everyone understood what that commandment meant.
Since we live in a world of superficial Christianity, the people think everything is about words. If we say something then those words have power. This is new age concept that is not in Scripture.
Most of our churches have errored in teaching children not to take the Lord's name in vain through speech while neglecting the training in actions to live as evidence of what they say.
Even the word love in Hebrew is an action word, either to give or to withhold, depending on what is needed.
Words do not have power but actions do.
Our culture says "I am a good person", while they sack up with their unwed partner. They say " I am a good person", while taking from others and never giving back.
They say "I am a basically good person", those who are thieves in jail think they are good because they didn't murder. They say "I am a good person", when their life demonstrates exactly the opposite. This is the reason they are so angry when they are shown by the commandments that they are not good people and never have been. They have chosen to pretend they are good, even though in their heart of hearts they know they are not, the reason they become so angry when anyone challenges their goodness.
There are two sayings that impacted my life many years ago, because I saw people saying things about themselves that didn't seem to ring true. God showed me through His Word that no one is good and those who like to say they are, have to say in place of the reality.
Saying is not equal to being! What we say carries no weight at all unless it matches how we live. What we say can easily be refuted by the evidence of actions.
The two sayings:
"Your actions speak so loud I can't hear a word you are saying."
"Actions speak louder than words."
If we are wanting to live for the Lord, it is better to remain silent about ourselves and just live for Christ in our actions.
Colossians 3:5-10
5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,
7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, 10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
James 1:26
"If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain."
1 John 3:18
"My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."
Let the Past Be the Past Forever
There are those family members who have spent their entire lives denigrating and demeaning others for the purpose of elevating self, even believers are guilty of this.
As you grew up you were perplexed that they continued to bring up things you did in your childhood that are not happening anymore, as though they had nothing in their past that could be used this way. I hear things like this frequently in my encounters with believers. It is not bad enough that they are bent on reminding us, they also spread gossip, even lying about us, feeling self-righteous that they were not as bad as those they malign.
Childhood was a place where these self-absorbed people felt elevated above others with the encouragement of the adults in their life. There was no training in love, kindness or self-sacrifice, only continual praise and gratification, solidifying their superior view of themselves.
Now for the encouragement, God has something to hold against every single person on the face of the earth. No one has measured up to His standard on any level. Those who think they had something to offer Him, are fooling themselves and very likely never knew the love of Christ in their own hearts. There can be no love in the heart of one who feels a need to be admired for their talents and accomplishments while demonstrating superiority in the presence of those they think do not “measure up” to their worldly idea of respect and honor. Why is this encouragement? It is comforting to know that we don’t have to measure up to God or anyone else. We can trust Christ that He can work in us in every way that is necessary, it does not depend on us, but on Him. Past sins or flaws get to stay in the past, forever.
John 6:37
“"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”
Acts 10:34-35
“34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”
Romans 12:1
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
We can also choose to walk away from those who torment our lives with manipulation. If they are believers, we can choose to have our relationship with them in heaven, while free from the drama they bring in this life. We cannot help those who will not listen, nor can we help those who are elevated in their own eyes. God will have to deal with them, while we move on to those who want to hear the message of Christ.
Titus 3:10
“As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,”
1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
Our love for the brethren is not based on talents, accomplishments or outer beauty, nor is it based on past sins that have been removed, rather it is based on Christ, the Perfect One. We have fellowship with one another because of Him, and no one has anything of value to offer Him or anyone else that counts for eternity.
Romans 3:18-28
“18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
22 This righteousness is given through faith in[b] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished
26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.
28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”
Meditate on Christ daily, leaving behind the past to press on toward the goal, leaving behind the past may include leaving behind the people who would attempt to keep us stuck in the former life that no longer has any power over us.
Philippians 3:14 "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
As you grew up you were perplexed that they continued to bring up things you did in your childhood that are not happening anymore, as though they had nothing in their past that could be used this way. I hear things like this frequently in my encounters with believers. It is not bad enough that they are bent on reminding us, they also spread gossip, even lying about us, feeling self-righteous that they were not as bad as those they malign.
Childhood was a place where these self-absorbed people felt elevated above others with the encouragement of the adults in their life. There was no training in love, kindness or self-sacrifice, only continual praise and gratification, solidifying their superior view of themselves.
Now for the encouragement, God has something to hold against every single person on the face of the earth. No one has measured up to His standard on any level. Those who think they had something to offer Him, are fooling themselves and very likely never knew the love of Christ in their own hearts. There can be no love in the heart of one who feels a need to be admired for their talents and accomplishments while demonstrating superiority in the presence of those they think do not “measure up” to their worldly idea of respect and honor. Why is this encouragement? It is comforting to know that we don’t have to measure up to God or anyone else. We can trust Christ that He can work in us in every way that is necessary, it does not depend on us, but on Him. Past sins or flaws get to stay in the past, forever.
John 6:37
“"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”
Acts 10:34-35
“34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:
35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.”
Romans 12:1
“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
We can also choose to walk away from those who torment our lives with manipulation. If they are believers, we can choose to have our relationship with them in heaven, while free from the drama they bring in this life. We cannot help those who will not listen, nor can we help those who are elevated in their own eyes. God will have to deal with them, while we move on to those who want to hear the message of Christ.
Titus 3:10
“As for a person who stirs up division, after warning him once and then twice, have nothing more to do with him,”
1 John 3:14 “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.”
Our love for the brethren is not based on talents, accomplishments or outer beauty, nor is it based on past sins that have been removed, rather it is based on Christ, the Perfect One. We have fellowship with one another because of Him, and no one has anything of value to offer Him or anyone else that counts for eternity.
Romans 3:18-28
“18 “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.
21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
22 This righteousness is given through faith in[b] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished
26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith.
28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.”
Meditate on Christ daily, leaving behind the past to press on toward the goal, leaving behind the past may include leaving behind the people who would attempt to keep us stuck in the former life that no longer has any power over us.
Philippians 3:14 "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."
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