In An Upside Down World – Part 1

 

This week, Michael writes: Jesus’ sermon on the mount encourages us to look at ourselves in the mirror and see what’s really in our hearts. Jesus said, seven times “You’ve heard it said... but I say unto you...”. When we see the truth through Christ’s eyes behind our eyes, then we will see that the world is upside down from the truth of the Word of God. The world says you should get even with those who’ve wronged you. But Jesus said, if someone steals your clothes, then give him your coat also. If someone slaps you on the cheek, then turn the other cheek. When we live for the god of self, we cannot live for the true God.  

The devil appealed to Eve’s selfish ego in the Garden of Eden. He questioned the love of God and the word of God. He said, If you disobey God and eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you won’t need God. You’ll be like God ... don’t trust God, he doesn’t love you. He wants you to remain ignorant. Trust your own knowledge and intelligence. Then you can worship yourself instead of God. The devil has been preaching the same lie ever since and the world has fallen, worshiping the god of self.

Pride goes before the fall. In the midst of a fallen in sin world, Jesus said, don’t think less of yourself, think nothing of yourself. As the Apostle Paul said, in my flesh that I inherited from Adam’s fall, there is no good thing. Jesus said, in order to be my disciple, then forsake yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me. In order to follow in the way he has prepared for us, we must crucify the old nature that we inherited from Adam. Then we can follow the Lord from a heart of love, meekness, humility, joy, and thankfulness. In an upside down world, Jesus contrasts the beautiful attitudes of the spirit of life in Christ with the worldly attitudes of the flesh. The Sermon on the Mount separates Christ-followers from the followers of the god of this world ... those whose eyes the devil has blinded lest the glorious light of the gospel of truth should shine unto them.

It’s not about the cost, the pain, and the suffering of following Him ... instead it’s about the value of following the Lord from a heart of love. We cannot love like Jesus loved without His valuable gift of the Holy Spirit. The spirit of life in Christ is different from the life of the fallen flesh we inherited from Adam and Eve. God loved us before we could love Him. The love of God is not of this world. His love is the motivation for the Spirit that He gave to us as the perfect gift, paid for by the innocent blood of Jesus Christ sacrificed on our behalf. He loved us not because we were deserving of His love, but because love is God’s nature, not ours. We can love Him only because He first loved us ... For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

A man and woman of God’s desire is to learn to love and live like Jesus. A follower of Christ says, I want to learn to become just like my Lord. Colossians 2:6-7 says, As you have received Christ Jesus, so walk ye in Him. Rooted and built up in Him and stablished in the faith as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Let's continue Michael's message about living in an upside-down world on the next post. 

In Christ, Brian

Be All For All - Part 3

 

 

Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

 

Continuing Pastor Obie states that the third step to be all for all for the sake of the Gospel is to sacrifice your wants, interests and desires to put others first, so Gospel doors can be opened. How does this look practically in our lives today? How can we be all things to all people and sacrifice our wants, needs, interests and desires in order to put other people first for the sake of the Gospel? Change your talk and appearance to match your audience with compromising the Christian doctrine [teachings]. Missionaries around the world are sacrificing continually for the Gospel to reach those who have never heard of Jesus. Our church has adopted our local zip codes through a nation-wide evangelism program called “Saturate USA” [https://www.saturateusa.org] to sacrifice time to place door-hangers filled with evangelistic Christian material and church contact information to reach community residents who do not know the Lord or the plan of Salvation by grace through faith. Light must make sacrifices to run into the darkness of sin and unbelief with Gospel truth and be a connection point to the lost.

 

1 Thessalonians 2:3-4 “For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.”

 

The fourth step to be all for all for the sake of the Gospel is to be salvation-centered in all your actions. “I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” Everything that the Apostle Paul did was for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the saving of people; salvation of precious souls. The Good News of Jesus Christ sent by Father God to die for our sins, then raised again so that we could be forgiven and have eternal life. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

 

Romans 3:21-25 “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it - the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.”

 

God created this world sinless and perfect, but man sinned against God and we now live in a sinful fallen world. The Bible tells us that the wages or penalty of for is eternal death in Hell. People tend to have a high-esteem and excuse their sin, but say you sin against God or God’s creation only once a day; over 30 years that would be 11,000 sins. Look at the shape of the world today. We are guilty and sin must be paid; that is justice. Heaven cannot be earned or paid for by our good works; Heaven is not deserved by any sinner. But,1 Peter 2:24 says, “[Jesus Christ] who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” Redemption is through the Great Redeemer alone. The gospel of Salvation is the goal. Reach the lost in sin and lead them to the foot of the Cross, where an atoning sacrifice was made by God, through His love, mercy and grace, if only we repent of sin, believe in the Savior of the World and accept the gift of God in Jesus Christ. Our job is to tell the world about the Gospel. In Mark 16:15 Jesus said, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.”

 

Christ died for you. Will you be all for all for the sake of the Gospel?

In Christ, Brian

Be All For All - Part 2

 

Matthew 22:37-40 And he [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

 

Pastor Obie continues that the next and second step to be all for all for the sake of the Gospel is to be a servant who genuinely cares about others’ needs and interests. “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them.” The Apostle’s attitude of servitude came from following the teaching of the Lord Jesus. In Mark 10:43-45 Jesus tells us, “But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Follow the Apostle Paul as he followed Christ with a servant spirit. Paul goes on to say in 2 Corinthians 4:5 “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.” 

 

The Great Commission of Christ is to reach the lost Sinner for salvation through the good news of the Gospel. They were created in God’s image, but dead in their trespasses, inequity and sin. To reach them well requires genuine care them. In order to care for the needs and interests of others are, you need to know what their needs and interests are. And in order to know what other’s needs and interest are, you have to genuinely care about them. People do not care what you know until they know that you care. This means that you put out the effort and go to them and meet them where they are, physically, intellectually and spiritually, showing that you have a genuine interest in them, with a servant attitude towards the relationships that God has placed in your lives, coming alongside and getting to know unbelievers, valuing them as God’s creation, created in His image; not just as an object of conversion. 

 

This means that we become familiar with each person’s unique hopes and fears so that we can contextualize the Gospel in such a way as to speak most directly to those concerns while still communicating the Gospel truth that leads to repentance of sin at the foot of the Cross. At the root of being a servant to all is love. Galatians 5:13 tells us, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” No matter how small the problem is in your eyes, genuinely care about the little things because it is often caring for the perceived small issues that we make the biggest impact in people’s lives. Feel both their pains and their joys when they open up to you. Everyone is unique and being on common ground opens a segue into the Gospel message for the salvation of their soul, but it takes being all for all in the process.

Let's continue Pastor Obie's message on "being all for all" in order to reach the lost Sinner for salvation through the good news of the Gospel in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Be All For All - Part 1

 

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 “For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.”

 

This last Sunday, Pastor Obie continued in our church’s sermon series through the Epistle of the Apostle Paul – 1 Corinthians. There is an old saying: When in Rome, do like the Romans do. Pastor Obien told the story of British Missionary to China – James Hudson Taylor, who stated: “Let us in all things not sinful become like the Chinese that by all means we might save some.” Likewise, the Apostle Paul lays out His main motivation for doing what does as” “I do it all for the sake of the Gospel.” The gospel means “the “Good News” to reach the lost in sin for salvation. 

 

The Gospel includes the history of the miraculous birth, the sinless life, godly redemptive actions, the atoning sacrificial death on the Cross in the Sinners place, the death defeating resurrection, Divine ascension and life-changing doctrines of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world; a revelation of the grace of God to fallen man through a Mediator, including the character, actions, and doctrines of the Lord Jesus Christ, with the whole scheme of salvation. Jesus himself tells us in John 3:14-17 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” There is no greater news than that eternal message. This is why the Apostle Paul does what He does and lays aside his liberties and Rights so that he can become all things to all people for the sake of the Gospel of Salvation. We are called to do likewise. But, how?

 

Pastor Obie gives us four Steps to be all things to all people for the sake of the Gospel. The first step is to be strategic with your relationships. God has placed specific relationships in your life for a purpose. Even though the Apostle Paul was free in Christ from the Law and traditions (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ), he decided to act and live in a way that was appropriate and respectful considering the local customs and traditions. He related to the people outside the Law of God, but would not compromise to the point of sinning against God’s Law. It was very important that he would be like them, but not sin like them. He was very thoughtful in his strategy, identified and planed out how he would appropriately interact with the different relationships he had in his life without sin; being a strategizer, not a compromiser. So, what does that mean for us today? 

 

There are three ways to be strategic in our relationships; identify, pray & plan. (A) Identify – Recognize, take an inventory and be intentional with the consistent relationships that God has placed in your life. (B) Pray – Pray for them. Talk to God and seek His guidance in your relationships, and that God would be working in their hearts to be open to the Gospel message for their redemption and reconciliation through Christ. (C) Plan – Be intentional and conceive how to deepen your (family or friend) relationship with them to share the Gospel with. Start building relational bridges; being all things to all people; being the best that you can be. 

Let's continue Pastor Obie's message on "being all of all for the Gospel" in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

A Dwelling for Christ - Part 2

  

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

 

Continuing, Pastor Herk states that the Apostle Paul reinforces the reality of spiritual riches from God in Philippians 4:19 saying, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” The Believer is not limited by their own resources, because god supplies our needs with the glorious riches of God at our disposal. But, how am I able to plug into that power which god provides? How do we receive it? The Second principle is that we need to submit to the Spirit. All three persons of the Trinity are mentioned in Ephesians 3:14-19. The Holy Spirit is the conduit by which God’s power flows into our lives as He points us to Jesus Christ. 

 

In John 14:16-17, 25-26 Jesus says, “I will ask the Father,c and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you.  These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.” The Holy Spirit reminds us of the teachings of Jesus and helps us to apply those teachings in our lives. The Holy Spirit is given to indwell each born-again at the moment we repent of sin, accept and receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, but the Bible is clear that we can impede His word and not get the full benefit. 

 

Ephesians 4:30 warns, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” 1 Thessalonians 5:19 “Do not quench the Spirit.” We can quench the Spirit’s fire and grieve Him. We can choose to respond by submitting our lives to that work and make the changes necessary to make our lives in line the revelation He is putting forth or we can choose to ignore it. We have a choice, but if we want to make our heart God’s home, with Jesus in your heart wherever you go, then choose to walk in the Spirit. So, if I want to make my heart, God’s home, then I need to develop a habit of submitting my life to the work of the Holy Spirit. 

 

When we read the Bible and pray, we need to do it with an attitude of humility and submission. Have the mindset to receive what He has and abide by it. The third principle is to emphasize the eternal in your hearts, develop our inner life, both the inner being and our heart, describing the very center – our personality, our thoughts, our will, and our emotions. It is that part of our heart that we need to develop in order for Jesus to come home in our hearts. Cosmetic changes on the exterior so people see us not as we really are will not last as the foundations are not proper. The same is true with our lives. We can spend all of the time on the outside, but if we do not take care of the inner being in our hearts, then the work we do won’t last. 

 

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day. For our momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

 

The way that we are renewed inwardly, day by day, is to fix our eyes on those unseen things which are permanent rather than the temporary things which are seen. Develop the things that will last for eternity; our character, our convictions, our devotions, our thought lives rather those things that will pass away; our bodies, our material and sessions. Our main focus should be on developing those parts of our lives that are going to last through eternity. If Jesus makes His home in our hearts then it only makes sense that we ought to focus our time and efforts on our hearts. 

 

James 2:18-19 “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”

 

The fourth principle is to trust in God’s truth through faith. This faith is more than just an intellectual belief. We have to trust in Jesus. Christ alone is the means of making things right with God. He is our intercessor and mediator. Salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone. But, if we truly have faith and truly in Christ, we’ll have things take place in our lives which reflect that. Real faith is demonstrated by our actions. Our lives are going to change when we get into spirit and truth faith. We need to make our hearts a safe dwelling place for Jesus. If we want Him to come and make Himself at home in our hearts, then we need to have the kind of faith that trusts and obeys the teachings of Jesus and the leading of the Holy Spirit as He guides us.

 

God is going to accomplish the very best for us, if we trust Him. Even when we can’t see how. He gives us everything that we need to do it. Do not worry about tomorrow. Do not worry about material things. Spirit and Truth worship is changing your lifestyle. Prepare your heart and mind for that changed lifestyle, to improve and make a better place for Christ to live.

 

In Christ, Brian

A Dwelling for Christ - Part 1

 

 Ephesians 3:14-19 “For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, from whom [every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.”

 

This last Sunday, Pastor Herk of the Little Church in the Pines asked: How do we make our hearts a place where Jesus can be at home? It is so important for us to have a “right” heart and a place that is a dwelling where Jesus can live. He states that it is important to understand the text of Holy Scripture and apply it into our spirit and truth worship. Do you ever think about why we pray? Have you ever stopped and thought about what you are prayer for and why those things? It is Father God who predestines us, redeems us to become part of His family, guaranteeing that we shall inherit all the spiritual blessings that He has for us. God hears our prayers. 

 

The Apostle Paul says, “For this reason I bend my knees before the Father”, which is a picture of submission to plus reverence and awe of God in spirit and truth worship. It is a picture of Subject coming before a King to make a request. Just like when we come to the Sunday Worship Service at church, when we come before God in prayer, we need to come with a “right” heart, in spirit and in truth. The Apostle uses the phrase: the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. This is a reference to Creation of the heavens and the earth. Created beings owe their existence to the Creator Father God. We all have the same Father in Heaven and we are one Race; it makes no difference if we are Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor, the place of our birth or the pigment color of our skin. All were created equal and God does not play favorites. God loves all His creation and creatures equally. God loves all of His children. 

 

John 14:23-24 Jesus answered, “If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him. Anyone who does not [really] love Me does not observe and obey My teaching. And the teaching which you hear and heed is not Mine, but [comes] from the Father Who sent Me.”

 

Ephesians 3:16-17 “That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith”. The Greek word for “dwell” is “katoikeō” means Jesus is said to settle down and inhabit in the soul, to pervade, prompt, govern it. To abide as a permanent resident; to have a habitation for some time or permanence. To dwell imports a residence of some continuance. Dwell signifies a residence for life. When we purchase a house, we modify the interior and exterior to our liking because we plan on abiding there and living in that house as your permanent residence. You invest a lot of time and resources so that you could settle down and be at home. The Apostle wants us to do the same thing spiritually with our hearts, making it a place where Christ can take up permanent residence and be at home. 

 

Jesus comes into our hearts the moment that we commit our lives to Him. But, when Jesus first comes into our hearts, there is still quite a bit of modifying to do, deep cleaning, throwing out of some old junk and new furnishings to do. There is still work that needs to be done by the process of sanctification. Here is some practical principles to make sure that our heart is where God’s home is. First, rely on God’s riches. The great thing about preparing our hearts for Christ to take up permanent residence is that we are not dependent upon our own resources. God gives us all we need by having access to the glorious riches of God. The born-again Believer has been redeemed from sin by Jesus’ death and resurrection, chosen and adopted into God’s family. And the Holy Spirit continues to live in us s a guarantee of both present and future spiritual riches. We’ve been joined together here as a church body in with other Believers for the purpose of revealing God’s wisdom here on earth and in Heaven. The Lord equips us with everything we need to remodel our heart and make it ready for Him. 

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on "preparing our hearts for Jesus to dwell" in the next Post. In Christ, Brian

Being the Light of the World - Part 2

Continuing, Michael writes: God, who created the material light (Genesis 1:3). is the Father of lights. Philippians 2:15 says, You are the light of the world among whom you shine as lights in a world of darkness. As born-again sons and daughters of God, we reflect the light of Christ. We are God’s photomultipliers shining forth the light of the truth of His word and Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. A born-again son or daughter of God does not reflect the glory of the flesh but the glory of the Lord.  

The devil tells the world, you’re number one. Everything is about you. You need to satisfy yourself ... you only go around once, so your purpose is to pursue and grab all the gusto you can get. You need to follow pleasure, amusement, greed and power to the satisfaction of your own body and soul. The devil shows the bait, but hides the hook. Self-centeredness and selfishness produce pride. Pride goes before the fall. Proverbs 16:18says, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Pride is the source of strife, contention, vengeance, vindictiveness, hatred, bitterness, wars, and rumors of wars. Pride focuses on self, and self-worship leads to self-destruction.

The Apostle Paul said, if you rail against the darkness, you will just make the world darker. You cannot fight darkness with darkness. No one will listen to you. Instead gently correct those who oppose themselves by shining the light of the love of God. You can’t let evil speculations make you quarrelsome. Instead love your enemies, be good to them who revile you and despitefully use you. Then when your light is shining, this will lead them to the knowledge of the truth. For the man and woman of God must not strive but instead, gently correct those who oppose themselves. Then to ones God has called, your example of the love of God will lead them to the knowledge of the truth.  

Our first mission field is to our own mind and then to our own families. God made the family. To reconnect our hearts with our families, we must meet each other at the foot of the Cross, where our Savior and risen Lord paid the price for our many sins. In doing so, Christ reconciled and restored our relationship with Father God and is the Savior of the world. The humanistic world says that if you disagree with your families, then heap resentment and bitterness on top of these disagreements so that they become irreconcilable differences. Then these differences are justification for anger. However, with God’s power, there are no irreconcilable differences. In order to reconcile with our families, we must first reconcile our hearts with God’s heart through Jesus Christ, for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Then when we have our vertical relationship with God restored to an upright position, we can reconcile with our families through Jesus Christ ... He’s the one who unifies us together in the unity of the spirit, in the bond of peace. When we love God above all we can love the families that He gave us like Christ loved them. 

 

The love of God is the tie that binds our hearts together in the love of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. That we may live harmoniously fitted together in the unity of the Spirit, to minister to one another in love that we may truly be the light of the world and love one another in the midst of the darkness of this world, and shine as lights holding forth the word of life to the praise of the glory of God’s grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael

 

Being the Light of the World - Part 1

This week Michael writes: After Jesus preached the beatitudes in Matthew 5, he continued the sermon on the mount by teaching the multitude about the application of these beautiful attitudes. Those who choose to follow in the Lord’s footsteps are examples of the love of God and the peace of God.  

The beatitudes are upside-down from what the secular world considers successful attitudes. Jesus’ godly attitudes are the opposite from the earthly, sensual, and devilish attitudes promoted by “the god of this world” – the devil. The ungodly world thinks that godly beatitudes are to be avoided. Attitudes of poverty, mourning, meekness, mercy, purity, peacefulness, and persecution are failures in the humanistic material world’s eyes. However, these godlike attitudes are the keys to blessedness. In meekness and humility, when we come to understand, that in my flesh dwells no good thing, we can turn to God instead of the darkness of this world.

Jesus said, “You are the light of the world”. Therefore, let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. The light of the truth jn the Word of God dispels the darkness of the world’s lies, deceit, deception and spiritual blindness. When we let our light shine on a hill and uplift the light of Christ on a lamp stand, God’s light will overcome the darkness. For God has shined His light in our hearts and our spiritual eyes were opened when we were born-again of His Spirit. Jesus Christ came to open the eyes of those born spiritually blind.  

The secular world sees only through the eyes of the senses ... they cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God, for the adversary [the devil] has blinded the eyes of those who believe, not lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine unto them. For he that does evil hates the light, neither comes to the light lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that does truth, those who humble themselves before the Lord come to the light that their deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought of God. (John 3:20) In order for the Word of God to shine forth, God must break our earthen vessels of the flesh. Like Gideon, God’s plan to defeat Israel’s enemy was to break their clay pots so that the light could shine and confuse the darkness of the enemy.  

 

When Nicodemus approached Jesus in John 3, he asked Jesus, how do you do the things that you do? How do you work miracles, signs and wonders? Nicodemus was a respected Pharisee and teacher of the Jews. John 3:22 says, This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus didn’t answer Nicodemus’ question. Instead he said, you must be born-again. Nicodemus said, how can a man be born again? How can he enter again into his mother’s womb? Jesus explained he who is born of water of his mother’s womb is born into the flesh and the nature of the flesh is the darkness of this fallen world. To be born-again is to be born anew, born from above [heaven] of God’s Holy Spirit.  

Let's continue Michael's Message on "being spiritual light in the dark work" in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Remain Loving – Part 2

1 Corinthians 9:11-12 “If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ.”

 

Continuing, Pastor Obie states that the point is, we should relinquish our Rights if it means reaching more people for the Gospel. There are two groups of people that this concept of ministry is concerned with. The first group is “part of the church”. It is better to not be a burden to Believers in the church that were questioning authority. The second group was the people outside the church and still needed to hear the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ. Do not put any obstacles in the way of them to know and accept the Gospel, so that they have a problem hearing. Let me explain why this is.

 

The world has daily physical interactions of business, commerce, schools, families, friends, acquaintances, sports, entertainment, dining, theater, TV and computers. In the days before electronics, people would go to the Public Square or Amphitheater to hear philosophers, orators and public speakers. There was a type of speaker known as a “sophist” [A professor of philosophy; a captious or fallacious reasoner]. A Sophist was a traveling teacher that went from city to city lecturing with speeches designed to attract customers to get their name known and charge for their dishonest reasoning. Gospel preachers are never to gave that appearance to the seeking public. 

 

The Gospel is not a gimmick. It not only is the “Good News, but it is the greatest news that anyone can hear. If there is anything in your life that could potentially create an obstacle for people to her and accept the Gospel, give that thing up because it’s not worth having a hindrance or impediment to anyone’s eternal salvation. We have freedoms in Christ and we have freedoms in America, but we can alienate people. Just because you have the “Right” doesn’t always mean that it’s “right”. Don’t cause harm to advancing the Gospel in people’s lives. Reach more people for the Gospel.

 

1 Corinthians 9:15-16 “But I have used none of these things. And I have not written these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than that. No one shall make my boast an empty one! For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast about, for I am under compulsion; for woe to me if I do not preach the gospel.”

 

The next point is that when making decisions, place your purpose over your preferences. If anything does not support our main purpose then don’t use it, including the relinquishing of Rights that do not serve the purpose of glorifying God with your life. It is human nature to prefer and default to the comfortable path of least resistance. To reach godly purposes requires focus, time, discipline and hard work in order to change your viewpoint, so put your purpose about your preferences.      

 

The main means of fulfilling our main purpose to glorify God is through obedience. One of the main things that God has commanded us to do in the “Great Commission”, which is laid out to us by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you.” All Christians, all of Jesus’ followers, are called to advance the Gospel in some way, shape or form. So, steward your resources well by investing your time, talents, efforts and treasures into the proclamation and spreading of the Gospel.                                                                                                                                                            

 

1 Corinthians 9:17-18 “For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a commission nonetheless. What, then, is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.”

 

Paid or unpaid, the disciple of Jesus Christ has a calling, a purpose and an obligation to preach the Gospel, well we must steward well with our life and sometimes use words. All of Jesus’ followers have critical questions to answer; What Rights are you willing to sacrifice for the cause of Christ? What Rights are you willing to sacrifice to advance the Gospel of Salvation? What resources are you stewarded with that you can give to the advancement of the Great Commission for the spreading of the Gospel? What exactly is the Gospel? John 3:16 explain it as, “For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever [repents,] believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish [for their sins], but [be forgiven] have eternal life.” 

 

There is no greater news in all of history for humanity than that right there. Nothing is more timeless. Nothing is more impactful. Nothing has changed history more than that simple message, yet profound message, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What can you sacrifice to advance the Gospel? Steward your resources well in your time, talents and treasures. You have a purpose, so equip yourself to meet that purpose in life. Believers are all on the same team, members of the same body, working together for the same goal; the Gospel which converts people’s life. We are making a difference, changing lives for today and saving souls. I have the Right to remain loving and reach more.

 

In Christ, Brian  

Right to Remain Loving - Part 1

 

1 Corinthians 9:14-18 “Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this willingly, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.”

 

This last Sunday, Pastor Obie continued in City Church’s sermon series through the book of 1 Corinthians and how the truths brought forth by the Apostle Paul then, mirrors the heavily pagan social environment for those truths to be applicable today for spiritual growth and maturing Believers. He points out that in America, our country secures the Rights of its citizens as a Republic (where the exercise of the sovereign power is lodged in representatives elected by the people). The US Declaration clearly states: “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness—-That to secure these Rights, Governments are instituted among men.” The US Constitution was established by the Founding Fathers with a Bill of Rights with its Amendments for citizens, such as Freedom of Religion and the Right to Bear Arms for self-defense to preserve life and liberty. In the First Amendment we have the Freedom of Speech to say what we think, and in the Fifth Amendment we have the Right to remain silent to not incriminate ourselves. In 1 Corinthians we read that the Apostle Paul laid down his Mosaic Right as a minister of spiritual and holy teachings of God’s Word for the sake of loving others and to not hinder the spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, laying aside certain God-given liberties for the sake of godly love to advance the Gospel, reduce the population of Hell and increase the kingdom of God.    

 

1 Peter 3:15 “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect.”

 

If you are a Jesus Follower, a disciple of Christ, a born-again Believer, a child of God and a citizen of the kingdom of Heaven, then you live in a way that is often counter-cultural to the secular world and to the natural humanistic norms around you, and there will be times when the people will question your ways, your faith and your views and opinions. Be prepared to give an answer. The word “defense” here is the Greek word “apologia”, which means a verbal dense; a reasoned statement or argument as a justification of one’s actions or opinions; to make good his or her cause with a dative [something to be given to a person or for his benefit] of the person who is to hear the defense. But, do it with gentleness and respect.

 

For example: If you were asked why you don’t hang out and carouse with your friends after work and party, get drunk or high with all your co-workers, and you answer them: “because I’m not a heathen sinner that’s going to Hell like the rest of you all”. Though maybe true, that’s not going to go over well because that’s not respectful and, definitely, not gentle. It doesn’t matter what your answer is, if you are rude and offensive because the message is not going to be received well. You don’t tear down strongholds of the devil by causing people to throw up walls against your aggressive verbal abuse of character; it’s the wrong tact and will most likely not accomplish the Gospel intent of turning from sin in godly repentance. The right tact is to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, but with gentleness and respect. The goal is to lovingly restore a fallen in sin individual to an upright position before God and to find forgiveness at the foot of the Cross from the Savior of the world.

Let's continue Pastor Obie's message on the Christian attribute of "Being Loving" in the next post. In Christ, Brian

What We Were Created For – Part 4

 

1 Chronicles 29:11 “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all.”

 

Pastor Herk continues that in this life, we don’t want to be that “all for me” living sacrifice, so instead we give God our seconds or lasts, our leftovers or our unwanted blemishes. Sacrifices to God have to of our “first fruits”, being holy and pleasing to Him. Isn’t that what worship is supposed to be? Both in prayer and singing praises of adoration in awesome worship to Almighty God, it is to be in the spiritual, experiential and actual presence of our sovereign Creator Father in heaven, holy and pleasing to Him. What were us Sinners saved from, by who and why? Remember, “worship” is defined chiefly and eminently as the act of paying divine honors to the Supreme Being; or the reverence and homage paid to Him in religious exercises, consisting in adoration, confession, prayer, thanksgiving and the like. 

 

Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in My name[meeting together as My followers], I am there among them.”

 

Far too many attend church services and go through the motions with no spiritual connection or experiential face-to-face relationship in one-on-one presence with the Lord. Worship is not singing words to a trendy tune, mindless rememorized repetition, a nightclub atmosphere, with pleasurable visual effects, exciting emotional motivation, funny jokes, or lively entertainment; that would be giving to ourselves on a experiential mental level, not to God on a spiritual level. We cannot give God our dregs. We are supposed to be giving Him our very best, hand-to-hand in worship. When we think of worship and that term comes into our heads, we have to remember that our worship should be in view of God’s mercy. We are all Sinners, and by God’s grace which flows out of God’s mercy, He has forgiven us repentant, born-again Believers through faith in the finished work on the Cross by Jesus Christ alone. God is merciful and we need to offer ourselves as living sacrifices.   

 

Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

 

Thirdly, this is a spiritual act of worship. Worship is an existential lifestyle, not simple a praise service. Some come to church like a check-off item on their “Things to Do on Sunday” list and mentally leave God in the Sanctuary. But, God created the Earth, life and is Omnipresent. Psalm 139:7-8 tells us, “I can never escape from your Spirit! I can never get away from your presence! If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.” This experiential spiritual presence in the living sacrifice of worship in the assembly of fellow Believers on Sunday should the same thinking, the same thoughts and the same sacrifice that we are giving God every single day of our lives in our walk with the Lord. See the Creator in His Creation and know that He is there with you every second of your life.  

 

Luke 6:46 “Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?

 

The unbelieving world that walks in darkness is watching. They are seeking the reality and genuine presence of God, so they look at professing Christians for God demonstrated in their holy [set away from secular humanism] and righteous godly lives. When they see lifestyles no different than their own godless lives, worship the same “things” that they worship, then they do not see how there could possibly be a God. Our lifestyle reflects our worship. Who do we blame? We all are. Obedience to God’s Word in holy Scripture [the Bible] is an act of worship. Do you realize that the work that you do is an act of worship to God? Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord and not for people, knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.” The Hebrew word “avodah” jointly means work, worship, and service. God sees our attitude towards our work as worship, because our very attitude is a form of worship.  

 

We can either be a sweet fragrance to the Lord or we can be a stench. We have to be careful in our walk and in our worship. We have to walk in the Spirit, abandon the sin nature of the flesh desires, and think of “worship” as a lifestyle; not just a church service on Sunday morning. God wants His children to put their lives on display for al the world to see, but He wants that display to glorify Him. As our lives are played for all the world to see, what exactly do they see and hear? An instrument of the Lord in tune or a clanging cymbal? Let it be a sweet, sweet sound in His ear. It's what we were created for.

 

In Christ, Brian 

What We Were Created For – Part 3

 Hebrews 12:28 “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” 

 

Continuing, Pastor Herk stated that the more we worship something or someone, the more our commitment increase and we become like the thing we worship. Who or what do you worship? Do you want to become more Christ-like? Then, worship Christ, spend time in spiritual prayer, spend time in His holy Word, and think about the fact that you are worshipping your Savior, your Redeemer, the Messiah that you follow and the Lord of your life in Jesus Christ. 

 

Psalm 115:4-8 “Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them.”

 

Pastor Louie Giglio asked, “so how do you know what you worship? It’s easy. You simply follow the trail of your time, your affection, your money and your allegiance. At the end of the trail, you will find a throne and whatever or whoever is on that throne is what’s of highest value to you. On that throne is what you worship. Whatever you value the most will ultimately determine who you are. If you money, then you become greedy at the core of your heart. If you worship some sinful habit, then that same sin will grip your soul and poison your character to death. And if you worship stuff, then you life will be become material, void of eternal significance. But, when you worship God, you begin to take on His characteristics (love, mercy, grace, etc.) and we worship in view of God’s mercy.” Think about what did Jesus did and is doing to be worthy of our worship?

 

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God iseternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

 

Secondly, according to Romans 12, we are to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. What does that mean? Before we came to the Lord and trusted Christ for salvation, we used our bodies for sensual pleasures and sinful purposes. Ephesians 2:1-3 explains well, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

 

But after our consecrated and born-again conversion in repentant acceptance of God’s gift of salvation in Christ by His mercy and grace alone through our faith and since, now that we belong to Christ the Lord, have the indwelling Holy Spirit within us, we want to use our mind, body and soul for His glory. It’s not about us. It is all about Him! Know why. God proclaimed way back in Leviticus 17:11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’” 

 

Hebrews 9:22 clarifies, “In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” Jesus sacrificially died for the atonement of your many sins, in your place, for your salvation. The Savior’s death was holy and pleasing to God, God’s plan of Salvation. 2 Corinthians 5:21 conforms, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Christ died for you. 

 

John 3:36 gets to the bottom line of what the Believer has been ‘saved from’ and what they have been ‘saved to’, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Isn’t Jesus, the Savior of the world, worthy of our grateful worship? 

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on "Worship" in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

What We Were Created For - Part 2

  

Deuteronomy 6:12-18 “Be careful that you do not forget the Lord who brought you out of [Sin] …, out of the house of slavery. You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the Lord your God who is in the midst of you is a jealous God; so follow Him, or else the anger of the Lord your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth. You shall not put the Lord your God to the test .... You shall diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His provisions and His statutes which He has commanded you. You shall do what is right and good in the sight of the Lord, so that it may go well for you.” 

 

Continuing, Pastor Herk states that studies have shown we think to ourselves 50,000 times per day and on average 80% of those thoughts are negative thoughts. If we could turn that around, what a difference that would make in our lives. Where does a lack of confidence, a defeatist resolve, a pessimistic bent, a depressing disposition and a bad attitude come from? Proverbs 23:7 “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

 

The enemy, the devil, lies, distracts and deceives to get us so focused on those negative things that we think about, so we are weakened and paralyzed with despair and incapable to focus on Almighty God and living the God-focused life. He knows that when you get so fixated on your problems and what you feel are your failures, then you will lose sight of Christ and totally forget about God; how great He is, how good He is to us, and how we can depend on our heavenly Father in good times and bad. Do not fall for that trick of the enemy. Have courage, not discouragement, but encouragement because sovereign God is in control. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” You can do it! 

 

1 John 1:8-2:2 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation [the acceptable sacrificial payment] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

 

It is true that we need to confess of our many sins and repent of them, but understand that is in order to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness so that the focus is of our worship is God; nothing else. Psalm 103:12 tells us that forgiveness of sin means, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” The focus is on God, and if we can keep our focus where it belongs, then all this stuff that the devil is feeding us with and the other ungodly junk going on around us won’t matter because when we are focused on God, we are truly worshipping our Creator Father God and our lifestyle will reflect it. IT’s what we were created for.   

When the focus of our worship is wrongly on the stuff that keeps infiltrating our lives, then we are on dangerous ground because we are susceptible to the effects that the enemy is going to put upon us. So, we have to be careful that we do not base our identity on the opinions of other people, because if you do then you are worshipping their opinion and lost our vertical focus. God’s opinion is the only opinion that counts. It doesn’t matter what you think and it doesn’t matter what you feel; it only matters what God thinks, how God feels and what He has written in His book – the Holy Bible. Conformity to the world is living down but focused worship is living up. 

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on "Worship" in the next post.

In Christ, Brian