Forming Alliances

Tuesday, September 30, 2014, 4:34 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Only In Him.” Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 (NIV84).

In Context

Paul wrote this to the Corinthian church. In context, he had just talked with them about the fear of the Lord, how Christ had died so we should no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us, and how, in Christ, our old lives of sin are done away with and we are now new creations in Christ Jesus (2 Co. 5), “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (See Eph. 4:17-24).

He also reminded them that we, who are in Christ, have been reconciled (restored to a right relationship) to God through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins, and thus he urged them to be reconciled to God. Evidently some of them either were not truly in Christ, or else they had wandered away from their pure devotion to the Lord, so he told them they needed to get in harmony with, or they needed to get back into a harmonious relationship with the Lord, not of their own accord, but because of Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins. Jesus Christ became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Co. 5:21).

He also cautioned them against receiving God’s grace in vain (“failing to have or unlikely to have the intended or desired result” – Encarta Dictionary). He was imploring them to change their hearts and minds away from living for self and sin, and to turn their hearts back to obedience to Christ to walk in his holiness. He was strongly encouraging them to be restored in their relationship with God, and to cease living just like the world around them.

What Harmony is There?

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

So, in context, he is not speaking here merely about marriage relationships, though this most certainly applies to marriage relationships, too. He is talking here about all types of relationships, and not just with human beings, either, I believe.

To be “unequally yoked” (KJV) together with someone means: “different kinds of people joined together but unevenly matched; hence ‘unequally yoked’ (not aptly joined).” "’Mismatched’ is used figuratively of Christians wrongly committed to a partner holding very different values (priorities), i.e. that run contrary to faith (the kingdom of God)” - http://biblehub.com/greek/2086.htm. To be yoked together is a “bond or tie that keeps people together,” such as in a marriage or partnership (Encarta).

The whole point of this, I believe, is that we, who are the righteousness of God, have been yoked together with Jesus Christ, by God’s grace, through faith. We are now IN Christ, and Christ is in us. We have been transformed of the Spirit of God away from sin and to God, to walk in the Spirit in his holiness and righteousness. So, we should not unite ourselves in a close bond (relationship) with anyone or anything who or which is contrary to God/Christ, to the teachings of scripture, and to the holiness of God now living within us. What is of God and what is of this world of sin do not mix. They have nothing in common.

Come Out from Them

“Therefore come out from them

and be separate,

says the Lord.

Touch no unclean thing,

and I will receive you.”

“I will be a Father to you,

and you will be my sons and daughters,

says the Lord Almighty.”

So, we are to come out from them and be separate. In fact, holiness means to be set apart (unlike; different) from the world, and to be set apart to God and to his service. And, we are commanded to be holy as God is holy. We are not to love the world or the things in the world. “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 Jn. 2:15-17 ESV).

Jesus said, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (Jn. 15:19). So, this begs the question: Does the world love you as its own, or does it hate you? If the world love us as its own, then perhaps we are still of this sinful world. Yet, Jesus chose us to come out from the world, so the world of sin should hate us.

Instead of being mixed with the world, we are to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth. Our very lives, as well as our words, should be influencing the world around us away from lifestyles of sin, and to faith in Jesus Christ – to repentance and obedience to his commands – all in the power and working of the Spirit of God within us. But, how can we do this if we are joining in with the world in their sinful ways? We should be going out into the world to make disciples of Christ of all peoples, instead of becoming partners with the world in areas of lust, greed, hypocrisy, lying, cheating, stealing, and sexual promiscuity, etc.

In fact, we are to touch NO unclean thing, which is why I believe this passage is about more than just human-to-human relationships. This means we should not even be entertained by what is sinful, such as by movies and TV shows or music which glorifies the flesh - adultery, sexual promiscuity, lying, cheating, gossip, lust, greed, violence, stealing, and the like. We should give our lives to God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is our reasonable service of worship to him. We should no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but we should be transformed in the renewing of our minds so “that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (See Rom. 12:1-2).

Let Us Purify Ourselves

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

If we purify something, we make it pure by ridding “something of harmful, inferior, or unwanted contaminants.” Something that is pure is “not mixed with any other substance; clean and free from impurities” (Encarta). So, to be spiritually pure is to be free from the contamination (corruption) of sin, as well as it means to not be mixed with this sinful world.

Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, not just so we would escape hell and have the promise of heaven, as wonderful as that is. He died so we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15). His grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age while we wait for our Lord’s soon return (See Tit. 2:11-14). He died to set us free from the control of sin over our lives, and to free us to walk daily in his righteousness and holiness (See Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24 & 1 Jn. 1-5).

Yet, although it is only through Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins that we can be made pure, and we cannot do this in our own flesh, just as he reconciled us to God through his blood, and we must be reconciled to him, we must also put off what is impure and we must put on the purity and holiness of Christ. We must throw off whatever hinders and the sin which so easily entangles so we can run with perseverance the race marked out for us (See Heb. 12:1). We must cut out of our lives whatever leads us into sin.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. ~ Ro. 8:12-13 NIV

ONLY IN HIM / An Original Work / February 19, 2014

Based off Isaiah 30

Woe to those who look to man’s help;

Who turn away from Jesus Christ;

Forming an alliance not in step with God;

Making their own plans, and praying not.

Willing not to listen to truth,

They close their ears to what is right.

Pleasing words are all that they’ll hear;

Feel good messages that bring cheer.

Trust in your Lord; turn from your sin.

Put your faith now ONLY IN HIM.

Do not turn to idols. They’ll not satisfy.

Jesus will save you. That’s why He died.

Your Lord will be gracious to you.

He cares all about you, ‘tis true.

He forgives you all of your sin

When you give your life up to Him.

Oh, how truly gracious He’ll be

When you bow to Him on your knees;

Turning now from your sin; walking in his ways.

He’ll lead and guide you all of your days.

Now you will sing praises to Him.

He delivered you from your sin.

You’ll tell others now of His grace,

So they may see Christ face-to-face.

http://originalworks.info/only-in-him/

His Love Compels Us

Monday, September 29, 2014, 4:11 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “I Sing of His Mercy.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2 (NIV84).

But For Him

Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. ¹² We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. ¹³ If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

To fear the Lord means to have and to show respect, awe and reverence for him in what we do, think, and say, and in our attitudes, as well. It means we love him, are devoted to him, and we are committed to following him wherever he leads us. Involved in this is care and attentiveness to our own spiritual lives and relationship with him, to where we are continually in a frame of mind of prayer, listening to his voice, and obeying him whenever he speaks to our hearts. We are faithful in service and in our affections towards him, and in our love relationship with him to where we do not entertain in our minds or follow after other gods of this world. As well, we are steadfast and unwavering in our faith and commitment to him, and we are resolute and determined to obey him even against all opposing forces coming against us. We honor him for who he is, and we do not take him or his word lightly. He is our all in all, and our refuge and strength at all times.

Since we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to encourage others to come to know Christ and to follow him in obedience and surrender to his will. Yet, we are not merely trying to win people over to our religion or faith in the sense of wanting them to follow the same religious practices as us. No, what we have is not a religion, but it is a LIFE! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God the Son, came to earth, took on human flesh, suffered as we suffer, and was tempted in like manner as we are tempted, yet without sin. He walked this earth in righteousness and holiness. He healed the sick, raised the dead, and ministered his grace and healing to the lonely, hurting, sorrowful and sinful. He preached repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and death to sin in order to gain eternal life with God (Lu. 9:23-25).

He was despised, rejected, ostracized, hated, persecuted, taunted, mocked, beaten and hung on a cross to die, although he had done no wrong. Yet, when he died, our sins died with him. When he rose from the dead, he conquered death, hell, Satan and sin on our behalf. He did not die merely so we could be forgiven of our sin and have the promise of eternity in heaven, though. He died so we would die to sin, and so we would live and walk in his righteousness and holiness (See Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24 & 1 Jn. 1-5). He died so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us (2 Co. 5:15). This is the essence of the gospel. Yet, this is not being taught much anymore. True grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives while we wait for his return (Tit. 2:11-14). True grace does not give us carte blanche (complete freedom) to continue in willful sinful lifestyles.

Be Reconciled

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

If we are in Christ Jesus, by God’s grace, through faith, we are new creations. Our old lives of living for self and sin are gone, and our new lives of freedom in Christ, forgiven of our sins, bound for heaven, and walking daily in his righteousness and holiness have come. This does not mean we now live completely sinless lives, though. But, it does mean that we have chosen to leave our sinful lifestyles behind us, and we have chosen, by God’s grace, to walk daily in his righteousness and holiness, in the power and working of the Spirit within us. This should be the lifestyle of all followers of Christ. We should no longer live for ourselves and for what we want out of life, but our entire life focus should now be on Jesus and on what he wants for our lives. Yet, so many people who profess the name of Jesus Christ today do not live like they believe this. So many professors of faith in Christ still live like they did before they ever received Christ as Savior of their lives. This should not be!

Our salvation is from God. Amen! We can do nothing to earn or to deserve our salvation (See Eph. 2:8-10). It is a free gift of God’s grace to us, yet it must be received by faith – a faith that shows itself genuine by us dying with Christ to sin, and by us being resurrected with Christ to new lives in Christ, free from the control of sin over our lives, and free to live godly and holy lives in the power and working of the Spirit within us (See Ro. 6-8). God reconciled us to himself through Christ’s death on the cross for our sins. This means he opened the door for us to return to a harmonious relationship with him. He settled our differences through Jesus’ shed blood for us on the cross so that we can be changed from being enemies of the cross to ones who are united with Christ in death to sin and alive to him in righteousness.

Paul wrote these words to the church; to those who professed faith and belief in Jesus Christ. He implored them to be reconciled to God. So, one or two situations exist here. Either he was speaking to those whose relationship with Christ was by profession only, and that there never was any genuine change of heart in their lives toward God, and/or else he is speaking to Christians who were reconciled to God, but had forgotten that they had been cleansed of sin, and had slipped back into some of their old patterns of sinful behavior. Either way, he was reminding them of what it means to be saved from sin, and he was imploring them to change their hearts and minds away from living for self and sin to obedience to Christ to walk in his holiness. He was strongly encouraging them to be restored in their relationship with God, and to cease living just like the world around them.

Not in Vain

As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. ² For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,

and in the day of salvation I helped you.”

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

So, what does it mean to receive God’s grace in vain? The Greek word kenós – translated into English as “vain” - means: “empty, void; hence, worthless ("null"), amounting to zero (of no value, profit) – see http://biblehub.com/greek/2756.htm.

What I believe this means is that there can be those who have made a confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives, but they were never truly reconciled to God by genuine faith in Jesus Christ, because they never allowed the Spirit of God to transform their lives away from living in sin to living by faith in the power of the Spirit - in living godly and holy lives, free from the control of and slavery to sin. They thought if they just “believed,” that they had their ticket into heaven, and that God’s grace was a free license to continue in sin without penalty and without guilt, while still claiming the promise of heaven. And, it is probably because they are being taught this by church leaders who are no longer teaching death to sin and walking in Christ’s holiness. So, their “receiving” of God’s grace is void, worthless and null. Basically, they never truly received his grace, and thus they are not saved.

Yet, as mentioned above, I also believe this can apply to those who did genuinely come to Christ in faith, and they were reconciled to God through Christ’s blood shed on the cross for our sins, but they have since gotten caught up in the trappings of this world and have wandered off to follow after other gods of this world, and so this is an appeal to them to be reconciled to God, as well, because, although they had genuinely received God’s grace into their lives, it is now empty in their lives and of little value or profit, because they are ceasing to apply God’s grace to their lives, and they have gone back to living for self and sin. So, the appeal is for them to be reconciled to God, i.e. to confess their sin, to turn from it, by faith, and to return to a harmonious relationship with our Lord so that they are no longer acting like they are his enemies, but they are walking with him in unity to his will and purposes for their lives. This is called revival, and in revival God will restore his church.

I Sing of His Mercy / An Original Work

Based off Psalm 32 / April 10, 2014

Blessed are those whose sins are forgiven

By the blood of Jesus Christ.

Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does

Not count against them; freedom found.

When, in silence, I did not confess

My sin to You; had no strength.

Then I owned up to my sin and

You forgave and cleansed me within.

Therefore let the godly pray to You;

Draw near to You; grace they’ll find.

They will not be o’ertaken by afflictions,

But in Christ peace abounds.

Lord, You are my hiding place.

I find my refuge in You secure.

You protect me from all evil.

You give songs of vict’ry in You.

Lord, You teach me to walk in Your ways;

Counsel me in love, I know.

Help me to not be stubborn and

Unwilling to follow in Your truth.

Thank You for Your love and mercy.

I put my trust in You always.

I rejoice in my Lord and

I sing of Him throughout all my days.

http://originalworks.info/i-sing-of-his-mercy/

Under Great Pressure

Sunday, September 28, 2014, 4:45 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “All Through the Night.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 2 Corinthians 1 (NIV84).

Isn’t God awesome? He is! He created us. He knows everything about us. He created us for a reason. He has a plan for each one of our lives. He orchestrates things in our lives for his purposes. I love to watch him work in my life and in the lives of others. There is nothing which escapes his notice. He allows all things for a reason. We may not always see the reason when we are going through particular situations in our lives. We can’t always see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it is there if we will seek his face and follow him even when we can’t see what lies ahead, or even though we don’t know the end result.

Comfort for Comfort

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:

² Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. ⁵ For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

Suffering is part of life. Part of this is due to the fall of man and the curse. Some of it may be caused by our own sin and/or own stupidity, i.e. through us not acting wisely. Yet, some of it is part of God’s plan and purpose for our lives, such as Paul described for us here. First of all, we suffer because in doing so we share in the fellowship of Christ’s sufferings.

“For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake…” (Phil. 1:29 ESV). In context, this is speaking of suffering persecution and opposition to the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus told his disciples that they would suffer in the same way he suffered, which included being hated, falsely accused, persecuted, falsely arrested, beaten, and hung on a cross to die.

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ  and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith” (Phil. 3:8-9 ESV). In context, this is speaking of giving up all worldly, fleshly and earthly gain for the sake of knowing Christ, growing in him, and becoming like him in his death (v. 10). We should gladly forfeit all to follow Christ.

“Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Ro. 5:3-5 ESV). Suffering helps us to grow stronger in our faith and to become more steadfast, consistent, and persistent in our walks of faith and in our testimonies for Jesus Christ and for his gospel of salvation.

And, not only that, but when we go through such times of suffering and persecution, our Lord comforts us, encourages us, teaches us, gives us guidance and direction, and he fills us with hope. His love, care and watch over us during these difficult times help keep us going, and give us much strength and courage to continue on in the faith. Because of that, when others are going through similar struggles and difficulties, we can share with them in empathy but also in encouragement, because we can tell them of the hope we were given during those times so that they, too, will have hope and courage to keep going.

Under Great Pressure

⁸ We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. ⁹ Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, ¹¹ as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.

Sometimes our suffering can be fairly minor, even to the point of merely suffering some small inconvenience, but even that can be used to teach us the value of life and godliness. Other suffering may involve much loss, heartache, pain and even the threat against our reputations or our very lives. Many believers in Christ throughout the world are suffering enormous persecution, imprisonments, beatings and death for the sake of their faith and their testimonies for Jesus Christ and the gospel of our salvation. Some of us may not have yet had to suffer such severe persecution, but we still face rejection, persecution, hatred, being cast aside, being unwanted, and falsely accused of things we did not do.

Yet, in all our suffering, we must realize that it has a purpose, and it is to teach us to not rely upon ourselves but on God. When things are going well in life, and we don’t suffer much, it is easy to become lazy, complacent, comfortable and unconcerned with the things of God, not spending the time alone with God that we should, not listening to his voice, and thus not walking in surrender and obedience to his word and to the promptings of his Spirit. When we go through difficulties, we are more likely to thus turn to the Lord in prayer, seeking his face, calling upon him for answers, and walking in obedience to his will and purpose for our lives. When we share in the fellowship of his sufferings, we become more like him in living godly and holy lives committed to him and to his purposes.

In Holiness and Sincerity

¹² Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace. ¹³ For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, ¹⁴ as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus…

²¹ Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, ²² set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

This should be our goal! And, it should be the end result of our suffering that we should take on the character of our Lord, and conduct ourselves in all that we do and say in a godly, holy and honest manner. When we are in the world, and we are among the people of the world, we should not conform to the standards of the world or become like them. First of all, we should be people of integrity. And, we should be the same no matter who we are with. We should not act one way with other Christians and then another way when out among those who make no claims to faith in Jesus Christ. That way, our conscience should be clear. Our walk should always match our talk, not that we would be perfect all the time, but that we would aim for that, i.e. that our purpose would be to live holy and godly lives, and that we would pursue such a walk of faith in the power and working of the Spirit within us.

As well, we should not espouse nor should we follow after worldly wisdom, but we should be in the Word daily, and we should follow the teachings of Christ and the apostles in how we live our daily lives, guided and empowered by the Word of Truth and by the Spirit within us. As well, we should be in the practice of regularly testing everything we hear, see and read against the Word of God to make sure it is in agreement and is consistent with his Word. So much worldly teaching is being passed off these days as from God when it is not, but is of human origin, so be wise and discerning or you may fall prey to much deception and false teaching. Just because it looks like truth does not mean it is truth.

And, it is God who makes us stand firm in Christ. We cannot do this by operating in our own flesh or by following after the teachings and philosophies of human beings. We must be fully surrendered to Christ, and we must rely completely upon his Spirit within us to give us all we need to walk this walk of faith, to remain steadfast, and to have the courage and determination needed to keep going even in the face of much strong opposition. To God be all the glory for great things he has done, is doing, and will do in our lives as we continue to trust him, to fellowship daily with him, and to follow him wherever he leads us. Amen!

All Through the Night / An Original Work / December 7, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

Blessed are you when you’re persecuted

Because of your faith in Jesus Christ.

Blessed are you when people insult you,

And falsely say what leads folks to doubt.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is

Great in the heavens. You’re not alone.

When you are persecuted in one place,

Flee to another. God will be there.

You will be hated by all the nations

Because you testify of God’s grace.

Many will seize you and persecute you,

And put to death the foll’wers of Christ.

Yet, do not fear what humans may do to you,

For I’m with you all through the night.

I tell you, love your enemies with my love,

And forgive as I forgave you.

Pray for those who do evil against you.

Rest in my love and grace from above.

http://originalworks.info/all-through-the-night/

Persecution IN the Church

Friday, September 26, 2014, 6:26 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “All Through the Night.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 12 (ESV).

As He Wills

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

I believe that within the church today, particularly here in America, there is much lack of knowledge and understanding, and considerable confusion and even misinformation concerning spiritual gifts and how they are to be used within the body of Christ. I believe, as well, that spiritual gifts are often confused with our natural talents and abilities, or even with church ministries. All people have natural talents and abilities, but only those who believe in Jesus, and who are empowered with the Spirit of God, have spiritual gifts. Sometimes our natural talents and abilities work in conjunction with our spiritual gifts, but they are not one and the same. Sometimes, as well, our spiritual gifts are used in the performance of our church ministries, but they are not necessarily one and the same, either. It is possible to fill church ministry roles and never use our spiritual gifts.

A spiritual gift is something given to us by the Spirit of God, is exercised in the power of the Spirit within us, and is supernatural, not natural. For instance, someone who stammers when he speaks in the natural may speak clearly and distinctly in the power of the Spirit. Someone who lacks education or book smarts may have knowledge about things far beyond his or her own ability when empowered with the Spirit. A person who is not naturally courageous and bold may be very courageous and bold when operating in the Spirit of God. One who does not have a natural gift of oratory may be empowered of the Spirit to speak the Word of God with great fluency and purpose, which will touch people’s hearts right where they are, even though the individual may have no specific knowledge of what those people are going through at the time. This is how the Spirit works in gifting us.

Yet, spiritual gifts are often a scary thing for church leaders because they can be hard to discern or to manage, and so often they will either be abused or misused, or they will be discarded and avoided in order to maintain control and order within the church. I think such gifts as mercy, helps, giving, service, administration, faith and hospitality are pretty well accepted within the church. Yet, exhortation, prophecy, healing, miracles, knowledge, wisdom and tongues can be very controversial and thus avoided at all costs.

Fear and Ignorance

I believe a lot of this fear of the gifts comes from ignorance, misinformation, tradition, culture and misunderstandings of how the gifts are given, and how they are to be used. As well, because so much of the church today is run by humans who are following other humans, and their goal, for the most part, is to be acceptable and attractive to the world, these more controversial gifts are often tossed aside in the favor of being more pleasing and acceptable to the general public. So, those believers who have been gifted with the more controversial gifts are also tossed aside and avoided at all costs.

Many church leaders, in fact, are being taught to watch out for those with certain gifts, which they often mistakenly judge to be just the believers’ personalities or natural bent, and they are taught to discourage these people from getting involved in their churches. They will even go so far as to tell you that you don’t fit with their church, but they will be glad to help you find somewhere that you will fit. But, we don’t fit with today’s modern church.

The bottom line, I believe, is that today’s modern church is being run like big business with humanistic philosophy, worldly values and marketing schemes overriding the Word of Truth in many cases. So, humans are controlling and directing the course of the church, and are marketing it just like any other business, and thus, in reality, the Holy Spirit is being pushed out and is not even being allowed to work in their midst for fear that he might scare people away, might offend prospects, and may come across too judgmental or harsh.

And, so the Holy Spirit is being quenched and grieved within many of our churches today. And, it is because many church leaders and church people today have forgotten that Jesus Christ is the head of the church and that the Holy Spirit is the one who gives gifts and assigns body parts (roles) as HE WILLS, not as humans will. We need to stop following after humans, and we need to begin again to follow God!

Unity in The Body

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Perhaps most of you are aware that throughout the world the church, the Body of Christ, is being severely persecuted, and is even being put to death because of their faith in Jesus, and because of their testimonies for Christ and for the gospel of our salvation. We don’t see much of that here in America yet, but it is coming. Yet, this does not mean that Christians are not being persecuted here. They are. What we may not realize, though, is that a good amount of that persecution is coming from within the church – Christian against Christian – instead of it coming from without the church – the non-believer against the believer.

From my own personal experience I can tell you that there is much persecution going on within the church against those believers who hold to the truths of scripture, who live what they say they believe, and who preach the true gospel of our salvation as taught by Jesus Christ and the apostles, the pillars of our faith, and who also do not conform to the standards and values of this world. As well, as mentioned above, those who have been given the more controversial gifts and who have been assigned particular roles (parts) within the Body of Christ by the Spirit of God – parts which are not valued and accepted within the modern day church movement – are being persecuted, mocked, discarded, ostracized, ignored and are being falsely accused and marked as crazy, or as trouble makers, disunifiers, bigoted, hateful, judgmental, critical and not loving and kind.

So, we must look to the scriptures to see what the role of the Holy Spirit is to fill within the life of a believer, and within the life of the church. We must learn about spiritual gifts, how they are to be used within the body, and about how the Spirit works in assigning specific people to particular roles (parts) within the Body. We must also look to the Bible to see examples of those who had particular gifts and/or assignments from the Lord, and how they used their gifts to strengthen and encourage the body. And, we must stop rejecting and casting aside the Lord’s true servants just because they don’t fit in with our modern church marketing schemes for how to draw in large crowds of people within our meetings.

God designed us to all work together, but NOT according to the schemes, goals and plans of humans, but according to the word of God and the working of the Holy Spirit in our midst. If we are rejecting those within the Body who don’t fit our particular “target audience,” then we are the ones controlling the church, and Christ is no longer the head. We cease to be the church, the Body of Christ, and we become another business of humans, just like any other business. Yet, just because Christians are part of the “business” does not make the “business” the church, any more than a restaurant is a church just because Christians are meeting there. This is important that we get this.

One Body, Many Parts

We don’t all have the same function within the body or serve in the same roles as each other. And, the roles we serve in are not to be defined by humans but by the Spirit of God. He is the one who determines our gifts and our roles within the body. Yet, when humans still try to take control, they quench and grieve the Spirit, they deny the working of the Spirit in their midst, and they say to parts of the body, “We don’t need you! Go somewhere else!” I know. I have been told that plenty. And, so I have no body with which to meet face-to-face.

Yet, “God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.” The body of Christ is not confined to one specific location or group, but is universal, stretching across the entire world. Just because a local fellowship of believers casts us aside and says, “We don’t need you,” does not mean that God is finished with us or that there is no place for us within the body of Christ. He gives greater honor to the parts which are lacking in honor, so that the body is not divided.

In other words, he has a place for us, even if it is via the internet, or even if we have to go to another country where we will be valued and accepted for who God made us to be. Even though most of today’s modern church in our area has cast me aside and told me to go someplace else, it has not kept God from using me to encourage and strengthen the body of Christ. He assigned me the task of writing out what he teaches me each day through his word, and to post it on the internet, so that “a runner can run with it” (see Hab. 2). And, so this is my part of the body, and this is how I use the spiritual gifts which I have been given. So, if you have been cast aside, do not be discouraged. God has a place for you somewhere. Just pray and ask him to open doors for you and if you are listening to Him, he will.

All Through the Night / An Original Work / December 7, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

Blessed are you when you’re persecuted

Because of your faith in Jesus Christ.

Blessed are you when people insult you,

And falsely say what leads folks to doubt.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is

Great in the heavens. You’re not alone.

When you are persecuted in one place,

Flee to another. God will be there.

You will be hated by all the nations

Because you testify of God’s grace.

Many will seize you and persecute you,

And put to death the foll’wers of Christ.

Yet, do not fear what humans may do to you,

For I’m with you all through the night.

I tell you, love your enemies with my love,

And forgive as I forgave you.

Pray for those who do evil against you.

Rest in my love and grace from above.

http://originalworks.info/all-through-the-night/

In The Wilderness

Thursday, September 25, 2014, 5:24 a.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “To Be Like Him.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 10:1-22 (ESV).

God was Not Pleased

For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness.

So, why were God’s people in the wilderness? What did the wilderness represent to them? What does it represent to us today? What have been some of our wilderness experiences?

Wilderness is defined on biblehub.com as a place which is deserted, desolate, a desert; of a person: deserted, abandoned, desolate; properly, an uncultivated, unpopulated place; solitary; lonely; deprived of friends and fellowship; or a flock deserted by the shepherd.

In Exodus 13:17 we read: “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, ‘Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.’” In other words, the Lord knew if he led them by the more direct route, at the first sign of resistance they might turn tail and run, so he took them by a longer route. I believe God sometimes takes us to where he wants us to end up by a difficult and perhaps lengthy path (route), where we must rely totally on him for all things so that we don’t turn around at the first sign of trouble and return to slavery to sin or give up in defeat at the first sign of trouble. These wilderness times are for our growth and maturity, and to teach us steadfastness and perseverance.

Yet, when the Egyptians pursued the Israelites, because Pharaoh had a change of heart about letting them go, the people were afraid and they complained to Moses and to God about being removed from Egypt to only die in the desert. They lacked faith to believe God that he would take care of them, although he proved himself to them over and over and over again. And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today; you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Ex. 14:13-14).

Awesome! These words from the Lord have spoken encouragement to my heart so many times over the years. The people were afraid because they had been taken from the only home they had ever known, to go somewhere where they had never been. They were leaving the known for the unknown, and that was scary for them. Added to that, their enemy pursued them, and they now thought they would most certainly be killed at their hand, or the alternative was going to be that they would die in the desert. To them, it was a lose-lose situation, because they were looking at their circumstances instead of trusting in their Lord God who had proved himself to them many times over.

And, sometimes that is exactly where we are, too, because we get our eyes off Jesus and we begin looking at our circumstances, and so our tendency is either to return to the known, even if it is slavery to sin, or to give up in defeat, distrusting our Lord to take care of us and to provide all that we need. Yet, God will do for us just what he did for the Israelites, though perhaps not in a physical realm, but in a spiritual realm. He will part the waters of the sea before us so that we can walk through to the other side of our situations unharmed spiritually, victorious over the enemy of our souls, and continuing to walk in the light of God’s love and truth, going where he leads us to do what he commands us to do.

Yet, the people of Israel continually grumbled and complained to Moses and to God about their circumstances. They were never content. They always wanted something different; something more. They even made a golden calf to worship in place of worshiping the One True God, when Moses was taking too long receiving the 10 Commandments from God. They continually disobeyed God, worshiped other gods, and committed grievous sins against their Lord, so they were made to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, and most all of them died in the wilderness and never did get to go into the Promised Land.

Examples to Us

Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Although it is certainly not God’s will that we sin, and he never tempts us or causes us to sin, he does permit us to be tempted of Satan, and he does allow us to go through times of difficulty to test our faith, to strengthen us, to grow and mature us, and to teach us perseverance, diligence, tenacity, devotion, integrity, continuance, and endurance. As well, he promises to never leave us or forsake us, to guide and direct us, to give us his strength and comfort, to encourage and counsel us, and to provide the way out for us from giving in to temptation to sin, so that we might be able to stand up under the pressure of the temptation without yielding to the sin. In other words, he provides us with all we need to fight off our enemy. We just have to daily put on the armor he provides (See Eph. 6:10-20).

The experiences, temptations and sins of the people of Israel were recorded for us as examples to us as to what not to do in similar circumstances in our own lives. As well, we are taught in these history lessons what the correct response to God/Jesus should be, which is to trust him with our lives and our circumstances, to not give up, to not get discouraged, to not be afraid, but to believe that God will deliver us from the evil one, and that he will land us safely in our Promised Land; and that he will fulfill everything he has ever promised. We just have to walk by faith and not by sight, and we have to know that he is working behind the scenes where we can’t see what is happening. If he has called us, he will make the way for us. We just have to believe, even when we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I can tell you that returning to sin as a means of escape is NEVER the solution!

Flee From Idolatry

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

I went through a time in my life some years ago where I was going through a wilderness time in my life, and where I returned to sin rather than trusting my Lord. All that did was heap guilt upon me, make me feel miserable, dirty, and ashamed, and it never did anything to satisfy the deep longings of my soul. No idols or any amount of sin or taking matters into my own hands ever resolved my loneliness, nor did it make me feel better, but it only masked the problems temporarily, complicated matters further, and just messed up my relationships with people, and with my Lord, and probably led my children to do things they would later regret, although they made their own choices for sure. Yet, I can’t do it over. God has forgiven me and I have forgiven me. I only share my experiences to let you know that if you are where I was, the only way to joy and peace is through surrender to your Lord, trusting in him to work out all things in your life for your good (best).

So, how should we respond to these wilderness times in our lives? We must trust God no matter what! We must daily put on our spiritual armor with which to fight off Satan’s attacks against us. This means we have to put on the truth in place of lies; put on righteousness in place of unrighteousness; put on faith in place of fear and doubt; put on sharing the gospel of our salvation in place of grumbling and complaining over our circumstances; put on prayer in place of despair; and put on the Word of God in place of the ideas, teachings and philosophies of human beings or our own thinking and reasoning. We must also put off selfishness and wanting to have what we want when we want it, and we should instead think about how we can please God, and do what he says, and how we can make a difference in other people’s lives, and minister, instead, to their needs.

I don’t know about you, but this is speaking to my heart! Jesus Christ died for us so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us (See 2 Co. 5:15). His grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age while we wait for his return (See Tit. 2:11-14). Coming to faith in Christ, in fact, means leaving our lives of sin behind us (leaving Egypt) and being transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God (crossing the Red Sea), and walking in the Spirit of God in his righteousness and holiness (in the wilderness). [See: Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6-8; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; and 1 Jn. 1-5.]

If we say we love God, but we don’t do what his word says, and if we say we have fellowship with him, but we continue in sinful lifestyles, then we are liars and we do not live by the truth. We cannot follow the ways of the flesh and the ways of the Spirit, too. The two don’t mix. We died to sin, so how can we live in it any longer?

To Be Like Him / An Original Work

March 16, 2014 / Based off Scripture

Crucified you are with Jesus.

To be like Him, oh, you’ll be,

Because He died at Calv’ry,

So from sin you’d be free.

Oh, what joy He brings into your life,

Giving life with Him endlessly.

Oh, what plans He has for your life.

Share the gospel faithfully.

Show the people He loves them.

Now His witness you’ll be.

Tell the world of sin about Jesus,

How He died for them on a tree.

Purifying hearts, He saves them,

Who believe on Christ, God’s Son.

Turning now from their idols,

New lives they have begun.

Jesus saves from sin; we’re forgiven.

Over sin, the vict’ry He won!

When He comes again to take us

To be with Him evermore,

There will be no more crying.

Gladness will be in store.

Heavens joys will now overtake us:

We’ll be with our Lord evermore.

http://originalworks.info/to-be-like-him/

Entrusted To Me

Wednesday, September 24, 2014, 3:00 p.m. – the Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Should I Not Preach Jesus.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 9 (quoting vv. 13-27 in the NASB).

A True Servant

Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.

But I have used none of these things. And I am not writing these things so that it will be done so in my case; for it would be better for me to die than have any man make my boast an empty one. For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. 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.

Paul was called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus (Ro. 1:1). So, when he speaks here of preaching the gospel voluntarily vs. against his will, he is speaking of preaching the gospel of one’s own accord vs. not of one’s own will; of receiving wages for preaching vs. being faithful to a trust. In other words, Paul didn’t just decide one day to be a minister of the gospel of Christ. In fact, he was a strong persecutor and a murderer of Christians. It was only because of the will of God that Paul was called of Jesus Christ to this ministry, and it was only because of the transformation of the Spirit in his heart and the empowerment of the Spirit in his life that he did what he did and he became who he was.

He didn’t preach the gospel out of his own decision (idea) to do so, and he did not do so, either, for financial gain. He preached the gospel of Jesus Christ because God had called him, had entrusted him with the gospel, and because he was compelled of the Spirit of God to do so. If he was in it for the money or the fame, that would have been short lived, and he probably would have given up and jumped ship at the first sign of persecution. The only reason he was able to remain steadfast, even in the face of severe persecution, is because he had been given a trust, he knew the seriousness of his assignment, he did so for love of God and his fellow humans, and because he knew the power of the gospel to change lives.

When Paul was called of God to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, he did so in weakness and fear. He didn’t speak with haughty speech or with worldly wisdom, but in the power of the Spirit of God within him. Amen!

So many preachers today are being taught how to preach persuasively using human wisdom and techniques to attract large audiences, but they lack the power of the Holy Spirit in their preaching. Paul understood that only the Spirit of God had the power to convict of sin and to change lives. As well, he did not want his listeners to rest their faith in human knowledge and understanding, but in the power of God. Amen! Paul said, “We have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God” (2:12). Oh, that our preachers today would learn this valuable lesson! He said, “We impart words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual” (2:13). We need to get back to the basics! Where are all the preachers empowered in the Spirit?

For the Gospel

For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law though not being myself under the Law, so that I might win those who are under the Law; to those who are without law, as without law, though not being without the law of God but under the law of Christ, so that I might win those who are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some. I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.

Paul was also humble in his preaching of the gospel. He made himself a servant to all, and he was a servant of Christ, to do the will of God. He was faithful in his service to God and to his calling. He also gave the glory to God and did not take credit himself for what God did. He realized that all he had that was good was of God and not of himself. We need more humble servants of the Lord who are not in it for themselves or for what they can get out of it, but are more concerned with the things of God and the needs of people than they are with their own reputations and worldly success.

Some people may read this passage of scripture and think that Paul was saying that he compromised his faith and practice in order to win over people, but he did not! Some may use this passage of scripture as a justification for immersing ourselves in today’s culture, thinking that we must become like the world in order to reach the world. That is not what Paul said here. From his other teachings, and his life and witness, we can ascertain that Paul was not promoting spiritual compromise as a means and justification for reaching various people groups, nor was he promoting using man’s methods and marketing techniques for drawing in large groups of people. He also did not use manipulation, fakery or deception to try to reach people. He did not change who he was to win over people.

I believe Paul was speaking here metaphorically of how he spoke to people right where they were, and how he tried to relate to them on their level of intellect or experience. For example, when he was in Athens, he spent some time observing their culture and noticing their idols (See Ac. 17), and he used his observations as a starting point for conversation with them, and as a segue into sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with them. We don’t become like the culture around us in order to minister the love of Christ to people, but we should try to meet people where they are, and we should try to relate to them on a level with which they can identify, but which would not involve us compromising our faith and practice in any way. I believe this also means that we humble ourselves by being willing to admit our own weaknesses and failures, and to not act as though we have never sinned.

Not Without Aim

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Paul is not promoting works-based salvation here. Some people, in order to shake off works-based salvation, though, have gone to the opposite extreme so as to exclude works altogether. Yet, the Bible teaches us that we are called to good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (See: Eph. 2:10).

Our works do not save us, but they do reveal whether or not we are genuinely saved. For instance, in 1 John we read that if we say we have fellowship with God but we continue to live sinful lifestyles, then we are liars. If we say we love God, but we do not do what he says, i.e. what his word teaches us, then we are liars; we do not love God nor do we know him. Now, it is not all that black and white, though. We will all fail at times. This is not about having to live in absolute perfection or “Bam!” the ax falls. But, it is about living like we say we believe. If we believe Jesus saved us from our sins, then we should no longer live for ourselves, and we should no longer walk (in lifestyle) in the ways of the flesh, but we should walk in the Spirit of God, and live holy lives pleasing to him in his Spirit.

As well, we should be very purposeful and intentional in how we live our lives, and not just do our own thing and give God the leftovers, thinking that God will be pleased. The Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ died so we would no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave himself up for us (2 Co. 5:15). As well, God’s grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled and upright lives in this present age while we wait for his return (Tit. 2:11-14).

The Application

Jesus said that we are to go into all of the world and to make disciples of him of all nations, baptizing and teaching them to obey all that he has commanded us (See Mt. 28:18-20). He said that when the Spirit of God comes upon us, whom we receive when we believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and as Savior, we will be his witnesses throughout the world (See Ac. 1:8). He said that we are the light of the world; a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. We are, thus, to let our light shine before others, so that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven (See Mt. 5:14-16). As well, we read in Ro. 10:14-15 (NIV):

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’”

None of us should be negligent in sharing the full gospel of Jesus Christ with others, for it speaks to them the words of life. Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny himself (his self-life), take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self), and follow (obey) him. He said that if we hold on to our old lives of living for self and sin we will lose them for eternity, but if we die to sin and self, we will gain eternal life. This is what we are to teach, calling others to turn from their sin, and to walk by faith in Jesus Christ their Lord.

Should I Not Preach Jesus

An Original Work / July 4, 2013

Based off 1 Corinthians 9:16-10:13

Woe to me should I not preach Jesus.

I’m compelled to preach the full gospel.

I make myself a slave to ev’ryone

To win their hearts to Christ.

All this I do for my Lord Jesus,

And for the sake of His Name;

Do it for the sake of His gospel,

So that I, its blessings gain.

Scripture notates the sins of others;

Written down for us as examples

To keep us from setting our hearts

On evil as did those of old.

Do not worship other gods of man;

Do not give your hearts to them;

Not partake in immorality.

Do not test your Lord and King.

So, be careful if you think you are

Standing firm in your faith in Jesus.

God has given his word to warn us,

So through faith we will not fall.

No temptation has o’ertaken you

Except what is commonplace.

God is faithful to not let you be

Tempted past what you can bear.

He gives the way of escape.

http://originalworks.info/should-i-not-preach-jesus/

Christians Against Christians

Wednesday, September 24, 2014, 6:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Living Water.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 (NASB).

Wronging One Another

Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?

Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren.

This past Saturday morning I was abruptly awakened from sleep by my husband hitting me with his arms. Instinctively, in my sleep, I literally blocked his hits with my arms.

After we were both awake, he told me that he had been dreaming, and that in his dream he was chasing a teenager who was throwing rocks at and was kicking his grandchild, so he was swinging his arms into the air against this teen in defense of his grandchild. He said that he had seen this teen going after his grandchild from a long distance away (looking east), that he had pointed to him, and then he went after him. When he caught up with the teen, he said the teen was using karate moves against him, so he was swinging his arms in a defensive move to stop the teen, and to put an end to what he was doing. He also said there were other people who were going after the teenager, as well.

My husband’s “air strikes” with his “arms” did hit the teenager in his dream, but literally and in reality they were hitting me, his wife, who was doing nothing but sleeping peacefully.

Flailing Arms

As I considered these “air strikes” against me that morning by my husband’s flailing “arms,” I felt I should check the news, so I did. I read where France launched its first air strikes against “ISIS” in Iraq, “boosting US-led efforts to unite the world against the growing threat posed by the Jihadists,” the article stated (1).

Immediately I made a connection between this news story and what had just happened to me that morning. The stories in the news about going after ISIS, a terrorist group posing a threat to the US, are made up, kind of like what took place in my husband’s dream. What he dreamed did not really happen. What he described to me was what took place in an unreal world. In reality, these air strikes hit me, i.e. they are Christians killing Christians.

Today the Lord Jesus brought this back to mind, and again we have more news stories about air strikes against “ISIS” in Iraq and in Syria, which are US-led, and are being joined by France, the UK and about five different Arab nations, apparently. The news article I read today stated that the overall goal in this start of a “prolonged campaign” is “to degrade and ultimately destroy” (2) the enemy, in reality, followers of Christ throughout the world.

When I think of the church here in America, I think of how the institutional church is in a partnership relationship with the US government (her husband), and how the US claims to be a Christian nation, and even our president claims to be a Christian, and yet I believe our government is leading this effort to search and to destroy followers of Jesus Christ, most especially those who are actively involved in the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ, i.e. in “throwing rocks,” i.e. symbolic of Jesus being our Rock and us being living stones, and in how we are spreading this gospel of salvation, so that makes us “Rock throwers.”

Our Defense

The song in my mind Saturday morning was “To My Beloved” which was about being strong in the grace of Christ, and putting on the full armor of God in the fight against the enemy of our souls. We are to resist him with all our might.

Literally, even though in my sleep, I resisted the flailing arms of my husband which were striking me. I believed the Lord Jesus was giving me a picture of what it means to resist Satan’s attacks against us, only our armor (arms) is not made of physical weapons, but spiritual ones. We don’t fight with guns and bombs, but with truth, prayer, faith, salvation and righteousness (See Ephesians 6:10-20).

Do Not Be Deceived

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

I read SAT morning in Romans 16. Paul was giving an appeal to his fellow believers to watch out for those who cause divisions and who create obstacles contrary to the doctrine they had been taught. They were to avoid them. He said, “For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve.” Then, he said, “For I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”

Many Christians here in America are being deceived by our government, politicians, the news media, celebrities in the news, and even by the institutional church. These entities are some of their idols which they give their devotion and heart to not truly knowing much of what is really happening in the real world, in some or most cases, but only in the fantasy (dream) world our government and media and institutional church present to us.

Just because someone says he or she is a Christian does not make him or her a true follower of Christ. We have to test everything we hear and see. We have to stop putting so much faith and trust in humans who can so easily deceive us, especially in this day and age when things can be faked and made to look real. Just because the news media says such and such is happening, it does not mean it is true. We need to be discerning. We need to be wise about what is good, and innocent (not participating in) as to what is evil.

Air Strikes

Yet, there are many ways in which we can commit “air strikes” against one another, and the foremost one which comes to mind is with our tongues (speech), which can be audible or can be written in emails, on social media sites or posted anywhere on the internet for others to read. Nonetheless, we should confront sin, and we are to judge the church, as well as we are to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness. But we must guard against thoughtless, mean-spirited, and slanderous remarks against one another which are meant to harm one another, and have no goal in mind to bring about restoration and healing. We do this when we participate in gossip or when we attack others because we just don’t like them, or we don’t like what they are doing, although we have no legitimate basis for such dislike.

There are presently multiple articles on the internet tying “ISIS” in with the US government, though I suspect the internet is censored somewhat, so we are probably not getting to see as many articles as have been written on what is really happening in Syria and in Iraq. There are also multiple articles about Christian persecution in these countries, which also address the issue of ISIS being US-funded, so when I share what I do here, I do know that what I am sharing is supported by other articles and can be found on the Internet.

Yet, the thing about deception is that it comes about through lies, trickery, slander, false accusations, fakery, etc., and we are deceived because the reality of what is really happening is hidden from sight for the most part, so it must be discerned through careful examination of scripture, through prayer, through the witness of the Spirit in our hearts, and through diligent research, while the truth can still be discovered on the internet, which may not be for long.

So, all I can do is to ask that you pray through what I have shared here, and ask the Lord Jesus to show you the truth. But, I also believe if you read prophecies of scripture with regard to these last days that you will see that the nations will gather together, not against ISIS, but against the Lord, and against his anointed. We are the enemy of Satan. Let’s just make sure we are truly on God’s side and that we are not being deceived, and that we are not giving our support to those who are persecuting and killing our fellow believers in Jesus Christ. We need to stop making humans our idols, and turn to our Lord as our only God.

Living Water / An Original Work / November 21, 2013

Based off Various Scriptures

My people have forsaken Me,

Their Savior, who died on a tree;

Made idols, and they worshipped them;

So empty, they will ne’er fulfill.

Lord, You are the hope of Your chosen ones.

Those who turn away from You will be shamed;

The Spring of Living Water left behind.

Living Water satisfies.

The thirsty, let them come and drink;

Believe in Jesus as their King;

The gift of Jesus given them,

So they will never thirst again.

Indeed, the Living Water flows within.

It springs up like a fountain cleansing sin.

Eternal life in heaven promised them.

Living Water glorifies.

Oh people, won’t you come to Him?

Obey Him and repent of sin.

Let Jesus come and live within.

Surrender all your life to Him.

My people, won’t you turn your hearts to Me?

Forsake your idols and then you’ll be free.

Won’t you come now to Me on bended knee?

Living Water sanctifies.

http://originalworks.info/living-water/

News Sources:

(1)  http://www.rappler.com/world/regions/middle-east/69646-france-air-strike-iraq-isis

(2)  http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-attacks-islamic-state-in-syria-with-five-middle-east-partners/2014/09/23/b78ad7e8-c8f2-4aa8-aaa7-ec92572f6716_story.html