Church Upside Down

Ephesians 4:11-13 ESV

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…”

The way most people seem to “do church” these days, at least here in America, is not the way that it was originally intended to happen.

For one, there should not be just one shepherd of the people doing all the ministering. There should be more than one shepherd in a congregation, and their jobs should be to equip us spiritually for the work of the ministry. And, we should then be going out teaching, encouraging, healing, visiting the sick, sharing the gospel, and showing hospitality, etc.

Many pastors of church congregations face burnout, discouragement, and depression, and some of them even fall into serious sin, because the weight of the ministry is all on their shoulders. For, they are expected to do all the teaching, all the preaching, all the visiting, and all the counseling and encouraging, etc.

And, they are expected to be businessmen, marketers, and entertainers, too, who know how to keep the people coming in the doors, and who know how to keep them there, too.

Yet, church gatherings are not to be for the purpose to draw in large crowds of people of the world via entertaining them so that they will feel at home among us. For, the church is not supposed to be a business marketed like any other business. The true church is the people, but not all people, but those of us who are in genuine relationship with Jesus Christ via dying with Christ to sin and living to him and to his righteousness (Rom. 6:1-23).

And, the purpose of our gatherings is to equip us for ministry so we can go out to the world, and so that we, too, can minister to one another using the gifts and ministries the Lord has assigned to each one of us. And, this is so we can help one another to grow to maturity in our relationships with Jesus Christ, and to help build one another up in the faith through mutual encouragement and the strengthening of one another in the faith.

And, this can’t happen at these gatherings if the gatherings are focused more around attracting and entertaining the world and the flesh of humans, rather than being focused on Jesus Christ and his holiness, and on encouraging one another to walk in holiness and righteousness so that we are not led astray by sin’s deceitfulness.

Ephesians 4:14 ESV

“… so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

Too many people within the gatherings of the church (or the institutional church) are immature, tossed to and fro by many winds of doctrine, which are being taught to them by people who claim to be God’s shepherds, but who are crafty and deceitful, and who are leading the people astray.

In fact, most of these modern-day “churches” (businesses of men) target the immature so that they can mold them according to their ways, not God’s ways. So, they lure them into their gatherings by promising them fun times, entertainment, a relaxed atmosphere, unconditional acceptance, cool programs for their kids, great music, and winsome pastors who are fun.

So “church” has become just another family-oriented entertainment venue, targeted at winning the world to their gatherings, to increase their numbers, and to build their earthly kingdoms.

Yet, I am not saying that none of the modern market-driven churches teach the Scriptures. A lot of them do, but most of them appear to teach a very watered-down version of them.

Much of what is being passed off as biblical teaching in these congregations is tainted by men in their deceitful scheming, who are wanting the world to feel at home in their gatherings, and so they won’t teach the gospel Jesus taught. In other words, they won’t teach denial of self and death to sin and walking in obedience to our Lord as part of working out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12-13; Rom. 8:1-17; Lu. 9:23-26).

And, so we have a whole lot of church congregations comprised of the people of the world (non-believers), nominal believers (in name only), immature believers in Jesus (living in adultery to their Lord), and some mature believers in Jesus Christ who are walking in holiness.

For, they are lacking true shepherds (godly ones) to lead them in the paths of righteousness, because they are following after business marketing plans for how to conduct and to build their “churches,” rather than them following after the Lord and letting the Holy Spirit lead them in how to lead their flocks to maturity in Jesus Christ, their Lord, and in holy living.

Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV

“Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

So, what can we do about this? What can you do? What can I do? Well, for one, we need to be in serious relationship with Jesus Christ, daily putting sin to death, and putting on Christ and his righteousness. We need to not be holding on to any pet sins, but we need to be walking in holiness in the power of God’s Spirit living and working within our lives.

We must be in the Word of God daily, drinking it into our minds and hearts, and then be doing what it says. And, then we need to be sharing it with others, too. And, we need to be sharing the gospel of our salvation, but not just with the world, but with “church people,” too, for not everyone who confesses Christ as Lord is truly saved from their sins and bound for heaven.

And, we need to pray for opportunities to share with others what is on God’s heart, too, to let them see what he sees regarding his church and how they have been functioning, and to share with them what the Lord’s church, his body, is to be. We need to point them to the Scriptures, and show them that “church,” as many people define it, is not truly “the church.”

Why? Because Christ’s body, his church, has been turned upside down, and it barely even resembles Christ’s body anymore, nor does it function as his body. For, thieves and robbers, who are wolves in sheep’s clothing, have taken over “the church” and turned it into a house of robbers, i.e. into a marketplace, and it is no longer a house of prayer, for the most part.

And, then we need to be functioning as the body of Christ ought to, using the gifts God has imparted to us, and fulfilling the roles – the parts within the body of Christ to which he has assigned us to do and to be. And, we need to be speaking the truth in love to one another, and not lies, so that we can help one another to grow to maturity in Christ AS EACH PART DOES ITS WORK.

Be Bold

So, even if the church congregation with whom you have been affiliated is not following the biblical role model for how we are to operate, as Christ’s body, it doesn’t mean we can’t follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, individually, in doing what God intends for us to do in encouraging one another to walk in holiness and in obedience to our Lord.

People may think you are crazy, at first, if you try it, though, just so you know. But, start sharing Scriptures that have ministered to your heart with others. Share poems and songs, too, which inspire us to live godly and holy lives. Share a devotional God has given to you, or one you have read, to encourage others in walks of holiness, as well. And, use the gifts God has given you to minister God’s love and grace to one another, too.

And, this is an excellent time to begin with this, too, if you have not already made this your practice. You can post Scripture verses on Twitter, Facebook, Christian Discussion Forums (various ones), LinkedIn, emails, text messages, or on video chats or whatever. And, you can share words of encouragement, hope, and healing, and songs, hymns and psalms, too.

And, do this, not just publicly, but personally, one on one, for we all need encouragement, especially right now. But, don’t share shallow feel-good messages that water down the gospel of Jesus Christ and that coddle people in their sins, for that helps no one, and that only leads people astray.

For, to encourage others in Christ means to urge, to inspire, and to embolden one another to follow Jesus Christ in obedience, and to walk in holiness, and to let the Holy Spirit be the one to lead in our lives, and not the influences of the world.

And, honestly, you may not get a lot of kudos doing this, and you may even get some rejection, but you will be making a difference in people’s lives for eternity that far outweighs any rejection you may get in return. And, you will be blessed doing it, and others will be blessed by you doing it, too.

Sanctuary  

John W. Thompson / Randy Scruggs

Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary

Pure and holy, tried and true

With thanksgiving, I'll be a living

Sanctuary for You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxB9VH3cCN4

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How Did You Learn Christ?

In a Manner Worthy

Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

If we are to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, then we need to first of all know what our calling is. Biblically speaking, there is a general calling which applies to all followers of Jesus Christ. And, it is that we are called to belong to Christ, to be his saints (his holy ones), according to his purpose. And, we are called to freedom and into fellowship with Jesus Christ. We are called to be holy in all our conduct, and we are not called for impurity. For, we are called out of darkness into HIS marvelous light.

[Rom. 1:6-7; Rom. 8:28; 1 Co. 1:9; Gal. 5:13; 1 Thess. 4:7; 2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Pet. 2:9; 2 Pet. 1:3]

We, as followers of Jesus Christ are also given spiritual gifts that we are to use for the glory of God to minister to other people’s lives. They are the gifts of knowledge, wisdom, spiritual discernment, prophecy, teaching, helps, miracles, healings, and administration, etc. And, then we have each been given a specific assignment (calling) from God – our specific part in the body of Christ which we are to fulfill for the building up of the body of Christ to maturity in Christ Jesus (Rom. 12; 1 Co. 12-14; Eph. 4-5).

So, we are to walk (live, conduct our lives) in a manner worthy (praiseworthy, commendable) of our calling. For example, since we are called to be holy in all our conduct, that means that we are to live our lives separate (unlike, different) from this sinful world, for we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ. So, we don’t make it our practice to lie, cheat, steal, commit adultery, lust, gossip, overeat (be gluttonous), and the like. Instead, we practice following our Lord in obedience.

But, we have to do so in truth, and in the power of God’s Holy Spirit. We can’t fake this. This is not just a performance. This is us submitting to our Lord and to his rule over our lives, and it is allowing him to live his life in us and out through us for his glory. We just have to humble ourselves before him and yield to his will, and do what he says, in his power. And, if we do, not only will we be at peace with God and be united with him in mind, but we will be at peace and in unity with those of like-mindedness.

Alienated from God

Ephesians 4:17-19 ESV

“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.”

In Bible times, prior to Jesus’ death and resurrection, the people of the world were divided into two basic groups: Jew and Gentile. The Jews were God’s chosen people of that time, and the Gentiles were all those out of faith with God, or they were non-Jews.

But, in Jesus’ death and resurrection, he broke down the barrier between Jew and Gentile, and he made them one in Christ Jesus, for those who believe in Jesus. All those who do not believe in Jesus, whether Jew or Gentile by birth, are now in one group. They are unbelievers (Rom. 9:6b-8; Gal. 3:10, 16, 26-29; Gal. 4:22-31; Eph. 2:14-18; 1 Jn. 2:22).

So, when this says that, as followers of Jesus Christ, we should no longer walk (conduct our lives) as the Gentiles do, this is saying that we should not live our lives like those who have no faith in Jesus Christ at all. We should not live like the world, in other words. Our lives should be set apart from the world, and set apart to God and to his service. We are not to be given over to impurity, immorality, lying and cheating and the like.

The Truth in Jesus

Ephesians 4:20-24 ESV

“But that is not the way you learned Christ! — assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

Then, it says, for that is not the way we learned Christ, which was true of them, but not necessarily of all of us. For, not all of us have learned Christ in the right way, sad to say. For many are teaching a false christ, and a false gospel, and a false salvation from sin based on a mixture of truth and lies, and based on the distortion of Scripture. So, they are convinced they can live like the “Gentiles” and still go to heaven when they die.

So, what is the truth? What is the way that we should have learned Christ? We should have learned that faith in Jesus Christ means we put off (put to death) our old self (our sinful nature), which belongs to our former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires. And, we should have been renewed in the spirit of our minds, and we should have, by faith in Jesus Christ, put on the new self in Christ Jesus, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Basically, we should have been taught that faith in Jesus Christ means that we die with Christ to sin and that we now live to Christ and to his righteousness, and that this is not optional, but that it is required for our eternal salvation (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Lu. 9:23-26).

For, Jesus Christ didn’t die on that cross just to forgive us our sins, and just to promise us heaven when we die. He died to deliver us out of our slavery (bondage, addiction) to sin, and to give us new lives in him to be lived for his glory and praise, in his power and strength within us.

So, being a Christian or being a follower of Jesus Christ is so much more than just a profession of faith, or a religion, or religious practices we may adhere to. For, it is a change in heart and mind and lifestyle, as we die with Christ to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ to new lives in him to be lived to him and to his righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15, 21).

O Could I Speak the Matchless Worth

Author: Samuel Medley (1789)

Tune: ARIEL

O could I speak the matchless worth,

O could I sound the glories forth

Which in my Savior shine,

I'd soar, and touch the heav'nly strings,

and vie with Gabriel while he sings

in notes almost divine,

in notes almost divine.

I'd sing the precious blood he spilt,

my ransom from the dreadful guilt

of sin, and wrath divine:

I'd sing his glorious righteousness,

in which all perfect, heav'nly dress

my soul shall ever shine,

my soul shall ever shine.

I'd sing the characters he bears,

and all the forms of love he wears,

exalted on his throne:

in loftiest songs of sweetest praise,

I would to everlasting days

make all his glories known,

make all his glories known.

Well, the delightful day will come

when my dear Lord will bring me home,

and I shall see his face;

then with my Savior, Brother, Friend,

a blest eternity I'll spend,

triumphant in his grace,

triumphant in his grace.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0Rd-873CY4

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Confident Assurance

Job, A Righteous Man

Summary Job, chapters 1-18

Job was a righteous man, blameless and upright before God. He was one who feared God, and who turned away from evil.

But one day, when Satan presented himself before the Lord, the Lord asked him if he had considered the Lord’s servant Job. Satan responded to the Lord by saying, “Does Job fear God for no reason?” And, then Satan went on to describe how the Lord had protected Job up to this point. But, if the Lord allowed Job to suffer, Satan suggested, Job would then curse God to his face. So, the Lord allowed Satan to cause Job to suffer, only initially the Lord did not allow Satan to touch Job, himself.

So, Job suffered the loss of his servants, his livestock and his children, all in one day. In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong, though.

Another day Satan came to present himself before the Lord, and again the Lord asked him if he had considered Job. This time Satan asked permission to touch Job’s skin, and the Lord gave permission, only God said that Satan was to spare Job’s life. So, Job was now struck with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. His wife then encouraged him to curse God and die, but Job said, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

Then, Job’s friends came to comfort him. When they first saw his misery, they wept. And, they sat with him in silence for seven days and nights.

But, then Job did curse the day that he was born, and he began to lament his suffering. And, then his friends began to counsel him, but also to accuse him of sinning against God, and to suggest that it was because Job had sinned against God that all this misery had come upon him. And, so Job answered them, and he defended himself to them, because he knew it was not because of sin in his life that all this calamity had come upon him.

Suffering Injustice

Summary Job 19:1-22

Not only had Job suffered the loss of his children, his servants, and his livestock, and not only was he struck with loathsome sores all over his own body, but his wife wanted him to curse God, and now his friends were accusing him of sinning against God as the reason for his suffering.

So, Job was not only being tormented physically, but his friends were tormenting him with lies and false accusations to try to make Job feel guilty for wrong doing he had not committed. And, they were very insistent and persistent in their accusations, too, which only added to his misery. For, they were pressuring him to admit wrong that he had not done.

But, that wasn’t the whole of it. For, his brothers were now estranged from him. And, his friends and his relatives failed to stand by him, for they had forsaken him in his suffering. He was even considered to be a stranger by his own house guests and maidservants. Even young children, he said, despised him and they talked against him. Even his closest friends abhorred him, and those whom he loved turned against him.

In addition to all this, Job was well aware that God had brought all this suffering upon him. And, he felt as though God was not listening to his prayers. He even felt abandoned by God, so that was the ultimate in suffering for him. And, so he begged his friends to show him mercy.

Inscribed in a Book

Job 19:23-24 ESV

“Oh that my words were written!

    Oh that they were inscribed in a book!

Oh that with an iron pen and lead

    they were engraved in the rock forever!”

Interestingly enough, Job’s words did end up being written down in a book, and that book was then placed in our Christian Bible as part of our holy Scriptures, which are God’s divine revelation to us, his people. And, we who read the book of Job today are still learning from Job’s experiences, and from what the Lord taught Job through them, and what the Lord taught us through them, too.

For, our Lord does not promise us that we are not going to have to suffer in this life. In fact, he promises us the opposite. He said that the Christian life is a life of suffering, beginning with us dying with Christ to sin that we might live with Christ to his righteousness. And, then there is the daily dying to sin and self, too, and our walks of obedience to our Lord, even when we may not feel like it (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-26; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

And, then we are told in Scripture that, as followers of Jesus Christ, that we should expect to suffer as Christ suffered, and to be hated and persecuted as he was hated and persecuted. Jesus told us that what they did to him they will also do to us, if we are following him with our lives in devotion to his will for our lives, in obedience to his Word and to his commands for us, his church.

And, the Lord also warned us that Satan is our arch enemy, and that he is on a rampage against the Lord’s servants and witnesses, and that he, Satan, is out to destroy us, so we must be on guard against his evil schemes against us. And, daily we must put on the armor of God, which God supplied for us, in order that we might fight off Satan’s evil schemes. And, that includes proclaiming the truth in opposition to Satan’s lies, which is partly what Job did, too (Eph. 6:10-20).

And, we can learn a lot here from Job’s trials and tribulations regarding how to and how not to respond to suffering unjustly for righteousness’ sake. For, Job didn’t respond perfectly through the whole process. He did eventually begin to question God’s sovereignty over his life when the trial got worse and when it dragged on without relief. But, overall, Job maintained his integrity. And, where he had failed, he repented in dust and ashes.

And, in the end, the Lord did honor him as one who spoke what was right. And, he restored Job’s fortunes, and he gave Job twice as much as he had before.

My Redeemer Lives

Job 19:25-27 ESV

For I know that my Redeemer lives,

    and at the last he will stand upon the earth.

And after my skin has been thus destroyed,

    yet in my flesh I shall see God,

whom I shall see for myself,

    and my eyes shall behold, and not another.”

Job was suffering greatly, although he had done no wrong. And, he was being accused falsely for wrong he had not committed. Yet, he knew that God had allowed this in his life. And, even though he eventually questioned God’s sovereignty over his life, still he was sure of one thing. He was certain that the Lord His Redeemer lives, and that He would one day come to his rescue, and that he would vindicate him.

And, if we are suffering unjustly for righteousness’ sake, we can be assured of the same.

David wrote about this in Psalm 37. He tells us there to not fret because of evildoers, but to trust in the Lord and to do good. We are to delight ourselves in the Lord, and he will give us the desires of our hearts (which line up with his desires). And, we are to commit our way to the Lord, and trust him, and he will act. One day we will be exonerated. One day the truth will come out, and we will no longer be put to shame, but it will be evident that we are the Lord’s servants.

And, then we read this is Revelation 3:8-9 ESV:

“I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and they will learn that I have loved you.”

Although we might be going through some difficult times right now, for no fault of our own, and we may be suffering unjustly, and we may even be being accused falsely of wrongdoing, our Lord has the final word. Our dedication to him, and our obedience to him in doing what he has called us to do, will not go without reward, i.e. without fruit for our labors. God will use what we have committed to him to make a difference in other people’s lives.

So even though, while we are suffering, we may not be able to see how God is using it for his glory, one day all will be revealed. It may not be written down in a book for future generations to read, but what we have done in obedience to our Lord, in our ministry to other people, will be engraved in human hearts. We can be assured that we are making a difference, even if we may not yet see it.

And, God is going to work it all out for the good of us who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. We just have to keep trusting the Lord through it all, for he is accomplishing his will in our lives. So, believe him (Rom. 8:28).

Hide Me, Rock of Ages

Brantley C. George, 1946

Keep me when the storm clouds gather;

(storm clouds gather, keep me)

‘Til the sun comes shining through;

(comes shining through, oh Savior)

Keep me ‘til my work is over;

(work is over, Jesus)

‘Til I bid this world adieu.

Hide me oh blessed rock of ages

(blessed rock of ages hide me)

'Til Thy blessed face I see

(Thy face I see in glory)

When the storm around me rages

(round me rages, blessed)

Rock of ages hide Thou me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRKU-D5k21w

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Listen to The Lord

Blameless and Innocent

Philippians 2:14-15 ESV

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation…”

Right now we are going through a difficult time in our nations across the globe. Some people and some nations have it much worse than others, though for those who were used to their freedoms, having their freedoms taken away from them has been a hard blow. For trials and tribulations come in all different forms and at all different degrees of toughness.

So, what should be our response to these difficult times? We should not grumble and complain about them, and we shouldn’t be fighting amongst ourselves over them, either. For, that is a horrible witness for Jesus Christ.

But, does that mean that we bow down and worship those in authority over us, and that we believe everything they tell us, that it is truth? NO! And, should we live in fear of germs the rest of our lives, and should we go to extreme measures to try to protect ourselves from coming into contact with germs? And, should we believe that if we take all these extreme measures that we are now going to be safe? NO! Our trust has to be in God alone!

We should use common sense, yes. I am not saying to be stupid or careless. And, we should be considerate of others and respect their feelings in the matter, and not purposefully do what we know might upset them or cause them harm. For, some people are living in fear over this, and we don’t want to make them more afraid, if that can at all be avoided, that is.

But, we need to not be sheeple, either, who just believe everything we hear in the MSM (mainstream media), and from our government leaders, and even from some leaders in some institutional churches. We need to use the brains that God gave us to test everything we see and hear and read, in prayer, against the Word of God, and in the wisdom of God’s Spirit living within us, asking the Lord to show us what is true and what is false.

But, and this is really important that we get this… We are not going to be discerning of good and evil if we are taking evil into our minds on a daily basis, and if we are giving in to that evil in any way. If the world and its junk is what is mainly occupying our minds and hearts, there is no way we are going to see clearly to hear from God and to know good from evil.

Yet, do we obey our governing authorities? Absolutely! But, with exception. We do not worship them. We don’t believe everything they tell us, and we don’t practice what they practice, if what they are doing is evil. We test what they tell us to see if it is true. And, God always trumps! His word trumps! We must obey God rather than man, if what man requires of us opposes God and his Word, and if it opposes God’s divine will and purpose for our lives.

Shine as Lights

Philippians 2:15-16 ESV

“… among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.”

Ok, so we are to shine as lights in the world, in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.

So, what is this saying? It is saying that not everyone is who he or she says they are. Not everyone tells the truth. Many liars and deceivers exist among us. And, the Bible tells us, too, that the closer we get to Jesus’ return, that the worse it is going to get. And, the Bible prophecies about the evil, the wickedness and the massive deception that is to take place in these last days. It tells us about how crooked it is, and it warns us of deception.

So, why is that so many people who call themselves Christians just believe everything they hear in the news? Or, from a particular political platform? Or, from their government leaders? Or, from pastors and preachers?

What happened to discernment? What happened to critical thinking? Have we forgotten how to think and reason? Or, have we gotten so dumbed down by TV, movies, the media, the internet, gaming, and the like, that we no longer use the brains God has given to us, and we no longer tap into his Holy Spirit for wisdom to know truth from lies?

We aren’t supposed to be sheeple who just blindly go along with everything human beings tell us. We are supposed to be lights (truth, righteousness) to shine brightly in this evil world. We are supposed to be those who discern evil, and who expose the fruitless deeds of darkness, and who call people out from among the world to follow Jesus Christ in purity of devotion to him.

We are supposed to be discerners of Biblical error and the manipulation of God’s Word. But, so many are just following whatever some preacher tells them without even checking it out to see if it is true.

Do you know that you can use the Scriptures to teach what is false? Yes! If you take them out of context, you can. That is how many false doctrines are formed, and how many cults are formed, too, by people taking Scriptures out of context to support whatever belief or practice they want to adhere to.

And, that is how so many people today have bought into the cheap grace gospel, because they didn’t check it out in prayer, in sincerity of devotion to Jesus Christ, and in the Word of God, studied in context. And, that, too, is largely because so many people who call themselves Christians are living no differently from the people of the world, and so they like the cheap grace message, because it gives them freedom to keep sinning without guilt.

But, we have to stop following men and women! And, we have to start following the Lord Jesus Christ. And, he says that if we want to come after him that we must deny self, and take up our cross daily and follow (obey) him. And, this means daily dying to sin and self, and daily putting on Christ and his spiritual armor. And, in the power of God, we live holy lives, pleasing to God, and we shine the truth of his gospel to the world around us (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

We have to come out from the world and be separate (unlike, different) from the world and its philosophies, values, morals, practices and entertainment, too. And, we need to bathe our minds on the Word of God, in prayer, seeking God’s face, and then we need to be DOERS OF THE WORD.

A Drink Offering

Philippians 2:17-18 ESV

“Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.”

So, why do I do what I do every day? Why do I write the things that I write? It certainly is not to win public approval or to be voted most popular. I write what the Lord gives me to write each day because I love my Lord, and because my desire is for him, and my desire is to obey him.

But, that is not the only reason. I do what I do each day because I love the people of this world, and I love my brothers and sisters in Christ. And, I am deeply concerned that so many of you are following after liars and deceivers, and that you are being led in the wrong direction. And, I know that many of you are trapped in sin’s deceitfulness, and/or you are living in fear because you believe the lies, and you don’t embrace the truth.

So, my hope here is that you will take what I have shared with you today to heart. I am not asking that you follow me. I don’t need followers. I don’t need “likes,” either, to keep me going. I am not looking for your approval of me, either. I will continue doing what I do each day, by the grace of God, as long as God has me doing this, whether I get human approval or not.

Thus, my hope is that you will stop and think, and that you will examine what you are listening to, and what you are believing every day, and how what you believe is impacting your life both now and for eternity.

I am asking you to really pay attention to what is being said in the news, with critical thinking, and in prayer, but to also listen for what is not being said, too, for that speaks volumes, as well. And, I am asking you to pull away from the world, and to get alone with God, and to ask the Lord to show you truth from lies, to reveal to you the lies you are believing, in particular.

And, be willing to let go of any “sacred cows” you may have if they don’t line up with the Word of God (in context). If the Lord helps you to see through all the “smoke and mirrors,” to see what is going on in the world, much of which is being covered up with lies and manipulation, I pray you will reject the lies and embrace the truth. For, the Lord wants you to know the truth and to not follow the lies. So, I pray you listen to the Lord.

10,000 Reasons

Matt Redman / Jonas Myrin

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

The sun comes up

It's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass

And whatever lies before me

Let me be singing

When the evening comes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

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Surrendered to Jesus Christ

Have This Mind

Philippians 2:5-8 ESV

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

To be likeminded with Christ, we have to first of all be in relationship with him. And, the way in which we enter into relationship with him is through the forsaking of our former self, and in the renewal of our minds, and in the putting on of the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness, by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.

All this is the working of God’s Spirit, who transforms us from death to life, and from the power of Satan to God, who renews us in Christ Jesus, and who gives us new lives in Christ to be lived for his glory and praise. Even the faith to believe in Jesus Christ is God’s gift to us. And, if from God, then it submits to the Lordship of Christ, repents of sin, and obeys the Lord.

[Eph. 2:8-10; Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9]

His Mind Within Us

Now, if Christ is in us, his mind is also within us, so we should have his mind and heart within us. But, we have to tune into his mind, and we have to adopt his thinking and his heart into our own way of thinking, and into our own hearts. And, we do this by centering our thoughts on Jesus and on his Word, and by not only listening to his word, but by being doers of his word.

The only way any of us are going to be likeminded with Jesus Christ, though, is if we surrender our lives over to him, if we submit to his will for our lives, and if we leave our lifestyles of sin behind us to follow him in obedience.

Then, as we walk with him, and we do what he says, his way of thinking and his heart become our way of thinking and our heart.

For, as we get to know him, we get to know his thinking, and we get to know his heart, and then we begin to feel passionately about the things he is passionate about, and we begin to think about life and relationships and obedience through his eyes, and from his perspective, and not from our own. And, we begin to love what he loves, and hate what he hates.

Bought with a Price

And, we no longer see our lives and our ministries as our own, to function the way we think they ought to function, but we begin to realize that we were bought back for God with the blood of Jesus. And, so we realize that we belong to God.

And, so we understand that we must live, and we must conduct ourselves, and we must minister in the ways that His Word instructs, and according to God’s specific calling on our individual lives.

So, for example, if God has called us to blog, then we need to see our blog not as our own, but as God’s. Therefore, we also need to see that what we write on that blog is not to come from our own minds and thinking, but from his. For, if we belong to him, and our blog belongs to him, then we are merely servants to do his bidding, and thus he is the one who decides what we write and how we write it, and even regarding the appearance of it.

Now, there are a lot of people who call themselves Christians who are not true Christians, for they never died with Christ to sin, and they aren’t living to Christ and to his righteousness, but they are living for themselves.

But, then there are Christians who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, who are not living in sin, but who are walking in the Light as Christ is in the Light.

But, so many of them don’t grasp this whole mindset that our lives are not our own. We now belong to Jesus. So, he chooses how we live our lives, not just in the areas of not sinning, and in obeying Christ’s commands, but in what jobs we have, and where we work, and where we live, and what ministries we have, and how they are to be conducted, etc.

We have to empty ourselves of ourselves, we have to become the Lord’s servants, his bond-slaves, and we have to humble ourselves and be willing to do whatever it is that God has specifically called us to do that may not be exactly like what someone else is called to do, but which will be consistent with the word of God and with God’s divine character and will for our lives.

And, we have to be willing, in the execution of doing his work, according to his will and in his ways, to be hated, to be rejected, to be mocked, to be thought crazy, to be unpopular, to be isolated and alone, to be abused, and even to be falsely accused, falsely arrested, and even put to death. Then, we will know what it means to have this mind in us that Christ had in him.

Work Out Your Salvation

Philippians 2:12-13 ESV

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”

I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about this Scripture and its message because there is a lot of misunderstanding about our Lord’s plan of salvation for our lives, too. For, a lot of people think of salvation as a one-time deal. You “get saved,” and then you live your life, and one day you get to go to heaven when you die. But, that’s the wrong idea.

The Scriptures teach that we are saved (past), we are being saved (present), and that we will be saved (future) when Jesus returns, and our salvation is then complete and our marriage to Christ is consummated.

A lot of the problem comes in to play, I believe, because of incorrect verb tense translation when translating from Greek to English (for English speaking people, that is).

For example, in John 3:16 it says that “whoever believing in him has eternal life.” It isn’t past tense. It is present tense, which indicates that it is ongoing and continuous. So, we aren’t saved based on past belief, but on present and active belief. So, we have to actively be believing in Jesus when we die if we want to have eternal life with God.

And, then there is the issue of defining “belief,” for it means to be persuaded by God, and if persuaded by God, it will submit to Christ as Lord, it will forsake sin, and it will walk in obedience to his commands, because it comes from God, and not from ourselves. We just have to daily put it into practice by God’s power and in his strength at work within our lives.

And, this is where this working out our own salvation with fear and trembling comes into play.

This is not works-based salvation. This is not us trying to earn or to deserve our own salvation. It is us daily living out the faith that we have in Jesus Christ in the fear of the Lord, and in submission to his will. But, it is God who is working his will in our lives as daily we surrender our lives to his will.

Are We Surrendered?

And, this goes back to this whole thing of our lives not being our own, but that they belong to God – everything about us, our whole lives.

Are we surrendered to Jesus Christ? Is he truly our owner-master? Are we steadfast in living for him and in allowing him to live his life in us and out through us for his glory and praise? Is he truly King over our lives? And, over our ministries, too? Is he the one deciding what we do and what we write? Or, are we still holding on to the wheel?

To have this mind in us that is also in Christ Jesus means that we have to be emptied of us, and we have to lay it all down, and we have to surrender it all to the Lord, and then just let him lead us one day and one step at a time.

And, particularly now, when the world is all upside down, and everything is changing daily, we need to be surrendered to Jesus, and we need to just let him lead, for he knows what lies ahead, and we don’t. For, he may lead us to places we have never gone before, in ways we have never experienced before, because things are drastically changing in our world.

So, we need to be ready to go with him wherever he takes us, and to do whatever it is he leads us to do, all within his perfect will for our lives.

Sanctuary  

John W. Thompson / Randy Scruggs

Lord prepare me to be a sanctuary

Pure and Holy, tried and true

With thanksgiving I'll be a living

Sanctuary for you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxB9VH3cCN4

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Good or Bad Fruit?

Bearing Much Fruit

John 15:1-6 ESV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.”

What does it mean for us, as followers of Jesus Christ, to bear fruit? What is this fruit that we are to bear (exhibit, convey, show evidence of)? First and foremost, it is the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

The fruit we are to give evidence of in our lives also involves our actions and our deeds, which are the result of us being “in Christ.” It is everything we do as a result of our relationship with Jesus Christ which reveals whether or not we truly are “in Christ.” But, it is also our attitudes, our values, and our thinking and believing, too, which then come out in our actions and deeds.

Is it all black or all white? What I mean is, will our fruit be absolutely perfect in every way every time for it to be good fruit? I think not, although, as followers of Jesus Christ, we are no longer under the control of sin, but we are now under the control of righteousness, so our fruit should bear that out.

But, we are being made perfect, and we won’t be absolutely perfect until Jesus returns and he takes us home to be with him forever. And, that is why Jesus has to prune us. And, Paul said he wasn’t yet perfect, that he had not yet arrived, but he pressed on. But, he wasn’t saying that he was dabbling in sin, either, for if he was, he could not have taught what he did.

Another aspect of this fruit-bearing, too, is that it is not self-generated. In other words, we can’t be just “good deed doers.” That is not what he is talking about. This fruit doesn’t come from ourselves, it comes from God, and it is only through genuine relationships with Jesus Christ, which abide (live, exist) in him, that we can bear that fruit.

And, to abide in Christ means to live in him and him in us. And, to live in him is to walk in his ways in his power and strength within us. It is to walk in obedience to his commands, to his instructions to us, his church, as recorded for us in the New Testament. And, when our lives are centered in Jesus Christ, and not in ourselves, it will be evident by what we do, and by what we say, and by our attitudes, too, if Christ is in us or not.

Bearing Good Fruit

Luke 6:43-45 ESV

“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

Again, I don’t believe this is all black and white. Yes, we are either in Christ, by faith in him, or we are not. There is no in between. But, from what I read in the Scriptures, it is clear to me that the Christians were not instantly perfect, but that they had to grow in Christ to maturity, which involved putting off the deeds of the flesh and putting on Christ and his righteousness daily. And, they had to abide in Christ, and Christ in them.

If they were all instantly perfect, without any fault, then we would not have had need for all the writings to the church with all the instructions in godly living, and with all the warnings against falling away or returning to their old ways, etc. They also would not have needed all the warnings against false teaching and false teachers, and all the teachings necessary to help them to discern truth from lies. Yet, they needed regular encouragement to keep them on the right path, and to keep them from falling back into sin.

Yet, what I see consistent throughout the whole of the New Testament is that the Christian life is about our walks of faith, how we live day to day, one day at a time. It isn’t that we never fail, but it is that we don’t make sin our habit, that we are no longer under the control of sin, but now we are slaves to righteousness. So, the fruit here would be the evidence of lives lived for Christ or for the flesh. Are we living according to the Spirit? Or, are we living according to the flesh? What do our lifestyles reveal? That is our fruit.

If we are living for the flesh, it will be evident by our lifestyles. And, if we are living for the Lord, that will also be evident by how we live our lives as a normal course of living, too. And, what is stored up in our hearts will come out through our actions, our attitudes, and our words, as well.

In a way, that can be a good thing, though, for it shows us what is in our hearts so that we can take it to the Lord in prayer, and we can allow him to heal those areas in our hearts and to release those broken areas to the Lord, and to let them go, to forgive others, and to let the Lord fill those broken areas with his love and his fruit.

Fruit Not Shaken

Luke 6:46-49 ESV

“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Now, here we get to the crux of the matter. We can’t fake it. We can’t just perform by doing nice things. The fruit that shows whether or not Christ is in us, and us in him, is our obedience to our Lord. But, again, this is not speaking of absolute sinless perfection, but of our practices, our lifestyles; of our normal every day course of living our lives.

Do we walk in obedience to the Lord as a matter of course? Or, are we serving our flesh, instead, but pretending that we are walking with the Lord? For, confessing with our mouths that Jesus is Lord doesn’t mean that he is Lord (owner-master) of our lives. For, “Lord” is not just a title given to Jesus. It means he is the owner and he is the master of our lives, and our lives are surrendered to him to do his will and to not go our own way.

For, it is everyone who is coming to Christ, and who is doing his words whose lives are not shaken by the storms of life, because their lives are founded on the Rock, Jesus Christ, and not on the flesh. But, those whose lives have not the foundation of Jesus Christ, for they are still living to the flesh, they will not stand, for they hear the words of God, but they do not put them into practice as a matter of course. And, so they will fall. Their lives will be ruined.

For, we are all going to reap what we sow. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction. But, if we sow to please the Spirit, from the Spirit we will reap eternal life. So, don’t be fooled! Don’t buy into the lies that tell you that how you live and what you do don’t matter for eternity. They do! (Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8; 2 Co. 5:10; Rom. 8:1-17).

So, walk with Jesus, follow him in obedience, and you won’t walk in the darkness, but you will have the light of life (Jn. 8:12; cf. 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

Footprints of Jesus

Lyrics by Mary B. Slade, pub. 1871

Music by Asa B. Everett

Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling,

Come, follow Me!

And we see where Thy footprints falling

Lead us to Thee.

Though they lead o’er the cold, dark mountains,

Seeking His sheep;

Or along by Siloam’s fountains,

Helping the weak.

If they lead through the temple holy,

Preaching the Word;

Or in homes of the poor and lowly,

Serving the Lord.

If Thy way and its sorrows bearing,

We go again,

Up the slope of the hillside, bearing

Our cross of pain.

Then, at last, when on high He sees us,

Our journey done,

We will rest where the steps of Jesus

End at His throne.

Footprints of Jesus,

That make the pathway glow;

We will follow the steps of Jesus

Where’er they go.

Copyright status is public domain

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug0g048Nqes

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To Seek and To Save

Small in Stature

Luke 19:1-3 ESV

“He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature.”

As I was reading this story of Zacchaeus, I was inclined to keep the story all together, and to not break it up in sections, so as to not lose continuity. But, when I got to the words “small in stature,” I felt a gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit to pause there, and to reflect on what had just been said.

So, I looked up the word “small,” and I felt drawn toward the synonym “lower.” And, a synonym of “lower” is “humble,” which is where I felt this was headed.

And, “stature,” besides having to do with physical height, has to do with one’s level of importance, and the word “small” also means “less important.”

Zacchaeus was a sinner. We are all born into sin. He was a tax collector by trade, and tax collectors were despised, as they had a reputation of cheating people. Cheating is a sin. We all have sinned. Most likely his riches were ill-gotten by unlawful means. We are all law breakers by nature.

But, he was seeking Jesus. Are you seeking him? Have you found him?

But, he was small in stature. We all fall short of the glory of God. And, the crowd blocked his view of Jesus. And, the world blocks our view of Jesus, too, when we focus on the world and not on God, and when we let the world’s opinions of us keep us from following after Jesus, too.

Hurry and Come Down

Luke 19:4-6 ESV

“So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully.”

So, what did Zacchaeus do? If he had pride, he swallowed it, and he climbed a tree, risking being mocked, criticized, and called out and ridiculed in front of the crowd.

So, he humbled himself, basically, and unashamedly got up in that tree so that he could see Jesus for who he was. And, that is what we need to do, too, if we have not done that already, or if we have slipped back into following after self, and we need to refocus our attention on Jesus.

And, I am not saying we need to climb physical trees, obviously, but that if we really want to see Jesus for who he is, we need to humble ourselves, and we need to be willing to have the world mock us and think we are nuts for forsaking the world to get a closer look at Jesus.

And, I am not talking about just taking a gander at Jesus, either, or gaining some intellectual knowledge about him. But, this is about drawing close to him, to really get to know him intimately.

A Divine Appointment

But, now Jesus was already prepared for this moment. He knew he was going to find Zacchaeus up in that tree. For, he had a divine appointment with Zacchaeus, much like he did that day with the Samaritan woman at that well. And, he knew what Zacchaeus’ response was going to be, too.

And, that is the same for us, too, for obviously Zacchaeus was drawn to Jesus Christ, which is why he had the desire to want to see who he was, and why his heart was already prepared to go with Jesus, and to have him come into his house to stay with him. Do you see where I am going with this?

Jesus said that no one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ, and the Scriptures teach that we cannot even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless the Father draws us to him (John 14:6; John 6:44).

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).

So, we only come to faith in Jesus Christ by divine appointment, as we are drawn to him by the Father, and as we are gifted with the faith to believe in him as our Lord and Savior.

And, thus, if we receive Jesus with this faith that comes from God, we will receive him into our lives joyfully to be King of our hearts, to rule over our lives, to deliver us out of our slavery to sin, and to empower and equip us to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to him (Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24).

To Save the Lost

Luke 19:7-10 ESV

“And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’ And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’”

We who have known the Lord a long time and/or who are well versed in the Scriptures, need to be so careful that we don’t forget that we were born into this world as sinners, too, and that it is only by God’s grace, and through his gift of faith, that any of us are able to be made righteous before God.

And, instead of condemning those we regard as “sinful,” we need to have compassionate hearts towards them, and we need to be praying for their salvation. And, we need to be loving them with Christ’s love, and we need to forgive them as Christ forgave us.

And, we need to share with them how they, too, can be set free from their bondage to sin, and how they, as well, can walk with Jesus in a close abiding relationship with him which forsakes our former lives of sin to walk with him in obedience to his commands (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24).

But, and I must caution here against having this idea that love and compassion is the same as tolerance and acceptance of sinful practices. Jesus forgave the woman caught in adultery, but he told her to go and sin no more. When Jesus forgives us, he doesn’t then turn a blind eye to any further sin. And, it isn’t as though he doesn’t notice if we continue in sin.

He does notice, because the New Testament is filled with, not only instructions, but with strong warnings to the church against falling back into or continuing in our sinful practices, having the mistaken notion that God’s grace is free license to continue in sin without guilt.

He reminds us often of where we came from, but where God brought us, if we are truly in Christ, and of what it means for us to be true followers of Jesus.

Does he do this because he just wants to throw our past up at us? No! He does this because he sees where we are headed, and if we are headed in the wrong direction, he doesn’t want us to return to where we were before, because he loves us.

And, he wants nothing more for us for than for us to walk in holiness and in purity of devotion to him, in all honesty, and in complete faithfulness to him. So, he reminds us that we don’t want to go back there. And, he leads us in the right way.

True Repentance

When Zacchaeus was confronted with his sinfulness, although not in a loving manner by his accusers, certainly, it did prompt him, nonetheless, to make his heart right with God. He was prompted, I believe of the Holy Spirit, to repent of his sins, and even to make restitution for any way in which he had wronged (cheated) others.

That is true repentance when we turn from our wicked ways and we turn to God to follow our Lord in his ways. For, we learn in Scripture that if we were in the habit of stealing, that we should now work with our hands and give to the poor. If we were in the habit of lying, we should now cease telling lies, and we should become truth tellers, instead (See Eph. 4-5).

For, Jesus didn’t die on that cross just to forgive us our sins, and especially not so we could then keep on sinning against him willfully without guilt. He died to transform our lives away from living for sin and self to now living to him and to his righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; Eph. 4:17-24).

Zacchaeus got that. He understood that. Sadly, not many people who call themselves Christians today, at least here in America, seem to really get that. They think Jesus is just their free ticket into heaven but that they can live however they want.

But, Zacchaeus got that closer look at Jesus, and he realized that following Jesus meant leaving his old life behind him, and to now have a new life in Jesus, completely changed, which is not like the life he had before.

Zacchaeus was now saved from his sins because he believed Jesus for who he was, which then resulted in him repenting of his sins and becoming new in Christ.

For, this is why Jesus came, not just to forgive us and to promise us heaven when we die, but to truly save us (to rescue us) out of our slavery to sin, and to give us new lives in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; Lu. 9:23-26).

More Precious Than Silver  

Lynn DeShazo

Lord, You are more precious than silver.

Lord, You are more costly than gold.

Lord, You are more beautiful than diamonds,

And nothing I desire compares to You.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKmlrlzTHXY

The Grim Reaper

An Original Work / April 26, 2020

Dancing, dancing in the wind,

Flickering, flickering, idols grim.

Movies, movies, what’s in store?

The grim reaper at your door.

Trickery, trickery, that’s their way,

So in hopes that you they’d sway.

Horrid, horrid, all aghast!

Messages, messages, out they blast!

Pointless, pointless, all’s a game,

So they can put you to shame.

Baffle, baffle, mystify.

Complicated? It’s a lie!

Sidetrack, sidetrack, entertain.

What’s at work and Who’s to gain?

Falsehood, falsehood, cooked with truth,

Sort through, sort through all their tools.

Doubtful, doubtful, all confuse,

For, you see, it’s all a ruse.

This side, that side – all the same.

So you don’t know who to blame.

Increase, increase, worse and worse,

Second verse same as the first.

Tie them up, keep off their feet.

So the lies they not defeat.

Invent, invent, fabricate,

Massive effort up to date.

Months and months, more of the same,

No one, really, takes the blame.

Mixture, mixture, truth and lies,

Distrust, distrust many sides.

Nonsense, nonsense, who’s to tell

True or false? It’s all a spell.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 ESV

“But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14 ESV

“Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.” Romans 12:9 ESV

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21 ESV

“For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” Romans 16:19 ESV

“Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.” 1 Corinthians 14:20 ESV

“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” Ephesians 6:13 ESV

“In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16 ESV

“Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.” Philippians 3:2 ESV

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.” Colossians 3:5 ESV

“Abstain from every form of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22 ESV

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 ESV

The Enemy Feigning Friendship

John 10:1-6 ESV

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

The Only Way

Jesus Christ is The Way, The Truth, and The Life, and no one enters into God’s eternal kingdom except through him, and except through the way of the cross, which is the way God provided. And, the way of the cross for us is via dying with Christ to sin and living to Christ and to his righteousness, by God’s grace, and in his power and strength (Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24).

So, if anyone says he is a follower of Jesus Christ, and if he says he is a preacher of the Word of God or a pastor of Christ’s church, His body, but he has not died with Christ to sin; and if he is not, by the Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the flesh; and if he is not walking in obedience to the Lord, but he is still walking according to the flesh, then he is a liar (Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:4-9; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Gal. 5:16-21; Lu. 9:23-26; Tit. 2:11-14).

The fact that he “climbs in” by “another way,” other than through the door (Jesus Christ), also suggests he has entered into the fellowship of the body of Christ deceitfully. He has come into the fellowship of Christ’s body by a way other than through God-given faith in Jesus Christ. And, he has done this through trickery, with the full intent to cause a disturbance, and to intentionally lead the sheep astray from their pure devotion to Jesus Christ.

An Uninvited Guest

By breaking in to the sheepfold, he has done so uninvited, and he is butting in where he is not welcome. For, he is meddling in the affairs of God where he has no business sticking his nose into God’s business. And, once inside, he is interfering with the teachings of God’s truths, and he is interjecting his own ideas (notions) into the gospel message of salvation from sin.

For, he is attempting to influence the sheep to go by a different way other than the one God laid out for us to abide by. He is telling the sheep that they don’t have to live separate from the world, but that they should blend in with the world, and that they should immerse themselves in today’s culture in order to identify with the people of the world, so that they can reach the people of the world, but for what? Not for Jesus Christ, but for their human-based businesses (churches) which they market just like any other business.

He is also breaking into our intimate relationship with Jesus Christ in an attempt to pull us away from Jesus, and to attempt to get us to follow after our flesh and after the gospel of men, instead. He doesn’t want us to live in fidelity to our Lord, so he claims that God requires no such submission or obedience, and that we don’t have to turn from our sins.

Yet, this would be a whole lot like a marriage ceremony where the preacher tells the bride and groom that they can continue to live as though they are single, that they can sleep around with other people, that they can have intimate relationships with people other than their spouse, and that anytime they want they can leave their spouse for someone else – no commitment!

United with the World

And, he is attempting to return us to what we were like before we put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, for he is attempting to get us to abandon our faith in Jesus Christ entirely, and to join with the world in a one-world religion where all the people of the world join hands and hearts and sing “Kumbaya” together in unison. He wants us to abandon the true gospel, our fidelity to Jesus Christ, and to unite with the world with one voice.

But, for those of us who are following our Lord in obedience, we should recognize his voice as a voice of a stranger, not the voice of a true shepherd of the sheep who would be looking out for our best, who would protect us from wolves in sheep’s clothing, and who would tell us the truth, not lies.

We should know our Lord’s voice, and we should be able to discern the difference between truth and lies, and what is real from what is fake. We should be able to discern error and deception and manipulation from the truth of God’s Word, if we are truly following our Lord in obedience. So, we should not fall into the trap of this liar and deceiver. We should not fall under his influence and believe what he tells us.

But, he can be very convincing. He can appear like the real deal outwardly. He can be very charming and winsome, and melt your heart. And, if you are not discerning, you can fall for his tricks. For, he is a great actor, and he is really good at faking it. He is good at faking love, devotion, and concern for you and your situation. For, he knows how to perform for an audience.

The True Thief

John 10:7-10 ESV

So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

And, who is he who climbs in by another way? Primarily he is Satan, for Satan is the one behind these false shepherds of the people, including many or most of our government leaders, the media, and many of our church leaders, too.

But “he” is also man, the flesh, and those who serve Satan and his purposes by how they live their lives, and by what they do, especially the ones who bully others for their own advantage, but who may do it in a secretive and manipulative way to where you might not even be aware that you are being bullied.

And, many of these “bullies” are our political and church leaders, and/or they are prominent and influential business leaders in our communities, but who are actors, playing their roles in a Ponzi scheme in order to defraud the people of their nations. So, we have to be very discerning, and we have to stop taking people at face value and believing whatever we hear, read, or see from our government, the media, and many pastors of churches, too.

For, although they may be acting as though they are on your side, or that they are trying to help you, or that what they are doing is for your best, or for your protection, they are actually doing the opposite. And, what they are doing, in reality, is for your harm. So, although they have promised to protect you and to do what is your best interest, they are not. They are really the enemy feigning friendship with you in order to take you down.

They Follow Him

John 10:27-30 ESV

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.”

So, we are supposed to flee from the strangers. But, how do we know who “they” are?

We can only know if we pull away from the influences of the world, and if we get alone with God, and if we call on God in prayer, in repentance, and in obedience, and with sincere hearts that desire to know and to do God’s will. And, then we have to inquire of the Lord regarding who “they” are so that we don’t fall into their traps. But, we can only do this through testing what we see, hear and read in prayer, sincerely seeking to know the truth.

For, Jesus sheep listen to him, i.e. they hear what he is saying, and they follow him in obedience. They are not those who merely profess faith in Jesus Christ, and they are not those who think that faith in Jesus Christ is freedom to do as they please while proclaiming God’s grace covers it all.

But, although “they” (false shepherds) might be temporarily successful in their scheming, in their deception, and in their manipulation of minds right now, they are going to one day reap what they have sown.

For, if we are sowing to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction. But, if we are sowing to please the Spirit of God, then from the Spirit we will reap eternal life (Gal. 6:7-8).

Footprints of Jesus

Lyrics by Mary B. Slade, pub. 1871

Music by Asa B. Everett

Sweetly, Lord, have we heard Thee calling,

Come, follow Me!

And we see where Thy footprints falling

Lead us to Thee.

Though they lead o’er the cold, dark mountains,

Seeking His sheep;

Or along by Siloam’s fountains,

Helping the weak.

If they lead through the temple holy,

Preaching the Word;

Or in homes of the poor and lowly,

Serving the Lord.

If Thy way and its sorrows bearing,

We go again,

Up the slope of the hillside, bearing

Our cross of pain.

Then, at last, when on high He sees us,

Our journey done,

We will rest where the steps of Jesus

End at His throne.

Footprints of Jesus,

That make the pathway glow;

We will follow the steps of Jesus

Where’er they go.

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