Does Practice Make Perfect?

1 John 3:4-10 ESV

 

“Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.

 

“Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

 

“No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.”

 

Sinful Addiction

 

A person who makes a practice of sinning is addicted (enslaved) to sin. But Jesus Christ died on that cross to free us from slavery to sin so that we would now become slaves of his righteousness. He died on that cross so that we would die with him to sin and live with him to his righteousness (Rom 6:1-23; 1 Pet 2:24; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9).

 

So, if we abide in Christ, and he abides in us, we will no longer live in sin. We will not make sinning against God our practice. We will not plot evil on our beds and deliberately and premeditatedly continue committing the same sins over again. It doesn’t mean we will never sin (1 Jn 2:1-2), but that sin will no longer be our master. Jesus will be our only Lord.

 

So, we are not to let anyone deceive us into thinking that we can believe in Jesus, be saved from our sins, have heaven guaranteed us when we die, but that we can keep on living in sin, in sinful addiction, as though Jesus Christ never set us free, and that God’s grace will just cover it all.

 

And don’t let anyone deceive you into thinking that righteousness is just a status that we wear now that we are in Christ by faith in him. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as God/Jesus is righteous. We must walk (in practice) according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh if we want to be saved from our sins and have eternal life with God (Rom 8).

 

The Addict

 

The one who makes a practice of sinning, especially after making a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, is one who gets “high” off of doing what he (or she) knows is wrong to do. He gets a feeling of exhilaration from doing what he knows is against God and against God’s morals.

 

Instead of getting his sense of purpose and his peace from God, he looks to the flesh to gratify the sinful cravings of his flesh. He is self-indulgent, lacking in self-discipline and self-control, and he is addicted to self-gratification. He is intoxicated with sin, in other words.

 

This person has an insatiable appetite for what is of the flesh, and for whatever gives his body and/or emotions some sense of tingling and excitement and exhilaration. The addiction can be to drugs, to alcohol, to sexual perversion and adultery, to video games, to movies or to whatever allows him to escape from reality into a fantasy world of his own making.

 

He can also be addicted to false religion, to having a sense of goodness and righteousness based on some type of false performance, much like the Pharisees of the Bible times. He is addicted to the praise of humans and to wanting their accolades, so he performs for the audience.

 

The addict is often a person who is torn between fantasy and reality, between healthy relationships and unhealthy relationships, who “shoots  himself in his own feet” by deliberately and habitually doing what is destructive to his relationships with spouse and children, etc.

 

He says he wants to have healthy relationships with God and with others but then he habitually and premeditatedly continues to do what is opposed to those healthy relationships and which only destroys them time and again. Even though his addiction to sin is killing the relationships he says he so desires, yet he continues living in intoxication to sinful practices.

 

Even though this person (he or she) is having to live in the results of his/her behaviors, yet he continues in them. Even though he/she says he loves God and spouse and children, etc., he continues to knowingly do what he knows will destroy those relationships. So, he is self-destructive.

 

The addict, though, will often convince himself that he is not the person that he really is, but that he is this other person who is really a good person who just has some minor flaws. He will lie to himself continually to convince himself that he is not as bad as what he really is, so he lives in self-denial.

 

What we Practice

 

Yes, we are not perfect people. Yes, we still live in flesh bodies. Yes, we still have a propensity to sin and we will be tempted to sin. But Jesus made the way of escape for us out from underneath temptation to sin via his death for us on that cross. He made the way for us to die to sin and live to him.

 

When we believe in Jesus with genuine faith in him, we die with him to sin and we are reborn of the Spirit of God to newness of life in Christ, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. We aren’t reborn of the Spirit so we can continue living in sin without guilt (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24).

 

If we have genuine faith in Christ, the Spirit of God lives within us, and he trains us in godliness, and he teaches us the right way, and he empowers us and strengthens us to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, godly, and upright lives (Tit 2:11-14).

 

Yet, there is a battle for truth going on within the gatherings of the church and within the hearts of people who profess faith in Jesus Christ but who are still making sin their practice (habit, addiction). And there is a war going on against God and against truth coming from those who are professing to believe the truth and who are teaching a false gospel.

 

For, many are teaching that we can believe in Jesus and still live in sin. Scripture does not support that! If we live in sin, we will die in sin. We will not have eternal life with God. Please know the truth! (Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8).

 

The Battle for Truth

 

An Original Work / May 18, 2013

Based off Malachi 1-4

 

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

 

I love you. Honor me.

Tell the truth. You’ll be free.

Sing My praise all your days.

I will give all you need.

 

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

 

Turn from sin; cleansed within.

Stand in awe of My Name.

Teach what’s true. Walk in peace.

Follow Christ, in His ways.

 

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

 

Show to God faithfulness.

Do not be adult’rous.

Do not shed shallow tears.

Do not be insincere.

 

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

 

I have sent messengers,

Who have giv’n my address.

They call for repentance,

And they warn of judgment.

 

Truth is marching, truth is marching.

 

I, the Lord, do not change,

So return – blessings gain:

Healing comes; joyfulness;

Freedom from your distress.

 

https://vimeo.com/117023801

Stoke the Flames

2 Timothy 1:5-7 ESV

 

“I am reminded of your sincere faith… For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

 

Gift of God [Jn 3:16; Jn 4; Rom 5:15-21; Rom 6:23; 2 Co 9:15; Eph 2:8-10; 2 Tim 1:5-7; Jn 1:9; Jn 3:34; Jn 4:14; Jn 6:32, 63; Jn 10:28; Jn 17:14]

 

·       Gift of Jesus Christ

·       Gift of God’s grace and salvation from sin

·       Gift of righteousness

·       Gift of eternal life with God

·       Gift of divine persuasion to believe in Jesus

·       Gift of the Holy Spirit

·       Gift of life and light

·       Gift of Living Water

·       Gift of Bread from Heaven

·       Gift of The Word of God

·       Gift of spirit of power, love, and self-control

 

This is a sampling of some of what God has given to us by his grace and through our faith in Jesus Christ.

 

So, what gift of God was Paul referring to? Well, the main gift would be Jesus Christ, and Jesus dwells within us in the person of the Holy Spirit who, in the book of Acts, was received via the laying on of hands, but whom we receive now when we believe in Jesus Christ.

 

But our life in Christ, and our salvation, and our walks of faith, and the word of God, and Christ’s righteousness, and our eternal life with God are all given to us by God, too, as well as are our spiritual gifts and our assignments (roles, callings) within the body of Christ, too.

 

So, what does it mean to “fan into flame” the gift of God? It is like when a fire is beginning to go out in a fireplace and so you stoke it (stir it up, fuel it) to bring it back into a full flame (passion, fervor) again. So, this would be like reigniting our passion and desire for our Lord and for following him in faithful obedience to his commands and to his calling on our individual lives.

 

For, God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control (or a sound mind). So, we are not to retreat from following our Lord with full passion and fervor, in doing whatever it is he has called us to do, out of fear of what others might think of us or say about us.

 

2 Timothy 1:8-12 ESV

 

“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do.”

 

Ashamed of Jesus?

 

Many people who call themselves Christians don’t want to talk about Jesus or the gospel or holiness or our walks of faith in Jesus Christ. They especially do not want to have such conversations around their friends or when they are on social media. They want to have conversations which are more socially acceptable among their peers, it would appear.

 

So, they talk about politics or they share funny stories or memes, or they talk about the things the world talks about, which is not all bad. It is perfectly okay to talk about our experiences, as long as the conversations are decent. Like I shared about a walk I took on a path along the woods and a creek with two of my grandchildren. There is nothing wrong with that.

 

But if all we ever do is just talk about the same things the world talks about, and if our conversations reflect that we are passionate about the things of this world and its pleasures, and if we shy away from sharing the word of God and sharing about our walks of faith in Jesus Christ, then that is wrong.

 

For, we aren’t here on this earth to be passionate about the things of this world and to blend in with the world and to sound just like the ungodly. We are here to live for Jesus Christ and to share Jesus Christ with others so that they can come to know him, too.

 

A Holy Calling

 

That’s right! Jesus saved us, not just so we can go to heaven when we die. He saved us to a holy calling, to be separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ. We are not to think, speak or behave like the ungodly, but we are to think, speak and behave like those who have been delivered from our slavery to sin and who have received Jesus Christ into our lives.

 

Jesus didn’t save us because of our own good works. We can do nothing to earn or to deserve our own salvation. Our salvation is not of our own doing. We can’t even come to faith in Jesus Christ unless God the Father first draws us to Christ, i.e., unless he persuades us to trust in Christ for our salvation.

 

But this doesn’t mean we do nothing or that our salvation doesn’t involve works. It is just that they aren’t the works of the flesh, of our own nature and doing, but they are the works of God which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them in his power and strength (Eph 2:8-10).

 

We must walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit, and we must by the Spirit be putting to death the deeds of the flesh. Daily we are to die with Christ to sin and live to Christ and to his righteousness and to follow him in obedience to his ways. And when we do this, we will be persecuted for our walks of faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

 

2 Timothy 1:12-14 ESV

 

“But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”

 

We should not be afraid of being hated, persecuted, mocked, or rejected because we share Jesus Christ and the teachings of Scripture with others. Again, we should not become like the world or blend in with the world just so the world or worldly Christians will accept us or think we’re cool.

 

Again, we aren’t here on this earth for ourselves, to live for ourselves, and to do what we want our way. We aren’t here to have everyone like us or to gain followers or friends on social media. We are here to live for Jesus Christ and to reflect him in all that we do and say, and to share Christ and his message of salvation with others.

 

So, don’t blend in with the world or become like the world to be liked by the world or by worldly Christians. Make it your goal to please Jesus Christ in all that you do and to spread the message of the gospel so that people can be saved from their sins and have eternal life with God, for this is love.

 

In Harmony 

 

An Original Work / September 2, 2012

Based off Ro. 12:9-21; 1 Pet. 3:8-17

 

Love each other truly.

Cling to what is good.

Hate all that is evil.

Never lack in zeal.

Serve the Lord with fervor.

Joyful in hope be;

Patient in affliction;

Praying faithfully.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

 

Share with all God’s people

Who are found in need.

Do not be conceited.

Sympathetic be.

Love, and show compassion

In humility.

Keep your tongue from evil.

Peaceful you must be.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

 

God sees who are righteous;

Listens to their prayers.

But He’s against evil –

Is His to avenge.

Do not fear what they fear.

Suffer patiently.

In your hearts, make Christ Lord.

Serve Him faithfully.

Honor one another.

Live in harmony.

 

https://vimeo.com/112832903

They Will Think Us Peculiar

Romans 12:1 ESV

 

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”

 

When you think of worship, what comes to mind? When I hear other Christians speak of worship of God, primarily what I hear is them talking about a praise and worship service at a gathering of “the church.” I think it is a popular concept among Christians that worship of God is about singing praise and worship songs in a song service.

 

But is that worship? It can be. But it isn’t necessarily. Yet is the singing of songs part of our worship of God? Biblically speaking, yes. But if we are singing praise and worship songs supposedly to God, does that mean we are worshiping God? No! One does not necessarily equal the other. Why?

 

They don’t necessarily equal one another because true worship of God goes much deeper than just singing songs. For true worship is not just something that moves our emotions. True worship of God is something which moves our hearts to obey our Lord and to follow him wherever he leads us.

 

True worship of God leads us to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ on his altar, living holy and godly lives, pleasing to God. When we do this, we die with Christ to sin and we live to Christ and to his righteousness. Our lives are no longer our own to be lived how we want for we were bought back for God with the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15, 21).

 

What this means for us is that we are no longer walking (conducting our lives in practice) in sin, but we are now living our lives according to God’s will and purpose for our lives. It doesn’t mean we will never sin again (1 Jn 2:1-2), but that sin no longer has mastery over our lives (Rom 6:1-23).

 

It also means that Jesus Christ is Lord (owner-master) of our lives, so our lives are now directed by him and not by our flesh. For, he died for us on that cross that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us. So, this means that, by the Spirit, we live to please Him.

 

For, we are called to be a holy people living lives which are separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are now being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ in all that we are, think, say, and do. And this means we will be hated, too, because we no longer blend in with the world.

 

Romans 12:2 ESV

 

“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.”

 

So, this also means that we are no longer conformed (adapted) to the ways (patterns of behavior) of this sinful world. We do stand out as different. We aren’t like everyone else. We don’t laugh at the same jokes or watch the same TV shows or movies or listen to the same music as everyone else.

 

We are sensitized to the convicting power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and we are putting into practice the biblical teachings which say that we are not to have our minds set on the things of this earth, but that our minds are to be set on things above, on the things of God and of his righteousness.

 

So, we examine the things that we daily are taking into our minds, or that we are involved in, against the Scriptures. And a great passage of Scripture to do this with is Philippians 4:8:

 

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

 

I am on the internet daily posting devotions and tweets and Facebook posts, and responding to other people’s blog posts or tweets or Facebook posts or Christian discussion posts or responses to my posts. So, I have a pretty good idea of what Christians are posting on the internet.

 

Much of what is being posted by Christians on the internet would not pass the Philippians 4:8 test, though. Much of it would not pass the Romans 12:1-2 test, either. For so many people who call themselves Christians today are not much different than people who make no profession of faith in Christ.

 

Their conversations are about the same things, they are involved in the same types of activities, and they watch and listen to much of the same garbage as what the world does, too, whether it comes via social media memes or videos or movies or music or whatever.

 

But we aren’t supposed to be like the world for Jesus called us to come out from the world and to be holy unto him. For, we are to live such holy lives that the world and even other Christians will think us odd and strange.

 

Songs in the Night  

 

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

 

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

 

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

 

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

 

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

 

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

 

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

 

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

 

https://vimeo.com/379484387

Keep It, and Repent

Revelation 3:1-3 ESV

 

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

 

“‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.’”

 

When we read the next section of verses, we see that there were a few people in the city who had not soiled their garments, spiritually speaking. They were not dead (or mostly dead), but they were spiritually alive. But they were in the minority.

 

So, from this we can gather that the church (overall) in the city was dead (or mostly dead). And this reminds me of the church (overall) in America today which is also dead (or mostly dead). And those in America who are truly walking in obedience to their Lord are definitely in the minority.

 

So, first Jesus tells them that they have a reputation of being alive but they are dead. But then he tells them to wake up and strengthen what remains and is about to die.

 

So, it appears that, by contrast to their reputation of being spiritually alive, they are dead, but not completely dead, for something remained, but it was in danger of dying, too, if they did not repent. For the Lord did not find their works complete in his sight.

 

Now, did you notice the use here of the word “works”? He is not talking about works of the flesh, and he is not talking about humans’ good works which will not save them. He is talking about the works which we were created to walk in (Eph 2:10; 1 Co 15:58; 2 Co 9:8; Phil 2:12-13; Col 1:9-14; 2 Thes 1:11-12; 2 Tim 2:21; Tit 2:11-14; Tit 3:8; Jas 2:17).

 

Regarding the good works we were created to walk in (in practice), they were not complete in God’s sight. They were spiritually alive in reputation only, but not in works. So, they needed to wake up spiritually. They needed to be revived, and that would only happen if they would repent of their spiritual deadness and if they would surrender their all to Jesus Christ.

 

The Church in America

 

The reason that the church (overall, the majority) in America is mostly dead, even though they have a reputation of being spiritually alive, is that most have gone the way of the world in order to attract the world to the church.

 

They have partnered with the government and big business in an unholy union in order to market the church to the world just like any other business. Thus, they turned the church into a marketplace in order to draw in large crowds of people from the world.

 

So, they altered the church gatherings to make them more acceptable and appealing to the world, and the church became more of a center for family friendly fun and entertainment and for socialization. And pastors were turned into entertainers, actors, and clowns to keep the people laughing.

 

But the worst part of it all is that they also adulterated the gospel of Jesus Christ to make it more acceptable and appealing to the world and to human flesh. So, they removed from it the parts that offend people, and they include only the parts which people are comfortable with, but then they also twist those parts to give a message which tickles itching ears.

 

What they remove is the necessity of having to be crucified with Christ in death to sin and us having to walk in holiness and righteousness in the power of God on a daily basis. So, on a most basic level, what they teach is that a mere profession of faith in Christ secures people heaven.

 

So, what they do is that they give people free license to continue living in sin guilt-free. Even if they teach against sin, which many don’t anymore, many are pretty casual about “Christians” who continue living in sinful addiction. They don’t want to get in anyone’s face or offend anyone, so they end up coddling people in their sins rather than leading them to holy living.

 

The gospel that is permeating much of today’s church here in America goes much further than that, though. They teach against repentance, obedience, and submission to Christ as Lord. They say that is works-based salvation and that we should not do that. They teach that Jesus does it all and that we do nothing, and so they encourage people to remain in bondage to sin.

 

Since it appears that the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians today are buying into some form of this false gospel which requires no dying to sin or living to righteousness, that is why the church is spiritually dead and needs to wake up and repent and turn to the Lord in humble submission to his will for their lives.

 

And I believe this is why we are facing the stuff we are now facing in America and in the world, for God is judging his adulterous church so that she will wake up and so she will repent, and so she will return (or turn) to him as her only Lord and Savior, so she will have the hope of eternal life with God.

 

For, the Scriptures teach that if we walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin that we will die in our sins. We will not have eternal life with God.

 

[Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8]

 

Revelation 3:4-6 ESV

 

“’Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy. The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”

 

Even though it appears that the overall spiritual condition of the church in America (and in other parts of the world, too) is like this church in Sardis, not everyone has compromised with the world. Not everyone has bowed the knee to the marketing plans of men and to their diluted gospel message.

 

There are Christians in America who are still holding to the gospel as Jesus taught it and as the New Testament apostles taught it. We have not bought into the teaching that says we can continue living in sin guilt-free and that nothing is required of us. We are not perfect people, but we are surrendered to Christ and we are walking in obedience to his commands.

 

And the encouragement here is for the whole church to be surrendered to Jesus Christ, to be no longer living to the flesh but to the Spirit. For if we live to the flesh, we will die in our sins. But if by the Spirit we are putting sin to death and we are walking according to the Spirit, then we will live.

 

[Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; Eph 4:17-32; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8]

 

Do You Love Me?  

 

An Original Work / July 24, 2013

 

Do you love Me now?

Will you seek My face?

I have given you

My love and My grace.

Will you walk with Me

Ev’rywhere I lead?

Will you find in Me

All of what you need?

 

Won’t you meet with Me

Down upon your knees?

Will you obey Me,

And do what I please?

Will you hear My voice

Speaking now to you?

I am couns’ling you

To abide in truth.

 

I have died for you;

Taken all your sins –

Crucified with Me,

You have been forgiv’n.

I have set you free

From your slavery,

So that you can now

Live in victory.

 

https://vimeo.com/115908408

Out of Context

1 John 4:1 ESV

 

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

 

What is a spirit?

 

What is a spirit? It is wind or breath. It can be a revelation, a teaching and/or a teacher, preacher, or prophet, and/or a spiritual influence. It can also be the heart, soul and lifeforce of a person and/or of his/her words.

 

Basically, we are not to believe everything we hear people speak, no matter who they are. It doesn’t matter if the person is dead or alive, or if he is Billy Graham or Max Lucado or the Pope or Barack Obama or Donald Trump or CNN or Fox News or your preacher or whoever.

 

Why? Because not everyone tells the truth, not even the people we may think always do (or did) tell the truth. Even those we might think are the most reputable and honored might lie to us. They might even be living in sin while they are putting on an image of piety and purity.

 

We also need to be on the lookout for Scriptures taken out of context. Not every verse stands alone on itself. If taken out of context, Bible verses can be used to teach something that the Scriptures do not teach. So, even though it comes from the Bible, we need to read verses in their context.

 

Testing the Spirits

 

How do we test the spirits? What are we looking for exactly? We are looking to see if what they are telling us is the truth or not. And our measure is the word of God (studied in context). So many false teachings come from Scriptures taught out of context and twisted to say something false.

 

It isn’t that the Scripture is false, but when it is pulled out of context, and taught as doctrine by itself without the context, what is being taught is often false, and much of this is intentional. For, Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.

 

We also need to test what we hear against the divine nature of God. Since he is a God of purity, truth, righteousness, holiness, and justice, we need to ask ourselves if what we are hearing is pure, truthful, righteous, holy, and just. Are we being encouraged toward holy living or toward sinful living?

 

The Lies

 

Lies often are made to sound like truth. They sound good, and they can be very comforting. Often they are a clever blend of truth and lies so that it appears as truth when it is not. So, those who are spreading the lies will use Scripture (out of context) to support their lies.

 

There are many false teachers today who are teaching a false gospel which is an intentional half-truth gospel, so it is a lie. They cherry pick the Scriptures which support the message they want to give out, while they ignore the Scriptures which are contrary to their false message.

 

The message they are giving is that we can be saved from our sins and have heaven guaranteed us as our eternal destiny based on a one-time profession of faith in Jesus Christ or based on words we repeated after someone else in a prayer or based on a verbal confession of Christ as Lord.

 

There is no requirement, though, in this teaching, that we change how we live. Some may say that if we never change that we weren’t really saved to begin with, while others make no requirement for repentance, while others are teaching against repentance, obedience, and submission to Christ.

 

The gospel they are teaching is what I call a “Do Nothing” gospel, for it teaches that God does it all and we do nothing.

 

The Truth

 

Yes, we can’t earn our own salvation via our own good works. Yes, we are saved only by God’s grace, through faith, and this not of ourselves, but it is the gift of God, not of works lest any of us should boast that we somehow earned or deserved our own salvation (Eph 2:8-9).

 

But our salvation is not absent of works, and we will be judged by our works, for we are now God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them. And if we don’t walk in them, we aren’t saved, and we don’t have eternal life.

 

[Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 15:58; 2 Co 9:8; Eph 2:10; Phil 2:12-13; Gal 6:7-8]

 

Jesus said that if we would come after him we must deny self, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For, if we hold on to our old lives (of living in sin and for self), we will lose them for eternity. But if we lose our lives (die daily with Christ to sin) for Jesus’ sake, we will live (Lu 9:23-26).

 

Paul taught the same. He taught that faith in Jesus Christ means dying with Christ to sin and living to Christ and to his righteousness, and that if we live in sin and we don’t walk according to the Spirit, that we will die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life with God.

 

[Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 3:5-11]

 

So, the Scriptures do not teach “once saved always saved.” They do not teach that our actions do not matter or that God does it all and we do nothing. They teach that Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness (1 Pet 2:24; 2 Co 5:15).

 

And they also teach that we must continue in Christ and in his word, in action and in truth, until the end of our lives if we want to be saved from our sins and have eternal life with God. And we must be those who are bearing fruit for God’s eternal kingdom, too.

 

[Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 11:17-24; 1 Co 15:2; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 3:6, 14-15; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 1 Jn 2:24-25]

 

So, test every spirit against the word of God (in context). Study the Scriptures for yourself. Don’t believe everyone you hear, and watch out for Scriptures taught out of context. Know the context and you will know the truth, and it is the truth that sets people free from bondage to sin.

 

The Lord’s Anointed  

 

An Original Work / December 16, 2011

Based off Isaiah 61

 

The Spirit of the Sov’reign Lord on me;

Anointed to preach the Good News;

Sent me to bind up the brokenhearted;

Proclaim freedom for the captives.

He sent me to preach release for pris’ners

Who are walking in sin’s darkness;

Proclaim God’s grace to all men who’ll listen;

And tell them about God’s judgments;

Comfort all who mourn;

Give crowns of beauty;

Oil of gladness and thanksgiving.

 

They will be called oaks of God’s righteousness,

A planting of our Savior, God,

For the display of our Lord’s splendor, and

They will rebuild God’s holy church.

God will renew them, and will restore them,

And you’ll be called priests of the Lord.

You will be ministers of our God, and

You will rejoice in salvation.

The Lord loves justice;

He is faithful to

Reward those who are seeking Him.

 

I delight greatly in the Lord;

My soul rejoices in my Savior, God.

He has clothed me with His salvation,

And in a robe of His righteousness.

He has given me priestly garments to wear,

As the bride of Jesus Christ.

As the garden of our Lord and Savior,

He causes us to grow in Him.

He makes righteousness,

Praise, and thanksgiving

Spring up before all the nations.

 

https://vimeo.com/114836524

If We Say...

1 John 1:5-6 ESV

 

“This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.”

 

God is light. He is truth. He is righteousness, holiness, and purity. There is no wickedness in him. No lie in him is to be found. He is completely trustworthy in all that he does. He is wholly without sin. His motives are always pure. And his actions are fully righteous.

 

So, if we claim to be in fellowship with him while we walk (in conduct, in practice) in darkness (wickedness, sin), then we are lying, and we are not those who make it our practice to tell the truth. For, Jesus delivered us from our bondage to sin and he empowers us to live holy and godly lives.

 

"So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Rom 8:12-13 ESV

 

So, it isn’t just that those who make a practice of sin are liars if they claim to be in fellowship with God, but it is that if they continue living in sin that they will die in their sins. They will not have eternal life with God. For, Jesus died on that cross that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness (1 Pet 2:24; Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24; 2 Co 5:15).

 

1 John 1:7 ESV

 

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”

 

In the New Testament, under the New Covenant, when we believe in Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior, with God-persuaded faith in him, we die with Christ to sin, we are raised with Christ to newness of life in him, and now by the power of God we walk (in conduct, in practice) no longer according to our flesh, but now according to the Spirit (Rom 8:1-17).

 

So, it isn’t that we are saved (past), and then we go on living our lives however we want, and then when we die we go to heaven. The Scriptures are clear. We are saved (past), we are being saved (present) and we will be saved (future) when our Lord returns and our salvation is complete.

 

But we must walk according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh. We must, by the Spirit, be putting to death the deeds of the flesh, and we must be walking in obedience to our Lord. And we must continue in these walks of faith until the very end of our lives if we want to have eternal life with God and be saved from our sins.

 

[Jn 8:31-32; Jn 15:1-12; Rom 11:17-24; 1 Co 15:2; Col 1:21-23; 2 Tim 2:10-13; Heb 3:6, 14-15; 2 Pet 1:5-11; 1 Jn 2:3-6, 24-25]

 

For, if we walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin, it will end in death, not in life everlasting. 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 have eternal life (Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; 1 Co 6:9-10; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8).

 

1 John 1:8-10 ESV

 

“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

 

Many people quote verse 9 here out of context and they apply it across the board to anyone who confesses a sin (or sins). They will teach that you can continue living in sin as long as when you sin you confess it, and that no matter how many times you sin and confess that you are forgiven.

 

But we have to read verse 9 in the context of verses 5-8. For there we read that if we claim to be in fellowship with God but we walk in darkness (deliberately and habitually keep committing the same sins) that we are lying and the truth is not in us. And it is only as we walk in the light that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from every sin.

 

And then verse 9 is in contrast to verse 8. Confession of sin is in contrast to lying and saying we have no sin. This is not a doctrine in itself. We aren’t saved and forgiven our sins on a mere verbal confession of sin. The Scriptures require repentance, which is a turning away from our lifestyles of sin to now walking by the Spirit of God.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-32; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Tit 2:11-14; Jn 10:27-30; Jn 15:1-12; 2 Co 5:15; Col 3:5-11]

 

This is not to say that we will never sin (1 Jn 2:1-2), but that sin should not be what we practice. We should not deliberately keep on sinning.

 

Do You Love Me?  

 

An Original Work / July 24, 2013

 

Do you love Me now?

Will you seek My face?

I have given you

My love and My grace.

Will you walk with Me

Ev’rywhere I lead?

Will you find in Me

All of what you need?

 

Won’t you meet with Me

Down upon your knees?

Will you obey Me,

And do what I please?

Will you hear My voice

Speaking now to you?

I am couns’ling you

To abide in truth.

 

I have died for you;

Taken all your sins –

Crucified with Me,

You have been forgiv’n.

I have set you free

From your slavery,

So that you can now

Live in victory.

 

https://vimeo.com/115908408

Not Cookie-Cutter Christianity

1 John 3:11-12 ESV

 

“For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous.”

 

The love that we are to have for one another comes from God, therefore it prefers (chooses) what God prefers. It is a pure love which is holy and righteous. It is honest, trustworthy, faithful, kind, upright and godly. It embraces God’s will and obeys his will through his power.

 

If we are true followers of Christ, preferring to live through Christ, actively doing his will, and we are not Christians in name only who are still living in sin, then we have God’s Spirit living within us. So, we also have God’s love living within us empowering us to love others like he loves us.

 

So, when we love others with this love, we will not hate them or do evil against them. We won’t lie to them or cheat on them or commit adultery against them or slander them, etc. But we also won’t coddle them in their sins or participate with them in sin or help facilitate them to sin.

 

Because we love others with this love which comes from God, we will love them as God loves us, and his priorities will be our priorities. Therefore, our uppermost concern for them will be for their salvation from sin, their purity of devotion to Christ, and their walks of obedience to the Lord.

 

Yet, we will also care for their emotional and physical needs (not necessarily wants), as the Lord leads, and as is in our power to do so. We will follow Jesus’ example in how he ministered to the poor and needy and to the sick and afflicted, and to the sorrowful and mournful.

 

We will do this, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because we care about other people. We are genuinely concerned for their welfare. We will be discriminating, though, for there are many con artists out there begging for help, too. And love does not assist people to sin against others.

 

1 John 3:13-15 ESV

 

“Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.”

 

So, why did Cain hate his brother and then murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother's righteous. And if we are following Jesus Christ with our lives, in pure devotion to him, and if we are not compromising with the world of sin, we will be hated for the same reasons.

 

And who hated Jesus and had him put to death? It was his own people, some from his own family, people from his own town, from his own faith, and from the temple of God, including or most especially the rulers and teachers of the Scriptures in the temple of God.

 

And what are some of the reasons they hated him and wanted him dead? They were jealous of his popularity among the people, for one, and they were threatened by him, fearing that their own positions of power and influence among the people were in jeopardy.

 

But they also hated him because he was different from them. He didn’t do things like they did. He didn’t fit into their mold. He operated “outside the box,” but not outside of God’s “box.” He didn’t dance their dance. But he confronted them in their sins and he spoke the truth to them, in love.

 

They hated him for the same reasons that Cain hated his own brother and then murdered him, because their own deeds were evil and Jesus’ deeds were righteous. And, too, it was because Jesus exposed their evil deeds for what they were, and they didn’t like that.

 

I am not a cookie-cutter Christian. None of us should be. God made us all different. He designed us all uniquely for his purposes. He gave each one of us different personalities, talents, gifts, and ministries. We should all be like Jesus, but we shouldn’t all try to be who other people think we should be.

 

If we don’t conform to nominal Christianity or to social Christianity, and if we follow Jesus with our lives, doing what he designed for us to do, and if we are obeying the Scriptures and teaching the Scriptures, in truth, like Jesus did, then we should expect to be hated like he was, too.

 

1 John 3:16-18 ESV

 

“By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

 

This love which comes from God is self-sacrificial. It will regard others’ legitimate needs above one’s own self-interest. But it will also love and care for other people in the same way in which Jesus did and does, with the same heart and concerns as he has for the people.

 

Therefore, when we love like this, we will willingly sacrifice our time, energies, resources, and reputations to obey our Lord and to love others like he loved/loves us. Thus, we will not withhold the truth from people so that they will like us, but we will speak the truth in love, even if we are hated in return. For other people’s salvation is more important than us being liked.

 

But we won’t confine our loving to only the spiritual or to only the physical, but we will do both. Obviously, we can’t minister to everyone in this world, so we just need to follow the Lord’s leading, for him to show us where he wants us and what he wants us to be doing. And then we just need to obey him.

 

Songs in the Night  

 

An Original Work / December 18, 2013

 

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:25 NIV ‘84

 

Lord, I praise You forevermore.

You, my Savior, I now adore.

Hope in heaven awaiting me,

Because You died at Calvary.

 

I have been forgiven,

And I’m bound for heaven.

Jesus set me free from

All my sin, I say.

I will praise Him always!

 

Lord, I love You for all You’ve done:

Overcame death, my vict’ry won!

Jesus saved me, and now I’m free!

I rejoice in His love for me.

 

I will walk in vict’ry!

My sin is but hist’ry!

I am free to please Him

With my life today.

I will love Him always!

 

Lord, I thank You for giving me

A new life bought at Calvary.

Loving Jesus, I meet with Him.

Tender mercies now flow within.

 

Lord, I am so thankful;

Through my Lord, I’m able

To sit at His table;

Fellowship with Him.

I will thank Him always!

 

https://vimeo.com/379484387