Our Delight is in the Word of God

Psalms 1:1-2 ESV

 

“Blessed is the man

    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

    and on his law he meditates day and night.”

 

If we are blessed of the Lord, what does that mean? This has to do with God extending his benefits towards us, his favor, his grace, his provisions. And benefits are what are for our good spiritually, morally, emotionally and physically. They are helps and aids, and God’s protection, and they are for our welfare, for our well-being. Included in these are forgiveness of sins, deliverance from slavery to sin, empowerment of God to live holy lives free from the control of sin, and the promise and hope of eternal life with God.

 

So, who are the recipients of these benefits? And this is not just Old Testament teaching, for this is what the New Testament under the New Covenant teaches, too. We are those who are not walking in the counsel of the wicked. We are not getting our biblical teachings from those who are still walking (in conduct, in practice) in deliberate and habitual sin, and/or from those who are diluting and altering the message of the gospel to make it more acceptable and appeasing to human flesh.

 

We are not depending on other human beings to tell us what the Scriptures teach, but we are those who are students of the Scriptures ourselves who are studying the Scriptures in their context and who are following in the ways of the Lord in doing what his word teaches his followers that we must do and not do. Although we will listen to others’ sermons and teachings, we will be those who diligently test what we are hearing against the Scriptures, in context, to make certain that what we are hearing is the truth.

 

We are also people who do not take a stand in the ways of the unrighteous and the ungodly who are making sin their practice, whether or not they are those who profess faith in Jesus Christ. We are not to join in with them in their sinful ways, nor should we be those who approve of and who applaud them in their sinful practices. And this includes us not being entertained by what is sinful, ungodly, and immoral. For we are to be those who live different from the world because we are being made to be like Jesus.

 

We also should not join in with those who are scoffers, who make jokes and poke fun at what is holy and righteous, or at those who are living holy and righteous lives, or at those who are different from us. Bible humor is often making light of what is serious and holy and godly so that those who adopt such humor become insensitive and desensitized to what is holy and to what should be revered and respected and honored and not made fun of. For we in America live in a culture where mocking is quite acceptable.

 

Instead, our delight should be in the law of the Lord. Yes, we are not under the Old Covenant. Yes, we don’t have to obey all those old liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions that the Jews of the Old Covenant had to obey. But our Lord never did away with his moral laws. He summarized them into two – to love God with our whole heart, mind, and strength, and to love our neighbors as ourselves in preferring moral purity, honesty, faithfulness and obedience to our Lord.

 

And the New Covenant teaches us that we must be those who obey the word of God and who keep to (practice) God’s commandments (New Covenant) and who do not walk in sin, in the ways of this sinful world. For if sin is what we practice, and if righteousness, dying to sin daily, and walking in obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what faith we profess with our lips. And these are not my words. Please read the following Scriptures:

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

My Sheep  

 

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

 

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

 

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

 

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full…

 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

 

https://vimeo.com/114938263

The Equipping of the Saints

Ephesians 4:11-16 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, 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. 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.”

1. How are the saints of God to be equipped for ministry?

2. What is the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of Christ?

3. What is meant by “mature manhood”?

4. How are people being carried about by every wind of doctrine?

5. What does it mean to speak the truth in love? For what purpose?

God gave us the apostles and the prophets and the evangelists and the shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry. He gave us men and women of God who are gifted of God, both in times past and in times present, for the perfecting (equipping, preparing) of his called out ones so that we are working for the Lord in ministry according to the will and purpose of God for our lives and for those specific areas of ministry.

So this involves spiritual training and disciplines and discipleship and the teaching of God’s holy ones – different from the world because becoming like Jesus in character – the will and the word of God as to be applied to their daily lives so that they are ready for the work of the ministry, so that they are spiritually prepared for doing what God has called them to do. And the work of the ministry is according to God’s will and purpose, not man’s.

And these men and women of God whom God is using to disciple his saints for the work of the ministry – which we are all to be doing, by the way – are also being used of God for the encouragement (exhortation, urging, and provoking) of the saints to follow our Lord in obedience and in surrender to his will in the forsaking of our sins and in living godly, holy, morally pure, upright, honest, and faithful lives to the glory and praise of God.

Romans 12:1-8; Romans 15:14; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20

And the goal of it all is that we all would attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, to full maturity in Christ Jesus, our Lord. And this unity (oneness) is the result of us all sharing in the likeness of the nature of Jesus Christ which comes from us separating ourselves from the ways of this sinful world and via us submitting to Christ as Lord, and via us walking in obedience to his commands (New Covenant).

And that faith is that which is authored by Jesus Christ, persuaded of God, and gifted to us by God, and is not of our own doing, not of the will nor of the flesh of man, but of God and of his divine will and purpose for our lives. So we don’t get to determine what that faith looks like. Only God does. And his word teaches us that by faith in Christ we die with him to sin so that we might live to him and to his righteousness in obedience to his commands.

Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; 1 Peter 2:24

So, what is “mature manhood”? This isn’t just for men. This is for women, too. This has to do with spiritual maturity in Christ, i.e. until we are now walking daily according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and we are walking in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord, and no longer in sin, as our daily practice. This has to do with full surrender to our Lord to do his will, listening to his voice, and then obeying him.

Therefore, we should not be like the immature and the childish who are easily persuaded by various winds of doctrine and who are double-minded because they keep going back and forth in matter of opinion and belief, because they are being easily persuaded and swayed by certain people in their human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. But we should be those who stand on the truth of God’s word and who are steadfast in faith.

And one of the ways in which this is accomplished is when the body of Christ, as being led by the Holy Spirit, begins speaking the truth of the gospel to one another and not the lies which are permeating the church here in America today. And they should be refuting the lies so that all God’s children can see the lies for what they are and so that they will reject the lies and now obey the truth, in practice, and continuously.

Sadly, far too many professing faith in Jesus Christ here in America have adopted the lies and are following the lies and are rejecting the truth. Even if you show them the truth biblically, they will refuse the truth and they will hold on to the lies, for the lies do not confront them in their sins, and the lies do not demand repentance and walks of obedience to the Lord, but they coddle them in their sins, and they give them license to continue in sin.

So, we need more followers of Christ willing to boldly speak the truth of the gospel that Jesus and his NT apostles taught and to refute the lies of the enemy so that more and more people will reject the lies and will follow the truth. For if we continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and not in walks of obedience to our Lord, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what faith in Christ we professed with our lips.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263 

And It is My Prayer

Philippians 1:9-11 ESV

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

Paul wrote this letter to the “saints in Christ Jesus” who were at Philippi. He also specifically mentioned the overseers and deacons. And “saints” are believers in Jesus Christ, and they are those who are holy in Christ Jesus, who are different from the world because they are being conformed by God to the likeness of Jesus Christ. As followers of Jesus Christ we are all to be the Lord’s saints. We are all called to holy living, different from the world.

He began this letter by thanking God in all his remembrance of the saints who lived in Philippi because of their partnership in the gospel. And “partnership” is the same Greek word as is also translated “fellowship.” And it has to do with contributory help, participation, sharing in, communion, and spiritual fellowship, which is the fellowship in/of the Spirit of God. So, we have a part in this gospel, something that we are called of God to do.

And what is the gospel? It means “God’s good news.” I like what it says on biblehub.com. It says that the gospel “includes the entire Bible, i.e. it is not limited to how a person becomes a Christian.” So the gospel is not about just “getting saved” so that we can go to heaven when we die. The gospel tells the story of Christ Jesus and why he died on that cross and of our need to turn from our sins to follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands.

But it doesn’t stop there. It also tells us of God’s requirements of us who claim to be his followers that we must now walk (in conduct, in practice) according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. We must die daily to sin and to self and daily follow our Lord in obedience to his commands and to his will. But if we, instead, continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and not in obedience, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

So, Paul’s prayer here is for those who are the saints in Christ Jesus who are partners (participants) in the gospel. He is praying for those who are living holy lives separate (different) from the world because they are being conformed to the likeness of Christ. And he is praying for those who are walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh, and who are dying daily to sin and who are following our Lord in obedience.

These are not perfect people, but these are people who are walking in obedience to the Lord and who are not walking in sin. Sin is no longer their practice, but righteousness and godliness are their practice. He is praying that the love they have in Christ Jesus might abound more and more with knowledge and all discernment. So, what is this love? The word is “agape” and it centers in moral preference, and it prefers what God prefers.

And what does God prefer? All that is holy and righteous and godly and morally pure, upright, honest, faithful, and obedient to our Lord and to his commands. For Jesus died on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness and that we might now live for Christ and no longer for ourselves. And he shed his blood to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery to sin so we will now honor God with our lives.

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]

So his prayer was really that they would make following Jesus Christ in holy living their preference. And if obeying Jesus Christ was their preference, they would now be choosing his choices and obeying them according to the will of God, in the power of God, and in his strength and wisdom. So they would now be people who approve of what is excellent in the sight of God, and thus they would be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

And to be filled with the fruit of righteousness means that the righteousness of God is being lived out in and through our lives because of our obedience to our Lord and our submission to him and our surrender to his will for our lives, in his power and strength. And the result of that will be evident in how we live our daily lives in submission to his will and in obedience to his commands and in holy living and in participation in the gospel of Christ.

And why is this important? It is important because this is God’s design and purpose for our lives, the very reason he sent Jesus Christ to die on that cross, that we might be liberated of our slavery (addiction) to sin so that we will now serve him in walks of holiness and righteousness and no longer in habitual sin. And it is critically important because, if we do not live this way, but we keep on in deliberate and habitual sin, heaven will not be our destiny. We will not inherit eternal life with God, but hell is where we will go. 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263 

Called of God to One Hope

Ephesians 4:4-6 ESV

“There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

1. What or who is this “one body”? What or who is this “one Spirit”?

2. What is our “one hope”? (that belongs to our call)

3. Who or what is our one Lord, one faith, one baptism?

4. Who is our one God and Father of all?

5. What is meant by “who is over all and through all and in all”?

There is one body, the body of Christ, his church. So there is one church which is comprised of all people who believe in Jesus Christ with God-given and God-persuaded faith in Christ. We are those who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness (see Romans 6:1-23). We, collectively, are the church. And we have one head, and he is Jesus Christ.

[Rom 12:1-8; 1 Co 12:1-31; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-21; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13]

And there is one Spirit, who is the Holy Spirit, who is the third person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And when we believe in Jesus Christ with this God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within our lives (hearts and minds and souls). And he is ever present with us in leading and in guiding us into all truth, and in reminding us of the teachings of Christ, and in counseling, encouraging, and empowering us to say “No” to sin and “Yes” to God daily.

[Mk 13:11; Lu 2:26; Lu 4:18-19; Lu 10:21; Lu 12:11-12; Jn 14:26; Jn 15:26; Jn 16:13; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:17-18; Acts 11:12; Acts 13:2; Acts 20:23; Rom 8:9,14; 1 Co 2:14-16; 1 Co 6:19-20; 1 Co 12; Rom 12; Eph 4]

And there is only “one hope,” for Jesus Christ is that hope, and he is the only way, the only truth, and the only life, and only through him can we be saved from our sins and have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God. For no one comes to God the Father except through genuine God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ which is not of our own doing nor of the will nor of the flesh of man. So God is the only one to determine what that faith looks like, and we would do well to see what his word teaches.

And Jesus said if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience, then we have the hope of eternal life. And Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING God’s will (Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

And God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – is our one Lord (Owner-Master), for we are to have no others. And there is only one genuine faith in Jesus Christ and that is the one authored by, gifted by, and persuaded by God/Christ and taught by Christ and by his New Testament apostles (in context). And this faith is submissive to Christ as Lord, surrendered to the will of God, repentant, and obedient to Christ and to his commands. And this faith is something we’re to walk (in conduct) in and it is not lip service only.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 4:17-24; Titus 2:11-14; Acts 26:18]

And what is our one baptism? This can get tricky here because there are many different theologies on this. So, I am going to share with you what I believe on this subject based on my understanding of the Scriptures and what they teach. For one, John the Baptist told us that he baptized with water but that Jesus Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit. So the idea here expressed is that water baptism is separate (different) from the baptism with the Holy Spirit – they are not one and the same.

And then we read in Romans 6 that by faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified and buried with Christ by baptism into death, and this is a spiritual baptism. So here baptism appears to be symbolic of our dying with Christ in death to sin and us being raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to lives as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So this is when we are transformed of the Spirit of God from death to life in Christ, so this is symbolic of our new birth in Christ by God-persuaded and God-gifted faith in Jesus Christ. But first we must die that we might live.

Okay, then we have at least one example, and I think there are more, of those who believed in Jesus Christ, and who were filled with the Holy Spirit immediately upon their belief, but who were not yet baptized with water. So, obviously water baptism is not required as a prerequisite to us dying with Christ to sin and being raised to walk in newness of life in him, nor is it required for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit. So, again, it appears here that our water baptism and our baptism into death and resurrection to life in Christ are not one and the same. So which one is our “one baptism”?

It would have to be the spiritual baptism where we are buried with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him at which time we are also filled with the Holy Spirit of God, for without that, we are not saved and we don’t have eternal life with God. But people can be baptized with water and it be only a religious ritual they go through and it have no affect on their spiritual lives whatsoever. So, I believe water baptism is something that takes place subsequent to our baptism into death with Christ, but that it is symbolic of what took place in that one baptism.

[Matt 3:13-17; Matt 10:11-12; John 1:29-34; Mk 10:37-39; Ac 9:15-18; Ac 10:44-48; Ac 18:7-8; Ac 22:12-16; Rom 6:1-7]

And our one God is the same as our one Lord, for he is God – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and Holy Spirit. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is our creator God who made us and who designed us for a purpose even before he laid the foundations of the earth, that we should be holy (separate, unlike, different from the world because we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ). And he created us to worship him by giving our lives to him as living sacrifices to him. And he is the God of both Jew and Gentile who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Messiah.

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263

Day by Day

Walking with Jesus day by day,

Reading His word, to Him do pray,

Asking of Him what I should say,

Encouraging others in His name.

Helping a brother who’s in need,

Serving a sister, grace to feed,

Sharing the gospel, plant to seed,

Following Jesus, let Him lead.

Caring for others, with them share

Riches of blessings to be aware

For those who’re following Christ, not rare,

In holy living, for Christ do care.

Relying on Him for all I need,

Trusting in Him in word and deed,

Serving in truth, and not in greed,

So others can know Him, yes, indeed.

An Original Work / September 29, 2023

To Which You Have Been Called

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.”

1. What does it mean that Paul was a prisoner for the Lord?

2. What is required for us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling?

3. What do these words humility, gentleness, and patience mean?

4. How or in what way are we to bear with one another in love?

5. What is “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”?

In answering this first question posed here I found this quotation from Barnes’ Notes on the Bible most helpful. I like how he worded this:

“The prisoner of the Lord - Margin, "in." It means that he was now a prisoner, or in confinement "in the cause" of the Lord; and he regarded himself as having been made a prisoner because the Lord had so willed and ordered it. He did not feel particularly that he was the prisoner of Nero; he was bound and kept because the "Lord" willed it, and because it was in his service.” Amen!

Yes, Paul was more than once arrested and falsely imprisoned on account of his walk of faith in Jesus Christ, and because he taught the truth of the gospel of Christ, and because he refuted the lies of the enemy, too. And so the same people who hated Jesus and who hung him on a cross to die also hated Paul and wanted him removed from being able to influence the people with the truth of the gospel, which is of the Christ who they had put to death, but who was resurrected on the third day, as he said he would be.

But God used Paul’s imprisonment for the sake of the gospel as a means to reach many people with the truth of the gospel. I believe most of his letters to the churches were written during his times of imprisonment, but correct me if I am wrong on this. And through his writings he was, perhaps, able to reach many more people than he could reach in person. And I have found that to be true in my own life, as well, that I am able to reach many more people with the gospel via writing than I could in person with people.

Now a big part of Paul’s ministry was in encouraging the body of Christ to operate as God intended for them to operate both individually and collectively. So Paul’s ministry was a ministry of encouragement of the saints of God as well as it was to reach the ungodly of this world with the truth of the gospel of our salvation from sin. But do you know that God has called all of us who are his by faith in him to do likewise? We are all called to share the gospel and to exhort one another in Christ to be Christlike in our actions.

So, I, as well, urge you who are reading this to walk (in conduct, in practice) in a manner (behavior, way) worthy (commendable, suitable, appropriate, fitting) of the calling to which all of us have been called of God. And what is that calling? We are all called according to God’s purpose for our lives to live holy lives (different from the world because we are becoming like Christ in character). And he called us out of darkness (sin, wickedness) into his light (Jesus, the gospel, truth and righteousness).

[Rom 1:7; Rom 8:28; 1 Thess 4:7; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 Pet 2:9; 2 Pet 1:3; Ac 26:18; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Eph 4:17-24; Lu 9:23-26; Tit 2:11-14]

And we are to do this with all humility and gentleness and with patience. So what does that look like? Humility is modesty, not prideful, and not self-promoting, but promoting the will and the word of God in truth so that others may follow Jesus, too. Now this doesn’t mean we can’t share personal testimonies. Paul shared his testimony on a regular basis, but not to promote himself but for the encouragement of the body of Christ that they might be Christlike in how they follow the Lord Jesus with their lives.

And another word for gentleness is meekness, and Jesus was meek, but he was never weak on truth or on righteousness, and neither should we be. So gentleness never involves compromise of truth and righteousness. We don’t back down from the truth in order to not hurt people’s feelings. Now we should speak the truth in love, and we should be kind, but kindness never involves lying to people to make them feel better. So another phrase for gentleness is “gentle strength,” or strength (power) with reserve.

And patience is not soft on sin. Patience doesn’t entail us refusing to speak the truth in love to fellow professers of faith in Jesus Christ who we know are deliberately and habitually living in sin. It just means that we are slow to anger, and that we are not too quick to express how we feel if what we feel might be expressed in a way that would be ungodly. But this is a spiritual quality we are to possess in our Christian walks so that we remain steadfast and in staying power in our walks of faith regardless of how others treat us.

And to bear with one another in love also does not mean tolerating sinful rebellion in the lives of others who profess faith in Jesus Christ. For we are not to be those who coddle one another in our sins but who exhort one another daily so that none of us are hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. And we are to be those who speak the truth in love to one another so that we are not led astray by people in their deceitful scheming, etc. This is how we bear with one another in love in patiently helping them to walk worthy of Christ (see Hebrews 3:12-15; Galatians 6:1-3; Jude 1:20-23; Ephesians 4:11-16).

Therefore, the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace also has nothing to do with compromise of truth and righteousness in order to get along with everyone else. For first of all this is unity of the Spirit of God so that we are united with God in mind and heart and purpose and in actions (deeds), so that all that we are and speak and do might be to the glory of God and not for the glory of the flesh. And the bond of peace we have with God is fully related to what he did for us and with our surrender of our lives to him.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Seek the Lord  

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you, 

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296

Far More Abundantly Than We Think

Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV

“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

1. What does it mean that Jesus Christ is able to do far more…?

2. How have you experienced him doing that in your own life?

3. According to what power at work within us?

4. And for whose glory and praise?

Now, I am going to answer these first two questions by giving a personal testimony of how I have experienced that in my own life, but I am hoping that some of you who are reading this will share a testimony of how God did that in your own lives, of how he did far more abundantly than all that you had asked or even thought of. For it is good for us to share with one another how God is working in our lives as an encouragement to each other.

The year was 2004 and my husband and I were official workers under the Christian & Missionary Alliance as church planters. We were both invited to attend our district’s annual prayer conference, but my husband injured his back and could not go, so he encouraged me to go without him, and so I did. And as soon as I arrived the Lord Jesus began pouring his word into my heart and speaking to me with regard to his calling upon my life.

This is not what I had anticipated would happen at this district conference, but the Lord spoke clearly to me through the messages shared, and by his messengers, that I was to proclaim the word of God, and that I was to speak the messages that the Lord had for me to speak, and that I was appointed by God as a herald and a teacher of true faith. And he gave me a sense of urgency that my time was now, that for such a time as this I was placed upon the earth, and that I was to fan into flame the gifts of God within me.

And this was really the turning point in my life when he said to me through those who were giving the messages that I was to give my ministry over to God, that it was not mine, that it was his, and that God may have something else for me to do that I had not even thought of. And what he was calling me to do was to write down what he taught me through his word each day and to put it on the internet so that a runner could “Run With It.”

Well, without going into all the details of what happened next, my husband and I ended up not becoming church planters, and I ended up with a ministry which is of God which is of writing down what he teaches me from his word each day and posting it on the internet. And I have been doing that ever since then. And this is a ministry that I was not seeking and that I would never have imagined myself doing, and God has been blessing it.

So, the encouragement here is that God is able to do with us and in us far beyond what we might dream or think of, which is way beyond what we might think ourselves capable of, too. It just needs to agree with God and with his word and not be something that is contrary to the will of God for our lives. And it should be what brings honor and glory to God and not to the flesh of human beings. And it needs to be empowered by God and not driven by our own human flesh. For Jesus needs to be the one leading, not us.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

Should I Not Preach Jesus 

An Original Work / July 4, 2013

Based off 1 Corinthians 9:16-10:13

Woe to me should I not preach Jesus.

I’m compelled to preach the full gospel.

I make myself a slave to ev’ryone

To win their hearts to Christ.

All this I do for my Lord Jesus,

And for the sake of His Name;

Do it for the sake of His gospel,

So that I, its blessings gain.

Scripture notates the sins of others;

Written down for us as examples

To keep us from setting our hearts 

On evil as did those of old.

Do not worship other gods of man;

Do not give your hearts to them;

Not partake in immorality.

Do not test your Lord and King.

So, be careful if you think you are

Standing firm in your faith in Jesus.

God has given his word to warn us, 

So through faith we will not fall.

No temptation has o’ertaken you

Except what is commonplace.

God is faithful to not let you be

Tempted past what you can bear.

He gives the way of escape. 

https://vimeo.com/116057811 

People Loving the Darkness

John 3:19-21 ESV

“And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

Who or what is the light? The Scriptures teach that Jesus is the light, that he is the way, the truth, and the life. The church is the light of the world, and the church is the body of Christ, so this is the light of Christ which the church is shining forth. And light is the opposite of darkness, and darkness is sin, wickedness, evil, rebellion, immorality, and disobedience. Thus light is all that is holy, righteous, morally pure, upright, honest, and faithful.

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’” John 8:12 ESV

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16 ESV

[Matthew 4:12-17; Matthew 5:14-16; Matthew 6:22-23; John 1:1-9,19-21; John 8:12; John 9:5; John 12:35-36; John 12:46; Acts 26:18]

And our salvation from sin requires that we turn from darkness (sin, evil) to light (Jesus, the gospel, truth, righteousness) and from the power of Satan to God that we might receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (see Acts 26:18). For this is what repentance and our faith in Jesus Christ are all about, and this is the truth that is in Christ Jesus which we should have been taught:

“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.” (see Ephesians 4:17-24)

So, Jesus Christ came into the world, and along with him came all of who he is and what he is about, i.e. his divine character and will for humankind. So righteousness and justice and love and obedience to God and holiness and honesty and faithfulness, et al, came into the world. But the people of the world love the darkness (wickedness, immorality, evil) rather than Jesus Christ and his truth and his righteousness because their works are evil. And so they embrace the evil while they reject the truth.

And these “people” include many who also profess faith in Jesus Christ who have been convinced by liars and deceivers that they do not have to repent of their sins, that they do not have to forsake them, and that they do not have to obey the commands of God under the New Covenant, and that nothing is required of them at all other than some fleshly faith in Jesus Christ which is not of God but which is of the flesh of man. For they believe they don’t have to put flesh to death, but they can entertain “him.”

And so many of them are quite comfortable holding on to the flesh and to sin and to doing what they know is evil while claiming God’s grace over their sins and while claiming that Jesus is their Lord and Savior and that heaven is their eternal destiny. And so they welcome living in adultery and idolatry and in lying and cheating and in sexual immorality. And they love the charmers and manipulators and deceivers who are feeding them lies while they are rejecting the truth and those who are telling them the truth.

And we need to get this. For everyone who does (practices) wicked things hates the light (hates Jesus Christ and truth and righteousness) and does not come into the light (does not come into genuine faith in Jesus Christ) lest his evil works should be exposed. They may make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and they may go through the motions of religious practice, but if sin is what they practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what they practice, they do not know God/Christ, they are not saved from their sins, and they do not have eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

So, please don’t read just John 3:16 and decide that you can make up your own version of belief in Jesus Christ which is not biblical faith and that you are now promised that you will never perish but that you will have eternal life with God. Please read all of John 3, for it does not teach what you may think it teaches. For everyone who makes a practice of sin, who deliberately and habitually continues in sin and not in walks of righteousness and not in obedience to the Lord and to his commands (New Covenant), hates Jesus Christ, in reality, and will not come to genuine faith in Jesus Christ.

But those who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ are those who do what is true – what is of God, and what is righteous, holy, morally pure, upright, honest, and faithful, etc. They are those who have come and who are coming to Christ daily in true worship of our Lord, and in true submission to him as Lord, and in true repentance and in walks of obedience, who are living holy lives, pleasing to God, because they love their Lord. And it should be clearly seen that their works are those which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them, as his workmanship (see Ephesians 2:10).

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

Caution: This link may contain ads

Love of Christ Surpasses Knowledge

The Apostle Paul had just finished talking about how he was made a minister of the gospel of Christ according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given him by the working of God’s power. He was extremely humbled by God’s call upon his life, for he had previously been a persecutor and a murderer of Christians. But he gave all the credit and all the glory to God for what the Lord was accomplishing in his life and through his life in bringing the truth of the gospel of Christ to the people of the world.

Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

1. What was Paul’s concern for the Christians?

2. What did he do about it?

3. What is the breadth, length, height, and depth of God’s love?

4. What is “all the fulness of God”?

Paul wasn’t just a preacher of the gospel of Christ. And he definitely was not in it for the money, nor for the fame, which he did not receive other than mostly in a negative way. But he really cared about the people he ministered to. He cared about what was going on in their lives. But a lot of his ministry was spent in jail writing letters to the churches, which are now part of our Scriptures in the New Testament. So he wasn’t always with them in person, and I don’t know how much he had contact with the people individually.

So being someone who cares does not mean you can juggle the time spent in communications with everyone to where you have individual time with each person, especially if your ministry sphere is quite broad. For there are only so many hours in each day, and if you have a family, your responsibilities may be stretched in many different directions. So I am just saying that Paul was probably not in daily communications with every person or every church congregation to whom he ministered.

And the reason I am saying that is because we live in a generation now where we have the possibility of around the clock communications with people we know, and so people may get the idea that some of us are always available when we are not. For if you compare things as they are now to 20 years ago or so, we didn’t have cell phones. And we didn’t have the internet as we now know it. And we didn’t have around the clock news and TV shows, etc. We grew up with one phone in the house. If you missed a call, you missed it. For you had no idea who it was who called. 

So, what is my point? My point is that we all have lives of our own and personal responsibilities and jobs and ministries, and some of us are being stretched in multiple directions, so we are not going to be available all the time for all people individually and still get our work done. But that does not mean we do not love the people we are ministering to. Sometimes the love and ministry has to be given more collectively rather than individually, which is what Paul had to do. But what he did showed that he loved them.

For he cared enough about them to inquire as to how they were doing, and to write to them collectively, and perhaps to some individually. And he cared enough to pray for them and to encourage them collectively and to teach them the truth of the gospel, which they needed to hear. And he loved them enough to counsel them in the way that they should go and against the ways they should not go. For they needed this instruction and encouragement and counsel in order to know the ways of the Lord so that they could walk in them and so that they would minister to one another.

And Paul cared enough about them to tell them the truth and to refute the lies so that they would not end up following the lies and reject the truth. So he wanted them to know the vastness of God’s love. And God’s love is not permission for us to keep living in deliberate and habitual sin. God’s love extends so far that he makes certain that we hear the truth and that we are discerning of the lies. And his love tells us that we must forsake our sinful practices and now follow him in obedience to his ways or we don’t have the hope of eternal life with God. And that is great love!

For God is not here just to do for us. He is here so that we will learn to do for him in return for what he has done for us. He is here to instruct us in the ways that we should go and to warn us against following the wrong way. So to be filled with the fulness of God is to love him and to follow him and to obey him and to do what pleases him and to know his will and to do his will and to be sharing the gospel so that others can know him, too. And it is to be loving the people of this world as he loved us by giving himself up for us so that we will now die to sin and live to righteousness, by God’s grace.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/379406352

The Working of His Power

Ephesians 3:7-13 ESV

“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.”

1. Of what gospel was Paul made a minister?

2. According to what power or gifting was he made a minister?

3. What is the “plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God”?

4. What is the “manifold wisdom of God” the church is to display?

5. What is the “eternal purpose” God “realized in Christ Jesus”?

Well, if we go back to Ephesians 1 we read that God “chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” And we read “having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.” And then in chapter 2 we read how we who truly believe in Jesus are those who used to (past tense) walk (in conduct, in practice) in sin, following the course of this world, following Satan, living in the sinful passions of our flesh. 

And continuing in chapter 2 we read that we are saved by God’s grace, through faith, which is not of our own doing, but it is God’s gift to us – both his grace and the faith to believe in him. And we read that our salvation is not a result of our own fleshly works which we decide we will do for God. However, it also says that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk (in conduct, in practice) in them (Ephesians 2:8-10; cf. Titus 2:14).

And then if you move on to Ephesians 4 you read that, as those who believe in Jesus Christ, we are not to live like the ungodly do, in the futility of their minds. We are not to have hardness of heart in relation to our Lord’s commands and his will and purpose for our lives. So we are not to give ourselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. For the truth that is in Christ Jesus teaches us to put off our former manner of life which is corrupt through deceitful desires and to be renewed in our minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (see Ephesians 4:17-32).

And then if you read chapter 5 you will see there that is says that sexual immorality, impurity, covetousness, filthiness, foolish talk, crude joking and idolatry are to have no part in the life of the church and that those who practice such things have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. So we are not to let anyone deceive us with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. And who are they? They are all who choose to continue living in deliberate and habitual sin and who refuse to walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands.

And then read the book of Romans, especially Romans 6, for there it spells it out for us that the whole purpose of Jesus dying for us on that cross, and the whole purpose of him gifting us with his grace and our faith and our salvation from sin is so that we are crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin so that we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. So we are not to obey sin, for if we do, it will lead to death, not to life.

So, the gospel that Paul taught was the same gospel that Jesus taught, and he said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) 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 for Jesus’ sake we deny self, and die to sin daily, and follow him in obedience, then we have eternal life in him. For he also said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one DOING God’s will (see Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23).

And all this comes from God and did not come from the flesh of man. Paul operated in the power of God’s Holy Spirit in bringing us the truth of the gospel and in teaching us the will of God for our lives. And the wisdom and purpose of God in creating us is that we would forsake our sins and follow him in obedience and live for him in living holy and righteous and godly lives, pleasing to him. And he made it very clear that if this is not what we do that we will not have eternal life with God. This is not saying that we will be perfect people, but that sin should no longer be what we practice.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/379406352

For They are Folly to Him

1 Corinthians 2:14 ESV

“The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

So what is meant here by “the natural person”? It appears to have to do with the human nature, of the sin nature. So this has to do with those who are not of the Spirit of God, who are not in genuine relationship with the Lord Jesus, who have not died to sin and who are not living to God and to his righteousness. But they are still following the course of this world, and they are still living to please the flesh, and not God. And they may well be people who profess faith in Christ, but who are still living for self.

And there are many professers of faith in Jesus Christ here in America who are still following the course of this world and who are still living to please the flesh, and not God. And even if they know the truth intellectually, they don’t accept it into their lives. They don’t embrace the truth of the gospel. For the truth doesn’t fit with their lifestyles. The truth is in opposition to their lifestyles, in fact, and so they do not accept the truth, but they embrace the lies, for the lies make no demands of them for holy living.

So, it isn’t that they don’t know right from wrong. It isn’t as though they could not be spiritually discerning if only they would surrender their lives to Jesus Christ and submit to his will and purpose for their lives. It is that they choose to reject God and his ways and to go their own way instead (see Romans 1:18-32). They choose to reject his gospel and to follow a gospel of man, instead, which gives them permission to keep living in sin while promising them heaven as their eternal destiny.

So, they have not because they receive (accept) not. For they don’t want to give up their sins and their freedom to live however they want to live. They want to keep following the course of this world. They want to feed the flesh. For the things of God are folly to them because they are contrary to the flesh nature. And God demands death to sin and living in righteousness in obedience to his commands and in the forsaking of our sinful practices. And they don’t want to let go of their sins.

But we who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are not to be like them. If the Spirit of God is truly living within us, we should be people who want to do the will of God and who no longer desire to live in bondage to sin. We should not be people who are resting in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. We should be followers of Jesus Christ who seek to do his will, and not the will of the flesh. We should be people of God who hunger and thirst for righteousness and not for what is evil.

We should be people of faith and courage and determination who follow our Lord and who obey his will no matter who or what comes against us. And even if those around us continue in sin, we should not join them, but we should stand out as different, as those whose lives are committed to God and to his holiness and righteousness and who resist the devil and flee temptation and who follow the Lord Jesus wherever he leads us in doing what he wants us to do and in saying what he gives us to say, even if no one listens.

We should be those who stand up for what is right even if those around us do not, and even if they come against us, and even if others who call themselves Christians ignore us and want nothing to do with us because we are committed to following the Lord in obedience and to doing his will and to refuting the lies of the enemy and to getting the truth of God’s word out to all who will listen and to all who will turn and who will follow Jesus with their lives. For we need Christians on fire for the Lord in these troubled times.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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He Who Sits in the Heavens Laughs

Psalms 2:1-2 ESV

“Why do the nations rage

    and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth set themselves,

    and the rulers take counsel together,

    against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying,

‘Let us burst their bonds apart

    and cast away their cords from us.’”

The picture the Lord Jesus is giving me of this today is that of people who profess faith in Jesus Christ who give off the appearance of having repented of their sins, who have cast off the fruitless deeds of darkness, and who are no longer walking in deliberate and habitual sin. But it is in appearance only, and not a reality in their lives. Outwardly, for others to see, this is the image they are presenting, but it is in appearance only, and not in truth.

They also give the outward appearance that they are those who are examining the lies and who are clearly seeing the lies for what they are, and that they are now following the truth, and that what they are now speaking is the truth to others. But it is a sham. It only appears that way, for they are really people who are full of pride, who are lowering their moral standards so far as to do something reprehensible, low down dirty.

So, even though they are giving the appearance of following the truth and not the lies and of casting off the lies in favor of the truth, they are those who are actually drawing closer in a more intimate and personal way with what is unholy, ungodly, immoral, dishonest, faithless, and totally wicked. They are getting much more intimately involved with what is hidden, secret, and forbidden, and so they are also toying with false gospels, too.

And so they put on this outward disguise to mask what is really in their hearts, and to coverup what they are really doing in secret, in an attempt to deceive others into thinking that they are walking the straight and narrow while, in truth, they are going even deeper into moral depravity. And that is often the modus operandi of those who are living in addiction, trying to make you believe all is well, when the opposite of that is what is truth.

So these are people who plot against the Lord and against his word and against his servants and messengers. And so they gather together with others who are of like-mindedness, and they take counsel together against the Lord, and against the truth of the gospel, and they alter the truth of the gospel in order to gratify the sinful cravings of the flesh without conscience and without remorse and without feeling guilty for the evil they are doing.

And this is taking place within the gatherings of the church, and/or in what is falsely being called church here in America, big time. So they have altered and they have diluted the gospel of Christ to make it to where those who profess faith in Jesus Christ can now keep on in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord without conscience or remorse, so that they don’t have to feel guilty for sinning against God and against other humans to harm them.

Psalms 2:4-12 ESV

“He who sits in the heavens laughs;

    the Lord holds them in derision.

Then he will speak to them in his wrath,

    and terrify them in his fury, saying,

‘As for me, I have set my King

    on Zion, my holy hill.’

“I will tell of the decree:

The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son;

    today I have begotten you.

Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,

    and the ends of the earth your possession.

You shall break them with a rod of iron

    and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.’

“Now therefore, O kings, be wise;

    be warned, O rulers of the earth.

Serve the Lord with fear,

    and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son,

    lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,

    for his wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”

I like what the Pulpit Commentary has to say about God laughing at people who do such things, and of how God holds them in derision:

“God ‘laughs’ at the vain and futile efforts of man to escape from the control of his laws and throw off his dominion (comp. Psalm 37:13; Psalm 59:8). It is impossible that these efforts should succeed. Men must obey God willingly, or else unwillingly. The Lord (Adonay in the ordinary Hebrew text, but a large number of manuscripts have Jehovah) shall have them in derision. ‘Laughter’ and ‘derision’ are, of course, anthropo-morphisms. It is meant that God views with contempt and scorn man's weak attempts at rebellion.”

And who is God’s King on Zion? Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God who is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And what did Jesus Christ teach? He said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we save our lives, i.e. if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for the sake of Jesus we deny self, die daily to sin, and walk in obedience to his commands under the New Covenant, we have eternal life (Luke 9:23-26).

And what else did he teach? He taught that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. For many will stand before him one day professing him as Lord and claiming the things they did in his name, but he is going to say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” for they did not obey the Lord, but they only gave an appearance of being his followers, but not in truth (Matthew 7:21-23).

For Jesus Christ is going to judge all of us on the basis of what we do, by our works, by our deeds. If we are those who are walking in obedience to his commands, in his power and strength, who are dying daily to sin and who are living holy lives pleasing to him, then we will have eternal life in him. But if we are those who are deliberately and habitually continuing in sin against our Lord and against other humans, and so we are not obeying him, then we have the promise of facing God’s wrath and of the fires of hell for eternity.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Seek the Lord  

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you, 

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296 

We Both Have Access in One Spirit

Ephesians 2:11-22 ESV

“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 

“For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

1. What does “alienated from the commonwealth of Israel” mean?

2. What does it mean that God has made us “both one”?

3. What does it mean that we are “fellow citizens with the saints”?

4. What is this “whole structure” being spoken of here?

5. What is the overall message being taught here?

Those who were Gentiles by birth were once separated from Christ and alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and were strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world. We were not part of Israel. But through Jesus Christ’s death on that cross and his bodily resurrection from the dead, we who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, God has made one with Israel by genuine faith in Jesus Christ. We are now one with Israel, the Israel of God.

And what about those who did not believe in Jesus Christ who were once Israel? They were cut off from the vine, but they can be grafted back into the vine by faith in Jesus Christ just as we Gentile believers in Christ were grafted into the vine. And if we do not remain in Christ and him in us, and if we go back to living according to the flesh, and not according to the Spirit, we can be cut out of the vine just like they were (see Romans 11:17-25). For it is not the physical descendants of Abraham who are Israel, but it is the spiritual offspring who are the children of promise (see Romans 9:4-8).

And this was done by God abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, i.e. he abolished all those Old Covenant liturgical, ceremonial, sacrificial, purification, and dietary laws and restrictions and the requirement for circumcision. But he never abolished his moral laws. They remained. So we are still required to obey God’s moral laws but not the Old Covenant liturgical and ceremonial laws the Jews of old had to obey. And in this, God created in himself “one new man” in place of the two so that Jew and Gentile are now one by God-given faith in Jesus Christ. We are one in Christ.

Thus, the physical nation of Israel is not God’s Israel. They are no longer God’s chosen people. They are of Hagar, the slave woman, equal in status with the Arab nations (Galatians 4:22-32). For we can only be God’s chosen people now via faith in Jesus Christ. So by faith in Jesus Christ it is no longer them and us, but we are one and the same in Christ. So all who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine faith in Christ are true biblical Israel, whether Jew or Gentile by physical birth. All who do NOT believe in Jesus Christ are of the devil and are antichrist (John 8:18-19,38-47; 1 John 2:22). 

So, “Messianic Jew” is really not a biblical term. We are either for Christ or we are against Christ. Personally I believe, from what I have read and have experienced, many who call themselves “Messianic Jews” are just modern-day Judaizers, for they are pushing their Jewish customs on Gentile believers in Jesus Christ, and they are convincing many of them that they should be more like Jews and that it will enhance their faith in Christ if they participate in some of the Jewish customs, ceremonies, and traditions. And then so many Christians are being taught that we are to kind of worship the Jews.

Yet there should be no separation between Jew and Gentile who believe in Jesus Christ, for through faith in Christ we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So we aren’t Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians. We are just Christians, regardless of race, nationality, and skin color. And we should all be following the same Scriptures and doing the will of God that he has for all of us to do. We should all have our lives surrendered to Jesus Christ, following him in his ways, living holy lives, pleasing to him, preaching the same gospel as Jesus and as his NT apostles taught, and not the lies of man.

So all of us who believe in Jesus Christ, regardless of nationality, race, and skin color, are fellow citizens with the saints of God and are members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus being our cornerstone. And it is in Christ that we all grow together into a holy temple in the Lord, for we are his temple, we are his building, his church. No physical building or organization of man is the church. The people of God are his only church (Israel), and in Christ we are all being built together into one dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Amen!

[John 8:18-19,38-47; Romans 9:4-8; Romans 11:17-25; Galatians 3:16,26-29; Galatians 4:22-31; Ephesians 2:11-18; Ephesians 3:6; 1 John 2:22]

Near the Cross  

Hymn lyrics by Fanny J. Crosby, 1869

Music by William H. Doane, 1869 

Jesus, keep me near the cross; 

There a precious fountain, 

Free to all, a healing stream, 

Flows from Calvary's mountain. 

Near the cross, a trembling soul, 

Love and mercy found me; 

There the bright and morning star 

Sheds its beams around me. 

 

Near the cross! O Lamb of God, 

Bring its scenes before me; 

Help me walk from day to day 

With its shadow o'er me. 

Near the cross I'll watch and wait, 

Hoping, trusting ever, 

Till I reach the golden strand 

Just beyond the river. 

In the cross, in the cross, 

Be my glory ever, 

Till my raptured soul shall find 

Rest beyond the river.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5gong-PNmY

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Do Not Let Yourselves Be Deceived

Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV

“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. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

1. What is God’s grace to us?

2. What is faith? What does faith look like in our lives?

3. What is the gift of God? 

4. What is this teaching us about works?

I believe that verses 8-9 here are some of the most misquoted and misunderstood passages of Scripture in the Bible. And many people are using these verses out of context to excuse away their sinful lifestyles and to convince themselves that they don’t have to repent of their sins, and that they don’t have to obey God, and that no works are required of them, and that they don’t have to do anything at all to be pleasing to God. 

But go back and read all the verses prior to these verses, and then read verse 10, also, which I have quoted here along with verses 8-9. For, in context, it speaks of how those of genuine faith in Jesus Christ are those who once (past tense) walked in sin, and who once (past tense) followed the course (way) of this world, and once (past tense) followed the ways of the devil in the passions of the flesh and in walks of disobedience to the Lord.

So, what is God’s grace to us? It is not freedom to keep living in sin. For, God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, instructs (trains) us to renounce (say “NO” to) ungodliness and fleshly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ gave himself up for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (see Titus 2:11-14; cf. Ephesians 2:10).

For Jesus died on that cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness and that we might live for him and no longer for ourselves. He shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of living in sin so that we would now honor him with our lives. For by faith in him we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. This IS GRACE!

[1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Romans 6:1-23]

And what is faith? It is divine persuasion, the persuasion of God as to his holiness and righteousness and of our sinfulness and of our need to repent of our sins and to follow him in obedience. And it comes from God and it is gifted to us by God, and it is not of our own doing, not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of the will of God according to his purposes for our lives. So we don’t get to decide what that faith looks like. God does.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44]

So, how is our faith described in Romans 6:1-23? We were crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Therefore we are to let sin no longer reign in our mortal bodies to make us obey its passions. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if obedience is what we obey, it leads to righteousness and to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with God.

So, what is God’s gift to us? It is all of the above and more. Everything we have that is good and upright and holy and godly comes from God and not from ourselves – our faith to believe in him, his grace to us, his love, his forgiveness, our deliverance from slavery to sin, the empowerment of God to live godly and holy lives to the praise and glory of God, etc. But when we receive the gift, we put it into practice in our daily lives, in the power of God.

And what is this teaching us about works? It is good for you to do a study in the Scriptures on that subject for works are mentioned in three different ways, two of which come from the same source. There are the works of the flesh which come from our sin natures and these can be sinful practices and they can be “good deeds” done in the flesh to try to gain God’s approval while we continue living in sin, which is what the Pharisees did.

But then there are the good works that God requires of his followers, i.e. of all those of genuine faith in him, which he prepared in advance that we should walk in them and which we are to pursue and to put into practice and be zealous for. And these are listed for us all throughout the New Testament to include walks of obedience to him, the forsaking of our sinful practices, loving others with the love of God, and living holy lives pleasing to him.

[Jn 15:1-11; Rom 8:8; 1 Co 15:58; 2 Co 5:9; 2 Co 9:8; Gal 5:6; Gal 6:8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 5:10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:9-14; 1 Thes 2:4; 1 Thes 4:1; 2 Thess 1:11-12; 2 Tim. 2:4,21; Tit 2:11-14; Tit 3:8; Heb 11:6; Heb 13:6; Jas 2:17; 1 Jn 3:22] 

So, if anyone is telling you that you can believe in Jesus Christ, have all your sins forgiven (past, present, and future), be on your way to heaven, and that nothing can take that away from you, regardless of how you live, he is lying to you. And if he is telling you that God requires nothing of you other than to “believe,” which they rarely define biblically, he is lying to you. And if he tells you that no works are required of you and that you don’t have to do anything to be pleasing to God, he is lying to you. Do not believe him!

Instead, read the Scriptures for yourselves, but please read them in context. For the Scriptures make it real clear that if we live in sin, and if sin is our practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of what our lips have professed. For not everyone who says to Jesus, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

For Our Nation  

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

https://vimeo.com/379406352