The Truth That is in Christ Jesus

“Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:17-24 ESV)

When Jesus Christ died on that cross, he died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. He died that we might be crucified with him in death to sin and raised with him to walk in newness of life in him no longer as slaves to sin but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. For he shed his blood for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we will now serve and obey and honor the Lord with our lives. For he died that we might now live for him and no longer for self. So if we obey sin, it leads to death, but if we obey God, it leads to life.

1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23; 2 Corinthians 5:15,21; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

So, we who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-gifted faith in him, are no longer to live like we did before we believed in Jesus. We are not to live like the ungodly of the world whose lives are not surrendered to the Lord Jesus, who are darkened in their understanding due to their hardness of heart, and who have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of purity. For that is not the way in which we should have learned Christ and his gospel of salvation. What we should have learned is what is written in the paragraph above this one, that we must die to sin.

For the truth that is in Christ Jesus is what Jesus taught in Luke 9:23-26 when he said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his 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, regardless of what faith in Jesus we profess with our lips. But if for the sake of Jesus we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience, then we have eternal life in him. But if we deny him by our lifestyles, he will deny us when he returns. And he’ll say, “I never knew you! Depart from me…” (see Matthew 7:21-23)

For if we claim that we are in fellowship with God/Christ, but while we continue to walk (in conduct, in practice) in darkness (sin, wickedness), then we are liars. And if we say that we know God, but while we do not make it our practice to obey him and his commandments (New Covenant), then we are liars. For whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as God is righteous, but whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil. That person does not know God, is not born of God, and will not have eternal life with God, but he will face the wrath of God and eternity in hell.

1 John 1:5-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Galatians 5:16-24

So, the truth that is in Christ Jesus, which we should have learned, if we were taught the truth, that is, teaches us 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.” For this is the reason Jesus gave his life up for us on that cross, that we might die to sin and now live for God in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, doing what pleases the Lord. So please take this to heart.

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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A Fateful Day

A fateful day on lives did prey,

A sadness filled the air.

Then fear arose, and billows flowed,

And lives were in despair.

Confusion felt by all that day.

In wonderment they stared

As buildings fell, and dreams dispelled,

Their future now they feared.

The flags half mast, the people bowed

Their heads to pray to God.

They called on Him to help them then,

To go where’er they trod.

A nation mourned the loss of life,

And wondered what comes next.

The churches now were filled to brim,

And people were bereft. 

But time passed by, and life moved on,

And images were dimmed.

And people went through course of life,

And did not look to Him. (though some did)

And things got worse, the second verse,

Not many seemed to care

That tragic day new lives dismayed,

New lives now in despair.

The haters hate, and lives do take

To further all their goals.

For, what’s at stake? They dominate

The world and all its gold.

This, not surprise, we knew about

What was to come, and yet,

Not many really understand

We’re there. Let’s not forget.

An Original Work / September 11, 2021

On the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers

When Each Part is Working Properly

“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.” (Ephesians 4:11-16 ESV)

When we, Christians, believe in Jesus to be Lord and Savior of our lives, in truth, and in practice, we are given the Holy Spirit to dwell within us, to empower, strengthen, train, instruct, counsel, and help us in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord and to his commands. And we are given gifts of the Spirit which are to be used within the body of Christ to encourage and to help strengthen one another in our walks of faith. And we are given instructions in how we, as the individual parts of the body of Christ, his church, are to work together toward the spiritual maturity of us all in Christ.

God also assigns us our individual body parts which are to be our roles and our ministries within the body of Christ which may change with time as we grow in our walks of faith and become more mature in Christ, and as we learn more and understand more of the teachings of the Scriptures with regard to how we, as followers of Christ, are to conduct our lives. And more gifts of the Spirit and more ministries within the body of Christ may be added on to our walks of faith the longer we serve the Lord with our lives and the more that, by the Spirit, we bear fruit for the kingdom of God.

Now, like I said, we are all given different gifts and different assignments of God (our body parts). But all the body parts are necessary for the proper working of the body. So when we gather together there should be opportunities for all of us to encourage one another, to instruct, to comfort, to uplift, to exhort, to urge with a holy urging, and to help one another to follow the Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands in holy living. And all of us are to speak the truth in love to one another so that we are not deceived by human cunning, craftiness, and deceitful schemes by false teachers.

And our shepherds should be men of God (or women, when there is a shortage of godly men) who will train us in godliness and in holy living and who will prepare us spiritually for ministry within the body of Christ. They are NOT to be regarded as “the ministers” while the rest of us are regarded as “the congregation” or the “laity” who are not the ministers. They are to equip us spiritually in order to prepare us for ministry so that each part of the body is working as it should and so that we are all ministering to one another. For we are to be stirring up one another to love and good works.

But so much of what is called “church” today is not the biblical body of Christ operating as the body of Christ with each part doing its work. What we largely have are institutions of men which have been turned into businesses to be marketed to the people of the world. And one or two men serve as “the ministers” while “the laity” sit and listen to the preaching and sing some songs that usually one person selects, and then they go home and live their daily lives as usual. And there are exceptions to this, but this seems to be the “norm” for what are called “church” gatherings today here in America.

But that is not how the biblical body of Christ, the church, is supposed to operate. We are all to be ministering to one another, encouraging each other in our walks of faith and in obedience to our Lord in holy living. We are all to be using our spiritual gifts in the areas of ministry assigned to us by God for the mutual encouragement and spiritual maturity of one another. And we all should have a part, not just a few. And we are to be addressing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, and we should all be admonishing and exhorting and teaching one another how to live for Jesus Christ.

[Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

So pray and ask the Lord Jesus to show you the part that he has for you within the body of Christ and how he wants to use you within the body of Christ to encourage one another. And ask him what gifts he has given you, and how he wants you to use those, too. And then step out in faith and in obedience to the Lord, and begin using those gifts in the areas of ministry to which the Lord has called you. But first of all make certain that you are walking in obedience to the Lord in holy living, and not in sin, so that you can help others to walk in obedience to the Lord and not in sin, too.

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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The Debt We Owe

This is a song about how Jesus paid the debt for our sins, and how we should praise him and adore him for dying for our sins, and for offering us the free gift of salvation from sins, i.e. the gift of deliverance out of our slavery to sin and the empowerment of God to now live for him and to walk in obedience to his commands in holy living, and no longer in sin.

Oh, how I praise and thank the Lord Jesus for saving me from my sins. I thank him and praise him for his marvelous grace to me in reaching down to me and lifting me out of the pit, and for putting me on the Solid Rock where I can stand secure. I am so grateful for his love for me, but also for his patience and his mercy and forgiveness in taking one such as me and making me into a pure vessel which he can use for his glory. This has nothing to do with me or with my goodness, either, but only with his grace. And, because he has done so much for me, I owe him everything! 

“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. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” ~ Romans 8:12-14 ESV

The Debt We Owe  

An Original Work / July 2, 2011

I adore You, Lord, my Master.

I worship and praise You, King.

You are such an awesome God who

Loves us so much, grace You bring.

You died to save us from our sin 

So that we could be set free.

I adore You, Lord, my Master.

I worship and praise You, King.

Lord, You are our Great Redeemer.

You paid the debt that we owe,

So that we might be forgiven, 

And our God we’d come to know;

Be transformed to be like Jesus,

Who conquered, in death, our foe.

Lord, You are our Great Redeemer.

You paid the debt that we owe.

Jesus our Messiah, Savior,

Lord and Master, King of kings,

You provided our redemption,

So we’d live in victory.

From our sin and self You ransomed

Us for all eternity.

Jesus our Messiah, Savior,

Lord and Master, King of kings.

https://vimeo.com/127354829 

One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

“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. 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. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.” (Ephesians 4:1-7 ESV)

Faith in Jesus Christ, which comes from God, which is persuaded of God, and which is gifted to us by God, is not of our own doing – not of the will nor of the flesh of man. So we humans do not get to decide what this faith looks like. God does. His word does. And his word teaches us that faith in Jesus Christ requires that we are crucified 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 as slaves to righteousness. For if sin is what we obey, it leads to death. But if we obey obedience to God, its end is eternal life with Christ Jesus, our Lord.

So, we who are of genuine faith (ONE FAITH) in Jesus Christ are all called of God (ONE GOD) to forsake our sins (die to sin daily), to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, to submit to Christ as Lord (ONE LORD) of our lives, and to follow our Lord Jesus in obedience to his commands and in holy living, in daily practice, although not necessarily in absolute sinless perfection (1 John 2:1-2). But sin must no longer be our practice. Righteousness and obedience to our Lord are now to be what we live by. Thus we are instructed to walk (in conduct) in a manner worthy (fitting to) our calling in Christ Jesus.

[Hebrews 12:1-2; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23; Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23; John 10:27-30]

Now the Scriptures talk much on this subject of unity, but this is unity first and foremost with God – Father, Son Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit – and with the gospel of our salvation as Christ and as his NT apostles taught it (in context). It is unity with Christ and with his calling upon our lives and with his character and heart and mind and purpose which are taught to us all throughout the NT Scriptures (and in the OT, too). So this peace is first and foremost peace with God and with his will and purpose for our lives, which never compromises righteousness to make peace with other humans.

Now, when this says here that there is ONE BODY, this is speaking of the body of Christ, the church, the people of God who are his by genuine faith in Jesus Christ which results in us dying with Christ to sin, being reborn of the Spirit of God (ONE SPIRIT), and now walking in conduct in obedience to our Lord and to his commands, in practice. For the church is not a building, and not a church denomination, and not a business incorporated under the state which is marketing “the church” to the people of the world via worldly means and methods. Yet that is what many have turned “the church” into. But the church is US who believe in Jesus!

And this body of Christ is the universal body of Christ, which is comprised of believers in Christ Jesus all over the world. So there is only ONE CHURCH. We just live different locations and meet in different places, but we are all still one church, one body, not to be separated by denominational differences and location. And we become members of this ONE CHURCH by genuine faith in Jesus Christ. So we don’t have to rejoin “the church” in order to be members of “the church,” if we are speaking of the biblical body of Christ and not of human institutions called “church” which are really businesses.

And the ONE HOPE to which we are called can be summarized for us well in Romans 6:1-23 and Luke 9:23-26 and in 1 Peter 2:24. And this is the gospel message, that Jesus Christ (God incarnate) was crucified, dead, buried, and rose again for you and for me that we might die with Christ to sin and now live to God and to his righteousness in walks of obedience to his commands in holy living, and no longer in walks of disobedience and in sinful practices. For if sin is still our practice, and not obedience to our Lord, we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will face the wrath of God, instead.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Now, regarding this ONE BAPTISM, I am finding that there are varied opinions on this subject, and that most seem to favor water baptism as the one baptism, but there is a problem with that theory. For many people are baptized with water in the name of Jesus Christ who have never been reborn of the Spirit of God and who do not know God because they do not obey him, but they have continued in their sins. They are just going through a religious ritual. And then there are the cases when people were saved and filled with the Spirit prior to water baptism (Acts 10:44-48).

And then we have John the Baptist’s words when he stated: “As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 10:11-12) So, the indication here is that the baptism that we receive from Christ is not of water, but of the Spirit, in death to sin and living to righteousness.

“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin.” (Romans 6:3-7). 

So, this is a spiritual baptism. And this can take place apart from water baptism, as well as water baptism is no indication that this spiritual baptism has ever taken place at all. So, I believe that our water baptism is more of an outward sign of an inward faith which has already taken place, and that this baptism into death (Romans 6) is of the Spirit of God, so this is also the baptism of the Spirit, since there is only ONE BAPTISM, and the only one that can literally bring about death to sin and living to God and to his righteousness is the one done of the Spirit and not in water. See:

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

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

The Work of Your Hands

“I bow down toward your holy temple

    and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness,

    for you have exalted above all things

    your name and your word.

On the day I called, you answered me;

    my strength of soul you increased.” (Psalms 138:2-3 ESV)

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

    you preserve my life;

you stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

    and your right hand delivers me.

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;

    your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.

    Do not forsake the work of your hands.” (Psalms 138:7-8 ESV)

If we are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, and so we have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness, then we will have the same enemies as God has. And these enemies could well be those who profess faith in Jesus Christ. They could even be pastors of church congregations. But they oppose the Lord and his commands by how they conduct their own lives.

For those who walk in sin, and according to the flesh, and not according to the Spirit, and not in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord, in practice, walk as enemies of God. Even if they give lip service to the Lord, if sin is what they practice, and not righteousness, and not obedience to God, then they are enemies of God, and they will also be our enemies if we are, indeed, following Jesus Christ with our lives wholeheartedly. For we will be an offense to them, because we take God and his word to heart.

Especially since we live in a day and age when the Word of God is being altered and diluted to suit the sinful desires of human flesh, and when so many pastors of church congregations are diluting the gospel of our salvation in order to tickle itching ears and to make the gospel message more agreeable to the ungodly, if we still hold to the truths of the Scriptures and to the gospel that Jesus Christ and his NT apostles taught, we should expect to be opposed even by others professing faith in the Lord Jesus.

And if we think about it, who were Jesus’ strongest opponents when he lived on the earth? They were not the people out in the world who made no professions of faith in God, but they were his fellow Jews, his neighbors, some of his family members, and the religious rulers and people of influence in the temple of God and in the synagogues. They are the ones who hated him and wanted him dead because of the things that he did and said. And so they harassed him at every turn until they finally arranged for his death.

So, it should not surprise us if we are opposed and ridiculed and laughed at and mocked for our walks of faith by others who call themselves Christians. And Jesus said that if we follow him with our lives that even our family members will be against us, though not necessarily all of them. But we should expect to be opposed and rejected and even mistreated by the members of our own birth families if we take God’s word to heart and if we follow the Lord in doing what he says that we are all to be doing.

For we live in a day and time when so many are being taught a gospel message which makes no requirements for self-denial and for death to sin and for walks of obedience to our Lord’s commands in righteous living. So many are being taught that they can just acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and now heaven is guaranteed them, and it can’t be taken away from them, but regardless of how they live. And some are even taught that they don’t have to repent of their sins nor obey our Lord’s commands.

So, if we are remaining faithful to the teachings of Christ and of his NT apostles, especially with regard to what they taught was the gospel of our salvation, then Satan is definitely going to be after us to try to bring us down, and he will use other humans to do his dirty work to try to trip us up and to trap us or to try to discredit us and/or to turn others against us, because he wants us to fail, and he wants to silence us. So we need to hold fast to Jesus and trust him to carry us through it all.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Luke 6:22-23; Luke 12:49-53; Luke 21:12-19; John 15:1-21; John 16:33; John 17:14; Acts 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Eph 6:10-20; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

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

Secretly Bringing in Destructive Heresies

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2 Peter 2:1-3 ESV)

The whole chapter of 2 Peter 2 describes for us these false prophets:

• They secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

• Many people follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.

• In their greed they will exploit you with false words.

• Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones.

• They are like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant.

• They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.

• They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children.

• Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray.

• They have followed the way of Balaam, who loved gain from wrongdoing.

• They speak loud boasts of folly. They entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error.

• They promise them freedom but they themselves are slaves of corruption.

• For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.

• “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

[Also read Matthew 7:15-20; Matthew 24:11,24; Luke 6:26; Jude 1:1-25]

So these false messengers, supposedly of God, are those who will secretly bring in destructive heresies. So, what is a heresy? It is a self-chosen opinion contrary to the teachings of the Scriptures and to the divine will and purpose of God which brings about ruin, destruction, and perishing to those who teach them, and to those who put them into practice. For they are fundamental errors in doctrine and practice with regard to what the Scriptures teach which end up leading many people to a false faith. 

And, in this case, this is willful on the part of these false teachers, because it says that they secretly bring in these destructive heresies, so the intention is to deceive and to lead people astray. And it says that they deny the Master who bought them, i.e. they deny Jesus Christ who laid his life down for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of slavery to sin so that we will now serve him with our lives and honor him with our bodies and with our lips and with our actions.

But we need to understand here that to deny Jesus Christ isn’t always via verbally disowning or disavowing him. That is why we have “wolves in sheep’s clothing” among us serving “church” gatherings as their pastors, because they give the impression outwardly that they believe in Jesus Christ and that they are his followers, so that the people will believe them and trust them, so that they can secretly bring in these destructive heresies in a stealthy way to where the people don’t even notice the transition.

And many will follow their sensuality because they have slowly and gradually and secretly been fed the lies disguised as truth, and so they have come to believe the lies as though they are the truth. And many are rejecting the truth as though it is the lie. And sensuality is licentiousness and lewdness, which is moral depravity, lustfulness, immorality, dishonesty, wickedness, and lacking restraint. The word means “violent spite which rejects restraint and indulges in lawless insolence” (disrespect and disregard for God).

And sadly this is what appears to be the overall condition of much or most of the gatherings of what are called “churches” here in America. So many pastors have taken their people in the direction of the world in order to attract the world to their gatherings, and so they have altered and diluted the character of God/Christ, of his church, and of his gospel message. And so many people are believing that they can “believe” in Jesus and be on their way to heaven but not ever die with Christ to sin nor follow in obedience.

So what this passage of Scripture said will happen has happened, and these false teachers are spreading their false gospel far and wide, and it seems the majority of those professing faith in Jesus Christ are now believing that their sins are forgiven and that they are on their way to heaven, but regardless of how they live. For many are being taught that they don’t have to forsake their sins and that they don’t have to obey the commands of the Lord and that nothing is required of them other than a self-generated faith in Jesus.

But those are false words, for that is not what Jesus and his NT apostles taught, as recorded for us in the Scriptures. They taught that, because of what Jesus did for us on that cross, we are to deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience to his commands, in practice. For if sin is what we practice (obey), it leads to death. But if obedience to our Lord and to righteousness are what we obey and put into practice, that leads to sanctification, and its end is eternal life with Christ, our Lord.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

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

Be So Aware

Of Satan’s snare be so aware,

And do not live without a care.

He’ll wipe you right off of your feet

And kick you down in deep defeat.

He’s tricky, he is, there’s no doubt,

He’ll give a one, two, then you’re out.

So, put on armor that’s of God,

Remain awake, without a nod.

Walk in the light, and not the dark,

And keep on going. Do not park.

Remain in Him, His words in you,

And let your words always be true.

For Satan’s goal is your defeat.

He doesn’t want you, God to meet.

He wants to keep you in despair,

So, righteousness you will not wear.

He wants to keep you stumble-ing,

So, for your God, care not a thing.

So be aware his every move,

And of his tricks, do not approve.

Obey your Lord in one accord.

To play with sin, you can’t afford.

Love God, your Lord, with all your heart,

And from His Word, do not depart.

An Original Work / July 9, 2021

Pay Close Attention to What You Read

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:16-21 ESV)

The apostle Peter, as carried along by the Holy Spirit, wrote this to all who “have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). And the faith that he and the other New Testament apostles had and proclaimed was Christ crucified and risen from the dead in order that we might now die with Christ to sin and live to his righteousness in walks of holiness and in righteousness, to the glory and praise of God, in the power of God, by his Spirit.

[1 Peter 2:24; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; Ephesians 4:17-24]

He wrote to them to instruct them that, in their walks of faith in the Lord Jesus, as part of their abiding faith in the Lord, they were to live lives which were virtuous, knowledgeable (regarding the words of God), self-controlled, steadfast in faith, godly, and which exercised brotherly (and sisterly) affection for other followers of Jesus Christ, with agape love. And agape love is that which prefers what God prefers, which is all that is holy, righteous, godly, upright, morally pure, honest, faithful, and obedient to the Lord.

But this was not just a suggestion nor a recommendation which was made optional. For, he said that “whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:9-11 ESV).

And Jesus Christ and the other NT apostles taught similar words as this when they stated that if we walk in sin, and if sin is our practice, and if obedience to our Lord and righteousness and holy living are not what we practice, that we will not inherit eternal life with God. For Jesus said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one DOING the will of God the Father. For we must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience to be his followers.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

For Jesus Christ and his NT apostles did not follow cleverly devised myths when they made known to us the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the message of the gospel of our salvation. They did not use flattery and smooth-talking words and schemes and tricks and jokes and worldly speaking in order to connect with the people of their generation so that the people of the world would want to attend the gatherings of the body of Christ, his church, comprised of followers of Jesus Christ.

But they taught the very words of God which were given to them by God via the Holy Spirit, which then became the Scriptures for us. But let me say here that, from my understanding, those original manuscripts, which were without error, no longer exist. What we have are copies of copies of the originals which were then translated into many different languages by human beings who may not have all been translating as “carried along by the Holy Spirit.” They may not have all been godly men or women at all.

The written word of God can still be trusted, but we must, if possible, be careful about what translations we use to make certain that they are actual translations and that they are reputable as being as true to the originals as possible. But not one translation is absolutely perfect, as were the originals. I recommend the KJV, the NASB, the ESV, and the NIV. Be careful about using transliterations, especially any translated by just one person. Some of those take liberties with the Scriptures which distort their true meaning.

So, not only should we test everything we hear and read, which is taught as the truth of the gospel, against the teachings of the Scriptures, in their context, but it is also a good practice to compare Scripture with Scripture to make certain that we are getting the right message. And if you can get to a Hebrew or Greek interlinear, where you can look at word meanings, that is very helpful also in understanding the meanings of the Scriptures. But use commentators sparingly and always test their words with the Scriptures.

And do all of this prayerfully under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, for many lies are being spread based off Scriptures taught incorrectly and outside of their immediate context as well as outside the context of the New Testament Scriptures, as a whole. So be students of the Scriptures who read them in context and who compare what you read with other passages of Scripture which teach on similar subjects, for they should all agree with each other, well especially with regards to the doctrine of our salvation.

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

Grow in the Grace of God

“Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:14-18 ESV)

In context, this third chapter of 2 Peter is discussing the subject of the return of Jesus Christ and how there will be people in the last days who will scoff at the fact that Jesus has not yet returned, as promised. And then we are reminded of how Jesus judged the earth and the people of the earth with the flood, and that he will once again judge the earth and the people of the earth, but this time with fire. 

And then we are challenged with the thought of Jesus’ return, and of the judgment that he will pour upon the earth, and in light of that what sort of people we ought to be in lives of holiness and godliness while we wait for our Lord’s return. At that time he will judge the earth and the people of the earth, and he will take his faithful ones to be with him for eternity, i.e. those who walk in obedience to his commands and not in sinful lifestyles.

And because of that, we who profess faith in Jesus Christ are to be diligent to be found by the Lord without spot or blemish, and at peace. And if we look at the Scriptures, and what they teach on this subject, we will learn that what that is talking about is that we must be those who are surrendered to Christ as Lord, who are walking in obedience to his commands, and for whom sin is not our practice, but righteousness is what we practice.

So, we are to be careful that, while we wait for our Lord’s return, that we are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose our own stability (or fall from our secure position, or from our secure standing, or firmness, or from our own steadfastness, or our own fixed and established position, etc.). So, this is definitely a warning against falling away from the truth of God’s word and following after the lies, and falling prey to false teachings.

But is there a danger beyond that? Or what is the real danger involved here if we are carried away with the error of lawless people? Well, if they are lawless, and we are carried away with their error, then it would be that we would, thus, become lawless, too. And those who become lawless, and remain there, will not inherit eternal life with God, according to the Scriptures. For Jesus said that not everyone who calls him “Lord” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the ones DOING the will of God the Father (Matthew 7:21-23).

All throughout the books of the New Testament we are warned that if we make sin our practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what we practice, that we will not inherit eternal life with God, regardless of whether or not we profess faith in Jesus Christ. For it is not those who give lip service to the Lord only who have the hope of eternal life with God, but it is those who obey him and who do not walk in sin.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

So, again, this is why we are given so many warnings in the Scriptures against falling away and returning to walk in sin and not in holiness and in righteousness and in obedience to our Lord. And this, too, is why we have so many strong encouragements in the Scriptures that we must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and walk in obedience to his commands and live holy lives, pleasing to him.

For the grace of God is not free license to continue in deliberate and habitual sin against the Lord without punishment. The grace of God, which is bringing us salvation, which will not be complete until Jesus takes us home with him for eternity, is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. So, please take this seriously, for your eternity depends on it.

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

The Battle for Truth

God loves us so much, he sent his only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross for our sins so that we could be free from eternal punishment in hell; free from slavery to sin day-to-day; and free to walk in daily fellowship with him, listening to him, and doing what he teaches us (see John 9:23-26). Yet, many people who profess his name do not give God the honor due his name. They do not show him proper respect. 

Even many of the leaders in our “churches” show contempt for his name. How do they do this? They do this through teaching a false gospel absent of the cross, i.e. absent of death to sin and of obedience to Christ’s commands under the New Covenant. They also do this through empty praise and worship to God, for truly many of these leaders are followers of humankind more than they are followers of Christ, and they live to please humankind more than they live to please Jesus Christ with their lives and ministry.

So, God is displeased with these disingenuous forms of worship. He would rather the doors of our churches be shut than for us to offer shallow forms of worship and praise to him, which may stir the emotions, but which do not produce changed hearts, minds, and lives for Jesus Christ. 

What the Lord desires of his people is that we turn from our sin, that we walk in obedience to Christ’s commands and to his teachings, and that we practice truthfulness and faithfulness in all we do, but especially in honoring him as our only God and husband. He desires that we worship him through the giving of our lives to him on the altar of sacrifice, living holy lives, pleasing to God. This is true worship, and this is the kind God requires.

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

Free Indeed!

Do you ever feel like what you have done is so bad that you could never be forgiven? Are you afraid to tell the truth for fear you will be rejected? Or, out of fear of other consequences? Do you remain in sinful addiction because you have given up hope of ever changing? 

The Lord Jesus led me to read John 8 (Select vv. ESV).

But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. 

Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” Vv. 1-11

When you are following the Lord Jesus Christ with your life, and you are teaching the truth, you should expect that there will be people who will oppose you and who will even try to trip you up. And don’t be surprised if some of those people are within the church, and even from among the church leadership. So, we need to be watchful and be on our guard, and be ready to respond to such opposition in the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. For, He will give us the words to say, if we will listen to him.

The religious leaders within the temple of God were Jesus’ strongest opponents, and they often did things to try to trip Jesus up and to show to others that he was not who he said he was or that he was in error in some way. So, their bringing this woman before Jesus had nothing really to do with following the law and maintaining righteousness. They used that woman to get at Jesus, and Jesus knew that. He had their number.

So, he bent down to write something in the ground with his finger. Many people have speculated as to what he wrote. Not one of us really knows. I have a sense that he wrote something revealing about each one who was accusing this woman, perhaps not by name, but by sin, and in a way that they recognized that he was talking about them.

This makes sense to me, because next he said, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” So, I think there was something Jesus wrote in the ground that convinced them that they were not without sin, because these Pharisees were very self-righteous, and I don’t believe Jesus’ verbal statement would have been enough to convince them to throw down their stones and leave. I believe, therefore, that what he wrote was incriminating to them, and they knew it.

Sometimes we have to be humbled, and we have to be faced with the reality of our own sins before we put down our stones we want to throw at others because we believe they are such horrible sinners while we are not. But, the Bible says there is none righteous, no not one, not of ourselves, anyway. And, it says that all have sinned and have come up short of the glory of God. It also says that it is only by God’s grace that any of us are saved, and that this is not of ourselves, lest any of us should boast, but it is a gift of God.

I don’t have to look very far into my past to see some of the horrible things I did. And, when I think about the grace of God, and his patience with me while I wandered from my pure devotion to him, for a time, how can I not show that same grace and love to others that he showed me? 

Now, grace is not an excuse for sin, nor does it ignore the sin and pretend it doesn’t exist. Jesus didn’t stop with, “neither do I condemn you.” He said, “Go and sin no more.” His forgiveness of our sins is not freedom to continue in sin. His forgiveness is so we will “go and sin no more.” This is why he died, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness, not that we would remain in our sinful addictions, still in bondage, and still under the control of Satan. His message of grace is one of freedom from slavery to sin, not just freedom from the punishment of sin.

“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.’” V. 12

If you want to be a Jesus follower, you can no longer walk (in lifestyle) in sin. You cannot be one who makes a practice of sin. In fact, the Bible teaches that if we say we have fellowship with God, but we walk (conduct our lives) in darkness (in sin), that we are liars. It says, too, that if we walk according to the flesh, that we will die in our sins, but if, by the Spirit, we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, then we will live. And, it says that if we make sin our practice, that we don’t have the hope of eternal life with God, but a fearful expectation of judgment. We need to take this seriously!

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” Vv. 31-32

What does it mean to abide? It means to stay, to remain, and to endure. It also means to stand, to take, and to accept without objection. We have to be in the Word daily, drinking it into our minds and hearts, listening to our Savior speak, and then we must follow in obedience to what it says. 

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God (is God-breathed) and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person of God might be complete, fully equipped for good works (2 Timothy 3:16-17). But not all Scripture is applicable, in its strictest sense, to the church today, so we must always read the OT in light of NT teachings and our new covenant relationship with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

I note this, because I want to point out that we, as believers in Jesus, are not under all the Old Covenant liturgical and ceremonial laws, like stoning people for committing adultery, but we are under the law of grace. But God’s grace is not soft on sin. God’s grace instructs us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly (fleshly) passions (lusts), and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we await Christ’s return (Titus 2:11-14).

So, how does the truth set us free? We have to be in the Word, learning what it teaches us, and then we have to obey the truth and tell the truth and it will set us free, because obedience is what frees us from our bondage. Thus, we no longer walk in darkness, but we now walk in the Light.

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” Vv. 34-36

If you are still holding on to sinful practices, you are not walking in freedom. If these sinful practices are what you live by, then you are still a slave to sin. And, if you are a slave to sin, then you are not alive in Christ Jesus, our Lord. 

BUT, if Jesus has set you free, meaning you have died with him to sin, and you are living with him to righteousness, not necessarily in sinless perfection, but sin is no longer your master, and Jesus is truly your Lord, then you are free indeed, but not just from the punishment of sin, but from the control of sin.

Again, Jesus didn’t just tell the woman that he did not condemn her, but he told her to go and sin no more. That is true freedom! Not just forgiveness, but deliverance from our sinful addictions. Then, we are free indeed!

Thank you, Jesus, for the freedom that is ours in Christ Jesus, our Lord, because you have set us free!

My Prayer  

An Original Work / May 30, 2011

“Fill me with Your Spirit; 

help me to love others;

Let me know Your power; 

be an overcomer.

Show me how to follow 

Jesus Christ, my Savior;

Be His faithful servant 

to obey Him always.

“Lead me with Your presence; 

help me know the right way;

Teach me love and kindness, 

generous compassion.

Give me grace and courage 

to be Jesus’ witness,

Teaching His salvation 

to a world who needs Him.”

Won’t you come and follow 

Jesus Christ, your Savior?

He died so you’d be 

free of control of your sin;

Free to follow His ways 

in complete surrender;

Living sacrifices – 

let His grace transform you. 

https://vimeo.com/122052093

Living Lives of Holiness and Godliness

“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

“Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.” (2 Peter 3:8-13 ESV)

Before Jesus Christ left this earth to return to the Father, he told his disciples that he was going to prepare a place for them, and that he would come again and would take them to himself, that where he was there they would be also. And this is a promise to all who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-persuaded faith in the Lord, that one day he is going to come back to the earth to gather up his faithful bride and to take us to be with him for eternity. And it is a hope that we hold on to as we wait for his return.

But not one of us knows the exact day nor hour of his return, although the Scriptures teach us that we should know when it is near by the signs of the times in which we live. And by the signs of the times in which we are now living on the earth, it appears to me that his return cannot be that far off. But we must be careful that we don’t get caught up in false prophecies where people are setting dates of his return nor to follow those who are mocking the fact that he has not yet returned as he said that he would.

For the same God who fulfilled his promise to destroy the earth and its people with water, except for Noah and his family and the animals they saved, he will judge the earth and its people again, only this time with fire. The Lord will then bring into judgment all the ungodly. And all the ungodly include many who profess faith in Jesus Christ with their lips but who do not honor him with their lifestyles, their practices. So a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ is not enough to save you from the judgments of God.

And the fact that the Lord has not yet returned to judge the earth and its people and to take his faithful bride to be with him for eternity is not to be considered evidence that what he promised will not take place. He is just giving the people of the earth plenty of time to repent of their sins and to surrender their lives to him and to now follow him in obedience to his commands before the day of judgment when he will tell many who profess him as Lord to depart from him, for he never knew those who make disobedience to God their practice and not holy living (Matthew 7:21-23).

Therefore, we should not take lightly the fact that our Lord is going to one day, perhaps soon, return to judge the people of this earth with fire who have not surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ, who have not forsaken their sinful practices, and who are thus not walking in his ways according to his commands. And we should not assume that he will take us to be with him for eternity if our lives are not surrendered to him to do his will, but if we are still charting our own course, doing life the way we want, for our pleasure, and if sin is still what we practice as a matter of life course.

Instead, we should be those who are being diligent to be found in the Lord without spot or blemish, and at peace. And this does not mean that we will be absolutely perfect people (1 John 2:1-2) if we are true followers of Christ, but that sin should no longer be our habit, our practice. But now godliness and moral purity and uprightness and honesty and integrity and obedience to our Lord should be what we practice, in lifestyle, by the grace of God, in the power of God, according to the will and purpose of God for our lives.

For what do the Scriptures teach? God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation, is training (instructing) us to renounce (say “No!” to) ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. For Jesus Christ gave himself 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, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Titus 2:11-14; Ephesians 2:10).

And Jesus said that if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his 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, regardless of what faith we profess with our lips. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow our Lord in obedience to his commands, then we have the hope of eternal life with our Lord. For he died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (Luke 9:23-26; 1 Peter 2:24).

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

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

For His Good Pleasure

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV).

What does this mean to work out our own salvation? Well, when we have a correct biblical perspective of our salvation it helps us in understanding what this is saying. For this is not about us trying to earn or to deserve our own salvation through our own fleshly “good works” that we think we are doing for God but while we still live the way that we want without regard for God and for his will and purpose for our lives.

For, by God-given and God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are 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. Therefore, we are to not let sin continue to reign in our mortal bodies, to make us obey its desires. For if sin is what we obey, and not obedience to our Lord, we will die in our sins, not live for eternity.

For Jesus Christ taught that to come after him means that 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 for the sake of Christ we deny self, and die daily to sin, by his grace, and we follow him in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), then we have eternal life with him (see Luke 9:23-26; Romans 6:1-23).

And then we learn in the Scriptures that Jesus died 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 and for self so that we will now honor God with our bodies, and so that we will now live holy lives pleasing to him in walks of obedience and in surrender to his will for our lives.

1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 4:17-24

So, working out our own salvation with fear and trembling just means that we are walking in the salvation already provided for us via Jesus’ death and resurrection, and by his grace, and by God-given faith in him, which comes from him, and which is not of our own doing. So, we walk in obedience to our Lord, and we put sin to death in our lives, and we now live holy lives pleasing unto the Lord, but all because of God’s grace, and in his power!

“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me” (Philippians 2:14-18 ESV).

And this here is evidence of what it means to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling, by the grace of God, and in the power of God, under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. 

We are not to be people who fight and quarrel with other people, especially not with others of like faith in Jesus Christ. Now this is not teaching that we cannot stand up for what is right and contend with what is evil. We can! And we should! Jesus definitely did, and so did his NT apostles. And we are instructed in the Scriptures that we are not only to be sharing the truth of the gospel, and living it, but we are to expose the fruitless deeds of darkness for what they are so that others do not fall into their evil traps.

But we need to learn how to do this without getting into heated arguments with others to the point to where we do and say things we should not do or say. We all have to guard against this, for Satan loves to provoke us to the point of anger. And so we must control that anger by the Spirit. And we must walk away from pointless discussions that go nowhere, especially if they are ones that get repeated over again. In some cases, wisdom says to walk away, for it will only go badly if we stay and try to prove our point. 

Yes, we definitely live in a crooked and twisted generation, and so much of that has also creeped into the gatherings of what are called “churches.” But remember here that the church is not a building, not a corporation, not a church denomination, and not a specific physical location. The church is us who believe in Jesus Christ with genuine God-persuaded faith in Christ. We are the church, the living stones in God’s spiritual house, his building, of which he is our cornerstone and head.

But we are not to be part of that crooked and twisted generation. For God has called us to be his holy people who are living different (unlike, separate) from the world because God is now conforming us to the likeness in character of Jesus Christ, by our faith in Christ Jesus as Lord of our lives. We are not to blend in with our culture so that people will like us, but we are to walk in holiness and in righteousness in obedience to our Lord and to his calling on our lives to be his holy people.

Therefore, we are to stand out as different, as odd, as peculiar because we aren’t like the world, because we are being conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ. And we are to shine the light of truth and of the gospel of our salvation via how we live our lives to the glory of God, and via our witness and our testimonies for Jesus Christ and for his gospel. And this engages refuting the lies of Satan, for so many people professing faith in Jesus Christ are following the lies and not the truth that Jesus taught.

And we are to be people of God who are willing to be hated and rejected and thought peculiar and cast away and forsaken and mistreated by others who do not believe and live the same gospel we believe and obey, by the grace of God. And this is so that we can share the truth of the gospel of Christ with others without fear of their rejection or persecution of us. For many people are believing the lies, and so they need to hear the truth, and so we need to be those who are willing to sacrifice our lives for the sake of their salvation.

[Matt 5:10-12; Matt 10:16-25; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 6:22-23; Lu 21:12-19; Jn 15:1-21; Jn 16:33; Jn 17:14; Ac 14:22; Rom 5:3-5; Phil 3:7-11; 1 Pet 1:6-7; 1 Pet 4:12-17; 2 Tim 3:12; 1 Thess 3:1-5; Jas 1:2-4; 2 Co 1:3-11; Heb 12:3-12; 1 Jn 3:13; Rev 6:9-11; Rev 7:9-17; Rev 11:1-3; Rev 12:17; Rev 13:1-18; Rev 14:1-13]

I Stand in Awe

By Mark Altrogge

… You are beautiful beyond description

Yet God crushed You for my sin

In agony and deep affliction

Cut off that I might enter in

Who can grasp such tender compassion?

Who can fathom this mercy so free?

You are beautiful beyond description

Lamb of God who died for me

And I stand, I stand in awe of You

I stand, I stand in awe of You

Holy God, to whom all praise is due

I stand in awe of You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmZTz5H49zw

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My Jonah Story

The Lord Jesus led me to read Psalms 119:105-112 ESV.

Back in the early 1980s, when my children were still quite young, and I was a young mother of four, I had a situation in a church with the leadership misjudging me, and honestly, not being very nice about it, either. The pastor said to me, “Would you say that you have been crucified with Christ?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “Well I say that you haven’t.” 

Wow! That hit me like a ton of bricks. My heart was broken. It was crushed, in fact. So, what did I do? I ran! I mean, what else could I do? He had sealed my fate, and there was no other way around it, right? I felt I had no other recourse. So, I just played the game “I’m ok.” “You’re ok.” And, then everything was fine. They were happy with me, but I wasn’t happy with me.

“Your word is a lamp to my feet

    and a light to my path.

I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,

    to keep your righteous rules.” (vv. 105-106)

Then, one day I was reading the story of Jonah to my children, and God spoke so clearly to my heart that that was me, that I was running from God, not for the same reasons Jonah ran, mind you, but still I was running from the situation. So, he told me to get back in there and to fight this thing through. 

And, then I said, “But God, you don’t understand!” The thing of it is, I really believed that. I believed God had no power over my situation, but that this pastor did, and that there was nothing I could do to change it. I was doomed!

But, the Lord kept encouraging me to get in there and to fight this thing through, so I went and talked with a good friend of mine, who was also the wife of one of the church elders. I told her my situation, and she told me that I came across too much like I “had it all together.” So, she tried to help me identify where that was coming from. But, I kept saying, “No, that isn’t it.” It wasn’t until she said, “I know what it is. It is a spirit of fear,” that I knew this was it. So, we prayed for God to deliver me, and he did.

“I am severely afflicted;

    give me life, O Lord, according to your word!

Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord,

    and teach me your rules.” (vv. 107-108)

But, what came next was something I would not have ever imagined. I had been severely abused by my dad in my childhood, but I was told I just needed to stuff my pain, basically, i.e. to forget it. I had no one I could talk with about it, so I thought I was doing the right thing by just trying to forget it. But, I wasn’t forgetting it. I was just hiding the hurt deep inside me. 

So, when God delivered me from this spirit of fear, all these memories and hurts began to come to the surface, and I began to weep out loud to God. I didn’t know what to do with what I was feeling, and my friend didn’t know either, so she suggested I talk with the pastor. “Oh, no, I couldn’t do that”, I said. “He hates me.” So, she talked with him for me, with permission from me, and she told him what my deal was, i.e. about my childhood.

“I hold my life in my hand continually,

    but I do not forget your law.

The wicked have laid a snare for me,

    but I do not stray from your precepts.” (vv. 109-110)

Well, this same pastor who had been so cruel to me now called me on the phone. He told me he was sorry. He told me that, as my pastor, he is supposed to be a spiritual father to me, but that he hadn’t been a very good one, and he asked me to forgive him and to give him a second chance. And, so I did. I did cry, though, when he told me that. I couldn’t hold back the tears. No man had ever said such words to me, that I recalled.

So, I told him about all these memories that were surfacing, and I asked him what to do with them. He told me to cry them out to God, and then to just release them to God and let him have them, rather than to stuff them back inside, so that is what I did, and God began to heal me.

Then, this pastor gave me an assignment within the church to observe another woman in the church teaching a class, and to see what I could learn from her. I submitted to his request, did what he said, and then he and I met a few times to talk about what I was learning, and to see how things were progressing with me and with my healing process.

Just think of it, if I had hung in there with the whole Jonah thing, I would have totally missed out on all that, and so would have this pastor.

Well, to make a long story short, the Lord took me through a long healing process, because there was so much damage done to my heart and emotions and mind, but this pastor was there to help me through the beginning stages of it, anyway, until we moved away from there, and through it all we actually developed a friendship. Weird, huh?

“Your testimonies are my heritage forever,

    for they are the joy of my heart.

I incline my heart to perform your statutes

    forever, to the end.” (vv. 111-112)

Anyway, when we run from things God has allowed in our lives, for his purposes, we miss out on all the blessings he has for us through them, and so do many other people for whom the Lord wants to do marvelous things in their lives, too. 

For example, this pastor finally admitted to me that he was threatened by me because when I shared during group Bible study discussion, I spoke with too much authority for a young woman. He told me, at one time, that I should wait until I had gray hairs on my head, and then people would listen to me. But, now he was admitting to me that he had misjudged me; that they, the elders had misjudged me. Now he could truly see my heart.

So, instead of running, we need to see what God wants to do through our circumstances, and believe that he is completely sovereign, and that he does truly understand what we are going through, and that he has a plan. 

But, to be perfectly honest, that is not the last time I ran from God. You would think that I would have learned my lesson, and I did for a long while. But, there were other times in my life when the pressures of life got me down, and instead of running to God, I ran from him, again. 

Some of those situations had to do with other pastors or church leaders misjudging or mistreating me. There were many of them, in fact, more than one could possibly imagine would happen to just one person. Some of these situations had to do with other people abusing, betraying and/or using me for their advantage. So, God had to heal me of those heartaches, too. I had to learn to trust fully in his sovereignty, and to rest in his promises, to rely fully on his grace to help me in my time of need, and to keep pressing on, in his strength, in being the woman of God he created me to be.

Praise the Lord, I stopped running from God quite a few years ago. Now I run INTO his arms, which is the ONLY place to be ever!

Jesus, I am Resting, Resting  

Hymn lyrics by Jean Sophia Pigott, 1876 

Music by James Mountain, pub.1876

Jesus, I am resting, resting,

In the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.

Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,

And Thy beauty fills my soul,

For by Thy transforming power,

Thou hast made me whole.

O, how great Thy loving kindness,

Vaster, broader than the sea!

O, how marvelous Thy goodness,

Lavished all on me!

Yes, I rest in Thee, Belovèd,

Know what wealth of grace is Thine,

Know Thy certainty of promise,

And have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus,

I behold Thee as Thou art,

And Thy love, so pure, so changeless,

Satisfies my heart;

Satisfies its deepest longings,

Meets, supplies its every need,

Compasseth me round with blessings:

Thine is love indeed!

Ever lift Thy face upon me

As I work and wait for Thee;

Resting ‘neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus,

Earth’s dark shadows flee.

Brightness of my Father’s glory,

Sunshine of my Father’s face,

Keep me ever trusting, resting,

Fill me with Thy grace.

Jesus, I am resting, resting,

In the joy of what Thou art;

I am finding out the greatness

Of Thy loving heart.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztxL1ljMOCU

My Heart's Desire

Oh, Lord, You are my heart’s desire

I want to do what You require

To meet with You at break of day

To read Your word, to bow and pray

To listen to Your every word

To think not that it is absurd

To drink its truths into my heart

So, from You, Lord, I’ll not depart

To love You, Lord, as you love me

You gave Your life upon a tree

You sacrificed for all my sin

So, by Your Spirit, pure within

To love Your people, the world, too

To share with them all that You do

To show them why for us You died

Our sins, with You, be crucified

Now we can live for You each day

To do all that You do and say

To minister Your word, in truth

To dissipate the lies uncouth

To give such hope as You gave me

That from my sin I would be free

To walk with You, serve You each day

Surrendered to You, Lord, I pray

An Original Work / April 15, 2021

What's Our Purpose?

“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.

“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.” (Ephesians 3:14-21 ESV)

Belief in Jesus Christ is not for the sole purpose of being forgiven all our sins so that when we die we get to go to heaven, even though that is how some people are teaching “the gospel.” And it isn’t just so that we deny self, die to sin daily, and walk in obedience to our Lord’s commands, and not in sin, although it certainly entails all of that. But when we believe in Jesus we enter into a covenant of marriage with our Lord which is a binding covenant that must be fulfilled by both the husband (Christ) and his bride (us).

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

But it isn’t just all of that, either. For when we are believing in Jesus Christ with God-gifted and God-persuaded faith in him, we also become members of the family of God, and we enter into relationship with his church, his bride, and we are now members of his church, his body, with our fellow Christians now becoming our brothers and sisters. And we are now family. And as members of the same family we are to look out for one another, and to care about each other, and do for each other according to God’s word.

And the apostle Paul sets an example for us in what this is supposed to look like. Now he often was not physically present with those to whom he was ministering, for a lot of the time he was in prison for preaching the gospel. And they didn’t have telephones and celphones and smartphones back in his day, nor did they have texting and emails and social media, and such, as we do. So a lot of his communications with the body of Christ were via writing letters to them, which were probably not delivered overnight, either.

So, for one example here, we do not have to be physically present with the body of believers in Christ Jesus in order to minister to the body of Christ in the manner in which the Scriptures teach that we ought to do. For the body of Christ, the church, is all one body, the universal body of Christ, which is comprised of all who are of genuine faith in Jesus Christ throughout the world. And with the invention of the internet and social media and smartphones and such, we are able to communicate with people all over the world in many different nations and to people of multiple languages.

And Paul’s writings did eventually get to the people of the world of many different nations and languages and cultures via missionaries going to these nations, but also now via the internet and social media and smartphones and the like. But we must be careful with these various devices, for they also contain a whole world of evil within them, too. So we must be very guarded when we use such devices so that we do not fall prey to the enemy and fall back into sin and thus desert the Lord and his calling upon our lives.

But Paul cared about the believers in Christ in various locations, and so when he could not be with them in person, he wrote them letters to encourage them, and to exhort them, and sometimes to scold them or to warn them and to caution them against falling prey to deception. And that is the purpose of the writings that the Lord Jesus gives to me, too. But this is something we all should be doing, not necessarily in writing, although the internet right now is still open to us sharing the gospel, but not forever.

And Paul was concerned for the spiritual welfare of the believers in Christ, and so he was concerned that they be strengthened with power via the Holy Spirit in their walks of faith and in obedience to the Lord. For we are all human beings, and we still live in flesh bodies, and we will grow weak and tired, and we can become vulnerable to the temptations of Satan to desert our Lord and his calling on our lives and to go the way of the flesh and of the world so that the world will like us and not reject us.

For faith in Jesus Christ is not a feeling or a profession or a religion, but it is our practice. For the word faith, with regard to the Christian faith, means to be persuaded of God. And what God persuades us to do in his word is that we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his commands. He persuades us first of all of his holiness and righteousness and of our sinfulness and of our need to repent of our sins and to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ and to now follow him in walks of obedience to his commands.

For the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge is not just about Jesus dying on a cross to save us from our sins so that we can go to heaven when we die. It is about Jesus giving his life up for us on that cross to buy us back for God (to redeem us) out of our lives of living in sin and for self, so that we will now serve and honor the Lord Jesus with our lives in walks of obedience to his commands and in holy living, and in daily denying self and dying to sin. For Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

So, make certain that you are daily denying self and dying to sin, by the Spirit, and that you are walking in the ways of the Lord in holy living, by his grace, and in his power, and that you are no longer giving way to sinful rebellion but that you are now living righteously. And then be those who minister to one another within the body of Christ in the ways in which God’s word teaches us that we, as the body of Christ, are to minister God’s love and grace to one another, according to his will and purpose for our lives.

[Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 14:1-5; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:10-20; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:12-16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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That Man

Some of John’s (the Baptist) disciples were envious of Jesus because, according to them, “That Man” was now baptizing people, and people were following him instead of following John. So, John set his disciples straight. He reminded them of what he had told them previously – that he was not the promised one to come, but he was merely sent to prepare the way for the bridegroom, Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah. As well, he told them that the bride (Christ’s followers) belonged to Jesus Christ, not to John. 

John was joyful because the one for whom he had been sent to prepare the way for had now come, and so John had completed his mission. Jesus Christ was now to become greater, and John was to become less. 

Then John shared with them the crux of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus was from heaven, and he was and is above all, i.e. he was and is God. Yet, he would be, was, and is rejected by those to whom he came with his message from God (from heaven). Though he spoke and speaks the very words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit, yet many reject Christ and his gospel of salvation. So all that awaits them is God’s wrath. Yet, for those who do accept Christ’s testimony, they certify that God is truthful. And, for those who believe and who put their faith in Jesus Christ, they are given the hope of eternal life with God. 

That Man 

An Original Work / May 23, 2013 

Based off John 3:22-36

An argument between some men

Erupted out of resentment.

They came to John and said,

“That man is baptizing everyone.

They’re going to Him.”

So, John replied, “A man can

Only receive what is given him.

You yourselves can testify that

I said, ‘I am not the Christ.

I’m sent before Him.’”

The bride belongs to the bridegroom.

His friends await and watch for Him.

They are full of joy when they hear

His voice speaking words to them.

That now is our joy!

Jesus, the One who comes from heav’n –

He testifies of forgiveness.

Yet, so many do not trust in

His words, and do not repent.

They will face judgment.

The one who trusts in Jesus Christ

Has certified that God is truth.

Jesus Christ speaks the words of God.

Those who put their faith in Him,

Eternal life gain!

https://vimeo.com/116487342