Shifting Shadows

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

God’s grace to us is his gift to us. Our salvation from slavery to sin is his gift to us. And, the faith to believe in him as our Savior and Lord is also God’s gift to us.

We cannot generate any of this within ourselves, within our own flesh. None of this is our own doing! We can do nothing in ourselves to earn or to deserve God’s grace or his salvation from sin, or to muster up enough faith to save us from our sins. All of this comes from God, and is of God!

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. James 1:16-18 NIV

Because God’s grace, our salvation, and the faith to believe in Jesus Christ are all gifted to us from God, and are of God, they will all be in line with God’s perfect purposes and will for us, and they will all be in line with his divine character, purity, holiness and righteousness, too. If they are not, then they are not of God, but they are a false substitute for the real deal.

For, we are not to be deceived by those who would have us believe that God’s gift of grace to us, and his gift of salvation to us, too, require no repentance, no obedience to Christ’s commands, and no submission to Christ as Lord (owner-master) of our lives.

We are not to be deceived by those who would have us believe that God’s grace to us is merely “fire insurance” so that we can keep on in sinful addiction without guilt and still have the hope of eternal life with God.

We are not to be deceived by those who would have us believe that God’s grace to us, too, is merely forgiveness of sins and the hope of heaven when we die, regardless of how we live our lives while we still live on this earth.

For, our Lord does not change! He is the same yesterday, today and forever! His will for us has not altered. He has not shifted to another position, and now he is ok with us living in sin in open rebellion against him while claiming that his grace covers it all.

God’s Will for Us

It has always been and always will be God’s will for us that we walk in holiness, that we live in purity of devotion to him, that we forsake our former lifestyles of living to sin and self, and that we now walk (in practice) in obedience to his commands (Rom. 6:1-23; Eph. 4:17-24; Tit. 2:11-14).

And, his message to us always has been and always will be that if we choose to walk in sin (in darkness) and not in his light (his truth, his righteousness), that we will die in our sins, not have eternal life with God (1 Jn. 1:5-9; Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 2:6-8; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:16-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Eph. 5:3-6).

So, God has not changed. He has not shifted to another position regarding sin and righteousness and holy living. But, men have altered his gospel message, and they have twisted it and made it into something that is not of God, but is of men, and that is intended to appeal to the flesh of man.

They have turned darkness into light, and light into darkness. They have made evil into something good, and good into something evil so that humans can go on in their sinful addiction without guilt believing they are going to heaven. But, that is a lie straight from hell! For God’s gifts to us are pure, holy, and righteous, and thus they will produce what is pure, holy and righteous, too.

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. James 1:19-21 NIV

This is not just about anger. This is about all moral filth and evil that is so prevalent in our society, in the world, and now inside much of the church, too.

And, it isn’t just that so many people who call themselves Christians, including pastors of churches, too, are committing adultery against God and against their spouses on a habitual basis, and that many of them are addicted to pornography and sexual sins of many kinds, but that they are now twisting the Word of God to permit such evil under the guise of grace.

Yet, none of these practices of evil produce the righteousness that God REQUIRES (note that word). For, he doesn’t just desire it, he requires it (See: Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; 1 Pet. 2:24).

So, what are our instructions here? We are to get rid of all the moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent.

And, how do we do that? We have to cut out of our lives TV shows, movies, videos, games, music, social media, news shows, commercials, internet sites (the parts we view), books, and magazines, and the like, that glorify and promote sin of any kind, and that seduce with sensuality and/or sexually explicit words or pictures or sounds, for we are to keep our minds pure. If we don’t, we are not going to be able to live in purity.

We have to cut out of our lives all things that are leading us into sin. And, we have to forsake our lifestyles of living to sin and to self, and let the Holy Spirit of God transform our minds away from sin to God, to follow him in obedience to his commands, and to his will, and to his ways.

And, we have to humbly accept the Word of God planted in us, which can save us.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. James 1:22-25 NIV

But, accepting the Word of God is not intellectual assent to what it says. It is not merely reading it, studying it, knowing its ins and outs, and memorizing it. For, there are a lot of people who know the scriptures intellectually, but it has never gotten down deep into their hearts to where they are putting it into practice.

We have to do what the Word says! We have to obey our Lord’s commands – the ones repeated for us in the New Testament under the New Covenant. We have to put the Word of God into practice in our daily lives. It is no good to us at all if we just let it go in one ear and out the other. We have to forsake living for sin and self to now live for God and to his righteousness.

And, notice with me what this says here. It is those who look intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and who continue in it, not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it, who will be blessed in what they do.

So, yes, there is a law that gives freedom, and that is the law of God that says we must forsake our lifestyles of sin to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands if we want to have eternal life with God and salvation from our slavery to sin. For, the cheap grace gospel, which demands no obedience or submission to Christ or turning away from living in sin, although it may promise you freedom, still keeps you bound in your sins, headed for hell.

Put Sin to Death

For, Jesus didn’t die that horrible death on a cross so that we could go on in our sins unhindered. He died to put sin to death in our lives so that we would now be slaves of his righteousness, and that we would no longer walk according to the flesh, but that we would now walk according to the Spirit and thus have eternal life with God (Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17).

So, don’t be deceived. What we sow, we will also reap. If we sow to please the flesh, from the flesh we will reap destruction (decay, death). But, if we sow to please the Spirit of God, then from the Spirit we will reap eternal life with God (Gal. 6:7-8; cf. Rom. 2:6-8; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6).

So, instead of listening to liars and deceivers who would convince you that God’s grace gives you freedom to go on in your sinful practices without guilt, and that obedience to Christ is not required, listen to what the Word of God teaches, and do what it says. Forsake your sins, and turn to God to follow him in obedience to his commands, and there you will find true freedom.

And, then shine the light of Jesus and of his righteousness and truth to the world about you through how you live and by the words that you speak, too.

Shine On

By Ann Aschauer

So shine on through the darkness;

Be the salt and light for all your world.

Live for Jesus, 'til you see Him,

And your faith has its reward;

Shine on through the darkness;

Let His love shine through you all your days.

Go and win your generation for the Lord.

c 1990 Ann Aschauer

False Righteousness

“I hate, I despise your feasts,

    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and grain offerings,

    I will not accept them;

and the peace offerings of your fattened animals,

    I will not look upon them.

Take away from me the noise of your songs;

    to the melody of your harps I will not listen.

But let justice roll down like waters,

    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.”

Amos 5:21-24 ESV

Have you ever had anyone declare their steadfast love and devotion to you only to learn that the opposite was true? They made a profession of their fidelity, and their commitment to you, only to do what was the exact opposite of their profession. They may have even made a public display of their dedication and faithfulness, only for you to realize it was an outward display only, because their actions toward you were to the contrary.

If you have experienced this in any way or at any time in your life, then you should be able to identify with our Lord in what he is expressing here.

Now, I don’t believe that anyone of us loves perfectly all the time, but there may be exceptions. But, we aren’t talking here about perfect and faultless love and devotion. We are talking about hypocritical professions of love and devotion which are not backed by our lifestyles.

This is about saying one thing while knowingly and willfully and even premeditatedly doing another. This is about making declarations of love and devotion to God only to turn around and live for self and for self-gratification and in direct disobedience to his commands. This is about making public displays of piety and devoutness to God while knowingly and willfully committing atrocities in secret, out of the public eye.

And, this happens every day somewhere. Every day there are people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, which is a promise of devotion to our Lord, and to faithfulness, and yet they live the exact opposite of their profession. They may even make outward and public displays of their loyalty to God while in secret their loyalties are to themselves and to their fleshly desires and appetites. They may go through the motions of worship of God, too, while they truly follow after the idols of the flesh of man and of this world of sin.

How God Feels

And, here we learn how God feels about such false declarations of love, piety and devotion to him. He can’t stand them! He wants them out of his sight! He hates them with a passion. He takes no delight in them. He will not accept them, he will not listen to them, and he will not look upon them.

And, he is talking here about public gatherings of the church and of their worship services, too. He is not interested in worship that is in noise only, but which is not truly from the heart. For, true worship of God is for us to give our lives over to him, holy and pleasing to him, and for us to no longer be conformed to the ways of this sinful world, but for us to be changed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from sin to obedience to Christ (Rom. 12:1-2; cf. Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

If all we do in public worship is just to sing songs with hands raised in the air to the music being played on a stage by trained musicians whose hearts and lives may be given over to the lusts of the flesh, and not to God at all, then we must know that is not acceptable worship of God.

Although singing and playing musical instruments is part of our worship of God, they are not the totality of our worship, and they are not worship at all if our hearts are not surrendered to our Lord, but if we are living sinful lifestyles, instead. So, you can have “worship” time in a “worship” service and not truly worship God at all if your profession of love to God is not followed up with walks of obedience to his commands and to the forsaking of your sinful practices.

Again, it would be just like someone professing love and devotion to their spouse while they secretly commit adultery and lie about it on a consistent and habitual basis. And, adultery takes many different forms, too. For, it is adultery to lust after someone you are not married to. And that includes habitually viewing, not just pornography, but anything that has sensuality or seductiveness in it which then causes one to lust.

And, adultery can be totally emotional and not physical, either, for many people have romantic affairs with people, maybe even via Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, too, and even via Christian discussion sites, and the like, where people meet other people online and where they interact with other people, and where they can private chat people to whom they are not married. Such affairs have destroyed many marriages, but they are like broken cisterns which do not hold water. They will never satisfy.

And, that is how God feels about us looking to other gods of this world to meet our legitimate needs (necessities) rather than looking to him alone to meet those needs. He sees it as adultery. It is how he feels when we run after the things of this world, and when we feel as though we can live for self-pleasure and for our own fleshly desires while we barely give him a passing glance, and yet publicly claim that we love him and that we worship him as LORD. He sees our actions as adultery against Him, which it is.

And, that is why he hates such hypocrisy, because if we live like this, we are habitually committing adultery against our Lord while professing the opposite. And, so he wants such false displays of righteousness out of his sight. He does not accept them as “love” or as “worship.” What he accepts as love for him is our walks of obedience to his commands and our forsaking of sinful practices. And, acceptable worship of him is to give our lives to him, holy and pleasing to him, no longer conformed to the ways of this world.

Let Justice Roll

So, what is pleasing in God’s sight? What is acceptable to him? It is that we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and that we are resurrected with him to newness of life in him to be lived to him and to his righteousness.

It is that we walk (in lifestyle, in practice) no longer according to the ways of this sinful world and according to our sinful flesh, but that we walk according to his Holy Spirit, living holy lives which were created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

This is acceptable worship of God. And, this alone will result in inheriting eternal life with God. For, if we walk according to the flesh, we will die in our sins because we refused to die with Christ to our sins (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6).

Anniversary Song

By Ann Aschauer

Well, some folks think that "love" means emotion,

So it comes and goes their whole life through.

Some folks never know that when the magic goes,

If you keep on lovin', it'll come back to you.

I was so afraid we'd lose the special feeling,

And someday we'd find our love wasn't true,

But then God opened up my eyes and made me realize,

Love is not what you feel, it's what you do.

    And so we stood side by side at the altar,

    As our wills and God's power combined.

    With His help I could say, "I do love you today,

    And I will for a long, long time."

c 1987 Ann Aschauer

Seek Good, Not Evil

Seek good, and not evil,

    that you may live;

and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you,

    as you have said.

Amos 5:14 ESV

You who profess faith in Jesus Christ, who claim him as your Lord and Savior, but who do not honor him, submit to him, or walk in obedience to him, “Seek good, and not evil.” You who profess to worship God as your only God, but who are idolaters, self-indulgent, immoral, corrupt, and living for the lusts of the flesh and for self-pleasure, “Seek good, and not evil, that you may live.”

You who pretend righteousness so that others will think well of you, and/or as a cover-up for your sinful practices, but who are secretly sinning against God and against others behind closed doors, or where no one else can see, “Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the Lord, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said” (as you have claimed he is).

You who believe you are in God’s good graces merely because you acknowledged Jesus Christ’s existence or sacrifice for our sins, or you said some words after someone else, or because you merely confessed him as Lord and acknowledged that he had risen from the dead, and so you were convinced you were saved and bound for heaven, don’t be smug, thinking you can keep on in your sinful practices and that God will do nothing.

You who live in the USA, who think you can’t be touched by tribulation, or by severe persecution, or who are under the false impression that we in America are the “good guys” of the world going around the world spreading peace and good will to all people, and so you think nothing bad will happen to us, don’t be fooled! Don’t be taken in by the lies.

We are under the judgment of God, as a nation, because of the atrocities our nation has committed throughout the world in the name of God and in the name of freedom and democracy.

For, our nation is morally corrupt from the top to the bottom. Lies and deception abound. And, the church in America, for the most part, has gone the way of the world and of big business, and they have turned God’s house into a marketplace, and they are unequally yoked together with unbelievers, and they are following after the teachings and the gospel of men instead of after the teachings of Jesus Christ and of his gospel.

Immersed in Culture

Although God has blessed this nation, in many ways, for many years, he has also disciplined and chastised her, too, in order to get her to repent of her wicked ways. But, she forgot the discipline soon after, and she returned to her wicked ways and to following after the desires of the flesh, rather than following after the ONE who created all of humankind.

The church across America, for the most part, has lost its saltiness and has hidden its light which is supposed to be the light of the world which she is to shine in the darkness so that all may see.

Instead of going out into the world with the gospel of our salvation, she has been convinced to become one with the world in order to “win the world,” but to what? Not to Christ! She has been convinced to immerse herself in today’s culture so that the world will feel at home with her and will feel accepted by her.

She forgot her calling, which is of God, and she has adopted the calls of the world, instead, and the teachings and the gospel of men in place of the teachings of the scriptures and the gospel of Jesus Christ. And, she is trying to reach the world for organized religion and to build kingdoms of men, and so she is following business marketing schemes instead of the Holy Spirit.

And she is silencing those who are preaching the true gospel while she is also convincing prospective “believers” that they don’t have to leave their sinful lifestyles behind to follow our Lord in obedience to his commands.

So, the Lord is warning of divine judgment (See Rev. 2-3), and he is calling his wayward church to repentance and to renewed walks of faith in him. But, he is saying that if they do not repent that judgment is most certain. For, God disciplines and he chastises those he loves, and he will chastise (judge) his adulterous, unfaithful, disobedient and covenant-breaking people. And, this is because they continually dishonor him and disobey him.

For, the vast majority of the church in America has bought into the cheap grace gospel message which says that we can continue in our sinful practices without guilt and without remorse and that we are still forgiven our sins and guaranteed heaven as our eternal destiny, which is a mockery of what Jesus did for us in dying on a cross so that we could die with him to sin and live with him to his righteousness.

And, if we begin to feel guilty over our sinful practices, they say, if that is where we are, living in sin, all we have to do is just claim who we are in Christ to appease the guilt and to convince ourselves that God is smiling on us even when we are steeped in rebellion, idolatry, immorality and willful and defiant disobedience to his commands.

So, with this comes no commitment to our Lord to leave our lifestyles of sin behind us or to walk in obedience to his commands, and so God’s standards of conduct that he put in place for us to follow have been “thrown out the window,” so to speak, and instead they just console people in their sins.

Hate evil, and love good,

    and establish justice in the gate;

it may be that the Lord, the God of hosts,

    will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.

Amos 5:15 ESV

But, we are to hate evil, and love good, not hate good and love evil, which is where many who profess the name of Jesus are living their lives.

For they are being taught that it is bad to repent of sin and walk in obedience to Christ’s commands, for they say that is works-based salvation and it is to be avoided. And, they are being told or led to believe that their sins don’t matter to God once they “believe,” and so they can go on living in sin while they reject the idea of walking in obedience to Christ and to his Word.

Yet, we are to do what is right in the eyes of God, not what is evil and/or what is right in the eyes of humans in their deceitful scheming.

For, God has called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. He has called us to forsake our former lives of living for sin and self to follow our Lord in obedience to his will and to his ways. And, he has called us to now walk (in lifestyle) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God and not according to our flesh, if we want to inherit eternal life with God and to be saved from our sins.

And, he will fill us with his Holy Spirit and pour out his spiritual blessings on our lives. Although we will go through trials which test our faith, and we will be hated and persecuted for righteousness’ sake, we will be at peace with God, and he will use us for his glory in bringing others to faith in Jesus Christ, too. But, that faith results in lives which die daily to sin and self and which daily submit to Christ as Lord and do what he says to do.

And, not only do we need to be living that, so that truly we can be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, but this is the message that we need to be giving out to others, too, so that they can know Christ and walk in freedom from bondage to sin.

For, if we want to have the hope of salvation from sin and eternal life with God, then we must walk (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. For, if we walk according to our flesh (in practice), then we will die in our sins because we refused to die with Christ to our sins and so be saved.

[See: Lu. 9:23-25; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Gal. 5:16-21; Gal. 6:7-8; Rom. 2:6-8; Eph. 4:17-24; Eph. 5:3-6; Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Pet. 2:24; 1 Co. 6:20; 2 Co. 5:15, 21; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Jn. 14:23-24; 1 Jn. 2:3-6; Jn. 8:31-47; Rom. 11:17-24; 1 Jn. 2:24-25; Col. 1:21-23; Jas. 1:19-25; Jas. 4:7-10]

Shine On

By Ann Aschauer

So shine on through the darkness;

Be the salt and light for all your world.

Live for Jesus, 'til you see Him,

And your faith has its reward;

Shine on through the darkness;

Let His love shine through you all your days.

Go and win your generation for the Lord.

c Ann Aschauer 1990

Standing Against the Enemy

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10-12 ESV

You know, sometimes we need to be reminded of where our real battles lay. It is not to say that we don’t have human enemies coming against us. We do. And, they are very real, and they can be very oppressive. But, behind them is Satan and his many hordes.

And, this is not to excuse away any humans, either, for their sins against us. They are still responsible before God for what they do in this life, just as we are. It is just that we have to fight this battle, not with physical weapons of warfare, but with spiritual weapons of warfare, and in a spiritual realm.

So, this means that we don’t go into this battle in our own strength, or with our own human wisdom. We go into this battle in the strength of the Lord, putting on the armor of God which he has supplied. And, this means, too, that we seek out the wisdom and counsel of God in these situations so that we don’t let our own emotions get the best of us. We pray for guidance and direction in what to say, and in when to keep silent and to say nothing, too.

For, sometimes Satan will use other humans to goad us into discussions which are wholly unnecessary and fruitless, and/or to try to trip us up with our words, in order to accuse us. For, he has many schemes which he will use against us to try to bring us down, or to get us discouraged, or to get us feeling hopeless or without resource. For, this is his goal, to get us to doubt God and to be fearful, instead of putting our trust in our Lord.

So, we need to be aware of his various schemes so that we don’t fall prey to his cleverly devised traps. And, then we need to fight Satan with the armor of God in our conflicts with other humans.

Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God… Ephesians 6:13-17 ESV

This is not some formula here. This is not words that we say. This is how we fight against Satan’s schemes against us. And, he does use other humans to carry out his schemes, too, whether willfully or willingly or not. For sometimes he influences other humans in ways they are not even aware of, while other times he uses other humans who are his willing servants to do his bidding, for he just feeds off of or plays off of their fleshly appetites.

So, if we are going to survive his onslaught, then we need to put on this armor of God daily and consistently in order to defeat him and to be victorious in battle. And, putting this armor on just means to apply it to our daily lives, in practice.

So, for example, one of Satan’s biggest weapons he will use against us is his lies, which may be just what he whispers in our ears, or it may be something he influences other humans to say. And, so we have to know the truth of what God’s Word says and then use it against him. So, if he is whispering lies in our ears, we reject the lies, and we proclaim and believe the truth, instead.

And, if he uses other humans to tell lies, then we tell these humans the truth, instead, to counteract the lies and to defeat them. Or, we tell the truth to those who are believing the lies of others, so that they will not believe the lies, and so that they will believe and will follow after the truth. For, so many lies are being told these days through our political leaders, through the news media, and through men and women in the pulpits in our churches, too.

But, sometimes the lies are being said just to goad us, to provoke us, and to upset us, or to get us into a useless and pointless conversation in order to distract us from what is really important. And, I believe this is what is happening a lot on Facebook, on Twitter and in the news media. So much of it is a game, a very evil game that the powers of this world play against the people of the world where they get them fighting against one another over things that probably don’t even exist, but are all part of the soap opera.

So, we need the wisdom of God to know what is real and what is not real, and when we are just being played, fooled and tricked into getting into discussions with people either to distract us from what is important or to try to get us to lose our cool or to say something we shouldn’t have said that can later be used against us. For, remember the Pharisees did this to Jesus on a regular basis, saying things to him or about him in hopes to trip him up with his words. But, they failed every time.

… praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:18-20 ESV

We have to be in prayer incessantly. Yet, this does not mean that we stop everything going on in our lives so that we can go somewhere alone to talk with God. Life has to go on. We have things we have to do, jobs to fulfill, etc. But, if we see that our Lord is living within us, so that he is with us always, and if we keep open communication with our Lord through listening to him and through walking in obedience to his commands, then we can converse with him at any time and in any circumstance throughout the day.

And, we need to do that if we are going to make it in these evil times in which we live. For, we need the wisdom of God. And, we need his love being lived out through us. And, we need his strength to combat our enemy Satan and to walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to our flesh. And, sometimes all we can pray is “Help!” And, if we are following after him, he will come to our aid, and he will give us what we need to be victorious.

And, we also need to be praying for one another. For, all who are true believers in Jesus Christ, who are following after him and his ways, need prayer, and they need encouragement, too. But, encouragement is not just a pat on the back, and it is definitely not telling people lies, but it is doing what is beneficial and healthful for others, which will help them to grow in their faith and in their walks of obedience with Christ.

And, we need to be praying especially for those who are out there on the front lines of this battle, who are speaking the truth in love, and who are exposing the lies of Satan for what they are, and who are proclaiming the truth of God’s Word for all who will listen. For, they are being opposed by Satan and by his followers on a consistent basis, and many of them are being severely persecuted for their testimonies for Jesus Christ.

But, in all these things, we need to be in prayer, seeking God’s counsel and his wisdom and his strength to do what is right and to not fall into the traps of the devil who wants to find ways to trip us up so that he can accuse us.

The Solid Rock

Hymn Lyrics by Edward Mote, 1834

Music by William Bradbury, 1863

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found;

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.

Cornerstone

Hillsong

Christ alone; cornerstone

Weak made strong; in the Savior's love

Through the storm, He is Lord

Lord of all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvLxZEU02uI

Give it All Up!

“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV

This is a tall order, to be imitators of God, but this is what we are commanded to do. And, to imitate God is not to mock him, or to impersonate him, but it is to be like him – to model our lives after his life. It is to emulate him in all that we are and do and think and say.

But, to be like God, we have to first know God by personal God-given faith in Jesus Christ, who is God, and who is the Son of God. And, so we have to first of all be crucified with Christ, by faith in him, in death to sin, and then be resurrected with him, by the Spirit of God, to new lives in Christ Jesus our Lord, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:17-24; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Lu. 9:23-26).

Then, we are filled with the Spirit of God who then empowers us to become like God; like Jesus. But, then we have to step out in faith and do what God requires of us in order that we will be like him.

And, this involves daily dying to sin and self, and daily putting on the armor of God, and daily resisting the devil, and fleeing temptation, and drawing near to God, and walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 8:1-17; 1 Jn. 1:5-9; Eph. 6:10-20).

Then, as we walk daily by the Spirit of God, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh, and we will grow in our knowledge of God and in our fellowship with him, and we will become more and more like him in all that we do and are.

Walking in His Love

And, we will walk (in lifestyle, in conduct, in practice) in God’s love, which prefers what God prefers, which is what is holy, righteous, pure, honest, moral, and faithful. And, we will love others like God loves us, which is self-sacrificially, thinking of what is best, wholesome and good for others, and doing to them what is truly best for them, as God defines best (or good).

Thus, we are not going to lie to other people, not even if it is just to make them feel good. It doesn’t mean we have to be blunt or obtuse in what we say to people, but that we shouldn’t lie to them, even if we think we are being “nice.” We aren’t going to tell them what they want to hear, but we are going to tell them what they need to hear, for that is what Jesus did.

And, we will put others above ourselves in the sense that we will willingly do what is right for them, what is good, what is best for them, even if it means being hated, rejected and persecuted in return, for that is what Jesus did.

For, they didn’t put Jesus to death on a cross for being a “nice guy.” They put him to death because he challenged people in their sinful practices, and he spoke the truth to them in love, and he was honest, and he told them the truth about their sins, and he warned of judgment, and he called people to repentance and to obedience to him for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God (Lu. 9:23-26; Jn. 10:27-30; Jn. 6:35-66; Jn. 14:23-24).

So, when we do the same, we are also giving ourselves up for the good of others, for what is best for them, which is that they believe in Jesus Christ with God-given faith which dies with Christ to sin and which lives to God and to his righteousness in the power of God’s Holy Spirit within them.

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” Ephesians 5:3-6 ESV

If we are becoming like Jesus Christ, and if we are walking (in practice) in his love, then there will be no room for the flesh. We will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh because we are walking (in practice) by the Spirit of God. So, sin will no longer be what we practice, but instead we will be those who put holiness and godliness into practice in our lives, by the Spirit of God.

We will realize that love for others and love for God is not an emotion, not a feeling, but it is what we do. I am not saying, though, that our feelings or our emotions are not engaged in this kind of love, but that they are not critical to us loving others as God loves us. And, I am saying that this kind of love is not based in how we feel, but it is love in action which demonstrates true love by us acting in love towards others regardless of how we feel.

Also, many people confuse love and lust, and they are definitely not the same. For lust is selfish. It is focused totally on self, and on what the flesh desires, regardless of how that lusting after others devalues and injures others; regardless of who gets hurt in the process. So, a man or a woman may claim to “love” another person, but if they then make it their practice to devalue, to objectify, to cheat, lie to, steal from, commit adultery against or otherwise do that other person harm, then that isn’t love.

No Part in Them

So, all these things such as sexual immorality and all impurity is not to be a part of our lives or part of the life of the church. They shouldn’t be even hinted at among us. We should have no part in them, whether it is through reading books, listening to music, or watching TV shows, movies and videos with sensuality in them, or whether it is through actual sexual acts outside of the confines of marriage. Our thinking and our conduct are to be pure.

So, we need to purge these things from our lives. We need to cut out of our lives everything that is leading us into sin or anything that is impure or immoral that is feeding our minds with junk that is opposing purity and righteousness from taking hold in our lives. And, then we need to fill our minds with the Word of God and with what is pure and lovely, and we need to walk in obedience to our Lord instead of walking according to the flesh.

For, we need to understand here that if we make any of these things our practice, i.e. if we are adulterers, liars, thieves, etc., as our habit, as who we are, by our conduct, in what we regularly and consistently go to over and over again (cyclically), then it says here that we don’t have an inheritance with God in heaven but the wrath of God is going to come against those who walk in disobedience to God’s commands, because they refused to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ over their lives and thus be saved.

“Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “’Awake, O sleeper,    and arise from the dead,and Christ will shine on you.’ “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:7-16 ESV

So, not only are we not to walk according to the flesh, to fulfill the lustful desires of our flesh, but we are not to be partners (best friends and close companions) with those who do, too. We are not to take into our inner circle of friends and confidants those who make such things their practice, for bad company corrupts good character. If we are not careful, and if we are not guarded in these matters, we may then find that we are becoming like those we are around rather than us becoming like God; like Jesus.

So, choose your close friends and partners (associates) wisely, in prayer. And, this is especially true of church fellowships, too. Think about and pray about what kind of influence you are receiving from your local body of fellowship. What are they teaching you? What compromises are they making? How much of the world and the lusts of the flesh are being incorporated into your worship services or into your teaching and training?

What is the gospel message that is being taught at your local fellowship? Is it a cheap grace gospel which gives free license to continue in your sinful practices without guilt? Or is it God’s true grace which instructs you to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return? (Titus 2:11-14)

Consider these things prayerfully, and ask the Lord to give you the discernment that you need to know truth from lies, and love from lust, and true grace from cheap grace, and godly influences from ungodly influences. Then, give up what is not of God and what is leading you in the wrong direction, and focus your minds and your ears and your eyes on what is of God and what will lead to righteous and holy living to the glory of God.

Through it all,

through it all,

I've learned to trust in Jesus,

I've learned to trust in God.

Through it all,

through it all,

I've learned to depend upon His Word.

By Andraé Crouch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcE9-AngoeM

The Church on Fire!

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:13-16 ESV

What is the grace of God that is being brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ at his second coming? It is the true grace of God, which instructs us to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s soon return (Tit. 2:11-14; cf. Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

For, it delivers us from our slavery to sin, and it empowers us to live godly and holy lives. It puts sin to death in our lives. It does not placate sin. It leads us away from our sinful lifestyles. It does not make allowances for us to continue in our addiction to sin. And, it leads us to walking in obedience to our Lord’s commands, and to doing what he tells us to do (Lu. 9:23-26).

But, this is not…

But this is not the “grace of God” that is being taught widely within the institutional church of today, at least across America. What is widely being spread across America, and across the world, is a cheap grace gospel which allows you to merely acknowledge Jesus Christ, or to repeat some words after someone else, or to make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ, and then it guarantees you heaven when you die.

Not only is it leading many, many people to a false hope of salvation from sin, and to a false hope of eternal life with God, but it is leading many of God’s people astray, too. So, a large percentage of the church, at least here in America, has bought into this cheap grace gospel which unites the adulterous church with lasciviousness and with sexual idolatry. And, it allows the flesh full reign, for it doesn’t require death to sin and to self.

Those who believe in this cheap grace don’t have to leave their sinful lifestyles behind them. They don’t have to be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God away from sin and to obedience to Christ. But, after their encounter with God’s grace, they are allowed to go right back to living in sin while being promised heaven as their eternal destiny.

This has resulted in…

So, this has resulted in the true grace of God being ostracized from the church and from the lives of professed “believers” in Jesus. The true grace of God has been kicked out of the vast majority of the churches, as has also the Holy Spirit. And, they have been made into something they are not.

They teach the Holy Spirit as though he doesn’t transform us from darkness to light, and as though he doesn’t convict of sin or instruct us in holiness and righteousness. They teach him as though all he does is forgive our sins and promise us heaven when we leave this earth. And, they teach God’s grace as merely forgiveness of sins and our ticket into heaven, and as though the forsaking of sin and obedience to Christ is not required at all.

And, since so much of the church has bought into this cheap grace gospel, and this false concept of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for our sins, and this false concept of the Holy Spirit’s working in our lives in regeneration, this cheap grace gospel is like a fire spreading throughout the church, and across the world, and it is destroying people’s lives.

It is destroying the church, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the true grace of God. And, it is destroying homes, families, marriages and individual lives, which are being torn apart by sin’s deceitfulness. And, it is destroying the lives of pastors and church leaders and professers of faith in Jesus Christ who are not only embracing sinful practices, but who are being led into all sorts of perversions of sin, with a continual thirst for more.

A crisis situation…

So, this is a crisis situation! For, worldly passions and fleshly lusts are setting the house of God on fire, and that fire is spreading far and wide. And, this calls for us to call on God in prayer, in repentance, in obedience to his commands, and in prayer for revival.

For, although they say Jesus Christ is Lord, he is not taught as such under this cheap grace gospel, for it does not teach submission to Christ as Lord (owner-master) of our lives.

And, we have this cheap grace gospel setting the house of the Lord on fire because those in high up positions within organized religion invited in thieves and robbers to steal, to kill and to destroy the church (See John 10).

So, biblical Jesus Christ has been replaced with a man-made Jesus. And, the true grace of God has been supplanted by a diluted and cheapened fake substitute for God’s true grace. And, there is no true authority over the church because those who buy into this cheap grace feel they don’t have to obey Jesus Christ. And, so it has become a free for all, where everyone can live however they want with no true guidance or direction, and then they call that “grace.” That is not grace, my friends! That is hell!

For, human flesh rules, and our Lord is being resisted and denied, and he is just being used as an escape from hell and as a ticket into heaven. And, many professers of faith in Jesus Christ are living by their flesh, by their feelings, and by their worldly passions and desires.

And a growing number of children are viewing pornography, and/or are sex-texting with their friends. And many pastors are frequenting prostitutes, or having extramarital affairs, or they are addicted to porn or to power, and are building kingdoms of men, in place of participating in God’s kingdom work.

Called to be holy…

We have got to take this seriously! We, as the church, have to wake up to the reality of the crisis situation we are in. And, we need to be serious-minded about our walks of faith, and about holiness, godliness, purity, honesty, morality and faithfulness. We, as the church, can’t continue on blinded to the reality of what is going on in the church in the name of Jesus that is against Jesus Christ and what he stands for.

Jesus Christ called us out of the world! He didn’t call us to immerse ourselves in our cultures or to be nice (charming, amusing) to people to make them feel good about themselves so that they will like us. He didn’t call us to “stay in your own lane” so as not to offend anyone with the truth of the gospel, either. And, he didn’t call us to blend in with the world in order to “win the world,” for we aren’t winning anyone to Christ that way.

We are to obey Christ and his commands, and we are to no longer be conformed to the lustful passions of our flesh. And, honestly, we have to get radical about this. We have to take God at his Word and believe what he says, and then we need to do what his word teaches us and not think that heaven is secured and so it doesn’t matter how we live our lives.

For, the scriptures teach us that if we live to the flesh (in practice), we are going to die in our sins, because we refused to die to our sins. Only those who are walking (in practice) according to the Spirit are going to inherit eternal life with God (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 2:6-8; Rom. 6:1-23; Rom. 8:1-17; Eph. 4:17-24; Gal. 5:16-21; Eph. 5:3-6; Gal. 6:7-8; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

So, take this seriously!

The Solid Rock

Hymn Lyrics by Edward Mote, 1834

Music by William Bradbury, 1863

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness veils His lovely face,

I rest on His unchanging grace;

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood

Support me in the whelming flood;

When all around my soul gives way,

He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound,

Oh, may I then in Him be found;

Dressed in His righteousness alone,

Faultless to stand before the throne

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand,

All other ground is sinking sand.

Cornerstone

Hillsong

Christ alone; cornerstone

Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love

Through the storm, He is Lord

Lord of all

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvLxZEU02uI

Share His Light

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. 1 Peter 1:1-2 ESV

God has called his followers to be holy, set apart for God and set apart (unlike, different) from the world of sin. We are not supposed to be like the world or to adopt their attitudes, philosophies and behaviors. But, we are now to be his possession, and he is to be the one ruling our hearts, our life choices, and our conduct (Tit. 2:11-14; 1 Co. 6:20; 2 Co. 5:15, 21).

For, faith in Jesus Christ means that we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and that we are resurrected with Christ in newness of life in him to be lived to him and to his righteousness. Our old lives of living for sin and self should be put behind us, and now we should be walking by faith in obedience to his commands, for to this we were called (Eph. 4:17-24).

And, because Jesus called us out of the world, and we are not like the world, then the world hates us. They do not love us as their own – as one of them. But, the world also includes the worldly church, so we will face rejection and persecution from the worldly church, too, because we are still standing on the truths of scripture, and we are still standing on the gospel of our salvation which teaches death to sin and living to righteousness.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV

It is only by the grace of God that any of us can be saved from our sins and have eternal life with God. It is only because Jesus died on that cross and rose again that we can die with him to sin and live with him and to his righteousness. It is only by the power of God’s Spirit living within us, too, that we can live set apart from the world and holy unto God, and that we can walk (in practice) according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.

It is only by the Spirit of God and in his power that any of us can be “born again.” The first time we were born, we were born physically, as babies. But, we must also be born spiritually of the Spirit of God to new lives in Christ. But, first the old life of sin must be put to death and then we can put on Christ and his righteousness. Then we are born again to a living hope.

And, a living hope is true hope based on the Word of God in its fullness, and in context. And, that true hope says that we must walk (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit of God if we want to have eternal life with God. And, it says, too, that if we don’t walk according to the Spirit, but we choose to continue to walk (in practice) according to the flesh, then we don’t have eternal life with God but we will die in our sins (Lu. 9:23-26; Rom. 8:1-17).

Also faith in Jesus Christ is not a one-time experience in our lives. Faith is ongoing. It is continuous. Every day we make the choice either to put sin to death and to live for God in obedience to his Word, or we choose to embrace our sins and to go our own way and to do what our flesh dictates, instead. So, daily we must die to sin and live for God, as a matter of our life course, if we want to have eternal life with God (Rom. 6:1-23; 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 1:6-7 ESV

But, the Christian life is not “easy street.” It is a life of suffering, as well as a life of freedom, joy and victory in Christ. Dying to our flesh daily is suffering. Taking up that cross daily and following Jesus is suffering. Being persecuted and hated for righteousness’ sake, and being mistreated and rejected for our walks of faith with Jesus Christ is suffering. And, going through trials and tribulations which come to test our faith is also suffering.

But, suffering is for our good that we may share in the glory of God and in his holiness. It is for our good, too, that we may learn humility and obedience (Jesus learned obedience through the things that he suffered). Suffering puts our faith to the test, and if we respond to it in the right way, it helps us to grow and to mature in Christ and to become more like Jesus, too. For, it moves us away from sin to obedience to Christ.

Some people think that Jesus died on that cross just to forgive us our sins so that we can escape hell and go to heaven when we die. They think it is all for them. But, what they don’t realize is that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to him and to his righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. For, our salvation is not just for us. It is that we might become God’s possession and that our lives would be for his honor, glory and praise (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15, 21).

And, the way in which our lives can be for the praise, honor and glory of Jesus is if we live our lives for him in his power, and if we let our lights shine for all to see, not just in words, but by how we live our lives in obedience to our Lord’s commands. And, it is by us sharing with others the love God has for us, in that he provided the way for us to be delivered from our slavery to sin, and that he will empower us, too, to walk in obedience to him.

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:8-9 ESV

Faith is believing in what we cannot see with our physical eyes, and in what we can’t touch with our physical hands. Yet, when we believe in Jesus Christ, and he comes to live within us in the person of the Holy Spirit, we do sense his Spirit living within us, and we can hear (not audibly usually) his voice speaking to our hearts, and we can have a conversation with him. So, we know he is there, not just by faith, but also by experience.

And, because we experience a relationship with our Lord, which is a real relationship with a real person, just not physically, we grow in our love for him through experience, and through that relationship, and through our conversations with him, and through our obedience to him, too. For, the more we obey him the more he reveals of himself to us, and the more we get to know him, and the deeper our love becomes for him, too.

And, this walk of faith, which is ongoing and continuous, which is a walk of obedience, then results in the salvation of our souls and eternal life with God. And, that is our hope, that one day we will be with Jesus face to face.

But, for now we live on the earth. And, God has put us on this earth for a purpose, too, which is his purpose for our lives, which is for his praise and glory, and which is that we live holy lives, pleasing to him, and that we are no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world (Rom. 12:1-2).

And, when we live like that, our lives will shine for Jesus, because we will be walking with Jesus, and it will be evident. But, they will also shine for Jesus as we share his light, his truth with the world about us, so that they can come to know him, too.

Shine On

By Ann Aschauer

So Shine on through the darkness;

Be the salt and light for all your world.

Live for Jesus, 'til you see Him

And your faith has its reward;

Shine on through the darkness;

Let His love shine through you all your days.

Go and win your generation for the Lord.

c Ann Aschauer 1990