Destroying Arguments Against God

2 Corinthians 10:1-6 ESV

“I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

All of us who are followers of Jesus Christ are to be ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It should be our lifestyle, our practice, to be sharing with others the message of the gospel as taught by Jesus and by the New Testament apostles. And as followers of Christ we are all part of the body of Christ, and so we are all to be ministering to one another, according to the Scriptures, in encouraging, exhorting, urging, provoking, and instructing one another in our walks of faith and in obedience to our Lord.

And even though we are not all in positions of authority over others within the gatherings of the church, this doesn’t mean we are any less responsible for the spiritual growth of our fellow believers, not that we have any control over what they do, but that we are to be encouraging them away from following after the sinful cravings of the flesh and toward walks of holiness and righteousness, in obedience to our Lord. In other words, we are to look out for one another to help one another to maturity in Jesus Christ.

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

Nonetheless, we live in a day and time and in a Christian culture, at least here in America we do, when these biblical instructions to us are largely being ignored and shunned and regarded as taboo. And we are being taught to “stay in your own lane” and to not offend anyone with the truth of the gospel, and to only say to people what they regard as positive and to not talk about sin, repentance, obedience, and judgment, for those are all considered “negative.” For they want the “feel-good” messages, instead.

But actually, this is nothing new, for the prophets of old faced this where the people were telling them to stop telling them what they did not want to hear, and when the people told them, instead, to say pleasant things to them. And the apostle Paul faced some similar criticism as that, too. And we will, as well, if we take these instructions to us in the Scriptures seriously, and if we literally are putting those instructions into practice. And that is because following these biblical instructions to us is not socially acceptable.

Thus, if we are true servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, like Paul was, and if we follow these biblical instructions to us (in the verses listed above), we are likely to come under some of the same criticism as Paul faced, and as Jesus faced, and as the prophets before them faced. And we may have to come to our own defense, too, at times, when we are being falsely accused of things we did not do or say. For that is what Paul was doing here, as recorded for us in this passage of Scripture.

And, in our day and time, we will have to defend ourselves against the lies because so many people are believing the lies, and not the truth, and so they are convinced that we are in the wrong, and that they are in the right, even if the Scriptures themselves say otherwise. And I am not claiming that any of us are perfect people here, okay? I am just saying that, if we are genuinely teaching the truth of the Scriptures, we are going to come under criticism such as what Paul and Jesus and the prophets of old faced.

And then look at what he said here. He said that he, and the other apostles, I presume, were in the practice of destroying arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and they took every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ. And this should be what describes us, too. But, again, our Christian culture speaks ill of people who make this their practice and who exhort other believers to walk in holiness and in obedience to the Lord. So, if we do this, we should expect to be persecuted for it.

[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]

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263

Ministry to the Saints

Video Talk

2 Corinthians 9:1,6-12 ESV

“Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints.”

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written,

“‘He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;

    his righteousness endures forever.’

“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.”

Paul felt it unnecessary for him to write to them about the ministry to the saints, for he knew of their readiness to minister God’s love and grace to their fellow Christians. Yet, he did go on and speak some on this subject. And I believe the subject had more to do with financial contributions to our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in need. But I believe the subject lends itself to a broader category which includes all needs, whether they are financial, physical, spiritual and/or emotional. But this requires much wisdom and discernment of the Spirit of God.

For one, not everyone who says they are in need are really in true need of what they are asking for. Many are con artists who know how to work the system and who know how to manipulate other people into giving to them, and some of them are addicts and users and abusers who are not godly people and who are not telling the truth about their situations. And some of them are in need because they are spending their money unwisely and/or on what is unnecessary and/or on what is sinful. And so what they may really need is some good counsel and some biblical discipline.

So, should we be generous people? Absolutely! But we need to be wise in our generosity, too, and we should pray and ask the Lord to guide us with regard to giving to the needs of others. Especially since this is talking about giving to the needs of the saints, it is talking about giving to God’s holy people who are walking in obedience to the Lord, and who are living godly and holy lives, and who are not living in deliberate and habitual sin against God and against their fellow humans.

And this isn’t all about just giving financially to other Christian’s true needs, either. This is about ministering to them in many ways, which I believe I already mentioned. And this could be about giving them food and clothing instead of money, or it could be about giving them a hug (use wisdom here) or a kind or thoughtful word of encouragement. It could be we minister to our fellow Christians in song or in writing or in sharing with them a testimony or a Scripture or some godly counsel and wisdom. But we should be engaged in ministering to one another’s legitimate needs, as led by God.

[Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25] 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XEwlZmmCjQ

Caution: This link may contain ads

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263

Bringing Holiness to Completion

2 Corinthians 7:1 ESV

“Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.”

What promises did they have? Well, these words fall right after what Paul taught them in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18, where he told them that they were not to be unequally yoked (joined) together with unbelievers. They were not to be in partnership and fellowship with the ungodly, which in reality includes many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, and even some (or many) pastors of what are called “churches.” For the ungodly and the unbelievers are all those who are walking in sin and not in obedience to the Lord.

And there he counseled them to go out from the midst of the ungodly and to be separate from them and to touch no unclean thing. And what is unclean? It is anything that is contrary to the will of God and to his holiness and righteousness and to the truth of his gospel. So, it includes false gospels and lies and deceptions and teachings which tell you that you can believe in Jesus, have heaven secured you, but that how you live does not matter for eternity. So, we must not participate in what is contrary to God’s will.

And if we do separate ourselves from what is contrary to the teachings of Scriptures, and what is lawless and wicked and deceitful, and if we refuse to be in partnership and in fellowship with those who are walking according to the flesh and not according to the Spirit, and we choose, instead, to follow our Lord in obedience, and to partner with him in his work that he is doing, then he will welcome us, and he will be a father to us, and we will be his sons and daughters. These are the promises spoken of here.

Therefore, if we are going to be able to claim these promises as our own, since they are conditional, then we must cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit. We must no longer be those who are walking in sin, according to the flesh. But we must now be the people of God who are walking according to the Spirit, in walks of holiness and righteousness, in obedience to our Lord and to his commands under the New Covenant, thus bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

And to be holy is to be separate (unlike, different) from the people of the world (the ungodly), again which includes anyone professing faith in Jesus Christ but who is still walking in sin and not in righteousness. And this is because, as God’s holy people, we are being made into the likeness of Jesus Christ, if we are following the Lord with our lives and if we are no longer walking in the ways of sin and the flesh. And to fear God is to honor him with our lives, and it is to obey his commands and to not walk in sin.

2 Corinthians 7:1,8-10 ESV

“For even if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.”

Now, I am not going to go into the history of what this situation was then, but what I believe the Lord wants me to focus on here is what it means to repent of our sins and why we must repent of our sins. For repentance is not just having a change of mind about something, but that change of mind should also result in a change of behavior. For true biblical repentance involves us dying with Christ to sin and us being raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer living as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness.

True repentance involves this cleansing ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, so it means dying to sin and living to God and to his righteousness. And this can only be done in the power of God, by his Spirit, but as we cooperate fully with God in our heart transformations in obedience to our Lord and to his commands (New Covenant). For this is the working of God in our lives, but it requires us submitting to Christ as Lord and us surrendering our lives to Christ, and us doing the will of God in his power and strength.

And this repentance is not just feeling badly that you sinned, nor is it just feeling guilty that you sinned. For many people may feel some tinge of guilt and sorrow when they know that what they have done is evil. And they may even say that they were sorry that they sinned, but then they go on living in deliberate and habitual sin against God and against other humans, even against those they claim to love and are commanded to love. And some (or many) of them do this without conscience and without compassion for those they are hurting, and then they keep repeating the same sins.

So, true repentance is also not just admitting guilt or verbalizing a confession of sin, but it is like making a U-turn in a road. You were going one direction, and then you turn, and you go the opposite direction of what you were going. You were walking in sin, and now you are walking in holiness and righteousness. You were a liar, and now you are a truth teller. You were an adulterer, and now you are faithful to your spouse, and you are living in moral purity, and now you are treating your spouse with love. So, true repentance involves a true change of heart and behavior.

So, our salvation from sin is not just about forgiveness of sins and a promise of heaven when we die. For Jesus died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might now live for him and no longer for ourselves. And he shed his blood for us to buy us back for God out of our lives of sin (to redeem us) so that we would now honor God with our lives by submitting to him as Lord and by walking in his power and strength in walks of obedience and of holiness and righteousness, and no longer living in deliberate and habitual sin.

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

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

Where Do We Worship God?

2 Corinthians 6:14-18 ESV

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,

    and I will be their God,

    and they shall be my people.

Therefore go out from their midst,

    and be separate from them, says the Lord,

and touch no unclean thing;

    then I will welcome you,

and I will be a father to you,

    and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

says the Lord Almighty.”

One day in the life of Jesus, he spoke with a Samaritan woman at a well. And he spoke with her about living water, which has to do with our salvation, with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and with eternal life with God, i.e. he shared with her the gospel, in essence. Then she spoke with him about how her ancestors worshiped on a particular mountain, and how the Jews were saying that Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship. And then Jesus said this to her:

“Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:21-24 ESV

So, what was the essence of what Jesus was saying to her? Well, for one he was letting her know that the time was approaching (which was the time after Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension back to heaven, and after the sending of the Holy Spirit to indwell his followers) when the worship of the Lord will no longer require a specific location or physical place. But we will worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

And then we read this in Acts 17:24-25 ESV:

“The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.”

So, what we can learn from this is that we do not have to go to a particular physical location to worship the Lord. But now that the Holy Spirit lives within those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, we can worship the Lord any time of hour or day wherever we are. For wherever we are God is if truly we are his by genuine faith in Jesus Christ. And we can also learn that the “house of God” is not a building called “church.” The house of God is us, his body, wherever we are, and so he is, which is inside of us. So the church is not a building or a place we go. We the people of God are his church.

And when the Apostle Paul “planted churches,” how did he do that? Did he use marketing books and schemes in order to “draw in large crowds of people from the world”? No! Did he have to go to “church planting training seminars” to learn how to market his “church” to the world? No! So, how did he grow his church to where there were thousands of people? He preached to them the truth of God (the whole counsel of God), i.e. the gospel of Jesus Christ, in its fulness. And they believed in Jesus, and they died with him to sin, and they were raised with him to walk in newness of life in him. And now they were “the church”.

And where did they meet? And how often? They met daily from house to house and in the temple courts and wherever they could find a place to meet. For they were “the church,” not the building, and not a church denomination. And God dwelt within them, not in a building. And they served God’s purposes, not the purposes of human beings marketing “the church” to the people of the world.

Now the Lord Jesus had me write the other day about what it means to be “in Christ” and he had me talk about how “in Christ” was not just some status we claim, but it is a relationship with Jesus Christ which is evidenced by what we do and how we live. And who we are in Christ is largely defined by how we live and what we do, not by what we profess. And I talked about how a fish could call itself a donkey but that would not mean the fish was a donkey. And the same applies to this subject. For just because you call it “church,” it doesn’t at all mean that it is “the church,” the body of Christ, comprised of all those of genuine faith and fellowship with Jesus Christ.

Now I read this meme on social media the other day which said:

"McDonald's can mess your order up 101 times and you still keep going back... One thing goes wrong at Church and you Quit. People just aren't hungry enough!"

So, what is the intended message here? It is to guilt trip you into attending a physical location called “church,” and that if you do not attend a building called “church,” it means that you are not hungry enough for God, as though one naturally equals the other, but it does not. For I have known people who went to buildings called “church” most all of their lives (or all of their lives) and they never genuinely surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. But they continued in deliberate and habitual sin, some of them until the day they died. So going to a building never made them more hungry for God.

And so you can go to a building called “church” every day of your life, and you can go through all the motions of religious practice and still be out of fellowship with God, and still end up in hell when you leave this earth. And you can indeed be displeasing to God because you are literally acting out of the will of God by your attendance to some of these buildings called “church.” For much of what is called “church” these days is not the true church, the body of true believers in Christ who are following the Lord Jesus in obedience to his ways and who are sharing the gospel with the world.

So, what does this all have to do with being unequally yoked together with unbelievers? Everything! For many are being “guilt tripped” into going to buildings called “church” and are being convinced that they are now obeying the Lord and that they are doing his will. But much of what is called “church” today is not the body of Christ, but it is businesses of men being led by marketing books and schemes in order to attract the world to their gatherings. And so they are diluting the gospel message, and they are entertaining the world, and they are thus not operating as the true church.

So, we are not to join in with any group of people just because they call their gatherings “church.” For remember in the book of Revelation where we read about “the synagogue of Satan”? That is what many of these “churches” are, for they are serving Satan’s purposes, not the will of God, and they are being led by the ungodly and not by the true saints of God, and their purpose and goals are of men, not of God. For going to a building called “church” does not mean you are obeying the Lord. You could be doing the exact opposite, in fact. For you could be unequally yoking together with the ungodly, out of God’s will. 

And so the Lord is saying, with regard to these false “churches,” that we are to “Go out from their midst, and be separate, and touch no unclean thing, and then you will be my sons and daughters, and I will be a father to you.”

My Sheep  

An Original Work / June 24, 2012  

Based off John 10:1-18 NIV

My sheep hear me. They know me.

They listen to my voice and obey.

I call them and lead them.

They know my voice, so they follow me.

They will never follow strangers.

They will run away from them.

The voice of a stranger they know not;

They do not follow him.

So, I tell you the truth that

I am the gate, so you enter in.

Whoever does enter

Will find forgiveness and will be saved.

Nonetheless whoever enters

Not by the gate; other way,

He is the thief and a robber.

Listen not, the sheep to him.

Oh, I am the Good Shepherd,

Who laid his own life down for the sheep.

I know them. They know me.

They will live with me eternally.

The thief only comes to steal and

Kill and to destroy the church.

I have come to give you life that

You may have it to the full… 

They know my voice, so they follow me.

https://vimeo.com/114938263

Who am I in Christ?

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 ESV

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

It is very popular in today’s Christian culture here in America to hear people talk about “Who I am in Christ.” Largely I hear this spoken in regard to people professing faith in Jesus Christ but who are still living in deliberate and habitual sin. And to alleviate the guilt, even while they are engrossed in sinful behaviors, they are being told to claim who they are in Christ, as though how they live has nothing whatsoever to do with who they truly are.

But just because a fish calls itself a donkey, it does not make itself a donkey. And who we are, in reality, is not who or what we claim to be, but who or what we are in practice, in reality, not just in the imagination. And “in Christ” is not who we are just because we claim it with our lips. For example, I can go around claiming to be an accountant, and I can claim all the attributes of an accountant for myself, but if I am not an accountant, just claiming it with my lips does not then make me one.

So, what does it mean to be “in Christ”? To be “in Christ” requires that 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 now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And it requires that we now walk according to the Spirit, in practice, and no longer according to the flesh, and that sin is no longer our practice, but that righteousness and obedience to our Lord are now what we practice. For if sin is what we practice, and not obedience to our Lord, we don’t know God, and we do not have eternal life in him.

And to be in Christ requires that we continue in these walks of faith and obedience to our Lord until our Lord returns for his bride. For our salvation is progressive, and it will not be complete until our Lord returns for his bride and he takes his faithful ones to be with him for eternity. So to be in Christ is to remain in him, steadfast in faith and obedience to our Lord. It does not mean we live in absolute sinless perfection (1 John 2:1-2) but that we are walking in holiness and in righteousness in obedience to our Lord and not in deliberate and habitual sin. For if sin is what we practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God.

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

So, be very careful about claiming to be something and someone you are not, in reality. For claiming to be a sheep doesn’t make you one. Being born of God and of the Spirit and then living like a sheep is what makes you one. So, if you are still living in deliberate and habitual sin, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord are not what you practice, then according to the Scriptures you are not one of the Lord’s sheep, and what you are being taught as truth is not the truth that is in Christ Jesus.

“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 4:20-24).

So, what does it mean to be “in Christ”?

• Crucified with Christ in death to sin (Rom 6:3-7)

• Raised with Christ to walk in newness of life (Rom 6:3-7)

• Dead to sin and alive to God (Rom 6:11)

• Obedience to Christ leading to righteousness (Rom 6:16)

• Set free from law of sin and death (Rom 8:2)

• Walk not according to flesh but according to Spirit (Rom 8:1-17)

• Minds set on God’s Spirit (Rom 8:1-17)

• Debtors, not to live according to the flesh (Rom 8:12-13)

• By the Spirit put to death deeds of the flesh (Rom 8:13)

• A new creation: the old gone, the new come (2 Co 5:17)

• Crucified with Christ; no longer I live, Christ in me (Gal 2:20)

• Faith working through love (Gal 5:6)

• Faithful in Christ Jesus (Eph 1:1)

• In Christ might be to the praise of his glory (Eph 1:12)

• We are his workmanship, created for good works (Eph 2:10)

• Truth in Christ – put off old self, put on new self (Eph 4:20-24)

• Not living in sin, not making sin practice (Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-5)

• Suffer for the sake of the name of Jesus (Php 1:29)

• Have same mind and attitude as Jesus (Php 2:5-8)

• Saved by Grace and called to holy calling (Eph 2:8-9; 2 Tim 1:9)

So, don’t just claim it, live it! And if you are not living it, then please don’t claim it. For that is hypocritical to claim what you are not. For we are what we do, not who we claim to be, and not just who we think we are. So be true to who you say that you are.

I Will Lift My Eyes  

An Original Work / December 12, 2012

Based off Psalms 121-125

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

He will not let your foot slip, and He who watches will not sleep.

Our Lord watches over you, and your life He will keep.

I will lift my eyes to my Lord Most High.

My help comes from Him, who saved me from sin.

I give thanks to Him.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n. 

Because of His great love for us, He made us alive with Christ.

Through the kindness of our Savior, He gave us new life.

I will lift my eyes to my God in heav’n.

I look to the Lord. My sins, He’s forgiv’n; 

My home, now in heav’n. 

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

Those who trust will ne’er be shaken. God will supply all we need.

Our Lord has done great things for us. He’s our friend, indeed!

Praise be to the Lord, who is on our side.

Our help found in Him. He gives peace within.

I can count on Him.

https://vimeo.com/379508241

We Aim to Please Him

2 Corinthians 5:6-9 ESV

“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.”

While we live on the earth, if we are true followers of Christ, we are going to go through suffering. Some of it is just the natural course of life which all people face, and some of it is suffering for the sake of Christ and his gospel. Especially if we are walking closely with the Lord, and if we are ministering the gospel message to others, and if we are suffering much persecution at all for our walks of faith, we will groan inwardly, longing for our heavenly home. Yet, we rejoice in knowing that when we die that we have a home in heaven guaranteed to those who follow Jesus in obedience with their lives.

And yes, while we live in these flesh bodies, we are physically away from the Lord, but we should never be spiritually away from the Lord. For we should be those who are walking by faith, and not by sight, who are following our Lord in obedience regardless of our circumstances, and regardless of what that faith costs us in the way of rejection and persecution and loneliness. For we should be people of courage who can see beyond our present circumstances to the reality of the promise that we have to be with Jesus for eternity one day, which is when all our suffering will be over. Praise God!

Therefore, during the time the Lord has allotted us on this earth, we are to make it our aim to please the Lord in all that we do and are and say, and in our thinking and attitudes, too. And what does the Lord require of us in order to please him? He requires that we surrender our lives to him as living sacrifices, that we leave our lives of sin behind us, and that we now follow him in obedience to his commands, and in obedience to wherever he leads us by his Spirit, and to whatever he calls us to do, as his followers, and as his servants and messengers, as being led by the Spirit of God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 8:51; Jn 14:15-24; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:16; Rom 8:8; 1 Co 10:1-22; 1 Co 15:58; 2 Co 5:9; 2 Co 9:8; Gal 5:6,16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 5:10; Php 2:12-13; Col 1:9-14; 1 Thes 2:4; 1 Thes 4:1; 2 Thess 1:11-12; 2 Tim 2:4,21; Tit 2:11-14; Tit 3:8; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 5:9; Heb 11:6; Heb 13:6; Jas 1:21-25; Jas 2:17; 1 Pet 1:1-2; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10,22-24; 1 Jn 5:2-3; 2 Jn 1:6]   

2 Corinthians 5:10 ESV

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.”

And this means ALL of us who claim to believe in Jesus Christ, not just the people of the world. We are all going to be judged by God and will receive what is due for what we have done in the body, whether good or evil. And if we have sown to the flesh, and not to the Spirit, we will reap destruction and not eternal life. And if sin was our practice, and if righteousness and obedience to our Lord were not our practice, then we will die in our sins because we did not die with Christ to our sins, but we held on to them. And thus we will not inherit eternal life with God, but we will face eternal punishment in hell, even if we professed Christ as Savior with our lips.

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

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 ESV

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

For the whole purpose of why Jesus died for us on that cross was that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. So, contrary to popular opinion, our salvation from sin is not just a get-out-of-jail-free-card. And it isn’t just forgiveness of sins so that when we die we can go to heaven and not to hell, although that is the way many are teaching it. But Jesus died on that cross so 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 now as slaves to God and to his righteousness.

So, once we believe in Jesus, the self-life is to be put to death, and daily we should be denying self and dying to sin and following our Lord in obedience and in surrender to his will for our lives. For he put our sins to death with him on that cross so that we will no longer live for ourselves and for the sinful pleasures of the flesh, but so we might now live for our Lord who for our sake gave his life up for us on that cross. And God the Father raised from the dead so that we might now live because he lives, and so that we might no longer walk in sin but now in righteousness and holiness, and to the praise and glory of God and for the salvation of our souls from hell.

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

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!

http://youtu.be/yRujDmfS2qU

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Death Resulting in Life

Video Talk

2 Corinthians 4:1,7-12 ESV

“Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart… But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you.”

“The ministry” Paul was addressing here was the ministry of delivering the message of the gospel to the people. But the gospel that he taught is not what many people are teaching today. He taught what Jesus taught which is that we must, by faith in Jesus Christ, die with Christ to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, in obedience to our Lord, by the grace of God and in his power and strength. The old self must be crucified with Christ so that we can be raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer living as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness.

And that is why he and the other apostles were being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ and for sharing the truth of the gospel, because they didn’t teach what many people are teaching today. For they renounced disgraceful and underhanded ways, and they refused to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word. But they taught Christ crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. And they taught us being crucified with him in death to sin and us being raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, not like our old lives, but now as servants of righteousness and holiness.

For we don’t just “get saved” and now all our sins are forgiven and heaven is guaranteed us when we die regardless of how we live. And obedience to our Lord and death to sin and living to God and to his righteousness are not optional, and they are not mere suggestions. But many people these days aren’t even suggesting that we live holy lives, but they are teaching that we do not have to repent of our sins, and that we do not have to obey the Lord, and that no works are required of us at all, because they are appeasing the flesh and they are ignoring so much of what the Scriptures teach.

So, when this says that we have this treasure in jars of clay, this is not suggesting that the Lord will use us despite our lifestyles, and regardless of how often we deliberately sin against him. For, as jars of clay in the hands of the Master Potter, we are being molded into the likeness of Jesus Christ, as we yield control of our lives over to our Lord. And what this means for us is that we are always carrying in our bodies the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our bodies. So, we are to be those who are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

Therefore, we are those who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer living as slaves to sin, but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. Daily we are to be putting self and sin to death, by the Spirit, and walking in holiness and righteousness, in obedience to our Lord, in the power and strength of God. And this means surrendering our lives to the Lord and to his service, being willing to be hated and persecuted for the sake of the gospel and for the sake of the salvation of human lives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TtQEt76ah0

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All The Way My Savior Leads Me

Lyrics by Frances J Crosby, pub. 1875

Music by Robert Lowry, pub. 1875

All the way my Savior leads me,

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my Guide?

Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell!

For I know, whate’er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well.

All the way my Savior leads me,

Cheers each winding path I tread,

Gives me grace for every trial,

Feeds me with the living Bread.

Though my weary steps may falter

And my soul athirst may be,

Gushing from the Rock before me,

Lo! A spring of joy I see.

All the way my Savior leads me,

Oh, the fullness of His love!

Perfect rest to me is promised

In my Father’s house above.

When my spirit, clothed immortal,

Wings its flight to realms of day

This my song through endless ages:

Jesus led me all the way.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWdmZGik1Jw

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