The Whole Batch

Friday, October 18, 2013, 7:58 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Jesus is All the World to Me” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 5 (NIV).

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord. ~ 5:1-5

Paul was addressing the church. A man within the church was involved in an incestuous relationship with his mother or with his step-mother. Even the non-Christian world did not tolerate such a thing, to the church’s shame. And, yet the church was proud. Most likely they were not proud of the sin, but were rather proud of their own sense of spirituality or standing in the community, or of their own religious heritage or forms of worship. The main situation I see here is that the church was evidently unaffected by this man’s sin, and so they went on ahead with their religious meetings and ceremonies as though this sin did not exist among them, and so they did not address the sin.

I believe this is a HUGE problem in today’s church. Tolerance rules over loving confrontation. The teaching and philosophy of many of today’s churches in the USA is one of non-judgmentalism, so as to make people comfortable, so they will want to come back. Certainly we are not to judge people falsely, condemningly, or hypocritically, but it is the church’s responsibility to judge unchecked and unrepentant sin within the church in order to turn the sinner from the error of his or her ways, and to bring him or her back into fellowship with the Lord. Yet so many churches practice tolerance instead, and they are proud of their meetings, their “worship” services and their religious activities. And, this only serves to hurt the testimony of the church and its effective witness for Jesus Christ.

The loving and Biblical method for confronting willful, continuous and unrepentant sin within the church body is first of all to confront the individual with his sin and to give him, or her, the opportunity to repent. If that proves ineffective, then others should be brought along, and if the person sinning still does not respond to correction, then it is to be taken before the whole church. If the individual still refuses to listen, then he or she is to be put out of the church (See Matt. 18:15-17). Yet, very few congregations follow this Biblical model. Many ignore it all together. Others misuse it for their own purposes. Either way the church is hurt. Rather than ignoring known sin within the church, we should follow this Biblical method for dealing with unrepentant sin, not hypocritically, not falsely, and not condemningly, but always with a humble spirit, grieving in our spirits over the sin and over those being led astray by the sin, and always for the purpose of spiritual restoration and renewal.

Your boasting is not good. Don’t you know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old yeast, so that you may be a new unleavened batch—as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. ~ 5:6-8

The reason this Biblical model for dealing with unrepentant and willful sin within the church should be followed is not just for the spiritual restoration of the ones sinning, but it is also for the spiritual well-being of the church congregation as a whole. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, not just so we would be positionally saved and given the hope of eternal life in heaven, but so we would be free from slavery to sin while we still live on this earth. He died to free us from the control of sin over our lives, and to free us to walk in obedience; in the Spirit; and in loving fellowship with our Lord day-by-day. Our old lives of living in slavery to sin is the old yeast. Yet, he bought us with a price and thus freed us from this old yeast, and he made us a new batch of dough, so we need to walk in the freedom he provided for us, stop believing Satan’s lies, and be the people of God that we are in Christ Jesus.

If we allow this old yeast to remain within the body and we do nothing to remove it, then it works its way through the whole batch of dough, i.e. if the church allows known and willful sin and rebellion against God to go on within the church unchecked and not dealt with, then eventually it works its way through the congregation, and then the church, as a whole, begins to be on a spiritual decline and people get the idea that God’s grace is a license to continue in willful sin. The church begins to adopt the ways of the world, and more and more sin is accepted and tolerated, all in the name of “grace” and “love.” But, this is not how Jesus loves. He does not teach tolerance of sin. If we don’t address sin, and we allow it to go unchecked, then it will impact the spiritual growth and maturity of the church, as a whole, and it will affect their witness for Christ to the negative. So, instead of ignoring sin, we should practice speaking the truth in love, for the benefit of the whole church.

I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. But now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.

What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.” ~ 5:9-13

I believe this is one of the most difficult of directives for believers in Christ to follow. This is speaking to the congregation as a whole. We, as the body of Christ, should not remain in fellowship with those professing Christians we know are willingly living in sin. Why? I believe it is for two reasons: 1) Bad company corrupts good character, i.e. it goes back to the issue of the old yeast working its way through the batch of dough; and 2) It gives the persons sinning the idea that we are ok with what they are doing, i.e. it gives the message that we are somehow approving of their sin. Yet, I believe we should follow the Biblical model of Matthew 18 first. In other words, many will just ignore someone they think is caught in sin rather than lovingly confronting the individuals, or else they will still hang out with them. Either way, they are not addressing the sin, or they are not helping their brothers and sisters in Christ to turn from sin and thus to be renewed. So, whether we just reject the person sinning or we show acceptance and approval, we are not acting in love.

The main issue here, I believe, is whether the church is being led by the flesh of man or by the Spirit of God; whether they are following the word of God, or they are following humanistic teachings and philosophies; whether they are more concerned with being liked or whether they are willing to be hated in order to speak the truth in love to a brother or sister in Christ caught in sin. Is Christ truly on the throne, or is the flesh of man? We are the body of Christ, therefore our goal should be to honor our Lord, not the flesh of man.

Jesus is All the World to Me / Will Thompson

Jesus is all the world to me,

My life, my joy, my all;

He is my strength from day to day,

Without Him I would fall.

When I am sad, to Him I go,

No other one can cheer me so;

When I am sad, He makes me glad,

He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me,

My Friend in trials sore;

I go to Him for blessings, and

He gives them o’er and o’er.

He sends the sunshine and the rain,

He sends the harvest’s golden grain;

Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain,

He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me,

And true to Him I’ll be;

Oh, how could I this Friend deny,

When He’s so true to me?

Following Him I know I’m right,

He watches o’er me day and night;

Following Him by day and night,

He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me,

I want no better Friend;

I trust Him now, I’ll trust Him when

Life’s fleeting days shall end.

Beautiful life with such a Friend,

Beautiful life that has no end;

Eternal life, eternal joy,

He’s my Friend.

http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Jesus_Is_All_the_World_to_Me/

Not Lacking Anything

Tuesday, October 15, 2013, 6:35 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Jesus is All the World to Me” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read 1 Corinthians 1 (NIV).

I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (vv. 4-9)

Enriched in Every Way

This message is to the church, the body of Christ – “to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people.” We are not lacking in anything we need to live in Christ Jesus and to walk in his ways. We have been enriched in every way because of God’s grace to us in providing us with his salvation, and through his abiding presence within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit within us gives us knowledge and understanding, he teaches us all things, counsels us, guides us into all truth, and he directs us in the way we should go. As well, the Spirit enables us to speak the word of God with boldness and to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness (Lu. 1:74-75; 4:18-19; Ac. 4:29; Matt. 10:19-20). Many will say, “I can’t do it!” That is so true. And, that is right where we need to be – at Jesus’ feet, realizing our own inability to live for God apart from Jesus Christ and his Spirit within us living out Christ’s life in and through us (Gal. 2:20).

When I sat down this morning to write, the words were not there. So, I prayed, “Lord, you know I can’t do this, but you can. I pray you give me the words to speak. Amen!” And, as I began to type, the words came. If God has called us to do something, he will give us all we need in order to do what he has called us to do. He is not going to just leave us hanging out there on our own, dependent upon our own resources or those of others, with us having to figure it all out. So, we don’t have to worry, thinking “How will I do this?” The Spirit will provide all we need and he will enable us to do whatever it is God has assigned us to do. We, as the body of Christ, do not lack any spiritual gift. Yet we, as individuals, do not all have the same gifts. Nonetheless, if God has called us, he will provide whatever gifts we need. We don’t have to drum them up ourselves. We don’t have to borrow them from others, or manipulate, use gimmicks, entertain, or be attractive and appealing to the flesh, etc., in order to “make it work.” God – Father, Son & Holy Spirit – is all we need!

While We Wait

Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, he was buried, and then the Father raised him back to life. Then, after a short period of time, he went back to heaven, but one day he will come again as judge and as our husband, ready to receive his bride to himself for eternity. So, while we are on the face of this earth, we wait eagerly and expectantly for his return. Yet, this waiting is not inactive or complacent or distracted. We don’t set our Lord aside while we wait. It is during this period of waiting when he fills us with all we need to live holy and godly lives, and he enables us to serve him, to share his gospel, and to minister to the body of Christ, utilizing the giftedness he has provided for us through his Spirit. Waiting for our Lord with eagerness involves daily surrender to him and to his will for our lives, allowing his Spirit to move, to work, to love and to minister in and through us for the glory of God. Our lives are no longer our own. We were bought with a price. I am His and He is mine!

Also while we wait for his return, He keeps us firm to the end, so that we will be blameless on the day of our Lord. Jesus said that we will be hated because of Him, but “the one who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt. 10:22). Paul said we are saved by the gospel if we hold firmly to the word preached to us, otherwise we have believed in vain (1 Co. 15:2). Yet, God never gives us a command that he does not provide all we need and that he does not enable us to do what he has commanded us to do. It is God “who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ,” and it is by faith, which is a gift from God, that we stand firm (2 Co. 1:21-24). So, although the words “stand firm” are repeated over and over again, we can be encouraged that we don’t have to, and we cannot do this in our own strength or of our own accord, but God has supplied all we need via his gift of salvation, via Jesus Christ as our Savior, and via his Holy Spirit now living his life in and through us. We just need to yield control of our lives over to God/Christ and to his Spirit within us.

God is Faithful

Awesome! We can rely upon him, trust him, believe him, and know without a shadow of a doubt that he will always do exactly what He said he would do. Humans will fail us. We will fail us because we are human. But, God will never fail us. Amen! He will always be faithful to all that he has promised. So, we never have to feel afraid or without resources, or fret over what is coming, or what we will do or how we will ever make it, because he has a plan, a purpose, and the power and faithfulness to do all that is required and is necessary. So, why should we ever be afraid? Why should we ever take matters into our own hands? Why should we feel as though we have to rely upon human methods and philosophies? Why do we feel as though we need to help God out? If he says he will supply all we need, and he says he will enable us to do all he has commanded us to do, and he says he will move in us, work in us and live his life in and out through us, then why do we so often rely upon our own flesh? It is crazy! If he called us, he will enable us, and he will supply all we need. So, let us stop putting our trust in the flesh, and let us allow the Spirit of God to do his work in and through our lives, and let us believe him that he will do all he said he would do.

Jesus is All the World to Me / Will Thompson

Jesus is all the world to me,

My life, my joy, my all;

He is my strength from day to day,

Without Him I would fall.

When I am sad, to Him I go,

No other one can cheer me so;

When I am sad, He makes me glad,

He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me,

My Friend in trials sore;

I go to Him for blessings, and

He gives them o’er and o’er.

He sends the sunshine and the rain,

He sends the harvest’s golden grain;

Sunshine and rain, harvest of grain,

He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me,

And true to Him I’ll be;

Oh, how could I this Friend deny,

When He’s so true to me?

Following Him I know I’m right,

He watches o’er me day and night;

Following Him by day and night,

He’s my Friend.

Jesus is all the world to me,

I want no better Friend;

I trust Him now, I’ll trust Him when

Life’s fleeting days shall end.

Beautiful life with such a Friend,

Beautiful life that has no end;

Eternal life, eternal joy,

He’s my Friend.

http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Jesus_Is_All_the_World_to_Me/

All I Want

Sunday, October 13, 2013, 6:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Draw Me Close to You” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 12.

I Urge You

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ~ Rom. 12:1-2 NIV

Paul (strongly and insistently) advised the believers in Jesus Christ in this matter before us here. Because of what God did for us in sending his Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins, so we could go free from slavery to sin; and so we could be free to walk in Christ’s righteousness in the Spirit of God within us, we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God. This means that we forgo our rights to live like we please; and we surrender our lives, wills, bodies, minds, emotions, i.e. everything we are, to the control and power of the working of the Spirit of God living his life in and out through us. We let go of our fleshly desires, and we yield to Christ’s righteousness within us. Jesus said that if we want to come after him, we must deny (disallow) ourselves, take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him (Lu. 9). Yet, we do not do this in our own flesh, but only in the power and working of the Spirit of God within us, as we cooperate fully with that work.

Only as we yield control of our lives to God; to Jesus Christ; to the Holy Spirit, can we live holy lives pleasing to God. We will never be good enough in our own flesh or of our own merit. Our good deeds will never outweigh our bad. We also cannot just do good things for God thinking he will be pleased with us. When Jesus Christ died for our sin, he bought us with a price so that we would no longer be our own, but his. Coming to faith in Jesus Christ means that we die with him to what once bound us and enslaved us, i.e. we yield our lives to the cross of Christ, being crucified with Christ so that we (the “I” in us) no longer lives, but Christ lives in us. I know we know the word of God teaches this, and I know that intellectually, at least, we believe this, but how many of us actually believe this in our heart of hearts and have literally surrendered all to Christ so that he is truly the boss of our lives; and so daily we surrender, yield control, and allow his Spirit to live his life through us instead of us deciding what we are going to do and then squeezing in a few minutes each day, even if we do that, for a time of devotions with God/Christ Jesus?

Jesus doesn’t want part-time, occasional or periodic followers, i.e. he is not content with taking a back seat to anyone or to anything. He wants us surrendered to him 24-7. He wants our all on the altar of sacrifice laid, allowing the Spirit of God to have control of our hearts, minds, actions, schedules, plans, careers, futures, dreams, words, et al. He is not content with our leftovers. His desire is that we die to ourselves, i.e. that we allow the Spirit of God to empty us of us and to fill us with himself. He said if we love our mother or father more than him, we are not worthy of him. He said if we do not take up our cross and follow him, we are not worthy of him. This does mean we do these things to earn favor or grace. We cannot! Yet, to truly believe in Jesus Christ means that he should be number one in our lives and that he is boss, and that he is in control, and that we are surrendered and yielded to his Lordship, and we allow him to do his work and his will in our hearts. Oh, how I wish that the church taught this and that believers truly got this, yet, for the most part it is not taught and it is not modeled to us by those in leadership over us.

True Worship

Paul said, in the Spirit within him, that when we offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God, holy and pleasing to him, that this is our true and proper worship of him. Wow! Oh, how the church today in America has promoted, I believe, a wrong or at least an unbalanced idea of what true worship is. “Worship” services often times are nothing more than just big stage productions where we put only our best people on stage who will draw in large crowds of people. So many of the songs, too, are just “happy, happy” songs which make us feel good about God, but is true worship really taking place? Maybe it is, but maybe it isn’t. Truly music is a big part of praise of our Lord and of worship of him. Yet, it is possible to sing the songs and even lift our hands in the air and never truly be worshiping him at all.

When we truly worship God we show him honor, respect, adoration, reverence, and devotion; affection, fondness and passion; we follow him in obedience; and we are committed, dedicated, loyal, faithful (showing fidelity), steadfast, and continuous, et al. All of this, though, is done only in the power of the Spirit of God within us as we yield control over to Him, i.e. as we lay it all down on the altar. This is true worship of God. We can sing all the praise songs we want and lift our hands high to heaven, but if we are not yielded to him; if we have not ever truly come to the cross and allowed the Spirit of God to work in us death to sin so we can be made alive in Christ, and if we are still holding on to our old lives and are only parceling out what we choose to give to God, then that is not true worship. God is not pleased with what we choose to give to him out of our lives while we hold on to the rest. What pleases him is when we surrender it all, and our lives truly are his unreservedly.

Not Conformed

He said we are not to be conformed to the pattern of this world. To be conformed to something means we follow, obey, and adapt to it; fit in; and agree, harmonize and coordinate our lives or lifestyles to it. Wow! So much of today’s institutional church here in America does just that in their “worship” services and in their programs and meetings. So much is done to try to attract the world through worldly means and methods, using marketing schemes and gimmicks to try to get people into our churches, following the patterns of this world. So many professing Christians today live just like the world lives; thinks like the world; and copies what the world does. We were called to come out and be separate, yet today if you do that, you are considered “not normal; crazy.” We are not supposed to become like the world to win the world to Jesus. We are supposed to be like Jesus and share his gospel, and allow the Spirit of God to transform hearts and minds to be like Jesus, not like the world. God is calling out to his church to forsake her idols, her spiritual adultery, and her worldliness and to return to him as her only Lord and husband.

Transformed

Instead of conforming our lives and lifestyles to the design, shape, form or model of the sinful world, we are to be transformed in the renewing of our minds. To be transformed means to be renovated, changed, and/or altered completely; to be converted from one form to another. It is a lot like metamorphosis, i.e. a complete change of substance or form, such as the change that takes place when a caterpillar is changed into a butterfly. We died to sin, how can we live in it any longer? We are to be dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. We are to walk in the Spirit so we no longer gratify the desires of our flesh. Jesus Christ did not die so that we would just clean up our lives a little, attend church services, do good deeds, get involved in church ministry, go to Bible studies, and do mission work projects, etc., and yet live how we want the rest of the time. He didn’t die just so we would spend 5 or 10 minutes a day in devotions with him while we spend hours upon hours on TV, games, videos, movies, etc., often times taking into our minds pure garbage and/or filth. He died to transform us from “caterpillars” to “butterflies.” So, let him transform you today.

Draw Me Close To You / Donnie McClurkin

Draw me close to You

 Never let me go

 I lay it all down again

 To hear You say that I'm Your friend

 You are my desire

 And no one else will do

 'Cause nothing else can take Your place

 To feel the warmth of Your embrace

 Help me find a way

 Bring me back to You…

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

Submission to God's Righteousness

Friday, October 11, 2013, 6:00 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Return to Me” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 10 (ESV).

Not According to Knowledge

Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. ~ Rom. 10:1-4

To whom might this apply today? This is speaking of those who think they have a relationship with God, but who are not truly saved. So, why are they not saved? It is because, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, they are seeking to establish their own righteousness, rather than submitting to God’s righteousness.

“‘This people honors me with their lips,

    but their heart is far from me;

in vain do they worship me,

    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” ~ Matt. 15:8-9

First off, they have zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. In other words, they lack understanding of the true nature of God’s grace. I believe this is evident, not just in the legalists, but in those who view themselves as free from the confines of legalism. The legalists attach a whole list of man-made rules to follow which they add to grace, just as the Judaizers of Paul’s day did when they tried to force the Gentile believers into following old Jewish laws and customs. These people are probably sincere in their beliefs, but they are not following the teachings of scripture, because they are adding burdens to people’s lives God did not intend for them to bare, which means they are also adding to grace. They focus more on what is external, rather than on what is internal and eternal, much as did the Pharisees of Jesus’ day.

Yet, for many of those who feel they have been liberated of the confines of legalism, they are still following the teachings of man, just in a different way, perhaps. Today’s modern and liberated church still, in many cases, puts much value on attendance at an official “worship” service on a Sunday morning at what they consider to be “church.” They are more wrapped up in the institution of religion than they are in relationship with Jesus Christ. They study books written by mere humans often in place of the study of God’s word. Entertainment has become a strong focus of the times of “worship”, as well as is much worldliness, which is used to attract the world to the worldly church. Marketing techniques for how to build big businesses have often times become the “bible” of the church leadership, rather than the teachings of scripture. They may have much zeal for what they are doing, but it is misdirected, because it is not based on the knowledge of God’s word.

They seek to establish their own righteousness. The legalists do this through adding man-made rules to God’s grace, yet the non-legalists also have their set of man-made rules, too, some of it based upon culture, tradition, religious upbringing, and worldly influences. One adds to grace, and another may subtract from God’s grace and add man’s thinking and philosophies in place of the teachings of scripture. Both may be focused on what is external, i.e. on appearance, i.e. on following and/or pleasing humankind rather than on pleasing God. Today’s modern church works hard at attracting the world to the church using worldly methods, and oftentimes they dilute the gospel of grace so as not to offend those whom they are trying to attract to the “church” and to the “gospel.” So, whether adding to or subtracting from God’s grace, they are still seeking to establish their own righteousness.

They Do Not Submit to God’s Righteousness

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. ~ Titus 2:11-14

To submit to something means we “accept somebody else’s authority or will,” i.e. we willingly yield control to another or we “defer to another’s knowledge, judgment or experience” (Encarta). It also means that we surrender and we relinquish control; abandoning our own rights, perhaps. God’s righteousness is his purity, sinlessness, holiness, uprightness, virtue, etc. So, what does it mean to surrender or to defer to his righteousness? For one, it means that by God’s grace, through faith, Jesus Christ’s righteousness is thus credited to our account. We will never be good enough in our own strength, willpower, knowledge, etc. We cannot earn God’s favor through our own goodness, for our good can never outweigh our bad. Only through the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross for our sins can we be made truly right with God. Yet, faith, which is required for us to receive his righteousness, involves this submission and surrender to God’s righteousness, not just being credited to our account, but being lived in and out through us.

In other words, if we yield control of our lives to Jesus Christ, and we truly accept his authority over our lives, and we are truly submitting to his righteousness, then we are allowing God to work his will and purposes in our hearts, we are willingly giving up our rights to live as we please, and we are choosing to walk in the Spirit of God, allowing the Spirit of God to transform our hearts and to give us new lives in Christ, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (see Eph. 4:17-24). Jesus Christ did not die on the cross for our sins so we would continue to live sinful lifestyles. His grace teaches us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live upright and godly lives. We cannot do this in our own flesh, but only in the power of the Spirit of God living within us. Yet, faith in Christ means we die to our old lives of living for self and sin (daily), and that we follow our Lord Jesus Christ in obedience to his righteousness being lived in and out through us (see Lu. 9:23-25).

You Will Be Saved

For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” ~ Rom. 10:5-13

Always, when studying scripture, we must be careful that we don’t take scriptures out of context and build entire doctrines around them. I have seen this done with this passage of scripture. When the Jews of Paul’s day confessed publicly with their mouths the Lordship of Jesus Christ and they believed in their hearts that God had raised him from the dead, this was a BIGGIE! This meant that they accepted that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah, and it meant that they went against the established religion of their culture, which was still holding on to the old covenant, and had not yet, as a whole, embraced Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of their lives. And, they knew that it could cost them their lives literally. Yet, when translated into American culture, it can be reduced to a mere voicing of “Jesus is Lord,” and/or of mere acknowledgement of his death and resurrection, and yet there be no effectual heart transformation taking place, because most of us, in America, do not have the same concept of what this means as did the Jewish people of that day, because most of us are not taught what this really means.

So, this must be read in context of the entire book of Romans, or at least in the context of the first ten chapters. For instance, we read in Romans 6 that coming to faith in Jesus Christ means we die with Christ to sin and that our old self is crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. Sin should no longer be our master, because we are not under law, but under grace. And, we read in Romans 8 that if we are still controlled by the sinful nature, we cannot please God. If we still live according to the sinful nature, we will die, but if, by the Spirit we put to death the misdeeds of the body, we will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Faith in Jesus Christ is not mere verbal acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ, but it is surrender to the Lordship of Christ in our lives. Faith in Jesus Christ is not mere acknowledgement of what Jesus Christ did for us in dying on the cross for our sins and in being resurrected, but it is yielding to his righteousness, it is dying with him to what once enslaved us, and it is allowing him to set us free from slavery to sin.

Disobedient and Contrary

But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.” ~ Rom. 10:21

True Israel today is the true church, i.e. we are God’s people (both Jew and Gentile), who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior of our lives. The Israel of Paul’s day refused to believe in Jesus Christ. Many, even within our institutional churches today, also refuse to put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ, submitting to his righteousness. They may think they are saved, either because they follow a set of rules, or because they said the right words, or because someone told them that they were saved if they just repeated a prayer or they went to church regularly, or whatever they may have been taught. But true faith in Jesus Christ does not give lip service only in its confession of Christ as Lord, but true faith submits (surrenders) to Christ’s righteousness and does not try to establish their own.

Return to Me / An Original Work / September 5, 2013

Based off Jeremiah 31; Cf. Rev. 2-3

I have loved you with an eternal love,

Which I give to you, in my faithfulness.

Keep your voice from weeping,

And your eyes from tearing.

You will be rewarded

With much fruitfulness.

There is hope for you that My family

Will return to Me; live in victory!

Though I discipline in My love for you,

My heart longs for you that you walk in truth.

Turn your thoughts to your Lord.

Choose to walk in His ways.

Turn from your sins daily.

Follow Jesus Christ.

Oh, how long will you wander in your sin?

Give your hearts to Me; be restored within.

I will satisfy ev’ry weary soul

Who repents of sin; is renewed within.

Behold, days are coming;

It will surely happen;

Though I discipline them,

They will thrive again.

I will be their One and their Only God.

They shall walk in white; be in Me, made right.

http://originalworks.info/return-to-me/

For This Very Purpose

Thursday, October 10, 2013, 7:57 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Ezekiel 38; and Rom. 9 (NIV). I also read the news, mainly news stories related to the government shutdown, which was at the top of the news.

I Will Turn You Around

The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshek and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army—your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops—the many nations with you.

“‘Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land. ~ Ez. 38:1-9

For Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” ~ Rom. 9:17

The picture the Lord Jesus is giving me here is that of the US government and their allies coming against the people of God, the church, yet he is also showing me our government as turning away from (turning their backs on) the American people, and the church, and thus charging forward with all their might and power to accomplish their evil purposes, with the assistance of their political and world allies. This could come in many forms and stages, yet the bottom-line is that, whatever they do, it is not for the good of the American people, or for the church, but is ultimately against us (turning their backs on us). Yet, God, I believe, has incited them to do so in order that he may revive his adulterous and idolatrous church here in the USA, and bring them back into a right relationship with him as their only God.

There are many ways, as I stated previously, that this ‘turning of backs’ on the American people could be realized. For one, our government could take this nation into bankruptcy and insolvency. The mere fact that they keep piling on the debt, but do not cut their own gross - overly self-indulgent - expenditures says a lot right there. And then they talk about cutting back on programs for the poor and elderly, much of which the people of this nation have paid into from their own hard earned money. As well, they talk about raising our taxes, as if we don’t pay enough already. I think the American people, if they truly had a voice, which I don’t believe we do anymore, could make some good suggestions as to where these cuts need to be made, and it is not to the elderly and truly poor of this nation.

Obamacare is the “law of the land.” Yet, I believe this “care” goes far beyond healthcare, and I don’t believe any of it is for the benefit of the people of this nation. I believe Obama to be a dictator, and that he, as representative of the powers over him, is leading the charge to come against the people of this nation, the people of the world, and in particular against the church, the people of God. I do believe the Lord Jesus has shown me over and over again that our government (left and right) and their military forces (private and public), along with their allies, have been conquering the nations of the world one-by-one, killing innocents, and murdering true followers of Jesus Christ. And, soon they will truly turn their backs on the people of this nation, and they and their allies will charge against us. And, one of those ways is most likely to be in the form of martial law, which has been hinted at for some time now. Yet, God will then judge them for their evil acts.

Great Sorrow and Unceasing Anguish

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. ~ Rom. 9:1-5

I empathize with Paul’s words here. I feel that way about the church in America, though I cannot imagine saying that I wish I were cut off from Christ for the sake of my people. For Paul, his thoughts centered upon the need of salvation of the Jewish people who had rejected Christ as their Messiah. He was in anguish of heart over their need of salvation from sin. For me, I am deeply concerned over the spiritual condition of today’s institutional church in which the body of Christ does exist. Many are not saved at all. Others have made a confession of Christ as Savior but are not living what they say they believe. They have become worldly and have allowed the passions and desires of this world, and of their own flesh, to rule their lives instead of submitting to Christ’s righteousness. And, for that I grieve and have great sorrow in my heart. Yet, I believe that God has promised that he will revive his church, and so I have hope! Yet, the revival will come, most likely, at a great cost to us as a nation, and to us, the people of God – his true church.

The thing is, the church in America has been so blessed. We have churches everywhere, and so far have had the freedom to worship God as we have chosen to do so, for the most part. The gospel goes out in this nation 24-7 in many forms – through preaching, teaching, gospel songs, etc. We have the Bible in various translations readily available to us even in secular book stores, in computer software programs, on the internet, and in audio form on tape, CD or via the internet or computer applications. We have not yet suffered any great persecution for our faith, though some have, and so we have been relatively free to move about and to share the gospel, though certainly we are restricted in some areas, and these restrictions are beginning to become more and more intrusive and cumbersome. Yet, even though we have been given so much, I believe many take these blessings and privileges for granted, and they have not taken full advantage of all that has been afforded them by God’s graciousness. One day soon, I believe, we will not be so blessed, but we will suffer great persecution, and at the hands of our own leaders and their allies. Yet, God will use this for his purposes and for his glory to revive his church. Amen!

Jesus, I My Cross Have Taken / Henry F. Lyte / Mozart/ Arr. Hubert P. Main

Jesus, I my cross have taken, all to leave and follow Thee;

Destitute, despised, forsaken, Thou, from hence, my all shalt be.

Perish every fond ambition, all I've sought, and hoped, and known;

Yet how rich is my condition, God and Christ are still my own!

Let the world despise and leave me, they have left my Savior, too;

Human hearts and looks deceive me; Thou art not, like man, untrue;

And, while Thou shalt smile upon me, God of wisdom, love, and might,

Foes may hate, and friends disown me; show Thy face, and all is bright.

Man may trouble and distress me – ‘Twill but drive me to Thy breast.

Life with trials hard may press me; Heaven will bring me sweeter rest.

Oh, ‘tis not in grief to harm me, while Thy love is left to me;

Oh, ‘twere not in joy to charm me, were that joy unmixed with Thee.

Go then, earthly fame and treasure! Come, disaster, scorn, and pain!

In Thy service pain is pleasure; with Thy favor loss is gain.

I have called Thee, Abba, Father, I have stayed my heart on Thee;

Storms may howl and clouds may gather; all must work for good to me.

Haste then on from grace to glory, armed by faith and winged by prayer;

God's eternal day's before thee, God's own hand shall guide thee there.

Soon shall close thy earthly mission, swift shall pass thy pilgrim days,

Hope shall change to glad fruition, faith to sight, and prayer to praise.

Making Sense of it All

Tuesday, October 08, 2013, 4:30 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Who Believes?” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 6 (ESV).

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

To believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives means to have faith in all of whom he was and is, and in all that he did and said. To believe in the name of Jesus means to believe in his divine character, and his will and purpose for our lives. To have faith that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, so we could go free from slavery to sin, means to walk in that freedom and to no longer (in lifestyle) walk according to the ways of the flesh. Faith in God, though, does not mean perfection; otherwise we would not need all of these wonderful words of encouragement to spur us on to live holy and godly lives in Christ.

There are many professing Christians who believe God’s grace is a free license to keep on sinning without condemnation. May that never be! I believe one of the big reasons this false teaching has spread throughout evangelical Christianity today is that a misconception of God’s grace is being taught. Many are teaching God’s grace absent of repentance and obedience to Christ. “Faith” then becomes an emotional feeling or decision, or a mere intellectual acknowledgment of what Jesus Christ did for us in dying for our sins on a cross, because Romans 6, in principle, is not being taught in the gospel presentation. People are not being told that coming to Christ means that they must die with Christ to their sins, and that we must be then raised with him to walk in newness of life, not in cleaned-up old lives.

For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Wow! I wish that the evangelical church here in America would go back to this central message of the gospel. Not all have abandoned the true faith, but many have, and it is disheartening. When we come to faith in Jesus Christ our old life of living for self and sin is brought to death so that we will no longer be enslaved to sin. Amen! That is GRACE! That is HOPE! Anything short of that is neither grace nor hope, for it still leaves us in our sin. If, by true faith and God’s grace, we have truly died to our old lives of sin, then we have been set free, not from ever sinning again, but from its grip, its hold, and its control over our lives. We are no longer enslaved to sin. Amen! Hallelujah! That is the awesome message of God’s grace! What good is a get-out-of-jail-free card if you are still bound in your sin? Yet, death to sin is not the end of the story. We are made alive to God in Christ to walk in freedom from sin, to have eternal life with God, and to walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, all in the power of the working of the Holy Spirit of God within us, and not in our own flesh.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Coming to Christ, nonetheless, does not mean we have lost the propensity to sin or that we will never be tempted by it again. I wish that were so, but it is not. I so look forward to when that will be the case. Even Jesus Christ, though sinless, was tempted in all ways in which we are tempted. As long as we live on this earth in these flesh bodies we will still battle with sin, but we should no longer allow sin to reign in our mortal bodies again, i.e. sin should no longer have dominion (control) over us to where we feel as though we just can’t help it. This needs to be taught! I used to believe that there was still a question of who would win the battle, thinking Satan still had some control over me or that he was too powerful for me, but when we truly understand all that God’s grace provided for us, and that Jesus Christ already won this battle, then “Wow!” what a difference that makes! Jesus has already given us all we need for life and godliness. We just need to daily tap into his divine grace, strength and power and allow him to work his will and his ways in and through our lives instead of us continuing to yield control of our lives over to the flesh and to Satan.

What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

I believe this whole matter of law and grace is a confusing subject for those of us who did not grow up under the law in quite the same way as did the Jewish believers in Christ. Yet, the principle of law and grace still applies to all of us, because we were all, at one time, under the law. So, what does it really mean to be no longer under the law but under grace? Well, for one, it means that, in Christ, we are no longer under condemnation, i.e. the ultimate penalty of sin (eternal damnation) is no longer applied to us, because Jesus Christ’s blood sacrifice for our sins paid the price for our sin so we could go free. Amen! It also means that, wherein the law pointed out our sin, which is good, and it led us to Christ, it is powerless to save us from our sins. In other words, even if we could keep the whole letter of the law, which none of us could, it cannot save us. It only serves to condemn us.

Yet, that is not the end of it. In Romans 3:31 we read: “Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.” As followers of Jesus Christ, we are not underneath all the old ceremonial Jewish laws. I don’t believe that is the law being spoken of here. I believe the law we are to uphold has more to do with the Ten Commandments, i.e. faith in Jesus Christ does not free us to do whatever we please. Yet, what Jesus Christ did was take the Ten Commandments and he summarized them into two laws: 1) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. 2) And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. These laws we are to uphold (sustain; advocate; encourage). Yet, we don’t have to follow them with absolute perfection or we are “out.”

Yet, does this mean we no longer obey the law? Scripture teaches that obedience to Christ and to his commands is an essential element to true abiding faith. In fact, it teaches here that obedience to Christ leads to righteousness, and that faith in Jesus Christ means we are no longer slaves to sin, but we have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which we are committed. Yet, this matter of obedience is confusing to some believers, for it is reminiscent to them of a life bound by following the letter of the law and of legalism, and so they reject it. Yet, scripture clearly teaches that obedience is required. So, how do we reconcile this? I believe it goes back to understanding God’s grace.

God’s grace not only brought us into relationship with God via Jesus’ shed blood on the cross for our sins and via his resurrection back to life, but it provided the way for us to be free from slavery to sin – from walking in the flesh – and free to walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness – to walking in the Spirit. This is obedience, i.e. God does not just zap us and “poof” we are now living and walking in his righteousness and we no longer have any choice in the matter. We are not puppets on a string and no longer have minds and wills that can still choose sin. Jesus said if any of us would come after him, we must deny (disallow) our self-life, die daily to sin and self, and follow (obey) him. Each day that we choose to allow Jesus Christ to live his life out through us, instead of stepping back into walking in the ways and patterns of our old flesh life, we are walking in obedience. Yet, it is his Spirit’s work within us that gives us the power, strength and ability to obey.

For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Different translations word verse 20 in different ways, but I believe most all have the same or similar meaning. I believe this is a very important verse to understand. When we allow ourselves to come back underneath the control of sin to where we obey its evil desires, we are thus free from the control of righteousness. In other words, we can’t live in both worlds at the same time. We can’t live for the flesh, the world, and our evil desires, and live and walk in Christ’s righteousness simultaneously. I am not saying that walking in the Spirit means absolute sinless perfection. It does not. Yet, it should mean that we are sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice, and that we should respond immediately to the Spirit’s voice when he convicts us of sin in our hearts, and that we should confess our sin, and turn from it, and we should continue walking in faith and in the Spirit of God.

Yet, I do know, from personal experience, that it is possible for a believer in Jesus, at some point in his or her life, to get caught up in the ways of the world and the flesh and to follow after those things once again that Christ Jesus died from which to set us free. And, I can tell you that there is no fruit gained from the things I am now ashamed of, though now set free, but only the regret that I wasted that time I could have been living for the Lord, and did not. Yet, Jesus’ grace lifted me out of that pit, and he put me on the right path again. Praise Jesus! I love his amazing grace!

What this passage of scripture is saying to us, I believe, is to think about where we were before Jesus saved us, to consider carefully what his grace truly means in our lives and in our walk of faith, and to take into account the price Jesus paid for us so we would be free from slavery to sin. I don’t want to ever go back! I pray I never will again. There is never any benefit to sin. Yet, to walk in freedom in Christ and in his Spirit is awesome! It is the best life ever! How can we who died to sin still live in it? It makes no sense at all!

Who Believes? / An Original Work / October 3, 2013

Based off Isaiah 53

Gospel message, who believes?

Jesus Christ died on a tree,

Saving us from all our sin,

So we might be cleansed within.

Had no beauty found in Him,

That we should desire Him.

Man of sorrows, suffering;

Crushed for our iniquities.

Surely He has borne our griefs;

From our sadness, brings relief.

Bore the stripes; forsaken, He,

So forgiven we might be.

We, like sheep, have gone astray,

Each of us turned his own way.

Jesus calls, “Repent today;

My commandments, now obey.”

Jesus said, to come to him,

We must die to all our sin.

Crucified with Him, we live,

Walking in His righteousness.

Suff’ring servants, we will be,

Taking His identity on us,

When confessing Him

As our Savior, Lord and King.

http://originalworks.info/who-believes/

Access by Faith

Sunday, October 06, 2013, 9:06 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with the song “Who Believes?” playing in my mind. Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 5:1-11 (ESV). I will reverse the order of the verses to make them chronological.

While Still Sinners

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. ~ Rom. 5:6-11

There is nothing we can do to deserve or to earn our salvation. We can never do enough good or avoid enough bad to merit salvation. It is provided for us totally undeserved. Jesus didn’t die for us because of our goodness or because of our own righteousness. He died for us even while we were yet sinners. So, not one of us can ever boast that it was our own goodness, or a result of our own good works, that brought about salvation in our lives. The blood of Jesus Christ alone provided the necessary sacrifice for sin. When he died, our sins died with him; they were buried with him. When he rose from the dead, our sins remained buried, thus he conquered sin, death, hell and Satan through his death and resurrection. And, because of what he did for us, we are able to be made right with God, be given freedom from slavery to sin, the hope of eternal life with God in glory, and we are able to be free to walk in the Spirit of God, no longer gratifying the desires of the flesh. All this is the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we surrender to his will and allow his Spirit to work in and through our lives for his glory. To God be the glory! Great things HE has done!

Access by Faith

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. (vv. 1-2)

What Jesus Christ did, he did for everyone. Yet, not everyone is saved. We must accept God’s free gift to us by faith. This word “faith” is often a much disputed subject among those who teach the gospel, or among those professing faith in Jesus Christ. What we do know for sure is that faith is supernatural, it is a gift from God, and it is not something fleshly or worldly (See Eph. 2:8-9). We can only come to faith in Jesus Christ because the Father first draws us to Christ, and only through the Spirit of God can we even have the faith to believe. So, true faith cannot be generated in our own flesh natures, but is of the Spirit of God as appropriated to our lives.

In other words, we can choose to believe, or we can choose not to believe. The gift is ours, but we must put it into practice in our lives. We have to choose to act upon what has been provided for us. It will never be forced upon us, and not everyone has it just because it has been provided. We must each individually surrender to Jesus Christ, believe in what he did for us through his death and resurrection, and we must allow the Holy Spirit of God to transform our hearts and to make us new creatures in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

So, what is faith?

Jesus said we have to repent of our sins to have eternal life. Although literally the word means to have a change of mind, in the context of scripture the word is most always used in the sense of turning away from our sin or wickedness and turning to God; to walk in his ways. One example Jesus cited on the subject of repentance was the people of Nineveh who repented at the preaching of Jonah. They turned from their wickedness and they believed God. Paul spoke of repentance in the sense of repenting of impurity, sexual sin and debauchery. In the letters to the seven churches, it is real clear that when Jesus says to repent, he means to stop doing the bad they were doing and to do what he says to do. This teaching is taught all throughout the New Testament. Jesus said he came to call sinners to repentance. He also said that, unless we repent, we will perish. As well, he said that repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations.

Peter said that repentance leads to life. Paul said that God commands all people to repent. Paul said that he preached that people should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds. He also said that godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation. And, John wrote that there will be people in the time of tribulation who will not repent of their worship of demons, their idols, murders, magic arts, sexual immorality or thefts. So, repentance is clearly associated with turning away from sin and with turning to walk with God in his ways and in his righteousness. And, it is clear throughout the New Testament that repentance is required for eternal life with God and for forgiveness of sin.

Jesus also said that if we want to come after him, we must deny (disallow) ourselves (our self-life), take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him (See Lu. 9:23-25). He said his sheep know his voice, they listen to him, and they follow (obey) him (see John 10). He told his disciples that they were to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey everything Christ commanded them. He said that whoever obeys his word will never see death; that whoever loves him will obey his teaching, and that he and the Father will make their home with that person.

The apostles said that the Holy Spirit is given to those who obey Christ. In Hebrews we read that Jesus Christ became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, and that Abraham, by faith, obeyed and did what God told him to do. And, John said that if we say we know God but we do not do what he commands, then we are liars, and the truth is not in us. Paul also said that obedience leads to righteousness, and that it comes from faith. And, John said that love for God is to walk in obedience to his commands. And, Jesus said if we keep his commands we remain in his love. So, it is also obvious from scripture that obedience (not keeping the law) is an essential component of true faith.

Paul said that the way we come to know Christ is by forsaking our former lives of living for self and sin, by being transformed in heart and mind (of the Spirit of God), and by putting on our new selves in Christ Jesus, “created to be like Christ in true righteousness and holiness” (See Eph. 4:17-24). So, here again we have a picture of believing faith as that of turning away from lifestyles of sin (repentance), being transformed of the Spirit of God, and putting on our new lives in Christ, which are created to be like Christ in true righteousness and holiness. And, James makes a strong case for the fact that faith without action is dead, and that even the demons believe and they shudder.

So, I would put to you that the faith that gives us access to God’s grace is faith that proves itself to be genuine through repentance and through obedience (surrender to God), yet I believe that only in the power and working of the Spirit within us can we have such faith.

Rejoice in Suffering

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. (vv. 3-5)

One of the main ways in which Jesus suffered and his disciples and apostles and the church throughout history has suffered is via persecution. Jesus told his brothers that he was hated because he told the people that what they were doing was wrong (evil). And, he said that, as his followers, that we will be hated just as he was hated, and for the same reasons. The world (even the worldly church) will hate us because we preach the gospel that says that we must turn away from our lifestyles of sin, we must be transformed in heart and mind of the Spirit of God, and we must follow our Lord in obedience and surrender to his will. This obedience is not following a set of rules, though. It is death to sin and self, and it is being made alive in Christ Jesus; it is Jesus Christ living his life in and through me as I yield control of my life over to him, submitting to his will, surrendering to his working in my life. It is a complete and radical change of life – no longer I, but Christ in me. Yet, many will not want to hear this, and so we may suffer persecution and even be hated for telling the truth.

Yet, God allows us to go through such times of suffering, because it develops within us godly character, hope and endurance. I can attest from personal experience that the things I have suffered in this life have drawn me even closer to my Lord, they have helped to strengthen me, to put within me resolve and determination to persevere, and they have also made me ever aware of God’s grace, his love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and his faithfulness to me, even at times when I was faithless. We serve an awesome God!

Who Believes? / An Original Work / October 3, 2013

Based off Isaiah 53

Gospel message, who believes?

Jesus Christ died on a tree,

Saving us from all our sin,

So we might be cleansed within.

Had no beauty found in Him,

That we should desire Him.

Man of sorrows, suffering;

Crushed for our iniquities.

Surely He has borne our griefs;

From our sadness, brings relief.

Bore the stripes; forsaken, He,

So forgiven we might be.

We, like sheep, have gone astray,

Each of us turned his own way.

Jesus calls, “Repent today;

My commandments, now obey.”

Jesus said, to come to him,

We must die to all our sin.

Crucified with Him, we live,

Walking in His righteousness.

Suff’ring servants, we will be,

Taking His identity on us,

When confessing Him

As our Savior, Lord and King.

http://youtu.be/T3tKS8IqU28

http://originalworks.info/who-believes/