A Recap

Saturday, May 7, 2016, 4:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Softly and Tenderly.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 15:14-21 (ESV).

On Some Points (vv. 14-16)

I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another. But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

What points may Paul have written to the believers in Rome which might be considered reminders to them, and which he expressed to them quite boldly? And, which are for us, too?

For one, he kept reminding them that Jesus saved them out of sin, so they were not to continue in sin. But, he went further than that. He also reminded them that the wrath of God is revealed against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. Along those lines, he also exhorted them that, by faith in Christ, they died to sin, thus how could they live in it any longer. And, he told them quite plainly that if we live according to the sinful nature, we will die in our sins, but it is only those who, by the Spirit, are putting to death the deeds of the flesh who are promised eternal life with God. Yet, he was not teaching works-based salvation. He taught that, if we say we know Christ, our lives should reflect that confession. It is those who are led by the Spirit of God who are the sons of God, not those who merely profess Christ and yet continue living in sin.

Then he reminded them, as well, that because of God’s mercy to them, they should give their lives to God as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is their spiritual act of worship of God. “Holy” means to be set apart from (different, unlike) the world, because we are becoming like Christ. He told them that they should no longer conform their lives to the ways of this sinful world, but that they should be transformed by the renewing of their minds, so that they can test and approve of what God’s will is for their lives – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

And, then he went on to instruct them in holy living. They must love others genuinely (not falsely). They must hate what is evil and cling to what is good. They must share with people in need and not do anything to harm others, and they must be humble and not conceited, etc. In addition to all that, they (we) must put aside the deeds of darkness. We must clothe ourselves, instead, with Jesus Christ, and not think about how we can gratify the desires of the sinful nature; to make no provision for the flesh.

The Gospel of Christ (vv. 17-21)

In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written,

“Those who have never been told of him will see,

    and those who have never heard will understand.”

Paul was a minister of the gospel of God; of Christ. Thus, he made it his ambition to preach the gospel wherever God sent him, both to Jew and to Gentile (non-Jew). So, what was this gospel which he taught?

He taught that we are all under sin. We are born into sin, without God, without hope, and destined to eternal torment and eternal separation from God. In and of ourselves, there is not one of us who is righteous apart from faith in Jesus Christ. Not one of us is able to keep the whole law with absolute perfection, either, nor are we able to earn or to deserve our own salvation. Our good deeds will never outweigh our bad deeds. We can do nothing in ourselves to affect our own salvation. All of us have sinned and come up short of attaining God’s divine approval on our own merit.

So, God the Father sent his Son Jesus Christ to the earth to take on human form, and to die on a cross for our sins. He who knew no sin became sin for us so that when he died, our sins died with him, and were buried with him. Yet, praise the Lord, he did not remain dead. God the Father resurrected his Son from the dead. When he was resurrected, he rose victorious over sin, hell, Satan and death on our behalf. After about 40 days, I think it was, he returned to the Father in heaven where he is seated at his right hand. Then, he sent his Holy Spirit to the earth, as he had promised, to indwell the lives of those who believe in him as Lord and as Savior of their lives. And, one day he is going to return to the earth to judge all people and to take his bride (his followers) to be with him forever and ever.

Through faith in Jesus Christ, and in what he did for us in dying on a cross to free us from our sins, we can be forgiven our sins, be delivered from the curse of sin and from slavery to sin, and we can be set free to now walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness. We also, through faith in Jesus Christ, are given the promise of eternal life with God both now and forever more. So, what is faith? What does this faith look like? And, how do we get it?

When we believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord (owner-master) and Savior of our lives, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ in newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24; cf. Ro. 6). Peter said that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). Through faith in Christ, our old self (of living to sin and self) is crucified with Christ so that the body of sin might be done away with. Sin should no longer be our master. We who have believed on Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior have been set free from sin so that we might become slaves of righteousness. When we were slaves to sin, we were free from the control of righteousness. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This gift, though, is not just salvation from sin, but it includes the faith to believe in Jesus Christ, too. Only by God’s grace can we even have the faith to believe in Jesus.

This faith is also continuous. When we read in John 3:16 that whoever believes in him has eternal life, the word “believes” is present tense, meaning “whoever believing in him.” We are not saved on the basis of past belief, in other words. True faith in Jesus Christ is the kind that endures to the end. The Bible teaches us that we are saved (past), that we are being saved (present), and that we will be saved when Christ returns (future).

Paul said that Jesus died that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but who conduct our lives according to the Spirit. He said that if we walk according to the flesh, we will die, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live. Jesus said the same thing when he said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and self) and follow (obey) him. He said if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self), we will lose them for eternity, but if we lose our lives (are crucified with Christ in death to sin), we will gain eternal life. John said that if we say we have fellowship with God but we walk in darkness, we are liars, and the truth is not in us. A saved life is a transformed life of the Spirit of God, which turns us away from sin to God, to walk now in his righteousness.

So, whether or not we make claims to know Christ, or whether or not we genuinely know Christ as Lord and as Savior of our lives, if we are making provision for the flesh in our lives, and we are suppressing the truth by our wickedness, and we are not honoring God for the holy God he is, he is calling us to turn from our sin and to follow Jesus in obedience. Not one of us knows if he has tomorrow. Time is running out. God made you to worship him and to honor him and to walk in obedience to him, not to run after the gods of this world. So, trust him with your life today or return to him and make him truly owner-master of your life. Remember that it is those who are led by the Spirit who are the sons of God.

Softly and Tenderly / Will Thompson

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.

Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.

Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

The Law of Love

Friday, May 6, 2016, 6:30 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “My Sheep.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 13 (ESV).

Governing Authorities (vv. 1- 7)

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience. For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.

We should subject ourselves to governing authorities unless what they are asking us to do goes against God’s laws and against his commands to his followers. God’s laws always trump man’s laws, in other words. We see this exemplified for us in the lives of Jesus and his apostles. Jesus followed the law of love rather than strict adherence to religious forms and traditions of men. The apostles would not stop preaching in Jesus’ name, although they had been commanded to keep silent. They said, “We must obey God rather than men.”

I see one other area, as well, where we must make a distinction between following God and following man, and that is in the context of the institutional church here in America, which is subject to the 501c3 not-for-profit incorporation status under the US government. Under the 501c3 the church is under the headship of the US government instead of Christ, because the government dictates what the church can or cannot do, and it is only going to get much worse. God did not call his church, which is a living organism and a spiritual entity to come under the headship of the US government. Jesus Christ is to be her only head!

I believe the reference in Revelation 18:4-5 can be applied to the institutional church here in America, though not limited to that for certain. I believe the Lord is calling to his people to come out of her so that we do not share in her sins. The church, the body of Christ, needs to bring herself back under the Lordship of Christ and remove herself from the headship of the government, for the US government is not of God, but of Satan. And, the institutional church is encouraging government worship via the pledge of fidelity to the government via the pledge to the flag, and via the singing of patriotic songs in the church.

Check out the layout of Washington, D.C. Look at all its buildings and statues, which are patterned after Roman, Greek and Egyptian gods and goddesses. Look into the history of our government in relation to the Free Masons, and look into its Satanic roots, too.

Also, listen to the president’s speeches with regard to religion and faith and with regard to religious extremism. What he is promoting is the same as what the pope is promoting, and that is a one-world government and a one-world religion where we all join hands together in harmony with people of all faiths, and we remove our barriers and what divides us as the people of the world. If we hold to the truths of scripture, and we preach the full gospel message, we are being tagged as intolerant, bigoted, and hateful, and we must be stopped.

Love Each Other (vv. 8-10)

Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Agape love is not the same as human love. It is based in God and in what he prefers rather than based in human emotion and human desire. If we say that we love someone, we are not going to lie to that person or cheat on him or commit sin against or with him or her. And, yet many Christians do exactly that, and all in the name of “love,” too. They ignore sin in one another, rather than confront it, and they will sit and watch moral filth on TV and in movies together, and they call that friendship and companionship. They see forgiveness as turning a blind eye to a brother’s sin, rather than as an opportunity to help lift that sister or brother out of sin to restoration and renewal of his or her relationship with God. Yet, when God forgives, he does not leave us still floundering in sin. He delivers, restores and he renews us in faith in him, and he puts us on a solid rock on which we can now stand.

Agape love, in other words, sometimes involves what we call “tough love.” It is when we have to make hard choices, which may get us hated and rejected by others, because it is what is best for the one we are loving. Sometimes parents have to kick adult children out of the home because the children refuse to obey the parents and to submit to their authority, and/or because the children are putting other members of the family in harm’s way. We must remember here that God disciplines those he loves, so we must not fear correction when it is necessary. The most loving thing we can do for others is to tell them the truth, and to not let them do what is harmful to themselves or to others, as much as is within our power to do so. Saying “No” to someone may be the best thing for him or her, in other words. As well, we may have to remove ourselves from the lives of those who are pulling us down spiritually or who are leading us into sin, because love does no harm to its neighbor.

Wake from Sleep (vv. 11-14)

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

It is popular in today’s modern church movement to preach a half-truth gospel, which is a lie. Yet, it does teach the death and resurrection of Christ, and that Jesus died to take away the sins of the world. It teaches that it is by God’s grace we are saved, through faith – and this not from ourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast (Eph. 2:8-9). It teaches, as well, that through faith in Jesus Christ, we have forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life with God both now and forevermore. These are true things.

What it does not teach, nonetheless, is that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. It does not teach that believing in Jesus Christ means death to our old lives of living for sin and self, and being resurrected with Christ to newness of life, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. It does not teach that Jesus died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us, or that he died that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but who conduct our lives according to the Spirit. It does not teach that if we walk according to the flesh that we will die, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live. It also does not teach that if we say we have fellowship with God, and yet we walk in darkness (in sinful lifestyles) that we are liars, and the truth is not in us.

It also does not teach repentance for forgiveness of sins, although Jesus and his apostles taught that. It also does not teach obedience to God’s commands, although the Bible clearly teaches that if we continue in sin, or if we do not obey God’s commands, then we don’t know God, and he does not live in us and us in him. Now, I don’t believe scripture teaches that we must keep the law 100%, i.e. that we must live in sinless perfection, but it does clearly teach that a saved life is a life transformed of the Spirit of God and that this transformation of the Spirit is evidenced in our submission and obedience to our Lord. If we have not changed, and if we continue living for sin and self without regard for God/Christ and for his instructions to us in holy living, chances are pretty good we are not really saved.

So, we must be discerning about these things, and test whatever we hear against the word of God and against what we know of God’s divine character and will for us, his followers. This goes to the issue of obeying governing authorities, which includes under what circumstances we are to obey or not obey. It also goes to the issue of loving others with agape love, and us doing no harm to our neighbors. And, it goes to the issue of us making no provision for the flesh, so that we do not gratify sinful desires. This is an issue which has as its root a proper understanding of why we are saved to begin with, which is not just so we can escape hell and go to heaven when we die, but in order that we might die to sin and live to righteousness while we still walk the face of this earth. So, be discerning. Know what the will of God is, and do it. And, do not follow strangers (thieves and liars), but run away from them!

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

Faithful in All Things

Thursday, May 5, 2016, 7:21 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “I Just Keep Trusting My Lord.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 12:9-21 (ESV).

Patient in Tribulation (vv. 9-13)

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Genuine Love – The word “love” here refers to agape love, which is divine love, and which centers around what God prefers, not what humans favor. We read about such love in 1 Corinthians 13 where it teaches us that love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not self-seeking. It is not easily angered. It does not delight in evil, but it rejoices in the truth, etc. Jesus exemplified this kind of love. He did not flatter. He did not deceive. He always told the truth. He cared more about what would benefit others than he did about what they wanted. He is always looking out for what is for our ultimate good, not what will bring us the most comfort. This kind of love is not based in human emotion or in the one receiving the love, but it is based in God’s love for humankind as lived out through the lives of his followers, as we treat others as Jesus treats us.

Evil and Good – Going along with agape love, which centers around what God prefers, if we truly love others with God’s love we will be people who will hate evil. We will not be those who embrace it, take pleasure in it, and who are easily entertained by it on a daily basis. We will feel what God feels, and be passionate about what he is passionate about it. What grieves his spirit will grieve our spirits, too. We will not lie to one another or cheat on our spouses, or on our employers, etc. We will be honest and faithful in all that we do, and we will set our faces like flint against all temptation to participate in anything that is evil. And, we will hold fast to what is good – good according to God, not by human standards, i.e. to what is decent, respectable, moral, wholesome and upright. These are what we will adhere to, not to the junk (moral filth) that so many professing Christians embrace regularly.

Brotherly Affection – We are also to love one another with a friendship type love which shows affection (properly) toward one another. This kind of love engages our emotions, and it is supportive and encouraging. It weeps with those who weep, and it rejoices with those who rejoice. It stands with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are going through difficult times. It shows compassion toward those who are hurting, as well as it helps those who are in need. It does its neighbor no harm, but only what is good. It looks out not only for its own interests, but also for what is in the best interest of others. It is kind, generous, thoughtful, and merciful, forgiving seventy times seven and much more. And, it never gives up hope, but always trusts God in every situation, and believes in miracles in people’s lives.

Serving the Lord – Sometimes, when people have been Christians for a long time, they can lose their zeal for the Lord and can become complacent and apathetic about their relationships with Jesus Christ. I think this is probably more prevalent in affluent societies where people are well off and not in serious want of anything, and so they end up taking God for granted and even their own lives for granted, and so they become lazy in their walks of faith, and thus they give God a back seat in their lives, instead of first place. Yet, that is not how it should be. We should be on fire for our Lord, passionate about him, and excited and enthusiastic about being in his service. We should delight in following him wherever he leads us, and we should desire nothing more than to obey him always.

Joyful in Hope – This is the one that is speaking to my heart today. We are two weeks away from moving from SC to OH, and there has been a glitch – a roadblock – in the process. So, we are at a point of possibly having to make some alterations to our plans, or to our schedule (the timing of it all), so I have been in prayer, seeking God’s face concerning what direction to go next. He keeps encouraging my heart that he is completely faithful in all he does, and that I am to just trust him with the results. And, I believe he will direct our steps, and that he will show us the way in which we are to now go. So, I am resting in him in this trial, being patient in tribulation, and faithful in prayer, believing God to work it all out for our good and for the good of all others who are also impacted by this same process.

Bless our Persecutors (vv. 14-21)

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Sometimes our difficult tribulations are the direct result of us being persecuted by those who hate us, though not always. Yet, instead of responding to persecution by retreating or retaliating, we are to bless our persecutors. So, how do we do that? Well, blessing is the opposite of cursing, for one, and to curse someone means to wish them harm or ill-will. So, if we are to bless them, then we should desire good for them, but good according to God’s standards, not by the world’s standards. We should pray for their salvation if they do not know Jesus, and we should pray for God’s good to be done in their lives. And, we should show them acts of kindness, mercy, compassion and caring about them and their needs.

We should try to live in harmony with and peaceably with others, too, as much as it depends on us. For one, we should never compromise our faith and moral standards in order to live at peace with others. We should never dilute the gospel of salvation or agree to remain silent about our testimonies for Jesus Christ in order to live at peace with others. Yet, we should try to live at peace in all areas where it does not require us to go against God and his word. We must also recognize that our attempts toward peace may be rejected, too, so even if we make the effort, that does not necessarily mean that it will reciprocated. Some people will only make peace with those who are like-minded with them, and who practice the same things which they practice and believe. We may be accused of the same, because we will not compromise our convictions, yet civility can be maintained without compromise.

In all this, we must trust ourselves to God who knows us, who knows other people, and who has a plan and a purpose for each and every one of us. We are not to become anxious, but in all things we are to commit our way unto the Lord, trusting him to work all things for good for those who love him and who are called according to his purpose. He has a reason for everything which he allows in our lives – all persecutions, trials and tribulations – so rather than resist them, we should rest in our Lord through them, and allow them and him to do their work in our lives in maturing us in Christ, and in teaching us perseverance, and in drawing us closer to our Lord in full assurance of faith. So, no matter where we are and what we are going through, God has it under his control, and he will accomplish his purposes through it. We just have to trust him, and follow his lead, and go where he takes us. And, good will come from it.

I Just Keep Trusting My Lord

John W. Peterson

I just keep trusting my Lord as I walk along,

I just keep trusting my Lord and He gives a song;

Tho’ the storm clouds darken the sky o'er the heav'nly trail,

I just keep trusting my Lord—He will never fail!

http://www.hymnary.org/text/i_just_keep_trusting_my_lord

An Appeal

Wednesday, May 4, 2016, 5:38 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Lord, Move Me.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 12:1-2 (ESV).

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

The Mercies of God

What are the “mercies of God”? Well, first of all, when we are born into this world, we are born with sin natures, separate from God, without hope, and destined to spend eternity without God in eternal punishment. We all come up short of attaining God’s divine approval. Not one of us is righteous in his own merit. We can never be good enough to earn or to deserve our own salvation. Our own righteousness is like filthy rags in God’s sight.

So, God the Father sent his Son Jesus Christ to the earth to be born as a baby - to take on the appearance of a man (made in human likeness). Jesus is not only the Son of God, he is God the Son, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When he walked this earth, he was fully God yet fully man. He suffered as we suffer, and he was tempted in like manner as we are also tempted, yet without sin. God sent his Son to the earth to die on a cross, taking upon himself the sins of the entire world. He who knew no sin became sin for us so that when he was crucified on the cross, our sins were put to death with him, and they were buried with him. Yet God the Father resurrected Jesus from the dead. When Jesus was resurrected, he rose victorious over sin, hell, Satan and death.

By God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, and in what he did for us in dying for our sins, we can be forgiven our sins and have eternal life with God. When we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ in newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24; cf. Ro. 6). Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). He died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us (2 Co. 5:15). He died that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not according to the flesh, but who conduct our lives according to the Spirit (See: Ro. 8:1-14). Jesus did not die just so we can escape hell and go to heaven when we die. He died to put sin to death in our lives, and so we can live to him and to his righteousness, set free from the control of sin and Satan over our lives.

Living Sacrifices

Because of what Jesus Christ did for us in putting sin to death, and in being resurrected from the dead in order to give us new lives in Christ Jesus, our Lord, we are to give our lives to God as living sacrifices (offerings), holy and acceptable (well-pleasing) to God. In other words, when Jesus died for our sins, we were bought with a price. He bought us back for God with his blood in order that we might no longer walk in sin, but that we may walk in his holiness. To be holy means to be set apart from (different, unlike) the world because we are becoming like Jesus, being transformed into his likeness. Our lives are no longer our own to be lived how we want. Jesus is now our Lord (owner-master), and we are his bondservants (slaves) – no longer slaves to sin, but now slaves to righteousness.

So, what should this look like? I don’t believe it means we now live in sinless perfection (See: 1 Jn. 2:1). But, it should mean that we now conduct our lives (in lifestyle) according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh. If we walk according to the flesh, we will die, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live (Ro. 8:1-14). Coming to Christ means we deny self, we take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and self), and we follow (obey) Jesus (Lu. 9:23-25). It means, too, that we listen to Jesus and we follow (obey) him (See: Jn. 10).

Basically, if we truly see our lives as no longer our own, but that they were bought with the price of Jesus’ blood shed on the cross for our sins, and if we truly see Jesus as our owner-master and us as his bond-slaves, it should radically transform our lives. Jesus will be our first consideration in whatever we do, and we won’t be looking for ways in which we can still live to gratify our sinful flesh. We won’t allow our eyes to see or our ears to hear, as much as it is within our power to do so, what brings dishonor to God and what gives glory to our sinful flesh. We won’t allow ourselves to be entertained by the sinful practices of others via TV and movies, but we will want to honor God in all that we do. We won’t go our own way, either, but we will desire to follow the ways of God, and to seek his will for our lives.

Spiritual Worship

When we do this, i.e. when we give our lives over to God as living offerings to him, holy and well-pleasing to God, this is our spiritual worship of him. Although it is true that our worship of God involves praise, thanksgiving, adoration, singing and rejoicing, it cannot be true worship of him if we are still living to gratify our sinful flesh and giving lip-service only.

So many people have a twisted or an incomplete idea of what it means to worship God. In the church of today, the word “worship” is often associated merely with a song service, and perhaps with the lifting or clapping of hands. But true worship of God begins in our hearts, and it has to do with worshiping him in spirit and in truth, i.e. with our entire being, in the Spirit of God, and in honesty and integrity. To worship God means to give him our honor, respect, devotion and obedience, as well as our admiration and adoration. Yet, we praise him with how we live our lives, not just with our lips. We honor him with our obedience. We demonstrate our devotion to him by walking in his ways and in his truth, and by following his lead. And, we respect him by taking his word seriously and applying it to our lives.

Conformed vs. Transformed

Why is it that so many who call themselves Christians are still living lives conformed to the ways of this sinful world? And, they are not living lives transformed by the power of the Spirit of God living within them? There is not much of a distinction these days between the church and the world. In fact, the church has become much like the world in order to attract the world of sin to its gatherings. It markets itself to the world, too, using sinful practices, deception and manipulation of human emotion. A large percentage of today’s church has become followers of men (humans) instead of followers of God. Books written by human authors (not God-breathed) have replaced scripture in small group “Bible studies.” Entertainment has become the central focus of many “worship services.” And, manipulation of human emotion has superseded the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.

Because of all this, the church is on a moral decline. A large majority of pastors battle with pornography addiction and/or have flirted with extramarital affairs. Since they are so often defeated by sin’s deceitfulness themselves, they are not leading their congregations to forsake sin and to follow their Lord in obedience. The gospel has also been diluted to make it more appealing and acceptable to the people of the world, in order to give free license to continue in sin without guilt and without remorse, while claiming heaven when they die.

During “worship services” they show movie clips from movies sometimes containing sexual situations or glorifying other sins, and then they try to use these to make spiritual application. Yet, these movies often contradict the very truths they are being used to illustrate, so they are self-defeating. Yet, church leaders do this to try to connect and identify with the people of this sinful world on their level, but is that what Jesus did? No! Jesus was not put to death because he made nice with the world. He confronted the world with their sins, and told them that what they were doing was evil, so they hated him and put him to death on a cross. And, we are to be like Jesus, not like the world. We need to be transformed of the Spirit of God, and no longer conformed to the ways of this sinful world.

Lord, Move Me / An Original Work / October 16, 2011

Be my desire, my heart set on fire,

Lord, move me to worship You only, I pray.

Fill with Your Spirit, my heart overflow.

Lord, may I long for You; Your word to know.

Teach me to walk with You, Lord, in Your power,

And may I serve You, Lord, right now in this hour.

Lord, how I want to obey You forever.

Help me to hear You, Lord, so I will not stray.

Teach me to love You; adore You always.

Envelope me, Lord, with Your grace today.

Meet me in my need, and show me Your mercy.

Forgive me for all things, as I humbly pray.

Counsel me, lead me, direct me, and guide me,

So I follow You, Lord, where’er You lead now.

I love to hear You speak Your words to me.

I am so grateful that You set me free.

Wash me, and cleanse me, and make me like You, Lord,

And I will live with You for eternity.

https://vimeo.com/125966625

For Righteousness

Tuesday, May 3, 2016, 4:25 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “My Sheep.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 10:1-13 (ESV).

Submission to God (vv. 1-4)

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.

Many people today claim to be Christians. They claim to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior of their lives. Yet, not all of them are truly saved from their sins. Not all of them truly have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Why? Because it is not enough just to confess with your mouth that you know Christ, or even to believe intellectually in his death and resurrection. Salvation from sin involves submission to God’s righteousness. We can’t say we believe in Jesus and then make up our own beliefs about God and about Jesus. We can’t pull a few scriptures out of context, either, and build a whole doctrine around them while ignoring the bulk of teaching in the New Testament concerning our salvation, and what it means to truly believe in Jesus Christ as Lord (master-owner) and as Savior of our lives.

So many people today are teaching a gospel of salvation absent of the cross of Christ in the life of the believer. Not only did Jesus have to die on a cross for our sins, but we must die with him in death to sin, and we must be resurrected with him in newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24; cf. Ro. 6). Belief in Jesus Christ is not a religion or a set of religious practices we perform. When we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, i.e. to God, in submission of our wills to the will of God for our lives. We die to our old lives of living for sin and self, and we are born anew of the Spirit of God to new lives to be lived for God and to his righteousness and holiness (See: Luke 9:23-25; John 6:35-66; Ac. 26:16-18; Ro. 6:1-23; 8:1-14; 2 Co. 5:15; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 4:17-24; 1 Pet. 2:24-25; & 1 Jn. 1:5-9).

It is much more difficult to reach people with the true gospel of our salvation who have been convinced that faith in Jesus Christ requires nothing of them whatsoever. They have sought to establish their own righteousness based on a lie, which tells them they don’t have to turn from their sins, and they don’t have to obey God, which means they believe they don’t have to submit to God’s righteousness. They are being taught that all they have to do is have some kind of mystical and undefined “belief” in Jesus Christ which absolves them of all guilt and punishment for their sin, and which guarantees them heaven when they die. Yet, what they are being told gives them free license to continue living sinful lifestyles without guilt and without remorse, while claiming the promise of heaven when they die.

May this never be! Jesus did not die that horrible death on a cross for our sins so that we could continue in sin guilt-free. That is not freedom! That is still bondage to sin whitewashed to make it look like salvation. If we are not delivered out of slavery to sin, then that is no deliverance at all, for we are still destined to eternal punishment without God. If we are not called to obedience, to surrender to God, to submission to his will for our lives, and to walk in his righteousness and holiness, then why call ourselves Christians at all? A Christian is a Christ follower. To follow means to obey. Jesus put sin to death on a cross not just to forgive us of our sins but to eradicate sin from our lives. Amen!

Jesus is Lord (vv. 5-13)

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.”

Many people who call themselves Christians pull this section of scripture out of context and build a whole doctrine around it, using it to claim that if one just confesses audibly their faith in Jesus Christ, and if they believe in his bodily resurrection, then they are saved from their sins, have the hope of heaven when they die, and that nothing more is required of them – no submission to God’s righteousness, no repentance, and no obedience to God’s instructions to us, which he left for us to teach us about his righteousness and about holy living. But, is that really what this is saying?

Paul was addressing these thoughts primarily to the Jews. For them, if they audibly confessed that Jesus is Lord, they were saying that they believed that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah prophesied about by Moses and by the prophets of old. This was not a mere audible confession for them, for when they did this, they risked rejection and/or death from their family, friends and religious community. Also, to confess that Jesus is Lord is to publicly acknowledge him to be owner-master of our lives. If Jesus is truly owner-master, then that means we obey him, we submit to his righteousness, we walk in his holiness, and we live to do what pleases him instead of living for ourselves and for what we want.

As well, their belief in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was not to be a mere intellectual belief, either, but it was to be from their hearts. Our hearts are the center of our being, where we make decisions about morality and our life choices regarding who we are and what we do. So, if we believe in our hearts, i.e. in our innermost being (character and will) that Jesus not only died for our sins, but that he was resurrected from the dead in conquering death, hell, Satan and sin, we make a moral choice of our will to submit to his Lordship over our lives, and to submit to his righteousness being lived out through our lives. We die with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ in newness of life – a new life in Christ Jesus which is to be lived to his righteousness.

Calling on Jesus, too, is not a mere verbal call to him requesting forgiveness for our sins. To call on the name of Jesus is to make an appeal to him in accord with his divine character and will. It is to make a serious or an urgent request to a higher court (God’s court) for a reversal of decision regarding our eternal destiny. It involves pleading with God for his mercy. And, it incorporates repentance - turning from sin to God (See: Is. 55:6-7). Yet, the appeal is not founded on the basis of our goodness, but on God’s goodness and mercy, and on Jesus’ sacrificial death on a cross for our sins.

So, what is the point of this passage of scripture? First of all, I believe it is to point out that no one can obey the law with absolute perfection. No one is saved by keeping the law. We can never be good enough to earn or to deserve our own salvation. That is why Jesus died for our sins. He who knew no sin became sin for us, and thus when he died our sins died with him. Only by God’s grace, through faith in Jesus Christ, and not of our own doing, can we have such a great salvation from sin, be delivered out of bondage to sin, and have the promise of eternal life with God. Our salvation is a free gift of God, not of works lest any of us should boast that we somehow did something to affect our own salvation. Even the faith to believe is a gift from God.

Yet, faith in Jesus Christ is not just an emotional decision, verbal confession, or an intellectual assent to what Jesus did for us in dying for our sins. Faith in Jesus Christ involves submission to God’s righteousness, and it makes Jesus Lord (master-owner) of our lives, for Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24).

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

Setting Our Minds

Sunday, May 1, 2016, 4:04 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “My Sheep.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 8:1-17 (ESV).

Not According to the Flesh (vv. 1-8)

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

When we are born into this world, we are born with sin natures, separated from God, without hope, and destined to spend eternity in hell (in eternal punishment). There is nothing we can do to affect our own salvation. Nothing we do causes us to deserve it, and there is not anything we can do to earn it. We can never be good enough in our own flesh. The law dictates that we must die for our sin. So, God, who is loving and is full of grace, sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to die on a cross for our sins. He who knew no sin became sin for us, and thus when he died, our sins died and were buried with him, and when he was resurrected from the dead, he rose victorious over sin, hell, Satan and death on our behalf.

Because of God’s grace to us in sending his Son to die for our sins, we, through faith in Jesus Christ, can be delivered from the curse of sin, which is death (eternal separation from God). We can also be set free from slavery to sin, be free to now walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness, and we can have eternal life with God both now and forevermore. If we have truly trusted in Jesus Christ to be Lord (master-owner) and Savior of our lives, we are no longer condemned to hell, or to slavery to sin, or to eternal separation from God, for Jesus set us free from all that! Amen!

So, what is the righteous requirement of the law? The law, as I understand it, demands sinless perfection. It demands holiness and righteousness. It is God’s moral law. Yet, because we are sinners by nature, not one of us is able, in our own flesh, to live perfectly, and thus we all stand condemned outside of faith in Jesus Christ, because we can’t keep the law with absolute perfection. So, Jesus put our sin to death on a cross so that through faith in him, his righteousness might be credited to our account, and so we might no longer stand condemned. Yet, to whom is this righteousness imputed? Not to those who merely profess the name of Jesus, but to those who walk (conduct our lives) no longer according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

So, some say that is works-based salvation. But, is it? No! Why? For one, Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Co. 5:15). He did not die merely so we could escape hell and have the promise of heaven when we die. He died to radically transform our lives away from sinful lifestyles to Spirit-filled lives committed to godliness and holiness. If we have not been transformed of the Spirit of God in death to sin and in living to righteousness, then we are not truly saved. A saved life is a changed life – from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God (Ac. 26:16-18). I am now free from the control of sin, and I am free to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. Amen!

So many people are teaching that a mere confession of Christ as Savior guarantees them heaven, no matter how they live their lives from this point forward. The point of salvation, to them, is to escape hell and to go to heaven when they die. They obviously have not truly comprehended the words of Romans 6 and 8. The point of our salvation is not just so we can escape punishment and so we can have eternal rewards. The goal of our salvation is to eradicate our old lives of living for sin and self and to give us new lives in Christ Jesus, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). This is the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, but only as we yield control of our lives over to the Spirit.

If, after we profess to know Jesus, we are still living our lives to please our sinful nature, and if our minds are still set on what our sinful nature desires, and not on what the Spirit desires, we will still die in our sins, not because we failed to keep the law perfectly, but because no heart transformation of the Spirit of God took place in our lives. If we have truly believed in Jesus Christ, there should be evidence in our lives that such faith exists. We should now live for God, and do what pleases him, not perfectly, but consistently and persistently, by the Spirit, putting to death the deeds of the flesh. We should yield to the Spirit in our lives, walking in the ways of our Lord, following him wherever he leads us. Yet, if we are still controlled by the sinful nature, we cannot please God.

If in Fact (vv. 9-11)

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

We cannot assume we are saved from our sins, that we have the hope of eternal life with God in heaven, and that we no longer stand condemned before God if a spiritual transformation has not taken place in our lives. There are far too many people who are counting on heaven when they die while they still live like hell while they are on the face of this earth. They do not honor God for the holy God that he is, but they act as though God owes them eternal life, even though their minds are clearly still set on the things of the flesh, and not on the things of the Spirit. A man confronted me one day when I was telling people they needed to repent of their sins. He told me he didn’t have to repent. All he had to do was believe. But, is that the goal of our salvation? Is it not to be set free from the power of sin and Satan over our lives, and to now come under the control of righteousness?

If By the Spirit (vv. 12-17)

So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Do we get this? I don’t think many who profess the name of Jesus do, for they still live as though they are their own masters, and as though they can do whatever they want with their lives. They see God’s grace as free license to continue in sin without guilt and without remorse, rather than seeing God’s grace as freedom from the control of sin, and freedom to walk in Christ’s righteousness. Their lives are no different from the people of this sinful world who make no confession of Christ whatsoever. They do many of the same things. They watch the same TV shows and movies, are addicted to pornography, tell the same raunchy jokes, lie to one another, cheat the system, and cheat on their spouses and their employers, et al. Their lives are about self-pleasure and self-satisfaction, rather than about following their Lord in surrender and obedience, and because someone has convinced them they do not have to turn from their sins and they don’t have to obey God, as though that should be the goal of our salvation to be free to now sin without guilt. What a mockery!

We must know here that if we conduct our lives according to our flesh, and not according to the Spirit, we will die in our sins. We do NOT have the hope of heaven when we die, and we will not escape eternal punishment. If we want to have eternal life with God in heaven, we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we must be resurrected with Christ, of the Spirit, in newness of life, but not to a just a slightly cleaned up old life, but to a life radically transformed of the Spirit of God from death to life, from the power of Satan to God, and from darkness (sin) to light (truth, righteousness). If we continue to live according to the flesh, we will die in our sins, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death (present tense) the deeds of the flesh, we will live eternally with God. Amen! All who are LED by the Spirit are the Sons of God. If we are not being led by the Spirit, then we are illegitimate children.

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

Death to Life

Friday, April 29, 2016, 5:00 a.m. – The Lord Jesus put in mind the song, “Fully Ready.” Speak, Lord, your words to my heart. I read Romans 6 (ESV).

By No Means! (vv. 1-4)

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.

Peter said that Jesus died that we might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). Paul said that Jesus died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (2 Co. 5:15). He also said that Jesus died that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh, but who live our lives according to the Spirit (See: Ro. 8:1-14). Jesus DIDN’T DIE just so we could escape hell and go to heaven when we die! God’s grace is NOT a free license for us to continue in sin without guilt and without remorse. May it never be! God’s grace teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for Christ’s return (Tit. 2:11-14). Death to sin, and living to righteousness is the essence of what the gospel of our salvation is all about. This is true grace, which frees us from sin!

Crucified with Him (vv. 5-11)

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.

When we trust in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we are resurrected with Christ in newness of life, “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:24). The old has gone, the new has come. Believing in Jesus does not mean we slightly clean up our old lives, and according to our own choosing and timing. Yet, it also does not mean that we reach instant perfection, or that we never sin again (See: 1 Jn. 2:1). What it does mean is that we choose, by the Spirit, to put to death our old lives of living for sin and self so that we can now walk according to the Spirit in Christ’s righteousness and holiness (See: Eph. 4:17-24). Yet, it is a process of sanctification as daily we die to sin and self and daily we put on the armor of God with which to fight off Satan’s evil attacks against us (Lu. 9:23-25; Eph. 6:10-20).

So many people today are not teaching this. They are teaching a diluted gospel message which does not put sin to death in the life of the one claiming to believe in Christ. In fact, they are teaching that nothing is required of us – no repentance, no obedience, and no submission to Christ. They completely bypass the crucified life and move from Jesus’ death for our sins on a cross to the promise of heaven when we die, with nothing in between. Belief in Jesus is reduced to an intellectual assent to what Jesus did for us or to some emotional decision one makes based upon a desire to escape hell and/or to end up in heaven when one dies. So, there is no heart transformation of the Spirit of God, and thus they are not really saved, and they do not have the Spirit of God living within them.

I don’t know how anyone can read Romans 6 and Romans 8 and teach anything else that is not in agreement with this teaching. If we continue in sin, i.e. if we continue to live sinful lifestyles, we will die, but if by the Spirit we are putting to death the deeds of the flesh, we will live (See: Ro. 8:1-14). We are not saved just because we said some magic words or just because someone congratulated us and told us we had the hope of heaven. Just as Jesus died to sin once for all, and the life he lives, he lives to God, we also are to count ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. This means we no longer live our lives to please our own selves, but we live our lives to please and to honor God with our lives.

Do Not Continue! (vv. 12-23)

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.

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.

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.

Why is it that so many people in America claim to believe in Jesus Christ, but so few are living like this talks about? We need to take these words seriously. A saved life is not a life that merely professes faith in Jesus Christ and thinks it has the hope of heaven, yet can live however it wants. We can’t fill our lives with the junk of this world, and be passionate over everything but Christ, and think we belong to Christ! Does it matter to us at all what Christ thinks of our lifestyles? Do we think he is satisfied with 10 minutes of our time each day and maybe a couple of hours once a week on Sundays? And, that he is ok with us spending the rest of the week just living for our own self-pleasure? May it never be!!

So many who profess the name of Jesus have this Americanized vision of what a Christian should look like, but it isn’t what the Bible teaches at all. And, it isn’t just that they are lazy, apathetic or complacent about their Christian walks, but that so many are excusing away sinful behavior on the basis of God’s grace. Not only that, but they are teaching against repentance, obedience and submission to Christ and his word, while falsely accusing those who teach such things of teaching works-based salvation. What a mockery they make of what Jesus Christ did in dying for our sins, for he didn’t die that horrible death, and he didn’t become sin for us just so we could continue in sin. He died that sin might be eradicated from our lives! He died that we would no longer be slaves to sin, but that we might now become slaves of his righteousness! Amen! THIS IS TRUE FREEDOM!

The wages of sin is death, not just to those who make no profession of Christ as Savior, but also for those who profess Christ but still walk according to the flesh, and not according to the Spirit. If we want to have eternal life with God, and have the hope of heaven when we die, then we must be crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we must be resurrected with Christ in newness of life. If we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue to conduct our lives in the darkness (sin), then we are liars, and the truth is not in us (1 Jn. 1:6).

Yet, know that if you believe this, and you are radically transformed of the Spirit of God, and you no longer live your life to please your flesh, but you live to please God, and/or if you are proclaiming the truth of what Romans 6 and 8 teach, you will be hated and persecuted, even within the church, or most especially within organized religion and/or the institutional church, and even by its leadership. Already there is a plan in motion globally to silence those of us who preach this gospel message, and there is already much persecution being promoted and practiced against such as those who hold on to these truths of scripture. We are being targeted for extinction, and we are being tagged as intolerant, bigoted, hateful and as extremists who must either be reeducated or done away with. Yet, we should not fear, for God is with us, and he will not leave or forsake us. Amen!

Fully Ready! / An Original Work / June 19, 2013

Based off Acts 20-22, 26; Mt. 28:18-20; Ac. 1:8

Why are you weeping and breaking my heart?

I’m fully ready to suffer for Christ.

If I must die for the sake of His name,

I am convinced it will not be in vain.

Glory to God and to His Son Jesus,

Who has redeemed us; bought with His blood.

May I speak to you? Jesus came to me;

Asked of me, “Why do you persecute me?”

He said, “Now get up and stand on your feet.

Go, and you’ll be told all I have for you.

I have appointed you as a servant,

And as a witness; you have been sent.”

“Go into the world and preach the gospel.

Open the blind eyes. They will receive sight.

Turn them from darkness to the light of Christ;

From power of the evil one to God,

So they may receive forgiveness of sins,

And a place among those who’re in heav’n.”

https://vimeo.com/115439432