All in God's Plan

Luke 19:1-10 ESV

 

“He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way.

 

“And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today.’ So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, ‘He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’

 

“And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.’”

 

Divine Appointments

 

This was another one of those divine appointments, like Jesus had with the woman at the well. This didn’t just happen. It was by God’s design that this happened the way that it did. For, God had planned to change the life of a man named Zacchaeus that day.

 

For, our Lord Jesus created us. He knit us together in the wombs of our mothers. All the days ordained for us were written in the Lord’s book before one of them came into being (Psalms 139:13-18).

 

He chose us in him BEFORE the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He saved us and he called us to a holy calling, not because of our own works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus BEFORE the ages began. For those whom HE FOREKNEW he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son (Eph 1:3-4; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Rom 8:29).

 

Zacchaeus didn’t just all of a sudden get curious about Jesus one day. For, Jesus said that no one can come to Jesus unless the Father first draws him to Jesus (Jn 6:44). So, Zacchaeus was there that day seeking Jesus because God the Father drew him to seek Jesus out.

 

Perfect Timing

 

God is always on time. He is never early, and he is never late. Everything happens in his perfect timing, according to his perfect will. And I have never been more aware of that than I have been the past 20 years. I see more and more how the Lord coordinates things and even the timing of things to coincide with each other to bring about his plans and purposes.

 

So, Jesus knew that Zacchaeus was going to be up in that tree at just that moment in time. He knew just the spot where he would find him, too. So, when Jesus reached that spot, he looked up at Zacchaeus and told him to come down immediately, knowing full well that Zacchaeus was going to do what Jesus said.

 

I don’t know about you, but I just love watching God work. I love watching how he puts things together and how he coordinates things for his purposes and for our good, too. I have “Wow!” moments on a regular basis when I see God’s hand in my life and in my circumstances.

 

He even has our opposition handled. He knows we are going to be opposed when we follow him, so that doesn’t take him by surprise. And he has given us all that we need to respond properly to such opposition and to not let it “take us out.”

 

And he prepared Zacchaeus’ heart in advance, too, for his opposition. For, when God is working in people’s hearts and lives, and change is happening, and they are now living for the Lord and not for self, and when they are now preaching the truth of the gospel instead of spreading the lies, Satan is not happy. And he will attack.

 

Repentant and Determined

 

Zacchaeus, thus, was not discouraged by his opponents. He stood strong in the face of opposition, and he declared strongly and openly his repentance and his determination to have his life changed from what it used to be. Instead of being a thief, he would now give half of what he owned to the poor and he would make restitution for all that he had done to cheat others.

 

And did you know that Jesus taught such repentance as necessary for salvation from sin and for eternal life with God? He preached that people must repent and believe the gospel. For, he said if we don’t repent that we will perish (die in our sins) (Matt 4:17; Matt 11:20-21; Mk 1:15; Lu 5:32; Lu 13:3; Lu 24:47).

 

He taught, in fact, that we must deny self and take up our cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For, he said, if we hold on to our old lives (of living for sin and self) that we will lose them for eternity. But if we lose our lives (die daily to sin and self and follow him in obedience) then we will have salvation from sin and eternal life (Lu 9:23-26).

 

And the apostles taught the same message: “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out” (Ac 3:19). “Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you” (Ac 8:22). “…that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance” (Ac 26:20).

 

[Rom 2:4; 2 Co 7:10; 2 Co 12:21; 2 Tim 2:25-26; 2 Pet 3:9; Rev 2:5]

 

And, in context, “repentance” is not a mere change of mind from unbelief to belief in Jesus Christ. It is a U-turn that you take on the path of life you are headed on. And now you go the opposite direction of where you were headed, which is exactly what happened with Zacchaeus.

 

And what did Jesus say to Zacchaeus after he repented? “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

 

He declared Zacchaeus to be a child of God and to be saved from his sins. But this “saving” wasn’t just forgiveness. This “saving” was deliverance from his slavery to sin. And he was given a new life in Christ Jesus, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24).

 

For, this is what it is all about. When Jesus did die on that cross, he died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us. And he bought us back for God with his blood so we would honor God with our lives (1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15).

 

The Coloring Song

 

Sung by Petra

By David John Eden

 

Red is the color of the blood that flowed down

The face of someone who loved us so

He's the perfect man, He's the Lord's own Son

He's the Lamb of God, He's the only One

That can give us life, that can make us grow

That can make the love between us flow..

 

Gold is the color of the morning sun

That shines so freely on everyone

It's the sun above that keeps us warm

It's the Son of Love that calms the storm

That can give us life, that can make us grow

That can turn our mornings into gold..

 

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

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Reports of Sexual Immorality

1 Corinthians 5:1-5 ESV

 

“It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

 

“For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”

 

The Situation Today

 

Covenanteyes.com reports that “1 in 5 youth pastors and 1 in 7 senior pastors use porn on a regular basis. 43% of senior pastors and youth pastors say they have struggled with pornography in the past. 64% of Christian men and 15% of Christian women say they watch porn at least once a month.” And the statistics are high for teenagers, too.

 

And this is just what people are admitting to the people who collect these statistics. And this is mostly just about internet porn use and sex texting. This doesn’t include all the private romantic conversations and flirtations, extra-marital affairs, homosexuality, the use of prostitutes and self-gratification, and sexual abuse of minors, peeping toms, and flashers, etc.

 

This also doesn’t include the viewing of PG13 or R rated (I assume they are still doing these ratings) movies or TV shows with sexually suggestive or with sexually explicit material in them, or which glorify sex outside of marriage or which romanticize adulterous relationships. And included in this are many video games, too, and probably much more I don’t know about.

 

This is a picture of much of today’s church. We aren’t talking about just a worldly church, though, but we are talking about the church at large steeped in sexual immorality, including among the church leadership. And then added to that is that most churches are now teaching a cheap grace gospel.

 

It used to be that they taught a very diluted half-truth gospel which did not demand obedience, repentance, or submission to the Lordship of Christ. It was more like you could pray a prayer and now you “got saved,” and now you were told that your sins were forgiven, and that heaven is your eternal destiny, guaranteed, no matter how you lived your life from then on.

 

But now they are teaching that it is sinful to obey the Lord, to repent of your sins, and to submit to his Lordship. They call that “works-based salvation” or “lordship salvation,” which they say is wrong. So, they teach that we can believe in Jesus and be guaranteed eternal life with God while we continue living in willful, deliberate, and often premeditated sin against God.

 

So, is it any wonder that today’s church, for the most part, is in the condition that it is in? This goes way beyond one man sleeping with his father’s wife. This is a total and blatant disregard for the holiness of God and for his moral standards which are taught in the New Testament.

 

And now some children are viewing porn, and some are acting out what they see with each other. The statistics are getting higher for children viewing porn, too, the last that I checked. And then we have so many parents just handing children internet devices unsupervised, often with no guards on them, or with guards that could be gotten around. Children are very smart. Don’t think they can’t find ways around some of these guards.

 

And children are reading books and they are watching videos, or cartoons, or they are playing video games containing extreme violence, some sexually suggestive material, some bad language, and some (or much) occult and Satanic material, which includes witchcraft and demonic material. And some (or many) parents are using these as babysitters for their children to keep them entertained. And this is heartbreaking.

 

I do not have statistics for everything I shared here, but I have read much and have observed much over the years which has led me to believe that scenarios such as these are a serious threat to the minds, hearts and spiritual lives of children, teens, and adults, especially to those professing faith in Jesus Christ, and within the gatherings of the church.

 

Shouldn’t You Mourn?

 

The church overall, though not including every congregation, is on a massive spiritual and moral nosedive. And yet they go on as though everything is fine and good, and they work hard at providing good music, entertainment, activities (not so much since the big C), social events, and preaching that is often for entertainment purposes, too.

 

And since they are mostly teaching this cheap grace gospel, and since so much of the leadership is also steeped in sexual immorality, not much is being done at all to stop this madness and to bring people to true repentance and obedient faith in Jesus Christ.

 

Some congregations do have “Addiction Recovery” groups, but most or much of them appear to be just babysitters for addicts, often allowing them to continue in their addictions, confessing the same sins over again, while they avoid confronting anyone with their sins or giving them godly counsel, because they don’t want to offend anyone.

 

Instead of teaching them that Jesus died on that cross to free them from their addiction to sin, they convince them that they will always be recovering addicts, always needing support groups to help them stay “sober.” Still, some of these groups are helping people, but I see much that is not helping at all, because they are not dealing with the sins of these people biblically.

 

But if a large number of our pastors and our elders and bible teachers in the church are “struggling” with (regularly giving in to) sexual sin, who is going to lead the charge for removing those within the church who are practicing sexual immorality and who will not repent?

 

And please know that repentance is not the same as sin, confess, sin, confess, sin, confess, and so on and so forth, while continuing to commit the same habitual and deliberate and premediated sins over again. And repentance is not the same as “a recovering addict” who can be recovering for many years to come, but who will never be free.

 

So much of today’s church has bought into this lie that says we are not to confront people in their sins, for that might offend them, or that we need to be tolerant of blatant, willful, deliberate, and habitual sin, which isn’t just against God, but is against spouses and children and neighbors and fellow Christians. Do they not care that spouses and children are being abused?

 

Do you see the gravity of the situation here? While the church is so concerned about not stepping on toes and about keeping people coming back to their gatherings, spouses and children are being neglected and abused and sinned against, and husbands or wives are living in adultery, and marriages are falling apart and families are being destroyed, too.

 

1 Corinthians 5:6-8 ESV

 

“Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

 

The church overall, at least here in America, needs to be cleansed of all this filth, and of all the lies, and the false gospels, and so on. For, when sin such as this is allowed to continue, it impacts the whole congregation. And it spreads much like gangrene.

 

But I don’t foresee this cleansing happening at the hands of church leadership. I believe God is going to have to do this cleansing. And it will be painful. And I have a sense that some of that has already begun. For the Lord is jealous for his people and he wants them to repent and to return to him as their ONLY LORD.

 

More Than Words

 

Nuno Bettencourt / Gary F. Cherone

 

Saying I love you

Is not the words I want to hear from you

It's not that I want you

Not to say, but if you only knew

How easy it would be to show me how you feel…

 

Hold me close don't ever let me go

More than words is all you have to do to make it real

Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me

Cos I'd already know

Follow Jesus, Not Strangers

John 10:1-6 ESV

 

“’Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

 

“When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.’ This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.”

 

The Shepherd and The Door

 

Jesus Christ is both the shepherd of the sheep and he is the door of the sheep (see v. 9). He is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Jesus Christ. He is the only way to God in heaven and to eternal life with God.

 

The sheepfold is the kingdom of heaven, and it is the church, the body of Christ, and it is the gatherings of the church. So, if someone enters the sheepfold by another way other than through Jesus Christ, they are not really of the sheepfold, although they may be gathering with the sheep.

 

So, what is the way into the sheepfold that is by way of Jesus Christ? It is by God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ via dying with Christ to sin and being resurrected with Christ to newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24).

 

For, Jesus Christ gave his life up for us on that cross so that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died that we might no longer live for ourselves but for him who gave his life up for us. And he bought us back for God (he redeemed us) so that we would now honor God with our lives (1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15).

 

So, through faith in Jesus Christ we are no longer enslaved to sin because Jesus delivered us from our bondage to sin. But now we are empowered of the Spirit of God to walk in newness of life in Christ in holiness, godliness, self-control, and purity (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Tit 2:11-14).

 

Now we walk (in conduct, in practice) no longer according to the flesh but now according to (in agreement with) the Spirit of God. For, if we walk according to the flesh, and we make sin our practice, we won’t have eternal life with God, but we will die in our sins.

 

[Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10]

 

Thieves and Robbers

 

So, who are the thieves and robbers? They are those who do not enter the sheepfold by the door (Jesus Christ) but who climb in (sneak in) by another way. And what is that “another way”? Well, it is any way that is in opposition to Jesus Christ and the way of the cross.

 

So, we go to the Scriptures, and we look to see what they teach regarding our salvation from sin and our eternal life with God, and we read them in context, and we don’t cherry pick the ones we like and ignore the ones we don’t like. But we seek God’s face to show us the truth.

 

We don’t just believe what we hear people say, in other words. For, there are many liars and deceivers out there who are wolves in sheep’s clothing who are masquerading as servants of righteousness but who are out to steal, kill, and to destroy, not to save.

 

At the very least, many of them are teaching that a mere profession of faith in Jesus Christ is enough to secure us salvation from sin and eternal life with God, no matter how we live our lives from that moment forward. But that just isn’t biblical.

 

Some of them now are going to the extreme of teaching that God requires nothing of us other than some obscure and undefined faith in him, which does not lead the “believer” to repent of sin, to walk in obedience to the Lord, and to submit their lives to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

 

In fact, some of them are teaching that it is actually sinful to obey the Lord, to repent of sin, and to submit to Christ as Lord. For, they say, to require repentance, obedience and submission to Christ is to teach works-based salvation or lordship salvation.

 

So, what they teach is that we can “believe” in Jesus, be saved from our sins, have heaven guaranteed us as our eternal destiny, but that our belief does not have to or that it should not change how we live our lives. So, they have turned God’s grace into a license for lasciviousness (Jude 1:4).

 

They follow Jesus, not Strangers

 

The Lord’s true sheep listen to him, not just with their ears, but with their hearts, and they heed (obey) his words. They follow Jesus wherever he leads them, they submit to him as Lord, and they do what his word teaches us that we must do.

 

They don’t listen to the thieves and robbers. They don’t listen to strangers who are wolves in sheep’s clothing disguising themselves as servants of righteousness. For, they don’t recognize the voices of these strangers. They are discerning in recognizing what is obviously false.

 

And this is because they know Jesus’ voice. They know the truth. They might not know it all, but they will know enough to not listen to those who are teaching what is blatantly false and misleading. And this is because they have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

 

They will know that God is not going to all of a sudden tell us it is a sin to obey him, to repent of our sins, to walk in his ways, and to submit to him as Lord. Our God who is fully holy and righteous is not going to tell us that we can now go on living in sin guilt free. All that is opposed to who God is.

 

Yes, we are saved by grace, through God-persuaded faith in Jesus Christ, and this not of ourselves, not of our works, but it is a gift of God. But God’s gift of grace is NOT permission to keep on living in sin, and it is NOT permission to ignore him, to deny him, and to refuse to obey him.

 

God’s gift of grace is deliverance from our bondage to sin and it is empowerment to live godly and holy lives, pleasing to him. And the works we now do are of God, not of ourselves, and they are what God prepared in advance for us, that we should walk in them (Eph 2:10).

 

So, know what the Scriptures teach so that you can believe in the true gospel and in the biblical Jesus and in biblical salvation from sin. For, we must die with Christ to sin and we must live to Christ and to his righteousness, and we must no longer live in sin, doing whatever we want.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-32; Rom 12:1-2; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8]

 

Only Hope

 

By Jonathan Foreman

 

I give you my destiny

I'm giving you all of me

I want your symphony

Singing in all that I am

At the top of my lungs

I'm giving it my all

 

So, I lay my head back down

And I lift my hands and pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours I pray

To be only yours

I know now you're my only hope

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gnS7ZEbEqU

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Ministers of the Gospel

An Original Work / April 25, 2021

Ministers of the gospel

Take heed, just so you know,

You work for God, not for self.

He’s the one who makes things grow.

The church is not of yourselves.

She is not your creation.

You didn’t make her, God did.

She is His holy nation.

The plans for her are of God,

Not of the will of man.

Forget those marketing schemes.

Surrender your lives to HIS plan.

The church is not a building.

Not a denomination.

Not an incorporation.

Not a business of man.

The church is the body of Christ,

The people who trust in God.

Those who are filled with God’s Spirit,

Who for Jesus do plod. 

Jesus is to be their Master,

The One on whom they rely.

He is the One to lead them,

To Him they then should cry.

So, lead them to follow Jesus,

To go wherever He leads.

Teach them to trust in Him fully,

And to let Him meet all their needs.

Teach them to forsake their sins,

And to follow in all of Christ’s ways.

Teach them to obey their Lord,

And to give Him all their sway.

Faithful in God's Service

1 Corinthians 4:1-2 ESV

 

“This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”

 

The Corinthian believers were putting their trust in human beings over their trust in the Lord. They were raising up some ministers of the gospel above others as though they had some superiority to others who were of equal standing in the sight of God. But they were judging by human standards.

 

So, Paul set out to correct their thinking and to help them to understand that all those who are the Lord’s ministers, in truth, are not so because of their own wisdom, but they are so only because of God’s calling on their lives and because of their dependence on the Lord Jesus in all things.

 

He let them know, too, that as ministers of the gospel, each had their own assignment from God, but that God was still the source of all gifts and ministries. One may plant and the other may water, but it is God who causes all things to grow, so our confidence should be in God, not in men (humans).

 

They were not to judge these servants of the Lord by human standards or by the wisdom of this age, for the wisdom of the world is folly to God. They were neither to raise them up above others nor were they to devalue them by lowering them beneath other servants of the Lord.

 

Now, this is not to assume that all those who call themselves ministers of the gospel are such as what they profess. For, there are many wolves in sheep’s clothing in today’s pulpits, and on TV, and on the internet, who are spreading lies like gangrene, and their purpose is not of God.

 

And this is not to say that we should not be testing what we hear against the Scriptures, in context, to make certain that what we are hearing of these “ministers of the gospel” is indeed of God and aligned with his word. We most certainly should be diligent in these matters.

 

But we must be careful to judge as God judges, and according to his word, and not according to our human thinking and reasoning. For many who call themselves “ministers of the gospel” are truly servants of Satan who are doing his bidding, and who are literally opposing the Lord.

 

Nonetheless, regarding those who are true servants of the Lord, we are to regard them in that way, as though what they have, they have received from the Lord and not from themselves. But each must be found to be faithful to their calling and not as those who are self-serving.

 

1 Corinthians 4:3-5 ESV

 

“But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.”

 

So, what is this saying? What is it not saying? Well, first off, Paul is referring to human judgment, that which is of the flesh of man and of the world. He regards that of a small matter, for he is to answer to God, and he is to do the will of God, regardless of how humans might judge him.

 

So, he will not concern himself with what other humans think of him if they are judging him by themselves, and by the flesh, and by the thinking and reasoning of this present world. For what they think of him makes no difference to him. He must answer to God and to God alone.

 

Does this mean, thus, that we are to make no judgments of ourselves or of others while we live on this earth? No! But he is saying that God is the one who judges justly and that no matter how we might judge things in the flesh on this earth, God has the final word, and his judgment is true.

 

But did Paul then consider himself to be above all judgment? No! And was he suggesting that we not judge others or our own selves? No! For, we are instructed in Scripture to restore those caught in sin, and to keep watch of ourselves lest we fall into temptation, and that if anyone wanders from the truth, we are to bring that person back, and so save his soul.

 

And we are to judge the practice of sin within the church and those who are making sin their practice, and we are to grieve over such rather than to allow it to go on unchecked. And we are not to associate ourselves with those who call themselves “sister” and “brother” who are living in sin.

 

As well, we are not to try to take a speck out of another’s eye while we have a log in our own. First, we remove the log from our own eye and then we can see clearly to take the speck out of another’s eye.

 

And we are not to judge by appearances, but with a right judgment. And we are not to judge according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit and according to the word of God. And we are not to judge hypocritically, i.e., we are not to judge others for doing what we are doing ourselves.

 

But we are to judge ourselves so that we do not fall under God’s judgment. We are to test ourselves to see if we are of God. And we are to examine ourselves to make certain that we are indeed following the Lord Jesus and not the flesh, so that we are not deceived.

 

And we are to test the spirits to see whether they are of God, and we are to examine against the Scriptures the words of those who say they are ministers of the gospel so that we do not fall into deception and then wander from the faith.

 

[Gal 6:1-5; Jas 5:19-20; 1 Co 5:1-13; 1 Co 11:27-32; Matt 7:1-5, 15-23; Jn 7:24, 51; Jn 8:15-16; Rom 2:3; 2 Co 10:12; 1 Tim 6:3-16; 1 Jn 4:1-6]

 

1 Corinthians 4:6 ESV

 

“I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another.”

 

The Word of God is to be our measuring stick for all judgments. We are not to judge ourselves or others by human thinking and reasoning, by our own prejudices, by our own standards, by our own customs and traditions, by our culture, by the patterns of this world, or without knowledge, hypocritically, and/or by appearances, but only by God’s Spirit and by the Word of God.

 

We are to see ourselves and others through the eyes of God and through the lens of his word alone. And we are not to let the human judgments of others discourage us in any way from doing the will of God and from being the Lord’s servants and messengers. So, be faithful to God in all you do.

 

Servant of the Lord

 

An Original Work / July 26, 2012

Based off Romans 1:1-17

 

Servant of the Lord;

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

Through Him, and for His name alone,

We receive His grace

To call people, Him to obey;

Coming from their faith.

Servant of the Lord,

For the gospel you’re set apart.

Promised through the prophets of old:

Jesus, Son of God.

 

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ;

Always praying for others’ needs;

Helping hand to lend;

Giving courage to others’ faith,

For the praise of God.

You belong to Christ;

Loved by God, and called to be saints;

Serving God with whole heart and mind;

Preaching Jesus Christ.

 

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

In the gospel find righteousness:

Being right with God.

Turn from sin, and trust Jesus Christ.

By faith, live in Him.

Servant of the Lord;

Of the gospel, I’m not ashamed;

For salvation, power of God

To those who have faith.

 

https://vimeo.com/119511640

I Rejoice in My Sufferings

Colossians 1:24-26 ESV

 

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.”

 

Suffering for Righteousness

 

We all suffer in different ways – some of us physically, and some of us emotionally, and some of us both. Some of our suffering may be of our own doing, and others may be due to circumstances beyond our own control. Some of it, too, may be circumstantial, while others may be the result of enemies coming against us and doing evil to us.

 

Paul suffered much for the sake of the gospel and for the spiritual growth and maturity of those believing in Jesus Christ for their salvation. For, he was attacked both physically and verbally on numerous occasions. He was also falsely accused and falsely imprisoned for righteousness’ sake.

 

And if we are following the Lord Jesus with our lives, and if we are sharing the whole counsel of God, as he did, we will also suffer in like manner as he suffered and as Christ Jesus suffered and died for us. For, when we share the Good News and suffer for it, we are suffering to see others go free.

 

For, you see, not many Christians today are preaching or teaching the fullness of God. They are not sharing the “whole counsel of God” with others. The majority, it would appear, are teaching a diluted half-truth gospel which promises people freedom while it keeps them still bound in slavery to sin.

 

And then there are many Christians who aren’t sharing Christ or his gospel with others in any shape or form, but they have become one with the world and they speak and act just like the world does. They watch the same movies, play the same games, crack the same jokes, and so there is not that distinction between them and the world that should be there.

 

The church of today has largely gone the way of the world, and they are thus blending in with and are immersing themselves in the culture of today, and not many of them are talking about Jesus and his gospel, or else they are sharing a false gospel which appeals to the flesh of humans.

 

Persecuted for The Gospel

 

Thus, those who are sharing the gospel as Jesus taught it, and as Paul and the other apostles taught it, are being persecuted for righteousness’ sake.

 

They are being excluded, rejected, ignored, mocked, ridiculed, falsely accused, called names, and thought crazy or as hyper-religious or as self-righteous. And some, at least in other countries (outside the USA), are being physically persecuted and even put to death for their faith in Jesus Christ.

 

I am certainly not saying that everyone who is preaching the whole counsel of God is doing so in love, and for the right purposes, but that those who are doing it for the reasons Paul stated are often being accused of being self-righteous, legalistic, hyper-religious, crazy, or even hateful.

 

Thus, it can be a lonely existence, as Paul and the other apostles learned, to stand for truth and righteousness and to love people enough to be willing to suffer for the sake of righteousness, and for the sake of their salvation and their spiritual well-being.

 

And it isn’t the non-religious of the world who are their greatest persecutors, either, but their opponents are often the same ones as persecuted Jesus. They are those who participate in the gatherings of the church, and who are even pastors and elders in these gatherings.

 

And they are members of the body of Christ, or they are professers of faith in Jesus Christ, or they are members of their own physical families or the people of their communities, or the people with whom they work. So, they get persecuted or abandoned and ignored by those closest to them.

 

But if this is where we are, being persecuted for righteousness’ sake, then we are to rejoice, because that means that we are making a difference and that Satan is fighting against us to stop us so that we don’t continue to make a difference in other people’s lives by telling them the truth.

 

So, we must persevere at all costs in sharing the truth of the gospel so that many will hear, and so that they will be saved from their bondage to sin, and so that they will have new lives in Christ Jesus, and so they can now live holy lives, pleasing to God, in freedom from what once enslaved them.

 

Colossians 1:27-29 ESV

 

“To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.”

 

Christ in You

 

So, what does it mean to have Christ within us? How does that work exactly?

 

Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him” (Jn 14:23).

 

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal 2:20).

 

“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. 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” (Rom 8:7-10).

 

Jesus Christ comes to live within us in the person of his Holy Spirit when we, by faith, trust in Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior. By faith in Jesus, we are crucified with Christ in death to sin and we are resurrected with Christ to newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness (Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24).

 

The old life of living for sin and self is put to death with Christ, and we are delivered from our slavery to sin so that we can now, by God’s Spirit, become slaves of God and of his righteousness. Then daily we die with Christ to sin and to self, and daily we walk in obedience to his commands (Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Lu 9:23-26; Eph 4:17-24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 2:3-6).

 

But we must continue in this walk of faith until we die or until Christ returns, and we must continue to walk by the Spirit and not according to the flesh, for if we sow to please the flesh, we will reap destruction. But if we sow to please the Spirit, then we will reap eternal life with God. And this is why Paul said that he warned and that he taught everyone, that he might present everyone mature in Christ.

 

[Gal 5:16-21; Col 1:21-23; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10]

 

Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah

 

Hymn lyrics by William Williams, pub.1745

tr. by Peter Williams, pub.1771

Music by John Hughes, 1907

 

Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,

Pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but Thou art mighty;

Hold me with Thy powerful hand.

Bread of Heaven, Bread of Heaven,

Feed me till I want no more;

Feed me till I want no more.

 

Open now the crystal fountain,

Whence the healing stream doth flow;

Let the fire and cloudy pillar

Lead me all my journey through.

Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield;

Be Thou still my Strength and Shield.

 

Lord, I trust Thy mighty power,

Wondrous are Thy works of old;

Thou deliver’st thine from thralldom,

Who for naught themselves had sold.

Thou didst conquer, Thou didst conquer

Sin and Satan and the grave,

Sin and Satan and the grave.

 

When I tread the verge of Jordan,

Bid my anxious fears subside;

Death of deaths, and hell’s destruction,

Land me safe on Canaan’s side.

Songs of praises, songs of praises,

I will ever give to Thee;

I will ever give to Thee. Amen.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7G59DKf-AI

According to His Glorious Might

Colossians 1:9-12 ESV

 

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.”

 

Fully Pleasing to Him

 

When we are believing in Jesus Christ to be our Lord and Savior, this is not about getting our insurance so that we can go on living however we want while claiming heaven as our eternal destiny. It is also not about adding Jesus on to our lives or cleaning up some of our bad habits.

 

Believing in Jesus Christ involves dying with Christ to sin and living to Christ and to his righteousness. It involves knowing the will of God for our lives and doing it in his power and strength. And it involves us walking (in conduct, in practice) in a manner worthy (suitable, appropriate, fitting) of God (of his divine character), fully pleasing to him.

 

Some people, though, will tell you that God is pleased with you no matter what you do, but that just isn’t biblical. Scripture speaks often on the subject of living to please our Lord in all that we do:

 

[Rom 8:8; 2 Co 5:9; Gal 6:8; Eph 5:10; Col 1:9-11; 1 Thes 2:4; 1 Thes 4:1; 2 Tim 2:4; Heb 11:6; Heb 13:6; 1 Jn 3:22; etc.]

 

So, how do we know what pleases him and what displeases him? The Scriptures tell us. We just have to be reading the Scriptures and listening to what they teach us, and we must then obey them by putting them into practice in our daily lives (those Scriptures which are applicable to the church, the body of Christ).

 

And some people will also tell you that how you live doesn’t matter to God once you are “saved,” but that is also not biblical. There are many Scriptures which teach us how we are to live as followers of Jesus Christ, and which also warn us of what will happen to us if we choose to not walk in obedience to Christ:

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-32; Rom 8:1-17; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15; Rom 12:1-2; Jn 15:1-12; etc.]

 

In Every Good Work

 

There are also people who are going to tell you that you don’t have to do works anymore now that you are saved by God’s grace. But what they don’t tell you is that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

 

[Eph 2:10; 1 Co 15:58; 2 Co 9:8; Gal 5:6; Phil 2:12-13; Col 1:9-14; 2 Thess 1:11-12; 2 Tim. 2:21; Tit 2:11-14; Jn 15:1-11; Tit 3:8; Jas 2:17]

 

Yes, we are saved by grace, through faith, and not of ourselves, not of our works lest any of us should boast that we somehow attained our own salvation. But that is speaking of our works, of our own flesh, of our own doing, of our own choice, not by God’s choice or by his will.

 

But works are not absent from our salvation or from our Christian lives. The difference is that they are the works of God, of the Spirit of God, empowered by and directed by God, and they are not of ourselves. And God commands us to do them, so he gives us the empowerment to do them.

 

So, if we refuse to do the works of God, and if we refuse to walk in a manner worthy of God, and if we refuse to live lives which are pleasing to God because we have become convinced of other humans that we don’t have to, then please know we are all going to be judged by what we do:

 

[Rom 2:6-8; Gal 6:7-8; 2 Co 5:10; 1 Co 6:9-10; Rev. 2-3; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Rom 6:16; Rom 8:1-17; Jn 15:1-11; 1 Jn 2:3-6]

 

Colossians 1:13 ESV

 

“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

 

From the Domain of Darkness

 

Jesus Christ, God the Son, didn’t give his life up for us on that cross so that we could go on living in sin guilt free. He died that we might die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness. He died, too, that we might no longer live for ourselves, but for him who gave his life up for us (1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:19-20; 2 Co 5:15; Tit 2:11-14; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 4:17-32).

 

For, when we are believing in Jesus Christ with God-persuaded and God-ordained faith in Christ, we are delivered from the domain of darkness. We are delivered from our slavery to sin so that we no longer live under the control of sin, but we now become slaves of God and of his righteousness.

 

We are transferred to the kingdom of his beloved Son in being resurrected with Christ to newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Now we walk (in conduct, in practice) according to (in agreement with) the Spirit and not according to our sinful flesh.

 

When he shed his blood for us on that cross, he bought us back for God (he redeemed us) so that we would now honor and glorify God with our lives (1 Co 6:19-20). So, forgiveness of sins is not free license to continue living in sin, but it is freedom from the control of sin so that we can now live to please God, living lives which are now under God’s control.

 

[Lu 9:23-26; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-32; Tit 2:11-14]

 

Colossians 1:21-23 ESV

 

“And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

 

Reconciled to God

 

So, before believing in Jesus Christ, we were alienated and hostile in mind towards God, doing evil deeds of our flesh. Once believing in Jesus, he reconciled us to God, but for what purpose? Just so we can go to heaven when we die? No!

 

It was in order that he may present us to God as holy and blameless and above reproach before him, but not because of our goodness or because of our good deeds done in the flesh, but because of his grace and mercy.

 

Yet, his grace trains us to say “No!” to ungodliness and fleshly lusts and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives while we wait for our Lord’s return. And his grace delivers us out of our bondage to sin so that, empowered by God’s Spirit, we can now become slaves (bond-servants) of God and of his righteousness (Tit 2:11-14; Rom 6:1-23; Eph 4:17-24).

 

But we must continue in Christ and in our faith (true faith), stable and steadfast, not shifting from the truth of the gospel if we want to receive salvation from sin and eternal life with God (see also Jn 15:1-12).

 

More Than Words

 

Nuno Bettencourt / Gary F. Cherone

 

Saying I love you

Is not the words I want to hear from you

It's not that I want you

Not to say, but if you only knew

How easy it would be to show me how you feel…

 

Hold me close don't ever let me go

More than words is all you have to do to make it real

Then you wouldn't have to say that you love me

Cos I'd already know