Bible Thoughts and Musings

Why should I be in a Small Group?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:31:00 +0000

We all struggle with the demands of careers—the frustrations and stresses placed on us, including goals, deadlines, work flow, and office politics. Our family obligations are important; many of us have children who need us. Maybe you are already volunteering in the church or community. Perhaps you are juggling work, school, and family to the point that there is not a free minute. When you are asked, “Why don’t you join our small group?”, your reply may be, “What?! I do not have the time! I cannot possibly commit to anything else. I am overloaded and overwhelmed!” To be honest, you are the person who needs to be in a small group the most!

Why? It is God’s plan for you to be in quality relationships to Him and with to others in the confines of a loving community--the definition of “church.” We all need a place to belong and work through the issues of life. We need to be loved and give our love. As Christians, our primary thrust is to know and grow in Christ, surrendering and giving to Christ’s glory (John 14-15; Gal. 2:20-21; Phil. 3:10). How can this be accomplished when all aspects of our life are riddled with stress? With small group study, learning spiritual discipline and receiving the discipleship, relationships, and encouragement that small groups offer. We need a place to grow and we as humans in relationship to Christ grow best in community with people who love and care for you!

Why? We are called to be Fruitful. This is a call to be obedient, to multiply the seed given to us. We are to make disciples of His Word. We are to point to Christ, never to ourselves!

We need to be disciples of Christ, not of people like ourselves! This is a standard call of God to do something productive and effectual with our life and faith. To have this wondrous gift of salvation and do nothing with it is a great insult to our gift Giver, God; it is a proof of ingratitude and nonuse, which would prove that one is either not saved or highly disobedient and foolish (Isa. 27:6; Hos. 14:4-8; John 15).

Why? We are called to bear fruit, referring to a growing faith that is fed and focused on our response to Christ that motivates the Fruit of the Spirit and moral and virtuous thinking and action because of God’s love to us and our gratitude and love back to Him. This is God's love and work in us that flows in through His Holy Spirit and out of us to others around us because we have a personal relationship with Christ. We have God's living presence in us, living in us (Matt. 6:10; John 15; Rom. 5:1-5; 12:1-21; 1 Cor. 12:1-14:40; Gal. 5:16-26; Eph. 4:1-6:20; 2 Peter 1:3-9).

What does it take to be a faithful and fruitful Christian, to be attached to Christ as His love and work flows in and through us? If we claim to know Christ as Lord and hang in His Church, we must yearn to imitate Him and follow His precepts, especially when we lead others! This happens when we show the faith to permanently leave our sinful lives—and, with overwhelming gratitude--follow Jesus. Small groups are the prime platforms for us to learn, grow, and to share. We must follow before we can lead. We are never to be isolated from one another as this will lead us to be unfaithful, prideful, manipulative, or abusive to the people God gives us to care for; such acts are wicked, and we will be held to a strict accounting (Jer. 23:1-2; 31:34; Ezek. 34:11-31; Mic. 5:4; 6:8; Hos. 6:6; John 15 and16; 17:21-23).

Small groups will help us produce faithfulness, which comes when we are in a state of right being; this can only come about from a right, growing relationship with God; this comes by accepting what Christ has done for us and applying it to our lives--by faith.

And it is out, checkout my latest book. It is about small groups, all you need to know and have to start, lead and build them or God’s glory. Over 30 years of research and experience went into it. It is simple to understand yet comprehensive. Originally developed for Campus Crusade for Christ, it has been fully revised and it will be an excellent tool for you and your church. Every small group leader should have one, it is your training manual and you one stop all you need to know and it is inexpensive. The Kindle and eBook versions coming out soon…

http://www.amazon.com/All-about-Small-Groups-Purpose/dp/1468111388/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327343072&sr=1-4

Face Time with God!

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:45:00 +0000

How to be a Capable Bible Student

There is no substitute to time spent in the face of our Lord!

The capable Bible student is rooted and grounded in the spiritual disciplines of the faith, whose drive is their passionate love relationship to the Lordship of Christ. And what flows out of it is the desire to love God’s people, to herd them with love into the pastures of maturity. To lead where the leader has been before, and the people have not been. The mature Christian or leader must exhibit the maturity of the Christian life as the result of their growth and experience in the faith. An effective leader cannot be new to the faith. Even the Apostle Paul spent three years being discipled by Barnabas, and he received his call and was empowered directly from Christ Himself. I have seen too many immature Christians who lead by who they are in society, and not who they are in Christ.

A few years ago while on staff at a church, we received a family who came to faith at a crusade, and the father was the founder of a major fast food franchise. So in less than a year he was my boss, and the president and ruling Elder of the congregation. Now he was a great guy and very successful in business, but he did not know how to run a church. So he instinctually ran it like a business and his policies failed. He did not know how to lead in a church, which is different than in a corporation, even though a lot of the principles are transferable. After several years he did become a good leader as he matured in the faith. But the church suffered during his learning curve needlessly.

There is no substitute to time spent in the face of our Lord, with a surrendered heart and a learning will. We must be willing to be humble no matter who we are and our experience. I had to learn this lesson a few years back when I went from being on staff at a large and influential church to a small church in a small town. My first thought before accepting the call was that I was too good for it. But God wanted me there to teach me to walk closer to him, and not walk in the position that I held. So I did, and I experienced humbleness. Nobody knew me as the conference speaker or author or big position in a big church, but just a youth pastor in a small church. But this is where Christ wanted me, and I learned a lot. It prepared me for the road He had for me. And I’m glad I went there because I learned things in a broader context, that I could not have in a large "mega" church.

"Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."(II Timothy 2:15-16; 22-24)

Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. Don't have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."(II Timothy 2:15-16; 22-24)

This passage is a testimony to the importance of holiness, and to keep ourselves growing in our spiritual lives so that our emotional selves are impacted and grow too.

Spiritual maturity will lead into emotional maturity most of the time, unless there is some physiological or psychological problem, or deep stress that has never been resolved. It is imperative for the leader to be in control of their emotional health. If not, they need to step down and seek help both spiritually and psychologically. If the leader is given to fits of rage or is just overly emotional, they cannot set the example that Christ has. We are not to be Vulcan’s exhibiting pure logic and no emotions, absolutely not. God created us as emotional beings, but as with anything we must have control of the excess and the potential for rampage.

What gets in the way of being an impact?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:38:00 +0000

The problem as I have been hinting at for most of my thirty years in ministry, is weak faith and prideful Christians who are shallow, selfish and haughty are the biggest obstacles to the Church and to the Kingdom.

Because they stagnate the Church, suffocate its growth and work inside and out. Too many of us are so wrapped up in our own needs, hurts, desires and wants we fail to see our Lord or respond to His call. So we hide it in our pride or become lazy and feeble. Thus, our churches instead of stables of majestic stallions are mere empty stables with dried excrement and old hey, the horses are starved and got out and the saddles are hard and cracked. We have to get our act together, clean up our mess and fix our stable, repair and oil then mount our saddle, and take care of our horse of faith by feeding and crafting our relationship to Christ.

This is why this is radical now, because we need a call out for a radical, cross-cultural step of being trusting and committed to Christ and follow-through with our Christian faith. Not the step of overcoming the liberal politics, or the growing hostility many of us face in our secular community, yes we need to do that too. But, but, even more so, cross our own church culture filled with empty trends and prideful leaders puffed up with empty platitudes and nonsense. And surrender our will and plans to His Lordship, be radical for Christ. Not self, not desires, not some trend, but learn and grow in Him, to be the person He called us to be. Then we will see our society start to change for the better. To not ask what the church can give me, but to serve selflessly. To not be just a taker but a giver, not just a complainer, but and go-getter, to boldly go and do as Jesus Christy has gifted and called to do.

All Jesus asks of us is to receive Him and His love so we can pay it forward to others, to show His love by our display of love so we succeed at His will. Jesus’ love is the sap that flows and what causes us to know Him and have His love working in and out of us; it causes us to make Him known to others even more diligently. We were sinners; now, because of His love, we are His people-united to Him, reconciled to God, and filled with the Spirit. This love now becomes the process of continued blessings for us and others. All it takes is our dedication to Christ, so we can respond by faith, worship, and spiritual formation to carry on His love. Growing in Christ is what the Christian life is all about. It is the life-long process of discipleship and spiritual growth that builds our faith and knowledge in Him so we can take hold of His love and produce even more of it, giving it back to Him and onto others. This helps us with our assurance, maturity, character, and spiritual formation. We become changed because we have received Christ and we can keep on loving. If this is not so, there is something fundamentally wrong in our Christian operating system, because love helps us have more hope and reassurance of faith. Why is this radical? Because few do it, and more fight against it, even those who say they are His (Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 5; Heb. 10: 26-39; 12:14; 2 Pet. 1: 5-11).

With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:6-10

Why no post for so many months?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:25:00 +0000

Overly busy with managing family, crisis’s in ministry and family and financially, ministry travel and being sick.

You may not know (unless you read our newsletters-lol) that I suffer from a potential life ending illness (an autoimmune disease, ‘Hashimoto's Thyroiditis,’ where my immune system attacks my own body. It is not fun, I am in constant pain, I have frequent migraines that cripple me, brain fog, loss of energy, insomnia which makes it very difficult to write and work. On a good day, it is like I’m always tied, like I have been up for 30 hrs. On bad days, it is extreme pain at times, and other annoying stuff). Is it fatal? Well life is isn’t it? Until we are called home. But at this point I am a few years away, but almost died last Nov… so I never know.

So I need your prayers for health, for support for the ministry and family and to keep the up the fight as long as I am given…for our Lord’s glory!

Hebrews 10:32-39

32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. 33 Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. 34 You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. 35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For,
“In just a little while,
he who is coming will come
and will not delay.”[a]
38 And,
“But my righteous[b] one will live by faith.
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”[c]
39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

Restoration Point!

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:49:00 +0000

After Jesus rose from the dead in John 21:1-14, a contrast was presented of working with versus doing so without the Lord. If we work without Him, we will catch nothing and our work is in vain. If we work for Him, we will see failure turned into success because of the great catch. This is all about loyalty versus disobedience as well as about God’s enablement. Peter perhaps felt that he betrayed Jesus beyond the restoration point; perhaps he did not know what else to do. Thus, he returned to his old ways when he already had something so much more—his witnessing of the Lord’s resurrection! Let’s be careful not to forget what we are supposed to do (John 15:5)!

This passage continues to show us the heart of Christianity—the resurrection. It is interesting to note that many liberal, higher critics have determined that this passage is a postscript—true, but not a part of the original text. Most Jewish and Greek writings did not use postscripts because they considered them to be anticlimactic. Not so, according to ancient manuscripts. This passage also follows the ending of the most popular ancient work of all time, the Iliad that also had a postscript as does Romans 16; thus it does have harmony and great value. So, when these higher critics cry “foul,” tell them to read the Iliad. In spite of all the criticism, this passage was the most circulated of the passages in John, shared apart from the rest of the Gospel for cost savings and for evangelism. This early church track gave hope and a reason for faith!

This also refers to the vindication and triumph of the person suffering; Jesus was proclaiming victory, not just agony! Why? God cannot be touched by sin; Jesus took our sin upon Himself and God turned His head as Christ absorbed and bore our sentence of guilt and death. Now, grace is offered, and we, by faith in Him, have salvation by the work He did on the cross! He endured real suffering that we cannot fathom; beyond the physical agony was His separation from the Father and the wrath from our sin for the first time in eternity (John 16:7-11; Rom. 4:7-8; Eph. 1:7)!

Without the resurrection, we would not have Christianity—as in saving faith. We would have no salvation, no connection to God, no remission from sins, no purpose for life, no hope, no reason for living, and no reason to do evangelism, discipleship, or missions or any other kind of ministry as it would all be futile and meaningless.

Without the resurrection, we would have no reason to meet for worship or have a Church, as we would have no message or meaning or ministry; all we would have is futility, a life of emptiness, vanity, and senselessness. We would just have some great rules and precepts to live by. Well, so do the Buddhists (1 Cor. 15:1-19)! A former Buddhist once told me why he converted to Christianity. I was at a turn in the road; who do I follow; the man who is dead or the man who is alive? I chose the One who is alive! A dead man, no matter how good and great, cannot save anybody. Buddha has saved no one! The difference is with the resurrection; we are transformed, and saved for eternity—not just for here and now (John 10:4; 16:10; 2 Cor. 5:20). We are not called to save souls. That is the role of the Holy Spirit. Rather, we are called to help the “soul bearers” to learn and grow (Rom. 4:25; 14:8; 1 Cor. 15:13-14; 2 Cor. 5:20-21; Phil 1:23; 2:6-11; 3:10-14)!

We are chosen by God and by God alone for our Christian journey, because we are not at our final destination. Rather, each of us is in a process in life and faith. As long as we have breath, God is not finished with us yet; He is still at work in you, He deeply loves you, and wants you to draw ever so nearer to Him. We need to avoid slipping into unbelief and cynicism just because we can’t wrap our minds around it or because we are disappointed. Yet, this is where we all can easily live, because life can be so hard and confusing. We can learn from it, no matter what, so we can have joy and praise Him for His guidance from His Word and Holy Spirit, and, as we walk in Christ, we can always know God was the One who created us to walk and continues to teach us. "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." (Phil. 1:6)

The true mark of a mature Christian is obedience and submission, the ability to totally surrender it all to Him as LORD, and to be as the Epistle writers demonstrated, His slaves. By so doing, He lifts us up to be His friends. Real friends listen, forgive, and love, and are there for one another no matter what; Christ is all this to us! Thus, it is imperative to have the commitment to build effective relationships (Prov. 18:24; 27:17; Matt. 5-7; Luke 15:1-2; John 15:1-15; Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:2; I Pet. 4:9).

Show-and-Tell!?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 18:35:00 +0000

What can you do with the fact that in Christ, you have hope for today and everlasting life for eternity?

After Jesus arose from death in John 20:19-31, He went into a show-and-tell mode! He presented proof of who He is and what He came to do; He then told His followers to go and tell the Good News to others. The Bible describes their seeing Jesus resurrection for the first time as “rapturous!” Basically means very excited for who Christ is and what He has done for us, thus giving great joy and gratitude through our commitment to God and, in context, the courage to witness. This joy means our faith and fruit will overflow from us to others around us! This joy grows in us as we mature in the faith and as we are filled with His Word. It is also the power to enjoy Him in worship and as a lifestyle that will affect all aspects of our lives as well as that of others around us in His service and glory. Because of Christ, His Word will bring us joy. (Ruth 3:2-7; Isa. 9:3; Neh. 8:10; Eccl. 2:18; Matt. 24:21-22, 30; Luke 15:7-10, 32; 17:30; John 14:16-26; 16:12-15; 17:17; Acts 28:16-30; Rom. 13:11-14; 1 Cor. 7:29; 2 Cor. 2:15-16; 4:7-12; Eph. 1:13-14; 6:16; 4:30; Phil. 2:12-13; Col. 3:15-16; James 1:2; 1 Pet. 5:8-9).

What does a life filled with joy and praise for Christ look like? What can you do to look to His guidance from His Word and Holy Spirit, and walk in Him?

The ultimate victory has come: Jesus is risen; He is risen indeed! Halleluiah! Christ’s agony and death are now turned into victory—our ultimate triumph! Do you fully realize what Jesus did for you? Christ took this punishment for us; our fears (as in scared to death, not fear as in reverence to Him) have been borne on the cross, while the fear and awe of our Lord and Savior helps us see what He did for us (Prov. 3:5)! Every time we sin, we incur greater guilt, and we deserve punishment (Gen. 3:1-24; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 2:1-11; 3:10-26; 5:12-19; Titus 1:15; James 1:12-15; 1 John 1:8-10). But, the incredible miracle here is that we are set free by His work on the cross, by His death and resurrection (Rom. 5:10; 6:22). We have salvation by Jesus’ sacrificial death (John 19:30). How now will you live your life?

Why did Thomas doubt? Perhaps the magnitude of Jesus’ resurrection was beyond comprehension; without seeing it for themselves, as Thomas asked for and received, many refused to believe. Others truly believed by faith and worshipped Him. Although we do not have physical sight of Jesus’ hands and feet, we do have the Spirit who reveals the truth to us. Jesus did not fit the expectations of the people, the religious leaders, or even the disciples. A total change in worldview had to occur before He could be fully accepted. We have to be careful we do not jump to conclusions with little more information than our feelings and a “sound bite.” Know this: our opponents will see our hypocrisy and lack of Fruit and faith (real or not) –over-compensation for a misguided theology out of the rubble of our pride or lack of explanation.

Thomas after getting his verification gave a clear and powerful climax and confession of faith that Jesus is Yahweh, Lord God, Creator of all things, and Sovereign Lord over all. He made the universe and He gets to run it, including you and me! This also refers to Jesus being fully God, Immanuel, which means “God is with us” (Ex. 15:11; Isa. 6:3; Matt. 1:23; John 1:1-7Rev. 1:6; 4:11; 19:10; 22:9).

Refusing to acknowledge or believe will cut one off from our Lord and the faith and love needed for living. It is God's role and work that are empowering and saving; we merely respond. Our faith is a response, not a work; we recognize Christ because He reveals Himself to us. All the blessings and wonders that we experience are in Christ and He gives us faith that we can turn into more faith by our commitment and obedience (John 3:30; Rom. 6:12; Gal. 2:20-21; Eph. 2:8-9; 5:15-17; Phil. 3:1-21; Col. 1: 3-6, 10-12, 15-29).

What can you do to live for Christ? What would that mean and look like? How now will you live your life?

Be a Doorkeeper?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:37:00 +0000

What would your life look like to know Christ more, grow in Him more, and make Him known more? What are you going to do about this?

In biblical times, the Doorkeeper was a very important and privileged job only entrusted to the most capable, loyal, and trained priest. His job was to make sure that no one who was unclean or undeserving would be allowed to enter the Temple of the Lord. In this way, God’s house would not be defiled. He also made sure those who were able to enter did so rightly and were properly purified to enter the Lord’s presence and then properly paid their tithe and reverence. If he did not do his duty, the Temple would be defiled, and this would be a heinous act before a Most Holy God. He had to have incredible character so he could not be bribed or be lazy and so he could do his job appropriately. The incredible honor for this priest was that he had the incredible position to be in God’s “approximant presence,” not intimacy, but just so close to it that only a small fraction of humanity could ever experience. As Christians, we have this now, we have so much more now, so much deeper and truer (see the contrast in Psalm 84). I would rather just have a glimpse of God for one day than live it up elsewhere for eternity (Lev. 4:1-3; 5:4-16; 16:2; Num. 18:1-7; Psalm 84:10)!

Do you realize the magnitude and wonder, the incredible gift beyond measure that we have by our Lord’s work and sacrifice?

The ultimate victory has come: Jesus is risen; He is risen indeed! Halleluiah! Christ’s agony and death is now turned into victory and become our ultimate triumph! Do you fully realize what Jesus did for you? Christ took this punishment for us, our fears (as in scared to death, not fear as in reverence to Him) have been borne on the cross, while the fear and awe of our Lord and Savior helps us see what He did for us (Prov. 3:5)! Every time we sin, we incur greater guilt, and we deserve punishment (Gen. 3:1-24; Jer. 17:9; Rom. 2:1-11; 3:10-26; 5:12-19; Titus 1:15; James 1:12-15; I John 1:8-10). But, the incredible miracle here is that we are set free by His work of on the cross (Rom. 5:10; 6:22). By His death and resurrection, we are set free; we have salvation by Jesus’ sacrificial death (John 19:30). How now will you live your life?

We are given a prize that only one high priest was able to have only once a year for a brief point of time—to be in God’s presence. This Doorkeeper, in Jesus time, would do all he could for that position to only gain a glance of the inner door by the Ark and never even see inside that inner chamber of the Temple. However, we have Him inside of us here and now! We have grace, forgiveness, and a personal relationship with God the Creator and Savior. We have life and purpose, meaning and hope! We are indeed fortunate to have this, and by no work or effort of our own. The question is what we are doing with Christ in us so He is shown outside of us? So go, and be trusting of His wonder, faithful to His plan and percepts, and know Him more, grow in Him more, and make Him known more (2 Cor. 5:20; Eph. 2:8-9; 2 Tim. 1:9-10)!

How can you be set apart to promote our Lord’s Kingdom and Grace? What does it take for you to live a life of distinction, a life that honors Christ and motivates and encourages others?

The Rapture: Who's Left Behind?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 22:48:00 +0000

Do you think that the “rapture” is really in the Bible? Perhaps not! You may want to investigate this, Scripture in context, real word meanings… From 20 years of research at the Schaeffer Institute investigated this more thoroughly than anyone, now it seems the rapture is a made up myth and not in the Bible… But do not be like I did get all mad and think rebuttals to a rapture is nonsense, rather read and not read into the Bible what we want it to say…

The Cross

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:57:00 +0000

Do you realize the magnitude of what our Lord did for you? He, who was without sin, covered you with His righteousness.

When we look upon the cross as the iconic representation of our faith and the crucifixion it stands for, we have to realize it was once something quite different. It was an icon for what was, at one time, the most brutal torture ever conceived. It was a symbol of absolute terror. The Romans, who acquired the practice from the Arabians, Carthaginians, and Persians, would set these crosses up within the city limits of pre-conquered areas and randomly crucify some of their inhabitants, just to keep the others in line. Alexander the Great practiced this because it made the rest of an area to be in fear, thus easily conquerable. The Romans saw this as a good idea then took it and even improved it. Subsequently, they instituted the same practice and used it against non-Roman people accused of a crime for capital offences. It was most effective!

Cross. The cross—that symbol of torture and punishment—turned into an enduring icon of redemption and love! The cross is pivotal for the real Christian faith. Without it, there would have been no redemption or real faith, as the substance of our faith would have been absent.

The cross is central to who Jesus is and what He did for us. If you take away the cross, you no longer have a faith; you have a mere religion based on superstitions and man’s creative ingenuity. The cross represents atonement—our being forgiven of our debt of sin by our Lord’s shed blood. This is the heart and core of our faith. There is no Christianity without the cross! Jesus carried the sins of those religious leaders, the sins of those soldiers, and our sins to the cross. Such an enormous, incredible gift of grace! If only we will accept it by faith! If only we would be willing to pursue that faith into the depths of His Word and precepts in order to be better in our character, in our maturity, and in our witness (Matt. 27: 32-37; John 19)!

He dealt with our sin here and all the way to the cross; we are to receive His grace and continue to look to Him to do away with our sin—not look to ourselves or to circumstances. If not, even if pride does not get us, compromise will! It will take over our integrity and we will lose. Look to Him! Look to the acceptance of the God of the universe and the loving community of the Church, which we can enjoy so we do not need to partake of the world when we have so much more. We cannot seek virtue unless we deal with sin; we cannot grow in Him unless we deal with sin; so—deal with your sin! If you do not, pride, selfishness, and hate will win out and you will lose in your faith formation and in your testimony to others!

Jesus chose to endure through the most heinous suffering a person could experience. How does this affect you? What can you do to be appreciative of our Lord? How will this affect the way you live your life and treat others?

What does it mean to you that your debt of sin has been paid and that you no longer owe a penalty or sacrifice for your sin? Keep in mind that as Jesus did this, He did it for you! What does this mean to you?

Pilate’s Postmodernism

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 20:01:00 +0000

In John 18 and 19 we see Jesus come before Pontius Pilate the Roman governor. Pilate confronts Jesus with are you the King of the Jews? Then Jesus said, I have purpose and bring Truth to the world and if you know and love Truth you will know and love me. Pilate responds in a post-modern fashion; what is truth?

This was another sarcastic reply of cynicism that Pilate gave out, as the one to judge truth diminishes its relevance. Yet, real Truth is one of the most important ideas of God. Truth does not matter to those whose pursuits are wicked or if it goes against someone’s worldview or for one who is overly skeptical or focused on just one thing like Pilate’s time schedule.

Pilate’s statements of, what is it you have done? And what is truth? And judge him by your own law, are all defense mechanisms to avoid responsibility. He, like many people today, was a man in a hurry and not concerned with truth, just his own personal matters. He was a bit tolerant for the sideshow put on by the religious leaders, perhaps even perplexed and struck by Jesus, but not enough to go beyond his comfort zone and act truthfully with justice and mercy, something Jesus will do for us. Jesus would even forgive Pilate if he did right, just as Jesus forgives all those who seek to condemn Him. How many of us miss opportunities because we take hold of our desires, scheme and seek ourselves regardless of consequences, and refuse to deal with our sin, so sin takes us over. How often we see those who are responsible for justice overlook justice and guilt. If we do not deal with sin, it will take us out, as sin produces all of the disasters of life.

It seems that Pilate was weighing the political consequences of releasing Jesus and perhaps causing problems with his job security. Even if Pilate believed Jesus was at least a Divine messenger or a Prophet, it was not enough to sway him from the manipulation of the religious leaders.

This passage has a very interesting and responsibility-ducking response that is reminiscent of many people today, called postmodernism.

Pilate had the great opportunity to showcase Truth, yet he did not want to take responsibility. In the previous passage, he questioned what truth is and made a claim that it is all relative and unimportant; he skirted the issues and blamed others so he would not get into trouble. Then, when all that did not work, he compromised and placated the crowd instead of taking a stand to do the right thing. How many of us do that? A Judge, knowing a defendant is innocent, follows the technicalities of the law, ignoring truth and justice, and sends an innocent person to prison while a guilty person gets off because of those same technicalities. Church boards ignore a good pastoral candidate because his teaching is too relevant and convicting, choosing another who will not rock the boat or make them feel uncomfortable, even though the person whom they choose compromises truth and merely entertains. When we seek to ignore truth or Truth, blame others, and/or refuse to take responsibility, we are being more like Pilate and less like Jesus!

In contrast, when we are seeking Christ first and His work in us, then we are pursuing righteousness and all that is good as a way to glorify Christ as Lord. What we all need to be doing is applying His character into our lives and relationships, from our daily lives, our service, and our mission for His glory. This is real, authentic application of our faith development that is essential—not only in our personal Christian lives, but also in how we are to prepare ourselves to build relationships and model and make Him known. With sin, all we will have is quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, envy, pride, and such, as these so-called Jewish leaders modeled. The results of these will cause chaos and strife to any situation, and hinder God’s work in us. Extreme division will be wedged into any church or relationship focusing our will and desires over His, preventing our receiving of any good or pleasing work, as well as any blessings. It will prevent God from using us to the fullest extent possible, especially in helping others. We will not be real, functioning Christians when we have pride or focus on pleasing others and not pleasing Christ. We have to be willing to counteract these rotten works by committing to the good fruit, keeping our goals, and focusing upon Christ and His Word, so we can develop them (Prov. 6:32-35; Rom. 8:29).

Jesus shows up

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 19:16:00 +0000

What happens when we let our emotions run unchecked and away from our faith?

In John 18:15-27, Peter will betray Jesus, but he also had opportunities to not and stand for the faith. Yet, as he stood warming himself, to stand up for Jesus but instead, he denied Him again! Are you not one of His followers? Even a relative of the man Peter stabbed confronted him, and yet, Peter protested I am not! At that point, just as Jesus had prophesied, the rooster crowed!

We all—at some point, more often than not, sooner than later—will stumble, make bad choices, and/or fail. The question is where are we going with our faith and due diligence of His teachings? We must seek to please God and submit our will to Him; by so doing, we will become humble, trusting, and obedient toward God and others (Ex. 32:19-20; 30-34; Num 12:1-3; Psalm 37:11; Matt. 5: 3-12; 11:29).

The great, principle comfort in our distress is that Jesus shows up; He is with us and for us because of His love.

The principle of love, which is the essence of the Gospel, must be our mark so it is our impact; because we are influenced by His love, we will contemplate (think deeply) upon it and become empowered and stimulated by it, so it flows even when we are not thinking of it or are as Peter was when the rooster crowed—stressed, hurt, or confused. The point of this passage is the point of the Gospel. If we live out our Christian lives with the great commitment of love and faith with diligence, then we can succeed in life, ministry, and service to our Lord. If love and faith are not our marks, then we will be worthless and of no value. Nothing we want to do or attempt to do could amount to anything of value without love. What we think is important and purposeful is not, unless it is joined to our growing faith empowered by His love. All we do must be in the cart that is pulled by the horse of our faith, with the reins of hope, and most of all love as the wheels, all because of Christ's love. Keep in mind that most people, including Christians, have a skewed idea of love. We get our ideas from TV and movies; we believe these flawed ideas based on our feelings and how people have treated us. As a result, we do not see the unmerited love called grace that we have already received from our Lord.

What do you need to do to reach out to Christ and let Him grasp you so you do not see just the sea of problems and the ocean of deluge overtaking the ship of your faith and composure in Him?

How can you be better at focusing on Christ? What do you need to do to be better with humility and keeping your focus on God’s plan?

The Ultimate Battle

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 21:40:00 +0000

Have you fully appreciated or understood what Jesus has done on your behalf? What does it take for you to yield your personal rights and expectations over to God?

Jesus in John 18, “knowing all” was not surprised; His being fully God and having absolute knowledge, control, and power, humbled and submitted Himself to the plan of redemption. Even though at any time He could easily have escaped His pain, He did not, which was for our gain (John 10:14-18).

The ultimate battle in life is not with armies and/or lawyers; it is not politics or our exertions. Rather, it is with our will—what we want versus what God has and desires for us. This passage is not about enduring suffering; it is about following God’s will regardless of suffering, grief, or any other kind of life strain. This means we surrender our will to His. This means we are focused upon building our lives on God’s precepts, not ours. The only way to be a real, authentic follower of our Lord Jesus Christ is to deny what we want and pursue what He wants. This means that knowing who we are and how we are, both to God and also to others around us, is essential. We must never be the stumbling stone, trying to meddle with God’s plans for ourselves or others. We must conduct ourselves with utmost integrity, be that person of faith who points to His example. Jesus does not force us to submit and surrender; He models it for us to follow (Psalm 15; John 3:29-30; Gal. 5:24).

We can either say God, your will be done or He will say I will let your will be done; and then we live with the consequences! Real, spiritual improvement comes from surrendering our will—not opposing or imposing upon His will. The will of God is about learning about Him, following His decrees, and building fruit and character. In seeking that, we can make good decisions and weed out false teachers. Seeking to place Jesus first and foremost so to follow only Him, and thus love, trust, and obey Christ is a mindset and lifestyle (Matt. 6:33; Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:17; 1 Thess. 4:3; 5:18; 1 Tim. 2:4; 1 Pet. 2:13-15; 4:19).

How and why can your spiritual improvement only come from surrendering your will—not opposing or imposing upon God’s will? How can you be better at learning about Christ, following His decrees, and building fruit and character?

How is your Love Factor?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 19:25:00 +0000

Are you Loved? Does your church love? Do you love? God loves us!

Love confirms the legitimacy of Jesus! Love confirms the faithfulness of Jesus' followers! Our love sheds the spotlight upon God as we are His visible, living light. Whoever loves much, does much! How much God so loved you… your spouse…your co-workers…your family…how much He so loves your church family! When you love much, you will do so much more in your life and in others' lives as well. Real, true Love will verify the authenticity of Jesus' followers. This is also a template for the importance and value of friendships. This is the model we are to use to show God’s love to the world! True love desires to seek and apply what God has to say with satisfaction back to Him, and gives us real meaning in life. It will enable us to trust in our Lord and receive His call and principles and in so doing, appreciate our fellow Christians and of course, our family and others around us. Love is taking the initiative to build up and meet the needs of others without expecting anything in return. And, when we have the wrong idea and definition of love, it will adversely impose on all areas in our life. This is also a template on the importance and value of friendships (Mark 12:30-31; Luke 10:27; John 13:31-35; 15:12-13, 17; 1 Cor. 13:3; Rom. 12:10; 13:8; 14:13; 1 Thess. 3:12; 4:9; 2 Thess. 1:3; James 2:14-26; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11, 3:22; 4:8; 23; 4:7, 11-12; 2 John 1: 5)!

God knows you! We are to have a faith that is not just academic or intellectual knowledge of God, but our appreciation, trust, affection, obedience, and commitment in, for, and to Him. In addition, this is referring to our fellowship with God who created us for Himself, instruments of praise and worship to know and model His love. We are content and our souls in “rest “when we honor our Lord and live for Him. The great claim of Christianity is our ability to not just know God who first seeks to know us, but have a personal relationship with Him. This is what only the great Prophets of old had, but not all of the time—only on occasion; because of Christ, we have permanence with Him! God's purpose is to get us into His kingdom, to be identified in Him and not in ourselves or the world. Because of Christ, we have joyful abundance now, personal favor of God with real fellowship with Him, a purpose and meaning for our daily lives, and eternal life to come (Jer. 9:24; John 3:1-16; 15:5; Gal. 6:14).

Our greatest blessing; we are made and destined to eternity in heaven, but while we are here on this earth, we must do all we can to serve Him with joy and gratitude (Mark 14:36; Eph 2:7; 1 John 3:2)!

Thus, We must never misrepresent God’s Truth or lead people to another truth, because our intimate relationship with Him must point to a way of faith and faithfulness to His sovereign, loving rule (Psalm 25:5; 43:3; John 5:8; 14:6; 15:15; Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:1-8; 2 Tim. 2:15; James 1:18)

Oh the things we can do if only we acknowledge that God’s love is real and we can be real too!

However, the very notion that our product (Biblical Christianity) needs an overhaul is ludicrous. We do not have to make the gospel more relevant to modern ears; we just need to be more loving. There is nothing more relevant than how to be cleansed from sin and how to find life beyond the grave, but we have to be in unity. We must be careful that as we seek to promote the church, we promote the true church and not a watered down, cheap imitation or just show our infighting and hate to outsiders, instead of love and unity. Many today are removing offensive doctrines in order to make the Gospel more attractive, while others insist on being unloving, thinking this will attract people. Not! This will lead people into idolatry! We have to know and proclaim that God’s love is amazing! When we consider how we are and who He is, we see that we do not deserve His love, yet we receive it anyway. We do not earn it or achieve it in any way or merit it whatsoever, yet it is there for our taking because of what Christ has done in our behalf.

Remember, love confirms the authenticity of Jesus and us as His followers!

Here are some goals for the New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 00:02:00 +0000

Do you want a more vibrant life, ministry and faith? How can I do this?

I will try, I hope you will too!

1. Focus on Christ as LORD. Set aside time each day to focus on the purpose for your growth and maturity (Psalm 119:130; Isa. 42:16; John 4: 23-24; 15), and then make it a priority. In doing so, you will be able to “go for it” with passion and vigor. Make sure it lines up with His precepts and not your wishes! Let Christ transform you through His Word and prayer. Attitude is essential!

2. We must learn to yield to the Lordship of our God and not to the desires of our will. It means following His plans, not our own, obeying His will, not our own. When we do this, the discipleship process can begin. Our maturity and character development will commence and further develop. However, when we refuse, we will be the strife and conflict that gives Christianity a “black eye.” We will be the problem rather than the solution (John 3:30; Gal. 2:20-21).

3. Discipleship is a lifestyle. As we step into the lives of others, the purpose for loving them is simply because He first loved us; then, we become instruments of His grace. This can start by our realizing that Jesus “authors” our faith, and teaches us how to run the race according to God’s will, His glory, His worship, and His purpose. Thus, we gain a deeper intimacy with our Lord as our Commander and Friend, as our God and our King and the provider of Grace, as our Love, and our reason for being. In His purposes, we find real contentment, joy, and fulfillment! This is summed up in this adage: we cannot be doing the work of God unless we are the people of God. We have to be growing before we can have a direction and before we can be effective!

4. We must realize our circumstances are temporary. Our life here and now is not the ultimate purpose for our lives or God’s plan. We are in the process of learning and growing. Our situations and relationships will grow and change, while new opportunities will be brought to us; but, most importantly of all, our ultimate meaning of life will have eternal treasure and results. We will be able to take our eyes off our problems, place them on Christ, and follow His lead for more impact and meaning in life that will bring more hope and contentment (James 1).

5. Purpose will bring you a life that has a reason to it. God created you as special and unique; He gave you talents and abilities, and brings you opportunities to use them. Purpose will help you see these aspects, His call, and your prospects. Then you will be willing and able to put your faith into action for His glory. The side effects? A life that is more joyful and content! Yes, there will be ups and downs, but with the Creator on your side, any plans you may have had become insignificant; they would not bring you even close to a life that is meaningful!

Purpose has hope; it allows us to live with the perspective of eternity, so we are not bogged down in our dire circumstances. This moves us from the complacent Christian life to the purposeful Christian life, from just playing church to really being a church. It comes from understanding that God’s purpose and plan is to make us His children (1 John). He is the good Parent who guides His children and protects them. At the same time, He does not over-protect them so they lose out on life's opportunities to please Him, to the ultimate good. Here, we are temporarily looking to the hope we have now and to come. Christ will see us through if we trust and obey to be in His way. Imagine the possibilities your life will bring to others and bring Him glory!

More here:

http://70030.netministry.com/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=35230&columnid=3803

What does Christmas mean to you?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 19:40:00 +0000

Or this can be better said theologically, “What does the Incarnation mean to you?”

When the fullness of the time came, God sent his Son born of a woman.... Galatians 4:4

The incarnation is not just about Christmas, it could be said it is the prologue to Christianity. It is introducing to us the God-Man, who is eternally existing and who comes as fully God and becomes fully man. He becomes flesh and dwells among us. God is now one of us, God among people, personally conveying His Love, personally giving us His grace! As God extends His grace outward and forward to all people. God is the God of the universe-of all things. Christ brings the Gospel to all. Jesus is relevant to all people of all times, of all ethnicities, ages, and places. The only restriction is to those who are not His-who refused His offer.

The Incarnation simply means God came to be a man. He was fully man while remaining fully God. The Incarnation fulfills God's purpose, as Christ the Creator submitted to the Father in His manifestation into humanity, becoming Fully God and Fully Human, to become and serve humanity, this was His ultimate triumph. He is Holy and as the "incarnate Son," remained loyal and obedient to His own precepts and the challenge of sin and worldliness (Heb. 1:2; 3:1-2; 4:15; 5:7-14; 7:26; 9:14; John 1:1-18).
As the Gospel of John put it, The Word became flesh. Christ who is fully God-the ultimate "reason," the same "substance" and "essence" of God, the Creator-came into His creation as both an eternal being and a created being, a man-fully God and fully man. Not a half and half or some hybrid! The Holy Spirit and full force of God came together. Christ, who is not a created or made being, came into the world as one of us. This means that Jesus Christ, being fully Divine, was also born into the world as a full-fledged person who would live in our place, fulfill the law, and become our substitute for the penalty of sin we incurred. He took that penalty and paid it by His sacrifice on the Cross and His shed blood (Joel 2:32; Matt. 20:28; 26:36-46; John 1:14-19; 29; 3:13-18; 8:28, 58; 19:35; 21:24; Rom. 5:8; 8:32; 9:5; 10:9-13; 2 Cor. 5:19-21; 8:9; 12:8-9; 13:14; Phil. 2:5-8; Col. 1:15-17; 2:9; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:3-12)..

This is the heart and purpose and reason of not just Christmas but Christianity, of whom and what Christ is, and what He came to do. Without this Incarnation or His Virgin Birth, we have nothing of real substance, nothing that can save us; rather we just have a meaningless religion with some good ideas!

The Incarnation means Christ dwelt amongst us and is still dwelling in and within us. As the early Jews entered God's Tabernacle or Temple where God can be found, now we pitch our tent (life) with God, as now He comes to us. Theologically this indicates the temporary period of time Jesus would be on earth and, in context of the Gospels, the eternity He gives us to be with Him. Here is Jesus, being fully God, dwelling among His people, and now living in our hearts and in eternity. But wait, there is more! Now we have an active, involved, loving, and caring God who knows us as our Creator and who also lives humanity's experiences firsthand. He is the One in whom we can place our hope, love, and faith. Even though, the Divine is dynamically opposed to human nature, God made it possible for Jesus (Ex. 3:12-14; 25:8; 33:7-11; 40:34-35; John 6:35, 48-51; Acts 14:11; Col. 2:9).

The incarnation creates the Way, so Jesus could not only save us from our sins, but can also identify with our plight in life. As He lived a normal human existence for over thirty years, He experienced all that we experienced, including all the emotions, joys, hurts, frustrations, anger, relationships, and temptations. This means we receive His work of redemption and regeneration through grace, and we belong to Christ. We even share in the Son's rights as well as blessings we receive as the children of God. This also means we have victory as He delivers us and tramples our sin, our enemies; our future inheritance is insured. What we earn is placed as our eternal reward (Psalm 3:2, 8; 18:2; 35:3; 71:15; 132:16; Rom. 8:17, 29; Heb.2:10; 6:12).

The incarnation, as Hebrews puts it, God brings his firstborn into the world. This means Jesus as the "Royal Personage" who humbles Himself to "condescend" to be human, to assume our nature to battle sin. As the Firstborn, the Almighty Lord God (Yahweh) is applied to Christ. He takes the inheritance rights and is the ranking leader, The Supreme Superiority in the universe, a King of kings, LORD of lords-The KING. This does not mean Jesus was born, because He is eternal; rather it is His role to rule (Ex. 4:22; Deut. 21:17; Psalm 89:26-27; 97:7; Luke 2:13-14; Col. 1:15-17; Heb. 1:5-14).

The incarnation is exemplified in the Christmas story as God's angels worshiped Him. Angels worship Christ as they proclaimed His superiority by worshiping Him. Christ is superior and greater than any angel, deity, thought, religion, ritual, philosophy, idea, role or priesthood, or any tradition; He supersedes any decree of any religion, Prophets or Law (Heb. 2:5-18).

Do you just see a baby Jesus or do you see LORD Jesus?

More here http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=70823&columnid=3844

Have a very merry Christmas, and do not forget the Christ in the Christmas!

Jesus Prays!

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:24:00 +0000

In the passage of John 17:1-12, after the last supper and His most profound and imperative teachings, Jesus then prays for His Disciples, the Church, and us! He looked to God as our model, seeking His glory to glorify the Father who has ultimate authority and who gives us eternal life. Jesus prays for His personal priorities (that are not self-centered) that the Church would be sanctified. For us, when we pray, we commune with God with not just words of want but with praise to Him for all He is doing and can do in our lives. Prayer is to be conformed to His likeness, to perceive before we receive. The key to a successful Christian life, ministry, and church is prayer. There is no way around it (Psalm 2:7; John 12:41; Philip. 2:11).

We can go to God; we can know Him; we can choose Him because He laid the foundation by choosing us first, and we have been given to Him. Jesus modeled and did everything God the Father directed Him to do; now was the time to pay the ultimate price for our sins meant for the ultimate glory and God’s ultimate purpose. We have to be careful not to be influenced and overcome by the world, rather focused on Christ, His precepts, and His way. He takes us out of the world into the presence of the eternal God for eternity; what a glorious gift that we neither earned nor deserved. We are to keep His Word, trust, and obey as we receive this incredible gift from God because we belong to God and His glory.

Jesus prays for us as we pray to Him! If you are too busy or too preoccupied with life and the struggles thereof, how can you solve them with just adding more stress to them? If your faith is in Christ, then you must rest in Him; pour over His Word, glean the biblical knowledge, and apply it to your life for success in life and in faith. If not, you will fail at everything! Keep in mind this very important point: when we engage the text of the Bible, we engage God! We experience His essence; we are enfolded not just within His precepts, but also within His presence! We are with the living, eternal God of the universe. Thus, when we open up the Bible, we are opening it up to receive Christ and His intimate, personal instructions to us. If we really read the Bible, paying attention to not just the words, but also the essence, we will receive not just our direction; we will become transformational in our lives and work!

When we act in good character and live rightly as His representatives, we prove His name. When we act in the flesh, we prove the world and show our disobedience and disrespect, even profaning His Name. The call to make every effort indicates that we are to pay close attention to Christ and take the spiritual initiative and be productive with our faith and lives! Always be willing to acknowledge the difference between what is counterfeit and what is true

Truth and be willing to repent and seek forgiveness when you are wrong! True Christianity and its practice never retires or becomes counter-productive (John 16:33; 21:18-19; 1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Pet. 1:12-21).

Does God need to stir you up? Are you spiritually lazy or apathetic? Does your Christian activity line up to His revealed truth or is it based on your plans and agenda? Is your teaching from His Word or is it counterfeit?

My Trip to the Emergency Room

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 01:21:00 +0000

I had a bit of a problem last Mon, had to go to the emergency room, via paramedics (not really there were more than 2) the drama of the ambulance, fire trucks (why did they send 2, I am not that big) and all theatrics sacred the little one, but I lived, major asthma attack followed by an massive allergic reaction, worst in my life… another near death experience, but wait it gets worst, it was embarrassing and now the bill is coming!

It has been a tough year for us, it is the “year of the Job,” experiencing medical problems, lowest giving in 30 years and we can’t pay bills, was swindled and cheated by a friend in a bad real estate deal, my hydrogen car did blow up, the loss of most of our overseas operations due to the floods, (who knew fish farms did not like all that water) and the irony, our roofing business, is in the biggest demand ever (how we raise funds for our overseas opps) but we lost all of our buildings and equipment and can’t replace it… We have no funding and massive opportunity. So, I have a week to find what I am grateful for, besides Christ in my life and my family….

Hot off the press, our new Newsletter!

Please keep us in prayer; we are facing enormous spiritual warfare and difficulties against us as staff, ministry workers and the ministry. We need your fervent prayers and people to step up with support to continue this ministry, be blessed and thank-you!

KrejcirXmass2010.pdf

http://70030.inspyred.com/images/KrejcirXmass2010.pdf

Are you in the dark moments of life?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 01:19:00 +0000

In the dark moments of life, we often ask and plead why is God allowing this to happen to me? Is this love and care?

What happens to you that causes a loss of focus upon Christ? How does it make you feel that your sorrow is temporary?

In John 16:16-33, Jesus said: in just a little while, I am going to the Father; I know you are very sad, but this is actually good and for the best. You will see me again soon. The Disciples had trouble understanding this. For them, Jesus was going to His doom and all they felt was gloom; and yet, Jesus was trying to tell them this would be the greatest triumph and their greatest joy. For He would transform worldly joy to sorrow and the believer’s grief to Joy, for He is real and alive, living and working in us all! Then, Jesus used the illustration of a woman and her extreme birthing pains that turn into joy when she finally holds her baby.

The pains are temporary, but the baby becomes a dear loved one for a lifetime. Sorrow would be temporary, for they would see Jesus again. We cannot identify with them in this particular loss (Jesus leaving them), but we do experience loss of focus. Jesus is still there, but we rather place our eyes on our circumstances and woes; we become scattered from His percepts, call, and love, and we fuss over our issues until we refocus and face our Lord and see His hands of love that were there the entire time. We have a God who is here, who is there, and to whom we can go directly and commune with Him, ask of Him, know and do His will—all by Christ for Joy. Christ has overcome the world so we can have peace!

In this passage, the Disciples realized their world and all their hopes and dreams would soon fall apart, leaving them disillusioned, desperate, and depressed. They would be confused and dazed, and weep, wondering what would happen to them. However, Jesus assured them that it would be OK, and that they would see the risen Christ again. But, at this time, they were not “getting” it. The world may express joy for the suffering and death of the One True Savior and for our troubles, but, true joy will come to those of us in Christ! Then, Jesus reassured them that this would be good, along with a promise of His permanence and that this would all transform to great joy! John and his followers were experiencing the very tribulation Jesus was telling about. They were losing their places in the Synagogues, being betrayed by friends and family, losing their families and lands, losing their jobs, and any influence or inheritance by hostile, prideful Jews and God-hating Romans. The Jews did not believe one could hear God or have a personal relationship with Him as the Christians claimed, and were jealous and/or refused to be convicted. The Romans had an extreme distain for monotheism and apocalyptic cults (that Christianity was considered then by them), thus the antagonism (John 9:34; 11:50; 12:42).

If Jesus is here in our midst, then why do we tend to place our eyes on our circumstances and problems? How does this scatter us from His percepts, call, and love?

We may not understand what we are going through or understand what is God up to in all of this, but as we find ourselves in these shadows and dark places of life, we can find ourselves in His arms of love too. Like a hug in a very dark room, you can’t see the person giving you the care or love, but you can feel their presence. It is so with God; we can feel our way through by touching His Word and standing on His precepts. We have to allow our trust in Christ to work, believing that He is not smiting us, but He is working out something marvelous in us and even when we can’t see it now, knowing that one day we will. We do have hope and He will not allow anything to happen to us that is not in His will or that will be totally detrimental. There is a limit to what He will do…so we can hang in there and trust in Him!

Do you fully realize that you have a God who is here, who is there, and you can go directly to Him? How does the fact that Christ has overcome the world so we can have peace strengthen your faith and perseverance? How can you make this more so?

Who is the Holy Spirit to you?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:48:00 +0000

Who is the Holy Spirit to you?

John 16: 1-15

This essence of who God is and what He did must pour into us from Christ and then stream out of us so we can touch others with God’s love. This love is the definitive work of our God and the power we have as Christians. We are to be empowered by God’s love through all situations and circumstances. Then, we can practice the true love that we are given, which is the turning of our backs to what we want and our concerns and instead facing forward to others. This requires us to surrender our will to His.

Is He your Spirit of truth?

The Holy Spirit is the Supreme Interpreter of Scripture. He testifies about Jesus to us and to the world as real, authentic, true Truth—and nothing but the Truth! He even enables us to live out and perform Christ's teachings on His terms so we enabled to trust and understand Him and His call. He does not steer a true follower into interpretations that contradict His Word or fail to have logical consistency from the understanding, application and teaching of Scripture. The problem is our pride and will and lust for what we want that gets in the way. The good news is that His Word is here and available. God’s Truth is faith and reason that is intertwined and given to us and we are given the rational capacity to understand it and the ability to have faith and trust Him when we do not. He does not give us information or duty that we can’t understand or apply (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:12-15; Rom 1:21; 1 Cor. 2:9-12).

Is He your Guide?

This is not about science and knowledge; rather, it involves preparation for faith by His lead and command. We are to have a trusting and prayerful dependence on the Holy Spirit, for He inspired the Word in its inception and inspires us now in our understating and application of it. In fact, we can’t properly grasp or apply His Word without His guidance in it (John 14:26; 15:26; 2 Peter 1:21; Eph. 4:18; Rev. 1:19).

Is He your Truth?

This means the knowledge of who, why, and what concerning Christ, and it is true Truth. It is not bound to or by any human reason or tradition and can’t be corrupted; but we can misrepresent it (Psalm 25:5; 43:3; John 5:8; 14:6; 15:15; Eph. 1:13; Col. 1:1-8; 2 Tim. 2:15; James 1:18).

Do you speak only what He hears?

The primary role of God the Spirit is to “showcase” Christ, never to point to Himself. The same goes for a servant of God; he/she is to point to Him, not to self. The distinction is pride. Does one point others to Christ wholly or to themselves? When a person or ministry emphasizes the Holy Spirit to the diminishment or exclusion of Christ, you will know they are false and not of God.

Do you bring glory to Christ?

The Holy Spirit will never ever draw attention to Himself; He only promotes the glory of Christ. If any preacher does or says otherwise, he is not of God! The plan and scope of creation and redemption center upon Christ as Creator, Savior, and LORD. Then the Holy Spirit brings Jesus’ teachings to us by the Bible and helps us understand it (John 15:26; 1 Cor. 2:4).

Our partnership with God though faith is demonstrated by substance and connection. It is confirmed in how we choose to live our lives and touch others for Christ. It shows how our character, from our spiritual formation, is applied. If we ignore our brothers and sisters in the Lord or those in the world who are in need while we boast we are in Him, what good is our faith? Our pious demonstrations would be ineffectual, and even detrimental to others. Faith is not a substance meant to stand unused; rather, it is to be employed and infused by Christ (Luke 3:21; John 1:32-34; 3:34; Acts 1-21 John 3:16-20)!

1. What would it mean to you to be more empowered by God’s love through all situations and circumstances?

2. How can you allow the essence of who God is pour into you, and then stream out so you can touch others with God’s love?

Are you ready for Worship?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 23:50:00 +0000

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:19-25

In the context of the passage, Hebrews chapter nine, we have a reminder that we enter a Most Holy Place; we have access to God’s Heavenly Temple where before, in the earthly copy, only the high priest had access, and then only once a year. This is a monumental opportunity and shows us the depth and magnitude of how much we have been saved, the whole propose of giving honor to God. This passage shows us that Jesus is our Perfect Sanctuary and gives the comparison between what God expected in the Old Testament and how we were not able to meet His standards; but, Christ does so in our place (Psalm 100; Heb. 9-10).

The passage in Hebrews, chapter ten, gives us an incredible promise and hope for our lives. We have the mind-boggling opportunity and call to approach God with boldness and confidence since He has covered our sins by the Person and Work of Christ. In worship, we are entering God’s holy sanctuary! We must be aware of the extraordinary unique sacrifice our Lord paid on our behalf and the agony and cost He bore, just so we could enter into God’s presence (Rev. 4-5).

Perhaps by refocusing on what Scripture lays out, we can fix our broken churches and our irreverence for our Lord. We must pay attention to Christ with faith and hope. He is giving encouragement to show an essential aspect of faith; it is trusting in Christ, but not blind faith because we know in whom we trust. This gives us assurance. We do not need to go to an altar or a priest, since Christ fills that role Himself. Jesus now asks us to come, where before, we had to stay away and give a sacrifice that was very temporary; in addition, if one’s heart was not right, the sacrifice was not accepted. Now we can go before Him anytime and anywhere. In context, we are also given four conditions:

1. Sincere heart!
2. Undivided allegiance, as in loyalty to Christ and His Church!
3. Full assurance of faith!
4. Hearts sprinkled and Bodies washed!

The question is why do we not, or why do we do so, so rarely? The pointed question for us is: are we filled with gratitude for who and what He has done? Can we really draw near to Him (Heb. 10:19-25)?

This all means we have clear, uninhibited access to God because of Christ (Gen. 4:2-15; Psalm 15; 73:28; Jer. 30:18-22; Matt. 27:51; Rom. 5:1-2; Eph. 2:13-22; Heb. 4:16; 7:19-25; 12:28; 3:15-16; 1 Pet. 2:4-10). And what makes this entrée happen is responding to His call with our sincere and true heart. This is showing that our willingness to be dependable and faithful without ulterior motives are the practical applications and exhortations of Christ’s precepts (Psalm 24:4; Jer. 24:7; Matt. 15:8).

Then, our full assurance of faith indicates our commitment; our faith does not hesitate since we are trusting in and following Christ. This sets us up for the Hebrews chapter 11 “hall of fame” of faith, what godly people do with faith. Salvation is not meant to be an invitation to merely sit in a pew; it is meant to impact our lives so we can motivate others to be encouraging and practical to one another.

By the work and love of our Lord, our hearts are sprinkled. By this, I mean a complete change and renewal of our hearts and minds when we receive Christ’s work and gift of grace and are thus released from a guilty conscience. This is about who Christ is and what He has done, and that we have freedom because of His once-for-all sacrifice (Rom. 1:8-15; 1 Cor. 11:4; Phil. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:3; 2 Tim. 3:1; Philemon 4).

We are given covering and spiritual cleansing as our bodies are washed. This is like how the Hebrew Priests who went through the cleansing rituals could enter God’s presence with reverence and respect. We are cleansed before God’s sight; what an animal sacrifice did in the OT law, now Christ has done permanently for us, and we are washed so we can enter God’s presence (Ex. 24:8; 29:4; Lev. 16:4; Rom. 12:1-3; Heb. 9:13-14; 1 Pet. 1:2). Why is this important? It prepares us to worship God, for our sins are temporarily hidden. Now, in Christ, we are cleansed by the New Covenant and we are enabled to worship, which is an essential component of communion and community in Christ. We communicate our love, adoration, and gratitude to Christ, doing it together as a church locally, as a Church universally, and with all of creation “in concert” (Ex. 30:19-21; Lev. 8:6; 14:7-9; Ezek. 36:25-29; Eph. 5:26).

However, we must be on guard for the barriers that block us from receiving the application of worship. First, we are not to doubt, rather, trust and obey. James warns us that being double minded is like being on a rudderless boat, in a storm, on the sea. It will toss us to nowhere but ruin. Second is unwavering faith. The result is we will turn our frustrations and problems over to the Lord. If we insist on solving life’s issues ourselves, we will be very disappointed at the outcome. Giving of ourselves is a prime aspect of worship as our own personal gift to ourselves cannot work. If you are too busy working it out yourself, then the opportunity for God to work in you will be lost. Let God give Himself to you, let Him be God. Instability leads us nowhere, just like the storm tossed sea. Let your faith be unwavering and your boat be guided by God’s rudder and power; then, we can be healthy growing Christians in that elusive healthy church (James 5:1-8).

Who are you “Because of my Name?”

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:41:00 +0000

What do you do “Because of my Name?”

“Because of my name?” Means to confess Christ as Lord and follow His precepts with trust and obedience!

So hard, so easy, so few will… Yet, for by His grace and love, we can know our Lord—who He is and who we are in Him. Then, we can take hold of His empowerment and nourishment and trust—the things we have from our Lord now; what we learn and grow through will remain with us, past our leaving of this life and echoing into the next. What we have in Christ is now and eternal. Christ gives Himself totally to us. He shed His Blood and gave His life so we can have life—new life. This is also about how God's will and His glory will be carried out, and His second coming will come about in His perfect timing!

There are some passages on this (Ex. 25:8; 29:45; Lev. 26:11-12; Ezek. 37:27-28; 43:9; Psalm 96:10; Isa. 42:9; 48:6; 51:15-16; 65:17-25; 66:22; John 2:21; 6:54-56; 8:31; 14:1-23; 15; Rom. 8:24-25; 1 Cor. 2:9; 4:5; 15:35-57; Gal. 2:20-21; Eph. 1:3-14; Col. 1:23; 3:18-4-1; Heb. 2:7; 3:6-19; 1 John 2:19-24; Rev. 7:9; 21:1-8; 22:3-5, 12).

Yet, we have help! We can depend on the power and influence of the Holy Spirit, not in our pride or faulty, worldly systems to be a mature, faithful Christian. We are to be faithful and wise in Christ. See John 14:15-31 Study. The Holy Spirit has a prime role in our redemption, calling and empowerment. He comes from the Father to point to Christ and gives us the ability to know and accept Christ (John 7:39; Acts 2:1-33).

By Him, yes we can! We can Testify. Our role and responsibility are to know and make known who and what Christ is and to speak on His behalf by words and lifestyle. We are enabled to do this by the Holy Spirit. He models obedience for us to do the Christian life rightly with faith, character, and in His True truth because we have been regenerated and now have His interests in mind and in our will. We cannot have a good relationship with God and not with one another, or vice versa (Psalm 37:23; Isa. 42:1; 43:10-12; 44:3-8; Luke 24: 24:48; John 16:2; Acts 10:39-41; 2 Cor. 5:17-20; Eph. 2:10; 1 Thess. 5:18; 2 John 1-4; 3 John 1-4).

Abiding in Christ means total, surrendered devotion to the Lordship of Christ; we behave toward Him as LORD, Redeemer, and Savior, not just a casual friend we can occasionally call "dada." To grow in our Christian formation, our will must be sacrificed to God's will so that we are totally at the disposal of our Lord. Our daily lives, our ministry, our plans and purposes, and our thinking and actions all must filter through the sieve of who He is and who we are in Him. So the refuse of our lives, our thinking and misguided tendencies, is removed and the purity of His percepts are mixed into us. We must come to a point where we are surrendered and totally devoted to Christ. And, if this is a problem (and I am sure it is; it has been for me), remember that it isn't easy; do not give up, but give in to Him. It takes time. We must be in prayer, be immersed in His Word, and be discipled so He can “hit home” in our ways and thinking (Acts 6:1-6; Rom. 1:1; 9:3; 12:7; 1 Cor. 15:3-8; Gal. 1:15; 2:20; Phil. 1:1; 1 Tim. 2:8-3:13; 4:6)!

The Good news of the Gospel is not just a tool for evangelism; it must be the prime staple of our lives as well. In fact, it does nothing good for evangelism, to which this passage attests, unless real love has hit us deeply. Love must make an impact on us so we can make a response back to God. God’s love is what changes our lives to be models for the lives of others. Our complete change from the inside out comes about because His real, true Truth is what the Gospel is supposed to be about in our lives. And, this message of the Person and Work of our Lord Jesus Christ must be in us before it can go out to the entire world! If not, we become the noise, the problem, the barrier…The Gospel message makes sense and is accelerated when we show our love to God and also to His people. Then we will see more of a desire by the lost to be reached. All because of His work and our ability to be used when we obey His commands and call.

What do you need to do to take hold of His empowerment and nourishment and trust—the things we have from our Lord now?

Christ is our Model and Dwelling!

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 18:03:00 +0000

Read John 15:9-17

Have you considered that the love Jesus puts in us molds and shapes us and appoints us to be His orchards and fruit stands? So, how can you and your church be His fruit stand? Why can’t a church function without fruit such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness… and forgiveness…?

This is why the Christian life and our church is not about us, it is about Him and them we abide in Him! That Christ is all, for obedience and everything else! Our relationship with God is through Christ. Christ's redemption is that He took away our sin and preserved us in faith for God's glory.

Have you considered that God is our dwelling place? We are dependent on Him for both life and salvation, and to think otherwise is foolish. This is a prime fulfillment of a promise of God from the Old Testament and it refers to those who are already saved. This also means in synergy to stand for and abide, to be unwavering and sure of the supremacy of Christ that gives and builds our life and intimacy in Him. The purpose is that we have a binding and effectual relationship with Christ that transcends our comprehension; we have a relationship with God that we do not deserve by means we cannot fully understand (Ex. 25:8; 29:45; Lev. 26:11-12; Ezek. 37:27-28; 43:9; Psalm 96:10; Isa. 42:9; 48:6; 51:15-16; 65:17-25; 66:22; John 2:21; 6:54-56; 8:31; 14:1-23; 15:1-8; Rom. 8:24-25; 1 Cor. 2:9; 4:5; 15:35-57; Gal. 2:20-21; Eph. 1:3-14; Col. 1:23; 3:18-4-1; Heb. 2:7; 3:6-19; 1 John 2:19-24; Rev. 7:9; 21:1-8; 22:3-5, 12).

Christ takes the initiative in our relationship; He comes to us by first loving us, then we are free to exercise our will and be enabled to know and receive Him. If He did not choose us, we would not have the desire, will, or ability to receive Him; this is by His work on the cross. In Jesus’ time, a committed learner would seek out a rabbi to teach him; here, Jesus picks us to teach. Did you know that as growing and mature Christians, we belong exclusively to Christ (Eph. 1:4-11; John 2:23; 14:13)?

Christ brings us Real Love, that He died in our place and then infuses us. The love that flows from us is not from us, but from God through His Spirit. We cannot prove love; we can only respond to and obey it. Once we fully realize that the love of Christ has been poured out in us, we can then identify ourselves in Him. We will be able to identify Christ's interests in others over against our own interests (John 15:3; Rom. 9:3; 1 Cor. 9:22; 13:13).

Discipleship is our response to His love—to be passionate, submissive, and obedient to our Lord. As a committed follower of Christ, I must attest that I belong completely and entirely to Christ. He purchased, restored, and renewed me, and He now empowers me. And what how are we going to live and express being His slave or servant? What would that mean to your spiritual formation and relationships? How will this help you lead and manage yourself, family, and church?

It should be to “Go,” this is an aspect of our “Great Commission” and “fruit” is what characterizes our Christian service and points others to Christ. When we indentify ourselves in Christ, we will obey and we will be effective in loving and strengthening each other for His service—something so few of us actually do! A proper witness to Christ will be identified by the distinction between good and false teaching and/or good versus bad love, Fruit, and character and/or a good or a failing church (Psalm 66:18; Matt. 22:1-14; 25:1-13; 28:19; Acts 1:8; Rom. 1:13; Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 4:15-16; 1 John 4:1-6; Rev. 1: 2; 2:20; 6:9; 22:9).

All Jesus asks of us is to receive Him and His love so we can pay it forward to others, to show His love by our display of love so we succeed at His will. His love is the sap that flows and what causes us to know Him and have His love working in and out of us; it causes us to make Him known to others even more diligently. We were sinners; now, because of His love, we are His people—united to Him, reconciled to God, and filled with the Spirit. This love now becomes the process of continued blessings for us and others. All it takes is our dedication to Christ, so we can respond by faith, worship, and spiritual formation to carry on His love. Growing in Christ is what the Christian life is all about. It is the life-long process of discipleship and spiritual growth that builds our faith and knowledge in Him so we can take hold of His love and produce even more of it, giving it back to Him and onto others. This helps us with our assurance, maturity, character, and spiritual formation. We become changed because we have received Christ and we can keep on loving. If this is not so, there is something fundamentally wrong in our Christian operating system, because love helps us have more hope and reassurance of faith (Rom. 12; 1 Cor. 1:2; Gal. 5; Heb. 10: 26-39; 12:14; 2 Pet. 1: 5-11).

The love that Christ has for us is demonstrated by His ultimate sacrifice. What have you done with this truth?

What does it take to be a faithful and fruitful Christian?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 02:23:00 +0000

A growing faith! One that is fed and focused on our response to Christ that motivates the Fruit of the Spirit and moral and virtuous thinking and action because of God’s love to us and our gratitude and love back to Him. This is God's love and work in us that flows in through His Holy Spirit and out of us to others around us—all because we have a personal relationship with Christ. We have God's living presence in us, living in us (Matt. 6:10; Rom. 5:1-5; 12:1-21; 1 Cor. 12:1-14:40; Gal. 5:16-26; Eph. 4:1-6:20; 2 Peter 1:3-9).

This is a call to be obedient, to multiply the seed given to us. We are to make disciples of His Word. We are to point to Christ, never to ourselves! We need disciples of Christ, not of people like ourselves! This is a standard call of God to do something productive and effectual with our life and faith. To have a great gift like salvation, and do nothing with it is a great insult to the gift giver, God, and a proof of ingratitude and nonuse, which would prove that one is either not saved or highly disobedient and foolish (Isa. 27:6; Hos. 14:4-8).

What does it take to be a faithful and fruitful Christian, to be attached to Christ as His love and work flows in and through us? If we claim to know Christ as Lord and hang in His Church, we must yearn to imitate Him and follow His precepts, especially when we lead others! This happens when we show the faith to permanently leave our sinful lives, and with overwhelming gratitude, follow Jesus. We must first follow before we can lead. We are never to be unfaithful, prideful, manipulative, or abusive to the people God gives us to care for, for such an act is wicked and we will be held to a strict accounting (Jer. 23:1-2; 31:34; Ezek. 34:11-31; Mic. 5:4; 6:8; Hos. 6:6; John 15 and16; 17:21-23).

Faithfulness comes when we are in a state of right being; this can only come about from a right, growing relationship with God, which, in turn, only comes by accepting what Christ has done for us and applying it to our lives by faith. This helps us create an atmosphere of happiness, contentment, cooperation, and the closest we can get to living in real unity. Yet, it can only be grasped if/when we surrender our pride and sin and really live by what Christ has called us to. In my many years of helping people in their hurt or in recovery to transformation and effective ministry, we have all had to rely on the Vine. People only change when they realize that the pain and challenge of the change is less than the pain and work of staying where they are. Then the sap will flow ever so more!

Our greatest purpose is to build relationships with Him and with others; when we ignore this, we fail in the most important aspects in life, including our relationship in Him!

Authentic salvation is verified by obedience and fruit bearing, the mark of a disciple in this passage. Without trust and obedience, we prove ourselves unworthy to be His and we prove ourselves not to be a Christian. Grace is free for us, beyond the concept of cost for God, and is evidenced by our response (Matt. 7:20; Luke 6:43-45; Heb. 6:9).

What does it take to be in Christ and flourish for His glory and our betterment? What gets in the way? How can you be better enabled to thrive and give Him Glory? What do you need? What will you do?

What do you need to thrive in Christ and not be infected by the weeds or thorns of faulty desires and the ways of the world that will only hurt you and others?

What is defiling you? What do you need to do to accept God’s pruning and work in you? What ill thoughts and ways do you have about yourself that need to be tossed out?

What does it mean to be a Slave for Christ?

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 20:41:00 +0000

Are you devoted to Christ or a slave to your misguided will and to the manipulation of others?

Hold on, put the stones down and let’s look at this objectively….It comes to a key word and a premise we will see thought Scripture and validated by key scholars and key Bible figures. This premise, a growing and mature Christian will have to realize that we belong exclusively to Christ! The word is “doulos” and it means we are more bonded too and obligated to Christ then our church vernacular and culture and popular preaching is saying! That we realize that Jesus Christ is more than a mere dada or best friend…he not our copilot or spiritual guide…He is not a past religious figure hanging n a cross or around our neck…He is more and we are more in Him……..He is not merely regulated to a catechism or a creed not matter how important it is to us….He…Jesus Christ… has purchased us out of sin and doom into His love, care and grace! He took us from sin and has given us a great reason for being for His glory!

We are a slave to Christ!

And I will explain to you that this is good! Look at it this way….at some point in our spiritual development we have to understand beyond simple belief in the magnitude of Who and What Jesus is, and then who we are in Christ. Our simple act of saving faith must grow to a point we can truly trust and say, I am solely and soul; totally belong to Christ as His pupil and His property! Jesus Christ is LORD, He is my LORD and my Master, my Savior, my KING and there is no better place for me to be! So. Is this is so, yes we are a doulos!

The concept of being a slave for Jesus will be hard for many to grasp, it was for me at first….

Of course, slavery has some negative conations, perhaps the biggest blight on humanity sowing our darkest sin. The history of slavery and slave traders and its abuses and traffic is heinous, not such a great testimony for Europe and early America. Did you know why I am a bit darker than most Dutch boys? Even though I can’t dance or shoot a hoop, my great grandfather was born a slave, and I knew him as a child and the stories he told. This is why you may see my at Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles and lovin it there! So when slavery is mentioned what comes to my mind is my family heritage and my grandfathers stories. What may come to others is that we may put up our defensive mechanisms and either do not understand or seek to counter the precepts of the key word that Scripture gives and insert our own idea, thinking we know better.

But keep in mind this is sandwiched between His other charters for us as His “dear children,” His “Sheep” and loved ones who he went to the cross for. So take hope that this aspect of our relationship to in and with Christ is necessary and effectual for us, it glories Him and gives us true freedom!

Being Christ’s slave is an act of mutual love

Keep in mind that submission is not the tyrannical concept most of us harbor in our minds. Rather, it is freedom! It is a form of the offering we are to God with our respect. It allows us to be free, and to have the best flowing in and out of us. It is a safe harbor of smooth waters keeping us protected from the storms of wrong actions and bad choices, what the other master, the Devil offers us. Slavery in Christ frees us from bad thinking that leads to bad choices which, in turn, leads to a life of misery and trouble!

A love servant in Deuteronomy 15 means, a devoted slave says to their master to pierce their earlobe with an “awl” against the doorframe of the house. i.e. a big ear piercing, to symbolize a very clear message that echoes what should be in our heart to our Saving LORD, "I love you, I need you, and I will not leave You." This is a declaration as a servant in your house, I will remain loyal and trust you will trust me thus, so I am not going to leave you for another master…

This act permanently bonded this slave to this house as in family and to this master. And this slave could never be released and go free again. Nor could the master ever sell them, so this act had mutual effects and consequences and responsibilities. Thus this slave became more than a servant, they became more of a family member who was permanently attached to this family…bondservant. These servant were like Joseph and Potiphar’s, trusted with more of their master's dealings than a normal slave or servant would have.

Thus as a slave for Christ we can use this as an expression of faith and a conviction to grow deeper in our spiritual formation. "I love you, Lord, and I will never leave or forsake You."

Servant means a slave, the fact that as a committed follower of Christ, I must attest that I belong completely and entirely to Christ. He purchased, restored, and renewed me and He empowers me. As a “doulos” I can now understand my relationship and position in Christ. I can realize I am dependent upon and grateful to Christ as LORD. He is my only true Truth and rule, for in the here and now and into all of eternity.

Be challenged and see more here:

http://www.churchleadership.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=69266&columnid=4542

The Crescendo of Love

noreply@blogger.com (Richard) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:33:00 +0000

1 Corinthians 13 is about the crescendo of love’s primacy, perfection, and permanence. That love is supreme enough to solve this or any other church’s problems. The Corinthian problem was that love was lethargic, even lifeless so that pride, abuse, misapplying what God had given, and the sin of personal agendas and the escalations of hurt ran amuck, stagnating and even dissolving this once great church. All they needed was gratitude to our Lord; and then faith, hope, and love could flow from God through them to those around them. This would have filled in the wounds of hurt and reconciled the damages to relationships. The problem was not about who had what gifts and positions or whose ideas were best, but that love was absent and other things were distorting and distracting them from God’s plan and precepts so that the result was disorder. For the first century Greek, wisdom was found in mere knowledge; for a pious Jew, faith and hope were the essences of what true wealth from God meant. Paul’s point was that the more you know, the better you are in His sight, but better yet is that particle of godly knowledge. For knowledge alone could produce arrogance and the lack of desire to apply His truth. The more we learn about Christ, the better we can know Him so we can model, teach, and worship Him—as long as our pride does not get in the way. If we just remove the arrogance, then the indifference starts to disappear; hope appears, and faith, works, and love abound to replace those hurts and fears with the “greatest” of these (1 Cor. 14; 1 Thess. 5:19-20).

God’s love is amazing when we consider how we are and who He is! We do not deserve His love, yet we receive it anyway. We do not earn it or achieve it or merit it in any way whatsoever, yet it is there for our taking because of what Christ has done on our behalf. It is a fruit of faith and shows our authenticity, which allows us to serve. It lives in the present as it looks outward to others. Love comes from the self-sacrifice of our Lord, who paved the way for our relationships, especially to God; we must respond gratefully to our fellow believers (John 3:16; 6:37, 44, 65;13:1; 15:16; Rom. 5:1-8; 1 Cor. 13; Eph. 1:4-5; Phil. 1:6; Col. 1:1-8, 21-22; 2:10; James 2:14; 1 John 3:14; 4:9-11)!

Love is the greatest. God is not faith; God is not hope. Love is the greatest because God is love; it is His character and the aspect of His being! Love is also the greatest virtue, character, and fruit that points to our Lord’s grace and identifies us as His ambassadors; it shows how we as His children must be to one another. It is the foundation and structure upon which all that is good leans and is united upon. (John 13:34-35; Rom. 5:5; 2 Cor. 5:20; 1 John 4:8-19)

A love that is great means that we have a love from God that in turn must be our pattern and plan for all we are and do. If love is to be great in us, as it is by what Christ has given us, it must take us beyond our self-interests. If not, all that remained in us would be lust or envy and not real love! Then, as the passage starts off with, all we are would be just an annoying noise that had no reason or purpose. Love is the greatest because out of true love, God the Father gave us His Son, and the Son gave us His life as a replacement for ours. The Son sent the Spirit to us, and we should be literally overwhelmed and consumed with extreme joy and gratitude by what God has done for us. Then in turn, we can pass this love on to others.

Questions to Ponder

From this study series in love, what have you found that is missing and what do you and others need that you can emulate and impart?

Take a look at each of the aspects of Love in this 1 Corinthians 13 passage; now, replace the word "love" with "Jesus!" For example…Jesus is patient, Jesus is kind…; what does this do for you? How does this give you a glimpse into His character? How does this motivate you to be His vibrant display?

See more here:

http://www.intothyword.org/articles_view.asp?columnid=3803&articleid=68984