Have You Been Changed ?

Philippians 3:21"Who shall change our vile body,that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body,according to the workings whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself ".

We use the word changed or converted quite alot in religious circles,but what does it truly mean to be changed.Is going to church,singing in the choir, or preaching in the pulpit evidence of change. And if we are in fact converted or changed what is it we are changed from, or more important what are we change into.The scriptue says Jesus will change our vile body, that it might be fashioned like his glorious body. Well biblical change is represented as a miraculous life transforming process,a process which is totally impossible without the direct,active intervention and participation of God. In fact he must initiate the conversion process. No man can come to Jesus unless the spirit of God draws them.

He first opens the mind of those he is calling, or inviting to change so they can begin to understand the scriptures with a clarity and depth they could never attain on their own.This wonderful miracle of transformation usually begins when those God is calling hear the truth of God 's word accuratelly from one of his true servants( faith come by hearing, but how can they hear without a preacher,and how can he preach unless he be sent). Our creator begins to open their minds at that time to comprehend the true gospel of Jesus Christ, the power of God to salvation.God's words now begin to make sense,just as a picture emerges when a puzzle is put together.Now the once lost soul begins to grasp the truth of  the Holy scriptures and become part of the miracle of God's calling.

What follows depends on the choices they make when they hear or read God's truth. They can respond to God and ask for His help to implement what they learn,or they can turn their back on the truth which they have received.Even though God encourages us to choose life, He will not force this choice on any of us.But as we will soon see, the consequences of our choices are enormous. The process begins with God's calling it is then followed by the key steps of repentance,baptism,and the receiving of the Holy Spirit,and  finally climaxing with the return of Jesus Christ when those that are his will be resurrected to immortality and given eternal life.This is the ultimate transformation, being change from this vile mortal body, and fashioned into a glorious immortal being!  

Dressed to Be Blessed

Matthew 22:12 "And he saith unto him,friend,how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment"?

The Marriage of the lamb; Jesus gave a parable regarding a wedding feast in which those that were invited were not worthy."So those servants went out into the highways,and gathered together as many as they found,both good and bad:and the wedding was furnished with guest.And when the king came in to see the guest, he saw a man which had not on a wedding garment:The King had the man bound and cast into outer darkness" every married person and every wedding guest knows the extensive preparation that goes into a wedding.No bride waits until her wedding day to decide what to wear. The marriage of our lamb is approaching, have you made preparations to have on your wedding garment?

When once the master of the house has raised up,and hath shut the door, and you are standing outside knocking at the door saying, Lord,Lord open unto me;and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not,who are you . The bible says "Be ye Therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not".Saints we are to hurry up and wait,but while we wait we must remain faithful to our groom, being faithful in his absence.We must live a virtuous life worthy to be called the bride of our savior.We are to live holy and upright lives, that we might be clothe in the righteousness of our Savior.

Believers can neither be complacent nor inactive as we wait for his return, our waiting must include the telling of others about the good news of the gospel.We are to live in a way that when Jesus comes, we can face Him confidently, knowing that our lives have brought honor and credit to Jesus and the Gospel message.The only clothing we need, our wedding gown will be the righteous acts we have done in the name of Jesus,acts that reflect the character of Jesus. His righteousness bestowed on us will be the wedding garments worn at this wedding.Will you be dressed?

A Son Shiny Life

Matthew 17:1-2"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter,James,and John his brother,and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,And was transfigured before them:and his face did shine as the sun,and his rainment was white as light".

As we embark on a New life let us allow the Son of God to shine in our Lives.Let us be a accurate reflection of God and His love to all in darkness,by allowing His light to shine so bright on the inside that a dying world can see on the outside that Jesus is the Christ ,the Son of the living God.While we dress up and look like christian, go to church and be around christians,taking part in religious activities to act like christians, let us be sure the Son can be seen in our life. Let us walk so the world will look at us and see the Son of God shinning in our life.Don't let overcast and weather conditions, determine His visability in your live.

See we can block out the Son with the overcast of  un Christ like behavior surrendering to the cares of this world. We can over shadow him with self, not sharing him with those that are in great need of him. He can feel left out as we sometimes choose not to wait upon him.He is sometimes invisible in our life due to a lack of knowledge as to who he truly is.See we sometimes forget that he is a way out of no way, that he has all power in heaven and in earth. He said "Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven".So how can we let the Son shine in?

Walk with him in faith, hold to him in hope and share him with others in Love.Jesus separated himself from the world,and with his inner circle,went upon a moutain top where he begin to shine,as who he truly was,was revealed to them. Let us allow Jesus to take us and our inner circle,Faith ,Hope,and Love,above the cares of this world,that he might reveal himself in our lives, and watch him shine.Let us live a bright Son shiny Life.

Be Ye Holy!

1 Thessalonians 4:7 "For God hath not called us unto uncleanness,but unto holiness".

"You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?"This quote has become a common catch phrase among believer.Anyone can grow up in church or hang around church people and pick up church language."I'm too blessed to be stressed"."I'm saved,santified,and filled with the holy ghost". Does the public and private life of a believer reflect his or her church jargon, or are these just catchy phrases used to cover up ones short commings?

God is calling us,God speaks to us in various ways, and he is calling us to stand up in the holiness of his darling son he sent to die that we might live. Perhaps we've heard the still,small voice of his spirit directing our spirit.Or maybe our conscience has screamed at us when we've headed toward something we know isn't pleasing to God.Maybe some instruction in God's word has hit us squarely between the eyes when we've needed it most.And then there are the timely conversations with the other Christians that brings us a needed word of encouragement,direction,or warning. Yes God is speaking to us,calling us to holiness.But are we listening? Sometimes we're so busy with us, we don't really stop long enough to acknowledge or absorb what He's saying to us. At other times we may not want to hear what He's saying because it dosn't suit us. Or we may just not take the time when we have it, because we're "not in the mood" to spend time with God.(let us be honest with ourselves)

Hopefully, though this isn't the norm for us.As Christians, we should long to hear from God and approach Him with a heart that is eager to listen and please him.But it can be a battle to fight against our own will, as well as the will of the world's demands pressing in on our time and attention.That why it is so important to have some quiet time set aside everyday (maybe 2 or 3 times a day) just to spend time with God. Time set aside to listen to his instructions. The time of day we do this is not as important as having the readiness of heart and mind to not only receive what God is telling us, but also to obey what he tells us. God is calling us to holiness, the word says "be ye Holy as I am Holy", but we'll need to be listening in order to hear His call.

Jesus said that those who follow Him should live in such a way, so that others would see their good works and glorify God in Heaven.So our holiness is more than just a matter of personal spiritual growth; it's a matter of honoring God and proclaiming Him to the world.To most of the world we are the only way they will see God. Are you an accurate reflection of our Saviors? Does your actions, attititude, and way of life ,show Christ like characteristics? Will you answer God's call to Holiness?

Testimony Of The Overcomer

1John 5:5 "Who is he that overcometh the world,but he that believeth that Jesus is the son of God?"

In the world,"those who achieve are those who receive." In the Christian faith, the phrase is "those who believe are those who receive."Those who try to pull themselves up to God by their own bootstraps find that they have no boots. We are born into the Kingdom by faith.Not only that,faith is also the means of growing and overcoming. When we come to our heavenly Father,all he asks is that we take him at his word.God has ordained that all of us enjoy spiritual realities through faith,simply believing and trusting in God.Those who truly believe that Jesus is the promised delieverer,will experience a spiritual rebirth,for you must be born again.Also, those who truly believe that Jesus is God's Son are those who conquer the magnetic pull of the world.

We are witness for the Son.John calls for the witness of heaven and earth to verify the reality of Jesus' mission of redemption.Using the accepted principle that two or three witnesses are needed to establish truth,he proceeds to support his case.Our power comes from our faith in God's only begotten Son,Jesus Christ.Imagine an irrigation pipe leading from a spring to a barren field.On it's own the pipe can do nothing to bring life to the field,It needs to tap the source of life which is the spring.Once it taps into the spring, then the pipe can become a powerful tool for feeding the land and bringing new life.Christians are like that irrigation pipe.Our faith opens the door of God's power to work through us to channel His saving power to the world, like the pure spring water nurishing a desert.There is one important difference,however.In time the pipe will rust through and become useless.Faithful Christians,on the other hand,can grow stronger in their ability to withstand corruption and can remain strong through faith in Christ.

 We need the power of our faith in Christ, working daily in our lives so we can defeat sinful influences and overcome the decifulness of this world.If we place our confidence in anything other than Christ to overcome sin,we will be disappointed, for only He has defeated sin and offers the power we need to gain freedom from sin and escape the threat of sinful influences.It is in Him and through Him that we shall overcome.



From My Knees

Ephesians 3:14,16 "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, That he would grant you according to the riches of His glory,to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.

This is the great prayer of Paul for the church and the believer.It is probably the second most important prayer in the Bible.Because of it's importance, it should be prayed by believers daily.

This prayer  was not a prayer of begging for worldly gifts.It wasn't a prayer of tattling, it was a prayer to uplift,strengthen,save,enlighten and to aid in the growth of the church.The prayer first requested strength and power for the inner man, the spirit man,the new man from the new birth,requesting God's presence and power in our lives.The prayer requested for Christ to dwell in the hearts of man by faith.That means to have rule and reign in our hearts.Dwell means a permanent living arrangement.So the prayer is asking that Christ ,takes up permanent residence,settles in,and lives in the hearts of all believers.It is the presence of Christ that motivates us to follow Christ.He then prays that we be rooted and grounded in love the same love God has for us.He prays that we have understanding of all spiritual things.That we might fully grasp God's perfect plan of salvation, and the part we the church must play in that plan.Understanding God's perfect will for our life ,not the will we have chosen,but that which he has chosen for us. He prays that we know the love of Jesus which surpasses all understanding and knowledge.It is utterly impossible for man to grasp and experience the love of Christ, to know it in it's full measure,but we should pray and ask God to help us learn more about it everyday.

Prayer should be to lift up the name of Jesus;to stand in the gap for the lost and unsaved, while strengthening and uplifting the believer,while asking for strength to continue in the work we have been called to do.Jesus said "take no thought" for what we should wear, eat etc. He said our Father knows we have need of these things,so let us pray for the strengthening of the Church and other believers that God might get the glory throughout all ages. 

Each One, Teach One

Genesis 45:7"And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth,and to save your lives by a great delieverance."

We were all called out of darkness into God's marvelous light.All of us were at one time a prisoner, caught up in the of the wiles of the enemy.We were all sold into the bondage of sin, by the lust of the flesh,lust of eye and pride of life.But thanks be to God that he blessed us with salvation through the death of His son Jesus Christ, that we might lead others to the light of His salvation.

In our story today Joseph was made head of all Egypt.A journey that started when his brothers out of envy,sold him into slavery,and ended with him being a father to Pharaoh,lord of his house and ruler throughout all the land of Egypt(vs.8).But God didn't do all of this for Joseph, for him to  be a big shot,no God blessed Joseph that he might be a blessing to others.That he might use his position for the glory of God.God didn't reveal Himself to us so that we can sit high and look low,He didn't deliever us that we might wear important titles,sit in the high seats of self-righteousness.No God saved us that we might reach back and teach someone else. God revealed the dangers that lied ahead to us that we might tell others that are lost in darkness that there is a famine coming, and only those who are here in the care of the Lord shall be saved.God blessed us to bless others.

God gave us His only begotten Son that we might have a right to everlasting life.We owe it to God to share the good news of salvation to every creature,to let our lights so shine that man will glorify God and lost soul might be saved.Let each one, reach one, and teach one.

The Spirit And The Bride Say Come

Matthew 11:28 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest"

Here we have an inventation from the Lord, all things are ready.It is the great gospel cry,let him who hath ear hear,let whosoever will, come; for today is the day of salvation harden not your hearts.All things ready, all things prepared, all things removed which would hinder our comming and accepting this invite.Jesus has made himself known to us, he's giving us the opportunity to learn of him. It is finished, the foundation laid, the great invitation now offered, but we must accept it.It's offered to all who realize the burden of sin,those who are convienced of the evil of sin,those tired of being in and of the world,there is a promised rest,and all are invited.

First we must come to this rest, for it is in the best interest for sinners to come to Jesus.We must disassociate ourselves with all that stands between us and the promised rest of the Lord.We must give ourselves up to his conduct, submit to his rule and come to him freely,willingly and on his terms.It's his rest offered to all, but only given to those who truly desire his salvation.Let us come to him and take on his yoke,laying down our yoke of sin,for his yoke is easy.Take his yoke,for his yoke will free us from the bondage of sin and death. Take on his yoke of a servant, so that we might be diligent in our service to God.His yoke of submission, that we will humbly and patiently wait on our change to come.His yoke of obedience,that we might walk in his commands and his statues; yoked together with his love,that we have love one for another.Take on his yoke and learn of him,his yoke, that is lined with love and carries the hope of heaven.

And he will give us rest,enter his promised rest.The rest that comes from Jesus, the rest that is with Jesus, the rest that is in Jesus, in fact the rest is Jesus. He gives it to every soul that comes to him in faith seeking this rest.Come rest from the terror of sin, the power of sin,and the guilt of sin.Jesus Christ our rest in the Lord, we're all invited in , will you accept the invite?

Come see a man

John 4:29" Come,see a man,which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ".

Here Jesus' interview with the Samaritian woman establishes,for all the readers of John's Gospel, that salvation is for everyone,regardless of social, or racial,position.If we want to be an effictive witness for the Lord, we must be willing to cross all barriers.The wall of separation has been destroyed,God is now accessable to all through Jesus Christ.Let us invite all to "come see a man".

In this scene at Jacob's well,the metaphor of water that satisfied the woman's physical thirst represents the need for spiritual nourishment that can satisfy the thirsty soul.Jesus initiated the conversation by asking for a drink.He then offered her "living water" that would meet her eternal needs.We must realize that Jesus is that one thing that meets our most basic need.Jesus did not rush His discussion with the woman.He began where she was,drawing water.We too should share at the other person's pace,meet them where they are in Christ.We all have a story to share, if Jesus has changed our life.When Jesus told the woman that He was the Messiah, the woman went immediately to share her experience with those in her town.She invited all to "come see a man", she challenged them to answer for themselves:  "could this be the Christ?" 

What will you do with Jesus? God has given him to us all,now will you invite all to come and see? When a Christian shares his or her story,they never know how far the gospel will reach,and they never know how much one changed life can change the world.Remember Jesus started with twelve,look how far their testimony have come.Let us tell all that we see "come see a man".

Do You Believe?

John 6:69 "And we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ, the son of the living God"
  
Who hath believed our report?And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Do you believe? I mean really believe? Will you go on with Jesus no matter the road, no matter the trials and tribulations that lie ahead, or will you go back to that you have grown a custom to, and walk no more with Him.

Here in this chapter of John we have what can be called the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus reveals who he is,why he came and our work in this great plan of salvation.Since the fall of man ,it has always be about reconciling man back with God, Noah's Ark, Joseph in Egypt, Moses leading Israel out from Egypt,even Samson's battle all about the salvation of lost man.Here in our story today we have a great multitude following Jesus,many followed seeking the miracles he preformed and the food which they ate. There are many today seeking Jesus for what they can get out of him,seeking Him like He is a genie in a bottle,and not for the salvation which He offers.Jesus reveals to us our work in his plan, he took the loaves blessed them, then broke them, and gave to the disciples, who then distributed it among the people.We are to take this precious bread of Heaven and share it with a lost and hungry world.Jesus then instructed them to gather up the fragments that none be lost. See Jesus came that none be lost,he has given us the blessed word of God for us to take out and share with a dying world, that none be lost.We are then to take up the fragments of broken lives, and lead them to Jesus. 

All who truly believe that Jesus is the Christ, was saved by the word of God.Jesus ,God's word made flesh is the only way lost man can be saved.We who know this to be true, must take that which God so willingly shared with us ,and cheerfully give to all that we see.If you believe that He can save,why not share Him with one who needs saving,Do you believe?

A Prayer for Unity

John 17:21-"That they all be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us; That the world may believe that thou hast sent me:

Here we have Jesus revealed as the great intercessor. Here he is praying that we all be united. The standard of this unity is the oneness,the same oneness as between Jesus and the Father.We as believers must come together as one.This is an absolute for the spreading of the Gospel,there is a world that has not been reached; millions are walking in darkness, because we believers have not unified enough to penatrate the world with the truth of the Gospel.The problem is not God,He is the same esterday,today, and forever,it is his will that none should parish,but we the believers stand divided.

See there are three essentials for men to become believers; First there is the messenger, the person who proclaims the word so that man can believe.Then there must be a message which to proclaim,and since we are Gods messengers,the message we take into the world must be the testimony of God's revelation  to mankind.And finally, there has to be belief, one messenger, proclaiming one message,which will bring about  one belief,that Jesus Christ is Lord.A unified body with a unified message, to bring about one belief,to believe on th eonly begotten Son of God.We who confess Jesus Christ as Lord must lay aside our petty difference,and lift up the one thing that we all have in common,to lift up the one thing that matters.Let us put aside our personal agenda's,dividing denominations, religious differences and proclaim Christ and Him crucified.We the many members of this one glorious body comming together proclaim a single message. Come together as one as Christ and the Father are one, one mind ,one heart, one purpose, of one characters and of one love.One body proclaiming Gods only message to a dying world, Christ and him crucified.A body of one,unified that world may know that God sent Jesus into the world, and that through him the world might be saved.

The world  needs a unified love more than anything else,it needs to see a great demonstration of love from a massive multitude of people.Think of the power if all believers came together in a united love sharing the good news of the gospel.The world needs the  unified love of God, a love that is patient, that is kind, that bears all things,endures all things,and that believes all things.So let us who confess the name of Jesus become one with Jesus one with his Love and message,and walk worthy of the name by which we are called, that all in darkness might come into his marvelous light.

Surpasses All Understanding

Ephesians 2:14 "For he is our peace,and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;"

It is through Christ that we can enjoy God.Christ brings us near to God.We were estranged from God, we had rejected and rebelled from God.This left us in a world of darkness and confusion.Lost and  separated from God, but the love God had for man, God was willing to forgive man, but there was a problem, the judgment and death had already been pronounced;"for the soul that sinneth shall surly die",and the Lord word could not be revoked.What could God do?

God loved man so much he took His only begotten Son to stand in the gap for man.Jesus Christ brought to this world, peace on earth and good will to all man.Christ brings peace when we realize that he died for us ,and gives us daily power to overcome all that this evil world throws at us.Christ is our peace because He does 4 things for man.He brings  men together as one.We all approach God by one way, which  through Jesus Christ.All who come to Christ for salvation recieve a common love and purpose and must come to Him the same way.Christ breaks down all barriers that once hindered our ability to enter the peace of God.He wipes out the enemy and all he stands for, that we might be the righteousness of God. All that we every will need,God gave us when he gave us Jesus,peace which surpasses all understanding.

Christ brings peace as he gives us a new life, as through Him we are a new creation.When we turn to Christ we are born again,born of the love of God and the peace of His rest.We have ceased to live and the life we live in the flesh ,we live by faith in Jesus Christ,thus having the peace of God lead ,guide and direct our new life in Christ.

Does Your Life Deny Or Bear Witness?

John 18:17 "Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter,art not thou also one of this man's disciples?He saith, I am not.

Here we have a cowardly denial,of both the world and Peter.Peter was innocently questioned by the door keeper.Peter denied any association with Jesus.Peter made an attempt to be known as one of the crowd.He joined the crowd,standing around with the many joining in their activites and conversation.

Too many today deny being associated with Christ.People see us in church or associating with other believers,and when we are asked,we deny any association to Christ.We deny him in the way we live our lives,our love for one another, in our ability and willingness to forgive one another,and give to one another.We deny him on our jobs,at school and in social functions.At the time when a witness is needed many deny Christ in an effort to fit in or be accepted by the crowd.We deny Him by not learning His doctrine,and by not proclaiming His teachings,we may not verbally deny Him as Peter did, but we deny Him in our actions. The worlds religion allows man to be as he is, do what he wishes and still feel acceptable to God. Just think for a moment! How few religions,how few churches,how few preachers and teachers proclaim the true dotrine of Jesus Christ.So few are willing to sacrifice their lives for the world and all they are and have in order to reach a lost,starving and diseased world,and thus we deny Him.

When we deny Christ we deny the lost in this world the chance afforded us, to know Christ and have a chance at salvation.How can we truly say we love one another yet deny each other Christ.How can we say that we love the Lord with all our heart ,soul and life,and yet let His blood be trampled under foot,for when a witness is needed,when we need to stand up and speak for Christ,we tend hide in the crowd and deny Him. Does the life you live deny the Savior of the world, or bear witness that He lives?

Come Back!

Psalms 116:7 "Return unto thy rest,O my soul;for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee".

In these troubled times we can get pulled away from the rest and peace of the Lord by the trials and percieved troubles of this world.We without even being aware of it ,at times begin to focus on that which we don't have and we don't thank and praise God for that which we do have.Through it all we must remember that God has been good to us.

We must remember that when we were lost in darkness on our way to hell, He sent His only begotten Son to die on a cross to save our souls.Everything we need God gave us when he gave us Jesus.In Jesus we have salvation, in Jesus He has supplied our every need, in Jesus He our battles are won,in Jesus   our enemies behave, in Jesus we have rest and peace for our souls.So let us return to the Lord,he said in His word "take no thought", we already have the victory, our needs have already been met,but we must walk in the faith that we have all that we need.Jesus does have all power,and we must live in the faith that we are victorious, and believe that no weapon formed against us shall prosper,that all things does work together for good to them who love the Lord,and return for the Lord has been good to us.

As I look over my own life,even in these hard times,I see that God has supplied my every need.When the world said I was unfit to live,God felt I was to precious to die.Today if we look back over our life we would see that God has been good to us.Even with all we don't have, He has blessed us with more than we deserve.Come back to God He has been good to you.

Fooling Ones Self!

Mark 7:6b "This people honoureth me with their lips,but their heart is far from me.

We have all confessed to be children of the most high God.We talk a great game.We praise Him with our mouth, we say all the right things when approached by those who are lost,and we are quick to give Him a hand praise,but do we give Him a heart praise?Is our worship of Him true or are we fooling ourselves.

Here Jesus tells us that with our mouth we do praise Him , yet our hearts are far from Him.See we talk one way while our walk leads us in a different direction.We say the right things but we often fall short when we are called to do the right thing.The word say, we must worship God in spirit and in truth, yet we fool ourselves into thinking we are worshipping God, when we are in fact in a carnal state of mind. It seems the things closest to our hearts, are the material things of this world.We have begun to love things more than we do people,spending more time and energy caring and planning for the things of the carnal man than they do preparing for the spiritual man.We might feed the carnal man 3 or 4 times a day while the spirit man is lucky to eat once a week, and then we want to feed him junk food, sweets, stuff that taste good but is not really good for us.Some of us are on a spiritual diet,seeking a low calorie gospel,scared we might become spiritually over weight. Some of us are physical giants,carring around spiritual midgets inside.

We say God is the head of our life ,yet He gets the tail end of our service, the last part of our day and the end of our week end.The spirit man is not concerned about carnal things, no the spirit man is moved by the love shared one to another.Let us surrender our hearts to Christ,spend more time with the spirit man that we might be a better, more effective witness to a dying world.

Alright Already!

Deut. 1:21--"Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee;Go up and possess it, as the Lord God of the fathers hath said unto thee, fear not, neither be discouraged".

The mission was complete, the twelve men had returned from their undercover surveillance of enemy territory. They now stood before their fellow country men. The report came in ; the land is good! But ten said it's impossible to possess, the people are too strong, its cities to well defended, and it's a land which eateth up the inhabitants. The people were swayed, they abandoned their invasion plans, and elected to return to the enslavement from which they had been delivered.

 We have been assured victory.Jesus Christ said from the cross it is finished.All has been done for us to over come the trials and temptations of the enemy.There are many distraction and dicouragements that will come upon us, but the text says," The Lord thy God hath set the land before us." God has put it there for our taking,He says"Go up and possess it".We must trust the word of God and not the lies of the enemy.The word of God says "I can do ALL things through Christ who Strenghtens me",  who are we going to believe ?, The report of the world, or the word of God?We walk by faith in the promises of God's word,not by the sight of the lies the world shows us. The challengers might be strong but my God is stronger, the problems might seem big but our God is Bigger.We are at the door step of our promised breakthrough, let us walk on by faith into the promised rest in the promised land that God has prepared for those who trust and believe him.We walk by faith not by sight, so know that it is alright ,already.

To Gain The Whole World.....

Judges 9:9 "But the olive tree said unto them,Should I leave my fatness,wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?"

This story teaches us that temptations will come to us all,however sweet, or useful, or fruitful,even as they came to the fig,the olive, and the vine.These temptations may take the shape of friendly honors; if not a crown,yet some form of preferment or power may be the bribe.The trees were under God's government and wanted no king;but in this story they "went forth",and so quitted their true place.Then they sought to be like men,forgetting that God had not made them to be conformed to a fallen race.Revolting themselves, they strove to win over those better trees which had remained faithful.No wonder they chose the olive,so rich and honored; for it would give their kingdom respectability to have such a king;but the olive wisely declined,and gave its reason.

The question to be asked,"should I".Many to obtain a higher wage, have left holy companionships,and sacred opportunities for hearing the word and growing in grace.Many have lost their sabbaths, quitted a soul-feeding ministry,and fallen among worldlings,to their own sorrowful loss.Such persons are foolish as the poor Indians who gave up gold for beads.To gain riches at the cost of your soul is always a curse. To increase your business so that you cannot attend weekly night services,is to become really poorer.To give up heavenly pleasure,and receive earthly cares in exchange is a sorry trade.Don't get so caught up, that you think the calling and vocation to which God has called you to is a small insignificant calling.God's will is the best calling you can have,to be faithful to it is better than any treasure the world could offer. God often places great blessing in little things,after all it just take the faith the size of a mustard seed to open all the riches of heaven.

In our story a set of trees wanted a king and they went to the olive tree seeking a king,but the olive tree was content with the position which God have given it,to be honored and serve both God and man so the olive tree turned down the request and instead chose to be content with God.We too are in a position to serve both God and man ,let us be content with God and wait on him to give the increase,for what profit a man to gain the whole world..............

One Head - One Body

Colossians 1:18 "And he is the head of the body,the church:who is the beginning,the firstborn from the dead;that in all things he might have the preeminence".

In this day of the self named,self famed,and the self proclaimed we have a great picture of Christ and of the church.It is a clear picture of the relationship between Christ and the church.Jesus Christ is the head of the church, the only head of the one and only church.The Pastor, Bishop, Apostle,Overseeer or what ever name we choose to be called by this week, does not have a church.They might have a following, but not the church, they could have a congregation of people ,but they are not the head of the Church.

Jesus Christ is the head of the church.The church is his body, made up of  born again ,blood washed, baptized believer.It is through Christ that the church has life and through the body that a lost world comes to know Christ.A body cannot live apart from the head.They both are needed to do what it is we were save to do.It is through the church that Christ chooses to makes Himself known to a lost world. The church is totally dependent upon the head,Jesus Christ.The body finds it's purpose, meaning, and significance in the Head who is Jesus Christ.So the body must learn of the head to understand it's will plans, guidance, motivation and direction for the body. The head is to rule over the body,the body is not to act apart from the head.When ever a body part acts separate from the instructions of the head, it generally means there is a sickness or deformity within the body.But Jesus held the cripple hand, the lame leg, the blind eyes, deaf ears and the dumb lips, so his body is perfect and he is returning for a perfect church.

The church body is to let Christ control it.The church is to walk a disciplined,controlled life just like Christ says.When Christ does not control the church body, it is because there is some malfunction, some problem within the body.When the church lives like Christ dictates,then the church body lives a life free of disease and injury.Let us put aside our different denominations, and unite as one body under the headship of the great head of the church that we might lead a lost world to the salvation of the Lord.

Make Jesus Your Choice!

Joshua 24:24"And the people said unto Joshua, The Lord God will we serve, and his voice will we obey."

Joshua didn't sigh in relief when the Israelites responded to his challenge to serve the Lord and him only.Instead, he questioned them to say,"Do you really mean what you say?"He wanted them to make a conscious decision for God,and he even presented the alternatives so they could make a clear choice, without conviction there is no real conversion or committment, worldly distractions will draw us away from God.He then presented to them the consequences of failing to follow through on their commitment.

This was wise on Joshua's part. Sometimes people are made to feel that choosing God is simple and easy.They choose to serve Him,but then want to serve Him their way,under their terms and at their convience.They sometimes have doubts, and wonder if they made the right decision, when trials and tribulations began to come their way.Some even choose to follow God,but then don't think much about it, it is treated like it is no big deal.They allow their days just to flow without a focus on serving Him. Those who haven't chosen to serve God, need to hear Joshua's challenge."This day", right now is the time to choose to follow Him.See this is a serious lifetime commitment, that involves putting Him in charge of your life.Even if we have already chosen to serve God, we choose everyday whether we will honor that commitment in the things we do and say.It is through conviction that we will continue to be cleansed of the things in life that might distract us from our committment to serve God.God has lead us through life and with his shepherd's rod, he has pulled us out of ruts and fought off the enemy.

God still calls us to follow Him by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.Once we have made that commitment, we must still choose to keep our lives free of those things that can keep us from feeling the joy of his presence, or that divert our attention away from a single-minded devotion to him. Make Jesus your choice,he has choosen to make you His choice. 

You Can't Keep A Good Man Down!

Luke 24:5 " And as they were afraid,and bowed down their faces to the earth,they said unto them,why seek ye the living among the dead"?

The resurrection of Christ is the foundation to the integrity of Christianity,and of course the truth of God's word.For if Christ had not risen then our faith would be in vain.Yet many still don't believe that he lives.The soilders  guarding Jesus tomb said the disciples came by night and stole him away.But he was seen by many, and he rose in many.

 

When the women arrived at the tomb the angels asked,why seek the living among the dead.We serve a living God.Let us now show the world that He has risen,as we live a life before man worthy of the savior whom we serve.Let our lights so shine that all will know he is alive within us.Let us live with the power he rose with.Love with the power He gave us and overcome the hatred of this old world.Let us love with the love shared by God as He gave His only begotten Son who laid down His life so that a we might live.Becoming a living sacrifice,"for greater love has no man than this ,to lay down his life for a friend". Let us give cheerfully to others, all the blessings that he shared with us,as he withheld no good thing from us. Forgive others with the same mercy Jesus shared with us,forgiving inspite of ,for we know not what we do.Let us proclaim His resurrection by living a resurrected life,and show the world "you can't keep a good man down".

When we as soilders in Christ's army, live true Christ like lives, it is then that the world will know that he has risen, because they will witness his resurrection in the lives that we live.So let us walk worthy of the name we behold, and go out and proclaim to a dying world the good news,you can't keep a good man down!

He Died.......

John 19:30 "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar,he said "It is Finished: and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost".

The single most significant event in history is the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.We are saved by His death;because he died we can live.However there is a condition,we must believe.In Jesus death,justice received the wage paid by sin,for the soul that sinneth, shall surely die.Someone had to die and Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for an imperfect people.Because of our sin, He died...

Here we have Jesus on the cross,it was a cross that He bore,and He willingly went forth.Pilate delievered Him, the soilders led Him, but Jesus bore the cross and went forth.He was not a victim,He was a victor,for He was bearing the cross to save man.He was crucified between two sinners, two unjust thieves.He was surronded by a world of unjust men,yet we live because He died.He said it is finished,all that is needed for man to be reconciled back to God had now been completed.He had given sight to blind eyes,so man could see the love of God.He had cured the lunatic, that we might let thsi mind be in us that is in Christ Jesus.He put hearing in deaf ears that we could hear what thus said the Lord.He put speaking in dumb lips, that we could proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.He put standing in lame legs that we might walk in the righteousness of His spirit,and he raised the dead that we might have a new life in Christ.Hanging from the cross, He said it is finished.

Jesus died that all might have a right to the tree of life,but we must believe and recieve His death as our own that we might be raise up as a new creature in Christ.Let us walk in this new life that a lost world will come to know what we already know;He died............

The Best of Your Service

Romans 8:32 "He that spared not his own Son,but delievered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things".

Members of the early Church often referred to themselves as those who followed "the way".Paul refers to their way of life as "the way of the Lord" and "The way of God".In other words,the early Christians, directly taught by Christ apostles,were recongnized by their deeds and action.The way they lived, separated them from those of the world around them.It was called the way because they lived the way Christ lived.They followed his example,they obeyed His instructions.The way was then,and still is, a way of living and thinking that is different from that followed by those of this world.

When Christ came to earth He explained that this different way of thinking would through the power of the Holy Spirit, produce the fruit of righteous actions and deeds.He taught that God's way is the way of giving rather than the normal selfish human way of alway getting.The key to living a way of life different from the way of the world is to allow the Holy Spirit to work in us so we think like Jesus Christ. Through His spirit,God not only leads us in a different way of thinking,He helps us change the motivations that govern our actions.This focus on unselfishness rather than the self-serving approach produced by our natural way of thinking brings,in turn a dramatic change in the way we live and everything we do.God ask that we reorder our priorities,allowing his spirit to change our thinking, serving God by doing his will and seeking his kingdom.When we put God first ,he promises to provide ways for us to meet our needs.He will with hold no good thing from us.

Living a godly life is much more than merely calling on God's name as though that alone will excuse us for doing whatever we please.Living a godly life is doing what pleases God.It is practicing what he commands us, and living a way of life defined by his word.Jesus taught a way of life based on observing God's commandments from a heart of love that willingly makes personal sacrifices for the sake of others, focusing on giving rather than receiving.A true Christian cannot base his way of life, his new way of living on his own ideas about right and wrong.God's law and Christ example of perfect obedience to those laws, set the standards for the genuine Christian way of Life.Our new life is based on giving,a free gift given by God to all who will receive it."For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son",Giving is the way of God and the foundation of His love to mankind.Let us use this same foundation as we give to a lost world that which God gave to us, the best of your service.

Following or Follower?

John 6:66-67 "From that time many of His disciples went back,and walked no more with Him.Then said Jesus unto the twelve,Will you also go away?

" No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God." For which of you,intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it. Who hath believed our report?And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Do you truly believe? Have you truly counted up the cost? Will you go on with Jesus regardless of the suffering that comes alone with the journey.Will you continue on, when the road gets rough,when your friends turn there backs on you. Will you stay the course when you find that you might not get rich,or that you might have to let go of some of the material things in your life,or will you go back, and walk no more with him.

Here in this chapter of John we have what can be called the revelation of Jesus Christ. Jesus reveals who he is,why he came and our work in this great plan of salvation.Since the fall of man ,it has always be about reconciling man back with God, from  Noah's ark, to Joseph in egypt, Moses leading the children of Israel from Egypt and even Samson's battles, were all about the salvation of  mankind. Here in the story we have a great multitude following Jesus.But as we see, all following Jesus were not follwers of Jesus.Are you following him, or are you a follower of his.Many followed seeking the miracles he preformed and the food which they ate.We have many today seeking Jesus for material and worldly possessions and not for the salvation of their souls. Jesus reveals to us our work in this great plan, he took the loaves Blessed it then broke it and gave to the disciples, who then distributed it among the people, Jesus then instructed them to gather up the fragments that none be lost. See Jesus came that none be lost,he has given us the blessed word of God for us to take out and share with a dying world, that none be lost, we are then to take up the fragments of broken lives, and lead them to Jesus. Then Jesus reveals who he is, stating that all who don't eat of his flesh and drink of his blood shall not enter the kingdom

 Jesus must live on the inside of us, he is the living word by which we shall have everlating life. He is the abundant life promised us by Gods word. God never promised us big cars, fancy houses, large bank accounts, he never said the road would be easy , a narrow uphill road is never an easy road ,especially when so many are bumping into you on the downward road. But what he did promise is that he would never leave you nor forsake you, and life more abundantly.What can be more abundant tha a life lived in the arms of our Savior.

The Power Of The Blood

Zecharich 9:11-12 "As for thee also,by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth thy prisoner out of the pit wherein is no water.Turn you to the strong hold,ye prisoners of hope:even today do I declare that I will render double unto thee".

Here we behold a description of our Savior,we see his Kingdom,his character,his power to save,his lowliness,  and the weapons of his conquest.Because of Him and through Him there is mercy for the oppressed and troubled ones in Zion.This is a wonderful text for all those who are in the lowest possible state of mind.Those prisoners bound in servatude,freedom gone,trapped in the power of another, where escape seems impossible,the darkness intolerable and your fate seems unavoidable.You are comfortless feeling like you are dying of thirst,for there is no comfort in sin.The many oppressed souls helpless in the power of despair until the Lord comes and rescues them.

He has an all seeing eye, He alone has the power to set you free from the bondage you feel.He is the light the shines in the darkess hours of our lives,he saves us by the blood,the blood of the covenant made between Zion and her King.True redemption is in the blood.All the temporal, spiritual, and eternal deliverances which we enjoy, they swim to us through the blood of that covenant that is passed between the Father and the Son.By virtue of the same blood of the covenant,the shed blood of Christ, we are reconciled,justified and saved.We who were in the dungeons of life,trapped in the despair of darkness, thirsting for the freedoms which evade us, while being bound by the ones which inslaves us, were all set free by the blood of the Christ.

Look as all the choice mercies, the high favors, the noble blessings that we enjoy and lay claim to,they are all purchased by the blood of Christ.What ever desperate situations, or dangers,we the children of God may find ourselves falling into,we can hold on to the fact that we are prisoners of hope,and should look forward to delieverance,because it is all in the blood of the lamb.Jesus died on the cross and rose on the third day with all power that we might be made the righteousness of God,if we only believe.

Only Believe

Romans 10:16 "But they have not all obeyed the Gospel,For Esaias saith,Lord, who hath believed our report"?

Man is the same disobedient creature under all dispensations.We morn his rejection of the gospel,and so did Isaiah,who spoke in the name of the whole company of the prophets.It is one of the greatest proofs of the depravity of man's heart that he will no more obey the gospel than the law. Man disobeys his God, whether he speaks to him in love or in law.Men would sooner be lost than to trust in God.When any of us  receive the gospel,it is the work of grace:"the arm of the Lord is reveald."But when we refuse it,it is our own sin:"they have not obeyed the gospel."Many have not believed our report.

The gospel comes with the force of a command,it is not optional to us to accept or refuse the gospel at our pleasure.(Acts 17:30) tells us "God now commandeth all men every where to repent".He commands them to repent and believe the gospel(mark 1:15).To refuse to believe is to incur a great sin(john 16:8). There is a death penalty attached to disobedience.As the prodical son was right in returning to his father, so would it be right for each of us to return to our Father through our obedience to the gospel.The gospel calls us to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to renounce our self righteousness and confess our guilt. We must repent and be obedient to both teaching and to his example.This is how we show that we believe the report.There are way to many who say with their mouths they believe, but the life they live is one of doubt and disbelief.

The design of the gospel is to bring us into a union with the Son of God and to believe on him whom the father hath sent.Christ seeks to gather in souls for the Father,but through our disobedience we refuse to be gathered.To disobey the gospel is far worse than to break the law.For disobedience to the law,there is a remedy in the gospel,but for disobedience to the gospel no remedy can be found, for there is no more sacrifice for sin.Let us obey the gospel, this obedience is a grace of great value,and is a great force on the whole man;for when  the obedience is in the heart it works a conforming to the whole will of God.Be it life or death,one word from God will command the whole soul as soon as obedience has found admittance into the heart.