Follow The Good Shepherd

John 11:27 "My sheep hear my voice,and I know them,and they follow me:"

Yes Jesus loves me; He is the good shepherd who laid down his life for the sheep.But the fact that he is the good shepherd, means there are some bad shepherds out there.The world has shepherds ,who have no love for the sheep. They don't pray for them, they prey on them.They don't feed them, they feed off them, they are the bad shepherd.God has given us a shepherd to protect and lead us,who has inspired and strengthened countless Christians throughout the years, to continue their journey up the narrow road.In a world full of flashy signs, misleading many to travel down the broad road of material pleasures and innumerable pains, it is easy to forget that we have a shepherd who calls us to follow him to "High Places." Too many loud sounds and too many beckoning voices compete with His words that speak to both our hearts and minds.

What must we do?First, we must step back from our engagement with the world.Then we must fall on our knees and listen only to our Lord. Finally, we must follow His lead.We cannot do this once a year, occasionally,or every once in a while,and hope to find ourselves someday at those High Places with Him.The enemy is not going to stop because you decided to make Jesus your choice. Everyday we must deny ourself, take up our cross, and follow the good shepherd. It has to be more than just a daily routine.Our following Him must be a committment, a constant and integral part of our lives. Christianity is not a religion, it is a way of life, it's what we've become, not what we do.When we are born again,hearing His voice becomes the natural thing to do, and we will recognize His voice more easily each time He speaks to us.

Our shepherd loves us and want to take us to High Places, but He won't drag us there.And we can't get there just because we wish to be there.No matter what they thought,believed,or wanted, when the flood came, all outside the ark drowned.Are you on the outside of the Ark?We must listen to Him, and we must obey His directions,and follow Him, for He alone is "The Good Shepherd".

Called To Be Holy

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 to be holy as He is Holy.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.The timely conversations with the other Christians that brings us a needed word of encouragement,direction,or warning.God is speaking to us,calling us to holiness.But are we listening?Sometimes we're so busy with us,we don't 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 fit in with our agenda at the time.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 self as well as the pull of the world's demands pressing in on our time and attention.That why we must learn to set aside some quiet time everyday (maybe 2 or 3 times a day) just to spend with God in prayer and meditation.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 our Fathers characteristics? Will you answer God's call to Holiness?

Blessed To Bless Other

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.We have been blessed to bless others.

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 lead someone else to His light. 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 us recieve the Lord and be blessed,and share the Lord and bless others.

Jesus,Jesus,Jesus

1John 5:11" And this is the record,that God hath given to us eternal life,and this life is in his Son."

John declared that our faith in Christ is the victory that overcomes the sinful influences of the world. And then,as if to test his readers' comprehension of that statement,he asked,Who overcomes the world?  John immediately answered his own question:only the one who believes that Jesus is God's Son.

No other agent or formula defeats the sinful influences we face. Only Jesus faced them, and overcame them all.It is only when we acknowledge our own helplessness and place our confidence in the sufficiency of Christ's victory, that we have victory over sin.We may try other means,such as will power,accountability, support groups, human thought, or philosophy, rituals,or routines, disgust for the sin, or shame and guilt. We may even find that some of those things offer limited success in helping us curb certain behaviors or keep them in check temporarily.But it is only through faith in Christ, and a total surrender to Him, that we can be tuned in to his will,our mind can comprehend His thoughts, and our actions become joyful acts of worship.

If we are believing in and relying on anything but Christ's victory to overcome sin ,our efforts are doomed.It is good for us to examine ourselves periodically to be sure that our faith is not misplaced. What a relief it is to know that the hard part of overcomming sinful influences has been done for us by Jesus' life, death ,and resurrection.To remain in His victory,we need only to hold confidently to God's provisions for us in Christ.Faith in Christ includes an understanding of who he is and a reliance upon him for salvation and an overcoming lifestyle.Through this kind of faith believers experience victory over the sinful influences of this world.

What Happened

Revelation 2:5 "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen,and repent,and do the first works; or else I will Come unto thee quickly,and will remove thy candlestick out of his place,except thou repent."

Remember when you first came to Christ?Remember how you couldn't wait to tell others the good news.Remember how you were the first to service and the last to leave,always wanting and willing to help out where ever you could.Remember how diligently you studied for Sunday School and bible study ,looking forward to hearing and sharing with others in a urgent need to know more and to do more? Well what happened?

Many have fallen off because they refuse to let go of some ways,habits,people and things of the old man to fully grab hold of the Lord.Many refuse to destroy all of the old man not realizing that a little leaven, leavens the whole loaf.When God sent Isreal into a strange land,His instructions to them was to destroy everything,don't spare anything.See if we don't destroy everything in our life that causes us to rebell against God, that little bit will eventually cause us to leave our first love.We must come all the way out of sodom,not just to the plains which is too close to sodom,but get to the mountains which is closer to the Lord.Yes it is harder and more work to get to the mountains, but staying in the plains puts us to close to sin and makes our return to sin much eaiser.

Until we truly repent, meaning destroying that which is ungodly in our lives, we are unable to enjoy all that God has for us.He said to remember from where we have fallen.Let us go back to the day of our salvation when all that mattered was Christ and Him crucified.Let us do the first work of reaching the lost.Remember when saving souls was more important than the collection plate.When the work we did was more important than the title or positions we held.When being called a servant was more than enough.Remember when we were truly on fire for the Lord?Well what happened...

Thanks By Giving

Psalm 107:1 "Oh give thanks unto the Lord,for he is good:for His mercy endureth forever"

God is good,there are truly no words that can express just how good God is.He is so good that while we were yet sinner he commendeth His love toward us and He sent Christ to die for us.Jesus the died for the ungodly, Christ died to save sinners.

We must thank God for Jesus.Now I am not talking about lip service,but thank God for Jesus by giving,giving yourself to Him and for Him.Say thanks by giving yourself solely to the Lord and by living a life before men that will lead a lost soul to the salvation of the Lord.By living a life worthy of the name which we bear.Say thank you by being obedient to His word.Say thank you by having love for one another.Say thank you by esteeming others higher than yourself, by being a living sacrifice,by laying down your life that a lost soul might live.Thank Him for His mercy,for we deserved Hell,but His mercy offers us a chance to live in paradise.His mercy forgives us our sin,looks beyond our faults and shortcomings and provides our every need.

Man was destined for death, destruction and Hell when God took the best of Him and wrapped it in the worst of man, and sent Jesus His only begotten Son to suffer bleed and die that we might have a right to the tree of life.Jesus, God's mercy which endureth forever, offered to lost man that we might become the sons of God.Let us thank God for Jesus by surrendering to Him our hearts,that He will give us eternal life.

Is It Just Lip Service

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 is it just lip service?

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.He said "give me your heart and I'll give you eternal life".have you given Him your heart or is yours just lip service...

Because He First Loved Me

1Samuel 18:3 "Then Jonathan and David made a covenant,because he loved him as his own soul".

Jonathan and David made a covenant,because Jonathan loved him.The covenant was made, not so much because of their mutual love,but because Jonathan loved David.Jesus also made a covenant with us, not so much because of our love for him, but because of His love for us."For while we were yet sinners Christ died for us".While we were rebellious against Him ,he was loving toward us.He entered our nature to represnt us,and he pledged Himself to redeem us by becoming a sacrifice for us.He took us  into union with himself making us one with Him and members of His glorious body.

Christ and the believer that love Him, live as if they have but one soul between them. "Lovest thou me", "feed my sheep". Jesus the friend,asks three times and then appoints the duty: Peter out of sincere love answers three times, and renders the life long duty.Saints are to look upon themselves as wholly the Lord's possession in opposition to all other competitors.The Lord will not share us with rival"I am a jealous God".If we accept the salvation of the Lord ,all others must go.We belong to Him, giving up all authority to Him, as self has become a dethroned tyrant.Our soul becomes His soul and His spirit becomes our spirit.Our Soul until it comes into the covenant with the Lord, is in a restless state.It is like a bee going from flower to flower or a bird from bush to bush;but when it is married to Christ,it is settled with Him and it rest in perfect peace.

The covenant we have entered into is a offensive and defensive league.We are to have common friends and common enemies with the Lord.His people must be our people,and His enemies our enemies.We have opened our mouth to the Lord and we can't go back.We must be His without end or interruption. There will be stumbling among the best of us,but a renewal of the covenant is the antidote to the poison of backsliding.He who has truly made this covenant with the Lord, has given himself entirely to Christ without reservation,and like Paul has asked, "Lord what will thou have me to do".This is a covenant bound by love.

Attorney For The Defenseless

Romans 8:34" Who is he that condemneth?It is Christ that died,yea rather,that is risen again,who is at the right hand of God,who also maketh intercession for us".

The key to solving the problem of sin is the help we receive through Jesus Christ.Jesus came not only to make possible the forgivness of the past,but to help us conquer the stronghold of sins, the entrenched habits that are so difficult to dislodge from our lives.Jesus is our merciful High Priest in heaven,who is interceding with the Father on our behalf.Jesus is ever ready to help us gain the victory over sin:"And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith.Who is he who overcomes the world,but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God"? The Apostle John, while acknowledging our human weakness, encourages us not to give in to sin."I am Writing these things to you so that you may not sin.But if any one does sin,we have an advocate with the Father,Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jesus died to save us from sin not to save us in sin, by his mercy we are forgiven the sins we have commited and will commite, but his grace gives us the strength to not give in to sin and the wiles of the evil one, as it allows us to walk in his spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh.This should give us every reason for encouragement in our daily struggle against sin.After all Christ has experienced the same temptations and fully understands our plight.For our High Priest is one who can sympathize with our weakness,as he has been tried and tempted by the same enemy who attacks us, yet without sin,and he has been given power over all flesh.Therefore let us approach the throne of grace with boldness,so that we might receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

How do we get that help?Jesus said " ask and it will be given to you, seek and you shall find, knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks it will be opened". He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him,Jesus Christ our great intercessor is here standing in the gap,our bridge back to God.

Lost In The House Of God

Luke 15:8 "Either what woman having ten pieces of silver,if she lose one piece,doth not light a candle, and sweep the house, and seek diligently till she find it"?

Church there are many In the house of God who are lost.We have gotten lost in denominations, titles and positions. We have replaced God's church with our ministries,His word with our wishes,His way with our desires and His will with our wants.We think if we do our best He is happy with that ,even though He said our best was but a filthy rags.The truth is God said "give me your heart and I'll give you eternal life.God wants our all as he gave us His all,but many are lost in the house of God.

 There are a great many people, who enter church houses around the world to worship and praise God, but who have no ideal they are lost.They are lost in the church.And so there are  many who stay lost outside the church. Over the last ten years or so it seems that God has called a vast number of Apostles, Bishops, Pastors,and Prophets, and yet sin is running more rampade than ever before,and the sad thing is a lot of the trouble is coming out of the church house.We are lost; lost in religion and religious rituals,lost in mans triditions and in denonminations,lost in church leadership, seeking to be part of the who's who of religious circles,lost in positions and titles,busy with church business, but lost to the business of the Church.When asked what church we attend ,we don't say the name of the church anymore, we give the name of the pastor or bishop like they actually have a church.We pass down churches to family members like God no longer gives us Pastors according to his heart.People we are the body not the head.We were called out and separated to be servants of God, to go out into the world, and preach Christ and him crucified.So much time is spent trying to convience the world of who we are,that we forget to tell them about the one who truly matters.The lost in this world don't need to know who we are ,but they need to know who Jesus is;they don't need to know we are saved, but they need to know the savior.

Jesus came to seek and save the lost; he gave us instructions to go into the hedges and the highways and compell them to come in, that his house might be full;To preach the gospel to every creature.We have gotten lost to the message of salvation and replaced it with one of prosperity and self promotion.Let us get back on track and find the lost in the house of God,and go out and preach Christ and him crucified to a dying world.He is the power of God unto salvation.

My Curse-His Blessings

2 Corinthians 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us,who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him".

Jesus Christ death;the message is unbelievable,a message of redemption,that is a substitution for sin. This is one of the great verses proclaiming the unbelievable love of God.It is impossible for man to grasp the fact that God made Christ to be sin for us,yet that is exactly what the scripture says.He who knew no sin made to be sin,the perfect sacrifice for an imperfect people,that we might be found not guilty.

 

Why was this act necessary? Because man needs more than just righteousness to stand perfect before God.To stand righteous before God is not enough,for man has already sinned.Man already stood guilty of breaking God's law, and the judgement and condemnation of death had already taken effect upon man. So the condemnation and judgement of sin had to be taken care of. God did this by laying all the sins of man upon Christ, all the guilt and condemnation of sin, God placed it all on Christ and let Him bear it all by Himself.God's purpose for this was that we might be made righteousness of God in Christ. That we might be found not guilty before the Father.When a person believes in Jesus Christ,I mean really believes,God takes that man's faith and He counts it as righteousness.The man is not righteous,but God considers the man's faith as righteousness.God does this because he loves man so much,that he sent His only begotten Son to die that we might have a right to life.Jesus secured righteousness for man.He came into the world to die for man.He came and arose from death and thus conquered death for man, thus His resurrected life could stand for the resurrected life of the believer and pronounce him innocent.

The truth is this God loves His Son Jesus Christ so much, that He honors any man who honors His son by believing in Him and believing Him.When we sincerly trust Christ,God takes that faith and counts it as righteousness,thus He judges us , and treats us,as though we are innocent.We are not innocent,us and God both knows this,but God counts us as innocent because of our faith in Jesus Christ.To God we have died with Christ and rose a new creation.Yes because He died I'm innocent of all charges.

In Obedience To God!

Hebrews 5:8 " Though he were a Son,yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered".

It is always consoling to us to behold the footsteps of our Lord.When we see him tried, we cheerfully submit to the trail.When we percieve that in his case an exception to the rule of chastening might have been expected,and yet none was made,we are encouraged to bear our sufferings patiently.See there are necessary trails for a child of God.There are some things we must endure and go through as a child of the King.

Being a son does not exempt us from suffering,not even Jesus escaped suffering.He was the only begotten of the Father,He was honored as the beloved first born of the Father.He was faithful and sinless,and later  the glorified Son and yet he was not exempt from Suffering.No prayer,no matter how ernest will remove every thorn in the flesh.No love in God's child,will prevent his being tried.But suffering does not hinder our Sonship.The trials and tribulations we are faced with don't alter who we are or whose we are or at least it should't.Obedience has to be learned even by the Sons/daughters of God.What is to be done and suffered can only be learned by actual exercise of obedience.It must be learned by suffering.Suffering has a peculiar power to teach true children of God.See it touches the man's self,his bone, his flesh,and his heart.It will try your faith, test your grace and prove your obedience.It goes to the root,and test the truth of your new nature.It shows whether repentance,faith, and prayer are real or for show.It test our endurance, and makes us see how far we have grown in our obedience,"thou you slay me yet I will I trust in Him". 

The anxious question, Am I a son? The aspiring desire, Let me learn obedience;The accepted discipline,I submit to suffer.If we want to reign with the risen Saviour,we must be willing to suffer with the crucified Lord.In obedience to God............. 

Made Another

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 opens our minds 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 we make when we hear or read God's truth.We can respond to God and ask for His help to implement what we have learned,or we can turn our back on the truth which we 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!  

One Body In Christ

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  praying that we all be united,that we all be one. The standard of this unity is the oneness between Jesus and the Father.We must be one, it is an absolute for the spreading of the truth of the gospel message.The world has not been reached,there are millions walking in darkness, because we believers have not unified enough to penatrate the lies of the prince of this world with the truth of the God's gospel.The problem is not God, his will is that none should parish.But we believers stand divided,divided in denomination,purpose and message.See there are three essentials for men to become believers; 1) There is the messenger, the person who proclaims the word so that man can believe on the name of Jesus.2)There must be a message to proclaim,and since we are Gods messengers,the message we take into the world must be Gods word.3)There has to be belief, one messenger, proclaiming one message with one belief, that Jesus Christ is Lord.

  We who confess Jesus Christ as lord must lay aside our petty difference,and lift up the one thing  we  have in common.We must put aside our personal agenda, our denominations, religious differences,and prejudices, and lift up the name of Jesus.We the many members of His glorious body, comming together as one proclaiming a single message. Come together as Christ and the Father are one; having one mind , one heart, one purpose, of one characters and of one love ,with one mission and proclaiming a single message.One body proclaiming Gods only message to a dying world, Jesus Christ and him crucified.A body of one, perfected in unity and love, that the world may know that God sent Jesus into the world, and that through him the world might be saved.

The world  needs to experience a unified love more than anything else.Those in darkness 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, in both word and deed.The world needs the love of God, a love that is patient, and kind, that bears all things,endures all things,and that believes all things, and we the servants of God must be the example of this devine love,and demonstrate it for all to see,that the world might believe that such a love exist.The world needs to believe there is  a love that will give everything that one might be saved.The sacrificial love of the Father and Son. So let us who confess the name of Jesus, become one with Jesus, sharing his Love and message,and let us walk worthy of the name by which we are called, that all in darkness might come into his marvelous light,and seek His glorious salvation. 

True Love Does Things

1John 3:18 "My little children,let us not love in word,neither in tongue:but in deed and in truth."

In word and deed-Love is not piety.It is not sitting on the sidelines complaining about how pathetic everything is.Love is revealed by what we do,not just by what we say.God so loved that He gave,He forgave,He sacrificed,and He saved. He is commanding us to love not in word only, but in deeds."but whoso hath this world's good,and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him,how dwelleth the love of God in him?"(1Jn.3:17)If our faith and love do not compel us to action,then how can they profit us or anyone else?

Pure Love as described in 1corin.13 which is perhaps the most poetic,profound and powerful description of pure love written and of course,Christ is the embodiment of pure love.The apostle Paul's prayer for the family of God was that as Christ dwells in our hearts by faith,and we are rooted and grounded in his love,That we may be able to comprehend,the breath,and length,and depth, and height, of Christ love for us; to know the love of Christ,which passeth knowledge.It is a love that neither death,nor life, nor angels,nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,nor things to come, nor height,nor depth,nor any other creature,shall be able to separate us from.Love is not having knowledge of God but knowing God.Knowing God comes from communion with God. That is what Christ had with God.The love of God is a reflection of God's heart flowing through Christ, one spirit, one heart, one mind.

When Jesus died on the cross,I believe he was feeling two kinds of love.One was from the father as Jesus steadfastly did His will.The other was Jesus' love for all people.Because of the love comming from the Father and his desire to love each one of us,He was able to endure the pain and shame of death on a cross.As we draw upon Jesus' unselfish love,we too can better love others.

At The Cross.......

1stCorinthians 1:18"For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness;But unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

The Gospel of Jesus Christ,good news to a dying world.Jesus Christ and him crucified,the foundation of belief for every christian,the food we feed on,the nurishment we grow on,and the source of life the believer lives on.If we are going to build better a relationship in the body of Christ,it must be built on Christ and him crucified.The good news from upon high, which brings about a change in the lives of all who by faith embraces this truth.

It is these truth which reunites us to God.The Gospel don't need any additives, it is good just as it was given.The gospel calls us out of the darkness into Gods marvelous light,and its' success lies in the plain doctrine of a crucified Savior and a risen Lord.The prosperity message sounds good,and might be easy to swallow,and might change a mind, but it dosn't have the power to covert a heart.The faith message feels good on the outside,but holds no power to make you good on the inside.The simple truths of Christand him crucified alone, has the power to turn a sinner to a saint, it is the power of God unto salvation.But who will believe our report.The Gospel:The birth of Jesus; born of a virgin in a feeding tray, to be fed on by a dying world.The death of Jesus; as he accepted for mankind, the wage paid by sin,that we might recieve the gift of God.The resurrection of Christ;to conquor death, and him that had power of death,rising with all power in heaven and on earth in his hands:Who will belive our report.To them that perish it is foolisness,they can't understand the nature and character, of this christian message.

The gospel,a message of a lowly man hung on a tree, for the salvation of the whole world,to them that perish it is but foolishness,but unto us which is saved,it is the power of God.Salvation to every one who who believes,for the power of God works by it.Paul said "woe with me if I preach not the Gospel",for it was the Gospel that called him, the Gospel converted him, the gospel saved him, as it took a sinner named Saul, and made him a preacher named Paul.So proclaim the gospel, Jesus Christ and him crucified, the power of God unto salvation.

Practice Makes Permanent

1John 3:10 "In this the children of God and the devil are manifest:Who ever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother".

The scripture reveals that God's children occasionally sin after baptism.But, if they wish to continue in His favor,they must not only confess to Him but also ask Him to"cleanse them from all unrighteousness". We cannot please God if we deliberately practice sinning.However,some habits deeply ingrained from early childhood may not be that easily overcome.The effects of such sin tend to foster serious weaknesses in our walk.It may take a long period of diligent striving to finally overcome.Paul put it this way:"Put to death, therefore,whatever belongs to your earthy nature".We can accomplish this through the power of God's Spirit.

James puts God's requirements in perspective:"Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?Can a fig tree, my brethren,produce olives, or a vine produce figs?Neither can salt water produce fresh.Who among you is wise and understanding?Let Him show by his actions his deeds in the gentlness of wisdom.But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.This wisdom is not that which comes down from above,but is earthly,natural,demonic.For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing".(James 3:11-16 NASB). You can't say you love yet your actions are those of hate.But when we esteem others higher than our selves it removes all envy, and selfish ambition and makes room for a sacrificial love,laying aside our will for that of another, this shows our love one for another.

God is love.Love is the foundation of God's character.God's love in us should transform our character. "Love is patient,love is kind,and is not jealous;love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecoming; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;bears all things, believes all things,hopes all things, endures all things.Love never fails.Every other aspect of the fruit of the spirit is merely a specific expression of godly love.We are not just to love our friends and family ,but also love those who do not love us,for which we need God's Spirit to help us.We must overcome evil with good. Let us be known as a child of God by portraying the fruits of God's Spirit

Noways Tired

2 Timothy 4:7 "I have Fought a good fight,I have finished my course, I have kept the faith".

Baptism and the related steps we must take are only the beginning of the road to eternal Life.Before we arrive at our ultimate destination, we have many miles of road to travel.Remember we are traveling up a narrow road.A clear sense of purpose and direction can help us stay the course.When we respond to God's calling through repentance and baptism, many blessings and opportunities await us.Our minds will change,we will grow in wisdom, knowledge and understanding.We will learn to think and act as God wants us to think and act.

We must keep moving forward,trials will come and sacrifices will be required, but we must stay the course.These test help us to build godly character.James wrote" count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.But let patience have her perfect work,that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.It is the going through trials which helps in the perfecting us for this long journey home.Jesus cautions us to count the cost of traveling this road, just as we would with any major endevor.No man putting his hand to the plough and looking back is fit for God's kingdom.Jesus expects us to finish what we start.

Just as a small child learns to walk,we may be wobbly at first, stumbling in this new way of life.The temptations and trials we face will sometimes cause us to stagger and fall.But remember that God the Father and Jesus Christ are there to comfort and help us each step of the way.Our job is to keep striving with God's help and to become mature Christians.Living God's way must always remain our priority. We must continually" seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.There are somethings that can help us stay the course through the many challenges we will encounter along the way.We must stay in prayer and continue in the study of God's word.Also fellowshipping with other true believers can be a tremendous encouragement in living our new lives dedicated to God.Jesus said not everybody who says Lord Lord will enter into His Kingdom, only those who do the will of the Father.We are given a choice as to what we will do,but Jesus clearly expects that we do our part in remaining faithful to Him.We must produce fruit in our lives that is pleasing to God.Stay the course, we come to far to turn back now.

Salvation? It's In Him

1John 5:11" And this is the record,that God hath given to us eternal life,and this life is in his Son."

John declared that our faith in Christ is the victory that overcomes the sinful influences of the world.And then,as if to test his readers' comprehension of that statement, he asked, Who overcomes the world?John immediately answered his own question:only the one who believes that Jesus is God's Son.

No other agent or formula defeats the sinful influences we face. Only Jesus faced them all and overcame them all.It is only when we acknowledge our own helplessness and place our confidence in the sufficiency of Christ's victory that we have victory over sin.We may try other means,such as will power,accountability, support groups, human thought, or philosophy, rituals,or routines, disgust for the sin, or shame and guilt. We may even find that some of those things offer limited success in helping us curb certain behaviors or keep them in check temporarily.But it is only through faith in Christ, and a total surrender to Him, that we can be tuned in to his will,our mind can comprehend His thoughts, and our actions become joyful acts of worship.

If we are believing in and relying on anything but Christ's victory to overcome sin ,our efforts are doomed.It is good for us to examine ourselves periodically to be sure that our faith is not misplaced. What a relief it is to know that the hard part of overcomming sinful influences has been done for us by Jesus' life, death ,and resurrection.To remain in His victory,we need only to hold confidently to God's provisions for us in Christ.Faith in Christ includes an understanding of who he is and a complete reliance upon him for salvation and an overcoming lifestyle.Through this kind of faith believers experience victory over the sinful influences of this world, and thus walk worthy of the name by which we are called;Christians, or to be Christ like............

It's the Shoe

Ephesians 6:15 "and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace".

Christians are meant to be steadfast,active,moving,progressing,ascending; hence, their feet are carefully provided for.They are feeble in themselves and need protection.The road we travel is rough with many different terrains and so a shoe is needed that is durable and one which will provide ample support, comfort, and stability regardless of the surface we are taking on. So we need the shoes which the grace  of God provides. A shoe built to Stand in.

The shoe comes from the blessed maker,one who know what kind of shoe is needed because he himself has made the journey.A shoe made from excellent material,"the preparation of the gospel of peace", well seasoned, soft but durable,long lasting,and fit for any surface or situation.It is the same shoe Jesus and all the saints wore,and it is a shoe which will never wear out.The shoe is old, but forever made new,and they can be worn at all ages and all places.They are a perfect fit,as they are made to suit each of us.They have an excellent foothold,you can tread with holy boldness upon high places with these shoes.No ones grows weary or has sore feet when doing their daily duty,these shoes have marching power.They provide protection against trials, as you can tread on the lion and the adder(ps.91:13),they provide rest to the weary they have endured fire and water( Isa.43:2),made for hard work climbing and ploughing,and they are part of the whole armour of God.The gospel alone supplies a fit shoe for all fit that wishes to stand in that evil day.

The gospel shoe will not come on your foot so long as that foot is swelled with any sinful humor,meaning any unrighteous or unholy practice.This evil must first be purged out by repentence,or you won't be able to wear the shoe of peace.The Jews were instructed to eat the passover with their loins girded,their shoes on their feet and their staff in their hand, and all in haste.When God is feeding us with knowledge we must stand ready with our shoes on, willing to be gone as soon as we have been refreshed by his words for this journey.

New Skin For New Wine

Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,to the which also ye are called in one body;and be ye thankful".(read 15-17)

When a new life enters the world,a new heart enters the world.There is no life apart from a heart,a new life necessitates a new heart.When we become a new,born another, along with that new birth come a new heart.See the new man, must have a new heart ruled by the peace of God.He is to let Christ,the peace of God rule in all things and differences.The word "peace", means to be bound,joined,and weaved together.It means to be assured,confident and secure in th elove and care of God.It is to know that God will take care of us no matter what the problem or circumstance,to know that God will not allow anything to swamp or defeat us.But we must realize this peace lies in Christ and Christ alone,and we cannot know this peace unless and until we know and accept Christ in our new heart.It says "let the peace of God rule",this is a command and we must be obedient to experience this peace.

The believer heart must also be rich with the word of Christ,he is to let the word of Christ dwell in his heart.The choice is up to the believer,the word of Christ does not naturally dwell in our hearts.Here the word  "dwell", means to make a home,to abide or live within.We must make room within our heart for the word of Christ.We must let the word enter our hearts and be at home and make a home there.His word must dwell and abide in our heart.We must clean out all the old furnishings of our heart and let the word of Christ settle down as a permanent resident within the heart.The word must abide richly in our hearts,we cannot be satisfied with a quick visit of the word, but it must richly dwell in our hearts. Christ word must furnish our hearts with all the wealth of its commandments, and promises, instructions and warnings.

This will give us a heart of service unto the Lord.As the new man is a servant,he now will have the heart of a servant, he will become a cheerful giver,a willing worker,and a faithful servant unto the Lord.All that is done is done for the glory of the Lord,the spreading of the gospel and the building of His kingdom.Jesus said you don't put new wine in old skins,so we can't put this new spirit into the old heart.This is the new heart,filled with a new spirit, that goes with our new life in Christ..

To Die Daily

Colossians 3:5 "Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth;fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affections,evil concupiscence,and covetousness,which is idolatry".(read 3:5-11)

Here this is a violent passage of scripture,a passage that attacks many people right where they are living.In this third chapter of Colossians,we see the violent demands of the believer's new life in Christ .It tells us to put to death the sins that enslaves the body and it's members.The word "mortify" means to put to death or act as though the body is dead.The believer is to take the various parts of his body and put them to death in so far as sin is concerned.How does one do this you ask?He considers his body to be hid in the death of Christ. He lives as though his body is dead with Christ.And remember a dead man cannot sin; a dead man can do nothing.Therefore, the believer is dead to sin,as he lives through Christ.

The point is this: it is an act of the mind or spirit.A person wants to live for God;therefore, he looks at his body and at sin.The only way he can possibly conquer sin is to treat his body as dead to sin or to consider sin as dead to his body.The person has to live as though his body has no part in sin,and sin has no part in his body.But note, this life is possible only in Christ.Christ alone,through the Holy Spirit,can work within the human heart and give it the energy and power to conquer sin permanently and eternally. Some men can discipline themselves to overcome some sin,but not all sin,and not all the time.This can only be done through Christ.There is an enormous difference between human discipline and godly control,and that difference is Jesus Christ.Not only are we told to put to death the sins that enslave the body,but we are also instructed to strip off the sins that enslave the emotions and the tongus(vs.8-11). Contrary to what we want to believe save people don't just act or speak any old kind of way.A Christian is Christ like in action as well as conversation.

What sins are to be mortified or put to death?The Bible is very specific, for there are some very specific sins which tend to enslave the human body.In fact,note the term "children of disobedience". These particular sins are not only terrible acts of disobedience to God,they are sins that can enslave the human body so much that they make a believer, a child of disobedience.How many are professing Christ here on the social network, yet are living in fornication,worshiping Idols,or using foul language.Some even boast about ungodly acts which they do like they are proud of them,children of disobedience.Rather we like it or not there is a demand put on all who profess this new life in Christ. v

A Love Thing

1 Corinthians 13:13 "And now abideth faith, hope,charity,these three;but the greatest of these is charity"

At the end of his discussion of spiritual gifts in chapter 12, Paul encouraged the believers at corinth to "covet earnestly the best gifts".The "best gifts" refer to those most beneficial to the whole body of Christ.All gifts are needed, so all should be exercised in the church.But the other gifts could not compare to the gift of love.No spiritual gift will accomplish much without love underlying its use.

Paul began his description of love by saying it is patient and kind.When love is wronged,it responds with kindness rather than retaliation. Love does not envy or boast, and is not proud. All three of these attitudes were apparently associated with the excercise of spiritual gifts.Saints we can't be envious of the gifts God gives to others, neither can we think our gift is better than someone elses, the gifts belong to God for the maturing of His church. Love is not rude,self seeking, or easily angered, and it does not keep track of wrongs. The fact that the Corinthian Christians were taking each other to court, demonstrated that the people were easily angered and were indeed keeping a record of wrongs,thus not having love one for another as Christ commanded.Saints what if God kept track of the wrongs we did.

Paul continued his description by telling them that love does not delight in evil things but rejoices with things that are true.There was a case of blatant incest, Yet, rather than having grief over the matter, the church was actually "proud" of this sinful situation.Saints the congregations today glories in so many blatant acts which goes against God and his word in an effort not to pass judgment on one another, friendshipping instead of fellowshipping. But how can we claim to have love one for another,  and claim to love the Lord, and let those he died for travel on a road of destruction,and not tell them. If you love me, tell me when I'm not acting Christ like.

Love has preeminence over spiritual gifts,because love nevers fails.God's love is a greater virtue than the spiritual gifts because love is eternal, For God so loved the world, that he wrapped his love in the sinful hatred flesh of mankind, that his love might accept for mankind, the wage paid by sin. While being falsely accused, His love never failed,when they whipped Him ,His love never failed, as they marched Him up calvery,where He suffered bled and died, God's love never failed. By his love we are saved,redeemed and have a chance at everlasting life. Of all the eternal values, none is greater than love.No Christian value will have a greater impact for Christ on unbelievers, or be a better encouragement for the believer. Now to love does not mean not being truthful or letting a person know when their behavior is not Christ like, it means caring enough to tell them, even if it means you being hurt.There is no greater thing we can do, than to stand united one with another, and proclaim the love of God to a to a lost world. Jesus Christ,the greatest gift of all.

Perfect Sacrifice

Leviticus 4:29a "He shall lay his hand upon the head of the sin offering",

Here we have an emblem of the way inwhich a sacrifice becomes available for the offerer.The same ceremony is commanded in other verses;it is therefore important and instructive.The question with many souls is how to obtain an interest in Christ so as to be saved by Him.There is no question more important to be asked.It is certain that this is absolutely needful; but is has been fearfully neglected by many.Christ death would be in vain if none believed.

The intent of this symbol; it was a confession of sin.It was a consent to the plan of subsitution,as Christ took our place on the cross.It was an acceptance of the victim,for he alone is acceptable to God;and may well be acceptable to us.It was a believing transfer of sin.It was a dependence-leaning on the scarifice for our salvation.The offerer is to come just as he is,and to have the sin removed by the sacrifice.It is not the amount of faith that shall save,jesus said the faith the size of a mustard seed.The salvation come from leaning totally on the power of the sacrifice.The weak hand that grabs hold of Christ ,hold just as much of him as the strong hand,we just need to make sure we grab him.

It is with faith that we take hold of Christ ,but it is with total submission that we lean on him.Come then, dear hearer,whether saint or sinner,and lean hard on Jesus.He taketh away the sin of the world.Trust Him with your sin and it is forever taken away.It is not a matter of what you can't do,but more of what Christ can do.Die into the life of Christ;let him be all in all while you are nothing at all.Lean on Jesus,A perfect sacrifice for an imperfect people.

Blessed to Bless Others

John21:15"So when they had dined,Jesus saith to Simon Peter,Simon,son of Jonas,Lovest thou me more than these?He saith unto him,yea Lord;thou knowest that I love thee,He saith unto him,Feed my lambs".

Feed my lambs! these are the instructions given to us by our savior.Those of us who have been blessed to have received the bread of heaven,are now instructed by the Savior to feed his lambs.Jesus has revealed himself to us, that he is the Christ,the son of the living God, and we are now to feed this truth to a lost and dying world.This is the design of his precious Gospel, it wasn't written for a pastime,nor was it published for a profit, but it was written and published so that man could be brought to Christ.Let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim this gospel message, that all might enjoy the salvation of the lord.We don't need to dress it up or add anything to it ,the gospel will do what it was desgned to do. It was not designed to feed the flesh of man, but to feed the spirit of man.

Jesus ask Peter if he loved him more than he loved these, and he is asking us the same question?Do you love me more than you love these things,and these people who occupy your life.Do you love me more than your friends, family, and even yourself.Jesus wanted to know the extent of Peters love for him,he wants to know the extent of our love for him.(he knows but he wants to know if we know, are we willing to lose our life to save it.)So he says "If you love me feed my lambs."

Saints , if we truly love God we should be willing to lay aside our will and petty differences and feed those he died for.Someone shared the good news to us, and we should be willing to share it with someone else.The same gospel which lead us to Christ, will lead someone else to Christ.It is the duty of all who are called of Christ to feed his sheep, to feed them with knowledge,and the truth of the gospel.Feed the with the word of God that they might be wise unto salvation.Feed them, don't just put something before them and hope they eat,but feed them,those who are to hateful and stubborn to eat on their own. Feed those who are too weak or cannot feed themselves.Don't feed them the cake and candy messages of today,which will only make them fat and useless,but feed them the meat of the word that they may be thourghly furnished unto every good work.

We might not be able to feed everyone we want, but let each of us just feed everyone we can,and together we will feed the whole world, one lamb at a time.So if you love the Lord,feed his lambs.

Love's Power

1John 5:11" And this is the record,that God hath given to us eternal life,and this life is in his Son."

John declared that our faith in Christ is the victory that overcomes the sinful influences of the world.And then,as if to test his readers' comprehension of that statement, he asked, Who overcomes the world?John immediately answered his own question:only the one who believes that Jesus is God's Son.

No other agent or formula defeats the sinful influences we face. Only Jesus faced them all and overcame them all.It is only when we acknowledge our own helplessness and place our confidence in the sufficiency of Christ's victory that we have victory over sin.We may try other means,such as will power,accountability, support groups, human thought, or philosophy, rituals,or routines, disgust for the sin, or shame and guilt. We may even find that some of those things offer limited success in helping us curb certain behaviors or keep them in check temporarily.But it is only through faith in Christ, and a total surrender to Him, that we can be tuned in to his will,our mind can comprehend His thoughts, and our actions become joyful acts of worship.

If we are believing in and relying on anything but Christ's victory to overcome sin ,our efforts are doomed.It is good for us to examine ourselves periodically to be sure that our faith is not misplaced. What a relief it is to know that the hard part of overcomming sinful influences has been done for us by Jesus' life, death ,and resurrection.To remain in His victory,we need only to hold confidently to God's provisions for us in Christ.Faith in Christ includes an understanding of who he is and a complete reliance upon him for salvation and an overcoming lifestyle.Through this kind of faith believers experience victory over the sinful influences of this world, and thus walk worthy of the name by which we are called;Christians, or to be Christ like............

The Place

Luke 23:33 "And when they were come to the place,which is called Calvary,there they crucified him, and the malefactors,one on the right and the other on the left".

Calvary,the most sacred place in the world.It is where the Son of God died that men might live.Where the innocent blood of Jesus was shed that all might be cleansed.The place where all the sin of the world was laid on the one who knew no sin.Calvary,a place where man can come with their troubles,and find peace which passeth all understanding.Where you can receive life,joy, and assurance cause Jesus paid it all.

Calvary shows us the love and compassion of Jesus to all mankind as we hear the words "Forgive them Father,for they know not what they do".Forgive those who crucified Him.Those who mocked, tempted, and were indifferent to Him.Forgive those who deny me in word and deed and those who rejected Him, he prayed for their salvation.Calvary th eperfect picture of salvation,by grace and grace alone,as the thief had nothing to offer Christ ,yet by repenting and trusting,we hear the promise to all who come "Today shalt thou be with me in Paradise."And at Calvary we hear the words "It is Finished",salvation now in reach to all people.Salvation is complete,nothing to be added,we just need to accept the gift.

Jesus paid it all at Calvary,and all to Him we owe,sin has left a crimson stain,He washed it white as snow,on a hill called Calvary.....