Friday, September 30, 2005
Of Husband's & Wives, this the Mystery Revealed
The Word describes the relationship of Husbands and Wives in detail. It also calls The Church the Body of Christ - and the Bride of Christ. This is a mystery as Paul points out. However, thankfully it has been revealed to Paul and he forwards this revelation to us. Have a look at Eph 5:22-33, you’ll find a Husband is to love his wife as his own body. In verse 32 Paul says the real mystery is that he's actually talking about Christ and the Church. If you can understand how a man and woman are to love each other then you'll understand how Christ and the Church love each other and vise-versa.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Be Perfect
Now there's a title! Pastor Cory of Royal View church www.royalview.org pointed this out to me recently. It surprised me and impacted my walk so I'll share it here.
Matt 5:48 "You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect."
The verses leading up to 5:48, explain actions and character traits you should have. These are a repeat of what can be found in Leviticus 19:2-18, Prov 25:21-22, Ps 139:21-22, Deut 15:8, Prov 24:29.... and so on. The AMP version of the Bible is great for linking you to OT scripture.
But how on Earth does a HUMAN be "perfect" like GOD? Well it's through Justification, the Rebirth into Christ and further Sanctification. But I'll give you the simple answer for now. Two steps. 1 - Get Saved! 2 - Be a student of the Word, just as Christ was.
"Wait!" you say "Christ IS the Word in the Flesh, why would He have been a student?". Because He came to Earth and lived as a man. He was all God but He was also all Man. (I personally believe this explains why He was called the Son of Man - He's the Son of God, and while He was on Earth He was a man - so He was of the same stuff that is a man). So then you might be tempted to ask where in the Word does it say Christ was ever a student?
I was deceived, as many other people are and have been about Christ's childhood. I had believed He had taught at the Temple. However if you read Luke 2:40-52 for yourself you will clearly see that the developing Christ was a student! Particularly verses 46-47 where you see He was sitting and LISTENING and ASKING questions. All were astonished and overwhelmed at His intelligence and understanding and His REPLIES. Verse 52 shows that this process didn't just go on for the 3 days He was missing from His earthly parents but in went on for years, His developing years. He grew in body, wisdom AND in favor with God and man.
As you can see, we are called to be "perfect" as our Father is. And we're shown how to do it. Christ said that those who have known Him know His Father. If we pattern ourselves after Christ then surely we are patterning ourselves after our Holy Father. So as a child in Christ we are to set ourselves to learning. That learning will be fruitful and we also will grow in wisdom and favor in God.
Matt 5:48 "You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect."
The verses leading up to 5:48, explain actions and character traits you should have. These are a repeat of what can be found in Leviticus 19:2-18, Prov 25:21-22, Ps 139:21-22, Deut 15:8, Prov 24:29.... and so on. The AMP version of the Bible is great for linking you to OT scripture.
But how on Earth does a HUMAN be "perfect" like GOD? Well it's through Justification, the Rebirth into Christ and further Sanctification. But I'll give you the simple answer for now. Two steps. 1 - Get Saved! 2 - Be a student of the Word, just as Christ was.
"Wait!" you say "Christ IS the Word in the Flesh, why would He have been a student?". Because He came to Earth and lived as a man. He was all God but He was also all Man. (I personally believe this explains why He was called the Son of Man - He's the Son of God, and while He was on Earth He was a man - so He was of the same stuff that is a man). So then you might be tempted to ask where in the Word does it say Christ was ever a student?
I was deceived, as many other people are and have been about Christ's childhood. I had believed He had taught at the Temple. However if you read Luke 2:40-52 for yourself you will clearly see that the developing Christ was a student! Particularly verses 46-47 where you see He was sitting and LISTENING and ASKING questions. All were astonished and overwhelmed at His intelligence and understanding and His REPLIES. Verse 52 shows that this process didn't just go on for the 3 days He was missing from His earthly parents but in went on for years, His developing years. He grew in body, wisdom AND in favor with God and man.
As you can see, we are called to be "perfect" as our Father is. And we're shown how to do it. Christ said that those who have known Him know His Father. If we pattern ourselves after Christ then surely we are patterning ourselves after our Holy Father. So as a child in Christ we are to set ourselves to learning. That learning will be fruitful and we also will grow in wisdom and favor in God.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
A Ministry of Reconciliation
We believers have been given a great commission to spread the Gospel, the Good News to all the world. This we all seem to understand quite easily, even if we each apply it with differing zeal. What isn’t as readily apparent to us is that we’ve been called into a ministry of reconciliation. To my benefit the Lord has put strong servants around me of late, those who do understand this ministry and are filled with zeal in it. The idea that we are called to reconcile is new to me. I believed that reconciliation was from and about the Lord only. Thinking I was to be a lover of my brother (in Christ) and to have a heart for the lost I missed the point. Little did I know but we are given our own burdens so we can understand and sympathize with others who also have burdens. Remember this the next time you’re thinking of waving a sign in front of an establishment, or the next time you think about yelling out at someone. Are you helping them to reconcile with God? Or are you pushing them away?
2 Cor 3:6 [It is He] Who has qualified us as ministers and dispensers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the code [of the Law] kills, but the [Holy] Spirit makes alive.
2 Cor 3:7-18 Explains in detail the Law –vs- the Spirit. To paraphrase, if the Law was in splendor and it brought death and was not to last, how much more splendorous is the Spirit which brings life and will last forever.
2 Cor 5:18-21 Explains we’ve been given a ministry of reconciliation so that by word and deed we might bring others into harmony with Him. It was God in Christ reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself. So we are to be as well.
Finally, we get to the point of who’s to give the Sinner grief
2 Cor 7:9 *this verse is pointed at an event, but I believe the principle carries over as you’ll see in the next verse. “For you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel…”
2 Cor 7:9-16 Explains Godly grief leads to repentance which is glorifying to God and is walking in true faith.
This is how we are reconciled to God and each other.
2 Cor 3:6 [It is He] Who has qualified us as ministers and dispensers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the code [of the Law] kills, but the [Holy] Spirit makes alive.
2 Cor 3:7-18 Explains in detail the Law –vs- the Spirit. To paraphrase, if the Law was in splendor and it brought death and was not to last, how much more splendorous is the Spirit which brings life and will last forever.
2 Cor 5:18-21 Explains we’ve been given a ministry of reconciliation so that by word and deed we might bring others into harmony with Him. It was God in Christ reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself. So we are to be as well.
Finally, we get to the point of who’s to give the Sinner grief
2 Cor 7:9 *this verse is pointed at an event, but I believe the principle carries over as you’ll see in the next verse. “For you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel…”
2 Cor 7:9-16 Explains Godly grief leads to repentance which is glorifying to God and is walking in true faith.
This is how we are reconciled to God and each other.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
WOW
Behold all things ARE new! Talk about a weekend. I could spend the rest of my life talking about the last four days. To keep up with my identification with Paul, I feel like I was on the road to Damascus. I was blinded and for three days I was lead by believers in to the city. When I was there and broken, my sight was given to me. Not only that but my sight was greatly restored.
We're talking life changing, amazing, seemingly impossilbe sort of restoration. If I were to talk about the fruits of just yesterday it would take me a day to write it down here.
Thank you all who prayed for me this weekend. You held me up as we should be doing for each other. It was fruitful. I now know my calling!! AND I have a small lesson for all of you. And yes I mean all. :)
When you are listening for the voice of God. And it gets to the point where you don't think He's going to speak to you. Take a moment and replay the recent past. He likely already has. My calling was revealed on Saturday, but I didn't KNOW it until Monday night when my brother in Christ was the third person to confirm it. Suddenly, everything became clear. My point is, when you're asking for His voice, be aware this prayer may have already been answered. He knew us before the foundations of the world were laid. I'm guessing He knows what we're going to pray for as well.
God revealed to me this weekend, much in the same way as Christ called Peter a rock when he was still foolish, that I will be a Teacher. By His strength, and wholly for His glory. God saw Peter as he would be in Christ. He is seeing me as the teacher I will be in Christ. Thank you God!! Abba Father!
One last thing. When I was asking for protection. When I was asking for direction. When I was broken and laying everything at His feet. His simple reply, that spoke, and has spoken volumes everytime He's uttered it, was I AM. Thank you Lord! I'll leave that mystery for you to figure out, for now.
We're talking life changing, amazing, seemingly impossilbe sort of restoration. If I were to talk about the fruits of just yesterday it would take me a day to write it down here.
Thank you all who prayed for me this weekend. You held me up as we should be doing for each other. It was fruitful. I now know my calling!! AND I have a small lesson for all of you. And yes I mean all. :)
When you are listening for the voice of God. And it gets to the point where you don't think He's going to speak to you. Take a moment and replay the recent past. He likely already has. My calling was revealed on Saturday, but I didn't KNOW it until Monday night when my brother in Christ was the third person to confirm it. Suddenly, everything became clear. My point is, when you're asking for His voice, be aware this prayer may have already been answered. He knew us before the foundations of the world were laid. I'm guessing He knows what we're going to pray for as well.
God revealed to me this weekend, much in the same way as Christ called Peter a rock when he was still foolish, that I will be a Teacher. By His strength, and wholly for His glory. God saw Peter as he would be in Christ. He is seeing me as the teacher I will be in Christ. Thank you God!! Abba Father!
One last thing. When I was asking for protection. When I was asking for direction. When I was broken and laying everything at His feet. His simple reply, that spoke, and has spoken volumes everytime He's uttered it, was I AM. Thank you Lord! I'll leave that mystery for you to figure out, for now.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Great Expectations!
I'm believing in God, that He'll speak to me over the next three days. I'm praying for my calling to be revealed, and for the path out of the vally I'm in to be made clear to me. I want to know what I'm supposed to be doing with my life so I can run after it.
Please offer the Father a prayer in the Son's name that I would have "big ears" this weekend and that the Holy Spirit would more than whisper, even yell at me so that I would hear and understand.
Thanks! God Bless you all!
Please offer the Father a prayer in the Son's name that I would have "big ears" this weekend and that the Holy Spirit would more than whisper, even yell at me so that I would hear and understand.
Thanks! God Bless you all!
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Better than Ezra?
Well I’m just back from my exercise. I’m a runner, but today I wanted to do the stationary bike and some work on my abs. While I was on the bike I wanted some light reading so I popped open the Good Book and looked through the Old Testament. Lots of light reading in there right? Well maybe not, but I did manage to turn to Ezra and decided to finish it while I was on the bike. Thanks to the Holy Spirit it was profitable.
Recently pastor Don spoke a message on how Israel has over and over again backslid away from God. His point was that our walks as Christians are often the same. God is there willing and loving, but we often turn away from Him when the going gets EASY. We’re always seeking Him in the hard times, but when things are easy we think (as I would say) we’ve got it cased. He was speaking from Nehemiah but I think Ezra tells the same story. Ezra also points to Christ, but that is a real big topic. :)
Anyway, the book of Ezra talks about the building of the temple at Jerusalem. Permission is given and then taken away (by the earthly kings that is) and then permission is again given and great blessings of funds and resources are poured all over the project. No sooner was the Temple completed but the Israelites, priests and Levites started to committing abominations against God’s Law. The dirty of it was they were taking daughters of foreign nations for wives of their sons and giving away their daughters as well. This is an other subject but let it be said that this is not what God wanted them to do at the time.
So Ezra rebukes them and tells them to repent of their sins. Ezra gets down on his knees and spreads his arms. He prays agreement with God and seeks forgiveness for all for their sins. The people come to him and see him while he’s praying. They all repent, and not only that they send away the foreign dauthers and sons, and God is glorified.
Recently pastor Don spoke a message on how Israel has over and over again backslid away from God. His point was that our walks as Christians are often the same. God is there willing and loving, but we often turn away from Him when the going gets EASY. We’re always seeking Him in the hard times, but when things are easy we think (as I would say) we’ve got it cased. He was speaking from Nehemiah but I think Ezra tells the same story. Ezra also points to Christ, but that is a real big topic. :)
Anyway, the book of Ezra talks about the building of the temple at Jerusalem. Permission is given and then taken away (by the earthly kings that is) and then permission is again given and great blessings of funds and resources are poured all over the project. No sooner was the Temple completed but the Israelites, priests and Levites started to committing abominations against God’s Law. The dirty of it was they were taking daughters of foreign nations for wives of their sons and giving away their daughters as well. This is an other subject but let it be said that this is not what God wanted them to do at the time.
So Ezra rebukes them and tells them to repent of their sins. Ezra gets down on his knees and spreads his arms. He prays agreement with God and seeks forgiveness for all for their sins. The people come to him and see him while he’s praying. They all repent, and not only that they send away the foreign dauthers and sons, and God is glorified.
Vessels of Earth
As much as it is pleasing to ourselves to be good at something, to be seen as skilled, I believe sometimes God puts us where we feel least comfortable. This He does in order that we might glorify His Son. It is often in our failure, and inability that His victory and His power are most clearly shown.
1 Cor 1:17 says Christ sent Paul out to preach the Gospel, but not with "verbal eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force and emptied of its power and rendered vain."
2 Cor 3:5 says we are not fit in of ourselves, but that from God we get power, ability, and sufficiency.
2 Cor 4:7 says we posses the precious treasure of the Gospel in "vessels of earth" that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves. Our flesh bodies (these vessels of earth) are earthly and fallible. They are broken and decaying.
It is my prayer that this vessel can be of some use to the Lord. That I can work good in the world for His purpose.
1 Cor 1:17 says Christ sent Paul out to preach the Gospel, but not with "verbal eloquence, lest the cross of Christ should be deprived of force and emptied of its power and rendered vain."
2 Cor 3:5 says we are not fit in of ourselves, but that from God we get power, ability, and sufficiency.
2 Cor 4:7 says we posses the precious treasure of the Gospel in "vessels of earth" that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves. Our flesh bodies (these vessels of earth) are earthly and fallible. They are broken and decaying.
It is my prayer that this vessel can be of some use to the Lord. That I can work good in the world for His purpose.
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
First the Jew, then the Gentile
One of the many things I've learned through my recent study of Romans has been the true reason why Salvation was given to the Gentiles. I was studying Romans to learn more about Justification and Sanctification. Specifically I'm looking for the answer of how to live a Godly life. That study continues for me, and I'll be visiting it here soon. However, while I was looking for that knowledge the answer to why the Gentiles can now be saved was revealed to me. In simple terms the Gentile is saved to make the Jew so jealous he'll seek the grace that saves. The Word describes the Jews as "Law Keepers" speaking of spiritual law which has the purpose of showing us we are not worthy of salvation and moving us toward belief and trust in God for our salvation. However, many believe if you "keep" the law then you will be sinless. This is not the case.
For me, the reveal started in Romans 4:7
"Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried."
Now the Word is saying those of us who are Saved, (our sins covered by the Blood of Christ and buried in death)are to be "envied". The word "envied" stood out of the text like it was highlighted.
Then Romans 11:11-12 reveals
11 "So I ask, Have they (the Gentiles) stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their false step and transgression salvation [has come] to the Gentiles, so as to arouse Israel and so to make them jealous"
12 "Now if their stumbling has so enriched the world, and if [Israel's] failure means such riches for the Gentiles, think what an enrichment and greater advantage will follow their [Israel's] full reinstatement!"
In Romans 11:14 Paul goes on to make it perfectly clear.
"In the hope of making my fellow Jews jealous, and thus managing to save some of them."
Isn't it incredible? God has forever pursued the Jew. He has loved them from the begining and constantly given them everything they needed to stay with or return to Him. He is forever working for their good! Some have said it is an inconsistancy that the Gentile was not saved before but now is. However, this is God's expression to the Jew that Salvation doesn't come from the person but from God. That no matter how good or bad we think we are, God is the one who Saves. For even though the Gentiles were never given the Law, and so never kept it God's grace saves none the less! Thank you Jesus! We are saved by Grace, as all men have always been. Grace is simply, as the Amplified version repeats over and over, "unmerited favor". We do not deserve it, nor could we. It is given in and out of love.
That's all for today,
Kev
For me, the reveal started in Romans 4:7
"Blessed and happy and to be envied are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered up and completely buried."
Now the Word is saying those of us who are Saved, (our sins covered by the Blood of Christ and buried in death)are to be "envied". The word "envied" stood out of the text like it was highlighted.
Then Romans 11:11-12 reveals
11 "So I ask, Have they (the Gentiles) stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their false step and transgression salvation [has come] to the Gentiles, so as to arouse Israel and so to make them jealous"
12 "Now if their stumbling has so enriched the world, and if [Israel's] failure means such riches for the Gentiles, think what an enrichment and greater advantage will follow their [Israel's] full reinstatement!"
In Romans 11:14 Paul goes on to make it perfectly clear.
"In the hope of making my fellow Jews jealous, and thus managing to save some of them."
Isn't it incredible? God has forever pursued the Jew. He has loved them from the begining and constantly given them everything they needed to stay with or return to Him. He is forever working for their good! Some have said it is an inconsistancy that the Gentile was not saved before but now is. However, this is God's expression to the Jew that Salvation doesn't come from the person but from God. That no matter how good or bad we think we are, God is the one who Saves. For even though the Gentiles were never given the Law, and so never kept it God's grace saves none the less! Thank you Jesus! We are saved by Grace, as all men have always been. Grace is simply, as the Amplified version repeats over and over, "unmerited favor". We do not deserve it, nor could we. It is given in and out of love.
That's all for today,
Kev
Why Me? Why Now? Why Here?
So the title is full of whys. Isn't that a lot like the world? We're always looking for why this or why that. Well the why of this blog is simply that I'm anxious to be closer to Him. I'm a Christian who's learning. I'm a Christian on my personal walk to be closer to Him. I figure if I'm learning, I should be sharing. So I'm going to be talking about what I'm learning and what's happening in my life as the days go by. The Holy Spirit is working in my life in a great way right now. I'm studying like I've never been able to before. I'm currently working through the Pauline Epistles. I'm taking notes and so I'm going to be sharing what I learn with who ever manages to find this blog. I'm a Gentile and Paul is the appostle who was sent to the Gentiles. I'm praying for and receiving understanding of God's Will and His Word through Paul's writings.
I'm a bassplayer as well. So I'm sure I'll be touching on music and how it affects my life.
May God's love be the light of your life, may you walk on His path and by His wisdom. May the Lord sustain you.
Kev
I'm a bassplayer as well. So I'm sure I'll be touching on music and how it affects my life.
May God's love be the light of your life, may you walk on His path and by His wisdom. May the Lord sustain you.
Kev
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