Unity of Believers

 Eph 4:3

Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Unity. The state of being united or joined as a whole. I have no illusions that it is possible to be united in every facet of life. We were not created to be robots, programmed to all think alike. God created us with unique personalities and with a will to think for ourselves and make decisions that we believe to be right. Having unity among believers is made possible when there is a common goal to live our lives to please the Lord, but it may not come without effort. Because we are uniquely made by God, we will no doubt not view every situation and problem in the same way. We may be unified in our goal, but not unified in how it is achieved. Maintaining unity is always a work in progress. It is an endeavor that requires intentionality. Unity does not just happen because we all love Jesus. Chances are, there will be many times that we will not see things eye to eye. What is important is to maintain the spirit of Christ in our hearts.  We may not all think alike, but our hearts can be united to keep our spirits in the likeness of Christ. Love and peace can still abide when Christ dwells among us. The Spirit of Christ that lives within each believer compels us to live with an attitude to preferring one another, not allowing strife and contention to arise. There will be times when things are said and done that can lead to division, but Paul says to work hard, make every effort to keep peace and be kind in our spirits. Keeping the unity of the Spirit is essential if we are going to see the Kingdom of God accomplished. 

A Merry Heart

 Proverbs 11:22
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.

God created us with a body, mind, and spirit. But most important is that we have the breath of God in us,  God gave us a soul that will live on forever. Without going into a deep dive, suffice to say that our soul is a separate entity from what is visually observed through human observation. Jesus makes this distinction when He said, “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” The condition of our soul should always be top priority. This is not to say that we should not care for the well being of our body, mind, and heart (emotions). We are the temple of God, earthen vessels that God desires to fill and use for His glory. In our humanity, we represent Christ in every aspect of our lives. How we treat our body, the thoughts we think, and how we express our emotions (spirit). Our attitude in life is a manifestation of our spirit. We do live in troubled days, and having a cheerful and merry heart is made difficult with the sadness that surrounds us. Having a merry heart comes with believing God is the source of our contentment, He alone can bring true joy to the heart.  With purpose, we rejoice in the Lord, we find that God is good, and can make the heart glad. “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it”- Psalm 118:24

Small Things

 Zech. 4:6,10
Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts…. For who hath despised the day of small things?

Small things done in Jesus' Name are great in the eyes of God. God takes our little efforts and uses it to do great things. Like the widows with her vessel with little oil, God took what little she had and multiplied it. Like Gideon with his small band of 300, the Spirit of God did a miracle and defeated their enemy. We may feel that our efforts amount to little, but God takes the things we do in Jesus' Name and uses it for His glory. Jesus said, “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. Even a cup of cold water, a little thing will be a great gain in the Kingdom's work. You don’t have to be wealthy or talented to do little things to help build the Kingdom of God. Serving tables, reaching out to those that are hurting, listening to and caring for those who are broken in spirit, in everything we do, even the small things matter to God. Don’t despise the small things that are done for Him.

Walk in the Spirit

 Gal 5:24,25
And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts…If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

It is the lust of the flesh, the carnal sinful nature of man that wars against us walking in the Spirit. Having accepted the gift of God, salvation through Christ, our lives have been transformed. Our sins have been washed away in the blood of Jesus. Those things that we have done in the past have all been put to death. We no longer live to gratify the lust of sinful flesh. The experience of holiness, or sanctification provides us with the filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives. As we walk in the light of God, we come to a place in our lives that we have not only put to death the lust of our flesh, but we surrender the totality of our being. Everything we have, everything we are given to God. We learn to live and walk in the Spirit, giving us the power to triumph over sin and the temptations that Satan brings before us. What does it mean to walk in the Spirit? Walking in the Spirit is to yield ourselves to what God wants and desires of us, to live blameless and without filling the lust of the flesh. If we fail to walk in the Spirit, He is faithful to call us back to Him. Paul was clear that if we continue to live a life fulfilling the lust of the flesh, that we cannot inherit the kingdom (heaven). Living, and walking in the Spirit will keep us faithful to the way God wants us to live.

Live in the Spirit

 Gal 5:24-25

And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

If Christ owns our life, then our sinful affections and desires have been nailed to the cross of Christ. We now live in the Spirit and the fruits (attitude, actions, affections) of our lives now reflect the life of Christ. We no longer live and follow the ways of the flesh if we continue to walk according to the fruits of the Spirit.

Worship Him

 John 4:23-24
The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” 
The place of worship is a special place. I often feel that God dwells nearer in these places. The reality is that God is not confined to a location or building. I still feel that the house of God holds special meaning, and that He is pleased that we have dedicated a place to gather together as believers to praise and worship Him as a collective body of worshipers. But as true worshipers of the Father, we worship Him everywhere we go. We worship Him in the way we live. Christ is the center of our lives, and in everything we give thanks. He is the air we breath, we find solace in knowing that He walks with us, talks with us, and abides in us. I love to worship Him in His house, but God is not seen in the material things of this world, He is seen in the hearts of believers, and we worship Him in spirit and in truth. 

Seek The Lord

Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

The scripture implies that the there are seasons in our lives when God is found. We don’t decide to seek God on our timeline. The attitude of finding God when it is convenient is folly. We don’t come to God on our terms. It is the Spirit that draws us, and His Spirit will not always tarry. When is God near? When can He be found? The Lord brings things in our lives that cause us to focus our attention and awakens our spirit to our need. It is times like these that He may be found. Going to places (church) where His presences is known is a good place to find Him. His presences is not restricted to the four walls of a church, but it is a good place to start. A place where the word of God is preached, His name is lifted up and praised. Begin to read His word and let the Spirit of God work in your heart. His word is quick and powerful, sharper than any two edge sword. It will pierce the heart and draw you to Him. Seek Him now, don’t wait till tomorrow. Tomorrow may be too late.

Witness of God

Roman 8:16  The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

What is this Spirit? He is the Spirit of God, Spirit of Christ, Spirit of life, Spirit of Adoption, the Spirits that dwells in each believer that has allowed the flesh to be mortified and put away. He who has yielded their members to the things of God and allowed the Spirit to led them. The condition “if” is given 8 times in the contexts of this verse. If we let God, then God will do. If we trust and obey, He will see us through. His Spirit will witness to our spirit that we our His child when the conditions have been made. His Spirit will not dwell in a heart that is full of sin and hatred. His Spirit will not abide if the members of the flesh live after the flesh. What a comfort to know that we can be a children of God and that His Spirit can live and direct our lives.

One Offering

Hebrew 10:12.14  But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;…  For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Them that are set apart, believing that Jesus died on the cross to forgive us of our sins, He hath made them perfect in heart. Because of Adam’s transgression, all born into this world are born with sin, but God sent His son to be the one offering to redeem man from his sinful state. We have not yet arrived, and we are a work in progress. Perfect in heart, with a singleness toward the will of God. But we are earthen vessels, prone to weakness and failures. Our body and mind, and emotions are imperfect and subject to breaking down. God takes this vessel, fills it with His Spirit and uses it for His purpose. He is the potter, we are the clay. He is molding and making us into His perfect will. We need to keep are hands off the wheel and let Him do what He must to make us what we ought to be. 

Pour Out His Spirit

Isaiah 44:3  For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. 

There are seasons in our lives that we go through dry spells. We continue to do what is right and follow the Lord in all things. We tarry before Him and pray for showers of His presence. then the clouds of shower begin to fall. It is just like Jesus to pour out His Spirit out to them that tarry before Him. He know just what we need and when we need it. 

In The Spirit

Romans: 8:8,9a So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit…”

A person who has turned their life over to Christ will no longer live a life of sin. The scripture is clear that if Christ be in you, then the Spirit will provide the means for the Christians to overcome the temptation to sin. We were born in sin and were dead in our sin, but accepting and believing in Jesus has allowed the Spirit to quicken us to life. Once dead in sin, now alive in Christ. Through the Spirit we are able to subdue lustful desires that originate from the carnal body. If we desire to please God, we cannot allow the flesh to rule how we act and behave. We must deny (mortify)  any fleshly desire by the help of the Spirit in order to please God. 

Walking in the Spirit

Galatians 5:13-26
April 27th, 2008
There are many scriptures in God’s word that speak of a definite second work of God’s grace. The experience of the in-filling of the Holy Spirit, or “thee sanctification” is clearly taught in the scriptures. Paul does not mention in this book of any second filling of God’s Spirit, but Paul was concern that the Galatians were not allowing the Spirit to led them to a life of complete surrender to God. He sets the standard for Christian living, and insisted that the Holy Spirit is the only one that can bring them to the place of full deliverance and complete consecration to God. The Spirit leads Christian to the realization that Christ not only died for the sins that have been committed, but to knowledge that the nature of sin must be crucified. This is done as we walk in Spirit and come to the truth of full surrender to the complete will of God.

Liberty in Christ
• Set free from the law
• Freedom from bondage of sin
• Freedom with responsibility
Love and Serve
• Love trumps liberty
• Greatest commandment
• What does it mean to love self?
• Serving- doing for others
Lust of the Flesh
• The line between the carnal & human
• The war between the Flesh & Spirit
• Manifestation of the Flesh
• Sinning religion- “shall not inherit the kingdom”
Led by the Spirit
• Walk in the Light (Christ)
• Let us go on unto perfection
• Follow peace and holiness
• Failure to walk in the Spirit results in backsliding
Living in the Spirit
• Demonstrated by the fruit we bare
• They that belong to Christ will not fulfill the flesh
• How do we live in the Spirit?
Letting go of Self
• The flesh has to be put to death- “death route”
• Entire Sanctification is completed when Self is surrender to God
• It is not about me (vain glory), but about Christ

Justified By Faith

April, 13th, 2008
Galatians 3:1-14
Paul writing to the Galatians was totally bewildered how quickly they had been fooled. They were being taught that staying saved and being made perfect was done by keeping the law. He eloquently revealed to them through scripture, that faith in God’s promise (Christ) was the only way. It was the Spirit that begun the work and it is the Spirit that will bring it to perfection. We our not made perfect or more spiritual by keeping rules, it is our faith in God’s Spirit through Christ to bring us unto perfection and perfect obedience.

Bewitched and Fooled
• Galatians- Intellectual minds being fooled
• Obedience to the truth neglected
• Crucified with Christ- dead to the law
Brought to Question
• Persuaded by logic
• Where did this experience come from?
• Reflect back to day you got saved?
Begun in the Spirit
• The Work of the Spirit
• Receiving the Spirit in Salvation
Being Made Perfect
• Made perfect by faith or works (outward rules)
• Perfection is obtain through faith
Building in Vain
• All of their efforts of the past are for not
• Casting away that which they suffered for.
Believing God as Abraham
• The promise was give to Abraham before the law
• Abraham’s trust was in God, not a set of rules
Blessed with Abraham
• The Blessing (the promise) of Abraham to the Gentiles
• Heir of Abraham because of our faith in God promises
• The father of the faithful to all who believe.
• The promise of the Spirit only through faith
• Argument: The SEED is Christ, all nations are blessed
Book of Laws
• Was establish to show how sinful we are
• The is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ
• The Law requires payment and justice
• All have sinned (our cursed) and come short
Bought with a Price
• Christ took on the curse (the judgment-payment) for us
• We our redeemed through his death on the cross
• Atonement was made- Christ fulfill the law’s requirements