Where God works

Where God works, he works with men that work.

~ Charles Spurgeon

Enjoy friendship with the Son of God

Enjoy friendship with the Son of God. Accept His terms and get on good terms with Him by accepting the reconciliation He has made and repenting, and you will grow to love Him above all others.

Jesus said that any believer can do what He did

Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believes on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. John 14:12-14

It’s interesting to note here that the promise of asking for anything in Jesus name is given within the context of following Jesus and doing the same works as He did. It is to ask the Father to do the same supernatural healing and deliverance which Jesus did. These are the “same works” of which He is referring to.

Also, interesting that this promise that we can do what Jesus did is given to he that believes on Jesus. There is absolutely no differentiation or distinction, the only qualifier is that the person believes.

(Thanks to Billy Witt for reminding me of this)

Does it glorify God?

Does it glorify God? This is one of the most useful questions we can ask ourselves. It gets us thinking about what it means to live for the glory and honor of Jesus name, and we can so easily lose touch with what it means to glorify Him with our life.

Objectivity or subjectivity?

On Facebook i observe a full-on assault of “Christians” questioning the authority of Scripture.

The truth about God (which is the only truth worth knowing) has to be objective, absolute truth. Either a person sees the Bible as absolute truth, or they have a subjective view of truth, which is no truth by its own definition.

They are asking us to believe something subjective, which has no basis except their own mind or opinion, and place that above the objective truth of Scripture.

Subjectivity is THE problem today. The problem is in people even accepting subjective thought as being valid in the first place.

If anyone projects or teaches any truth which is not Bible truth then they are projecting a subjective “truth”.

And the Christian world loves it! They are lapping it up and buying into it in a big way and making the smiley merchandisers of it very wealthy in the process.

I’m sorry, I don’t believe you. Show me that in the Bible!

I think many don’t relate this truth of objective or absolute truth to their understanding of the Church. When the topic is the Church and how she should function then RARELY is the Bible the sole source of truth which people base their understanding and practice on. And many who claim to be Bible fundamentalists are, ironically, very unbiblical in their understanding and practice of church.

And that is our calling in these final days, to call the Church back to the fact that the Scriptures are the EXCLUSIVE source and authority for how the Church should be and function.

Objections to the NT pattern?

Any objections to doing the NT pattern for church ultimately comes down to the issue of either money or pride, and both of these usually go hand in hand.

Sin earns a wage

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom. 6:23

Sin always earns a wage. It always accrues a payment, and that payment is death. In the Bible, death is described as simply being separation from God, and that separation is a terrifying desolation, hopelessness and misery.

Even if the redeemed sinner sins, who has received the gift of eternal life in Jesus, then the payment which he is paid is to be given a small taste of death, to feel what it is like to break fellowship and communion with his Father and with his Lord. It is death. And only those who have been given the gift of life in Jesus truly know what death tastes like, and sin is death to them and they avoid sin just as much as they avoid being killed, for it’s the same thing.

That sin earns a wage is as sure a law as the law of gravity – it doesn’t matter whether a person believes in the law of gravity or not, they are subject to it – gravity doesn’t show any partiality or favoritism and treats both rich and poor the same. In the same way it doesn’t matter what you believe about the Bible for everything written there will apply to you and will have eternal consequences for you, as they are the words of God sent to you.

It is preposterous to think that God will not do exactly what He said He will do. People misjudge Him. They want to make Him out to be like them, someone who may or may not keep their word.

What is greater than knowing God?

What is greater than knowing God?

Conforming

The Bible reveals that people can be conformed to many things and that each person WILL be conformed to something or someone, they will never be an exclusively free-agent, whether they think they are or not.

There is:

Conformity to the world.
Conformity to sin.
Conformity to the self-life, the flesh.
Conformity to demons.
Conformity to a religious leader.
Conformity to a group of religious leaders.
Conformity to a religious system, institution or movement.
Conformity to the OT ritual laws.
Conformity to certain principles.
Conformity to a certain way of thinking.
Conformity to a certain theology.
Conformity to a culture.
Conformity to tradition.
Conformity to fashion.
Conformity to an idol.
Conformity to the power of money or wealth.
Conformity to parents and family.
Conformity to one’s self-identity (apart from Christ).

And, finally…

…there is conformity to the Son of God – being recreated into His very image and likeness, and becoming like Him in every sphere of our being.

This begins when we conform to His words, His Truth and cleave to Him BY FAITH.

Note, that conformity to Christ is mutually exclusive to conformity to all the things on the list above. The true disciple always has to choose over being conformed to Jesus Christ or conformed to something or someone else.

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it. For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or suffer loss? Luke 9:23-25

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Rom. 8:29

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Rom. 12:1-2

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor. 3:18

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. 2 Cor. 4:6-7

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ… Eph. 4:15

To which he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thess. 2:14

But whoever keeps his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: by this we know that we are in him. He that says he abides in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 1 John 2:5-6

Beloved, now are we the children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2

Just do it!

My brother Michael Fackerell says:

“I love being part of a church plant where we can actually concentrate on what the Holy Spirit is doing rather than going through a traditional contemporary church/nominal pentecostal liturgy. This way, we are thrilled with the presence of God each time and we see lives changed. Maybe its time to stop pretending that all is well and that we can do all this church stuff without really changing at a profound level, and that God is satisfied.”

My sentiments exactly! We want a NT church which is led by the Holy Spirit in the same way that the original 1st century churches were led by the Spirit, with the same understanding and practice of assembling together as they had.

Do this:

“How is it then, brethren? when you come together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that in turn; and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God. Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the others judge. If anything be revealed to another that sits by, let the first hold his peace. For you may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.” (1 Cor. 14:26-33)

Just do this. These are the commands of God for His church! This is the way He wants it. Note the total dependency on the empowering, leading and direction of the Holy Spirit. Preaching is supposed to be prophesying under the anointing of the Holy Spirit. And anyone can prophesy in the assembly. Anyone.

Anyone can bring forth a psalm, a teaching, a tongue, a revelation, or an interpretation. Anyone can lead the assembly in a song or a prayer.

Frederick McCubbin (1889)

Repentance is the soul’s divorce from sin

Repentance is being sorry enough to quit your sin. You will never know the forgiving mercy of God while you are still wedded to your sins. Repentance is the soul’s divorce from sin, but it will always be joined to faith… Repentance that is not joined to faith is a legalistic repentance… Professed faith that is not joined to repentance is a spurious faith, for true faith is faith in Christ to save me not in but from my sin. Repentance and faith are inseparable, and ‘unless you repent you will all likewise perish’ (Luke 13:3).

~ Albert Martin

Shun superstitious unbiblical theologies

Paul desired that we all speak in tongues, but more importantly that we all prophesy (1 Cor. 14:5). If your pastor announced today that he desired you all speak in tongues then many would take that as too extreme. Why? Any scriptural reason why it would be too extreme for all the members of the church to pray in tongues in private? (And not all at once in the church) Not one. So shun superstitious unbiblical theologies.

Overlap

We should not draw a firm line between preaching, evangelism and apologetics. Read Acts; Paul didn’t.

~ Kevin DeYoung

We should also not draw a line between us and the kind of life and church Paul had.

My experience of church

We see our brethren as real friends whom we want to spend time with and love being with. That’s been my experience of church the last 24 years or so.

Church means “assembly” – it is the act of assembling together in Jesus name. The meaning is dynamic not static, it is defined by the act of assembling. If a person doesn’t assemble then they are not in the assembly, they are not in the church.

Jesus changed His mind?

In the western post-Christian countries the unbelief is so thick in the air that you could almost carve it with a knife and serve it up. Did you know that the teaching that Jesus no longer heals the sick or casts out demons is extremely offensive to Jesus Christ, for it makes Him out to be a liar and a fool. It is the sin of unbelief. There is no way you can dress it up into being a virtue. That Jesus changed His mind about healing and deliverance is such a pathetic proposition. Such a doctrine of demons was hatched in the lukewarm incubator of a dead Laodicean evangelical church and is propagated by fat middle-class men who make a comfortable living milking money out of Bible-illiterate Christians. But within the contextual atmosphere of unbelief and materialism it seems reasonable to people. It fits the culture.

Open your heart and your home

A lot of people are looking for a biblical fellowship to attend. That’s good. But in the meantime we have the authority in Jesus to meet in His name in the 2s and 3s to begin with. If we reach out more we may find church happening anywhere and in the homes of people we least expected it to happen. How many “out of church” Christians have really sacrificed their private space and time for Jesus and opened their home to folks?

HELL IS VERY HOT

And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

(Bcos what he will suffer in hell is far worse than what he would suffer if he was merely drowned in the sea)

And if your hand offend you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.

And if your foot offends you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter lame into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: Where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.

And if your eye offend you, pluck it out: it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: Where the worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched.

For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. Salt is good: but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

Mark 9:42-50

Why don’t people take Jesus Christ seriously?

Just a comment on cutting off your hand or foot or plucking out your eye. Jesus is saying that it would obviously be far less painful to repent of the sin your hand, foot or eye is committing than to cut it off, right? Repentance is the option Jesus wants us to choose. Then no need to cut off any part of the body.

Thanks bro Bohumil for sharing this verse

Whosoever abides in Him sins not: whosoever sins has not seen Him, neither known Him. Little children, let no man deceive you: he that does righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. 1 John 3:6-7

The death of sin springs from the death of self

Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3-4

I think we often try and treat the symptoms rather than the disease. We find Christians railing against sin and screaming repentance whose self-life and ego seem to be still very much alive and kicking and doing well.

The death of sin can only truly spring from the death of self. Self must die and then sin has to die for it has no grounds to exist anymore, it has nothing to sustain it anymore and give it “life” if the person is dead to self – all bcos of their faith in Jesus, that they believe they were baptized into His death.

When the self-life, the life of pride, your proud, independent human identity as a person apart from Christ, tries to resurrect then remember that that man was baptized into the death of Christ. The new man is a different man, he is not the same man who died, now you no longer live but Christ lives in you (2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 2:20).

Man-made Christianity sometimes focuses on the death of sin while bypassing or avoiding the death of self. A preacher may rail against sin and scream repentance while at the same time have one eye in the mirror and still be very much in love with himself and think himself to be a very important person and spend much time promoting himself as someone elite and special. It’s like prescribing Disprin to a patient with terminal cancer. It’s like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Just bcos sin is preached against it doesn’t mean that the death of self is a reality there.

Denying oneself and taking up one’s cross and following Jesus (Luke 9:23) means that thru the bearing of our cross God causes the death of our self. A man carrying a cross is a man walking to his death. We died when we were born again. That’s why we were born again, cos we died. And yet God’s work of conforming us to the death and resurrection of His Son begun on that wonderful day of our new birth (Phil. 3:10).

If sin is still alive in us then it is due to us not being dead to self. Yes, God addresses sin in our life, but He always strikes His ax at the roots of sin, which is self-identity (Luke 3:9). In your deepest inner-man identify yourself as dead to sin and self, buried and risen with Christ, by faith! He must be our full identity, and then He will be our glory!

Know you not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

When you think death of self, think life of Christ within you.