Love and Hate

We cannot love God without hating that which he hates.

~ Spurgeon

What kind of church does Jesus want?

If the church belongs to Jesus and exists for Him, then it needs to find out what Jesus wants and give it to Him. “Is this what Jesus wants?  Is this the kind of church Jesus wants?” is the most vital question a church can ask.

The most important issue

The first issue everyone must face, and the first question we should always ask ourselves is, do we love the LORD our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? This should be the first thing we need to be sure of every day. We shouldn’t go ahead with any daily duties until this matter has been established.

Is there anything we love more than God? Is there anything in our life which competes with our love for God?

One new tribe

We come from every tribe and every nation and we become one new tribe, one body of Christ.

I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
(Matthew 16:18-19)

I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH…      …so, if you don’t believe in the Sovereignty of God you better get out of His way, cos He is going to build His church anyway, whether it offends your theology or not. Either get out of His way, or surrender to Him as the builder of the church, and the One to whom the sheep belong.

It means we have to get with His plan and what He is doing, moment by moment. Note in the text that even though Jesus is the Builder, He gives His keys to us, and He will work with us, as we work with Him: perfect harmony.

He uses people as His instruments, but only those who believe that it is He who is building His church, and that He builds with living stones: you and I, a building not made with human hands: a spiritual family.

To understand man-made church, the church not built by Jesus, read Revelation 17.

My glory, my righteousness

My glory, my righteousness, is Jesus Christ.

By faith you stand

…By faith you stand.

(2 Cor. 1:24b)

God’s wealth

God’s wealth is His people, and our wealth should be God and His people.

Spiritual nature of faith

…To another faith by the same Spirit…

(I Corinthians 12:9a)

This refers to an exceptional gift of faith: extraordinary faith given to certain individuals.

Now, if faith can be given like this, just as any other spiritual gift is given, this means it is spiritual by nature, and also implies that all faith is, similarly, a gift from God, for all faith must be of the same nature.

The first witnesses

And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men…

…Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.

(Matthew 28:2-4, 11)

Regarding the soldiers posted to guard the tomb of Jesus, firstly they felt a great earthquake. Not a mild one, a great one. Everything shook, including them. Next, they saw a great angel come down, and this scared them to the extent that they shook and fainted, and fell down on the ground paralyzed with fear.

The angel flashed and shone like lightning. The guards saw him roll the stone away and then sit upon that stone. Why did he sit upon the stone? To watch Jesus walk out of the tomb, obviously.

Jesus walked out. The angel sat on the stone watching. The guards were watching, albeit pinned to the ground, still paralyzed with fear. Then, Jesus was gone.

With only an empty tomb left to guard, the guards then went to see the chief priests, and told them what they saw happen. These unbelievers were the first witnesses and heralds of Jesus resurrection. The chief priests knew they were telling the truth, and yet their hearts were so hardened they tried to keep His resurrection a secret, even though they knew it to be true. And the soldiers were still totally unrepentant even after seeing the angel and seeing the Lord Jesus walk out of the tomb.

And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
(Matthew 28:12-15)

So, these guys saw the resurrection happen with their own eyes and still did not believe.

People need to know

And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

(Revelation 20:15)

Man can’t figure it all out

I’ve had Christians mock the idea that there are mysteries concerning God, who seem to think they’ve got Him all figured out. But, just look at the life which makes living organisms living. What is this life? Man can observe it, but he can’t produce it or even begin to understand what it is. But God knows what it is. He created it. There are no mysteries with God, nothing is a mystery for Him. You don’t need to fully comprehend something before acknowledging it exists.

As unselfconscious as breathing

Hearing God’s voice should be as unselfconscious as breathing for the one who has Christ in them.

The first hour

In the first hour of Adam’s life he stood on his feet and looked around, then he walked, yet he had not been taught how to walk – he looked at his hands and feet and he knew what they were made for and how to use them.

And maybe he heard a voice speaking to him, “I am your Father, I just created you”.

And, instantly Adam could understand and speak a language he never learned, and understand what a Father is, and know that God was his Father, and know that he is loved by his Father, and love Him.

And Adam knew that he was a man, the only man who had ever existed.

A life of dependency

The person who is TOTALLY dependent on the Holy Spirit is the one who is filled with the Holy Spirit.

Of course, even quite deluded folk may agree with this statement, but i’m referring to the true Holy Spirit who causes us to be conformed to the truth of God’s Word, and not to a counterfeit spirit which makes a person dependent on feelings and manifestations.

Feel the love

Israel should be annihilated, Iranian official says

(Jerusalem Post)

As much as we want

And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.  (John 6:11)

They had as much fish and bread as they wanted: they could eat as much as they liked: an all-you-can-eat banquet.

When Jesus gives a feast you can eat as much as you like.

This speaks to us of spiritual communion with Christ: we can have as much of Him as we want: we can feast on the Bread of Life as much as we want: there is no lack of supply, there is always more offered us than we could ever eat.

Our response to the Cross

Some people make a fuss about whether repentance from sin is part of the Gospel. Look at this way, Paul said he did not want them to know anything except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. Paul preached the Cross. Now, what is the only appropriate response a sinner can make to the realization that Christ hung on the Cross for their sins? The only acceptable response is to believe in Him and repent of our sins. Any other response is unacceptable.

How can I, by faith, gaze upon my crucified Savior and still embrace the very sin which crucified Him?

We are to present to sinners (and that’s everyone) the fact that Christ has already suffered and died for their sins on the Cross (He’s done it already, He’s not going to do it again) and that salvation is simply to respond to His finished work on the Cross.

But if a person responds and remains unrepentant, they simply bring double damnation on themselves.

Only one Man can help

There is only one Person in the whole world who can impart life to your soul, and He is Jesus. No other person in the world can impart life into your soul, no other person can save, forgive and restore you. I was remembering Robin Williams (an actor who committed suicide) who seemed to have everything in life, and everything this world offers, and yet he had an inner-torment, and no one in this world could help him, other than Jesus. None of his closest friends, or even his wife, could help him: as much as they may have tried to help him, there’s nothing, really, they could have done, for there’s only one Person who can touch our soul and make us whole. The world can give you everything except peace, everything except life. The world can give you everything your flesh desires, but it can never satisfy your soul.

Contentment

And having food and clothes let us be therewith content.  (I Timothy 6:8)

Then, why are so many Christians lacking contentment and true happiness?

They have not yet found full contentment in Christ. When you are content living IN Him, then you are content with only food and clothes.

Unless you have full contentment with Christ Jesus alone, don’t think about trying to do anything until you obtain this contentment.