Month: March 2012

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2Timothy 3:16-17)

Paul’s instruction to Timothy in earlier chapters was to remind him to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (Ch.1:6-7). Paul’s need to remind this young pastor, teacher, was to take courage and perform all of God’s will for his life, for it is God’s power, through the Holy Spirit who would perform this work of ministry in his life. Now, here in our text, Paul reveals to Timothy by what authority he has in the Scriptures of God’s written word. All Scriptures – accurately describes that both OT Scriptures and NT Scriptures are given to us by divine inspiration. Given by inspiration of God – Litterally “breathed out by God” or “God breathed” Sometimes God told the Bible writers the exact words to say, example : Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.” (Jeremiah 1:9). But more often He used their minds, and vocabularies, and experiences from which to write His own perfect infallible, inerrant Word. This is only applicable to the original writers of Scripture, and is so identified with God that when the Scriptures speak, God speaks (Romans 9:17). The Scriptures provide a complete and comprehensive body of divine truth and instruction necessary for life and godliness. Reproof – It rebukes wrong behavior or wrong belief and exposes sin that can then be dealt with through confession and repentance. Correction – It brings the restoration of something to its proper condition. Instruction in righteousness – Scripture provides positive training when used in the right context for godly behavior, not only for wrong behavior. Man of God – The Christian, pastor / teacher, may be complete – able to do all of God’s calling on your life. Thoroughly equipped – And finally enabling you to meet all the demands of godly ministry and live righteously, the Word of God not only accomplishes this in the life of the man of God, but in all who will believe in Jesus Christ, through his word ( John 17:20).

Dear Friend, Stay in the Word that you may fulfill the will of God in your life. People will know that you are a Christian, by how you rely upon the Scriptures for your life.

May the Lord bless your walk today!

That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened  with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; (Ephesians 3:16-17)

In this beautiful prayer to the Ephesian church, Paul’s prayers are almost always for the spiritual welfare of other believer’s. According to the riches of His glory – Paul points out the limit less grace that is available to every believer, which in turn gives Spiritual power and that is the mark for every Christian who submits to God’s Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit. It is not reserved for any special class of Christian, but is for all those who take the time to study the Word, grow in understanding of it, and put it into practical application and live by it. The Bible does say Although the outer man, the physical body becomes weaker with age (2Cor.4:16), the inner man, spiritual person should grow stronger through the working of the Holy Spirit. That Christ may dwell in your hearts – Every believer is indwelt by Christ at the moment of salvation (Romans 8:9) but is He “at home” in your heart? The believer’s life is comforted and finds great peace and satisfaction when their hearts are cleansed from sin and filled with His life – giving Spirit (John 14:23) This speaks of Christians continuing trust in Christ to exercise His Lordship over their lives and maturing into useful vessels for God.

Dear Christian friend, Stay encouraged in your walk with Lord, God is still sovereignly working a great and mighty work through you, when you let Christ be at home in you, your life will have a dramatic effect in ministring to the needs of others.

May the Lord bless your walk today!

Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself is able to aid those who are tempted. (Hebrews 2:17-18)

This declaration that Jesus Christ first had to suffer, and be tempted in every human way, in order to fulfill one of His divine titles, in this case: High Priest. His mercy and faithfulness as the Son of God, and High Priest give us hope in that we can be seen by Him as someone who understands what we go through in this life, and that He is able to see us through our times of trial and temptation. By His sinless and perfect life while in human form, He became the Father’s acceptable and perfect sacrifice for atoning our sins as a Lamb offered without blemish, so Jesus Christ offered His life in order to satisfy the Father’s requirement for atoning the sins of us all. And because we have a Great High Priest who can sympathize with our weakness, He is able to see us through difficulties in life we’re facing because of what He endured. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin (Hebrews 12:3-4). This is telling us that there has only been One, who has suffered to the point of bloodshed, which was what God the Father required, and still be without sin, to atone for the sins of everyone who has ever lived (John 3:16).

Beloved Friend, Take the offer God has offered to us through faith in His Son, Christ the Lord, that through Him and His sacrifice, We have forgiveness and eternal life and the comfort of knowing that He is able to help us in our time of need.

May the Lord bless your walk with Him!

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arugments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

Although  a mere man, Paul did not fight the spiritual battle for men’s souls using human ingenuity, or worldly wisdom or philosphies, such impotent weapons are no match and are powerless against the forces of Satanic darkness that oppose God’s people, and cannot free any souls and bring them to maturity in Christ. They are useless against false teaching that leads men astray during Paul’s day, and so it is certainly true of us today. No Paul, however, did not place his trust in these things. The Christian life is warfare that is waged on a spiritual plane, it cannot be seen with the naked eye, but it is real indeed. The word stronghold here is a metaphor that would have been readily understood by the Corinthian church since in the city of Corinth, like most ancient cities, had a fortress built on top of a hill south of the city in which its residents could take refuge. God’s Word is the believer’s weapon that will demolish the Satanic strongholds of false doctrine, that enslave people in believing that they are saved when they are not. It is know as the “Sword of the Spirit” Paul wrote the Ephesian church to put on the full armor of God, emphasizing the only offensive weapon was the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. How important is the studying of Scriptures? For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). God’s Word is living and powerful, from Genesis to Revelation it is known as the whole counsel of God. It is also revealing who Christ is, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).

Beloved friend, don’t hold back in your time spent with God in His Word, It will have a dramatic effect in how you live the rest of your life! More importantly, people you love need to hear about Jesus, and His offer of redemption and eternal life. Studying His Word will never leave you without hope.

May the Lord bless your walk today!

Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins. (James 5:19-20)

There are among us today, like in the early church, professing believer’s who have strayed from the truth. Such people are in grave danger and the church must do what it can to call them back to their first love (Rev. 2:4). James has in mind here those who have dead faith, and have gone astray from sound doctrine. And have lifestyles that doesn’t match one who is living according to biblical principles. This person who wanders away from the truth puts his soul in jeopardy for the “death” in view here is eternal separation from God and eternal punishment in hell (Daniel 12:2). Knowing how serious a cost this is, the Christian who is walking with the Lord should show his love and compassion for these people and not be swayed to give up on them. Since even one sin can separate us from a holy God, James uses the word “multitude” emphasizing the hopeless condition of the lost, unregenerate sinner. The good news of the gospel is that God’s forgiving grace, is greater than any sin (Romans 5:20) and is available to those who turn from their sins and exercise their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and His offer of forgiveness and eternal life.

Dear friend, It is great if you are walking in obedience, but chances are, there is someone in your life who is not, and needs to know what you know about God and His Words of truth the Bible. Won’t you step out in faith and trust the Lord to use you, to help others be turned around before it’s too late?

May the Lord bless your walk with Him!

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2Timothy 2:15)

These words from Paul to young Timothy represent zealous persistence in accomplishing a goal. Timothy, like all who preach or teach the Word, was to give his maximum effort to impart God’s Word completely, accurately, and clearly to his hearers of the early church. This is crucial to counter the disasterous effects of false teaching rightly dividing – litterally means “cutting it straight” a reference to the exactness demanded by such trades as carpentry, masonry, and Paul’s trade of leather working and tentmaking. Precision and accuracy are required in bibilical interpretation, beyond all other trades because the interpreter is handling God’s Word. Anything less is shameful and brings reproach to God’s work of salvation.

My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment (James 3:1). So you see that being called into the ministry by God holds with it a greater responsibility and an accountability to God and His people who listen to His Words of truth, to be a wise steward rightly dividing the Word to instruct others not be under the subjection of false teachers. When you know your Bible clearly, and study it regularly, Satan can’t deceive you with the twisting of truth and lead you astray. It’s incredibly shameful for people to be sitting in churches across America, and be illiterate of their Bibles, unless their new converts, and will naturally need to be discipled. The church’s biggest weakness is in trying to win the people over they turn to man – made devices of “feel good” messages, and entertainment instead of the whole counsel of God’s Word. While heaven is so important to the believers understanding of their future destination, so is the teaching about hell, and being eternally separated from God because of unbelief in His Son, Jesus Christ, and His offer of redemption.

Beloved friend, Where are you in all this? Are you a student of the Word? Do you look up the Scripture references for yourself when you read this blog? I hope so. Don’t take my word as the authority, we have a accountability to one another, to ward off false teachers, and red flag false doctrine when we hear it. But you won’t be useful unless you study your Bible! Let God help you with His Holy Spirit, to illuminate His Word in your heart. Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee (Psalm 119:11).

May the Lord bless your walk today!

You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the Lord, is everlasting strength. (Isaiah 26:3-4)

A fixed disposition of trust in the Lord brings peace that the wicked can never know “There is no peace,” Says my God, “for the wicked.”  ( Isaiah 57:21). Such reliance does not include Christians who are double-minded, in the NT James writes: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all liberally and with out reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways (James 1:5-8). Jesus gives us another example of double-mindedness “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and dispise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). Mammon stands for earthly materials and treasures, especially money.

So you see God has something for the believer whose heart is completely His. It has nothing to do with circumstances, because perfect peace stands out in the midst of chaos. You will have a profound witness in your walk when people around you see what you value most, a personal relationship in Jesus Christ, that’s based on trusting completely in Him for all your needs. Everlasting strength– Litterally is the expression of God as “Rock of Ages,” a rocky cliff where the trusting one may find shelter from their enemies attacks.

Dear friend, does this describe you? Is Jesus your Rock? your Refuge and Strength? You too can be blessed by Him with a mind of peace.

May the Lord bless your walk!

Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed. (Hebrews 12:11-13)

Many Christians are quick to avoid painful trials in this life today. Focusing only on that which is not making them feel very secure, or feel that this suffering trial is undeserved, and therefore plead with God to remove it quickly. The Christian life after all should make us all more happier, right? We want all the perks of a child of God, but not parts that make us feel uncomfortable, or take us away from what is familiar. “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” (v.6) When experiencing trials in this life, the believer must not allow the circumstances to get the best of them, but must persevere. God is stretching us for good reason, He knows what is needed in this time of our life, and is conforming us, with loving nail pierced hands into the image of Christ. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs–heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:16-17) Proof of the believer’s sonship and ultimate glory, is that he suffers for his faith, be it in the form of ridicule, or physical persecution because of his Lord.

Dear Friend, If God is begun in you a great and mighty work, He will use all such suffering to His glory, and if He is behind your chastening, then He is using it to conform you even more into the image of Christ. The unique care is that our Father knows what is needed for a strong in faith spirit filled life.

May the Lord bless your walk today!

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful who also will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24)

God reveals through Paul the tricotomy of man. The three parts of man’s being: body, soul, consciousness and spirit. The spirit is dead (by the decision of Adam in the Garden) until we receive the Lordship of Jesus Christ and then we are made alive. Once dead in trespasses and sin, but now alive unto God through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Now humanism, and psychology today teach the dichotomy of man as the soul and spirit of man are synonymous. But it is only those who are born-again by the Spirit of God and experience the Spirit – filled life are true trichotomists because our spirit has come alive again. The Bible says that, The natural man cannot understand the things of the Spirit, neither can they know them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14).  It’s only when you’re alive in the Spirit of God that you can know the spiritual things about God. Those who approach God and His Word from a natural wisdom and understanding come away confused when they get to the things of the Spirit, and rebirth (John 3:3-8).

That your whole man, all three of you, be preserved blameless, that is, escaping the judgment to come at the returning of, or the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the initiator, the One who calls you, and He is faithful.

Beloved friend, Be of good cheer, having confidence that having begun a good work in you, He will continue to perform it.

May the Lord bless your walk today!

Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples, give to the Lord glory and strength. Give to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness! Tremble before Him, all the earth. (Psalm 96:7-9)

Genuine praise always includes holiness. This from a redeemed people who once was not able to worship God in the splender of holiness. This is the work of the Holy Spirit who has enabled us to come into that place of worship in spirit and truth as God demands us to. Jesus makes this clear to us in John chapter 4, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.” (John 4:23)  The glory of the Lord is more than just His majestic splendor. It includes all of the reasons for admiring and praising Him, such as His acts of creation (Psalm 19:2) and His greatest creation mankind (Psalm 8: 3-5). To worship the Lord for us today, is to create the atmosphere of love and devotion to the only One True God who is worthy of all praise and glory and honor! This love of giving of ourselves Paul describes in the NT: Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet – smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:1) The Christian life is designed to reproduce godliness as modeled by the Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ, in whose image believers have been recreated through the new birth. The beauty that God’s people in worship settings create is a foretaste of what heaven will be like in all of its splendor and glory in His presence.

Dear friends, when we live with an attitude of worship and praise, we reflect the beauty of the Lord in our lives that brings to Him the praises of His people in accordance to His will.

May the Lord bless your walk today!