Sunday, July 14, 2019
The Reckless Love Of God ? - Really ???
You have heard it said, You are what you eat.... Well, more important than the food you stuff in your face, is the Spiritual Food you consume as a steady diet... That's right, your level of Spiritual Maturity, your level of Christian strength, all is limited or fueled, by the Spiritual Food that you feed yourself. In 2nd Timothy chapter 2, Paul tells us: Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. King James Bible. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Folks if you don't know your Bible, if you have not read your Bible, you should examine your Heart to find out WHY? The messages we listen to, the music we listen to feed us Spiritually, and if there is NO Doctrinal Truth in that diet, you will starve your Soul of the Spiritual Nutrients you need to resist Satan, and to serve our Precious Lord. In 1st Peter chapter 3 we are told "But in your hearts revere Christ as LORD. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect". In Colossians Chapter 4 it says "Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone".
If we are to study HIS word to be approved, as well as give an account or answer for why we are different than the world - then 1st, we must in fact be different, 2nd we must understand (theologically) why we are different and 3rd & finally, we must lovingly give an account of why we are different and stand against the tide of the culture for that which is Holy & Righteous. There is NOTHING about GOD that is reckless, the Bible tells us He knows all and has known all - HE is the Alpha and the Omega. There is NO beginning to HIM, nor will there be any end to HIM. MY GOD knows every hair on my head, HE knows where every sparrow is in this world; therefore, HE knew how and to what the depth HIS Love was to be for me... Take a look at the following verses and then examine the context of the references, answer the question, "is it even possible (or even plausible) that God could be reckless about anything, let alone the LOVE that sent Jesus Christ to the Cross"?
Hebrews 4:13 - Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account
Psalms 147:5 - Great [is] our Lord, and of great power: his understanding [is] infinite.
1 John 3:20 - For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
Romans 11:33-36 - O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable [are] his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
Isaiah 42:9 - Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Matthew 10:30 - But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Acts 1:24 - And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all [men], shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
Hymns, Songs, Chorus' that are devoid of Doctrinal Truth, or worse yet, speak of or teach "error" are dangerous to us, and those that are around us that hear it. We are to be Ambassadors for Christ, for our Heavenly Father, a mouth piece for the Holy Spirit. For those that are Truly Christ's, we will give an accounting of the TRUTH HE has placed in our Hearts, and what we did with that TRUTH to further the Kingdom of GOD.
The Great I AM, is NOT Reckless, HE is methodical and True to HIS Word, otherwise there would be NO Diety in HIM to elevate, praise or glorify. A reckless god is a man made god, to serve men's desires and wants...
IT IS NOT ABOUT US - from this side of Glory that we are to be focused... We prove our FAITH, our TRUST and our COMITTMENT to Him this side thru our obedience, and HE wants that obedience to be out of the LOVE in our HEARTS for Him... Our Honor, Loyalty, Dedication and sense of Belonging to HIM creates in us a new and separate Heart apart from the love we know as mere humans. 2nd Corinthians 5:17-21 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Our perspective is to have changed. Our Mind, Heart, Soul and all our Strength are to be laid on the Alter to Christ, in return for a new Heart, no longer one of stone, but one of flesh - Spiritual Life. In that process we are to seek out GOD with all that we are, to serve and please HIM... Forsaking all others, all outside influences, and seeking the Truth of the ONE and ONLY Living GOD, there is no other - NONE... Only the little gods that we create in our hearts and minds to serve ourselves - which is truly reckless spiritually.
My God Is NOT Reckless by any stretch of the Spiritual imagination...
Here are better written and researched responses to the "reckless love of god" statement in the popular song by the same name...
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/should-we-sing-of-gods-reckless-love
https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2018/april-web-only/reckless-love-cory-asbury-bethel-music-and-justin-bieber.html
https://theblazingcenter.com/2018/04/reckless-love.html
https://thefederalist.com/2018/12/28/sorry-bethel-music-gods-love-just-isnt-reckless/
Friday, July 12, 2019
In These Times - Test Your Own Faith...
It has been said, that one of the darkest hours in history, was when The Great I AM, had to turn HIS back on HIS Holy Son... For that moment on the Cross when HE took on my sin, it darkened and blemished HIS Holiness in the sight of GOD... Jesus, took every disgusting, vulgar, horrendous, foul, wretched sin of ALL Humanity upon Himself so that NO MAN; that's right, so that NO MAN would have to be judged by The Just and Righteous God... BUT; NOT Every Man chooses to accept this priceless eternal gift of Almighty God… That CHOICE; is then their eternal damnation… HE Took It For All, but in all of Humanity counted since Adam, only a FEW have & will actually accept…
To truly understand read beyond verse 16 !!!
John 3
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
The GIFT is FREE; BUT, the cost is huge… You must be willing to carry the Cross of Christ, in the broad, searching and revealing LIGHT… In obedience, out of Love, Humility and Thankfulness, we are to FOLLOW Jesus, following HIS Example, HIS Righteousness, HIS Service to others and HIS Love & Compassion for the needy and low in Spirit… We are to die to self, becoming more like HIM, in that process becoming less self focused, and HE becomes more of our focus in life, in our walk and in our Witness to WHO HE IS… THIS ALL – comes from God thru the Holy Spirit, it can NOT be imitated in any sustained manner… THUSLY; we know the Fruit of the Spirit and can discern it… We must constantly examine our own Hearts prior to offering any counsel to a Brother or Sister in Christ… When offering a word of Counsel, we are well advised to speak the TRUTH in LOVE… We are not The Judge, we are simply to be an encourager, to build up the brethren and further the Kingdom of God…
The Word instructs us to test ourselves for the authenticity of the Holy Spirit that is to dwell in us…
Do you Possess the Correct Spiritual Attitudes?
The Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes
Matthew 5
1 When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain; and after He sat down, His disciples came to Him. 2 He opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying,
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
5 “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.
7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.
8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
10 “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs
is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds
of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven
is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Do you Possess the Fruit of The Spirit?
Walk by the Spirit
Galatians 5
1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.
13 For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 15 But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another.
THIS IS VERY, VERY, HELPFUL: rchall
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10 Tests of Genuine Faith
September 1, 2011
by Paul Tautges
By God’s grace, I’m a husband, father, grandfather, and one of the pastors at Cornerstone Community Church east of Cleveland, OH. I love Christ because He first loved me.
Romans 8:16 says, The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. In other words, part of the Holy Spirit’s ministry to believers is to give assurance of salvation. Since the Holy Spirit is the divine author of Scripture, and since He wrote at least one New Testament book just for the sole purpose of helping believers discern the reality of their faith, the tests of genuine faith found in the book of First John must be seriously considered.
Scripture exhorts us to test our faith (2 Cor. 13:5). The reason is that our hearts are naturally deceitful and, therefore, we can even deceive ourselves. Jesus said that on the Day of Judgment there will be many people who thought themselves to be Christians, but are in the end condemned (Matt. 7:21-23).
Many years ago, I created a 2-page worksheet for use in counseling, personal Bible study, and small group discussion. It draws out of the book of First John ten tests of genuine faith and suggests questions for self-examination.
1. The Test of Conscience: Is my conscience sensitive to sin? (1 Jn 1:5-10)
2. The Test of Obedience: How obedient am I to God’s Word? (1 Jn 2:3-6; 5:2-3)
3. The Test of Worldliness: Where do my affections lie? (1 Jn 2:15-17; 5:4-5)
4. The Test of Anticipation: Deep down, do I long to see Jesus? (1 Jn 3:1-3)
5. The Test of Holiness: Am I progressing away from sin toward holiness, or am I still in bondage?
(1 Jn 3:4-10)
(1 Jn 3:4-10)
6. The Test of Love: Do I love other believers and long to be with them? (1 Jn 3:11-18; 4:7-12)
7. The Test of Prayer: Does God answer my prayers? (1 Jn 3:21-22)
8. The Test of the Holy Spirit: Do I experience the power of the Spirit in my life? (1 Jn 4:13)
9. The Test of Persecution: Have I ever suffered because of my testimony for Christ? (1 Jn 3:10-13)
10. The Test of Confessing Christ: Do I have Jesus Christ as my own? (1 Jn 4:1-5; 5:1, 10-12)
Pray before looking up the Scriptures and filling in your chart. Ask God to confirm the genuineness of your faith through the passing of these tests, or to confront counterfeit faith is that is indeed the case.
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