February 26, 2017                             YOU  SHALL  BE  MY  WITNESSES
Acts 1:8: “but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirt has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”
It is interesting to note that Jesus did now say that the believers “should” be witnesses, but that they “shall” be His witnesses. Often times, a church ‘schedules’ a three day, or a week of revival meetings and then pressures the members to go out and invite others to come to the meetings, and to pass out tracts regarding salvation. This is not all bad, and there have been some that met the Lord during these revival meetings. The problem is that this practice tends to cause us to see our witnessing as something we do on special occasions, and something we do because we have been encouraged or pressured to do it. Jesus used the word “shall” because He knew that when the Holy Spirit took up residence in a believer, and the believer walked according to the Spirit, that believer’s very life would be a witness 24/7. Witnessing is not so much what we do, but who we are. We underestimate the power of the Spirit within us, and we often underestimate the change that the Spirit brings about in us when we welcome His rule in our lives. However, the sobering fact is that the scriptures warn us not to grieve the Holy Spirit within us (Eph. 4:30) or quench the Spirit within us (1 Thes 5:19). We must realize that as believers, we can choose to walk contrary to the Spirit within us, and thus become a witness, not of the Lord, but a witness of a believer living according to self. Witnessing is not something we can do in our own power, but only through the power of the Spirit within us can we be effective witnesses. Being a witness is a result of having an intimate and vital relationship with God, and walking according to the Spirit. When we come to know that our old man-who we use to be-has been crucified and that we have been made new creations, and we find it our desire to do the things that please our Father, we will be witnesses not only of His work in us, but of His power to change the hearts of all who come to Him. Let us not be content to live in our own strength, but by the power of the Spirit within us. We experience His power by yielding our life totally to Him, by knowing how great, and complete and all-encompassing our salvation is, and by obeying the direction of the Spirit and commands of Jesus.
Romans 8:11: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”
2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.
Blessings,
Buddy

 
February 23, 2017                                       LET  IT  HAPPEN
Colossians 3:15-16: “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Christ in us is a package deal. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, has taken up permanent residence in us if we belong to Him. However, we have the choice of walking according to the Spirit within us, or we can choose to walk according to our way, or the way of the flesh. In 1 Thessalonians 5:19 we are told not to “quench the Spirit.” The Holy Spirit is God in us, and with His presence comes the very nature and attributes of God; it defies the imagination that the creator God to send the Holy Spirit to dwell, or live in believers. It is God’s desire that His nature be expressed in and through the lives of those who belong to Him. When we understand the dynamics of God being present in us, it is just a matter of ‘letting’ Him be Himself in us! God desires that we welcome His rule and His presence in us, but He does not force Himself on us. God is desiring to make Himself known in individual believers, and those who love Him and desire Him will experience His presence in very tangible ways. It is not up to us to strive for His peace, but to simply let His peace rule in our hearts. We are also admonished to let His word richly dwell in us-and because He is in us, His word is also in us, and His words produce His fruit in us; His words bring life and hope. God’s word richly dwelling in us not only impacts and blesses us, but it is to also have its impact on others. God does not desire that believers be isolationist, but rather to be about encouraging, admonishing and teaching one another as a result of what He is doing in the lives of individual believers. God has designed it in such a way that we are not complete within ourselves; but are designed in such a way that we need each other in the body of Christ. The body of Christ, the church, presents a better view of Christ when the individuals within the body are contributing, or functioning in the role God has given them. Let us be reminded that God is present in us and that He desires to express Himself in and through us; let’s let Him do it!
Colossians 3:15: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”
Ephesians 4:15-16: “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
Blessings,
Buddy  

 
February 21, 2017                                          AS  HE  IS
1 John 4:13,17: “Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He hath given us of His Spirit. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgement: because as He is, so are we in this world.”
Our salvation is much greater than we may realize! Our salvation not only guarantees eternity in heaven, it is also meant to include our total transformation in this present life. By having a limited view and understanding of salvation, we will not experience the full impact of our salvation. One of the central, and most important truths of scripture is that God has sent His Holy Spirit to live in us, or as the scripture says, to indwell us, as it says in 1 Corinthians 3:16: “Do you not know that you are  temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” And in 2 Timothy 1:14 we read: “Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”  A second vital truth is that Jesus came in the Father’s name to reveal the Father to us. John 5:43. God was pleased to create man in His image and it is God’s desire that we be one with Him in this world. God is about the business of transforming us; as believers, it is accurate to say that we have been transformed, and we are being transformed. We do not possess the power nor the wisdom to transform ourselves. The miracle, and the process of being transformed is found in 2 Corinthians 3:18: “But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.” Let us not miss, or slow down the big purpose of God being transformed into His image-right here in the trenches of life. It is awesome, and maybe difficult to believe or comprehend, but the fact is that God has done all that is necessary in order for us to be as He is in this earth! Our main function and our highest calling in life is to have our heart turned to Him, to see Him as our life, and to spend time beholding His glory that we might be transformed into His image. Let us reject the lie that says we are just ‘human beings’ and therefore we can’t be as He is. Let us know that because He is alive in us, transforming us, we can indeed be as He is! 
Genesis 1:27: “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
February 17, 2017                                    KEEPING  YOUR  SPIRITUAL  FERVOR
Romans 12:9-11 “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.
Romans 12 gives us a ‘nuts and bolts’ description of the life that Christians are called to live. We must keep in mind that the motivation to carry out the instructions of this chapter is not that of trying to earn His approval. The good news is that we can now live the life depicted in Romans 12 because Christ lives in us and He has made us new. We have been taken out of the kingdom of darkness and now live in the kingdom of God; living with our new identity. Today, let us focus on two particular instructions in this portion of scripture; that of “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor.” It’s likely that we have been guilty of finding ourselves lacking in zeal and spiritual fervor, and I think that this primarily happens because we lose sight of the fact that we are to be “serving the Lord.” If and when our focus shifts from serving the Lord to focusing on our life, we lose our zeal and spiritual fervor.  Understanding that we are created by God and for His purposes, and that we are ‘not our own’ keeps us focused on Him. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 we read: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own: you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” The idea of ‘not being our own’ runs counter-culture to the culture in which we live, where we are told to do whatever makes us happy. Yet, when we live as unto the Lord, we discover lasting joy, peace and happiness. There are several practices that will aid us in keeping our zeal and spiritual fervor, including: regular reading and study of the scriptures, being involved in a gospel centered church, seeking to learn our true identity as believers, and then finding ways to give expression to what God is doing in us. Having fervor and a zeal for the Lord does not mean that we will not encounter trials and difficulties, but it does mean that we will experience His power and strength in the time of need. There is no better life style and no more fulfilling life than that of living life in the way that our creator designed. It is critical that we understand, and know that our God is a God of love, who has blessed us and given us the power to live life in a way that pleases Him, and blesses us. God designed us to live the Romans 12 life; by living any other life, we will miss the opportunity to be expressions of His kingdom here on earth, and we will be unfulfilled. Let us today put into practice what we read in Romans 12-we will be glad we did!
Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
February 14, 2017                                    GETTING  THE   FULL  STORY
Romans 7:15: “For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
Romans 7:24-25: “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.
Romans 8:1-2: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Perhaps this section of scripture is the most widely misunderstood and misapplied of all the New Testament scriptures. It is necessary for us to understand the truth found in this section if we are to live according to our new identity as believers. All of chapter seven should be read, but verse 7:15 is a verse that many believers identify with, agreeing that that verse describes the life they live. Living life as portrayed in 7:15 is a life dominated by the old sin nature. As a believer, Paul had experienced the frustration that comes when the old nature dominates, leading him to cry out “wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from this body of death?” (In biblical days, if someone murdered someone, the punishment was to tie the corpse on the back of the one who murdered-in time, disease from the corpse would lead to the death of the murderer-that is most likely what Paul was referring in the body of death.) However, Romans 7:1-24 was not Paul’s testimony, but a description of his life before he came to know the freedom of not being in bondage to sin. Romans 8:1-2, is Paul’s testimony-free from the law of sin and death! In Christ we are new creations, sin no longer has the rule over us, and we are slaves to sin no longer. Because we are in Christ, and He is in us, we can say no to sin and yes to righteousness. The truth of the gospel centers around the fact that Jesus came to forgive us AND to set us free from the bondage to sin. When we experience the freedom of life in Christ Jesus, we have no desire to sin, but in fact have a desire to do the things that please Him. It is a major victory for us when realize that Romans 6:11-12 describes who we are: “Even so consider yourselves to be truly dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lust.” Let us get the full story; the “Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.”
Romans 6:13-14: “and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you: for you are not under the law, but under grace.”
Blessings,
Buddy

 
February 11, 2017                                     BREAK  UP  THE  FALLOW  GROUND
Hosea 10:12: “Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness; break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord until He comes to reign righteousness on you.”
Even though this verse comes from the Old Testament and is pointing to the coming of Christ, it also has a message for those who have trusted Christ as Savior under the New Covenant. The Lord has come, and He has reigned righteousness on us, just as Hosea prophesied. Experiencing life as God designed, and made possible by Jesus, does not happen automatically. Even though believers have the Holy Spirit living in them, there are times when there is a need to be reminded of who they are, and be encouraged to live according to the ways of the Lord, and these words of Hosea serve as a good reminder. First, just the word “sow” is an important word in light of the fact that we are always sowing; it is possible for believers to sow to the flesh, or self, and then reap corruption- see Galatians 5. Because we have been made righteous in Christ, we can sow in righteousness. There is an endless list of the ways in which believers can sow in righteousness, because we are in Christ; including doing what is right in any situation, speaking the truth, giving help where needed, honoring others, encouraging others, trusting God, praying, keeping our word, extending forgiveness-and the list goes on. And, as the verse points out, by being kind, we reap the benefits of kindness. As believers, it is possible for our hearts to become fallow; fallow ground is ground that has no seed growing in it. We may need to be reminded to break up the fallow ground of our hearts and plant the seeds of God’s word so that it might grow and provide nourishment for ourselves and others. Unlike in Hosea’s day, we live in the day when the Lord has come, and He has made us righteous; now we can sow in righteousness, being assured of an abundant harvest of life as God designed! So, for us, if our hearts have become fallow, let us plow the fallow soil, allowing the seeds of righteousness that God has planted to mature into a bountiful crop. 
Matthew 13:8: “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop-a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”
2 Corinthians 9:10: “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
Blessings,
Buddy 

 
 February 7, 2017                                       WORK  IT  OUT
Philippians 2:12-13: “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
This verse is in direct opposition to much of what we hear in Christian circles today regarding salvation and the responsibility of the believer. For certain it is by God’s grace, and not by our works, that one comes to know Him as Savior. It is true that our salvation guarantees eternity in heaven, but our salvation is much broader than a ticket to heaven. At the moment of salvation, God places a new spirit within us, He gives us new minds and new hearts. At salvation, God does not ‘clean us up,’ or simply improve us, but makes us new vessels in which He begins His work of transforming us into His image. God has a purpose in and for us, and He is busy about fulfilling His purpose in us. However, it is possible for us to hinder, or slow down His work in us if we resist what He is doing. Not only should we not resist His work, we should work with Him as He works in us.  One way in which we work out our salvation is to spend time reading and learning what God has spoken in His word. The scriptures reveal to us the nature and character of God and they also reveal to us our new identity that we have as His children. The scriptures also serve as a guide by which we live. Another vital step in working out our salvation is to obey what we read in the scriptures; keeping the commands of Jesus is a sure sign of being a disciple. We obey the commands not in order to gain His approval, but because He is our Father and He loves us, and His commands lead to life. It is key to understand that the commands that Jesus gave are clues to our new nature; example, the command to love our neighbor is something the new nature does naturally.  Another part of working out our salvation is to begin to adjust our life in such a way that we reflect the nature of God to those around us. Also, another part of working out our salvation is being a part of a local body of believers where enjoy fellowship and engage in body life. Let us be reminded that God Himself is at work in us, and that fact alone should cause us to “fear and tremble” at the possibility that we could actually resist His purposes in us. Finally, let us know that what God is doing in us is “for His good pleasure.” There is every good reason to gladly take our part in working out our salvation, and there is no better time to start than right now.
1 Corinthians 15:58: “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
Philippians 1:6: “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Blessings,
Buddy

  
February 3, 2017                                                LEST  WE  DRIFT
Hebrews 2:1-3: “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard,”
When the newness wanes, there is a tendency to forget the impact of the new and drift from it. The same is true in our spiritual journey; when we first became a believer, we were filled with the joy of being born into the family of God, and we were open to all God said in His word. However, as a believer, we may be impacted by a truth we glean from scripture, but soon tend to drift from that that encounter with the scripture. Human nature is such that we are constantly searching for what is new. The verse above warns us about the possibility, and the danger of drifting from what we have heard from God through the scriptures. Everything that God has spoken has come to pass, or is coming to pass, so we would be wise to be alert to what He has spoken, knowing that His word never fails. There are two basic approaches to the reading of the scriptures or listening to the preaching of the scriptures. One may read, or ‘hear’ the scriptures to get information; some like to learn for the sake of learning. The second approach, and the one in keeping with this verse, is to view the scriptures as the word of God spoken to us, and what He has spoken is to be the very foundation for the life we live. The bible is more than an ‘instruction book,’ but you can say that the bible does give us instructions on how we are to live as His children. If we view the scriptures as the only source of truth that will guide us through life, then we will value, and remember, and act on the truth of scriptures. We would be wise to evaluate ourselves and determine if we take the scriptures in a casual manner, or do we view the scriptures as being absolutely necessary if we are to live according to the plans of God. If we neglect, or drift from what God has spoken, we will suffer the consequence. Our salvation is ‘great;’ it cost God the death of His Son. It is certainly the greatest of insults to God for believers not to pay close attention to every word He has spoken. Let us hear and receive the admonition of this verse to “pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” Let us not only read the scriptures, but let us be quick to apply what we read-that’s what it is all about.
James 1:22: “But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
Romans 2:13: “for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”
Blessings,
Buddy