Blog Archives - TheNewU

PROVOKE ONE ANOTHER

8/30/2019

August 29, 2019 PROVOKE ONE ANOTHER
Hebrews 10:24 “Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
Romans 14:18 “So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”
‘Provoke’ sounds like a harsh word and normally has a negative connotation when we hear it used. The NIV translation of this verse reads “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” We may feel uncomfortable, or feel as though we are invading someone else’s space if attempt to ‘provoke’ or ‘spur’ them on to action. However, that is exactly what the scriptures instruct us to do. There have probably been times when we have provoked someone else, but it was not to love and good deeds! As believers, we have our private lives, but more importantly, we are a part of something much bigger than our individual lives, and that is the body of Christ. We have been joined to God and made a part of His family, and being a part of His family has certain responsibilities and privileges. God has designed His body (His family) is such a way that we need each other; body life is non-optional if we are to mature spiritually. It is the American way to be independent (and that is good in some ways), but that is not the way of body life. As the scriptures tell us, each of the members of our physical bodies need the other members of our body in order for our body to function the way it was designed-so it is with the members of the body of Christ. Because we all face trials, and because we tend to ‘go it alone,’ encouragement plays a big part in the family. There are countless ways in which we can provoke or spur one another on to love and good deeds-and we should be doing just that and not fear that we are invading their space. Our ‘provoking’ and ‘spurring’ is to be done in a spirit of love and from an attitude that desires the best for others. Also, we are not to go about haphazardly spurring others and provoking others to do good deeds, but we are to follow the Spirit’s leading as we consider how to spur others on. We also must remember that we can be the one that is being encouraged to be about love and good deeds. Let us be engaged in the body of Christ, and let us “consider how to provoke one another to love and good works.”
Acts 10:38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”
Blessings,
Buddy

August 27th, 2019

8/27/2019

August 27, 2019 AS YOU WERE INSTRUCTED
Colossians 2:6-7 “As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”
There seems to be in our culture, a resistance to being instructed, or told what to do. This resistance to instruction is not something unique to the world, but is also all too common among believers. Because God loves us and desires His best for us, in His grace, He saw fit to give us His written word. In His word, we learn of the nature of God, we find true wisdom, we find our true identity, we find forgiveness, we learn how to relate and respond to others, we find hope, and we find instructions for life. His word is perfect; His word restores our soul; and the keeping of His word leads to abundant life and His word fills the void inside of each person. His word is a light to our path; His word corrects us when we need correcting; His word is alive and powerful; and His word is not difficult to understand because we have the Holy Spirit who guides us into the truth of His word. It is good for us to study and grow in God’s word, but it is even more important to act on the instructions that we know in God’s word. As often discussed in previous blogs, the all-important factor in keeping the commands and instructions of God is that it is experiencing the love of God that gives us the desire to obey Him; it is of no avail if try to keep His word as a means of earning His approval. From the verse above, we see that the believers had been instructed to “walk in Him;” walking, or living in Him impacts all we do. These believers that Paul was writing to were “firmly rooted” and were continually being built up in Him, was established in their faith, and they were “overflowing in gratitude.” That verse is a concise summary or a picture of what it looks like to live out the gospel. The good news is that we can live in the same way. May we welcome, and embrace all of the instructions of the scriptures and may be make the choice to put into to action the instructions. There is no need to be overwhelmed; simply obey the Spirit has He speaks to us and do what the scriptures tell us to do. If we do, we will be firmly rooted and overflowing with gratitude, just as these early believers were.
2 John 1:6 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.”
Like 11:28 “He replied, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”
Psalm 19:9b-10 “The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them righteous. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”
Blessings,
Buddy

WALK AS HE WALKED

8/23/2019

August 23, 2019 WALK AS HE WALKED
1 John 2:5-6 “but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him; the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”
Colossians 1:10 “so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”
Many believers have difficulty accepting what these, and many other similar verses, say to us about the lives we live. Our natural response is to reject the idea of ‘walking as Jesus walked’ as unattainable or something that was unique to the apostles. If we do accept the fact that these verses are intended to be a reality for believers, our natural response is that we must ‘try harder’ and ‘be more committed’ to walking as Jesus walked. Others may feel condemnation when reading these verses and come to the conclusion that they are spiritual failures. These responses sound logical and we can understand the reasoning behind these responses. However, there is good news for us tucked away in the first scripture above that gives the answer to the dilemma of being told to walk as Jesus walked. The nugget of truth that we must not overlook is the power of the love of God. We often get the ‘horse before the cart’; we place the emphasis on keeping His word. Our emphasis and our desire should be focused on coming to experience the love of God in a personal way. The result of knowing His love personally is the keeping of His word. Note the phrase “has truly been perfected.” A believer may have an awareness to some degree of God’s love for them, but the love of God has not yet been perfected in them. In this case, there is a struggle in their spiritual life when it comes to consistently walking like Jesus walked. We should be growing in the faith, knowing that it is God’s plans and purposes for His love to be perfected in us. When His love is perfected in us, (and that time is not reserved for heaven) keeping His word becomes the natural thing for us to do-no more ‘trying harder’ or ‘being more committed!’ If you realize that His love is not yet perfected in you, do not condemn yourself; simply ask God to reveal to you a deeper understanding and awareness of the love He has for you. In addition to asking God to do this, read the scriptures with a seeking heart, depending on the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you. Focus not on your own effort, focus on the power of the love of God. God loves for us is perfect and complete-right now, we need to grow in our knowledge of that love. Experiencing the love of God is the most powerful force we will ever encounter-it changes us from the inside out. May we walk in His love.
Colossians 2:6 “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”
Blessings,
Buddy

SERVING: PROTOCOL IN THE KINGDOM

8/19/2019

August 20, 2019 SERVING: PROTOCOL IN THE KINGDOM
Mark 10:42-44 “And calling them to Himself, Jesus said to them, ‘You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; and their great men exercise authority over them. But it is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant; and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be a slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’”
This is another clear example of the difference in the ways of the world and the ways of the kingdom of God. Someone correctly said that “The way up is down.” It is the nature of man to want to be served; man tends to look at those who are servants as less than, while the ones who are in authority are considered the greatest, or more important. As believers, we have the opportunity to be expressions of the kingdom of God here on earth, to be His ambassadors, representing and demonstrating His kingdom in our particular sphere. At the very core of this issue of being a servant is whether our focus in life is primarily on me, or on how to bless and serve others. Man apart from God is selfish by nature, but before we condemn the lost for being selfish, let us be reminded that as believers, we too can become focused on what’s best for us, or pursue the things that will make us ‘happy.’ The cure, or the antidote for being self-centered is knowing and experiencing the love of God. It is a miracle, but when one knows the love of God first-hand, desiring to bless and serve others becomes the new norm; selfishness is dethroned. The mystery and the miracle is that when we serve because we know the love of God, serving becomes a joy, and it satisfies our inner most being. Unlike the love of the world, in God’s love we no longer have to compete, compare ourselves to others, or make every effort to climb to the top. In His love, we find contentment and peace in the place God has us. Real freedom comes when our focus turns from within to the well-being of others. It’s not what the world would tell us, but as we give our lives away, we will find our life.
Matthew 10:39 “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.”
Matthew 16:25 “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for Me will find it.”
Galatians 5:13 “You, My brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
Blessings,
Buddy

IF ANYONE SINS part 2

8/17/2019

August 17, 2019 IF ANYONE SINS part 2
If you missed the previous blog, “If Anyone Sins,” I encourage you to read it as it is an introduction to a subject that will be discussed in this blog and perhaps a couple more. I ended the last blog with a question: “Can we live without sin?” This is a question that forces us to deal with some scriptures that seemingly have been ignored or explained away; and importantly, how we answer this question reveals our understanding of the gospel and what it means to be a new creation. Lest I be misunderstood, I know that it is only by the sacrificial death of Christ that our sins are forgiven and we are adopted into the family of God-it’s by His grace. I also know that believers can sin and find forgiveness by repenting and confessing their sin.
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.”
There are many scriptures dealing with the new creation that we are in Christ, as well as about having a new mind, a new nature, and a new heart. I very often hear believers that yes they are Christians and they love God, but they find often find themselves succumbing to certain sins. For example, one may say that they become irritated or angry when someone does a certain thing, and they know they are wrong to do so. Also, there is a belief among many that if by telling others about their failures and sins, it will lead to a good rapport with them. There is certainly some validity in that perspective, but there is also some negatives we need to be aware of. We do not need cover up any sin we commit if the Spirit is telling us to share it openly, but we also should be able to testify about God delivering us from that sin. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to “lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us…..” There is a lot that could be said at this point, but let us get to the heart of this issue of sin in the life of a believer. Do we have to sin? Can we live one hour without sinning? One day? It is clear from scripture that the power of sin has been broken and that we are no longer obligated to the flesh. The point is that we have been made new and sin no longer has dominion over us. So, if we sin, we do so by choice. Sinning is contrary to our new nature. How do we not sin? The verse above in Galatians is the answer to that question. We can choose to put off the old self and put on the new self that God has made us to be. We can walk by the Spirit, and when we do, we will not sin. Putting off the old and putting on the new is a way of life.
Ephesians 4:24 “and put on the new self, which is in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”
Blessings,
Buddy

IF ANYONE SINS

8/14/2019

August 14, 2019                                          IF ANYONE SINS
1 John 1:7-8, 10 “but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”        “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.”
1 John 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you that you might not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
1 John 3:6, 9 “No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.”     “No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.”
I believe that the subject of this blog, and likely a few more that follow, is the most misunderstood teaching of the New Testament as well as a subject that often stirs up heated debate. I certainly do not consider myself a scholar, nor one who has an infallible understanding of the scriptures. However, with that being said, one does not have to be a scholar in order to understand the scriptures because we have the Holy Spirit living in us guiding us into the truth of scripture. There are two major contributing factors that cause this subject to be misunderstood as well as controversial. One is that around one hundred years ago, there was a group of influential theologians who introduced new concepts and interpretations of scripture and these new concepts and ideas were accepted as ‘the truth’ and began to be taught in the seminaries and preached from the pulpits. As an example, they came up with the idea of ‘dispensations,’ as a way of saying that much of what we read in the New Testament no longer applies today-it was just for a certain ‘dispensation’ or time. If you read from a Scofield bible, you will find footnotes explaining away certain teachings of the New Testament. As a result, much of what we hear from the pulpit, what we read in books, and what is taught in seminaries, is a watered down version if the New Testament. The second reason for the controversy surrounding this subject is that we tend to read and interpret scripture through our own preferences; we have filters that make the word say what we want it to say. So here we are; what is the subject of this blog and others to follow? I believe that the misunderstanding of this core truth of scripture has had catastrophic results on individual believers as well as the church as a whole. As we look at some scriptures dealing with this subject, we will find some that may sound contradictory, and we will most likely find that some of them are contrary to what we have always believed. I encourage each of us to read the scriptures without our preferences or what we have always believed about this subject-in other words, no filters. I’m out of space for this blog; this will serve as the introduction. Just to give you something to think about, I will leave you with a question; can we live without sin?
Blessings,
Buddy

CONQUERING FEAR

8/11/2019

August 11, 2019 CONQUERING FEAR
1 John 4:16, 18-19 “And we have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him. There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. We love, because He first loved us.”
When we come to truly know and experience the love of God, wonderful things take place in us; it’s not enough just to believe in our mind only that God loves us. Fear is an all too common malady among many. Fear is a terrible thing to live with: fear paralyzes us, robs us of joy and hope, dominates our thinking, and negatively affects our emotions, affects our outlook on life, and etc. One can fear sickness, loss of what is so important to us, what others think about us, not being accepted by others, natural disasters, and fear of not being acceptable to God-the list could go on. The only love that has the power to cast out fear is ‘perfect love.’ This perfect love is found and experienced only in God. The good news is that we can know and experience His love; Romans 5:5 tells us that “the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Human love is far different from Gods love. God’s love residing in us changes everything. To know in the core of our being that the God who created the universe, the God who is all wise and all powerful, the God who formed us in our mother’s womb, and the God who rules, loves US; our life, our beliefs, our emotions, our thought life, and our actions are dramatically changed-we say ‘yes and amen’ to the verse that tells us that the ‘old things have passed away and that new things have come.’ 2 Corinthians 5:17. When we know His love, we find great comfort in the fact that HE is the potter, and we are the clay; there is nothing better than being clay in the hands of a loving God! Knowing His love does not mean that we are exempt from trials and troubles in this word, but it does mean that He uses all things for our ultimate good AND He will give us all we need to overcome whatever we face. Jesus endured sufferings and trials, but He overcame, and by His presence in us, so can we. To get a clear understanding of what pure love is, read 1 Corinthians 13. The acid test of our whether or not we know the perfect love God has for us is this: if we have fear, then we are not perfected in His love. You may be a believer, but yet if you have not experienced His perfect love, then ask Him to reveal His love to you; read the scriptures, searching and seeking to know His love.
Isaiah 43:1 “Don’t fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.”
Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I be afraid?”
Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
Blessings,
Buddy

August 08th, 2019

8/8/2019

August 8, 2019 LET US PURSUE
Romans 14:19 “So then let us pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.”
All would agree that the same issues that Paul was dealing with in Romans 14 are still with us today. Division, arguing, and judging other believers has no place in the body of Christ and that is the point that Paul was making in Romans 14. We would be wise to examine our own life to determine if we are pursuing what the scriptures tell us to pursue in our relationship with others. There is a connection between ‘pursuing the things that make for peace and the building up of one another’, and love. When we experience the love of God that He has poured into our hearts, we then want what is best for others and we find ways to express that desire; and, when we know the love of God, we see people through the eyes of God and we have compassion-and rather than judging them or being critical of them, it becomes our desire to build them up. This does not mean that we see ourselves as superior or more spiritual than those we want to build up-it’s just what God has put in our heart to do. Let us take to heart what Paul tells us in this chapter and let us engage in the pursuit of things that make for peace and the building up of one another. There are many around us who are facing various trials and struggles who need encouragement. If we are not alert, we can find ourselves so busy pursuing ‘our pursuits’ we miss the opportunity to put into action the admonitions in the above verse. Because the Spirit of God lives in us, we have the power and the ability to do just what Romans 14:19 says to do-it’s not complicated. Whether it’s at a church meeting, over a cup of coffee, at the golf course, OR in the home, let us actively be about implementing the instruction of this verse. Look for opportunities to bring about peace when there is strife and division; and let us look for ways to build others up.
Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
Blessings,
Buddy

FOR THE COMMON GOOD

8/5/2019

August 5, 2019 FOR THE COMMON GOOD
1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 14 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For the body is not one member, but many.”
Believe it or not, like it or not, others in the body of Christ need you, and you need them.
The way that God designed the body of Christ goes against the culture in which we live where independency is the norm. From the verses above, we learn that each believer is given a particular expression of the Spirit of God. God has gifted each believer with a certain spiritual gift(s) and it is by each member exercising these gifts that the body of Christ is edified and built up in the faith. If we are not connected to other members of the body, then we are lacking what others can supply through their expression of the Spirit of God, and they lack what we can supply. God is concerned about the ‘common good’ of the body, and through the work of the Holy Spirit in each member, He gives what is needed in order for individual members and the body as a whole to be spiritually healthy and maturing in the faith. If we believe that we do not need other believers, then we are in conflict with the scripture. See 1 Corinthians 12. For us to grow in the faith and for the body to function as God designed, we must understand that each one of us has been given a ‘manifestation of the Spirit for the common good,’ and we must be about expressing the gift given to us by God. We did not decide to join the body of Christ-God has placed us in the body just as He desired. 1 Corinthians 12:18. Each of us have contributions to make to the other members that no one else can make. When we understand the importance of each having a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good, we see that participating in the body (the church) is really non-optional if we are to be spiritually healthy. Expressing our spiritual gift is not reserved for the Sunday morning meeting; functioning in our gifting is a way of life. If you are not familiar with the various spiritual gifts, study the various section of scriptures that list the spiritual gifts and how they operate. Often, other believers can recognize our spiritual gifting quicker than we can; if we are walking in the Spirit and not according to the flesh, our spiritual gifting becomes evident when we spend time with other believers. God loves His church, and He loves us, and He has gifted each of us in such a way that we can grow in our faith and be spiritually healthy-so let us find our place in the body where we do experience the ‘manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.’
1 Corinthians 12:11-12 “But one and the same Spirit works all things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.”
Blessings,
Buddy

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NEAR

8/2/2019

August 2, 2019 THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NEAR
John 18:36 “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If MY kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews; but as it is, MY kingdom is not of this realm.”
Romans 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
The kingdom of God is not a worldly kingdom nor a political kingdom. It is interesting that Jesus was not a crusader against various ills of society; he did not protest or lead boycotts. (I’m not saying it is wrong to boycott if God calls you to do so.) Jesus came to redeem us and to restore us, and that included making us new creations with new natures; He came to transfer us out of the kingdom of darkness (this world system) to the kingdom of God. Even in this fallen world that opposes God, we are now a part of the kingdom of God and we will be a part of His kingdom for all eternity. When we are made new, we get a new heart, a new mind, and new spirit, and this new heart, new mind and new spirit is the kingdom of God in us. Instead of looking for the kingdom of God somewhere outside of us, let us understand that it is in us! When we experience the kingdom of God in us, we view the world differently; instead of judging the world, we see the world through eyes of compassion because it is lost, it is dark; it should be no surprise to us that it is natural for those who do not know God to live in an ungodly way. The kingdom of God in us enables us to respond to the circumstances of life in a way that is contrary to how the world responds; for example, we bless those who curse us; we love our enemies; we forgive others; and etc. Living in and experiencing the kingdom of God in our hearts changes everything-it’s the ultimate freedom. Just to realize that it is not our place to judge or to point out the wrongs of others is a ‘load off our backs.’ Our calling and our purpose-and our privilege-is simple and clear; we are to go about life, walking in the kingdom and doing the things that children of God’s kingdom do. Actually, the whole idea is that our life resembles the life Jesus lived and demonstrated. We must stop underestimating the power of God in us-He has already made us new-we are the ones who are to represent His kingdom in this world. We are no longer a part of the world system; we have new desires and appetites in life; the power of sin has been broken; we live in the light of God. Let us pray that His kingdom would come in this world; let us vote for the right candidates, let us be a part of working for the good of society, etc., but most importantly, let us live hour by hour experiencing His kingdom. Indeed His kingdom is very near-it’s in our hearts, ready to be expressed. It’s possible for believers not to live or experience kingdom life in their heart; Romans 12:2 is a warning to believers: “And do not be conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
Luke 17:21 “Nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
Blessings,
Buddy