October 8, 2015                                         OFF  WITH  THE  OLD – ON  WITH  THE  NEW

Ephesians 4:22-24: “that in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lust of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.”

The book of Ephesians presents a clear picture of what the life of the believer is to be and how it is in total contrast to the life of a non-believer. As you read the letters of Paul, you soon see that his passion was to proclaim the “unfathomable riches of Christ” and how the life of Christ in us enables us to live and express the new creation that we are. It must be realized that believers can live “beneath their privilege” by not knowing their true identity in Christ. The expressions and the reality of being new people is not reserved for  ecclesiastical  discussion, or for the here-after; our “newness” is to be expressed in the daily routines of life-in the trenches. As powerful as the gospel is and as supernatural as it is, it has very practical implications for the here and now. The scriptures go into great detail of how believers are to conduct themselves in the daily affairs of life. It is key to understand that we are not to try to gain God’s approval by what we do, but we are to do what we do, as a result of being made new-Christ in us. (There is a place for wanting God’s approval-another subject). As you read the New Testament, you will find many commands and instructions on how we are to live; and how we view these commands and instructions is critical; they are not burdensome, but are actually indicators of our new nature, of the new person that we are. When we know who we are-when we know our new selves-we find that we have a desire to carry out the commands and instructions that we find in scripture. All of the commands and instructions of scripture always lead to life. Just a few example of instructions from Ephesians include: “speak the truth in love,” “grow up,” “do not give the devil an opportunity,” “let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth,” “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you,” “be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another,” “be imitators of God,” “walk in love,” “do not let immorality or any impurity or greed even be named among you, as is proper among saints,” “be careful how you walk,” “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is,” “be filled with the Spirit,” and “be subject to one another in Christ.” Because of the great and far reaching grace of God; because He has made us new; we can now lay aside the old self-who we use to be- and we can put on the new self-who we are now. Laying aside the old self and putting on the new self is a choice we must make, but it’s not a one-time choice, but rather a way of life.  Only by laying aside the old and by putting on the new will we experience the life God intended. We are no longer bound by who we use to be, but have been set free to be whom God designed. So, when we are confronted by something that would irritate us, when someone does us wrong, when we sense fear, when we begin to worry, or whatever we face that would bring out the old self, make the choice to put on the new self-be renewed in your mind-and by doing so, experience the life of God in you. Let us not live one day longer being dominated by anything contrary to the new person that God has made us to be. By not living in our newness, we grieve the Holy Spirit and we suffer loss. It’s a life-changing day for us when we realize that the very life of God is in us making it possible for us to live above the things that would normally defeat us and making it possible for us to be expressions of His love in all circumstances. Remember, the new you has been created in the “likeness of God”; so be sure to daily lay aside the old, and put on the new.

2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

Romans 13:14: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lust.”

Colossians 3:8-10: “But you now also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him…”

Blessings,

Buddy

October 4, 2015                                              NON-OPTIONAL                                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                                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 that which 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.                                                  We cannot escape, nor should we ignore fact that God has ordained His church to be the primary source of our spiritual growth and health. I’m sure we have all had some not-so-good experiences in “church”; but that is really beside the point and it is not a valid reason not to be an active part of His church. The scriptures describe the church as His body, with Jesus being the head and each member having being placed in the body. The truth that we must realize is that the members of His body, the church, have been “fitted together” and they are “held together by that which every joint supplies” by “the proper working of each individual part” resulting in “the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” We need to see ourselves as being knitted together with other members of the body just as Paul instructs. If we fail to see that we are knitted together, and if we fail to see that each member is dependent on the other, not only will we not grow and be in good spiritual health, we will rob others of the part that we should be supplying to the body. The idea of being knitted together, or being dependent on others for anything, is not the way of our culture. Sad to say, but attending and being an active part of a church is something that some believers do when it is convenient to do so, or when they “feel” like it, or when nothing better comes along. We need to see our being engaged in the church- His body- as essential to our well- being and to the well-being of the church. God has given each believer certain spiritual gifts that are to be used in the building up of the church and when a believer is absence, the body lacks. The point of each believer needing to be active in a local expression of the body of Christ is not legalistic, but it is just the design of the church-where everyone is needed. Due to the not-so-good experiences mentioned above, some have a wrong understanding or wrong conception of the church. Also, it is true that in our culture, there are “churches” out there that are not true New Testament churches where the gospel of the kingdom of God is being proclaimed; and it is also true that there are or some who attend “church” that do not know the Lord. And, even among the churches that are New Testament, there are none that are perfect. So, with these things being true, what are we to do? First, as individuals, we are to be reading and understanding the word of God in order to gain an understanding of the church as He designed it. We need to look for opportunities to engage in conversation with others about how God designed the church. Second, we need to understand that we have been made new, and then walk in newness. Because of our new nature, we have the ability to deal with the imperfections we may see or experience in the “church” and we have the ability to express His kingdom in all situations. Next, when the opportunity arises, we must exercise the gift that God has given us, and we also must receive the gifts expressed by others. Finally, commit to being a part of the solution to the “imperfect” church. We have the opportunity to be light, and to be one who brings life and encouragement when we meet together. It’s not that we have to be at church “every time the doors open”, but we get to bless others and we get to be blessed every time we meet with the body. When we understand church-we want to be there!  Who does not want what the church offers? What other activity is more fulfilling than church? We can’t experience church via television. God has called real people to be a part of the real church where each one has a vital part. Jesus gave His life for the body of Christ-the church-and God has chosen the church to demonstrate His kingdom. It would be a huge mistake for any believer to take the church of the living God lightly.

Hebrews 10:24-25: “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”

Blessings,

Buddy

October 1, 2015                                        BUT  GOD

Ephesians 2:4-5: “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ; (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…”

Ephesians 2:10: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

I sometime think that we (I) still don’t get it. Get what? The fact that we are IN Christ and He is IN us! The book of Ephesians is filled replete with the phrases  “in Him” and “in Christ” and apparently, Paul was over-whelmed with magnitude of the reality of being IN Christ. Being “in Him” is not theory, or a truth reserved for heaven, but is a truth that is the biggest game changer ever for this present life. It is not a great  comparison; but it is like being in a strange place that it is totally dark, and then suddenly, the lights come on and we can see. Before we came to be “in Him”, we were in total darkness and we were spiritually dead with no hope of being made alive. (Being “spiritually” dead also had tremendous negative ramifications on our physical lives as well.)  Just as Christ was raised from the dead, so were we. Although it may be impossible, or at least difficult for our finite minds to comprehend; it’s an awesome thought to think that our life-our body, soul and spirit-is a result of His workmanship-God actually designed and created each of us in a unique way! Somehow, someway, we were created in Christ Jesus, AND another awesome fact is that even before we were created, God prepared “good works” for us to do!  God had certain “good works” He ordained, and He created each of us to carry out the works He wanted done- there are “works” to be done that have our name on them. God did not “need” us as He can do whatever He pleases; BUT because He loves us, He lets us be a part of what He is doing on planet earth. God desires a partnership with us; a partnership where He initiates prepares and enables us to be able partners who can do business in His name. As we just begin to see what God has done and as we get a taste of what His plans are for us, we can only say as Paul said; God is rich in mercy! Just an elemental understanding of what God has done and what He is still doing because we are in Christ, ushers in a totally new perspective on life. If God is our Father, if we are in Christ, if Christ is in us, if we are the workmanship of God, if He has plans and purpose for our life, and if He is rich in mercy to us-then what can defeat us, derail us, depress us, discourage us, divide us, and rob us of joy? Yes, life is not always easy-but in the midst of trials and difficulties, God is the same and His love and His plans for us remains the same and He is still faithful-using us for His glory. Sometimes the “works” that He has for us involves demonstrating His life in difficult situations-being salt and life. Let us ask God to give us greater revelation and understanding of what it means to be “in Him.”

Ephesians 1:18-19b: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe;”

Blessings,

Buddy