Blog Archives - TheNewU

FOR THE EQUIPING

11/29/2024

November 29, 2024 FOR THE EQUIPPING

Ephesians 4:11-13 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelist, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”

This is a follow up to the last blog. That blog was about the importance of believers assembling together, and that the church was not a building; believers are the church. It is certainly good for believers to get together at any place at any time. However, we must remember that simply ‘getting together’ is not the goal. As said in the last blog, assembly is defined as meeting together for a common purpose. It is important to note that God has placed certain individuals with specific gifts and callings in the body for the expressed purpose of equipping the believes (saints) for the work of service and for building up the body of Christ. He gives apostles, prophets, evangelist and pastors and teachers. (Some today question the idea of apostles and prophets-but nonetheless, it’s there in plain view.) There should be a common purpose when believes assemble, and that is to be equipped for service and to be built up. If we are missing out on these various gifts to the body, then we are spiritually anemic to some degree. The point being is that when we meet together, whether in a traditional church or in a small group, there is a definite purpose for assembling. The body is made up of believers with various gifting, and God has designed it in such a way that we need each other. To be a part of the body of Christ is a tremendous blessing. No one part of the body is more important than the other; each member has a place. Christ is the head of the body. Unlike the world, there is no hierarchy in the church; there are different functions and some members may be more in the forefront, but each member is equally important. So, first, let us assemble with other believers, but when we assemble, let it be with the purpose that is presented in the scriptures. One word of caution: body life can be ‘messy;’ believers are not perfect and there will sometimes be conflict; but even so, God is calling believers to come together and to grow in the knowledge of Him and in our relationships with other believers.
1 Corinthians 12:18-20, 26-27 “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But there are many members, but one body.” “And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it”

Blessings, Buddy

FORSAKE NOT

11/27/2024

November 27, 2024 FORSAKE NOT

Hebrews 10:23-25 “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 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.”

In the early church, believers getting together was a common practice. Today, people, including believers, or more independently minded and for the most part, getting together with other believers is an option rather than a necessity. In the above passage we are instructed not to ‘forsake assembling together.’ Assemble is defined as ‘to gather together in one place for a common purpose.’ The fact is that God designed us in such a way that we need to assemble with other believers for the common good. As we assemble together, we are blessed when we encourage one another to love and good deeds, when we benefit from the spiritual gifts of other believers being exercised, when we bear one another’s burdens, etc. There are some issues we must address as we talk about assembling together. Assembling together could be at a church building or it could be at a coffee shop or in a home. The traditional place for believers to assemble together is at a church building. Here is a real problem we face today regarding the assembling together; not all, but many church services are carried out in such a way that there is little ‘stimulating one another.’ (What I am saying here is certainly not said with a critical spirit of the church.) For the most part, many churches are pastor centered and program centered. Sadly, for many, it’s a matter of attending ‘church’ for sixty minutes, then going back to their routines. Also sad is that there is a lot of religious activity talking place, yet missing the dynamics of body life as we see depicted in the scriptures. So, I have hit on some serious problems we face today. Are there answers or solutions? Yes. There are times when we need to make adjustments in how we view things including how we view church. The church is not a building-the church is the body of believers. For our part, let us learn about the church and how God designed it to function. Then, whether in the church we attend or in small groups, let us move toward ‘stimulating one another to love and good deeds.’ When the people of God assemble together and be about body-life, people are blessed and they find encouragement. It is reported that many of the younger generation are forsaking church attendance. Before we criticize them, we should be asking why that is true. I fear that to a great extent, the church has failed to be the light. Again, we can be a part of the solution. The main point of this message is that whether we realize it or not, believers need each other. Let us not be guilty of not assembling together; let us find other believers to share the life of Christ with. I know that God works through His church. I am just trying to say that we need to examine our ‘church life’ and see if it lines up with how God designed the church to function. A book could be written on this subject, but I trust you get the heart of what is said in this blog. (One more note: Be aware of ‘religion.’ Dudley Hall wrote a book titled “Going To Church Can Be Hazardous To Your Health” with the point being that one can wear themselves out doing religious church work and miss the blessing of experiencing genuine church life.)

Ephesians 4:15-16 “but speaking the truth in love, we 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, causing the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

Blessings, Buddy

OWNED BY GOD

11/25/2024

November 25, 2024 OWNED BY GOD

Psalm 100:3 “Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.”
Romans 14:8 “For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.”
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “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 at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

We live in a culture where independence is preeminent. The idea of a person being owned by another is repulsive. This focus on being independent often bleeds over in to the views, thoughts and perspectives of believers. It is indeed a radical statement to say that we are not our own-that we belong to someone else. Being owned by another has huge implications. If I belong to another, then my life is to be built around serving and doing the things that are pleasing to the one who I belong to. Even thought we belong to Him, He gives us the power of choice. Yet, it is a firm reality that because we belong to Him, His plans and purposes for us will come to pass. We belong to the good Shepherd; it is His desire that we discover just how awesome and wonderful He is and that we come to know His love for us-and in so doing, we gladly lay our lives aside and live as unto Him where His desires and His ways become our desires and our ways. Coming to a place where we truly realize and acknowledge that we belong to God and we are not our own is major. Life is a much simpler when we know and when we live as those who belong to Him. Even though we belong to Him, we still have responsibilities in this life and we have relationships and etc; but, our motives, our actions, our demeanor, and all we are flow out of belonging to God. We hear it often, but it is a big, big deal that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit-God lives IN us! The Holy Spirit totally equips and empowers us to live as those who belong to God. We can represent God in a good way. The price God paid to purchase us was the death of His Son. Considering all of this, the obvious conclusion is that we honor God with our bodies and with all of our being. So, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. This life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
1 Corinthians 6:17 “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”

Blessings, Buddy

GOD THE REVEALER

11/23/2024

November 23, 2024 GOD THE REVEALER Ephesians 1:17-19a “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 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 .

I think we sometime forget how needy we are; we go about this Christian life acting as through it is up to us to discover truths from God’s word and how to live as believers. We believe that the main thing is to be diligent and disciplined, having our mornings devotions and doing the things ‘good’ Cristians should do. Don’t stop reading-hold on. These things are good things: we should read His word, we should be diligent, and it’s certainly good to have devotions. But the problem is that we cannot gain a correct understanding of who God is and we cannot understand the scriptures and we cannot come to understand what it means to be joined to God on our own, no how much study and no matter how diligent we are. It is an indisputable fact that it is only by God giving us a spirit of wisdom and revelation that we can come to truly know Him and to understand the implications of being redeemed and made new. Having a mental understanding of the things of God and having a mental agreement with His word is a good thing; but we need the ‘eyes of our hearts’ to be opened or enlightened in order to see all that He has for us. God has all knowledge, but He is more than that. John 4:24 tells us “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Our minds or super important and it it is important to read and study God’s word. But we must remember that God is spiritual. The spiritual is deeper than words or mental understanding and knowledge. Since it is God who does the revealing, one might conclude that all they can do is to ‘sit on the front porch in their rocking chair’ waiting for God to give them revelation. That’s not true. God is looking for those whose hearts are turned to Him. He said if we seek Him, we will find Him. God wants us to know Him. He will reveal Himself to us. In Jeremiah 33:3 God said “Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” So we should study and meditate on God’s word, but at the same time, ask Him to reveal His truths in our spirits. When the eyes of our hearts or enlightened by the Holy Spirit, we will see just how rich our inheritance in the Lord is-it will change us from the inside out.
John 16:13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and Hw will tell you what is yet to come.”

Blessings, Buddy

SIMPLICITY AND PURITY

11/21/2024

November 21,2024 SIMPLICITY AND PURITY

2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve, by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.”

There is a sentiment among many today that yearn for a more simplistic life-and I understand why. I’m not sure there has ever been a time when we as a people have as busy as we are today. And coupled with that is that there is much confusion, conflicts on every hand, stress and a general sense of unhappiness among many. Someone said that the battle takes place in our minds-and I think we all agree with that. How we view the world around us, how we think, what we believe, and how we process information determines or defines our life. I suspect that our business is driven by a sense of un-fulfillment; we are searching for what satisfies our deepest longings. The good news is that we are not doomed to be forever searching for that which satisfies. Once a person finds that which fulfills, the frantic search ceases. As always, God reveals in His word the answer to man’s dilemma. At the risk of sounding overly simplistic, we can have our deepest longings satisfied through ‘simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.’ God’s ways are not burdensome and neither or they confusing. Being ‘devoted to Christ’ implies that we are looking to Him as our source and are following His leading. It also means we desire to learn of Him. His ways always lead to life-to life more abundant. As we learn of Him, we discover something more important and greater than what the world seeks after; we find that the material does not truly satisfy. Material possessions are not in and of themselves evil; the problem comes when we seek fulfillment in them. Paul said that ‘he was afraid that the minds of the believers would be led astray by the serpent from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.’ Paul knew that was a real possibility-and so it is for us today. We must not let our minds wander from THE truth; we must be diligent in keeping our minds set on the the fact that real life is found only in Christ. Again, there is an epic battle for our minds; our enemy wants to influence and control our minds through his craftiness. As the mind goes, so goes our life. So, lets us know where the battle is taking place and let us refuse to turn away from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
Colossians 3:2 “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Blessings, Buddy

CONSIDER

11/19/2024

November 19, 2024 CONSIDER

Colossians 3:4-8 “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immortality, impurity, passions, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on the account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.”

The word of God is amazing: one can spend a life time discovering truths found in His word, and it challenges the greatest minds. At the same time, His word is easily understood and it contains practical instructions in life for those who know God as their Savior. The above passage is a good example of just how understandable and practical His word is. The first sentence has a bit of mystery in it; it is saying that Christ is our life. We tend to think that our life is our life-and that’s where we err. Yes, we have a body, mind, will and emotions, but now we belong to Him and His Spirit has come to indwell us. Now, every aspect of our life should be yielded and submitted to Him and to His lordship. This is only possible because He has made us new creations and has given us a new mind, new nature, and a new heart. With that being said, now the practical out working of this passage comes in to play. First, we must understand the power of ‘considering.’ We have the power to consider things; to choose what we think on and what conclusions we come to, and to decide on what action we will take after considering a certain matter. For sure there are many things in this life to consider or to think about that could get us off track. As believers, we can consider the members of our earthly body to be dead to those things that are ungodly and those things that are harmful for us and for others-that lead to death. For example, we can consider our selves dead to greed-and not be greedy. Or, we can consider ourselves dead to immorality-and not be immoral in thought, word or deed. I understand; that sounds overly simplistic; but that is exactly what this verse is telling us. Also super important: we have the power to lay aside. Because the Spirit of God lives in us and empowers us to live as unto Him, we can lay all ungodly things aside. For example, we can lay aside abusive speech that causes others pain and tears down instead of building up. Yes-just lay aside those things about us that are not pleasing to the Lord and those things that harm others emotionally or even physically. Jesus has set us free from the power of sin and has given us a new life-a life that blesses and builds up. We are no longer bound to our old nature. So, may we consider the members of our bodies as alive to God.
Colossians 3:12-14 “And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lore forgave you, so also should you. And above all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of peace.”

Blessings, Buddy

I HAVE LEARNED THE SECRET

11/17/2024

November 17, 2024 I HAVE LEARNED THE SECRET

Philippians 4:1-13 “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”

What Paul says in this passage is amazing and it is in such contrast to our culture. We want what we want and we want it now; and we must not be in need and the goal is to always have increase. So it is in the culture. But even in Christian circles, some buy into the ‘prosperity gospel’ and if someone is needy, they assume there is something ‘wrong.’ Do not misunderstand: there is nothing wrong with have plenty; AND there’s nothing wrong in having little. Paul said that he had learned the secret; hopefully we have also learned or are learning this secret as well, but if not, we need to learn it. The very idea of a secret is that it is not obvious. I am not sure that I can define the secret or exactly how to go about finding it. I do know that it means that being content in any and every circumstance is not dependent on material possessions, good health, pleasant surroundings or whatever. Core to being content is an absolute trust in God; to believe with all of our being that God is it control of all. It is also knowing that God is at work even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Knowing and experiencing the life of God in us is sufficient in every circumstance. The amazing thing is that we can enjoy the good things in life without being attached to them, and we can know joy and peace when things are not so good-all because we belong to God. Because we belong to God, we are indeed in good hands all the time. We must be aware of the fact that certain things can rob us of contentment. Things such as comparing ourselves with others, seeking material possessions above seeking God, desiring status in life, greed, living life according to our own dictates, addictions, an unhealthy thought life, and in general, not walking in our new identity in Christ, will rob us of contentment. And note, being content does not mean indifference or not caring, or being non-involved or disconnected. The contentment that comes for a full trust in God is contentment in any circumstance. Finally, to have this genuine contentment, we must be about seeking to know God in greater ways, we must be learning more about Him, and we must regularly feed on His word. We cannot produce this contentment; it is a by-product of a vibrant, healthy relationship with our Father. Because He lives in me, “I can do all things through Him who gives me strength.”

Ephesians 3:16 “That according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being.”
2 Corinthians 12:10 “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Isaiah 41:10 “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Blessings, Buddy

November 15th, 2024

11/15/2024

November 15, 2024 EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES

Acts 10:43 “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.”

If you had to in one sentence summarize the gospel, this would be a good one. Let’s face it; we have all sinned-we are all guilty. Living under the guilt of sin is a heavy burden; it robs us of life. We categorize sin in to ‘big’ sin and ‘little’ sin; but sin is sin. We may be able to receive forgiveness for our ‘small’ sins, but may have trouble receiving forgiveness for some ‘big’ and terrible sin(s) we committed in the past. I believe that many believers remain burdened by past sins; they may feel less-than, and live with a sense of remorse. And perhaps, it can be a sub-conscious deal where we know there is something wrong spirituality but we do not connect it to not receiving the forgiveness of God. Not receiving full and free forgiveness for our sins keeps us in prison, bound up, and unable to experience the life God has for us. Not receiving God’s forgiveness of sins surely grieves His heart; He paid a great price that we might be forgiven. Often, it is our pride that stands in the way of us receiving forgiveness; we just can’t believe we would commit a particular sin and we have trouble confessing to God that we sinned-that is humbling. Sometimes we blame others, at least to some degree, for our sin, thinking that in someway that excuses our sin. This all brings up an important point. It’s true that believers sometimes sin; however, it is not the norm for believers to sin. Jesus has broken the power of sin over us. When we walk according to the Spirit we do not fulfill the desire of the flesh-which is sin. We sin because we choose to sin. Walking according to the Spirit is walking in our new identity; we have been made new creatures-with new minds, new hearts and a new nature; sin no longer has dominion over us. With that being said, let us never loose the awareness that ALL of our sins are FORGIVEN. The blood Jesus shed for us cleanses us, purifies us and makes us white as snow! There are no second class believers in the family of God. And get this: Hebrew 8:12 tells us that God remembers our sins no more! We may not be able to completely forget our sins, but when we are reminded of our past sins, agree that yes we did commit that sin(s) BUT God has forgiven us. So, let us live as forgiven people, not being imprisoned by not fully receiving the forgiveness of God.
Psalm 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
Colossians 1:13-14 “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Blessings, Buddy

SO PROVE

11/13/2024

November 13, 2024 SO PROVE

John 15:8-12 “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”

If not careful, one can read this passage and wrongly conclude that it is by our works that we are approved by God. Works are important but what motivates us to be about works is the most important. One of the central themes in the New Testament and something that Jesus often referred to was that of abiding in Him. Jesus also spoke a lot about loving one another and loving Him. For the message of these verses to become true in us, we must first by faith believe, accept and embrace what is said. As a starter, God is glorified when we bear much fruit; in fact, it is by bearing much fruit that we prove to be His disciples. We have to ask what is the fruit and how do we bear it-or how does it show up in our life. From the parable of the vines, we learn that the fruit cannot produce it self; fruit comes only by being connected to, or abiding in the vine. If you cut the vine, then no fruit. So, it’s a fact that we cannot produce fruit on our own. One thing for certain is that fruit bearing and loving God go together. Here is a bit of a mystery: from other scriptures we see that if we love God, we will keep His commandments; in this verse it says that if we keep His commandments, we will abide in His love. That is not contradictory. We know that God first loved us and it is His love that changes us. It is possible for a believer to walk in a way contrary to God and not keep His commandments. There are times when we may not ‘feel’ all that ‘spiritual’ and may just want to coast spiritually; but in such times we can reflect on the love that God has for us and remind ourselves that He is our Father and then make the choice to go back to abiding in Him and keeping His words. It’s not about how we feel or what our emotions are; it’s about walking according to the Spirit and our new identity in Christ. Always, as we keep His word, we are blessed. Back to the fruit: we could never list all of the fruit that one might bear, but it can be summed up in Galatians 5:22-23 which says “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Let us abide in Christ and be led and empowered by the Spirit and be those who bear much fruit because we are connected to the vine.
John 14:23,26 “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make our abode with him.” “But the Helper, the Holy Spirt, whom the Farther will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

Blessings, Buddy

GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE

11/11/2024

November 11, 2024 GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE

1 Timothy 2:1-4 “First of all then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth.”

We serve a God who is loving, who is kind, who is patient, and who desires the best for mankind; His burden is light and His yoke is easy. The USA has just gone through an election and obviously there are a lot of divided political opinions and viewpoints. Even though there is political division, God gives instructions as to how His people should respond. We are exhorted to make ‘entreaties,’ ‘prayers,’ and ‘petitions.’ Entreaties are defined as an ‘earnest or humble request.’ Prayer is defined as a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God.’ Petitions is defined as ‘appealing to authority with respect to a particular cause.’ These terms or similar, but there is some difference. Note that we are to make entreaties, prayers, petitions and thanksgiving on the behalf of ALL men, including those who are in authority. We are to pray for those who we disagree with; that is good and acceptable to God. We do not need to pray that God will make them think like us because we are convinced that we have it all right. We are simply to lift others up to God, asking Him to speak to them, to give them wisdom, and to draw them to Himself. We are not the judges. God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of truth. Truth is found only in God. God desires that those in authority will govern in such a way that the citizens can live a ‘tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.’ How awesome that is! So, even though we live in a politically and every other way a divisive culture, let us keep the main thing the main thing-let us make entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgiving on the behalf of all men-doing such is good and acceptable in the sight of God. We should know by now that arguing and putting labels on others does no good; however praying for and lifting others up to God can make a difference. (It’s ok, and can be a good thing to discuss political issues and to speak up for truth, but we must do so in a spirit that honors the Lord.) In Matthew 5:44 Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Those who we disagree with may or may not be our enemy, but in any case, we are called to pray for them that they would experience the love of God. We have our mandate for living in a divided culture-let’s be about it.
Proverbs 11:25 “Those who live to bless others will have blessings heaped upon them, and the one who pours out his life to pour out blessings will be saturated with favor.” 1 Peter 3:9 “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for this you are called, that you may obtain a blessing.”
Blessings, Buddy