Blog Archives - TheNewU

ALIVE TO GOD

12/30/2022

December 30, 2022 ALIVE TO GOD
Romans 6:11-13 “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lust, and do not go on presenting the members of your body as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
It is a contradiction to scripture to think that ‘I am a sinner saved by grace, but I continue to sin.’ The problem with that belief is that it nullifies or contradicts the truth of the gospel, that the power of sin over us has been broken, and it is saying that we do not consider ourselves dead to sin. Simply said, we do not have to sin. It would not be right to see ourselves as sinless; neither would be right to see ourselves as sinners who continue to sin. What is right is to see that we have a choice of yielding to our flesh which is sin, or yielding ourselves to the Spirit and not sin. A key truth is that sin does not have power over us any longer; we are free to live according to the Spirit. It is crucial that we consider ourselves dead to sin-and not consider ourselves as sinners. The importance of how we consider ourselves could never be overstated; we live according to how we ‘consider’ ourselves-sinners who sin or saints who do not yield to sin. The good news is that we are alive to God! God has raised us from the dead; before we came to know God as Savior, we were dead in our sins and trespasses. Now, we have been forgiven and restored to our Father, we can enjoy fellowship with our Father, and He lives is us. We must grasp the wonderful truth that we no longer have to let “sin reign in our mortal bodies.” We can now present ourselves to God as those alive from the dead use our mortal bodies as instruments of righteousness. Let us make this practical-today, let us be instruments of righteousness and be used by God to reveal His love and His character. We are alive to God!
1 John 5:12 “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
John 14:6 “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Ephesians 2:4-5 “But because of His great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive in Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-it is by grace you have been saved.”
Blessings,
Buddy

WE HAVE BEEN BOUGHT

12/28/2022

December 28, 2022 WE HAVE BEEN BOUGHT
1 Corinthians 6:11, 15, 17, 19-20 “And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.” “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be!” “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
The fact that we do not belong to ourselves but have been purchased by God and belong to Him, seems to be a reality many believers have difficulty accepting. We are quick to say that our spirits belong to the Lord, but no so quick to say that our bodies also belong to the Lord. The point that Paul is making in 1 Corinthians 6 is that we are no longer our own. Paul is addressing the sin of immorality in particular, but what he says applies to sin in general. We are not to have the view that what really matters is our spirit while neglecting the importance of what we do in our bodies-our flesh and bones. The point for us to get is that our spirits and our bodies, including our minds, belong to God; we have been washed, sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord-now we are to live that way. It is an amazing fact, but we as believers, are one spirit with the Lord! And, we are temples of the Holy Spirit-the Spirit of God lives in us! God purchased a package deal-He bought every part of us-body, soul and spirit. Once we begin to grasp the fact that we in total belong to the Lord, we are motivated to live in such a way that all we do in our spirits, in our bodies, and in our minds is to glorify God-the one we belong too. In light of the truths we find in the above passages, let us be reminded that we are truly not our own, but have been joined to the Lord and are one spirit with Him. Let it be our commitment to glorify God in our bodies. We glorify Him in our bodies by using the members of our bodies as instruments of righteousness-doing what is pleasing to Him. We are to flee immorality and any sin or anything that is not pleasing to Him. We are to use our bodies to serve Him, and a big part of serving Him is to do what blesses others and what pleases Him.
Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men; knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Romans 6:11-13 “Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lust, 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.”
Blessings,
Buddy

NEWS OF A GREAT JOY

12/26/2022

December 26, 2022 NEWS OF A GREAT JOY
Luke 2:8-11 “And is the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.”
The impact and the importance of the birth of Jesus could never be understated; the birth and the later resurrection of Jesus from the dead are the two greatest events of all times. Even though the birth of Jesus and all the events leading up to His birth are very familiar, may we never lose the awe and the majesty of the Savior of the world being born. Indeed, the birth of the Savior was good news of great joy. In verses 14 and 15, we see the compassion that God has for man: “And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased.’” God desires to be known and He extends compassion and love, and He desires for man and God to enjoy fellowship together. The birth of Jesus is the ultimate expression of the grace and mercy that God has for mankind. Before the birth of Jesus, man was separated from God because of the sins committed against God. Before Jesus, man could find forgiveness for his sins only by offering sacrifices to God. But at the right time, God gave His own perfect and sinless Son as the sacrifice for the sin of man-once for all. When Jesus became the sacrifice for our sins, amazing things happened; all sin was forgiven and the relationship between God and man was restored; no longer did sin separate man from God-Jesus paid in full the price for our sins. THE sin issue was dealt with for all times! Of course we know that if and when we as followers of Christ sin against God, we are to confess it and turn from it; when we sin, God has already forgiven the sin, but until we acknowledge our sin, we grieve the Spirit of God and we lose the sense of fellowship with our Father. But, with that being said, we must rejoice in the fact that God, through the sacrifice of Jesus, has opened wide the door to fellowship with Him and invites us to enjoy a relationship with Him.
Matthew 1:21-23 “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” ‘Now all this took place that was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated means, ‘God with us.’”
Blessings,
Buddy

WITHOUT EXCUSE

12/24/2022

December 24, 2022 WITHOUT EXCUSE
Romans 1:18-22a “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and His divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools,”
This passage of scripture, and all of chapter one, is a clear explanation of why the world is like it is-where brokenness, perversion, strife, rebellion, and lawlessness is rampant. The problem is not that man does not know the truth, but that man suppresses the truth. The frightening thing is that when men suppresses the truth of God, they put themselves on the path that leads to their foolish hearts being darkened and they become fools, while claiming to be wise. Since the creation of the world, God has made Himself known; He has revealed, and continues to reveal, His invisible attributes, His eternal power and His divine nature through what He has created. The good news is that God wants to be known. Rather than trying to disprove God or deny God, we can have a heart and a desire to see Him and to know Him-to be looking for Him and to anticipate Him revealing Himself to us in any way He chooses. One fundamental reason why many say they don’t believe in God is that if they admit that God exist, then they would be accountable to Him-and that is not what they want; man wants to have full say over how he chooses to live his life. For you and I, the message for us in this passage is for us to guard against suppressing the truth in any way. I believe that if we choose not to obey the clear teachings of the word of God, we are suppressing the truth. Rather than suppressing the truth of God, we are to be expressions of the truth of God. During this Christmas season, let us rejoice in the fact that the birth of Jesus is God’s ultimate expression of revealing Himself to mankind and that He desires to be the Savior of all. God has clearly spoken; now let us receive from Him all that He has planned for those who know Him and who love Him. A basic truth that we must not ignore is that He came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. John 10:10.
Blessings,
Buddy

CONSIDERING OUR BODIES AS DEAD

12/22/2022

December 22, 2022 CONSIDERING OUR BODIES AS DEAD
Colossians 3:1-5 “If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in His glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.”
The all-important question for each of us is “What are we seeking?” We have a certain mind-set in life, and it is this mind-set that determines the course of our life; and mind-sets have a way of producing certain fruit. One cannot over-state the power of our mind-set. It is a rather broad summary, but it is accurate to say that we have only two choices as to what we are seeking; we can seek the things of the flesh-what we think will make us happy; or we can seek the things ‘above’-the things of the Lord. We can set out minds on the things above, or on the things that are on earth. It seems that the gigantic step for believers is to come to a place where they discover that their life is hidden in Christ-that their old life has died. Once we discover that our life is in Him, it only makes sense to seek the things above where Christ is. It will be a red letter day when accept the fact that who we use to be has died-we should attend our own funeral. We still live in a physical body, but we are to consider the members of this body to be dead to sin-to all that is unlike God. This body of ours is not evil; it is the temple of the Holy Spirit and it is to be used as an instrument of righteousness. It may sound a little vague to say to seek the things above-things we cannot see. What we are to seek are the things of the Lord-love, compassion, kindness, wisdom, grace, strength-the qualities we see in Jesus; these qualities are to be expressed in our earthly bodies. The truth is that the things on this earth or temporary, whereas the things above are eternal. Life is so much more than we see with our physical eyes; let us ‘keep seeking the things above’ and use our earthly bodies as instruments of righteousness. We have been raised up and our life is now hidden in Christ; when He is revealed, we will be revealed with Him in His glory.
Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ: and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”
Blessings,
Buddy

REIGNING IN LIFE

12/20/2022

December 20, 2022 REIGNING IN LIFE
Romans 5:17, 5:1-2 “For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” “Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God.
One could spend much time studying the essential truths of the gospel found in the fifth chapter of the book of Romans. The main theme of this chapter is about Christ, the Righteous One, dying for the sins of many; volumes could be written about the implications of that reality. We must never lose sight of just how awesome it is to have our sins forgiven and to be reconciled to God; God has shown abundance grace to us. Had Christ not died for our transgressions, we would be condemned sinners; Christ dying on a cross was the ultimate expression of the grace of God being extended to us. Christ death and resurrection not only accomplished our being forgiven of our sins, it also meant that we are restored to our Father. Being forgiven and restored to God is a huge, huge deal; it changes everything! As we receive all that God did on our behalf, we are ushered into a brand new life-here on earth. In fact, the above verse tells us that because we ‘have received the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, we will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.’ Wow! Instead of living in bondage to sin, we live in the joy of all sin being forgiven; instead of being fearful, we are bold; in place of hopelessness, we are filled with hope; instead of having doubt, we have confidence; in place of selfishness, we discover the joy of being givers; and instead of trying to figure life out on our own, we have the Spirit of God living in us to guide and empower us for life. Reigning in life does not mean that we are exempt from trials; it does mean that we are not defeated by the trials but that we overcome the trials. What God has done for us is absolutely amazing to say the least. God has done what He has done; now, our part is to believe, to receive, and to act on all that He has done on our behalf. This brings up the absolute necessity of knowing just what He has done; it is a no-brainer that if we want to know what He has done, we must read and study His word; His word reveals His character, His plans and purposes for mankind, our true identity; His word gives us instructions for life and through His word, we gain wisdom. To reign in life means we rise above the ways of the world; it means we live in the peace of God no matter the circumstances. Let us be forever mindful of our being justified before God and our relationship with Him restored-all because we have received abundant grace through Jesus who died for us.
Isaiah 40:29-31 “He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.”
Blessings,
Buddy

STRENGTHENED AND FILLED

12/18/2022

December 18, 2022 STRENGTHENED AND FILLED
Ephesians 3:16-19 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and the length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”
What a prayer for you and I! We may give a lot of attention to our outer man and we may spend much time and energy meeting the desires of this outer man; the outer man has all sorts of cravings-to look good, to get attention, to do the things that make us ‘happy,’ to impress others-and the list goes on. The scriptures refer to living according to the outer man as living according to the flesh. For those who do not know the Lord, their only option is to live according to the outer man-or the flesh. This is not to say that our physical bodies or evil or any such thing; God made us and gave us an amazing physical body, and we should take proper care of it. The condition of our inner man, our inner person, is of upmost importance because it is the core on our being and it truly defines who we are and it is the primary motivator of our lives. God desires that our inner man be strengthened through His Spirit who lives in us. The goal is not that we will just be strengthened, but that we will be strengthened so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith! Let us not skip over that-Christ, the Son of God wants to dwell in our hearts!! Because Christ is holy and pure, without sin, and will not co-habit with sin, our hearts must be pure-and it is the Holy Spirit that prepares our hearts. For this reason, we must listen to the voice of the Spirit and be quick to obey His voice and to work with Him as He works in us. We are not perfect, but we do have the Spirit of God enabling us to live in a manner that pleases our Father. The important thing is that we yield to the Spirit rather than to our flesh. When Christ lives in our heart, we experience abundant blessings. One blessing is that we will be “routed and grounded in love.” This love is not human love, but the love of God, and this love of God that is rooted in us can be expressed to others; it is the same love Jesus demonstrated while on earth. Also, when Christ lives in our heart, we will begin to comprehend just how awesome and how far-reaching the love of God is. We will discover that the “love of God surpasses knowledge,” and we will be “filled up to all the fullness of God!” The one that does not know God personally, is limited to human knowledge and is void of the transformational power of the love of God. Let us yield to the work of the Spirit and be strengthened in our inner man-so that Christ may live in our hearts.
Colossians 2:6.9: “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.”
Blessings,
Buddy

WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT ?

12/16/2022

December 16, 2022 WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT ?
Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a result. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Acts 17:28a “For in Him we live and move and have our being.”
I remember being at Christian retreats where the leader would ask us to write down the list of what our priorities should be in life. We all knew that the ‘right’ order of priorities would be: 1.God 2.spouse 3.children 4.vocation. This order of priorities sounds so right, right? Later in my spiritual journey, I began to realize that this type of listing of priorities is not right after all. In reality, how would you ever live in such a way that your kids were number three in importance and your wife was number two, and your job was way down the list at number four? We should see our life more like a circle with God at the center, and around the perimeter of the circle are all the things pertaining to our life, such as spouse, children, church, vocation, hobbies, and etc. In this concept, everything we do flows out of our relationship with God, and everything becomes important. I also realized that making a list like we did at the retreats reveals a deficiency in our understanding of our relationship with God and the ways of God; it also indicates that we are trying to earn our way into a right relationship with God, and trying to earn it, always leads to frustration. It is a red-letter day when we come to realize that God is at the center, that our life and all we do flows out of Him. Colossians 3:4 tells us that Christ IS our LIFE; not in theory, but in reality. We are in error when we compartmentalize God to certain areas of our life or to view some things we do as secular, and some as spiritual. Whether it is going to church, going fishing, painting the house, or whatever, all we do can and should flow out of our relationship with God who is our Father. To get to this point, something dramatic must take place in the deepest part of us. The understanding and the revelation that is critical in coming to this place is that God has made us new and has given us a new –not refurbished- heart, a new mind, and a new spirit. We have a new identity, and this identity is based on Christ being our life. When we come to know our true identity, we naturally want to do the things that please Him and that reveals His life in us; the struggle to be ‘spiritual’ is gone. As in my last blog, our part, and our choice is to walk according to the Spirit-that’s it! Yes, we can revert back to our old ways and walk according to the flesh-but why do that? So, what is really most important? It is to walk by the Spirit. Let us receive the gospel; lets us acknowledge that Christ is indeed our life; let us walk in our new identity; and let all that we do flow out of our relationship with our Father. Knowing AND walking in our true identity is the only door way to abundant, overflowing life. If you do not know or experience your true identity, read His word in light of learning who He says you are in Him and ask Him to reveal it to you in your spirit. Today, confess with your mouth that He is your life-then do all you do as unto Him!
John 7:33 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
Blessings,
Buddy

PILLAR AND SUPPORT OF THE TRUTH

12/14/2022

December 14, 2022 PILLAR AND SUPPORT OF TRUTH
1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”
For many, truth seems to be an illusive thing; many think that it is up to the individual to define truth however he or she defines it. The persuasive belief in our culture is that individuals should live life according to their own preferences and likes and dislikes. The sad outcome of living according to one’s own dictates is that the deep longing for significance and purpose is never realized. In our society, we are currently seeing the tragic results of trying to do away with the moral absolutes that God has put into place. One may resist or deny God, and may resist the truth He has proclaimed, but he does so at his own detriment. Truth is not up for one’s own interpretation. As believers, we are blessed to have access too, and to know the truth that God has clearly revealed. It is contrary to the nature of man, and it is a mystery, but one can experience freedom and find purpose and contentment only as they embrace and submit to the truth of God-and His truth is revealed in His word. In the passages above, Paul refers to the ‘household of God, which is the church of the living God.’ God has set His church up as His instrument on earth to be proclaimers of the truth. It is sad to say, but nonetheless true, there are ‘churches’ that have compromised the truth and are not proclaimers of the gospel that God has entrusted to the church. The gospel is not an evolving gospel and it is not to be adjusted to the desires and interpretations of man. We do not have to wonder what truth is; we can be set free by the truth that God has revealed. Note: Paul was writing these words so that they would know how to conduct themselves as members of God’s family. It is not enough to know the truth; we must be about putting truth into action; our life is to be guided by the truth of God. The gospel does not address every detail of our lives, it does not tell us what color of shirt to wear, or whatever; however, we are stewards and our stewardship is to be under the Lordship of Christ and the gospel He has given to us.
Jude 1:3a “I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all time handed down to the saints.”
John 8:32 “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Blessings,
Buddy

OTHERS NEEDED

12/12/2022

December 12, 2022 OTHERS NEEDED
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.”
In the western world, we tend to be individualistic. However, in the kingdom of God, we are members of each other and we need the input of others and we also need to give input to others. “so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” Romans 12:5. Concerning the church, God has placed within body those who’s gifting is to equip and to build up the body of Christ. He gives some as apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers. Also, each believer within the body has been given a spiritual gift that is to be employed for the building up of the body of Christ and to encourage other believers. Now, we must recognize the fact that many of the churches of our day do not function according to Ephesians 4. Even though that is the case, we should hold fast to how God has designed the church and do what we can to move in that direction. For us, let us recognize that we need the input of other believers and that the church is a ‘us’ thing. Because every believer experiences trials and difficulties, we find strength and encouragement as we engage with others. The goal that God has for us is that we all “attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” We are to be becoming like Christ! God has a marvelous plan for His people and He has designed His church to be the instrument through which His plans come to fruition.
Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Blessings,
Buddy