Blog Posts - TheNewU

December 18th, 2024

12/18/2024

December 18, 2024 BUT TO SAVE

John 12:47 “I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”
Matthew 7:1 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.”

These are likely familiar passages. Even many non-believers are familiar with these verses. We are quick to agree that we are not to judge another. But I suspect that many of us are not totally innocent when it comes to judging others; we may not call it ‘judging,’ but judging is judging no matter what we call it. The message we must get is that Jesus, the perfect one who never sinned, did not come to judge the world even though He saw the sinfulness of man on every hand. Here is the question for us-the take home point: if Jesus did not come to judge the world, why in the world would we ever judge? Jesus did not overlook sin, but He was out to redeem and to save sinners. Our posture should be the same. We are heirs of salvation; we are the saved ones; we are the ones through whom the gospel should shine forth, pointing to Jesus, the Savior of those who are lost. Judging others is a big deal. It’s not our calling to go about pointing out the sins of others and condemning others. For one thing, we really do not know what is in the heart of another and we do not know the motives of others. It just makes all the sense in the world from a biblical view, not to judge-it’s just that simple. Again, our calling is not to be judges, but to be ambassadors of the kingdom of God; to be light bearers; and to demonstrate the love of God. Just as Jesus saw the sinfulness of man, so can we see sin in all of it’s ugliness. Judging happens easily; it can be subtle; we can find other names for it; and it can make us feel better about our own sins and shortcomings. So, let us understand that sinners sin; but also let us understand it’s not our place to judge, but to be those who represent the love and compassion of Jesus to those who need a Savior.
Luke 6:37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

Blessings, Buddy

FOR HIM AND THROGH HIM

12/15/2024

December 15, 2024 FOR HIM AND THROUGH HIM

1 Corinthians 8:2,6 “but if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.” “yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.”

In chapter eight of 1 Corinthians, the subject is false gods and false idols. In the midst of this teaching, we discover some truths that we must not overlook. What is said in the verses above run contrary to our culture in a big way. What Paul says brings us back to reality and to truth and it puts is proper perspective who we are and why we exist. We tend to think we are born to pursue our dreams, to achieve success, to do the things that fulfill us, and to be the captain of our lives. As a starter, let us be reminded that we are here only because He created us; and we continue to exist only because He sustains us. Second, and this is really big, let us remember that we exist for Him! We do not exist for ourselves-and that may a sobering truth to grasp. We may agree that we exist for Him theoretically, but yet not live daily with the acknowledgment and awareness that we exist solely for Him. Now this does not mean that we are robotic like or that we do not responsibilities and the power to make choices. The really good news is that knowing that we exist through Him and for Him, brings purpose to our lives and it brings a deep sense of fulfillment. It is a frightening thought to think that we have to figure life out on our own, and that all we have is us, without God equipping us and leading us. Existing for Him means that our life is about Him; about doing the things that honor him please Him. We can experience life as it was designed to be only by knowing that we exist by Him and for Him. Finally, not only do we exist by Him and through Him, we are known by Him if we love Him. So, let us live being fully aware of the fact that we exist for Him and through Him.

Romans 14:8 “If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.”

Blessings, Buddy

Ministering to the Lord.

12/13/2024

December 13, 2024 MINISTERING TO THE LORD

Acts 13:2 “And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”

Reading this verse is like looking through a key hole, getting a glimpse of early church life. We see the dynamic working of the church; the believers ministering to the Lord and fasting, and the Spirit speaking to them. The part that catches my attention is that they were ‘ministering to the Lord.’ We normally think of ministry as being ministry to other people. Evidently, there is also a way for us to minister to the Lord and obviously it’s important to do so. As I understand it, we minister to the Lord by worshiping Him, praising Him, praying to Him, giving Him honor, and doing things that please Him. To minister to the Lord means we acknowledge Him for who He is; He is Lord and He rules over all. Ministering to the Lord includes specific times when we praise Him and worship Him, BUT is also to be a way of life for us. Even as we work and go about our daily task and routines, we can do those things in a way that is pleasing to Him-doing all we do as unto Him. I have a strong suspicion that by ministering to the Lord and fasting, we will hear Him speaking to us. This passage is refreshingly simple, and to the point; there are no ‘deep truths’ we must uncover to get the message. We cannot minister to the Lord by just going through the motions; it’s a matter of our heart. God looks at our hearts. We can minister to the Lord only when our hearts are fully turned to Him and when He is our greatest desire. Finally, our worship must be based on truth; and truth is found in God’s word; our worship must be based on who God says He is, and not on who we say He is.
John 4:24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Psalm 95:6 “Come, let us bow down in worship, let is kneel before the Lord our Maker.”

Blessings, Buddy

IT’S A REAL DEAL

12/10/2024

December 11, 2024 IT’S A REAL DEAL

2 Corinthians 13:4-5, 11 “For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we shall live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you. Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-unless indeed you fail the test?”

There is a lot to glean from this passage to say the least. As I read this passage and as I meditate on it, I come to one major conclusion. There is obviously more to this passage than the one conclusion I come up with. If I had the gift of teaching, or if I was a preacher, I am sure I could spend weeks expounding the truths found in this passage. But, here is the overriding message I get from this. As believers, we have been given the gospel, or you can call it ‘the faith.’ “The faith” is referring to the body of truth that God has given. There is no other truth outside this body of truth that God has given. The gospel is peculiar from the world’s perspective, it’s specific, and it did not originate with man; it came from God. The gospel is not a book of good suggestions and it’s not just a book of information. The reason for being given the gospel was not that we might gain more knowledge, but that we would be transformed by the power of the gospel. The amazing thing is how this gospel came to us. In the plan of God, it took the death of His Son to redeem us, to take us out of this world of darkness and to place us in His family and His kingdom. Just as Jesus had to die, we to are called to die to ourselves in order that He might live in us. When we are weak, when we die to ourselves, the power of God is ‘directed toward’ us-His Son comes to live in us. So it is through weakness that we live. I say all that to say that this faith, this gospel, this Jesus living in us, is a huge deal and it demands our all. God forbid that we ever take this gospel lightly or fail to recognize the fact that Jesus lives in us! We are instructed to test ourselves and to examine ourselves-to see if we are in the faith. Personal examination is needed to see if our beliefs are in line with God’s word and to see if our actions, our words, our attitudes and our desires are in agreement with the ways of God. This self-examination is not fear based, but is for our own good. So, to claim to be followers of Jesus and to say we believe the gospel, is a big big deal. We are blessed to have been transferred from the kingdom of darkness and transferred to the kingdom of God. Let us live in the light.
Hebrews 2:3a “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation.”
Jude 3b “I was constrained to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered unto the saints.”

Blessings, Buddy

December 08th, 2024

12/8/2024

December 8, 2024 WASH DAY

Revelations 22;12-14: “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. I am the Alfa and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their clothes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by gates into then city.”
Growing up in the country in a day when we had clothes lines for drying our clothes, my Mom had a ‘wash-day’ on which she would wash and hang out the clothes-of course it had be on a sunny day for drying. The passage of scripture above talks about washing ‘our robes.’ It is a good analogy; obviously its not referring to the clothes we wear but to our person-who we are-our life. It’s interesting that this passage is in the last chapter of the bible; I take it as a final admonition or a final word that must be heard; you could see it as a warning, or you can see it as a promise. However we see it, the message is clear. Whether we believe it or not, a day is coming when earth will be no more and all believers will be living in heaven in the presence of God; all who rejected Christ will not be there-they will spend eternity separated from God. What an awful thought. The message we must take from this passage is that this awesome day is coming and we need to be about making ourselves ready for that day. The message of this verse is not ‘high and lofty’ and is not ‘super spiritual’ and is not reserved just for a few; it has practical ramifications. Certainly our relationship with God and our being saved is a spiritual issue-it is by faith that we come to know God because of His grace-that is the beginning point. We are saved, but we are also being saved-we are to walk out our salvation. Even though we are saved by grace and because we are now a part of God’s family, we are to be about doing the good deeds that He has ordained for us and living out this life as He has called us too. Because God has made us righteous and His Spirit lives in us, we are to be expressing the righteousness of God in what we do. “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17. So, let us be good stewards of God while on this earth, representing Him in all we do; by doing this, we will be preparing for and making ourselves ready for that day when we take up residency in heaven and we will hear the Father say to us “Well done good and faithful servant!” And let us not overlook the fact that He is coming quickly and His reward is with Him!

John 14:2-3 “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

1 Corinthians 2:9 “But, as it is written, ‘What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him-‘“

Blessings, Buddy

THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

12/5/2024

December 4, 2024 THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

From Psalm 23
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.”

This is no doubt the most popular of the 150 Psalms; it is certainly a comforting psalm. This psalm reveals the love that God has for His people. The first five words are a great beginning; “The Lord is my Shepherd.” He is the good shepherd who cares for and who watches over his sheep-and we are His sheep who were bought with a great price. As His seep, we are secure, provided for, and led to rest in good places. This Psalm is not a promise that all will be good all the time; it is a promise that God is with us, caring for us no matter the circumstances. Even in the most difficult times we have provision and rest in Him. When we are downtrodden and discouraged, He restores our soul. There are times when we feel that we are in the ‘valley of death,’ without hope. Note that we do not camp out in the valley of death; we walk through it. There are a lot of things that can cause us to fear; BUT we do not have to give into fear because He is with us-and that is enough. Our good Shepherd leads us to ‘still waters’ and to the ‘paths of righteousness;’ He does not lead us to what is harmful, but to what is right and good. Even when others come against us, our Shepherd provides for us, making us secure. And here is my favorite part of this Psalm: ‘surely goodness and mercy shall follow me.’ ‘Follow’ is not a good word here; the original word for follow is ‘to pursue, to chase after.’ Think about it; the goodness and mercy of God pursues us all of our lives! Someone refered to this goodness and mercy as the ‘hounds of heaven.’ We have the Spirit of God now and we will be with Him forever! Nothing or no one can change that fact. Because the Lord is our Shepherd, we do not want. He satisfies our deepest longings and meets every need. How freeing it is to live full lives-free of want. This Psalm is a call to truly know the Lord. This Psalm is true whether we understand it or not or whether we experience it or not. Even if a believer is living contrary to the ways of God, God is using circumstances and difficult situations to draw him to Himself-He is the good Shepherd to all believers. I have heard that if one of the sheep keeps going astray, the shepherd would break his leg so that he would not wander away for the fold. (I do not know if that is true or not-but it makes a good point that our Shepherd is committed to our well-being.) So, let us spend some time meditating on the fact that the Lord is our Shepherd.
John 10:9-11 “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”

Blessings, Buddy

LED BY THE SPIRIT

12/1/2024

December 2, 2024 LED BY THE SPIRIT

Romans 8:12-14 “So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death, the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.”

There are many verses in the Bible dealing with the flesh and the Spirit; and certainly understanding what is said is crucial to our spiritual health. Very briefly, the flesh refers to that part of man that is contrary to the ways of God; it is the old sin nature that man is born with. The flesh, the old sin nature, has not been redeemed but is alive and active. When one receives Christ as Savior, he or she receives the Holy Spirit to permanently dwell in them. Thus, the battle ground is set-the flesh and the Spirit. Many believes wrongly conclude that since we have these two opposing forces at work in us, we will always be struggling with sin-sometimes sinning and sometimes not-perhaps even using the fact that we have an old sin nature as an excuse for sin. There is good news for us; we are not doomed to spend our life struggling with this flesh issue. A key truth to understand is that we can yield ourselves to the Spirit, and by doing so, we do not yield to the flesh. This ‘yielding’ power we have is a great power. Paul says that if we are living according to the flesh, we must die. His point is that if we are living according to the flesh, we must die to ourselves-the flesh. I say all that to get to the main point for this blog. There is a tendency for us to ‘strike out on our own,’ instead of being led by the Spirit. Some might think that being ‘led by the Spirit’ sounds sorta weird or mysterious and unrealistic. Yet, it is clear in scripture that us being led by the Spirt is just what God desires. His Spirit did not come to reside in us with no purpose! What does being led by the Spirit look like and how do we know how He is leading us, are good questions. I certainly can’t answer those questions in a few sentences or even in many pages-and I do not have an exact answer. Here are a couple things I believe. We must develop our hearing of what the Spirit is saying-learning to hear His voice. What He says never conflicts with the word of God. We need to spend time listening to the Spirit-not talking. As we read His word, listen for His voice. We need to have our hearts turned to the Lord and seek what He desires. We must be willing to adjust ourselves to line up with the ways of the Lord. A vital truth to live out is that we have been made new creations, not refurbished. He has given us a new nature and a new spirit that wants to do the things that are pleasing to the Lord. Let me conclude with a couple examples of what it looks like to follow the leading of the Spirit. If I am impatient or harsh with someone, I should yield to the Spirt and be patient and kind. If I think that I must be about getting what I want, I need to adjust and start being a cheerful giver. If I am not forgiving someone, the answer is to yield to to the Spirit and extend forgiveness. You get the idea. Now, the Spirit does not direct us in every minute detail of life; He likely does not tell us what color of shirt to wear; and we are not like robots. We are stewards in the kingdom of God who are to be about demonstrating the ways and the character of God. Wow! And here is a great promise: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

Romans 8:5 “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.”

Blessings, Buddy

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