heavenly life

Oct

2010

Walking through life with Psalms

“How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!” (Psa32:2 nasb)

Journal,

We may wonder what place the book of Psalms has in our lives. The short response is, ‘Very much indeed.’ In this study we will do an overview on a Psalm that Paul quotes from in the New Testament.

The apostle wrote,

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, and whose sins
have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into
account.” (Rom4:7,8 nasb)

In the book of Psalms you will find certain Psalms that are designated as a ‘miskil,’ or
what the ancients called a, ‘Psalm of enlightenment’. A miskil is the Lord’s call for His people to contemplate deeply on how He works in their lives. Such is the case with Psalm 32.

Before I share more on Psalm 32, let me relate an experience that I had many
years ago, 1976 to be exact.

What Am I Doing Here?

Here we were on our own. We had just begun our pioneer work of bringing Christian Challenge into existence. What a venture. Our rented house was not much to look at. We had no outside source of income, no denomination to back us up, and, a tiny little congregation, mostly my family. (The story of Christian Challenge is a tale to be told.)

Anyway, I’m in bed and my mind is beginning to fill with troublesome thoughts. “What am I doing here?” “How will I take care of my family?” “How will we make it?” “How will we live?” “Are we going to make it?” That is when I had this nudging in my spirit to get up, that the Lord wanted to have a word with me. (Yes, God does speak to His people.)

I went to our kitchen table with my Bible. When I sat down my Bible opened to the book of Psalms. As I looked at the pages before me, I began to hear in my spirit some instructions from the Lord. He spoke to my heart about this book, that the book of Psalms was placed in the sacred Scriptures for a reason. The Psalms teach us how to think, how to pray, what to believe, how to prosper in the Lord, how to worship, and on and on and on.

As the Lord was speaking to my heart I felt this wonderful refreshing. I got up from the table and was thoroughly reinvigorated. All doubt had disappeared. And from that moment on I’ve held a deep love for the book of Psalms.

Now for a look at Psalm 32 –

“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!

“When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.

“I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah.

“Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him.

“You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you.

“Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but he who trusts in the LORD, lovingkindness shall surround him. Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you righteous ones; and shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.”

The joy in forgiveness

In Psalm 32, we find ourselves moving from the joy of having our sins forgiven, to the promise of divine guidance. What makes this Psalm extra special is that Paul quotes from it. Now we have direct relevance.

And what makes this so enlightening to new covenant believer is that our sins were atoned for at the cross. Of course this does not mean that we have permission to live sinful lives. Quite the contrary. The other side of the cross has to do with the implanted nature of Christ in the believer.

Yes, believers do sin. Yet sin is contrary to our new Christian nature. When a true child of God sins he hurts to the deep of his heart. A child of God is painfully aware of any sin in his life.

With that in view, David addresses the agony one can experience when we fail to account for our sins to the Lord. And forgiveness comes when we stop blaming others for our own short comings. The blame really belongs to us.

What sorrow and pain we would escape by simply being honest about our failings. The very key is to learn that forgiveness of our sins is but a breath away. John said that if we will confess our sin, the Lord is faithful to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Forgiveness is only the beginninge

Thank the Lord for forgiveness and cleansing. But it doesn’t end with forgiveness. When forgiveness is in place, the Lord then appoints us to a walk of righteousness. For a walk to be righteous, it has to be under His guidance. David said,

“He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3 nasb)

And so in Psalm 32, we clearly hear the Lord say,

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you.” (Psalm 32:8,9 nasb)

Don’t be a mule headed believer

Notice we are not to be like the mule or horse? A major problem some believers have is with bull headedness. The great struggle is with their own thought life. This is why in the new covenant God provides for the renewing of our minds.

Peter also tells us to gird up the loins of our mind, that is, we are to keep our thoughts in check. There is a saying – ‘If Satan can control your thought life, he can control all your life.’

Where do we begin?

God said through Isaiah,

“Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts.” (Isa55:7 nasb)

We were all wicked at one time. God forgave us. Now it is time to forsake our past way of doing and thinking. Now we must learn to follow the Lord in paths of righteousness. And this brings us to the mainstay of guidance.

When a person truly meets Jesus, something wonderful happens in the human spirit. This happening is so powerful that Paul calls it ‘a new creation.’ In this new creation the term ‘peace of God’ takes on a deeper meaning.

He says,

“And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Php4:7 nasb)

God’s governing grace

This supernatural peace is God’s governing peace. It is this peace that keeps us flowing in the path of righteousness. In one place the prophet said, “He makes peace your borders.” In another place we are told to let peace be the umpire in our hearts.

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.” (Col 3:14-15 NASB)

So when the apostle Paul speaks of our training in righteousness, he was addressing a makeover of both our spiritual and our thought life. We learn to apply God’s Word to all situations. We learn to think God’s thoughts, and speak God’s Word, and walk in God’s ways. We learn the flow of peace. It is in this walk of righteousness that we begin to have formed in us “covenant consciousness.”

Remember what the Lord said in Psalm 32:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go.”

A true covenant walk, works around a relationship. Jesus said,

“I am the door of the sheep; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.” (John10:9 nasb)

To go in and out speaks of a covenant walk. It speaks of the leading of the Shepherd. And so we have…

Doors of faith and gates of life

The paths of righteousness includes “doors of faith.” I see these doors as ‘life gates.’ In the new covenant, Jesus personally leads each believer, each marriage, each family, and each flock in paths of righteousness that is in accordance with His will and purpose, agreeing to the need of each situation. This is what the Lord was teaching David in his Psalm of contemplation.

Some believers struggle because they’ve not yet learned to trust the Lord completely to lead their life. Others struggle because they fear that following the Lord will mean suffering. Certainly to walk with the Lord can include suffering, but sufferings are usually trying situations. Yet even in the trying circumstances the promise remains. Isaiah said,

“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.” (Isa 26:3-4 nasb)

Well, are you ready to become steadfast in mind? Are you ready to take the trappings off? Are you ready to learn how to live a life of faith. Learn to walk through life with the Psalms.

Did you know that Psalms is the only book mentioned in the New Testament that has a direct relevance to living a life of the Spirit. The book of Psalms was the praise book of both the Jews and the early Christians. Listen to Paul:

“And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord.” (Eph 5:18-19 NASB)

Think about it. And while you are thinking about it here is a song that will minister to your heart…

In love with Jesus,

Buddy

Aug

2010

I Don’t Have Time To Be Afraid

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, `My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’” (Ps91:1,2)

Journal,

When David speaks of the shelter of God, or the shadow of God, or even the secret place of God, he often has in view the holiest of holies. But David was also seeing past the symbolisms of the tabernacle and into the very heart of redemption.

David often spoke of Jesus. David was’t the only Old Testament prophet who had visions of Jesus. In fact the underlying theme of the entire Old Testament centered on the coming Messiah.

It begins in Genesis:

“[To Satan]And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”” (Gen 3:15 NASB)

From the Old Testament prophets to the apostles the message never changes:

“[Preaching of Peter]And now, brethren, I know that you acted in ignorance, just as your rulers did also. But the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled.” (Act 3:17-18 NASB)

Think God for the prophets of old

Do you find that strange that the Old Testament prophets saw Jesus beforehand? They did and they often wrote in ‘prophetic perfects.’ A prophetic perfect means that the prophet is experiencing first hand the very thing he is seeing. It is as though the prophet was transported in time.

Let’s see what David knew about God’s great work of redemption. In Psalm 31, David expresses sorrow over the strife of life, when he suddenly breaks forth into God’s love for His people. David says:

“How great is Your goodness, which YOU HAVE STORED for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You, before the sons of men!

“You hide them in THE SECRET PLACE of Your presence, from the conspiracies of man; You keep them in THE SHELTER from the strife of tongues.” (Psalm 31:19,20 nasb.) – Words in bold are for emphasis only –

The Hebrew for “the secret place of Your presence”, can equally be translated, “the secret of Your face.” The idea is that God hides His people from the view of their enemies, that is, by bringing them to the very place that He Himself dwells.

David also speaks of God’s people as being, ‘the hidden ones.’

“They make shrewd plans against Your people, and conspire together against Your TREASURED ones.” (Psa 83:3 NASB)

The Hebrew for ‘treasured’ is ‘tsâphan‘. It means to hide or to keep secret. This word is used for concealing something of great value. All true believers are the treasures of God in the earth.

Hidden in Christ

This wonderful truth is brought to fulfillment in the new covenant. The lives of all true believers are hidden with God in Christ. In the new covenant we are brought into heaven’s holiest of holies.

Let’s see how the tabernacle sets forth this truth of our hiding place. The only furnishing in the holiest of holies was the ark of the covenant. Two angels have their gaze firmly fixed on the golden mercy seat. Their wings touch in the center. Above the mercy seat was a brilliant light. In the light was a form.

Peter explains the prophetic intent of the holiest of holies. Notice how Peter connects the Old Testament prophets, with the apostles, and with the two angels over the mercy seat:

“It was revealed to them[the Old Testament prophets]that they were not serving themselves, but you [true believers in Christ; the treasured ones], in these things which now have been announced to you from heaven [by the apostles]-things into which ANGELS long to look.” (1Peter 1:12)

In the Light over the mercy seat was a form that only Moses was allowed to see. The form was the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. We see this by tying the Old Testament and the New Testament together.

When the Lord rebuked Miriam and Aaron over their presumptuous attitude towards Moses, He said to them,

“Not so, with My servant Moses, he is faithful in all My household; with him I speak mouth to mouth, even openly, and not in dark sayings, and he beholds THE FORM OF THE LORD. Why then were you not afraid To speak against My servant, against Moses?”(Num 12:7-8 NASB)

Who did Moses see? He saw the image of the invisible God. This is exactly who Jesus is. To the Jews, God’s Messiah was known as the form of God, the glory of God, the image of God, the Word of God, and at times even the Shekinah of God.

Now listen carefully. Paul said of Christ,

“Although HE EXISTED IN THE FORM OF GOD, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself…” (Phi2:6)

Now back to the tabernacle.

John wrote,

“And THE WORDbecame flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)

– Transpose ‘the Word’ with any of these terms, ‘the Glory’, ‘the Form’, ‘the Image’, etc. All these words were part of the ancient Hebrew expressions for Messiah.

Actually the Greek word for ‘dwelt‘ calls attention to the holiest of holiest in the tabernacle. The glory that rested over the mercy seat was now tabernacled in Jesus Christ. The Greek for ‘dwelt’ is ‘skenoo‘. In Revelation 7:15 this word is translated, ‘spread His tabernacle’.

Also note that John speaks of Jesus as ‘the Father’s glory.’ Now note how Paul specifically calls Jesus, “The Lord of glory”

“…but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have CRUCIFIED THE LORD OF GLORY.“(1Co 2:7-8 NASB)

It is on the Mount of Transfiguration where Jesus reveals who He really is to three of the apostles. He appears on the outside what He is on the inside. It says,

“And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.” (Mat17:2)

But why David would speak of the holiest of holies as the hiding place for God’s people? David could see by the Spirit into the redemption of Christ. He saw past the veil, and into God’s redemption plan that would stretch across eternity past and eternity future.

Another picture we have of our hidden life is with the high priest. When the high priest entered into the holiest of holies, he carried over his heart all of Israel. The twelve stones on his vestment represented the twelve tribes. And so when the high priest entered past the veil, he carried with him and over his heart all of God’s people.

Listen carefully to the apostle:

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

“…how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb 9:11-12,14 NASB)

And again,

“… 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, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:5-7 NASB)

The ever present reality

The mercy seated of the tabernacle represented the very throne of God. We have been raised up together with Christ and seated with Christ at the right hand of the throne of God.

The Old Testament saints somehow knew in their hearts that the Lord Himself was their ever present security in life. As Moses looked down on the scattered tents of Israel, he said,

“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” (Psalm 90:1,2)

Here Moses uses the same word that David used with regard to the ‘secret place’ of the tabernacle.

Again think about the two cherubim with their golden wings spread over the mercy seat. Listen again to David:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, `My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’” (Ps91:1,2)

David uses the same word again which references the secret place of God’s presence, that is, the mercy seat in the holiest of holies. God’s people dwell under the very presence and protection of angels.

Here is where we come to the great mystery of God’s love for His people. The Psalmist Asaph speaks of God’s people as His ‘treasured ones.’

David puts things together when he writes,

“One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple.

“For in the day of trouble He will CONCEAL me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock [the Rock is Christ]. And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.” (Psalm 27:4-6)

The Hebrew for ‘conceal’ is the same word for God’s ‘treasured’ ones. God’s people are His treasures in the earth and for all eternity. This allows us to have a better understanding of a kingdom parable concerning a treasure. Jesus said,

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field [world], which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (Matt13:44)

The story is the story of the cross. Jesus Christ gave His life for the hidden treasure. Jesus came to seek that which was lost. Now the treasure is hidden again, but this time it is hidden in Christ.

Paul said,

“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 glory.” (Col3:3,4)

All that we have read in David’s writings have their fulfillment in the finished work of the cross. Being hidden in Christ means that every believer is eternally secured from the power of darkness. We can never be separated from God’s love. Our life is placed in the Light of God’s very being. Peter said that our calling was into “His marvelous light.” (1Pe2:9) – Pass your curser over this Scripture for the full effect –

While this may seem difficult to grasp, what we need to realize is that our faith is to be based upon our position in Christ. Our position in Christ is secured. We have already been raised up and seated with Him in the heavenly places. Our concern is in living out our present life with the knowledge of our eternal placement. God gives us heavenly life as a foretaste of eternity. Heavenly life is God’s oversight of our lives.

Take time to listen to the message of the song, ‘Your Love Never Fails.’ (Jesus Culture)

Always in love with Jesus,

Buddy

Aug

2010

Fruitfulness in the Kingdom

“Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds pour down righteousness; let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit, and righteousness spring up with it. I, the LORD, have created it.” (Isa45:8)

Journal,

What a celebration to be remembered. Saturday was my 70^th birthday. I could not have had a more wonderful day. All my family gathered, children, grandchildren, great-grand children. And of course the church had to pull a sneak attack with a surprise party. And to top everything, there was a request for the Martin family to share some gospel music.

My, how the time does fly. Seems of late I find myself traveling more and more down memory land.

I’ve often thought, ‘Who am I that the Lord would grant to me such a stewardship as Christian Challenge. This is such a wonderful ministry. Seems all our members carry the heart of a disciple. We are a family.’

Its not that we are bigger or better than any other ministry. Actually we have never been very large. It certainly doesn’t have anything to do with me personally. I’ve always felt very small when it comes to kingdom work. And yet the Lord has helped us to gather much fruit for His kingdom.

The Psalmist said it best of all…

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to Your name give glory because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.” (Psalm 115:1)

Christian Challenge began as a fledgling ministry in 1976. We had no financial backing. No denominational support. What we had was a stewardship

Through the years we’ve trained hundreds of believers for service in the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Some have entered the mission field. Others are now pastors. But every student that has come through our School has carried something of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ from the School.

Yes, the CCI School for Christian Workers is very unique. It all relates to our ministry philosophy. We center exclusively on Biblical discipleship. The motto of Christian Challenge International is, ‘How Beautiful Upon the Mountains.’ The motto for the School for Christian Workers is, ‘Preparing Servants for the Nations.’

So, here we are again. For those who would like to know more about the world of a disciple, the 45^th CCI School for Christian Workers is forthcoming. Pray about it.

Would you like to know how a fourteen week course can radically change a believers spiritual life view. Here is your chance. (Note: The School is nondenominational. We’ve trained believers from a number of Christian backgrounds.)

Here is a short study on some of what we teach in our Disciple’s Heart Training Program.

Learn to Extract the Precious from the Worthless

This is what the Lord had to say to the prophet Jeremiah:

“Therefore, thus says the LORD, “If you return, then I will restore you– Before Me you will stand; And if you extract the precious from the worthless, You will become My spokesman. They for their part may turn to you, But as for you, you must not turn to them.” (Jer15:19)

It is crucial that believers learn how to appraise spiritual things accurately. Those who are born from above have a unique ability to recognize the things that are of God. The believer’s ability to place a value on all things becomes more acute with spiritual maturity.

Paul said that a spiritual man ‘knows’ and ‘appraises’ all things.

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.” (1Co2:12)

The word ‘know’ is *eido* in Greek. It means ‘to see, perceive, to turn the eyes, the mind, or the attention to anything; to get knowledge of; to be skilled in, or to know the meaning of.”

Then in verse 15, Paul says,

“But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one.”

The word ‘appraises’ is *anakrino* in Greek. It means to examine, to ask questions, search, discern, and enquire into, to scrutinize, to sift. In a forensic sense it means to hold an investigation to determine the excellence or the defects of any thing.

The apostle is bringing out the strength and beauty of a believer’s spiritual life. The crown of a believer’s walk is his ability to know that which is of the Lord. It is this spiritual ability that protects a believer from error. Satan cannot successfully mislead a mature child of God.

This brings us to the importance of discernment. The ability to know if a thing is of God is important because the supernatural realm makes up more than the things of God. Satan is a spiritual being. The hallmark of Satan’s work is deception. Paul said,

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this spiritual darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph6:12)

We are especially warned that in the last days there will be a great increase of deception at work in the earth. The Lord said that this deception would be so acute that even the very elect will have to maintain a special guard. (Cf. Matt24:24; 1Tim4:1-6; 2Tim3:13.)

To take this a step further, the work of demons is closely linked to the prideful flesh of man. Demons work with fleshly people. And what the fleshly person attributes to God are ‘soulish’ powers that are in cooperation with spirits of darkness. (Cf. Gal 5:19-21)

How do we know if it is a soulish power at work in a person, or if it is truly of the Spirit? When prideful flesh is at work it glories in itself. The balance comes in where God’s people are told to keep a pilgrim attitude about life. We are to hold tightly to Jesus, and loosely to the world. Paul said,

True Biblical discipleship has a spiritual base. It is an outflow of a proper relationship with the Lord. This proper relationship has a heart attitude that is set forth in the word ‘humility.’ We are to live with humble hearts before the Lord, never striving after things of the world. The Lord Himself said that if we will seek first God’s kingdom, and His righteousness, then everything else will be provided for us.

Here are some things that can help you to maintain a proper balance in your walk with the Lord:

First – Keep in view that not all supernatural things are from God. Don’t be afraid of offending the Lord by questioning. Remember that everything the Lord has, the enemy has a substitute.

Second – Understand that anyone can be deceived, if but for a time, even the most devoted of believers, if the believer is ignorant of how Satan works. It is this knowledge that will help keep you on guard.

Third – Learn to trust your own spiritual judgment. This is what the renewing of the mind is about. As we consecrate ourselves to God’s service, we find our ability to judge becoming keener. (Cf. Rom12:1-3)

Fourth – Understand that discernment and testing aren’t necessarily the same thing. You discern by the Holy Spirit. You test by the Word of God. Therefore when you may sense a thing is wrong, don’t ignore that sensing. But the more you become acquainted with God’s Word, the more you will be able to determine why what you sense is wrong. [Be willing to test every experience; dreams, visions, etc., by the Word of God.]

Fifth – Be willing to adjust the way you do things. Even the apostles had to make changes. Peter would not go to Cornelius’ house until the Lord opened his understanding. (Cf. John7:17)

In all this, every believer must study the Scriptures to make sure they have a clear understanding of the gospel message.

The above us just a sample of what you can expect. in our School. There is so much more.

OK, let’s not leave without a song. Here is ‘Sanctuary, by Randy Rothwell…

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May the Lord richly bless you as you learn the walk of obedience,

In Christ always,

Buddy

Aug

2010

The Essence of New Covenant Life

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.” (Rev 21:2 NASB)

Journal,

All who believe in the God of the Bible, that His Word is true, and that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God, of whom they have received and accepted as their own Lord and Savior, these have secured for themselves an eternal and blessed destiny, and an eternal and blessed life. God gives all these precious believing ones the path of life they are to follow.

Jesus said,

”I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” – John 8:12

Now lets talk about this Light of life that Jesus came to give us.

The essence of life from God

In Biblical Christianity there is one issue that determines whether a person is truly a Christian or not. It has nothing to do with our religious affiliation. The crown of a believer’s walk is summed up in the term, ‘Knowing the Lord.’ That term should never be taken lightly. It is the very essence of what Christianity is all about.

The apostle Peter shares insight into the life that true believers enjoy:

“Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2Pe1:1,2)

Peter has much more to say, but for the moment let me point out two important principles the apostle is presenting with regard to the covenant of Christ. First, Peter is saying that all believers participate equally in the kingdom of God. We have all “received a faith of the same kind as [the apostles.]”

The term ‘of the same kind’ is the Greek word ‘isotimos.’ This is a political term and speaks of equal honor. Peter’s point is that all believers share in equal honor before the throne of God. There are no second class citizens in the covenant of Christ. We are equal in standing. (This is not an issue of stewardships, or gifting, or placement, or maturity, etc. It is a relational term.)

For the second principle pay close attention verse two;

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

The word for knowledge here is ‘epignosis.‘ This word has to do with a more perfect or a fuller knowledge. The word is very expressive. It speaks of consciousness, and recognition. It especially speaks of knowing something with a degree of thoroughness. In the new covenant it would include the idea of coming to know God’s heart. Epignosis is what a believer acquires through faith in Jesus.

To Know the Father as the Son knows the Father

To appreciate how wonderful this word is in regard to our Christian walk, listen carefully to Jesus:

“All things have been handed over to me by My Father, and no one knows [epignosis] the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know [episnosis] the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” (Matt11:27)

Did you catch it. The only ones who can truly know the heart of the Father are those to whom Jesus reveals Him. If we take this to its logical conclusion, Jesus is saying that in the new covenant, all born again people will have innate within them this ‘conscious, definitive, recognition’ of the Father.

This knowing experience of God is the crown of a believer’s life. It is a growing knowledge. And it comes to us from Jesus Himself.

(To appreciate how the word ‘epignosis’ is used in relation to the new covenant pass your cursor over the following Scriptures. Where you see ‘knowledge‘ the word is epignosis. – Cf. Eph1:17; 4:13; Phil1:9; Col1:9,10; 2:2; 3:10; 1Ti2:4; Phm1:6)

The cry of the children

The very heart of the new covenant is the ‘Abba! Father!’ experience. It really doesn’t matter your church affiliation. You cannot tell a person who knows the Lord that they don’t know the Lord. The promise of the new covenant is,

“They will all know Me, from the least to the greatest of them.” (Heb8:11)

Jesus placed eternal life on the basis of knowing God.

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (Joh 17:3 NASB)

The apostle Paul had this to say:

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Gal3:26)

And again,

“Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Gal 4:6,7)

The cry of ‘Abba! Father!’ is the cry of a child who recognizes his or her Father. It can be translated as, ‘Father, my Father!.’ It is a very enduring expression. We hear it in the garden when Jesus prayed:

“And He was saying, ‘Abba! Father!’ All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will.” (Mar14:36)

But there is more to this issue of epignosis. Epignosis is a deeping of our knowledge of truth. This is why Peter said,

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge [epignosis] of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

As the truth [reality] of God reveals itself in our hearts, the result is a multiplying of grace and peace. This is why believers go through these experiences of, “I must have been born again, again.”

No, you weren’t born again, again. Truth is at work in your life. And truth always works out the freedom of Christ in us. Paul spoke of this as ‘Christ being formed in us.’ In another place, Paul says,

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed ot His death.” (Phil3:10)

The believer’s protection

But we have to yet go a step further. To know the Lord is the greatest protection that a believer has. This is why we can call ‘knowing the Lord’ the crown of a believer’s life. In this knowing the Lord, the believer is protected from the false prophet.

It is this knowing that causes a believer to distinguish false teaching. It is this knowing that gives the believer the deepest of assurance that he or she is in the will of the Lord. It is this ‘knowing‘ that is the sign of a person who is truly born again.

Jesus nails this down in John 10:26-29. Follow this through:

“But you do not believe because you are not My sheep. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish.” (John 10:26-28)

Jesus says there is a knowing relation between both Him and His sheep. In verse 5, He says of the sheep,

“A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not *know* the voice of strangers.”

He calls us one by one by one – He calls us by name

In the new covenant Jesus did not leave it up to the efforts of man to establish people in His kingdom. He calls us one by one by one. And He still speaks into our lives in that manner.

Our walk with the Lord is very personal. But for a believer it is a ‘knowing’ walk. We know that we are children of God. We carry that testimony in our hearts. We know that this world is not our home. We also carry that testimony in our hearts.

With that in mind I’ll conclude this journal entry with the song, ‘Jerusalem‘ by the Hoppers. Take time to listen. The Lord may have something for your heart.

In love with Jesus,

x
Buddy

Aug

2010

Under the Shelter of His Wings…

“May the LORD reward your work, and your wages be full from the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to seek refuge.” Ruth 2:12 nasb – (Boaz to Ruth)

Readers,

Before I venture into the subject, ‘The Shelter of His Wings,‘ for those interested, here is a list of my top journal entries that are presently receiving the largest number of readers:

“Speaking in Other Languages” – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/12/speaking-in-other-languages/

“Walking Down Memory Lane” – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/08/walking-down-memory-lane-gods-faithfulness/

“Mercy Triumphs Over Judgment” – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2009/11/mercy-triumphs-over-judgment/

“Passing Through the Valley of Baca” – http://buddymartin.net/blog/2010/01/passing-through-the-valley-of-baca/

And now…

Under The Shelter of His Wings

There was a lady who suffered greatly from a female disorder. Hearing about Jesus, she said to herself, “If I only touch His garment¹, I will get well.” (Mt9:21) We don’t often catch what she was really saying. The part of His garment she wanted to touch was the fringe (tassel) of His cloak. (¹The Luke account has krispedon for garment, which literally means ‘fringe’ or ‘tassel.’)

The ancient Jews had a tradition concerning the fringe of the cloak that had to do with God’s Messiah, and of His healing presence. The background for this came from God’s commandment to Moses, saying,

“Speak to the sons of Israel, and tell them that they shall make for themselves tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and that they shall put on the tassel of each corner a cord of blue.”(Num15:38)

The cord of blue was said to represent the throne of glory, or the heavenly life. Over time these tassels took on the term ‘wings.’ Keep this in mind and you’ll have a bit more insight into those Scriptures that speak of God’s wings and why the lady wanted to touch the garment (tassels) of Jesus.

Listen:

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty … He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge.” (Ps91:1,4)

And,

“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.” (Mal4:2)

Then we hear Jesus say,

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling.” (Mt23:37)

The language that Jesus uses here speaks to who He really is. The Lord God in the person of His Messiah, walked the land of Israel. The leadership refused Him. Isaiah speaks of Jesus as God Himself:

“Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news [the gospel], lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, [message of the apostles]; lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God.'” (Isa40:9)

Take time to read this larger prophecy. I’ll break it down by portions for emphasis:

“Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

“For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him.

“He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

“Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; thechastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.

“All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

“He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.

“By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due?” (Isa 53:1-8 NASB)

But there were those who believed that Jesus was the Messiah.

This is why the peoples crowded around Jesus, hoping just to touch the fringes of His garment. Notice how deeply felt this belief was concerning the garment of Messiah.

“Wherever He entered villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in the market places, and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were cured.” (Mar6:56)

Keep in mind that to the people the blue fringe represented the throne of glory and the heavenly life. The heavenly life was walking among them. They were taught that the Messiah would bring with Him the very life of God.

But a question remains —

Does this idea of the wings of God have any relationship to the sacred Scriptures themselves? Can the heavenly life be found in the Bible? …

Paul said that the Scriptures carry in them the very breath of God. The Bible comes to us from the throne of glory. Therefore it can be said that when we believe the message of God’s Messiah that flows through the Scriptures, that in our believing we actually come under the shelter of His wings.

However, it is important to understand that it isn’t simply the Bible in itself that causes miracles and gives us the answers that we need. It is the heavenly voice that speaks to us from the Scriptures. Make this distinction and you have the true essence of why we love the book of heaven so deeply, and why we can say that the Bible is imbued with the life of Jesus.

Once again let’s hear the prophet…

Is it any wonder why the book of Isaiah is spoken of as the fifth gospel. When Jesus opens the scroll of Isaiah, He begins to read,

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” (Cf. Luke 4:16-22)

What happens next? The people are astonished at what they are hearing. They were wondering at the gracious words that were flowing from His lips. What made the difference in this case? It was Jesus speaking from the Scriptures. The people were hearing a living voice speaking from the book of heaven. It is the voice of heaven that makes the Bible the book of heaven.

Once again listen to the prophet:

“On that day the [spiritually] deaf will hear words of a book [gospel], and out of their gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see. The afflicted also will increase their gladness in the LORD, And the needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.” (Isa 29:18-19 NASB)

The apostolic writer said that the entire Bible wraps around Jesus as a scroll.

Jesus said to the Jewish leaders,

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me.” (Jn5:39)

And again,

“Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offerings You have not desired and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure’ … Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (in the scroll [or volume] of the book it is written of Me) to do Your will, O God.’” (Heb10:5-7)

The term for ’scroll’ is a reference to the total volume of the book and to the spindle around which the scroll wraps itself. The picture being presented is Jesus as the spindle around which the entire Bible wraps itself.

The blue thread of heaven…

Now back to the lady with the issue of blood. She had been taught that the blue thread in the fringe (tassel) represented the throne of glory and the heavenly life. She saw Jesus as that heavenly life that comes from the throne of God. It was her faith in Jesus as the heavenly life that brought her healing.

It takes awhile for the child of God to understand the principle of how God speaks to us. This is why it is so important for the believer to be in the congregation of God’s holy people. As the man of God speaks from the Scriptures, we began to hear the Lord speaking to our own hearts. It isn’t the man of God who is speaking to us. It is the Lord speaking from the book of heaven. This is what Jesus is speaking of when He said,

“For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” (Mt18:20 – He is present in His Word.)

Is the Bible a living book to you or do you just use it to argue doctrine? Everything rests upon how you view the Scriptures.

These are the hard questions — But there is an issue involved. Do you really know the Lord, or do you simply know some form of religion? What think ye? Is the Bible the book of heaven?

Think about it.

Here is your song by Carmen. (Tell Me the Story of Jesus, I Surrender All, What A Friend We Have in Jesus.)

I love you with the love of Jesus,.

Buddy

Aug

2010

Walking down memory lane – God’s faithfulness…

“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” (Psa 37:3-5 NASB)

Journal,

The single most important factor that will affect a believer’s walk with the Lord has to do with coming to realize the very character and nature of God.

I have loved the Lord deeply the greater part of my life. In fact I answered my call to the ministry at age 24. This month I will turn 70.

Even though I loved Jesus fervently from my heart, I didn’t always understand that much about God’s character. Most of the preaching I had heard was filled with passion but short on teaching on the ways of the Lord, or on discovering the very heart of God. My ministry was molded around what I had heard.

In 1971, I left the full-time ministry. The drain was just too much. So, for the next three years I devoted myself to serious spiritual adjustments. Sure, I preached out and continued my ministry of winning souls to the kingdom, but I also went into business. In my mind being in full-time ministry was a thing of the past.

Those three years became a mile stone in my walk with the Lord. It was during that time that I began to experience the Lord on a level that I never knew existed. What had been a mixed struggle and a strain in my walk of faith, was now becoming a joyful walk filled with stability and grace. The Lord was teaching me His heart. A whole new world was opening up.

It is hard to find a single beginning point for this great turn around in my life. There was so much the Lord was showing me, so much about His nature that I was coming to understand.

But let me draw attention to an incident that sort of set the state. It had to do with what I will call…

God’s Psalm of Life

Here is how it went…

Psalm 37 is what can be called ‘a fullness Psalm.’ It has to do with God’s wisdom for life. Psalm 37 is designed to help shape our faith walk. The essence of this Psalm is that we need to learn to trust the Lord in every circumstance of life. I point to Psalm 37 because it had a major place in reshaping my faith walk those thirty-six years ago.

Here is the story:

It Happened in My Morning Devotion

With my first cup of coffee in place I’m into my morning devotion. That day my devotion brought me to Psalm 37. When I come to verse 4, I read, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.”

I had to pause. It was like a divine moment was in place. As I sat there looking at that verse, I said a prayer in my heart, ‘Lord, did you mean that?’ That was when I heard in my heart, ‘Try Me and see.’ It was like God had given me an invitation to ask of Him anything that I wanted.

I quietly responded in my heart, ‘Lord, I thank you for my sons. I would like to have a daughter.’ Almost in the twinkling of an eye, I heard once again in my heart, ‘She’s yours.’ That was it. Business had been conducted with the throne of God.

At the time Betty was expecting our fourth child. We had no idea what our next child was to be. The Lord had already blessed us with three sons.

I shared with Betty what the Lord said. Then when I shared this with some of the church members, they gave me this kindly smile, sort of like, ‘Yeah. We’ll see.’ Someone even challenged me on what I shared. It made no difference. I had heard from the Lord.

Well, see we did. The nurse walked down the corridor towards the window where I was standing behind the glass pane. She mouthed to me, ‘It’s a girl.’ The tears of happiness rolled down my face. My heart overflowed with joy. Once again the Lord had shown Himself faithful.

But my happiness was not limited to the fact that we now had a daughter. My happiness wrapped itself around a promise that the Lord had given me. The Lord had given me His Word.

For some reason this learning experience was different this time. The Lord had often shown me things. I’ve had dreams and visions. I’ve had the Lord put in my heart things that were going to happen. And they did. So what made this event so different? This time there was a direct connection with a promise written in God’s sacred Word. The Lord said that if I would delight in Him, that He would give me the desires of my heart.

What was the great lesson I was learning? Iwas learning that you cannot separate God from His Word, and that a life of faith must have an anchor. The anchor for our faith journey is to be based entirely upon the promises of God.

I was learning that everything I would ever need in life, to live by and to carry out God’s work had already been provided. God even put His provision in written form, the Bible. My entire faith journey was to be a outworking of God’s promises. The Bible is a book of living words.

Jesus Himself said, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”

Did the Lord stop dealing with me by dreams and visions and other directives in my heart? Not at all. What I had now was a deeper appreciation for God’s holy book. I found that the Bible is given to us as a guidebook that God uses to instill His promises into the deep of a believer’s heart.

Oh yes, the Bible is much more than a book of facts where we can collect information and argue doctrine. When the Holy Spirit moves on God’s Word and begins ministering to our heart, it then becomes a living book.

And this, my friend is the essence of the new covenant. Listen carefully to how God’s prophet describes the covenant of Christ:

“’Behold, days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah,

“… not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD.

“‘But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares the LORD, ‘I will put My law [Torah means ‘instructions’] within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

“They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares the LORD,

“‘…for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’” (Jer 31:31-34 NASB)

I broke the afore Scriptures into paragraph portions because I wanted you to read each segment on its own. God writes His instructions upon our heart.

And so not long afterwards, the Lord open the gate to miracle land for me and my family.

We walked through the Gate right into of Miracle Land

Do you remember what the Lord said about the gate and the narrow? Listen:

“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Mat 7:13-14 NASB)

I’m not sure the Lord was simply referring to salvation itself. Salvation is not that hard a matter. It reduces itself down to a matter of repentance and calling upon the name of the Lord. No, it seems to me that the Lord is speaking of how we can learn to live in the life that He has for us.

In our case one more step was needed. At the end of my three years of spiritual adjustment, I made a contract with God. My heart was filled with the things of heaven. But there was something that I needed to do. I realized this sounds strange but the Lord Himself had drawn me to this place.

I made a contract with God

This was my contract – I told the Lord that I would go anywhere He wanted me to go, and I would do anything He wanted me to do, that my life was no longer mine to direct. But there were two things that I wanted from Him. 1st, I ask the Lord to tell me personally what He wanted me to do and not send someone else to tell me. And, 2nd, I must have my wife.

In such a short time the Lord opened to us the gate to miracle land. He had accepted my contract. Betty and I, along with our sons and our new daughter were back into full-time gospel ministry. That was 1975.

Oh yes, there were many more lessons to learn, but into miracle land we ventured. Now we had the answer to every need, to every trial, to every circumstance that would come our way. We were experiencing God’s character, God’s heart, and God’s faithfulness.

I wish I had time and space to share more on our journey into miracle land. But alas, the story is still being written.

Now let’s hear from Peter:

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (everything has already been provided for.)

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2Pe 1:2-4 NASB)

Did you catch it? Living by faith is nothing less than living on His precious and magnificent promises. The land of faith is also called the land of promise. You don’t earn the promises. You are an heir of the promises.

Listen to how Paul adds to this:

“For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us–by me and Silvanus and Timothy–was not yes and no, but is yes in Him. For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.” (2Co 1:19-20 NASB)

The Lord God has laid out before us great and mighty promises. We are the heirs of those promises.

Here’s the problem. How can you live by the promises of God if you don’t know what they are? Living by faith is not living by our feelings, or emotions, or ‘I hope so’, or, some esoteric experience, and so on and on. Living by faith has to have an anchor. It has to have a divine connection with the Lord Jesus Himself.

The anchor of the faith walk will always center on the Word of God. We are to believe in, and live from the promises of God. We are the very heirs of God and of all the Christ promises.

What more can I say. I shared just a bit of my walk down memory lane. I’ve had so many people ask me to write a book about the things I learned. But how can I do that. The book has already been written.

Have you made your full surrender? Here is a song. Let it speak to your heart.

Think about it.

Always your servant in Christ,

Buddy

Jul

2010

The Divine Rights of Access…

“Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16 NASB)

x x

Readers,

It is quite interesting how the religious man attempts to rebuild what God has torn down. Old Testament Judaism with its temple sacrifices and mediatorial priesthood had served a purpose. That purpose ended with the cross. It was replaced by a much greater covenant, the covenant of Christ.

The covenant of Christ is about personal freedom and direct access to the throne of God. It is about our heavenly life in Christ. It is about the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The covenant of Christ is about a new creation where all the former things pass away.

In the new covenant, everything is new. The covenant of Christ is not the covenant of the Law, renovated, revived, reformed, refurbished, or ‘re’ anything. The covenant of Law was made for an earthy people. The covenant of Christ is for a heavenly people.

Listen to what the writer says in his letter to the Hebrews:

“Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” Hebrews 10:19-22

For some background on this we need to reach back to the time of Adam.

The Undefiled Conscience

When God created Adam, he was created with no sense of guilt, no consciousness of sin, or of worthlessness, or even of inferiority. Adam was adorned with glory. He was made in the very image and likeness of God. It never once entered Adam’s mind to question his right to the awesome presence of God.

Even the angels knew that Adam was different from them. Actually Adam is the only person in the Bible, aside from Jesus Christ, to ever be called ‘the son of God.’

We see this in Luke as he relates the genealogy of Jesus;

“… the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.” (Luk 3:38 NASB)

Of course we know the story. Adam rejected God’s Word and God’s will for himself. From that moment Adam became conscious of the nature of sin. And now the Adam race could only approach the Lord in measured ways.

Such a fall — From glory to earthliness. Adam and Eve lost their glory and found themselves in a culture of sin and death.

The apostle said it well enough;

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Where then is the victory

The judgment of condemnation was removed in Christ. Every person who comes to Jesus, enters the wonderment of a totally new covenant. In this new covenant there is an act of creation. Being born again means to be born from heaven. Believers are now heavenly citizens, actual sons and daughters of God. Yes, we are heavenly citizens in earthly bodies. That will change in due course.

Let’s look more closely at what Hebrews 10:19-22 has to say.

“We have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus.”

The covenant of Law provided limited access to God. Only priests were permitted to enter the holy place, and only the high priest could enter the holiest of holies once a year. Thus the priests became mediators between the people and God. In the new covenant there is only one mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. Lose this truth and you place yourself under the bondage of another man made religious system.

The Veil of Separation

The veil in the tabernacle spoke of man’s separation from God. Yet behind the veil was another picture. The mercy seat had two cherubim gazing intently at the center of the lid of the ark of the covenant. This was a picture of the angels in wonderment over the work of the cross.

What happened when Jesus yielded up His spirit on the cross? It says,

“And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Mark 15:38)

This could only mean one thing. The Adam sin was accounted for. The veil of separation was removed by Jesus Christ.

Listen to Paul:

“So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven.” (1Co 15:45-47 NASB)

Did you catch it? The first Adam was made from the earth. The last Adam came from heaven and took to Himself a human body. Jesus Christ took the sin of all humanity upon himself. What is left now is for the world to be reconciled to God.

Condemnation has been removed. Our first estate is returned. We can now walk with God with no sense of guilt, of worthlessness, or of condemnation. We have divine rights to the very presence of our heavenly Father. The apostle said,

“There is therefore now no condemnation (katakrima means a sentence of judgment) for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.” (Rom8:1,2)

The Romans 8:1 Scripture is emphatic in the Greek. The emphasis is clear; ‘There is not now, nor can there ever be a damnatory sentence against anyone who is in Christ Jesus.’ Why? Because of the law of the cross; ‘For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

Does this mean we have carte blanche to live sinful lives? Far from it. Sin always carries consequences. What it means is that sin is no longer our master.

In addition to our full and completed salvation in Jesus Christ, we are given spiritual expressions and attributes that help us to deal with issues of sin. (A teaching in itself.)

Full Assurance of Faith

Back to our Hebrew Scriptures. What did the writer say? Follow closely —

“Brethren, we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus.”

The word confidence is a strong word. Parresia speaks of unrestrained freedom to speak openly and directly and boldly with our God. Here we have a hint of Adam in the beginning. Adam could speak with confidence. He was not ashamed of who he was. He was God’s son.

How did we gain this direct access to God?

“By the blood of Jesus.”

How are we to approach God?

“In full assurance of faith.”

Under what conditions do we approach God? It says,

“Having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

This point is stressed throughout the letter of Hebrews. In quoting from the prophet Jeremiah, we hear,

“And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, and everyone his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for all will know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (Heb8:11,12)

How does this relate to our personal walk with the Lord.

God removed the haziness of religion to give man the full Light of His Son. People who keep reaching back into the Law of Moses are disinheriting themselves from the liberty and glory of being a very child of God.

Paul said to the Galatian believers,

“Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” (Galatians 4:6,7)

Too many Christians remained stifled in their spiritual life because they know so little about their true life in Christ. Don’t think of other people as special mediators between you and God. This includes both priest, prophet, and pastor. You have one mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, we should love and respect those who teach us properly in the ways of the Lord. But never to the extent that they alone can hear from the Lord. God is your Father. You have a personal invitation to meet Him at the throne of grace any time you wish.

And so we hear this warning early on in the book of Hebrews:

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.” (Heb 2:1 NASB)

Have you ever seriously thought on the following Scripture?

“So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come; all things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” (1Co 3:21-23 NASB)

How about this one:

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.”

Here is your song. ‘In Christ Alone’

Always your friend in Christ,

Buddy

Jul

2010

The voice of the blood…

“And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.'”

(Rev 19:16 NASB)

Readers,

David often spoke of the Lord as his God and as his King. He also identified the coming Messiah in terms of a King, and also as Lord and God.

Consider just a few statements from David:

“Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!” (Psa 2:12 NASB) — This Psalm is quoted from by the apostles in Acts 4, with regard to Jesus as the anointed King. —

“The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.’ The LORD will stretch forth Your strong scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of Your enemies.'” (Psa 110:1-2 NASB) — Quoted by Peter with a view to Jesus being exalted to the Father as King —

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.” (Psa 45:5-7 NASB) — Quoted in the book of Hebrews with regard to the exaltation of Jesus. —

“Who is the King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in! Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.” (Psa 24:8-10 NASB) — With a view to the second coming of Jesus as the King of glory —

A King is exactly who Jesus is

While we readily acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we must always keep before us that He is a King and has a kingdom. A King is exactly what Jesus is. And in order for a king to rule, he must have a kingdom.

The term kingdom (basileia) in Greek speaks of sovereignty, or power. In an abstract sense it refers to the power exercised by a king. So the kingdom of God refers to God’s direct ruling power. The kingdom of God is a kingdom of great power.

Now we turn to Jesus. Follow carefully the conversation between Pilate and Jesus. In questioning Jesus, Pilate becomes frustrated. His wife had had a dream about Jesus and warned Pilate not to do Him any harm.

Pilate says,

“Are you the King of the Jews?”

Some think that Pilate asked this in jest. I don’t believe this is the case. Pilate is too disturbed to be joking around.

The Lord responds,

“Are you saying this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about Me?”

Pilate is confused. He responds,

“I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests delivered You to me; what have You done?”

It is here that Jesus begins to explain His kingdom. Listen carefully;

“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Jesus says His kingdom is not an arrangement or an adornment to be seen with the eyes. It is not a worldly kingdom.

Then the Lord adds,

‘My kingdom is not of this realm.’

The word ‘enteuthen’ (realm) means His kingdom is not from here, or, on this side.

Pilate responds,

“So You are a king?”

What Jesus says next puts His kingdom rule into its spiritual essence.

“You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” (Cf. John 18:33-37)

A kingdom not of this world

Now we come to the crux of the matter. If the kingdom of Jesus Christ is not of this world, then His subjects must not be of this world.

The Lord points out that only His subjects are able to hear His voice.

And the Lord says His kingdom is all about truth.

Now we have all the elements that describe the Lord’s kingdom.

(1) His kingdom is not of this world.

(2) His subjects are not of this world.

(3) Only His subjects hear His voice.

(4) His subjects do not fight. (Not in the sense of worldly kingdoms. Their weaponry is not of the flesh.)

(5) His kingdom is about Truth.

What does this tell us up front? It tells us that the kingdom of Jesus Christ cannot be put in religious terms. Religion is what man does. Relationship and reality is what God does for us in Christ.

Hence the dilemma —

If His kingdom is not of this world, and His subjects are not of this world, and only His subjects can hear His voice, and His kingdom is about Truth, and His subjects do not fight, how can we ever expect to recognize His kingdom? How can anyone find it? How can anyone enter into it?

Every born again person knows the answer to this or they would not be born again. The only way to enter into what Paul calls ‘the kingdom of His Beloved Son,’ is to have a personal invitation from the King. And the only way to be born again is to take to yourself Jesus Christ as your own Lord and Savior and King.

Thus we have the gospel message. Many people are not aware of just how powerful the gospel really is. The gospel is an official message from God’s heavenly kingdom and in the gospel is a personal invitation from the King to His kingdom. The gospel carries in it the voice of the King.

I Have a Message from the King

We were on our way to a village in Honduras near the border of Guatemala. As we were nearing the village, I asked the Lord what He wanted me especially say to the people. He placed on my heart to begin my message by saying, ‘I come to you as an ambassador of the kingdom of God, and I have a message for you from the King.’ That was the first thing that came out of my mouth. A stillness settled over the crowded building. I began sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then it happened – An old Indian stood up and began to make his way towards me. Once again I stood amazed at the power of the gospel. The old Indian heard the voice of the King. He was making his way to accept God’s invitation to enter the kingdom of His beloved Son. He was ready to give his heart to Jesus.

This brings us to the blood of the King

To enter into the kingdom of the beloved Son, you must have an invitation. This is the job of the servant of God and of the Holy Spirit. The invitation is sent through God’s servants in the gospel message.

Jesus said,

“And He [the Holy Spirit], when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.” (Joh 16:8 NASB)

In the gospel comes God’s invitation to the kingdom of His beloved Son. And here comes the issue of the blood. The blood speaks to the throne of God. First, as a person turns from their former master Satan, and thus receives Jesus Christ as Lord, and Savior, and King, something marvelous takes place in their heart.

Listen very carefully to Peter:

“…according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1Pe 1:2-5 NASB)

Every statement that Peter makes is without measure. Let me paraphrase just a bit —

Our salvation is in accordance with God’s divine plan and foreknowledge. The Holy Spirit separates us apart to Jesus. The moment we gazed upon Jesus with our heart, the moment we hear Him calling to us, the moment we respond and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord, Savior, and King, at that very moment the Holy Spirit takes of the divine blood of Jesus, sprinkles it on our heart, and we through this sprinkling become born-from-above people who are not of this world. We become the born-of-the-blood children of God, blood bought, blood sprinkled, blood sealed, and forever under the presence of the blood of the King. This is why Peter said that we are of a royal priestly. (Kingly priests are a family of royalty.) Paul said that the one joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.

What does the blood of the King speak over us? It speaks mercy and grace. You may be concerned with the idea of the blood of Jesus speaking. Listen:

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.” (Heb 12:22-24 NASB)

Abel’s blood cried our for vengeance against his brother Cain. The blood of Jesus speaks from the finished work of the cross. It speaks of mercy and truth and grace and forgiveness and love and acceptance.

This is why we sing,

‘What can take away my sins? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.’

A invitation of life.

The world has a standing invitation.

John says,

“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.” (John 1:11,12)

The word ‘receive’ in Greek, is ‘paralambano.’ It means to take someone to yourself or to your heart. We get the idea from the wedding vow, where the minister says, “Do you, Bill, take Susan to be your wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, etc.”

The minister is asking Bill if he will take Susan to his heart and life in holy union. This is what receiving Jesus means. It is a thing of the heart. It is a thing of union. It does require a confession of faith. It has to be stated. This is why the early Christians were known as, ‘The people of the great confession.’

It is important to understand what John says about believing. Our salvation is not based on some emotional experience. It is based on an open declaration of faith in Jesus Christ. Believing in the Bible is something you do with your heart and nut just with your mind.

John says,

“Even to those who believe in His name.”

The Greek word for believe, that is, ‘pisteuo’, means to put faith in a person, to rely on, to trust in, to adhere to. (It is the Greek word that we get our English word ‘glue’.) To believe in His name means to accept who Jesus really is, that is, to believe in the full message of the gospel, and in His authority. We actually believe into life.

What happens when a person takes to themself Jesus Christ? They are born into the kingdom of God’s Son. Paul says a kingdom transfer takes place;

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Col 1:13)

What about the truth part and the voice part?

Well, I’ve covered this quite a bit. The gospel is a message from heaven. It carries all the authority and power that is needed to cause a person to be born again. This is why Paul said,

“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”
(Word, or rhema, speaks of a living voice.)

The word ‘Truth’ in Greek, speaks of the reality that is behind an appearance. To realize truth is to become fully cognizant of the Person and Presence of Jesus Christ. Jesus said,

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.”

When a person is born from above, that birth brings a new spiritual reality into their life. The realness does not go away. It will be there from day, to day, to day.

His voice also speaks of the Lord’s Kingly ministry. The issue of Jesus being our King is very real to a believer. And hearing His voice is also very real. Jesus explained it this way;

“I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”

And again,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.” (Cf. John 10)

Where do we go from here?

How about a song. I always love to finish each of my entries with a special song.

Much love,

Buddy

Jul

2010

Crucified to the world…

“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God. Amen.” (Gal6:14-16)

Readers,

I want to draw attention to the essential issue of the new covenant. The cross of Christ resulted in a new creation. Every person of the new creation is sealed in Christ with the seal of redemption. That seal can only broken by God and this He will not do. Paul says that we cannot be separated from God’s love. All who belong to Christ have an eternal seal.

When Paul says, “But may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,” he is giving a summation of true Biblical Christianity.

I like the way it is translated in the NLT:

“As for me, may I never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world has been crucified, and the world’s interest in me has also died.” (Gal 6:14 NLT)

The summing up of those who have been to the cross is two fold:

(1) Our interest in the world has been crucified.

(2) The world’s interest in us has died.

That City on Mount Zion

This is why so many of our Christian songs are about the cross and about heaven. We sing as pilgrims on a journey. We sing with longings in our heart for the city of God.

Our confession is that we are not of this world. And with the saints of old we are reaching forward to what lies ahead.

We bear witness in our heart to the cross.

Paul was a pilgrim. Abraham was a pilgrim. David was a pilgrim. Buddy Martin is a pilgrim. How about you. Are you a pilgrim?

Hear what the Bible says about God’s pilgrims:

“…they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” (Heb 11:16 NASB)

Before reading any further take a moment to listen to one of our pilgrim songs. It is titled, ‘When I Reach That City’.

The Seal of Eternity

The new creation has been sealed in Christ for eternity. This is why the Bible accords our salvation as an eternal redemption. The Bible speaks of salvation as eternal life.

Paul addresses our redemption in Christ:

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Eph 1:13-14 NASB)

Did you notice that heaven’s seal is based on one premise alone? It is the premise of believing in Jesus Christ. The word ‘believe’ in the Bible involves a heart connection that cannot be broken. It is with our hearts that we connect with Jesus.

“Having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise.”

The covenant of Christ…

The covenant of Christ supersedes and does away with the Law of Moses. The new covenant is for a distinct people.

The Jews outside of Christ based their salvation upon two things: being lineal descendants of Abraham, which leaves much to be desired, and doing the works of the Law, which no one ever did or could do or can do.

You can’t just pick one part of the law that you want to keep and leave the rest untouched. The Law carried a requirement and a curse. The requirement pertained to keeping the whole law. Failure to do so places one under the curse of the law.

The Judaisers followed behind Paul wherever he went, attempting to destroy his gospel message of grace. This is what Paul is referring to when he called for a curse upon those who preach a gospel other than that which the apostles had been given to preach, that is, the gospel of grace. If you don’t know for certain what the apostles actually preached, then note these Scriptures:

“But what does it say? ‘The Word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’–that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Rom 10:8-9 NASB)

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” (Gal 1:8 NASB)

Did you make the connection?

The Judaisers of Paul’s day were telling Gentile believers that they had keep the law of Moses, which essentially meant they must become Jews through circumcision in order to be saved. They were distorting God’s grace message to the world.

Grace is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us God

There is no way under God’s blue heaven than a person can merit salvation. The apostles made this very plain. The prophets made this very plain. The apostle says,

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph2:8,9)

Isaiah said,

“For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (64:6)

This brings us to the cross.

Listen to those awful words.

“Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” (My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”)

Finally we hear in the final gasp of the Lord,

“It is finished!”

Those words made heaven and earth tremble. The skies darkened. The curtain in the temple ripped in two. The sins of the whole world were now laid on Jesus.

What was finished? The cross fulfilled God’s work of redemption. The sacrifice was offered! From the cross they carried Jesus to the tomb. From the tomb He resurrected and ascended into glory. Out of this would come our completed salvation. This is true gospel.

This is our completed salvation. God made no mistakes. He has saved forever all who have come to faith in Jesus. No one can be any more saved that what the Scriptures tell us.

Listen with your heart:

‘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.” (Eph 2:4-6 NASB)

Here is another ‘did you catch it’?

Even when we were dead in our transgressions…

He made us alive together with Christ.

(By grace you have been saved)

And raised us up together with Him

And seated us with Him in the heavenly places.

Notice that all of this is past tense. Believers are not merely going to be saved. We are already as saved as saved can be. This is what ‘seated with Him in the heavenly places’ means.

God is at work

And this is why the term ‘new creation’ is the center piece of God’s new covenant in Christ. It is all God’s work. The new creation has already been raised up. We are a heavenly people, adorned in earthly bodies. One day all that will change.

Now take note of how the book of Hebrews begins its closure:

“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, *working in us* that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (Heb13:20,21)

Notice who is doing the works in the believer? God works in us that which is pleasing in His sight. God Himself equips us to do His will. This is why it is so important to give your brother and sister breathing room to do what the Lord has for them to do.

And this is where we must be careful with our language, our accusations, or our condemnations. No one can condemn those for whom Christ died. Paul said we are to walk by this rule.

Remember the rule?

“For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision (religious works), but a new creation. And those who will walk by this rule, peace and mercy be upon them.”

Paul’s point is that a person is either born from above as part of God’s new creation, or they are not part of God’s new creation. If they are part of God’s new creation, then you will see heaven’s influence in this person. When Paul says, “Neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision,” he is stating that the former covenant has no jurisdiction over anyone in the new covenant.

The reason for this great change is that in the new covenant every born again person is given the nature of Christ. God deals directly with our nature. Certainly believers can sin, but sin is contrary to their nature. When we sin, we have this grieving in our spirit. What is it that grieves in us. It is the Holy Spirit, by whom we were sealed for the day of redemption.

The work of the cross is to remove believers from their former state of being, to place them into a new state of being, and to cause believers to know the Lord personally.

Are you carrying the imprint of the cross —

True believers cannot give up their testimony of faith. We are His witnesses. Our life began at the cross. We are a new creation. There is no witness on earth greater than this, and Satan knows it. We bear witness to the power of the cross.

So I guess the only questions left are these —

Has your interest in the world been crucified?

Has the world’s interest in you died.

Just something to think about.

Always in Christ,

Buddy

Jul

2010

The Fellowship of the Unashamed…

“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” (Mar 8:38 NASB)

Journal,

One pastor asked if any of us had read the book, ‘The Christian Atheist.’ I thought, ‘Why would I want to read a book that contradicts what being a Christian is about?” (Something along those lines.)

Then when the brother shared the rest of the title, it did aroused my curiosity. The full title of the book is, ‘The Christian Atheist: Believing in God but living as if He doesn’t Exist’, by Craig Groeschel.

The title made more sense when you consider those who ascribe to the name Christian, yet their lives seem to reflect the world. I’ve often wondered what kind of believer these people really are. Then I have to remember what Jesus said about not judging according to appearance but to judge with righteous judgment.

Fact of the matter is that we know so little about other believers. Who knows where they are in their walk with the Lord, or what God is doing in their lives.

How about you? Are you the kind of believer who reflects the values of the world? Or are you that believer who longs to take as your creed of life what the unknown author wrote, titled, ‘The Fellowship of the Unashamed.’

Take time to read what the following anonymous believer wrote. In doing so perhaps you could supplement it with this prayer,

‘Dear Lord, with your help and by your grace it is my deepest desire to make this statement the creed of my life. Help me to hold fast to all that represents You and Your kingdom. In Jesus name. Amen’

Here is what I might call, ‘the creed of the disciple’.

The Fellowship of the Unashamed

I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. I have the Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line.

The decision has been made—I am a disciple of His. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees,

Colorless dreams, tame visions, worldly-talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need pre-eminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops,

Recognized, praised, regarded or rewarded. I now live by faith, lean in His presence, walk by patience, am uplifted by prayer and I labor with power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my Guide is reliable,

My mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, hired away, turned back, diluted, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, pander at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, let up, until I have preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus, I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know and work till He stops me. And when He comes

To claim His own, He’ll have no problems recognizing me. My banner will be clear!

–Author Unknown

Four challenges to consider…

1. The axis of TRUTH – Don’t become doctrinally rigid in anything that pertains to the walk of truth. Leave room for spiritual growth. Absolute truth is often found in the tension of two truths that even seem pull against one another. Always ask the Lord for a better understanding of all that He would have you to understand.

“For if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.“ (Pro 2:3-6 NASB)

2. The matter of LOVE – Jesus said that a disciple’s walk has to have a dual love focus. The focus is lateral, love God, and, horizontal, love others. John said that it is impossible to love God without loving others.

“’Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Mat 22:36-40 NASB)

3. Singleness of PURPOSE – God wants us to serve Him with an undivided heart. Whatever things compete with God in our lives are things that attempt to divide our heart. Having singleness of heart and vision speak of a complete loyalty to Jesus Christ in all things.

“Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever.” (Psa 86:11-12 NASB)

4. The issue of TREASURES – Our heart is always connected to our treasures. What we make time for, what we spend our money on, and what we see as priorities in life will always reflect the status of our heart far more than our words ever will do. (Mat 6:19-21)

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mat 6:19-21 NASB)

Let this song minister to your heart. The Lord wants to share some secret things with you.

In love with Jesus,

Buddy

heavenly life

Walking through life with Psalms

I Don’t Have Time To Be Afraid

Fruitfulness in the Kingdom

The Essence of New Covenant Life

Under the Shelter of His Wings…

Walking down memory lane – God’s faithfulness…

We walked through the Gate right into of Miracle Land

Now let’s hear from Peter:

The Divine Rights of Access…

The voice of the blood…

Crucified to the world…

The Fellowship of the Unashamed…

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