Body Life

 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; (Romans 12:9 NKJV)

⁹ Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. ¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection,^[e] and take delight in honoring each other. (Romans 12:9-10 NLT)

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12 NKJV)

After reading the above scriptures, I was thinking about all that the church world has been through in the last five years. The covid area where churches were ordered to close. Some did; some didn’t. It created controversy.  The past year we’ve been inundated with report after report of fallen ministers and ministries. Again, this brought schisms in churches. Since the Presidential election in 2024 there has been such hatred spewed between Christians, and family members that has destroyed relationships. Most recently there was the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Sadly, this has also created division within churches.

Brothers and sisters, this ought not be. Remember the old song, “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love?”  Once again, let’s look at an acronym to see how we can do better at being true brothers and sisters in unity.

Behave Like Christians – I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. (1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT)

Obey - What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. ( ! Samuel 15:22 NLT)

Disciple - Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:12 NKJV)

This makes me think how we need a Kingdom mindset, not a church, denomination, or influencers. Jesus Christ and the scriptures should hold the utmost authority in our lives. We are a part of something much bigger than ourselves We can go anywhere in the world and find other disciples of Jesus. One word that is translated and pronounced the same around the world is “hallelujah.”

Yield -  ³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. ⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:3-5 NKJV)

Ooohhh, we’re to walk in humility with each other? I once heard a definition for humility like this – “Humility is confidence properly placed.” If our confidence is in Jesus Christ and not in man made things, it will be easier to walk in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

This article is not in depth on this subject. In my next piece we will dive a little deeper discussing what biblical fellowship is. Let me close with a simple story about a conversation I had with a woman many years ago.  I won’t name the denomination because I don’t intend to bash anyone. Here’s how it went:

LADY: “Hi, have you had a good weekend?”

ME: “Yes, we went to hear a preacher at xxxx church.”

LADY: “Ohhh, but that’s not xxxx denomination that we are. You attended a different denominion to hear him?”

ME; “Of course, as long as they’re teaching the Word of God, I’ll go anywhere to hear good preaching and receive from the Lord. You know, we’re not going to have assigned locations in heaven for each denomination. It’s going to be the Body of Christ.

LADY: Oh??? I would never do that. (She promptly turned around in her seat to not speak any more.)

One more thing, here are some lyrics to an old hymn that I think pulls it all together.

Refrain: We come to share our story. We come to break the bread. We come to know our rising from the dead.

1. We come as your people. We come as your own. United with each other, love finds a home.

2. We are called to heal the broken, to be hope for the poor. We are called to feed the hungry at our door.

3. Bread of life and cup of promise, In this meal we all are one. In our dying and our rising, may your kingdom come.

4. You will lead and we shall follow. You will be the breath of life; living water, we are thirsting for your light.

5. We will live and sing your praises. "Alleluiah" is our song. May we live in love and peace our whole life long.

** Song of the Body of Christ by David Haas

 

Pruned For More

Ever have one of those moments when you're feeling really spiritual and thinking you are about to make this big decision that will make life so much better? You make the decision. We surrender the issue to God and bam, something feels “off” instead of better. And we feel like, “What is going on?”

Recently I made a decision when afterward I sensed that. I thought after I surrendered this concern to the Lord that everything would be just fine. But at first it created more questions. I was reminded that even when some things that are necessary are not always pleasant, such as pruning. Pruning often happens when God is about to change the season in our life.

¹I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:1-2 NASB)

Let's talk a little bit more about this pruning process. Before making some generalized comments, of course I'm going to do an acronym of the word prune.

Preparation - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

I once read the following - "In this season of pruning God is removing what you have outgrown., what is no longer necessary, or what serves no purpose." (Author unknown)

As I mentioned earlier. Pruning is often a sign of a season change. Oftentimes when we find ourselves in a wilderness (pruning season) we think of it as a negative thing. Really, we should look at it as a time of preparation, refocus, and soul searching.

How do we Prepare? Prayer first and foremost. As you pray be willing to listen and respond to what God says. They ask for a hunger for the scriptures like you've never had before and study it. Be willing to refocus and readjust calories in any area of your life the Holy Spirit instructs you to do.

Repent - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NASB)

Sadly, many people don't realize that this book was written to believers as was this verse. You see, repentance is not just something we do when we come to Jesus for the first time, it becomes a part of our everyday life. None of us will be perfect until we're in heaven. But the hope found in this verse is that with repentance there is forgiveness and cleansing.

Undivided – Many are so quick to quote Jeremiah 29:11 about the good plan that God has for us. But for some reason most don’t seem to make it to verse 13, which says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

This brings to mind the question, are really seeking God for our character to be changed or just for what He can do for us? Are we half-hearted, saying, Lord, I’ll obey you in this area but not this other one.” Remember what Revelation 3:15-16 says - I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will ^[l]spit you out of My mouth.

Nevertheless -  Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”  (Luke 5:5 NASB)

Remember, these guys were professional fishermen and had fished all night and knew what they were talking about. There were no fish. But at last, they said “nevertheless.” There will be times when things don't make sense in our lives, and we will have to say nevertheless. Another statement I often say is, obedience doesn't require understanding.

Examine - Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test. (2 Corinthians 13:5)

After some fruit bearing, we're pruned and need to be cut back to bear MORE fruit. During the pruning process, ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to make things right through the Word.  Examine yourself. The Word will keep you clean! (John 15:2)

What does this all boil down to? - CHANGE! 

Change, even when it's for the good isn't always easy.  But when truth is faced, change is always possible. 

Till next time, keep moving forward with God’s grace. Grace is God’s ability in me to do what I don’t have the ability to do.

 

 

 

 

Chnage - Time to Move Forward

 

Change…. That is a word that most of us don’t like to hear. Even when change is for the good, it can sometimes be difficult, even scary.  But change is one of those inevitable pieces of life.  We all experience it one time or another. I heard this statement from an inmate one time: “When the pain of remaining the same becomes greater than the pain of change, you will change.” That is a power packed statement.  Change will take courage. The definition of courage is: “Fearlessness when facing change or a difficult situation, following difficult instructions.”

One of the biggest hindrances to change for many people is that they are stuck in their past or even in a present dilemma. Think about this. If you drive down the road in your car looking in the rear view mirror the whole time, what is going to happen? Obviously, you will crash. Well, it’s the same thing in life. If we keep looking back, we’re going to crash into various obstacles in life. So, what is the answer to this fear of change? The bible gives us several answers.

First of all in Philippians 3:13,14 it says, “13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Emphasis added)

The first step in moving forward is to stop looking backwards all the time. Take your hurts, your questions, your fears…. Everything and give them to God. His Son, Jesus Christ took all your pains on Himself when He died on the cross.

Let’s quickly look at a few other hindrances to moving forward that the bible mentions.

Forsaking God - In other words, preferring your own way. So many of us think we know what’s best for our life. But who would know better than God Himself, the Creator of the universe who knows everything? Take the risk to step out and trust God with your whole life. In Matthew 6:33 it says: "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” If we put God first in our lives, He will meet all of our needs.

Fear of man - Proverbs 29:25 says, “The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe.” We will never take risks or try new things as long as we fear what others will think of us. One way to help fight this is to remember the following statement: “I am not responsible for anyone else’s actions or reactions except my own.” Besides, if someone is truly your friend, they will encourage you to move forward and be happy with you for the changes in your life.

Worldliness - This could be a lengthy subject, but for now let’s simply say that if we allow the ways of the world influence us, it will choke out the truth of God’s Word. See Mark 4:18, 19 and 1 John 2:15.

Misplaced Confidence - Relying on anything or anyone other than God for your needs. It is only in a relationship with the Lord that we can have all of our needs met. Remember the scripture quoted earlier from Matthew 6:33? Put God first in your life.

Self-sufficiency – This is when we think we don’t need anyone. We think we can do it ourselves and refuse to ask for help. But Proverbs 3: 5,6 says; “⁵Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Another scripture that talks about self-sufficiency is Rev. 3:16-20 where the Laodicean Church thought they had it all together more than anyone else but didn’t realize they were spiritually blind.

Neglect of the "little things" – I once read a statement that said. “We stumble over pebbles, not rocks.” We often tend to overlook what we think are the little things. But then these little thinks pile up into a big mountain and next thing we know we’re totally overwhelmed. So, don’t let little things go unchecked in your life. Ask someone you trust who you know will be truthful, who will give you godly counsel, to be an accountability partner to help you monitor your progress.

Finally, our last point is

Not counting the cost – It makes a made-up mind to decide we’re moving forward with our lives no matter what. We need to be aware that not everyone is going to like the changes in our life. Family, friends, and co-workers may not understand. Some may try to put fear in you, some will threaten you by saying they won’t be your friends anymore. Reality is there will be a cost to change. The people you surround yourself with may have to change; your priorities will have to change, etc. But with God on our side, we can overcome anything. Read Roman 8: 31-39, it declares that God is for you!

Take the risk and step into a new season in your life! If I can be of help to you feel free to contact me.

 

Fruit That Remains

 I have been frequently drawn to John 15:1-16, especially verse 16 which says: “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” (Emphasis added)

Most of us are quick to quote the first part of that verse but tend to forget the second part. Yes, we want to be chosen and bear fruit. But it doesn't stop there. It goes on to say, “that your fruit should remain.” How does that fruit remain?

It's a two-step process. The first part is making sure the fruit that we are producing is relative to eternity in the Kingdom of God. You see, there's a lot of good work(s) that can be done but our focus is to be winning souls for the Kingdom of God. Seeing lives transformed from hopelessness to hope. Then the fruit you planted in an individual is planted by that person in another person. The seed keeps growing and remains. New life breeds new life.

What are some of the other works? Most would say it's the supernatural gifts - healing, prophecy, etc. which are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. Supernatural Gifts have their place in the community of faith but it's not to be the primary focus, winning souls is. We don't decide when they happen, that is up to the Holy Spirit. I'm not saying the gifts are not necessary. Just not the focus.

Are the gifts available to every believer? Yes. Is victory available to every believer? Yes. But before anyone, especially a new believer can grow in those areas, he has to learn how to get there. That's where discipleship comes in.

People need to be taught how to resist temptation, how to overcome certain strongholds, how to build the character of God into their lives, etc. Think of it like this, when a person gets a new job, he usually has to wait 30 to 90 days to get the benefits. During that time. He learns about the company and learns about his position and how to grow in it, then he begins to gain some of the benefits of being in that company.

it's the same in the Kingdom of God. We become born again, start to learn the ways of the Holy Spirit. We begin to learn how to live as a Christian and eventually we really begin to walk in the “benefits” of spiritual gifts, victory, freedom, and so much more. It’s called, “Sanctification.” Which is also discipleship.

“Sanctification is the ongoing process by which believers grow in holiness and are gradually transformed into the likeness of Christ. This involves the work of the Holy Spirit, who empowers believers to overcome sin and cultivate the fruits of the Spirit. Philippians 2:12-13 encourages believers to "work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose." This process requires cooperation with the Holy Spirit, obedience to God's Word, and participation in the life of the church.”    (biblehub.com)

OK, back to our discussion about bearing fruit for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

When spiritual gifts become the focus there is the danger of people being caught up in sensationalism, celebrity preachers, manufacturing gifts from the flesh. Anyway, this subject of gifts can be a whole discussion in itself.

As mentioned above, the spiritual gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12. However, spiritual fruit is listed in Galatians 5:22 - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness.”

It would be safe to say that spiritual gifts are incomplete if the individual operating in those gifts is not living in the fruit of the spirit. Keeping a focus on the fruit of the spirit helps us stand guard against things such as the image we present, sensationalism, wanting to look powerful, thinking it will draw the crowds. At the risk of stepping on toes of those who want to be gift focused, when the gifts are in operation the goal should be to bring people to salvation, not to say look at all we have happening here. What will truly draw crowds is transformed lives.

There are many examples in the Bible of a person encountering Jesus leading to a transformed life that drew a crowd. One example is the woman at the well. She lived in shame most of her life. Listen to what she says after encountering Jesus. The full story is in John chapter 4, but here are a few key scriptures.

²⁹ “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” ³⁰ Then they went out of the city and came to Him.” 

Then the result of her sharing the encounter with Jesus comes next. ³⁹ And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” ⁴⁰ So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹ And many more believed because of His own word. ⁴² Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” (Emphasis added)

Before this blog gets any longer, let me close with a quote that I read recently.

“Instead of measuring ourselves by the gifts we have – perhaps we should consider the depth of our love.” (Wanda Alger)