":All One in Christ Jesus"

“All One in Christ Jesus”

 

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.  If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs to the promise.       Galatians 3:28-29

 

There may be some of you who will read this and NOT agree, but it is the Word of the Living God, and I will ALWAYS seek the WISDOM and KNOWLEDGE, which is imparted to me, by God’s Holy Spirit, and to the BEST of my ABILITY and UNDERSTANDING, I will share with you what God’s Spirit tells me.

 

It is PLAIN and SIMPLE, there are NO DISTINCTIONS between JEW nor GENTILE, SLAVE or FREE, MALE and FEMALE, in the BODY of Christ, for we are ALL ONE in CHRIST JESUS.  A BELIEVING JEW does not have a higher ranking than a BELIEVING GENTILE.  This also applies to the BELIEVING SLAVE over the BELIEVING FREE PERSON, or the BELIEVING MALE over the BELIEVING FEMALE.  We, no matter who WE are, if we have ACCEPTED God’s plan of SALVATION for our lives, and have TURNED AWAY FROM our OLD, SINFUL lifestyle, for a SAVED, SANCTIFIED lifestyle, then we are a part of GOD’S FAMILY, because we are ALL ONE in CHRIST JESUS and we are HEIRS to the PROMISE. 

 

The BELIEVING GENTILE is adopted into God’s Family, and because Christ is the Seed of Abraham, and ALL BELIEVERS are in CHRIST, we are a part of that seed and an heir to the promise.   We must also take into account, the NATURAL seed of Abraham, which are the descendants of Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel.  Within that group, is a remnant of believing Jews who will inherit the Abrahamic promises that are specifically for them.

 

The Spiritual seed of Abraham, the BELIEVING GENTILES, will inherit, the PROMISE of JUSTIFICATION by FAITH.   Are you a part of that Spiritual seed, ADOPTED into God’s Family? If you are, then you are a part of ALL who are in Christ Jesus, and will receive the PROMISE of JUSTIFICATION by FAITH.  Those who have NOT ACCEPTED God’s plan of SALVATION, but have continually REJECTED it, you are NOT a part of His Family, nor are you in Christ Jesus.  And you are NOT an heir to the PROMISE of JUSTIFICATION by FAITH, but you are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, a place of UNENDING HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  God is giving you the opportunity NOW to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL lifestyle, and to TURN TO Him with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become a part of Abraham’s Spiritual seed, adopted into God’s Family, an heir to the PROMISE of JUSTIFICATION by FAITH, because you are in CHRIST JESUS, and spend an ETERNITY in Heaven.   Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

Righteousness = Blessings and Wickedness = Violence"

“Righteousness = Blessings and Wickedness = Violence"

 

Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.        Proverbs 10:6

 

One thought on this particular proverb is, that not only do the RIGHTEOUS receive BLESSINGS, but their TESTIMONY or their LIFESTYLE, from the past to the present times, becomes Spiritual BLESSINGS to those who are striving to live a RIGHTEOUS LIFE.  It is a JOY to look back into the history of some of the RIGHTEOUS PEOPLE of the BIBLICAL TIMES, and to GAIN wisdom about their RELATIONSHIP with the Lord God, ALMIGHTY.

 

However, this is NOT the case with those who have and is presently choosing to live a WICKED lifestyle, rejecting God’s Son as their Savior and Lord, and TURNING AWAY FROM GOD, and TURNING MORE and MORE TO their WICKED ways.  It is definitely NOT a JOY to look back at some who have done just that.  Their MOUTHS not only CONCEALS VIOLENCE, but their FATE is of a VIOLENT nature.  Jesus said:  “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.    (Luke 6:45)

 

What category do you find yourself in?  If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you do NOT have a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with Him.  And you are considered to be WICKED in your HEART, and are headed for an ETERNITY in Hell with ALL its HORRORS, and with NO WAY OF ESCAPE.  In order, to ESCAPE HELL and GAIN Heaven for ALL of ETERNITY.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and become RIGHTEOUS in His eyes, and be BLESSED throughout ETERNITY.   Do this NOW, while you still can.   He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Enlarging the Harvest of Your Righteousness"

“Enlarging the Harvest of Your Righteousness”

 

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.        2 Corinthians 9:10-11

 

The Apostle Paul is now ENCOURAGING the Corinthian believers to be GENEROUS with all that God has blessed them with.  He tells them that God, who supplies seed and bread, will also SUPPLY and INCREASE their store of seed, because of their GENEROSITY of supplying the needs of God’s people. 

 

He says that God will ENLARGE the HARVEST of their RIGHTEOUSNESS.  This means that through their acts of being GENEROUS to others, they become MORE CHRISTLIKE, which should be the goal of EVERY TRUE BELIEVER.  We NEED to emulate the acts of our Lord Jesus Christ, to become MORE and MORE like Him in ALL of our actions.  Meeting the needs of others, when we are in the position to be able to do so, and to be able to do it with a CHEERFUL HEART, will TRULY ENLARGE the HARVEST of our RIGHTEOUSNESS.  The Bible teaches us that it is MORE blessed to GIVE than to RECEIVE. 

 

And through our RIGHTEOUS, GENEROUS acts of GIVING to others, we will experience God’s enrichment to us, in order for us to be GENEROUS on EVERY OCCASION.   And through our GENEROSITY, we will see the RESULT of THANKSGIVING to GOD, and NOT only on the part of the RECEIVER of the act, but also on the part of the GIVER, as well.  It is such a BLESSING, when we can GIVE to someone in NEED, and we NEED to experience God ENLARGING the HARVEST of our RIGHTEOUSNESS, resulting in our being MORE CHRISTLIKE.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you cannot enjoy the BLESSINGS of God, to His Children, when they are GENEROUS to others, and when He ENLARGES the HARVEST of their RIGHTEOUSNESS.  You do NOT possess any form of RIGHTEOUSNESS, because you are NOT a Child of the Living God.  You are His CREATION, but NOT His Child.  And you cannot be Christ-like, unless you have TRULY GIVEN your HEART and LIFE to GOD.  Instead you are LOST and HEADED to an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its Horrors, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  However, God, in His INFINITE MERCY and ABUNDANT GRACE, is offering you the opportunity NOW to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and to TURN TO Him, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and be GENEROUS to others, and let God ENLARGE the HARVEST of your RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Opposites That Should NOT Be Together"

“Opposites That Should NOT Be Together”

 

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers.  For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?  Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?  What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?  Or what agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?  For we are the temple of the Living God.         2 Corinthians 6:14-16

 

The Apostle Paul writes to the Corinthian believers, about LIVING for Christ.  And in this part of his letter to them, he warns them about being connected with UNBELIEVERS.  Paul says:  “Do NOT be yoked together with UNBELIEVERS.”  It seems that the Corinthian BELIEVERS were MARRYING and having BUSINESS connections with those that were NOT TRUE BELIEVERS of the ONE and ONLY HOLY, RIGHTEOUS GOD nor His ONLY BEGOTTEN SON.  They may have been FALSE TEACHERS, and could be a THREAT to the RIGHTEOUS RELATIONSHIP of the TRUE BELIEVER and the Almighty God. 

 

The Apostle Paul, asks them a series of contrasting questions:  “What do RIGHTEOUSNESS and WICKEDNESS have in common?  Or what FELLOWSHIP can LIGHT have with DARKNESS?  What HARMONY is there between CHRIST and BELIAL? (the Old Testament name for Satan) Or what AGREEMENT is there between the Temple of GOD and IDOLS?  For WE are the Temple of the Living God.   What Paul was getting at was that there MUST be a SEPARATION between the TRUE BELIEVER and the WORLD and its SINS.  We are NOT to ISOLATE ourselves from the world, but it DOES MEAN that we KEEP OURSELVES FROM THE DEFILEMENT of the WORLD and its SINS. 

 

We MUST NOT be CONNECTED to those who are OPPOSITE from us in our BELIEFS and our LIFESTYLES.  YET, we SHOULD be a WITNESS for JESUS to this world and those who are LIVING a LIFE that is DESTINED for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS.   We MUST be the LIGHT in their DARKNESS, yet NOT participating in their acts of SIN.  Remembering ALWAYS, that we are the TEMPLE of the LIVING GOD.  We are the ABODE of the HOLY SPIRIT, therefore, we MUST STRIVE to LIVE in the SPIRIT and NOT in the FLESH.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, you are living in the SINS of the WORLD, and are DESTINED for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL of its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPE.  However, God has PROVIDED a WAY for you to ESCAPE HELL and to GAIN HEAVEN.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE, and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that JESUS died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and LIVE a LIFE, SEPARATED from WICKEDNESS and DARKNESS.  Be a LIGHT for others to COME to.  DON’T BE YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

"Do NOT Receive God's Grace In Vain"

“Do NOT Receive God’s Grace In Vain”

 

As God’s co-workers we urge you NOT to receive God’s grace in vain.  For He says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.          2 Corinthians 6:1-2

 

This is a very crucial part of Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth.   There was a problem with FALSE TEACHERS, who could have been Judaizers, who may have denied that Godly RIGHTEOUSNESS, was obtained through FAITH.  The Judaizers would have wanted the message to say that the Mosaic Law was a means of obtaining RIGHTEOUSNESS.  But Paul refused to say anything of the sort, which would NOT have been the TRUTH.

 

Chapter five, verse twenty-one is the basis of Paul’s message:  “God made Him (JESUS) who had NO sin to be sin for US.  So that we might become the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.”  PLAIN and TRUTHFUL.  ONLY through the shed blood of JESUS CHRIST, can an individual obtain RIGHTEOUSNESS.  Any other ATTEMPT is receiving God’s grace in VAIN.  You cannot BUY, CHEAT, STEAL, COMPROMISE or use ANY other MEANS to obtain God’s RIGHTEOUSNESS. 

 

Paul quoted the Prophet Isaiah, saying; “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”  God has had a PLAN from ETERNITY PAST up to ETERNITY FUTURE, and NOW, is the DAY of SALVATION, which is the present AGE of GRACE.   And His PLAN is the PLAN of SALVATION, coming to God through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, His Only Begotten Son, who took on the SIN of ALL mankind, in order for them to RECEIVE the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God.  Paul says; “NOW is the time of God’s favor, NOW is the DAY of SALVATION!   Don’t put it off!  You may NOT have another opportunity.

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God, then you do NOT POSSESS His SALVATION or His RIGHTEOUSNESS.  And you are headed for an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS, and NO WAY of ESCAPING.  You MUST TURN AWAY FROM your old sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION and receive His RIGHTEOUSNESS.  And ESCAPE Hell and GAIN Heaven.    Do it NOW, while you still can, because NOW IS THE TIME.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

"Your Ministry and Your Message"

“Your Ministry and Your Message”

 

Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.   Therefore, we are ambassadors of Christ, certain that God is appealing through us.  We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”         2 Corinthians 5:18-20

 

In this part of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the TRUE BELIEVERS in Corinth, he states that ALL things are from GOD.   EVERYTHING that was created at the FIRST CREATION and ALL that is created during the NEW creation of a SINNER, when they come to Him for the SALVATION of their souls.  They become a NEW CREATION.  (v 17) 

 

Our scriptures summarizes the Apostle Paul’s MINISTRY and MESSAGE.   The MINISTRY and MESSAGE of RECONCILIATION between GOD and mankind.  The act of RECONCILIATION was initiated by God and carried out by His ONLY SON, Jesus Christ.   This MINISTRY is shared by ALL TRUE BELIEVERS.  It is to bring others to the place of RECONCILIATION between them and the HOLY, RIGHTEOUS, GOD.  In other words it is OUR MINISTRY to be AMBASSADORS of Jesus Christ, and to go out and EVANGELIZE the world. 

 

The MESSAGE of RECONCILIATION is based on the symbol of God’s ABUNDANT MERCY, AMAZING GRACE and His UNFAILING LOVE for ALL mankind, the CROSS of Christ.  The MESSAGE is what Jesus died for; the RECONCILIATION of mankind with the ALMIGHTY GOD.  Paul, on Christ’s behalf says:  “Be RECONCILED to GOD.”   As TRUE BELIEVERS, this is YOUR MINISTRY and MESSAGE, be FAITHFUL to the FATHER and His SON, by being OBEDIENT to YOUR MINISTRY and DELIVERING YOUR MESSAGE. 

 

If you have NOT given your HEART and LIFE to God then you are in NEED of being RECONCILED to God, through the work of Jesus Christ.  In order to do that and ESCAPE an ETERNITY in Hell, with ALL of its HORRORS, you MUST TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and work your MINISTRY by getting the MESSAGE of RECONCILIATION out to a LOST and DYING world.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!

 

 

 

"Your Righteousness"

“Your Righteousness”

 

“For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”       Matthew 5:20

Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.         Romans 10:3

“What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.   I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ---the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.”               Philippians 3:8-9

 

In Isaiah 64:6, it tells us that; “our righteousness is like filthy rags,” we cannot PLEASE the RIGHTEOUS, HOLY God with our own RIGHTEOUSNESS.  In Matthew, chapter five and verse twenty, Jesus says:  “Unless your RIGHTEOUSNESS surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will NOT enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”  The RIGHTEOUSNESS of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law was that of their own doing.  They thought that as long as they did what the Law said, they were RIGHTEOUS in the sight of God.  That is RIGHTEOUSNESS by WORKS.  And that does NOT give you the RIGHT to enter Heaven.

 

In the book of Romans, chapter ten, verse three, the Apostle Paul says that, since they the Israelites, including the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, did not know the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God and sought to establish their own RIGHTEOUSNESS, they did NOT submit to God’s righteousness, and was lost in their sins.  You see, the Pharisees PROFESSED their RIGHTEOUSNESS, but they did NOT POSSESS the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God, which is ONLY obtained by ACCEPTING the Lord JESUS Christ as your Savior and Lord.   And therefore they were LOST and DOOMED to an ETERNITY in Hell. 

 

Paul, also in his letter to the Philippians, told them, “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them garbage that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, NOT having a RIGHTEOUSNESS of my OWN that comes from the law, but that which is through FAITH in Christ---the RIGHTEOUSNESS that comes from God on the basis of FAITH.”  This is exactly what we ALL NEED, if we are planning to have an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.

 

The ONLY WAY that you can have the SALVATION, which will give you RIGHTEOUSNESS and an ETERNITY in Heaven, is to TURN AWAY FROM your sinful lifestyle, and TURN TO God, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART, CONFESSING your sins to Him, and asking Him for His FORGIVENESS, BELIEVING, with ALL your HEART, that Jesus died for YOU, and is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for you, before God.  Then ACCEPT His gift of SALVATION, and receive His RIGHTEOUSNESS, which will be by FAITH, and you will be able to TRULY PROFESS what you ACTUALLY POSSESS, and it will bring you an ETERNITY in HEAVEN.  Do this NOW, while you still can.  He’s waiting and coming SOON!!!