Justified By Faith

The church has been very strong in teaching man his need of righteousness, but unfortunately, in doing so, many times the focus of the teaching has been about man's weakness and inability to please God. What teaching like this truly lacks, is the truth of what we are in Christ, what Christ is in us, how the Father sees us and how righteousness and grace are available to everyone. Looking at some of the music used in the church, whether hymns or contemporary music, we can see in many of the lyrics that our redemption is put off until after death, such as, we are going to have rest when we get to heaven; we are going to have victory when we get to heaven; we are going to be over-comers when we get to heaven; we are going to have peace with God when we get to heaven. It is as though believers have nothing here on earth except failure, misery, disappointment and weakness. But is this what scripture truly teaches concerning the believers new life in Christ?

If these things are so, then what is meant when scripture says, "and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." (Colossians 2:10) or when it says, "Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37) or, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) how about, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1) or, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1) So, when are believers going to be able to have these things? When do these things become a reality? Is it after we finish our course here on earth and stand with Christ in the New Heaven and the New Earth? When do these things become ours?

It should seem very clear that we live in His presence now; that we walk in His presence now. If Christ cannot present us before the presence of the Father now with exceeding joy, He certainly cannot present us before the presence of the Father after death with exceeding joy. The Apostle Paul tells us, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21) The Apostle Peter tells us, "who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were healed." (1 Peter 2:24) Both of these scriptures tell us, that in Christ, we live righteous in the here and now. God Himself is our very righteousness, now, and we are the righteousness of God in Christ, now.

Peter tells us, "by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:4) I am convinced that the scriptures teach that we are partakers of the Divine Nature, now. To take this further, we see, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:17-18) "We know that we have passed from death to life..." (1 John 3:14) 

The bottom line is, we are either new creations or we are not. We have either passed out of death into life, or we have not. When Paul says, "For sin shall not have dominion over you..." (Romans 6:14) he means exactly what he says. If you live a life of weakness and defeat, it is most likely because you do not know what you are in Christ, what Christ is in you and how the Father sees you. I believe the greatest need of the majority of believers today is to know these three highly important aspects of walking a victorious life through faith in Jesus Christ, right here, right now.

Look at these wonderful verses that are for believers now,  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3) "That He might sanctify and cleanse her (the church) with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish." (Ephesians 5:26-27) "And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight." (Colossians 1:21-22) 

These are but a few of the hundreds of scriptures that confirm, these things have already been accomplished in Christ for the believer to walk in now. We stand before the Father, complete, cleansed, without spot or without wrinkle, reconciled, holy, blameless, above reproach, in Christ, now. Do you think that any believer filled with sin (as that term is used in scripture) could be in Christ and stand before the Father without spot, wrinkle, holy, blameless, righteous, etc.? If God could not take the sin nature out of us when we were born again; if the perfect blood of Christ cannot wipe out every bit of sin and He present us before the Father without wrinkle, reconciled, holy, blameless, above reproach, etc., now, then when can we ever be made right?

Simply put. When we know that Jesus died for our sins according to scripture, that the third day He arose again from the dead after He had put our sin away and satisfied the claims of Justice as our substitute; when we confess Him as Lord and take Him as our Savior, that very moment we receive God's nature and we become the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. This righteousness is not an experience, although it gives birth to many marvelous experiences. It is the nature of the Father imparted to every believer.

Therefore, I declare before the angels of heaven, before demons and all the hosts of hel1, that the redemptive work of Christ is absolutely complete in every way and able to present anyone who confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and takes Him as Savior, in the presence of the Father complete in Him, now. So, as we gain more and more revelation of these facts, we will walk this earth in the way God has intended the believer to walk, as masters, being more than conquerors and being free to stand in the Father's presence, now, without guilt, shame, condemnation or inferiority, totally complete in Christ. "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:36) PTL...

In His Authority

The prayer that Jesus revealed in Matthew 6 was never meant to be simply quoted or made into a formula for prayer. His Words carry such a great revelation, that the Holy Spirit desires to make all of it known to all believers. In the prayer, Jesus says, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) This was not some, "oh well, hopefully, God's Will, will be done on earth as it is in heaven," but a reality, it is exactly what Jesus meant. Not only did He mean this literally, but in fact, He came to earth in human form to prove it to be true and that God's will can manifest on earth as it is in heaven through anyone who can believe. However, we must come to understand and walk in the authority that all believers have through Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells us, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18) So, think about these words. Did Jesus need to be given "All authority?" He was God. He already had all authority. So why would He say "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." The Apostle Paul describes the church as "the Body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:27) and also by revelation of the Holy Spirit he tells us, "And He (The Father) put all things under His (Jesus') feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all." (Ephesians 1:22-23) When Christ ascended to heaven, He transferred His authority to the Church. He is the Head of the Church, and believers make up the Body. Christ's authority continues to fill His Body, the church, today, as it did in the early church. His authority has been given to His Body, His church, all believers! 

The translators of the King James Version translated many words consistently, but in some cases, they did not use the correct definition of the Greek words for power and authority. For example, in the King James Version, Jesus says, "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19) Although the word power is used twice in this verse, two different words are found in the original Greek. What Jesus actually said was, "I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy." In speaking about serpents and scorpions, Jesus is talking about the power of the devil, demons, evil spirits, and all the powers of darkness. Believers need to realize that we have authority over them all.

Now honestly, does the church need any less authority today than it had in the early church? Of course not and it would be foolish to think so, wouldn't it? The value of our authority rests on the power that is behind that authority. Jesus Christ Himself is the power behind our authority. The devil and his forces are obliged to recognize our authority in the same way they recognize God's authority. The Apostle John tells us, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, (devil, demons, evil spirits, and all the powers of darkness) because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (1 John 4:4) The believer who thoroughly understands that the power of God is backing him can exercise his authority and face the enemy fearlessly.

Authority is defined as, the power or right to give orders, make decisions, and enforce obedience; the right to control, command, or determine. God's authority has been vested in every believer through the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul tells us to, "be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might."  (Ephesians 6:10). That means that believers can step out in the authority of Christ and stop the devil, demons, evil spirits, and all the powers of darkness from manifesting their evil schemes at all times. Look what Paul tells us concerning the resurrection of Jesus, "and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." (Ephesians 1:19-21) 

Notice the nineteenth verse. This is telling us that there was such an overwhelming display of God's power in raising Jesus from the dead, that it was the mightiest work that God had performed. Satan as well as all demons, evil spirits, and all the powers of darkness were defeated by our Lord Jesus Christ, who arose from the dead, ascended to heaven, and is now seated at the right of the Father, far above them. Paul tells us concerning the resurrection, "Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them." (Colossians 2:15) These are the same demonic powers we deal with today, but, thanks be to God, Jesus has completely defeated them and stripped them of their authority and power. God wants every believer to come to know what happened in the death, burial, resurrection, and glorification of Jesus Christ. He wants us to know that He has seated Christ "far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." (Ephesians 1:21) 

Believers will never understand their authority if they rely on their intellect. Understanding and walking in authority comes by revelation through the Holy Spirit and by the believer receiving it by faith. Some believers do exercise more authority over the powers of darkness than others, simply because they have received a greater revelation, spiritual comprehension, but keep in mind, God wants all believers to have spiritual comprehension. 

John Alexander Dowie, a man of God who ministered at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, received great revelation from the Holy Spirit concerning healing. Many times in his ministry he had to cross an ocean. Oft times he encountered storms, but said every time a storm came up, he did what Jesus did, He rebuked the storm and it always ceased. We should not be amazed by this. Jesus tells us, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." (John 14:12) Jesus  did not say that only a select few would do these works. He said those who believe on Him would do the same works and even greater. 

As believers study and meditate on what the Word of God teaches, it will produce faith (Romans 10:17) and educate our recreated spirits concerning our authority in Christ. In doing this, the Holy Spirit will reveal to us our position in Christ, which is, "far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come." As this revelation grows in us, I believe we will see exactly what Jesus said, "God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven." PTL  

Holy Communion

Acts 2:42 records, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." Notice the words "continued steadfastly." This mean that those early disciples attended continually. They continually devoted themselves to the four practices mentioned in this verse. One of these practices, that I will focus upon, is "the breaking of bread." The breaking of bread refers to the “Holy Eucharist” which means, grateful, thanksgiving, Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, and the Lord’s Table. Holy Communion was never meant to be a mere sacrament, ordinance or religious ritual, but a time of fellowship between believers and more importantly, an intimate encounter with Christ.  For the sake of time and space, I will not attempt to build a thorough study of "Holy Communion" as revealed throughout the Bible, but simply focus on "Holy Communion" in the church.

In the final hours of Jesus’ earthly ministry, on the Day of Unleavened Bread, He instructed Peter and John concerning what we call "The Last Supper." (Luke 22:14-22) Jesus did not only have a desire to celebrate this particular Passover with the apostles, but He had an overwhelming passion to do so, even though just moments away one of the twelve would betray Him (Luke 22:47-48), one would deny Him (Matthew 26: 69-74), nine would scatter (Matthew 26:31), and only one would be with Him at the cross. (John 19:25-26) However, He was about to introduce to humanity one of the most intimate acts between God and man, an act that would bring man into the presence of God as well as fellowship with one another, Holy Communion. It is apparent that the apostles did not grasp the scope of what was happening.

Though Jesus was using a typical Passover meal, He was revealing a spiritual truth that the disciples did not seem to comprehend. Jesus had already discussed this very thing with them, “And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger (The Bread) and he who believes in Me shall never thirst” (The Cup). (John 6:35) To phrase it differently, “I am the bread that gives life. The one who has no reservations concerning this truth shall be perfectly satisfied and the one who places his faith in me will be completely satisfied and never be desirous of anything else.” Jesus was conveying a spiritual truth, that, unfortunately many in the church today, like the apostles', do not seem to comprehend. Jesus tells us, “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe” (John 6:63-64) We see that unbelief prevented the people, even certain disciples from seeing these truths, as we see, "many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.” (John 6:66) Holy Communion is a spiritual truth revealed through natural means (bread and the fruit of the vine) which involves an intimate encounter with the Lord, not a static ritual.

Luke’s gospel reveals another truth regarding the intimacy one can experience participating in Holy Communion. This truth is revealed in a meeting between Christ and some disciples during the forty-day period between His resurrection and ascension, “Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.” (Luke 24:13-16) Notice that they did not recognize Jesus. Mark 16:12 tells us that Jesus appeared to these two disciples in another form, which could be the reason why they did not recognize Him.

The two proceed to tell Jesus what is troubling them (which were things concerning Him) as they were hoping that it was Jesus who was going to redeem Israel. They continue explaining that they had heard reports that Jesus had risen from the dead, and then Jesus responded, “Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:17-25) Notice that Jesus confronts their lack of faith, which is a continuous theme surrounding many Christians today. For Christians to experience intimacy with Christ in Holy Communion, they must exercise faith. Jesus then expounds to them all the scriptures from Moses and the Prophets concerning Himself. Evening comes and the two men desire to have Jesus stay with them. (Luke 24:26-29)

Next, we see a wonderful turn of events, “Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.” (Luke 24:30-31) Even though their lack of faith kept these two disciples from knowing Jesus as He talked with them, notice what happened when Jesus took the bread, broke it, and gave it to them, “Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him.” They knew him, that is, fully perceive; to recognize; to have a knowledge, which perfectly unites the subject with the object in the sense of the connection or union between a man and his wife. Again, we see the intimacy that can be obtained when one approaches Holy Communion from the correct perspective.

The Apostle Paul speaks to the church at Corinth concerning communion, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16) The word communion here is the same word for fellowship meaning; a partnership; to partner together as one; to participate; to communicate; to have common interest; a state of being together; communion; community; association for religious and spiritual purposes. Paul’s desire is to have the church come to the realization of the powerful effects of the blood and body of Christ upon the believer. The writer of Hebrews puts it this way, “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.” (Hebrews 10:19-20) When we take the bread we penetrate the veil, that is His flesh, and we enter the Holiest with the cup which is a symbol of His blood that He gave as a once and for all sacrifice.  We also see the Apostle Paul bring correction to the church for their lack of reverence and their disorderly conduct when partaking in the Lord’s Supper. (1 Corinthians 11:17-22)

Finally, Paul warns the church the consequences of taking communion in an unworthily manner. Taking communion in an unworthily manner is to share in the guilt of Christ’s crucifixion. This is what the Apostle Peter said to the people in the streets of Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; (Acts 2:23). Participating in the Lord’s Supper in an unworthily manner would mean you were guilty of the same. He admonishes them to examine their hearts before they participate in communion. He also continues to point out that partaking in communion in an unworthy manner comes from a lack of discerning the Lord’s Body and is evidenced by the many who are weak, sick and have died, prematurely. (1 Corinthians 11:27-30).

Today church leaders tend to separate many of the daily practices of the early church as revealed in Acts 2:42, by placing various levels of importance upon them. However, to the early church they were equally important and practiced daily which made for a growing church that did not have to resort to worldly concepts to get people to show up for a church service or function. For the most part, the church today sees Holy Communion from a foreign perspective in comparison to the early church. Upon further investigation throughout the Bible as well as church history, we would find that the early church enjoyed the Lord’s Supper as a banquet that foreshadowed the "Marriage Supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:6-9) and that The Lord’s Supper is the primary purpose for which the church is to gather each Lord’s Day.

Believers can experience an intimate encounter with the Lord as they partake in Holy Communion, but like everything else it is an act of choice and a release of faith that sees communion beyond a mere religious act, an ordinance or a sacrament. It is a place of fellowship with fellow believers and at the same time an intimate encounter with the Lord. Let us consider this. How many marriages do we honestly think would survive if a husband and a wife only spent about fifteen minutes together one Sunday a month? Most likely, none. With that said, it is imperative that all believers see Holy Communion as a time of fellowship between each other and as a powerful and intimate time with the Lord.  The church must get beyond seeing Holy Communion as mere tradition or ritual where the people engage in a stoic, repetitive act void of true meaning and intimacy. So let us throw away our religious rituals concerning Holy Communion and enjoy true Holy Communion with the Lord and one another. The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you...

Standing on His Word

It has been said,  "Our attitude toward God's Word determines the place that He holds in our daily life." Take a moment and let that statement sink in, Why? Because, the Bible should always be received as God speaking directly to us and should never be seen as an ordinary book. The Bible should be as real to us as though Jesus is standing in the room and speaking to us personally. For instance, when Jesus says, "For the Father Himself loves you" (John 16:27), it is a personal message spoken from the lips of Jesus to you and me. It is as though we are sitting at the feet of Jesus, and He is looking down into our face and lovingly speaking to us, in the way that a new father or mother would look lovingly down into the face of their first born infant child. After all we are His children. (John 1:12)

Man's word is usually forgotten within one generation, but God's Word is different. It is filled with the very Life of God, it is eternal, (Mark 13:31), it is God Himself. (John 1:1, 14) According to Hebrews, "For the Logos of God is a living thing, active and more cutting than any sword with double edge, penetrating to the very division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow - scrutinizing the very thoughts and conceptions of the heart. And no created thing is hidden from him; all things lie open and exposed before the eyes of him with whom we have to reckon." (Hebrews 4:12-13, MNT)

Our greatest contact with God, is through His Word being led by the Holy Spirit. (John 16:13) Notice, that it says in this passage, "the eyes of Him." In other words, God's Word sees our conduct, our attitude toward it, as we see "it is a Living thing." Now we can better understand what Luke was expressing during the great revival at Ephesus, "So the Word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed." God's Word is living. It is God present with us, speaking a living message to us now! His Word is just as powerful and alive today as it was when He first spoke it. His Word in our heart and spoken from our lips of faith makes our ministry and lives limitless. He and His Word are one. (1 John 5:7) 

Jesus said, "According to your faith let it be to you." (Matthew 9:29) As we consider God's Word and act upon it, it will become real to us. Jesus also said, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63) Jesus also said, "Abide in my word." (John 8:31) To abide is to settle into; to remain in. Believers are to settle into and remain in God's Word, because every Word that God speaks has life in it; It has the Righteousness of God in it; It has Recreating power for the unsaved; It has healing power for the sick; It is the very Bread of Heaven to the hungry in spirit; It has the authority of God in it; It is filled with faith building power.

Mark reveals, "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen." (Mark 16:19-20) Looking at this passage, there is no doubt in my mind that revival would break out anytime and anywhere if God's Word was as real to us today as it was to those in the Early Church. With that said, here are some assurances that we can have absolute confidence in...

"The Lord is my shepherd." (Psalm 23:1)
"God is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)
"God is my refuge and strength." (Psalm 46:1)
"My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:2)
"Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God." (Isaiah 41:10)
"If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)
"My God shall supply all of your need according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

These are but a few of the promises of God that are alive, for us now, that we can feed on and build our faith. (Romans 10:17) When we look to God's Word, read and meditate on it, we will see that it is His message to us individually and He will confirm His message in our life, because His Word is Life. So, as the Apostle Paul said, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly..." and as the Apostle James tells us, "receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." (James 1:21) Let us all have an insatiable desire toward God's Word everyday, "For God's Words are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh." (Proverbs 4:22)

Staying Connected

The word fellowship has many expressions: a partnership; to partner together as one; to participate; to communicate; to have common interest; a state of being together; communion; community; association for religious and spiritual purposes. The early church had fellowship with one another continuously both in the temple and in each others houses. (Acts 2:42, 46) It is noteworthy to understand that believer’s in the early church did not function independently. They recognized the power, life, and unity that is released through true Christian fellowship. The Psalmist tells us, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity…For there the Lord commanded the blessing, life forevermore.” (Psalm: 133) The Apostle Matthew records, "Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:19-20).

The nature of fellowship or community was first established within the three persons of the Godhead, Father, Word and Holy Spirit. (1 John 5:7) When God created man, it was not because He was lonely and needed someone to talk to, He created man because He desired to share everything He had created with the only one created in His image and likeness. He also desired to establish community on the earth, “Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."  So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Gen. 1:26-28; also see Psalm 8:5-6)

Man was given the choice to enjoy community on earth with one another, and with God. Choice is at the center of community and is what makes it a powerful experience. It is not something that can be forced into operation, on the contrary, it must be something that one desires. In the Garden of Eden, Satan proposed his own plan to man, specifically, to the woman. Satan's plan seemed to be attractive to her, but in fact was full of deception. Man was now faced with another choice and the choice made was an act of disobedience so tragic it caused the breakdown of fellowship and community. Not only had community been twisted between God and man, but also between man and woman, “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” (Gen. 3:8)

The fellowship which God intended between Himself and man was now broken and the very essence of community on earth would suffer unimaginable consequences. Look what took place with the breaking of fellowship with God. “Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him." (Genesis 4:8)  Can you fathom that? By the second generation of man, the first murder has taken place. Not only did Cain kill his brother Able, but Cain was also driven away, now a fugitive and a vagabond. (Genesis 4:14) This was yet another fracture to fellowship.

With time, the situation worsened, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." (Genesis 6:3) Throughout the Old Testament more chose to forsake fellowship with God rather than embrace it. Though man chose to break fellowship with God, it did not stop God’s desire to have fellowship with man, ”For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

Jesus reestablished community by modeling a lifestyle of love and acceptance with twelve ordinary men. Jesus spent a good portion of His time with the multitudes but always found time to be alone with the disciples, “Then they departed from there and passed through Galilee, and He did not want anyone to know it. For He taught His disciples and said to them…” (Mark 9.30-31) Community was a vital part of Jesus’ ministry. Among the twelve, were fishermen, zealots and a tax collector who were living together with Jesus. Their paths may have never crossed if not for Jesus calling them together. They had to deal with one another's egotism, ignorance, habits, limitation’s and flat out selfishness. Eventually, these men began to lose themselves and began to identify with their Master because He gave them purpose beyond themselves. Jesus had a deliberate strategy in His work with the twelve, which was to prepare them for the work to come, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…" (Matthew 28:19-20)

This, what we call the "Great Commission" was certainly not limited to evangelism, but a building of community through Christ centered fellowship. We see this portrayed in the early church, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers...So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved." (Acts 2:42, 46-47) As we can plainly see, the early church was replicating the Godhead and the very community that Jesus had with His disciples.

What can we take away from what the Word tells us concerning fellowship and community? Mainly, the great premium that God Himself places upon fellowship and community with Him and His children as well as His children with one another. However, we must remember, all believers have been given the choice to enjoy community on earth with the Lord and with one another or not.  But as the Psalmist tells us, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity…For there the Lord commanded the blessing, life forevermore.” (Psalm: 133) So, let each of us examine our lives and schedules, offer them to the Lord, and ask Him to give us the desire, time and love for one another, get connected and get involved in one another's lives, in the Name of Jesus and see the life of God manifest in and through us. PTL

Blessed in His Grace

A good biblical definition of grace can be found in Philippians 2:13, "For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure." (AMP) Notice, it is "God who is effectively at work in you." In other words this has nothing to do with our abilities or strength, but Gods ability, His strength, His energy working in us through the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the work of the Holy Spirit in us is to transform every believer more into the image of Christ. (2 Corinthians 3:18) This is an act of God's grace. Our only involvement in this is cooperating with Him in this wonderful work.

With that, let us consider the following two scenarios. The first is what we could say is a good day spiritually. What I mean is, you get up promptly when your alarm goes off and have a refreshing and profitable time reading the Bible and praying. Your plans for the day generally fall into place, and you sense the presence of God with you. To top it off, you unexpectedly have an opportunity to share the gospel with someone that the Holy Spirit has quickened in you who is truly searching. As you talk with the person, you sense the Holy Spirit helping you and also working in this persons heart who then accepts Christ as Lord and Savior. You return home feeling excited that Gods grace was at work in you and also at work with the person that had just accepted Christ as Lord and Savior. 

However, the second day in this scenario, is just the opposite. You don't arise at the first ring of your alarm. Instead, you shut it off and go back to sleep. When you finally awaken, it's too late to have a time in the Word and to pray. You quickly gulp down some breakfast and rush off to the day's activities. You feel guilty about missing your devotional time, and things just generally seem to go wrong all day and as the day rolls along, you become more and more irritable. To top things off, you do not sense God's presence in your life and then an unexpected opportunity to share the gospel with someone who seems to be interested in accepting Christ as Savior presents itself. You do not feel the Holy Spirit's prompting, you fumble at your words, the person does not receive Christ. Finally, you return home, tired and disappointed. 

In a sense, we could call one day a good day and the other a bad day. How do we suppose we would look at both days? Let's look at the following questions as to how we would feel about these two scenarios. Would we enter those two witnessing opportunities with a different degree of confidence? Would we be less confident on the bad day than on the good day? Would we find it difficult to believe that God would bless us and use us in the midst of a rather bad spiritual day? If you answered yes to those questions, you have lots of company among believers. Many believers would be less confident of God's blessing while sharing Christ at the end of a bad day than they would after a good one. Is such thinking justified? Does God work that way? The answer to both of these questions is no! Why? Because God's blessing does not depend on our performance or feelings. 

Why then do so many believers think this way? It is because they believe that God's blessing on our lives is somehow conditioned upon our performance. If we have performed well and had a good day, we can assume we are in a position for God to bless us. We know God's blessings come to us through Christ, but we also have this vague but very real notion that they are also conditioned on our behavior. The point of this good day, bad day scenario is this; regardless of our performance, we are to always and in all things, depend on God's grace, His ability, His strength, His energy working in and through us, through the Holy Spirit. 

The good news in this, is, the gospel message is God's grace is available to us on both our best days as well as our worst days. This is true because the Lord Jesus Christ fully satisfied the claims of justice and fu1ly paid the penalty of a broken law when He died on the cross as our substitute. Every day of our Christian experience should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace alone. We are not only saved by grace, but we also live by grace every day. This grace comes through the meritorious work of God in Christ. Look what the Holy Spirit reveals to us through the Apostle Paul, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2) 

A significant part of the Mosaic Law was the promise of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Deuteronomy 28). Some Christians live as if that principle applies to them today. But Paul tells us, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1-4) 

Christ has already borne the curses for our disobedience and earned for us the blessings of obedience. As a result we are now to look to Christ alone, not Christ plus our performance, but simply Christ for God's blessings in our lives. We are saved by grace and we are to live by grace alone. When we pray to God for His blessing, He does not examine our performance to see if we are worthy. Rather, He looks to see if we are trusting in the merit of His Son as our only hope for securing His blessings. The Apostle Paul, when speaking to certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers tells them, "for in Him (Christ) we live and move and have our being." (Acts 17:28) So, let us let go of all the self-labors and works and bask in the amazing grace of God. Let us no longer do, to live, but live and do for His glory.

Let Love Arise

The word lord is defined as, "someone having power, authority, or great influence; a master or ruler." Now for most believers, the word Lord is a name that is attributed to the Living God, even Christ Himself. One of the verses of scripture that reveals this is, "The Lord said to my Lord, sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool." (Psalm 110:1) With that said, some questions arises. If believers address Jesus as Lord, and He is, the one with all authority, (Matthew 28:18) the master and ruler over all, then shouldn't we obey and carry out His commands? If every believer, every congregation, every denomination, which is referred to as the church, were truly obeying and carrying out His commands, then why is there so much disunity? There are many things that Jesus has commanded the church to obey and carry out, such as, what we call the "Great Commission" (Matthew 28:16-20), however, let us look at what Jesus gives as a new command or commandment and the reason behind it. 

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 132:34-35) To take this a step further, look at what Jesus tells us concerning His commandments, "If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15) To command, is to give an authoritative order. The word "keep" means more than to simply hold on to, but "to attend." It implies to obey and carry out the authoritative order giving by a master or ruler. Now, let's look at what Jesus immediately says concerning loving Him and keeping His commandments, "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:16-18)  

In other words, Jesus knew that it would take His help, His strength, His ability working in and through the believer, not only to love as He loves, but to also obey His commands which are to be accomplished because we love Him. This is absolutely great news, because it is all about Jesus not the believer, nor any congregation or denomination. Throughout the New Testament we see a repeating fact that God calls all people to, especially believers. It is only this one thing that God has asked us to do, believe or have faith. Jesus said, "...You believe in God, believe also in Me." (John 14:1) This is only one example in John's gospel of the numerous scriptures that repeat this very important fact concerning Christianity. To believe or to have faith in Christ is one of the most expressed themes throughout the New Testament. The Apostle Paul tells us, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10) Humanities very salvation and the believers continuing salvation hangs on believing or having faith in Jesus Christ. 

Another example of this is found in Hebrews, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) In Matthew we find recorded one of the greatest examples of a non-believer having a wonderful understanding of how faith works, "Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” (Matthew 8:5-9

This is a highly important principle that all believes need to understand and not take lightly. The centurion not only gave commands to his subordinates, but was subordinate to others himself and carried out the commands of those who were master or ruler over him. He also recognized that Jesus was a man under a master or ruler, who was a master or ruler over sickness. It is apparent that the centurion loved his servant and was willing to humble himself, go to Jesus, and ask Him to simply "speak a word" knowing that anything subservient to Jesus, here sickness, would obey and carry out His command in the same way that those subservient to the centurion obey and carry out his commands and so on. This is a lesson in great faith as well as this non-believer going to Jesus, depending on Jesus, deferring to Jesus, relying on His strength, His ability not his own. Look at what takes place next, "When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!" (Matthew 8:10) 

The Apostle Paul also reveals more great news concerning believers living in the "new commandment" that Jesus gave us, "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5) Notice, this is not on the believers ability to love, but simply knowing that it is the Holy Spirit Who was given to us, Who gives us His ability and strength to love as God loves. Again, this all comes back to believing, to faith in Jesus Christ and not depending on ourselves. Solomon also gives great insight concerning believing or having faith in God, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6) 

Solomon uses the words "trust in the Lord." To trust is the have total confidence, to be fully convinced, to have faith in. Again, notice that we are not to rely on our understanding, but to make known to Him all our ways, to seek Him for His ways, depend on Him to order our ways, and He will direct our Path. I believe the Apostle John reveals the very thing that can hold believers in the realm of unbelief, that is, not totally relying on Jesus, more than any other thing. He tells us, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15) Keep in mind that "no one can serve two masters." (Matthew 6:24) The very things that believers hold near and dear to themselves that are of the world, are most likely the very things that rob them of letting the love of the Father operate in and through them. 

So, let us go beyond ourselves, our abilities and put our faith in Jesus Christ' finished work. Let's, let the Holy Spirit in us, lead us and teach us how to love as God loves so that "all will know that we are His disciples." As believers love in this way, we will see the walls, the prejudices, the political correctness, the doctrines that divide us, be wiped out and the church move in unity as one. We will see God move in ways that will make every revival and outpouring since the early church seem minimal. We will see millions and millions of non-believers come to Christ, be healed, delivered, set free from Satan and the worlds grip upon them. We will see the power of God's love destroy the schemes of the devil and the church once again will become the envy of the world. Envy meaning, having a great desire to be a part of. 

Finally, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity...It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forevermore." (Psalm 133:1, 3) Jesus said, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) Let us no longer let the thief have his way, but let the abundant life of Jesus flow throughout the entire church as we love one another as Jesus loves us. Amen?