New Year, New Hope

New Year's Day is observed on January 1st, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar. New Year's Day is probably the most celebrated public holiday throughout the world. It is often observed with fireworks at the stroke of midnight as the new year starts in each time zone. Civilizations around the world have been celebrating the start of each new year for at least four millennia. Today, most New Year’s festivities begin on the evening of December 31st, New Year’s Eve, and continue into the early hours of January 1st, New Year’s Day. Common traditions include attending parties, eating special New Year’s foods, and watching fireworks displays. In the United States, the most iconic New Year’s tradition is the dropping of a giant ball in New York City’s Times Square at the stroke of midnight. Millions of people around the world watch the event, which has taken place almost every year since 1907. Over time, the ball itself has ballooned from a 700-pound iron-and-wood orb to a brightly patterned sphere 12 feet in diameter and weighing in at nearly 12,000 pounds.

Another tradition that has emerged from the celebration of New Years is making what is called "New Year Resolution(s)." A New Year resolution is a tradition described as a person making a promise to do an act of self-improvement in ones life. Although New Year resolutions are numerous, the ones on the top of most lists are, improve physical well-being; lose weight; exercise more; eat better; quit smoking; get out of debt, save money; volunteer to help others; spend quality time with family members; be closer to God; be more spiritual. Basically, people are looking at making a new start, establishing a new beginning. Although the thought behind a New Year resolution is somewhat commendable, according to statistics, only eight percent of New Year resolutions made are accomplished.

In the list above the last two resolutions mentioned are what all believers should not only consider as a New year resolution, but make them a daily lifestyle. The Apostle James tells us, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..." (James 4:8) The believers greatest desire should no doubt be to to have a close intimate relationship with God, daily. The Apostle Paul exhorts us a number of times to "Know or have the knowledge of God." "For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding." (Colossians 1:9) "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him." (Ephesians 1:17) In the John 17 prayer, Jesus says, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:3)    

Not only should believers have a desire to "know" the Lord, but they should act upon it. The prophet Hosea tells us, "My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me." (Hosea 4:6 NLT) Many believers today are dealing with issues that are not from God, but from Satan such as poverty, sickness, inability to break free of ungodly habits and sin, simply because they do not know the Lord. The word "know" and "knowledge" are defined as having intimate, complete, full, precise, correct knowledge. God has given us His Word, the Bible, for that purpose. He has made Himself known to humanity through His Word. It is unfortunate though, that most believers are limited in their knowledge of God. Notice, that the Apostle Paul tells us, "that you may be filled with the knowledge (precise and correct knowledge) of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding." (Colossians 1:9)            

We are to have intimate knowledge of God not by-way-of intellectual or theoretical knowledge, but in all spiritual knowledge. It is the knowledge of God that is revealed to the recreated spirit, not the mind. Spiritual knowledge is what sets to flight all the erroneous doctrines created by the intellect that contradict God's Word. Spiritual knowledge builds ones faith (Romans 10:17) and connects us to God in the spirit. Jesus tells us, "For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24) which means, we can only connect with God through the recreated spirit. All the intellectual knowledge that one can gather, will not connect us in an intimate way with God. Jesus also 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." (John 6:63)  

So, this New Years, let us not make a resolution to be closer to God or be more spiritual and then let it fall away in a short period of time, but let us permit the grace of God to work in our lives daily giving us the strength and ability to know Him. The Apostle Paul reveals his desire to know Jesus in an intimate way when he said, "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:7-11)

May the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all throughout this new year. May 2024 be a year of knowing God in such an intimate way that our lives "are being transformed into the image of Christ from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Corinthians 3:18) Have a wonderful, healthy, prosperous and fruitful New Year for His glory...

Beginning Again

At the stroke of midnight on December 31st one year ends and then one second after midnight a new year begins. Civilizations around the world have been celebrating the start of each new year for at least four millennia. In the United States, the most iconic New Year’s tradition is the dropping of a giant ball in New York City’s Times Square at the stroke of midnight. Millions of people around the world watch the event, which has taken place almost every year since 1907. Over time, the ball itself has ballooned from a 700-pound iron-and-wood orb to a brightly patterned sphere 12 feet in diameter and weighing in at nearly 12,000 pounds. For many, celebrating New Years is similar to one celebrating their birthday. Like a birthday, for many, New Year’s Day provides the chance to celebrate having made it through another year. However, for many, New Years day means a new beginning. We see this played out through the many resolutions that people make on New Years.

A New Year's resolution is basically a decision to do or not do something in order to accomplish a personal goal or break a habit. It comes at a time when people look back at the past year and make an effort to improve themselves as the new year begins. Unfortunately, statistics reveal that only 8% of people who make New Years resolutions succeed in keeping them. This means that 92% of all New Years resolutions fail. Why? Mostly, people make unrealistic resolutions and or they are not really prepared mentally to fight off doubt and continue with their goals. But what about believers? Should they make New Years resolutions? There is certainly nothing wrong with making New Years resolutions, but the same conditions that bring failure still exist, unless believers put their trust fully in the Lord.

The Bible tells us, "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) Even the Apostle Paul learned a lesson of trusting the Lord in a greater way while he was being buffeted by a messenger of Satan. The Lord revealed to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12: 9) Paul's response is quite interesting, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:10)

All believers, like the Apostle Paul must rely upon God's grace to get them through every area of life not only New Years resolutions. Grace is defined in Philippians 2:13 (AMPC) "[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight." And in Ephesians 3:20 (AMPC) "Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]" in a condensed way, God's grace is the power, strength, ability and energy of God at work in the believer to accomplish His will.

Another area to consider is understanding who believers are in Christ. When believers come to a full knowledge of no longer being identified with who they were before they were born again and know who they are in Christ, then they will understand what Jesus meant when He said, "nothing is impossible to those who believe." (Mark 9:23) Knowing who one truly is in Christ sets believers free from shame, condemnation, guilt and inferiority. They will walk in a freedom that will cause them to not simply make a resolution(s) but find the grace and power in God's Word to overcome and live victorious. For instance, "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.." (2 Corinthians 5:17-18) The old nature, the old person that you were prior to your salvation is gone. You have been made completely new in Christ and have right standing with God. (Keep in mind that it is one's spirit, not their soul, ie, mind, will and emotions, and not their body that has been recreated)    

Finally, you must have and use your own faith. What does this mean? All believers one day must come to the place where their own faith has grown and has brought them to know without doubt, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him." (1 John 5:14-15) This is actually a realm of Christianity that few believers come to. Not because they do not desire to have this level of faith, but, it is mostly due to a lack of studying and meditating on God's Word which builds the believers faith and renews their mind. (Romans 10:17, 12:2)

When believers apply these things in their life it will change their behavior and thought patterns which in turn will cause them to accomplish their personal goals, but moreover the goals and or vision that the LORD has given. These things are not self imposed, but Holy Spirit inspired. The apostle Paul tells us to, "...Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16) So, you see we do not have to make New Year resolutions to only have them fail. We can live in the power and ability of God everyday through faith in Jesus Christ to overcome every obstacle of life and do the impossible where others may fail. So this New Years, do not make a New Years resolution per se, but, "...lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of you." (Philippians 3:12) My prayer for you, as the Apostle John said, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (3 John 2) HAPPY NEW YEAR...  

Moving Forward

 Now that 2021 is history, we need to look ahead. But for us to do this we must assess or examine ourselves to see if we have accomplished or completed the mission in which the Lord has called us to and or what, if anything that we have built. The apostle Paul tells us, "Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?" (2 Corinthians 13:5) and "For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss..." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

So what is the litmus test to show us these things? First, we must look at our own life. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5) What is the fruit that has been produced in your life? First, has your knowledge of God's Word grown opening you to a greater realm of faith and revelation of spiritual things? This is probably the most important thing for believers. Throughout the Epistles we see that believers are exhorted to grow in the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. The knowledge that believers are to come into is not a mental accent but that of revelation knowledge, that is, a full or complete knowledge which can only come by-way of the great teacher, the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17), "...The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things..." (John 14:26) "...who will guide you into all truth..." (John 16:13)

Next, have you acted upon the knowledge that you have received through God's Word? True Bible faith does not come because we believe God's Word. Believing God's Word will only build a capacity for faith. Faith is only built when we believe and act upon the Word. As we do this the Word becomes a part of our daily use being reflected in our conduct and speech. As faith grows, Satan's dominion and or deception that he tries to impose upon us weakens. Circumstances are less formidable because, fear, doubt and unbelief are destroyed. We also learn to possess and take advantage of our rights and privileges provided for us by the Father through Jesus Christ.

Now that we are believing and acting upon God's Word, growing in faith, what have we built or are building? One of the things to keep in mind when building the church (Jesus builds His church through us) is to be careful that we do not get caught in the mindset that quantity (numbers) is a true representation of fruit. Many church leaders have fallen prey to such without the slightest inclination that they have compromised quality. What this means is believing that numbers equals success can be misleading. The fact is, the success of Jesus ministry was five people at the cross, (John 19:25-26) one hundred twenty (Acts 1:15) in an upper room and finally five hundred others that saw Him after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6). This is the result of His three and one half years of ministry, ministering to multitudes.

There is certainly nothing wrong with a large congregation. However, when ten or twenty percent of the congregation is doing the work of ministry while the other eighty or ninety percent are consumers, then it should be apparent that there is a lack of spiritual growth or quality. When church leaders need to fill a ministry position in the church and find it necessary to petition the denomination headquarters or place an add in the local newspaper to do so, once again we see a lack of quality. This is not building with gold, silver and precious stones, but with wood, hay and straw that will eventually be tested with fire. Being a former firefighter, I can assure you that wood, hay and straw make for a blazing fire.

The church has the mandate to "Go make disciples." Disciples will do their share of the ministry that the Lord has called then to. Disciples make a strong infrastructure on which to add or multiply the number of believers. So as we have now entered 2022, let's let the Holy Spirit build the church through us using the building plan that we have, God's Word, the Bible. Let's move into a greater realm of faith, which will cause eighty or ninety percent of the believers doing the work of ministry as the other ten or twenty percent are being equipped for the work of ministry. Let us not repeat any of the previously years, but be "transformed into His image" (2 Corinthians 3:18). Let us go on to perfection (Hebrews 6:1)