Posts Tagged ‘Christ’

Death To The World

Posted: February 13, 2012 in Charismatic, Christian, Church, Evangelical, Liturgical, Pentecostal, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, Sacramental
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“And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” ~ Galatians 5:24

“The world is the general name for all the passions. When we wish to call the passions by a common name, we call them the world. However, when we wish to distinguish them by their special names, we call them passions. The passions are the following: love of riches, desire for possessions, bodily pleasure from which comes sexual passion, love of honor which gives rise to envy, lust for power, arrogance and pride of position, the craving to adore oneself with luxurious clothes and vain ornaments, the itch for human glory, which is a source of rancor and resentment, and physical fear. Where these passions cease to be active, there the world is dead.  Some has said of the Saints that while alive they were dead: for though living in the flesh, they did not live for the flesh. See for which of these passions you are alive. Then you will know how far you are alive to the world, and how far you are dead to it.”  ~  St. Isaac the Syrian

How to Respond to Heresy and False Teachers

Posted: January 22, 2012 in Charismatic, Christian, Church, Evangelical, Liturgical, Pentecostal, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, Sacramental
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How to Respond To Heresy and False Teachers

“Give diligence to present yourself approved to God, a workman unashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth.”

 ~ 2 Timothy 2:15

1)  Titus 1:13 we are to rebuke them!

2)  Titus 3:10 after two attempts to correct the heretic, seeing they do not repent, we should reject them.

3)  Ephesians 5:11 we are to have no fellowship with false teachers.

4)  2 Thessalonians 3:6; 3:14-15; 1 Timothy 6:3-5 we are to withdraw from them.

5)  2 Timothy 3:5-7 we are to turn away from them.

6)  2 Corinthians 11: 13 we are to watch for those who preach another gospel and or another Jesus.

7)  2 Corinthians 6:14-17 we are to be separate from the world, idolatry, and false teachers.

Does the Kingdom of God Suffer Violence?

Posted: January 22, 2012 in Charismatic, Christian, Church, Evangelical, Liturgical, Pentecostal, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, Sacramental
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In Matthew 11:12 Jesus says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence and the violent take it by force.”

The Jews were looking for their Messiah – they were eagerly awaiting the “natural” kingdom, struggling and striving now to see Jesus Whom people claimed to be the Messiah. There were immense crowds… people would have carried Jesus off, as the original Greek meaning of “take it by force” describes. They thronged at the doors where Jesus was – they would have done anything to bring the kingdom of heaven to themselves.

Look at John 6:14-15, “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.”

Some of them didn’t get the spiritual aspect of the kingdom of God/heaven. This story makes me think about how people flock to see rock stars. The disciples understood what Jesus was telling them about the kingdom of God, Mark 4:11 “And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables.” Jesus said he had to use parables so that the people would come to understand the truth about His kingdom.

Therefore, the response to John the Baptist’s preaching and then Jesus coming on to the scene was a violent one…with those who opposed Jesus and those who believed and followed Him.

Enemies of Jesus Christ and the Church

Posted: October 20, 2011 in Ancient Faith, Biblical, catholic, Christian, Church, Church History, Covenant, Covenant theology, Evangelical, Evangelism, Faith, life, Ministry, Orthodox, orthodoxy, Preaching, Protestant, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, sanctification, Scriptural, Testimony, Uncategorized
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Esther 9:22 – “As the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, & from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one another and gifts to the poor.”

There can be a lull in the battle. The enemy, Satan, waits for a time or a season to bombard us with something painful. When you are feeling somewhat good about your life, the attack begins. The enemy comes at you with curve balls, hand grenades, mortars, and a frontal attack. All this to test how fragile you are. This is to test your faith in God.

There is no rest from our enemies. They stand ready to attack at a moment’s notice, regardless of the situation or timing. They are ready to pounce heavily. These attacks happen daily to those in the Body of Christ. The Body of Christ must maintain its guard, and watchfulness to protect itself.

That is why the Church, the Body of Christ exists, to help one another and to stand together and fight the enemy.

We are soldiers of Christ (Miles Christi). The Church is One and reveals a great and generous heart. The Church, deeply moved by the heart of Christ, struggles with how indifferent people respond to God’s love through her. She looks to the Cross upon Calvary with affection, knowing all too well all that has been left at its foot. A change must come upon the Church. The Church fears in horror that she may become mediocre, useless, and express an empty life. Now, the Church must look upon the Lord and ask, “What have I done for You, what am I doing for You, and what must I do for You?”

My New Covenant Relationship with God

Posted: October 19, 2011 in Charismatic, Christian, Church, Evangelical, Liturgical, Pentecostal, Reformed, Renaissance, Repentance, Sacramental
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The entrance into the Kingdom of God is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. My call to ministry is one based upon God’s faithfulness to fulfill His revealed purpose in my life. I had no ability to acquire salvation on my own. Because of God’s sovereignty, He chose me in Christ before the foundation of the world. His mercy and grace brought me faith. God enabled me to make the choice of trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. He regenerated and transformed me into a new creation in Christ Jesus, and now His sanctifying grace is making me holy in my daily life.

The Holy Spirit baptized me into the Body of Christ, the Church (the ekklēsia), of which I am a member. Now, I am a member of the Community (ekklēsia) of Jesus Christ. God created a community of worship, dedication, and faith in the time of the Old Covenant. Now, the community has changed with the coming of the new and better covenant. Within this community of the Kingdom, I am able to view my calling more clearly. It means that being a “covenant person” of a covenant people; I am called to a mission along with many others, and am equipped by God through the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, I can speak with conviction along with the Apostle Paul when he said in 2 Corinthians 3:6, “ He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Therefore, I see that those members of the Community of Jesus Christ are ministers unto each other, the world, and unto God.

My call and the call of His Church (Matthew 25:35-45) is to minister unto a world that is lost. We are to be beacons of light to those who are blind in darkness. We are to be workers of justice and freedom for the oppressed and captive. We are to demonstrate to the poor the power of His greatness and His faithfulness from which we hope, and to proclaim the Gospel and His Kingdom!

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