Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 19, No. 4 April 2010
I had a dream and in it I was telling the congregation to take one last look at everything in their life because they need to get ready to get rid of all the old. I said from now on we are going to live only by the “new.” Well, that is Biblical. Eph 4:24 (KJV) “And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.” 2Co 5:17 (NIV) “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”
Immediately I thought, “how exciting” - until I began to take note of all the things we still do by the old nature. I wondered if it was possible to live according to the new nature. Of course the answer is “Not without Christ in control.” If I am obedient to Christ, then I will be able to live according to the new man after the image of Christ in my life. All it takes is the resurrection power of Christ ruling over the carnal nature. And that comes by taking up our cross and following in the footsteps of Christ daily.
So let us begin to let go of all that is old and walk in the newness of life in Christ Jesus. Rom 6:4 “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also should walk in newness of life.”
I think we might just find living in newness more fulfilling than we think.
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
Father Forgive Them
Luk 23:34 (KJV) “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”
This goes beyond the teachings of Jesus. This is reality. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus commands us to “love our enemies.” On the Cross, He obeys His own command! In the Sermon on the Mount,” our Lord teaches us to “do good to those who spitefully use us.” On the Cross, He follows His own teaching! In the Sermon on the Mount,” our Lord instructs us to “forgive wrongs done to us.” On the Cross, He illustrates His own instruction!
Many today dispute and doubt the validity of Jesus Christ’s Divinity. People doubt His virginity, His miracles, His mercy and healings; but how can anyone stand at the foot of the cross and hear this statement, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” and not recognize along with the Captain in charge of the Crucifixion: “Truly this was the Son of God!”
From these first words that Jesus spoke on the Cross we find two great truths:
· THE UNDERSTANDING OF MAN
· THE UNDERSTANDING OF GOD
First: “They know not what they do!”
Whom was our Lord referring to in this statement? Where do we draw the line of forgiveness? Was He merely speaking of the Roman soldiers who were doing their duty? FORGIVE THEM? THEY DON’T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING? Or was He praying for the priests who plotted this ugly scene? “Forgive them…they don’t understand what they have done.” Or was He praying for the spectators who stood or sat by indifferently to watch a man die? “Forgive them…they have not comprehension of what is happening.”
I don’t believe there were any limitations put on the words of Jesus. THEY INCLUDE PEOPLE EVERYWHERE. His words are a divine revelation about human nature. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, people do not know what they are doing.
Plato once said, “Sin is simply ignorance.” He said the reason men do wrong is that they do not know what is right! He concluded that if you want men to do what is right, then you must first teach them what is right. In essence he was saying the only remedy to sin is education. All we have to do is look at our own hearts to know that conclusion is not true. Yes, there are sins due to ignorance; and if we had more understanding, we wouldn’t do them. But if we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit most of the time when we do wrong, we have a perfect understanding of what we have done. WHY? Because sin is not basically “ignorance.” Sin is basically “rebellion.”
Israel knew this because they were given two sacrifices for sin: one for sins of ignorance (trespass offering) and one for willful disobedience (sin offering).
When Jesus said, “They know not what they do,” what did He mean? He was speaking beyond the basic human instinct of ignorance of the mind. He was talking about the deeper instinct of “ignorance of the soul,” which is in all men because of a lack of salvation. From this ignorance, apart from Christ, no matter how smart or learned or trained – WE ALL SUFFER! In other words, none of us “know what we are doing.” And that kind of ignorance is destructive.
First of all, ignorance of the soul destroys. Throughout history men made decisions that they thought would rectify the conditions of mankind only to make things worse. Annas, Caiaphas, Herod all probably thought they were doing the right thing within reason. And they did act with conviction. But the truth is: They did what they did, not because they knew what they were doing, but because they did not know who they were. For when we do not know who we are, we destroy others. Sin blinds us to who we are and who we are supposed to be. People believe their sin is “personal” and doesn’t bother anyone else. “Leave them to their own righteousness.” But such thinking arises from the understanding of man! It eats away a little at a time until all society is affected. What you do and the decisions you make will eventually affect me and my life in some way. For without God’s guidance, men don’t know what they are doing.
“Father, forgive them…” These first words from the cross contain the Christian understanding of God. If “ignorance of the soul” is Jesus’ dying verdict upon human nature, then “Father, forgive them” is His dying verdict upon God!
How do we know that God is our father? Not just because long ago He created the first pair of human beings, but because time and time again when we come back from our path of sin and ignorance, we find Him waiting to welcome us and forgive us!
A young college student once said, “I cannot believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God because of one major reason.” As a listener, you begin to think about the virgin birth, the resurrection of Christ, or some doctrine of the church. But here is what he said: “I cannot believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God because I don’t believe it is possible to forgive sins.”
How many people hold this same belief? They profess to believe in a lot of things, but they stay tied up in knots because they can’t forgive what has happened to them. They live a continual life of defeat because of failures. They remain in their guilt because of sin. BUT WE DON’T HAVE TO BE TIED UP IN KNOTS, IN DEFEAT, IN FAILURE, OR IN GUILT. For we have a Father who stands with open arms waiting to forgive us.
It is not true that man can be so terrible that he must pay for his sins and wrongs. It is true one man has already paid for every sin that mankind could conceive. GOD WANTS TO FORGIVE YOU TODAY AND CLEANSE YOU FROM ALL SIN. Why? Because we have a Heavenly Father who invites you to come to know Him through Jesus Christ, to receive His forgiveness, and to make everything right. “Father forgive them.”
WHO IS THIS MAN WHO HUNG ON THE CROSS AND CRIED OUT WITH A PASSIONATE LOVE OF FORGIVENESS THAT PERMEATES OUR LIVES?
Do you know Him?
-Pr. Steve
I am going to be sharing with you thoughts from my journal over the past few years. This is to show you how the Lord has brought about His Word in my life to minister to you and to show you how real this walk can be. Please read and understand by the Spirit about ...
. . . My calling as a pastor
Pastor’s Journal 2009
Apr. 4: “You are a joy of My heart. You can enjoy My creation and a life all about Me, and it will bring you contentment and fulfillment.”
Apr. 7: “Keep your guard up and remain watchful. When you least expect it the enemy will strike, but I am your rear guard and protection as long as you obey Me.”
Apr. 11: “Know that what I am doing today is to bring you protection. My blood is enough to keep you from every attack. My love over you is strong, and it cannot be measured by what you do. I have an eternal plan that will be fulfilled. Stand and be content among My leaders.”
Apr. 14: In quietness You are there!
Apr. 17: “Keep the patience of Christ and I will not allow the temptations of this day to befall you.”
Apr. 18: The patience of Christ is the joy set before us as we endure the cross. The joy has returned.
Apr. 25: I have not reached full maturity yet, but I make every effort to get there because Christ has a hold on me. I do not consider myself to have obtained it yet. One thing I do is to forget what is behind me and reach for the goal promised by God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:12-14)
Apr. 30: “I will be with You.”
A New Level of Living
So many times when we need or desire breakthrough in our lives, we tend to limit its manifestation to a one-time event. It is possible to desire a “miracle” so vehemently that we often overlook the gradual healing that is taking place. For example, when the Israelites cried out to God with their desire to be set free from the oppression and slavery of Pharaoh, they failed to recognize the magnitude of the glory of God at work in the events leading up to their deliverance. They were as we are, narrow minded, impetuous, impatient, and habitual complainers. Most of the time we seem to desire changes that come quickly, painlessly and effortlessly; and often find ourselves working harder towards that goal than we would work if we just did it God’s way. In everything that God does for us, He desires to see our hearts filled with hope, and faith, and loving trust in Him. Hope and trust are the parts of the foundation that act as a platform for the new level of living that God wants to establish in our lives. God does not just want us to think outside of the box, He wants us to live there.
Luk 9:37-43 (KJV) “And it came to pass, that on the next day, when they were come down from the hill, much people met him. (38) And, behold, a man of the company cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee, look upon my son: for he is mine only child. (39) And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly departeth from him. (40) And I besought thy disciples to cast him out; and they could not. (41) And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither. (42) And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare [him]. And Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father. (43) And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God.…..”
In those passages of scripture the young boy needed a breakthrough, but the disciples needed one just as much. The disciples were in the midst of a lesson from the Master. They probably felt as if they were failures. They probably did not fully understand all of the implications. They lost some of the respect of the community. They probably felt powerless. What do we do when we feel we are failing, misunderstood, weak, and looked down upon? A part of us breaks down. That is why we cry, or feel like fighting our way out, or blame others. We examine all the avenues and still come up short of the mark. Why? Because the breaking down of the way we currently think act and live are an integral part of breaking through.
Joh 14:6-14 (KJV) “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (7) If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. (8) Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. (9) Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father? (10) Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. (11) Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. (12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. (13) And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. (14) If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].”
A great painting is not made with one stroke of the brush. As disciples we must keep in mind that God is constantly bringing us into His ways and that learning and living in God’s ways is a way of life. Most of the time we would like to be able to just pray a prayer and be made ready for anything that comes down the pike, but God wants us to grow in His Truth so that by faith we will be able to live every day, in every situation, with a wonderful relationship with His Son Jesus Christ, while learning and doing the will of the Father.
-Kurt Thurston
Quotes
There will be no great Revival until the people of God are deeply convicted of their need of holiness. (Salvation Army)
A God-sent Revival must ever be related to holiness.
Holiness has been the message of saints of God down the centuries, and was the foundation of the glorious Revivals of Christianity under the original Quakers, Methodists and the Salvation Army; and wherever it is truly known and experienced, it is the bringer-in of Revival today.
That such widespread misunderstanding should exist about the word sanctification and its meaning, is a spiritual disaster. If there is one New Testament term more than another which calls for rescue it is that precious, expressive word Sanctification.
Believers must be brought into conviction of the shame and evil of the carnal state. God brings believers into, what may be called, a second conviction — conviction of a need of deliverance from the power of sin.
True holiness is a Revival of Holiness. Personal holiness is more desirable than happiness, and it is not in heaven alone that God wants our saintliness - it is here and now; holiness is not just a doctrine to be taught, it is a way of life - it is the life of Jesus.
Kid’s Korner
A Mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3. The boys began to argue over who would get the first pancake. Their mother saw the opportunity for a moral lesson. “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘ Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait’” Kevin turned to his younger brother and said “Ryan, you be Jesus!”
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A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year –old daughter and said “Would you like to say the blessing?” The girl replied, “I wouldn’t know what to say.” “Just say what you hear Mommy say,” the wife answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, “Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?”
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