Christian Fellowship
“That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving...” Psalm 26:7
Vol. 20, No. 11 November 2011
When times are tough and you are experiencing difficulties, there is one thing that really makes the difference: FRIENDS! Without friends it is very difficult to overcome some situations. But having a friend who will help you and with whom you can share lifts burdens and allows you to carry on.
Pro 17:17 “A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”
This is what I like about the family of God. A true friend is there for you no matter what. You find out who your true friends are when you need something. You find out who your true friends are when you want to help and reach out. The problem is that this generation doesn’t always know what true friendship is because they are afraid to let themselves be known. When you are criticized over and over again, it is hard to believe that someone will accept you just the way you are.
Well, Jesus is that kind of friend. Although people are important friends, there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother. He will be there and accept you no matter what. But you have to reach out to Him. In this day we are going to need this kind of friendship. Our way of living may not last much longer. But when you have Jesus as your closest friend, then you will make it. You will overcome. You will still be that wonderful person that makes you who you are. And you will know that friendships enable you to fulfill life’s greatest moments.
I hope that you are reaching out and being a friend to someone today. In fact, allow yourself to be a friend to as many as need you. This is the friendship that allows the love of God to flow through you without measure.
In Christ,
Pr. Steve
Relationship & Conduct
Gal 2:11 (AMP) “But when Cephas (Peter) came to Antioch, I protested and opposed him to his face [concerning his conduct there], for he was blameable and stood condemned.”
Peter was falling back under the law. He was trying to get people to serve the Lord according to the ways of Judaism because people were becoming complacent. Peter was more afraid of the people than of God. Paul didn’t like it; he accused Peter because he was guilty of the act. Paul was upset because Peter’s teaching had driven Barnabas away from the faith.
On Peter’s behalf, Paul did not always spell out what he was talking about. It was difficult for people to understand what was being taught because it was not the usual instruction. Paul had great revelations that went right over the people’s heads. It is no different today. What God is speaking cannot be received naturally. To come up to His way of understanding takes discernment and a desire to know the everlasting God.
Here was the depth of Paul’s concern with Peter. Paul was not against the law. Paul was against sin, stating in verse 17 that one could not be justified in Christ Jesus and continue to sin. We have this same problem today. When people sin, they want to go back to the law to justify their actions.
Paul gives us this great verse 20. The answer to not being under the law and not being able to sin is “death to the old nature.” The only way to obey the Gospel message of Jesus Christ is to be dead to the old nature and alive in Christ.
Now if we believe that to be true, the question is how do I accomplish it? Remember this: things are not as they appear to be!
In order to keep people from understanding how to die in Christ and live in Christ, the enemy is keeping people from seeing the way things truly are. Does anyone believe our government? Are not all the signs revealing a cover-up to keep our economy operating? Can anyone believe our leaders without considering what they are not telling us? Does this not leave us with feelings of misrepresentation? Such is the norm for our day. [The average person lies 4 times a day.]
Now let’s bring this home to the church at large. Is the truth of the gospel being preached; or do we believe, like Peter, we can fall back under the law so we can justify sin?
Basic Protestant belief says: Salvation comes when an individual develops a heartfelt faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is not dependent on how one acts on earth but rather on a relationship with Christ.
What does it mean to have a relationship with Christ without it affecting your actions on earth? It is not possible to have a relationship with Jesus Christ without it affecting your conduct on earth. They are telling us all you need is to believe in the basic elements of Christianity and Jesus Christ and you will be saved. To believe -- that is not a relationship. To believe facts is not a relationship. [If I know how old the president is and where he came from and what he did in life, does that knowledge make me have a relationship with him?] I don’t think so!
A relationship is established when you interact with someone; you listen to the good and the bad; you submit one to the other; and you share common interest and goals.
Today, a majority of Americans are living a lie and wondering why our government does not speak truth and uncover the facts of what is truly going on.
What does the Bible tell us? Gal 5:19-21 (KJV) “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, (20) Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, (21) Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Do those words sound as if one’s deeds do not affect salvation? Not unless you want to make a difference between the Kingdom of God and salvation.
2Co 5:10 (KJV) “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”
You may not think this is important, but what about the generation coming up behind you? Do they understand this? Do we live only for ourselves, or do we truly want others to know the gospel? The reason we live in Christ is so that we will no longer live according to works of the flesh. You can’t do both. Either you live by the Spirit or you live by the flesh. As you grow in Christ, the works of the flesh become weaker and weaker until you are able to be ruled by the Spirit of Christ.
I am not saying that we save ourselves by our behavior. I am not preaching works! I am saying that we must have a genuine relationship with Christ Jesus that causes us to cast off the works of darkness and live according to the light that is daily growing in us so we can maintain an active relationship with our Beloved. And if we are related to Christ, a change will occur in the way we live and act on the earth.
Mat 5:16 (KJV) “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Is this speaking about Christians in the world? Is He talking about a statement of faith? What is it that the world needs to see? (Answer = GOOD WORKS). Good works outside of the image of Jesus Christ do not make you a Christian. The light that shines before men causing you to do good works is what makes you a Christian and glorifies your Father which is in heaven.
What happens if true Christians do not do good works? Men will not praise God. Do you see how much is missing in our land? True works of salvation are not operating on a scale that can change our government and the leadership of this nation. We are going to see more of the darkness increase as it tries to extinguish the light that is left from shining forth. As the evil mounts up, Christians are going to be afraid to speak the truth.
The temptations of living immorally, being vile, becoming hostile, breaking marriage vows, and living in self-pity are becoming increasingly difficult to overcome. The only way is to let the light that is in you to shine forth is with your good deeds of righteousness so the embers will burn brighter and brighter until the fullness of the day that we are coming into. Do not allow hardness of heart to keep your light from shining. Do not allow fatigue to keep you from doing good and living righteously.
If you do not believe that your behavior affects your salvation, then you will not be able to resist temptation. And if you yield to temptation, men will not glorify God. Men will measure the image of Jesus Christ based on your behavior.
Based on what Jesus tells us in Mat.5:16 do you believe you should bear the fruit of righteous living? (What is your answer?) Those who disagree are wasting both time and energy. Things are not as they appear to be. What the world says and does must not affect the way you live and move and have your being in Christ. We must adhere to the word of truth which is the Gospel message of Jesus Christ to the world. We are to have a relationship with Him that reflects a conduct becoming a godly person bearing witness of the image of Jesus Christ.
People will continue to go on in life as if righteous living does not matter, but they are not making Jesus, Lord. They say “He is Lord,” but they do not do what His Word commands and live according. They are saying, “I know I should, but…nobody else follows the Lord that closely.”
My Bible teaches me that we are to have a personal relationship with Jesus that causes us to submit to whatever He says and do it.
-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 2010
Nov. 1: “When your inward peace is disturbed, you are believing a lie or listening to another voice. My peace I leave with you.”
Nov. 4: “No one who waits on You will be disgraced. In keeping with Your faithful love, remember me because of Your goodness, Lord.” (Psm 24)
Nov. 6: The Lord has told you what He requires of you: Only to act justly, to love faithfulness, and to walk humbly with God. The rest is up to HIM!
Nov. 8: The man who fears the Lord will be blessed. You will surely earn what your hands have worked for!
Nov. 9: “For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.” (Php 2:13)
Nov. 10: “Where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord which made heaven and earth. The Lord will protect you from all harm. He will protect your life. The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever.” (Psm 121)
Nov. 15: “The righteous cry out and the Lord hears and delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is near the brokenhearted. He saves those crushed in spirit.” (Psm 34:17-18)
Nov. 16: “I am releasing the money!”
Nov. 18: In order to carry out God’s purpose, it depends not on what men do but on His calling them.
Nov. 29: “I will not allow the righteous to be shaken. Cast your burden on the Lord. You are a royal priesthood chosen to proclaim My praises. I have called you forth into My marvelous light.”
Grateful to be Called
Heb 10:23-25 (KJV) “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) (24) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: (25) Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Christian people need to draw near to God, but not to neglect drawing near to others. One of the obvious characteristics about our humanity is that we have inward needs: needs to be wanted, needs to be needed, and needs to be cared about. God knows that we need to be givers in these areas as well as receivers, and that is why His exhortation to us is to be inviting and invoking; calling and comforting; entreating one to another and sharing our faith with each other; sharing our testimonies with each other; and, finally, praying for one another.
In the scripture text above, the word exhort means to call near, that is, invite, invoke (by imploration, or consolation); beseech, call for, comfort, exhort, entreat, pray (Strong’s Dictionary).
When Christian people start choosing not to gather together with the assembling of the saints, their zeal for the things of God and for the Christian faith usually begins to ebb away from The allure of worldliness soon draws them away into self-satiating relationships with other people who serve themselves and live according to the spirit of this age. We must understand that as Christians we have been marked by the Lord. The proper expression for this marking of the Lord upon our lives would be The Called-Out Ones. Christians must be neither bashful about their calling nor timid about their faith. Christians should be grateful to be bearers of the title and the calling from God.
There is an inward desire in all of us to belong and to be affiliated with something deemed successful. Titles and trademarks are quite important in the people who want to be identified with the worldly status groups. Fame usually comes with a name, a logo, or an emblem. You will see them on t-shirts, billboards, commercials, and numerous advertisements, such as Golden Arches, Slash-marked tennis shoes, and animal mascots. And even when they are associated with biblically sub-standard or unethical lifestyles, they are still accepted because they are so substantially established in society’s limelight. Christians should not allow themselves to be subjects of the worldly society. But even when they do reject worldliness, they still appear many times to be ashamed or even embarrassed of their profession of faith. It seems many Christians would rather just keep a low profile concerning their faith in God and remain virtually silent when it comes to godly issues that rock the worldly boats. Timid Christianity is a faith stopper, as well as ball dropper. It causes the Christian’s heart to be divided and does not allow the trying of one’s faith to progress, thereby keeping the Christian weak and infantile. If this condition is allowed to persist, it often leads to separation from the pack (congregation). Separation is one of the oldest and most effective tricks our enemy uses. As far back as the account of Adam & Eve, we see how the devil waits for an opportunity to attack while no one else is around to help us and then attacks with something that we still desire outside of the will of God. Don’t try to walk this walk alone, but also know the hearts of your helpers.
Ecc 4:9-10 (KJV) “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. (10) For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.”
Even though there may be a crowd of people present, there still may not be many to help. Even in the largest church a person can still be isolated. Only those who set their hearts upon the Lord and desire to do His will above all else will be able to help each other grow in the Lord and be a heritage for the upcoming generations.
Jer 32:38-39 (KJV) “And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: (39) And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me forever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:…”
-Kurt Thurston
QUOTES:
“We’re so far removed from God’s way of doing things– we think a man is a good man if he can draw a crowd these days. Do you know what Finney did? Finney preached sometimes, and the whole congregation got up and walked out on him. That’s a good meeting! He sent them out horrified! I only preach for two reasons these days: either to send people out that door blazing mad at me or blazing with the peace of the Holy Ghost! That’s all!”
- Leonard Ravenhill.
“If you’re going to be a true Christian, I’ll tell you one thing amongst
others: it’ll be a lonely life.”
- Leonard Ravenhill.
“If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.”
- Corrie Ten Boom
“Forgiveness is an act of the will, and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.”
- Corrie Ten Boom
"The greatest miracle Almighty God can do is to take an unholy man out of an unholy world, make that unholy man holy, put him back in an unholy world and keep him holy! It takes all the power of the Atonement to do that, plus the indwelling of the Spirit of God and all the promises of God."
- Leonard Ravenhill
"Great sermons lead the people to praise the preacher. Good preaching leads the people to praise the Saviour."
- Charles Finney
"They have sold the truth for popularity!"
- Derek Prince
Next course from Christian Life Educators Network - Richmond Center:
Winter Break! Classes Resume in January.
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