GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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COLUMBUS THE BELIEVER
by C. R. Stam
 
   

Everybody knows that Columbus discovered America, but few people know Columbus the sincere believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, who braved the dangers of the ocean vastness mainly because it was his deep desire to bring the gospel to the Indies. His perseverance in the face of almost insurmountable odds should be a lesson to God's people. Centuries before Columbus, Paul wrote to the Corinthian believers:

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (I Cor. 15:58 ).

This stirring appeal of Paul to Christians everywhere (ICor. 1:2), implies that there is a tendency to abandon the work of in vain the Lord through discouragement or carelessness, for he pleads with us to be "steadfast," and "unmovable" -- not easily shaken, reminding us that our "labor is not  in the Lord."

How we need the exhortation!

We do not soon abandon our businesses or our homes. We work on in spite of difficulties and obstacles, and when the outlook is darkest we often toil the hardest. Sometimes our bodies suffer for it, but we do not immediately give up.

If this is so where our own affairs are concerned, how much more should it be so where the things of God and the needy multitudes about us are concerned! If it is so where temporal matters are concerned, how much more should it be so where eternity is involved!

Christians, let us awake! Let us "buy up the time!" Life is too short to fritter away the precious moments. Let us rather neglect our own affairs than to neglect the work of the Lord and the perishing souls about us.

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DEITY IN THE PERFECT HUMANITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
PART 1 OF 4
BY RUSSELL S. MILLER



Those who should know better are propagating a false doctrine that places doubt on the Deity of Christ. They have now come to the erroneous conclusion that our only Saviour, Jesus Christ, could have sinned! Mind you, He didn't of course, but they say He could have! This doctrine is not only erroneous, it is also heresy, and precious souls are being led astray.

Furthermore those who propagate such teachings plainly reveal that they do not believe in the Deity of Jesus Christ; nor do they know, or understand, the purpose of God in entering the stream of humanity through the Virgin Birth.

If Christ could have sinned then He was no different  than the first Adam, and His sacrifice was no better than the Mosaic system, and we are yet in our sins! It is WE rather who inherited Adam's sin, and Adam's sinful nature, and not the Lord Jesus. He was no sinner. Adam's sinful nature was NOT transferred to Him. There was none of Adam's sinful blood coursing through His veins. Thus the purpose in the Virgin Birth of Christ is fulfilled. He lived the perfect sinless life before the world. Consequently, at Calvary, He could take our sin-that Adamic nature-upon Himself, and bear our sin on the cross. As Paul states in II Corinthians 5:21, Christ was "made sin for us" at Calvary, Christ, who "knew no sin; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM." But not only did the Lord Jesus take our sin upon Himself, Paul further declares that "CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS." He took our SINS upon Himself also, when He died upon that cross. Thus in Paul's epistle to the Ephesians we read these words concerning the Lord Jesus:

"In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).

Plus, His resurrection from the dead is a clear declaration that there was not one fraction of a possibility that our Lord Jesus Christ could have sinned.

In Hebrews 7:26 we read these words concerning the Lord Jesus Christ: "For such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and MADE HIGHER THAN THE HEAVENS" (Heb. 7:26).

It is therefore not a question of whether or not Christ could have sinned-what a horrible thought! It is rather a fact that Jesus Christ WOULD NOT sin. Lucifer rebelled, and sinned wickedly in departing from God to do evil and became the Devil. Adam and Eve sinned, and plunged the whole human race into sin (Rom. 5:12). You and I sin! But Jesus Christ WOULD NOT sin. He "set His face like a flint" to bear our sins on Calvary's cross (Isa. 50:7; Luke 9:51; Heb. 10:5-7).

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DEITY IN THE PERFECT HUMANITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
PART 2 OF 4
BY RUSSELL S. MILLER


In Isaiah 7:3 the prophet was told to go to Ahaz and to take his son with him, and this is a clear declaration that Isaiah's wife was not "the virgin" spoken of in Isaiah 7:14, for his son was already born and named "Shearjashub" (Isa. 7:3), NOT Immanuel! And in Matthew 1:23 we have the quotation of Isaiah 7:14, "Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which being interpreted is GOD with us" (Matt.1:23), speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus the angelic announcement in Luke 2:13,14:

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

It is concerning Immanuel's birth, the birth of Jesus Christ, that the Apostle Paul writes these words in Hebrews 1:6:

"And again, when He bringeth in the First begotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him" (Heb. 1:6).

It is because GOD "CANNOT LIE" (Titus 1:2) that the Apostle pens these words, and in the same chapter, God the Father again speaks, showing that Christ IS God!

"But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, 0 God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom" (Heb. 1:8 ).

Furthermore, the Apostle Paul ascribes the entire work of creation to the Son of God. "And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands" (Heb. 1:10).

In the first chapter of John's Gospel, and the first verse, are these words:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. "The same was in the beginning with God" (John 1:1,2) .

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14).

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DEITY IN THE PERFECT HUMANITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
PART 3 OF 4
BY RUSSELL S. MILLER




In the discourse, at the feast of tabernacles in John, Chapter 7, the Jews "marvelled" that the Lord taught with such grace and truth.

"For He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matt.-7:29). The Lord spoke very boldly to these Pharisees that His "doctrine" was to do the will of God (John 7:16,17). And as they went about accusing Him of having "a devil" (7:20; 8:48,52; 10:20), notice His response to their wickedness in John 8:44:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44).

The Lord was compelled to answer their bitter unbelief with such strong language because they, knowingly (John 15:22-24), would not accept Who He was.

Thus these words are written of God: "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: FOR GOD CANNOT BE TEMPTED WITH EVIL, NEITHER tempteth He any man" (Jas. 1:13).

In the Apostle Paul's struggles to do the will of God he utters these words in Romans 8:3 concerning the perfect humanity of Jesus Christ, and His Deity:

"For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh."

The Lord Jesus was in "the likeness of sinful flesh" but He did not sin! There was no old Adamic nature in Him! It was on account of our sins, your sin and mine, it was "for sin" that God "condemned SIN in the flesh," and turned His back on His Son (Matt. 27:46) . The Lord Jesus wasn't just "found in appearance as a man," He was wholly man, and at the same time wholly God:

"And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:8 ).

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DEITY IN THE PERFECT HUMANITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
PART 4 OF 4
BY RUSSELL S. MILLER


"This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS; of whom I am chief" (I Tim. 1:15).

"By the which Will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

"But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins FOR EVER, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb.10:10,12).

And not only would Jesus Christ not sin, He CANNOT sin, for He is GOD! See I John 3:9. Thus the perfect Man, the God Man Christ Jesus, offers a propitiatory sacrifice that satisfies God's holy Law forever.

The work of redemption was finished in Christ's sacrifice for sin, God was satisfied; salvation from sin was fully purchased, because Jesus Christ is the spotless, sinless, Lamb of God.

Now here is something to consider in light of the fact that "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" (II Cor.5:10).

Will this Athenian doctrine (Acts 17:19,21) that is being espoused bring others closer to the Lord? Or, are they being "carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14)?

Furthermore, in his Romans epistle the Apostle Paul states:

"Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple" (Rom. 16:17,18 ).

Don't join their camp, nor invite such teachers into your church no matter how good of a speaker, but "reject" their teachings, and  "avoid" them. "For ... they shall turn away their [your] ears from the truth, and [you] shall be turned unto fables" (II Tim. 4:3,4).


"A man that is an heretic, after the first and second admonition, reject; "Knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself" (Titus 3:10,11) .

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The Christmas Story Unplugged
By Pres Gillham



   "IN those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

   "So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child."

   Not far from Bethlehem, bivouacked in the Judean hills with his hoards of demons, Satan contemplated Joseph's journey. In the spiritual battle for the hearts and lives of humankind, this inconsequential couple, pregnant out of wedlock, an embarrassment, were the avenue by which God would initiate His coup de grace of mankind's redemption. While the world took no notice, Satan knew, God knew, the demons and angels knew, and Joseph knew---Mary was pregnant with the Messiah. With His birth, it would be Christmas.

   God was not perturbed or anxious. His plan was working just as He had conceived it from before He laid the foundations of world. Although not visible to Joseph and Mary, an elite corps of angelic, special agents guarded their every move. The hosts of heaven stood ready to trumpet their praise to God with a celebration second only to that planned for the End of Time. The arch-angel, Michael, and the armies of heaven stood at "red alert" should God issue them a command. Christmas must not be deterred. Meanwhile, Satan paced, spat, and cursed to himself, brooding, There must be a way.

   While Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem, "the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

   With the sound of Mary's labor pains, Satan stalked closer, determined to destroy and devour the child, the hope of mankind, the light of the world, the Crown Prince of heaven's kingdom. His was a desperate plan conceived for a desperate moment. In Satan's war of rebellion, this birth was the harbinger of a heavenly weapon unparalleled in the universe and was without equal in all of hell's arsenal. In the intimate quiet of this Middle Eastern stable, in a stall filled with fresh straw, Mary labored while all around her the demons lurked and the devil poised for a fatal blow to her helpless child. Christmas was imminent.

   The ranks of angels in heaven's army waited in disciplined anticipation for a command from Michael, whose eyes were fixed on God. Before them was an earthly scene not unlike any other birth. But from a spiritual perspective, a great initiative was about to be launched. Awaiting the birth of Jesus was an anxious man, Joseph, and a great, red dragon-Satan-having seven heads and ten horns and a tail that twitched from side to side doing violence throughout the universe as if to destroy the stars in the sky. His rage at this young woman was controlled only by his anticipation of her giving birth to the Son of God, the heir to the throne, a seat he wanted for himself.

   With one final push the baby was born and the enormous dragon lurched forward. The heavenly hosts broke into praises to God accompanied by trumpets and cymbals. God nodded. Michael and the armies of heaven leaped at His bidding and there was war in the heavens between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his demons. The tide turned quickly against the serpent of old, the great dragon, the deceiver of the world. It was Christmas morning.

   As the world slept placidly Mary cradled her new-born. Joseph methodically tended to his family and freshened the straw in the stable while the cattle chewed their cud. "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'

   "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests.'''

   On this night, the course of history changed. Earth, hell, and heaven would never again be the same. In a placid Judean town, nestled in the hills, in a simple feeding trough for livestock, a helpless boy-child with an olive complexion was wrapped in rags and laid to rest on fresh straw. God had invaded earth, the seat of the dragon's bastion. All around the spiritual world convulsed with the ebb and flow of combat. The great dragon did signs and wonders, children were murdered, and Joseph and Mary eventually fled to Egypt for safety. Michael and the army of heaven carried them as though on eagle's wings. While the hosts of heaven declared the glories of the Lord and his grace, the dragon dragged the very stars from heaven and flung them angrily about.

   In Bethlehem, a baby was born. In heaven, a spiritual revolution established an earthly beachhead that would forever change the course of history and reclaim the hearts of mankind. Christmas had come. The angels filled the universe with their songs. God had become a man.

   We live in parallel worlds, and as, Philip Yancey says, "One world consists of hills and lakes and barns and politicians and shepherds watching their flocks by night. The other consists of angels and sinister forces and somewhere out there places called heaven and hell. One night in the cold, in the dark, among the wrinkled hills of Bethlehem, those two worlds came together at a dramatic point of intersection. But the few eyewitnesses on Christmas night saw none of that They saw an infant struggling to work never-before-used lungs."

   Unflinching in His determination, God continues to execute His plan of reconciliation. It is His all-out, last ditch effort to once again state in words we cannot mistake, in words that echo from the lips of an angelic envoy in the Judean hills, down to the pits of hell, up to the ramparts of heaven, and into the hearts of every man, woman, boy, and girl: "I love you. Merry Christmas."

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THE TRUE CHRISTMAS STORY
By  the late Pastor Vernon A. Schutz


   The Christmas story is indeed true, but do you really know the true Christmas story?

   What do you see in the manger? For many the manger is filled with brightly colored ribbon girding a box wrapped neatly with beautiful Christmas paper. Others see tinsel, ornaments, spruce, cookies, candy and an assortment of other seasonal things. But empty the Crib of all of these, for they do not belong there, and see what the Crib really contains.

   Now that all has been taken away, what do you see? Do you see only a babe? It is sad how many know about this babe, but do not know who He is? Zacharias knew, for he praised God that He had visited His people (Lk. 1:68 ). Yes, this babe was God in flesh. This Jesus is Jehovah (Lk. 1:76); and His descent to earth was to deal with sins and their remission (vs. 77). Paul says, "Great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifested in flesh." And of this Jesus he said, "Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever."

   Why should God take upon Himself human flesh? Ah, this is the Christmas story: the Crib and the Cross. His taking flesh at Bethlehem was only a means to an end, which end was Golgotha. This babe, God's eternal Son, Himself God, was born in order to die. The wooden Crib in Bethlehem in which He lay was to become the wooden Cross of Calvary on which He was to hang. We have heard and read often about His being born, but this is only the Christmas birth. God's Word always puts the Crib and the Cross together, and this makes the true Christmas story.

"He hath appeared (the Crib) to put away sin by sacrifice of Himself" (the Cross), Heb. 9:26.

"The Son of man came ... (the Crib) to give His life a ransom for many" (the Cross), (Mk. 10:45).

"And ye know that He was manifested (the Crib) to take
away our sins" (the Cross), 1 Jn. 3:5.

On the night of His birth, the Shepherds praised God for a Saviour. A Saviour must be one who is capable of dying (God took flesh), yet at the same time one upon whom death has no claim (Christ was sinless). Christ died for us because we were incapable of paying the debt we owed to God's holiness. His holiness demands that sin be punished. Sin's penalty is death: physical, spiritual, and eternal. We could not pay it without being eternally ruined, so Christ redeemed us, i.e., He paid our debt (damnation) on the Cross. Only God Himself could satisfy the demands of His holiness without being eternally ruined, but only man owed the debt. None could pay it but God; none owed it but man. Therefore, if the debt were to be paid, it must be God that pays it; but it must be God as man, since it is man alone who owed it. Would God Himself, because of His love for us, bear the penalty of our sin? Yes! God became man at Bethlehem's Crib, in order to become our Saviour at Calvary's Cross. God took flesh (the Crib) and died for us (the Cross) so that whosoever puts his trust in this for the remission of his sins should never perish but have eternal life.

   Remember, the Bible is God's Word to us. He cannot and will not lie. Take Him at His Word. Read these Scriptures and believe what He says:

"To Him (Christ) give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43).

"Through this man (Jesus) is preached unto you, the forgiveness of sins: And by Him all that believe are justified from all things" (Acts 13:38,39).

   Do not just believe about Christ as a historical figure, but believe on Christ as a personal Saviour. Believe on Him as the only way you can be saved.

"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31).

"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12).

   The Crib was the preparation necessary to accomplish the wondrous plan of redemption. His holy, sinless life was the prelude to becoming the spotless lamb to be slain for our sins.

   The Cross and its suffering was the purpose for which He came into this world. There He bore our sins "in His own body on the tree." The condemnation we deserve He suffered, "the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God."

   The Crib and the Cross give us the true Christmas story. May it bring true joy to your heart at this important season of the year.

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HAND CRAFTED
By M. Stanford




"Thou art my God. My times are in Thy hand" (Ps. 31:14,15).

The environment necessary for one's growth, and the ennoblement necessary for one's service, are both in the hands of one's Creator. "So He fed them according to the integrity of His heart, and guided them by the skillfulness of His hands" (Ps. 78:72).

"What we have all to do is to walk closely and quietly with the Lord Jesus, and the blessing will come when He has established His work. There is a sifting government of God as well as a perfect redemption, and He is full of patience. His purpose is glory; His ways are the wilderness."

"There are various ways in which as saints we are tried, but through all circumstances God is threading our way, occupying Himself with us, our particular characters, etc., to instruct and develop us. What we want is to realize that our Father loves us so much that He has taken such pains to make us 'partakers of His holiness' (Heb. 12:10). We are apt not to believe the activity of His love. Some trouble comes on us; our Father has been watching us individually for weeks, months, years; watching us to bring this trouble which He sees is needed." -H.H.S.

"How varied are the ways in which our Father bringeth down and lifteth up! We have to learn the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ in the bright day as well as in the sorrowful day. If He is everything to me in my brightest day there is no fear but He will be my chief joy in the day of sorrow."

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time" (1 Pet. 5:6).

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A MESSAGE OF JOY
by Ernest R. Campbell



As Christmas draws near, our focus is on two very important truths: First, the fact that the eternal Son of God became incarnate in a human body; Second, what He accomplished in His sinless body.

The fact that the Son of God was destined to become incarnate in human flesh was prophesied in the Old Testament. The Spirit of God says in Isaiah 7:14: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." In Matthew 1:23, the Holy Spirit applies this statement to Mary, adding that the name Immanuel means "God with us."

The Holy Spirit also applies what He said through the prophet Micah, hundreds of years earlier, to the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, that "out of you One shall come forth to be a ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2).

The incarnation of the Son of God in a human body is also affirmed in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit says in Matthew 1:18, prior to a conjugal relation between Joseph and Mary, "she was found with child out of the Holy Spirit."

This was a great shock to Joseph, a Jew imbued with the high moral standards of the Law! As he reflected on the counsel given to him, that he should secretly separate from Mary, the Lord said to him through an angel, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your woman, for the one conceived in her is out of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 1:20). This verse certainly affirms that the Holy Spirit produced in Mary's womb the body which the Son of God was to occupy!

The Holy Spirit via Luke gives us a very graphic picture of how God produced the physical body for His Son to inhabit on earth. The angel of the Lord told Mary: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the one who is born will be called Holy, the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). How could language more explicitly declare that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Son of God?

Now let us consider the second important truth, which is based on the fact that the conception and birth of Jesus were produced by God via the Holy Spirit. As the Mediator between the holy God and sinful men, the Person of Jesus Christ had to be both True God and True Man. As the eternal Son of God, He is True God, and, as a result of the Holy Spirit producing Mary's conception, He is True Man, void of Adam's sin.

In the book of Hebrews, this same truth is confirmed regarding Jesus Christ's relation to God and to men. First, the Spirit says that He is a "Great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God ... who has been tried as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:14-15).

Second, since He came to rescue flesh and blood sinners, "He Himself also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 1:14). Furthermore, "He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17).

Grateful to Him for the sacrifice of His perfect, sinless Body for our sin,

May we all renew our purpose to make the Gospel of His Grace known to all!

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FROM THE CRIB, TO THE CROSS, TO LIFE
PART 1 of 2
By Paris


We must have birth to have Life, Christ born as a babe to become a King, went to the cross to become a Saviour, and thru the burial and resurrection we can have the Exchanged Life. Jesus said I have come to give you life. He also said "I am the truth, the way, and the Life." (John 14:6)

God called Jesus Christ to what seemed unmitigated disaster. Jesus Christ called His disciples to see Him put to death; He led every one of them to the place where their hearts were broken. Jesus Christ's life was an absolute failure from every standpoint but God's. What seemed failure from man's standpoint was a tremendous triumph from God's because God's purpose is never man's purpose.

We can focus on the birth, or focus on the death, but even more important in this age of Grace is to focus on the Mystery, that we are buried with Him, raised with Him, seated at the right hand of God the Father, in Him.

Why not focus on Christ our Life? And not what we can do for Him. But what He has done for us, and will do in and through us. (Phil 2:13.) Few today see or stand upon the fact that our history in Adam, ended at the cross. When we believed that the Lord Jesus Christ died for us, we were taken out of Adam, and put into Christ. Our past will plague us until we acknowledge that we are now a new creation in Christ, (2 Cor. 5:17), and that we are safely hidden in the risen Lord Jesus, (Col. 3:3).

The secret of being like the Lord Jesus is, that we are to know Him; and what He has done for us. Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin," (Romans 6:6). When did this happen, lets take a look at Galatians 2:20. " I have been crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Yes, this took place 2000 years ago, and you were their also.

The things that happen do not happen by chance, they happen entirely in the decree of God. God is working out His purposes.

If we are in communion with God and recognize that He is taking us into His purpose, we shall no longer try to find out what His purposes are. For we will know He is our Life. "And to you --dead as you once were in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your natural state--He has nevertheless given you Life with Him ...." (Colossians 2:13 Weymouth.)

Praise God, what a blessed truth this is, that we do not have to perform in order to be accepted by Him.  Scripture tells us that He has "blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly sphere in Christ, (Eph 1:3.) "According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we are to be holy and without blame before him in love." (Eph. 1:4) "To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us accepted in the beloved" (Eph 1:6.)

We are to rest in Him, to give up our self efforts, in other words distrust not in our own strength, and instead of striving to live like the Lord Jesus allow Him to live His life through us as He greatly desires to do.

The spiritual babe has faith for the wondrous fact that he will go to heaven when he dies. The spiritual father has faith for the inexpressible fact that he has died in Christ and that he is a new creation, and that his life is hid in Christ in God. (Col. 3:3.) Many  have been mislead by thinking that by reading the Bible you become like Christ, transformed but you will find diligent students of the Word who may never say anything incorrect in doctrine yet who never seem to grow in Grace and walk in spiritual reality.

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FROM THE CRIB, TO THE CROSS, TO LIFE
Part 2 OF 2
By Paris




All blessing of this dispensation of Grace are wrapped up in a Person and by means of the Word of God, we make spiritual progress as our hearts learn to find everything in Him. The Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Depending upon the Lord as our Life means that we are no longer depending upon ourselves, and this is not easy. It is very difficult to give up on ourselves, and to arrive at the conclusion that the Lord is the only source of our peace and joy. As we give up on ourselves and turn to the Lord we discover His life in us. The New Testament informs us that we have a new Identity in Christ, "Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized (Identified) into Jesus Christ were baptized (identified) into his death." (Romans 6:4) "And be found in Him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God upon faith: That I may know Him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (Philippians 3:9-10).

What a blessed truth has been imparted to us through the scriptures given by the Apostle Paul.  Never before the Apostle Paul was this truth given, it was hidden in God, just as the New Covenant was hidden in the Old Testament. May we have the boldness as Paul did to speak out for the Mystery, that "The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe according to the working of His mighty power," (Ephesians 1:18-19.)

Paul stresses the importance of understanding who He is, (" I pray that you) may be able to comprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God," (Eph. 3:18-19.)

When we have experienced the intimacy of His love, the rest of life falls into perspective. All the confusions and complexities of this world are brought into subjection by His love and righteousness. Should you be in such an extreme situation right now, don't waste time trying to uncover a "way out." Allow God the latitude to do His perfecting work of faith.

My prayer for each that read this, is that they will come to know this wonderful truth, and experience the peace, and joy that comes with knowing Christ as your Life, resting in the wits and the wisdom of God, and not your own wits. If we have a purpose of our own it destroys the simplicity and leisureliness which ought to characterize the child of God.  "For me to live Christ, and to die is gain" (Phil. 1:21.)

Paul stresses the importance of understanding who He is, (Eph. 1:18-19) This I consider to be my life verse, that I may know!  When we have experienced the intimacy of His love, the rest of life falls into perspective.  All the confusions and complexities of this world are brought into subjection by His love and righteousness. Should you be in such an extreme situation right now, don't waste time, allow God the latitude to do His perfecting work of faith.

In His grip, by His life, Paris

[nChrist]

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SIMPLICITY IN CHRIST
By John N. Baker



Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 11:3

The word "simplicity" as used in 2 Corinthians 11:3 can be interpreted to mean singleness or single-minded. The gospel of grace is simple indeed. Man has attempted to make it complex. Paul was single-minded in the gospel he proclaimed. "But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20:24). Here is singleness of purpose and mind. "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18 ). Note the simplicity of this gospel which confounds the wise of this world. "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). Once again, Paul expresses his singleness of purpose and mind. "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ ... " (Galatians 6:14).

The lesson in all of this for us is that we must be very careful to maintain the simplicity of the gospel with singleness of mind to make it known to a lost and dying world. It is very easy to get caught up in trying to learn the deep things of God and lose sight of the simplicity of the gospel of our salvation and our primary responsibility to make this gospel known to the lost. We must take every care to keep the gospel simple and proclaim it with singleness of mind. Our minds must not be "corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

[nChrist]

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THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Part 1 of 3
by Darlene Homoki Galatians 5:22-23


"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. "

LOVE, JOY, PEACE
 Our Attitude or Inward  State

Editor's Note: This the second in a series of studies on the "Fruit of the Spirit." The first installment appeared July 2007.

LOVE: Love is a word that is hard to define. It is a word we grow up with, but we never really stop to think of all that it entails. One definition is that love is the high esteem which God has for His human children

There are many different kinds of love - natural love (children, parents, family); the love between husband and wife; love of friends,etc.; and then the love we have for God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

There are many references to love in the Bible and it is certainly the  most remarkable Book of love in the world. It records the greatest love story ever written of God's unconditional love for us that sent His Son to die on the cross (Jn. 3:16; 1 Jn.4:10).

Love also expresses the essential nature of God. Love can be known only from the actions it prompts, as seen in God's love in the gift of His Son (1 Jn. 4:9-10). Love found its perfect expression in the Lord Jesus. Christian love is the fruit of the Spirit of Jesus in the believer.

Love is like oil to the wheels of obedience. It enables us to walk in the way of God's commandments (Ps. 119:32). Without such love, we are as nothing (1 Cor. 13:3). Such Spirit-inspired love never fails (1 Cor.13:8 ) but always flourishes.

Do we need love? Yes! We all have a need to be nurtured and respected.
The need for love is created further by ill treatment, hostility, abuseand the hatred all around us.

Remember love is important to God:
    1) God is love (1 Jn. 4:8 ).
    2) Love like this is everlasting ("The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love ... "Jer. 31:3), given freely (" ... I will love them freely ... " Hos.14:4; cf. Eph. 2:4), sacrificial (Jn. 3:16), and enduring to the end (Jn. 13:1; Rom. 8:38-39).
    3) God loves (John 3:16). What greater love than this (Rom.5:8 )?
    4) Jesus loves. He willingly gave Himself for us - He was not a martyr (Mt. 20:28 ). "And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour" (Eph. 5:2).
    5) As Christians "the love of Christ constrains us" (2 Cor. 5:14).
    6) We are to walk in love (Eph. 5:2).
    7) We are to love one another (Jn. 15:12). "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you" (1 Thess.3:12).
    8 ) Wives are to love their husbands and children (Titus 2:4).
    9) The older women are told to teach the younger ones how to love (Titus 2:4).
    10) We are to love our enemies (Lk. 6:27; Rom. 12:17-21).

To love is a decision. It is hard to love under difficult circumstances. There are times when we feel we need love and we don't feel like giving it. The love of Jesus is what enables us to give that love even when we don't feel like it. It is His love in us that helps us to reach out in love to others even when we don't want to.

Love is action - not just words. It is often much easier to say "I love you" than it is to put it into practice. Love has work to do and love does that work. Our actions back up our words and are proof of our love. Every family member provides you with an opportunity to love and do acts of love. Your work at home, at church, and at your job provides  you with many opportunities to perform acts of love.

Love reaches beyond family and friends to the unlovely. It is easy to love family, friends and nice people. But we are told to love our enemies - those who are not so nice. God's love calls us to love those who are irritating, a bother to us, unthankful, or even evil. We are to love those who bring us sadness and heartache. That is hard. Jesus tells us in Luke 6:27, "But I say unto you which hear, Love your  enemies, do good to them which hate you."

It is God Who provides the grace we need to extend our love to the unlovely. It is through His Spirit that we are able to love everyone,at any time and without conditions.

We need God to help us love. We rely on God for love. We naturally do not love those who do not love us, those who hurt us, bother us, and are different than us. It is God through His Holy Spirit Who gives us this love for others. God's love is there for us to give, and we who follow Christ need to remember that those who are the hardest to love are the ones who need it most. Philippians 4:13 says, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

Real love expects nothing in return. When we are loving toward someone, we expect that person to be loving to us. But when Jesus tells us to love our enemies and do good to them, He tells us to do good expecting nothing in return (Lk. 6:35 - "But love your enemies, and do good and lend, hoping for nothing again ... "). We need to love without any thought of personal reward. This is not natural. This kind of love can only come from God. This is the kind of love God offers us in Jesus (Rom. 5:8-10).

Love is not self-seeking. Its only intent is to love as Jesus loved, praying for others to respond to God's message of love through us.

The only way we can walk in God's love is to look to Him to fill us with that special kind of love - that love that is a decision to love -that love that takes action - that love that extends itself to the unlovely. You and I need God to help us love.

[nChrist]

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THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Part 2 of 3
by Darlene Homoki Galatians 5:22-23



JOY: The joy which the people of God should have is holy and pure. It is real! It is distinct from mere happiness. Happiness is often temporal and dependent upon current circumstances. Joy, however, rises above circumstances and focuses on the very character of God. It looks beyond the present to our future salvation (Rom. 5:2; 8:18 ). Joy like this is possible, even in the midst of sorrow (2 Cor. 6:10; 7:4).

The need for this kind of joy springs from sorrow, tribulation, tragedy, affliction and trials. None of us is exempt from experiencing heartache and disappointment, etc., BUT through Christ we can have 'joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1 Pet. 1:8 ).

Joy was important to Jesus.

   1. Jesus wanted His disciples (and wants us) to know the joy of fellowship with Him, joy to the fullest (Jn. 15:11)!
   2. Jesus looked beyond His suffering to the joy that was before Him (Heb. 12:1-2).

Joy that is the "fruit of the Spirit" is permanent (Jn. 16:22). It is not dependent upon circumstances and things. The one thing that can rob us of experiencing the joy God provides is our failure to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5: 16). The Holy Spirit causes this fruit to grow in our lives as we abide in Christ.

Joy is always available (Phil. 1:4; 4:4). What ever the circumstances of our lives, we have ready access to the Source of true joy anytime we turn to Him.

Real joy is unspeakable (1 Pet. 1:8 ). True spiritual joy is not mere happiness. If everything is going well, we are "happy." If we get what we want, we are "happy." Happiness can be a false joy. God's joy is a gift of grace to us as we encounter hardships, persecution and troubles in this life. It is supernatural and goes beyond all conditions of life.

   * This joy is not dependent on circumstances but on spiritual realities:
His unconditional love for us and His victory over sin and darkness.
   * This joy is not based on our efforts but, rather, on the truth of our relationship with God through His Son, the Lord Jesus.
   * This joy is not merely an emotion, but the result of choosing to look beyond the present circumstance to what is true about our life in Christ.

The source of real joy is:

    * God Himself. God - the only source of joy - wants to give you His JOY.
    * Salvation is a great reason for joy.
    * God's promises are a cause for joy. Simply by opening His Word, and reading and believing His promises, we will find a great source of joy.
    * Our future - our blessed Hope - brings us joy.

This is the kind of relationship God wants with you!

The notion that God recreated you in Christ to get more work out of you is such a low view of our Father. God wants you to adopt Paul's life verse: "that I may know Him [Christ]" (Philippians 3:10). As you pursue that goal, spiritual fruit will begin to drop off of you to the glory of Christ.

[nChrist]

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THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT
Part 3 of 3
by Darlene Homoki Galatians 5:22-23


PEACE: Peace refers to the inner tranquility and poise of the Christian whose trust is in God through Christ. It is both peace with God and the peace of God.

The Apostle Paul tells us that such peace and spiritual blessedness is a direct result of faith in Christ (Rom. 5:1). Peace is having all our spiritual bones set. It gives calmness through the doubts, fears, and alarms in our lives. It is a restful assurance that God is in control. Peace is not the absence of problems, frustrations, or things going wrong but, rather, it is a peace that comes only from God that endures regardless of the circumstances.

Do we need peace? The answer is an emphatic yes! The need comes daily as we face events in our life that bring panic, fear, terror, dread and anxiety. Just reading the daily newspaper or listening to the news causes us concern and shows us the need for peace in our lives.

Truth about peace comes only from God. Without Him there is no peace.

    * It has nothing to do with our circumstances but everything to do with knowing we have a right relationship with God.
    * It has nothing to do with daily challenges or crises but everything to do with knowing that our times are in God's hands.
    * It has nothing to do with the present conditions of our life but everything to do with knowing that God is all-sufficient.
    * It is an inward serenity of the soul that indicates a life at rest as we place our complete confidence in God moment by moment.
    * It is knowing God is there! (See Ps. 139:7-12.)
    * The key to peace is not the absence of problems and conflicts but the presence of God. To enjoy peace we have to actively trust Him. Peace also requires a decision.
    * When we walk and are led by the Spirit, our life is characterized not by fretting, panic and anxiety but, rather, by the peace that comes from trusting God.
    * Philippians 4:7: "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
    * When the circumstances of life tempt us to panic, or feel terrified, we. can choose either to give in to those feelings or to trust in God.
    * Choosing to trust God causes us to experience His peace even in the midst of the uproar.

God's peace comes to us from four sources.
    1) God, the Father. Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee." We cannot avoid strife, conflict and/or problems, but we can know perfect peace in the midst of this as we focus on God rather than on our difficulties.

    2) God, the Son. The prophet Isaiah tells us one of His names is the "Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). That names reflects His mission. Jesus' death on Calvary gave us the gift of peace with God that comes only with forgiveness of our sins (Rom. 5:1). Our personal peace comes through the work of God's Son on the Cross.

    3) God, the Spirit. He is our personal Helper, Teacher and Comforter (Jn. 14:26). The instruction, guidance and comfort we receive from Him are indeed gifts of peace.

    4) God's Word. The Word helps us know God by revealing Himself, His ways and His purposes. The Psalmist declares in Psalm 119:165, "Great peace have they which love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them. "When we embrace God's standards for living, we experience the peace which comes from maintaining a right relationship with God.

We choose to apply peace in times of crisis. The choice is ours. Do we panic? We should pray first, pray often and pray continually. We can place our fears and doubts into His hands. When we pause to acknowledge God, His presence, His power and His love, He will make our paths straight. Then once we've turned to Him, we will again be in touch with His peace that passes all understanding.

Jesus is our example and displayed these attitudes in the Garden of Gethsemane. This was a dark night in human history as the sinless Son of God faced death for your sins and mine in order to accomplish our salvation.

Throughout His three years of ministry, Jesus often referred to God's plan for His death. As He prepared for the Passover (Mt. 26) He said, "My time is at hand." It was now time for Him to die and to fulfill the Father's plan.

Jesus willingly obeyed. Jesus, acting in love, gave Himself as a sacrifice for our sins. He knew He would be betrayed by His own disciples. He would be misunderstood by His family and friends. He would be rejected by mankind. He knew there would be verbal and physical abuse. He knew there would be an unjust sentence. And, worst of all, He knew there would be momentary separation from God, His heavenly Father. In other words, from the human perspective, Jesus was losing all He had. Yet, in love, He willingly went through with it all- "He first loved us."

Facing the crisis of the cross, Jesus went to Gethsemane to pray. He prayed fervently  - "His sweat became like drops of blood" (Lk. 22:44).On the physical level Jesus wanted it to pass - He did not desire to taste death and carry the burden of our sins to the cross. Yet He prayed, "Not as I will, but as Thou wilt." With this submission to God's will, we see Jesus emerge triumphant from His time in the Garden.

Love is the sacrifice of self. Jesus was determined to do the Father's will. Jesus' love looked to the Father and to us and the Spirit enabled Him to submit to death on the cross (Heb. 9:14; Eph. 5:2). The flesh wanted the cup to pass but love looked to God the Father and said, "Thy will be done."

Jesus experienced joy. Hebrews 12:2 says, "For the joy that was set before Him .... " What was that joy? It was the joy of fulfilling the will of the Father (Ps. 40:8; Phil. 2:8; Heb. 10:7).

He got up from His agonizing time of prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane with peace, knowing that His times were in God's hands, saying, "Let us be going" (Mt. 26:46). He was now rid of His fears, and free from those agonies and dreadful apprehensions of the events to come. He signifies His willingness to be apprehended, and to suffer and die bearing the sins of mankind.

It is good to note that the circumstances did not change! After agonizing prayer, Jesus was still going to be crucified; He was going to die but He went sustained by God's love, joy and peace.

It was not easy for Jesus.
    * He knew what suffering He was facing.
    * He prayed, not once, but three times.
    * When our Savior finally rose to go forward, He did so with love,joy and peace saying "Let us be going."
    * He went to the cross by His own choice; He did it willingly. "He could have called ten thousand angels, but He died alone for you and me."

What a challenge! Do those around us see love, joy and peace? What do our attitudes show to the Christian community? To the non-Christian community? What a difference we could make in this world if in our daily lives these three graces were exemplified!

"So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law" (Galatians 5:16-18, NIV)