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Greetings in Christ, I'd like to invite you to join us as a ministry as we go verse by verse, line by line, and subject by subject through the book of 1st Peter. The title of this series is Sojourners of Grace, and the title of today's sermon is Sojourners of Grace in Suffering. This week, Paul will be speaking about the Suffering. We will discuss suffering, masters, Jesus, among other various topics. To listen click on: Sojourners of Grace in Suffering I'd love to hear your feedback on how the Lord ministered to you through this sermon and how I can pray for you. In Christ Alone, Pastor Dave
Under Authority like Christ Greetings in Christ, For those of you who don't know me, my name is Dave, and I’m one of the Pastors at Servantsofgrace where Jesus is our Senior Pastor. By God’s grace alone and with His help, I run an online ministry/church called Servants of Grace. I just wanted to let you all know that if you need prayer or counseling, I am here for you (as well as the rest of my staff) at Servants of Grace. For those of you who have been following us through the book of 1st Corinthians this week we will be going over 1st Corinthians 11:2-16. The title of this message is: Under Authority like Christ. In this sermon we discuss the role of men and women in family, society and the church, breaking free of unforgiveness, bitterness, resentment, glorifying God, being men and women of God, and who we are in Christ among other various topics: Under authority like Christ . If you enjoy these sermons you can now to subscribe to the listen to more sermons by clicking on the link below: Pastor Dave’s Audio Podcast If you would like prayer or counseling do not hesitate to contact me at anytime. If you would like to fellowship you can message me on YIM at pastordavejenkins, AIM at PastorDave25, or MSN Messenger at pastordavid@servantsofgrace.net. You can also send me a private message which will go to my email by clicking on: Send Pastor Dave a Message. May the Lord richly bless you and shine His face upon you granting you His peace, in Jesus name, Amen. In Christ Alone, Pastor Dave
Greetings in Christ, For those of you who don't know me, my name is Dave, and I’m one of the Pastors at Servantsofgrace where Jesus is our Senior Pastor. By God’s grace alone and with His help, I run an online ministry/church called http://www.servantsofgrace.net/Servantsofgrace/ I just wanted to let you all know that if you need prayer or counseling, I am here for you (as well as the rest of my staff) at: http://www.servantsofgrace.net/Servantsofgrace/ For those of you who have been following us through the book of 1st Corinthians this week we will be going over 1st Corinthians 10:14-11:1. The title of this message is: Walking Out of Slavery into Freedom in Christ. In this sermon we discuss idolatry, false worship, biblical worship, glorifying God, and who we are in Christ among other various topics: http://servantsofgrace.net/David/Walking%20out%20of%20slavery%20into%20freedom%20in%20Christ.wma . If you enjoy these sermons you can now to subscribe to the listen to more of my sermons by clicking on: http://servantsofgrace.net/broadcast/rsspodcast_pd.php . If you would like prayer or counseling do not hesitate to contact me at anytime. If you would like to fellowship you can message me on YIM at pastordavejenkins, AIM at PastorDave25, or MSN Messenger at pastordavid@servantsofgrace.net. You can also send me a private message which will go to my email by clicking on: http://servantsofgrace.net/pages/pcDavidMail.php . May the Lord richly bless you and shine His face upon you granting you His peace, in Jesus name, Amen. In Christ Alone, Pastor Dave
1st John 4:1-2, “1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,”
“Do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if they have come from God” means that we shouldn’t believe everything we hear just because someone says it is a message from God. There are many ways to test teachers to see if their message is truly from the Lord. One is to check to see if their words match what God says in the Bible. Other tests include their commitment to the body of believers (2:19) their life-style (3:23), and the fruit of their ministry (4:6). But the most important test of all, says John, is what they believe about Christ. Do they teach that Jesus is full God and fully man? Our world is filled with voices claiming to speak
for God. Give these tests to see if they are indeed speaking God’s truth.
This test may also be aimed at followers of Cerinthus who claimed that Jesus and the Christ were two separate beings; one physical and the other spiritual. This is why in this letter John is careful to use the name and title of Jesus Christ together to clearly express the union of the two titles in one person.
Some people believe everything they read or hear. Sadly many ideas printed and taught are not true. Christians should have faith, but they should not be gullible. Verify every message you hear, even if the person who brings it says it’s from God. If the message is truly from God, it will be consistent with Christ’s teachings.
Christianity has rightly been shown to be a religion of love but its important not to take that emphasis to an unhealthy extreme. If, in the name of love we uncritically accept every idea or value of others we open up to error. God never asks us to put our brains n neutral when it comes to matters of faith.
John repeatedly appeals for love (1 John 2:10; 3:3, 1-24; 4;7-12, 16-21), bu t he also places a premium on truth-not the wishy washy opinions that pass for truth in our society but the absolute eternal truths of God’s Word. For example John calls us to test the Spirit and learn to discern between truth and error. He calls for us to avoid sin which requires that we discern what is sinful (2:1; 3:4-10). He tells us to dinstguish between the things of the world and the will of God (2:15-170 and he appeals to us to identify deceives and avoid them (2:18-29;3:8)
Paul echoes this appeal to be tough minded when it comes to our faith. To be spiritual he writes means to be able to judge (discern or test) all things (1st Corintians 2:15). Likewise we are to have the mind of Christ tough in discernment; loving toward all and fearless in the face of judgment (Phil 2:5-11, 17, 18)
Verse 4:3, “3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.”
Cerinthus a false teacher of John’s day denied the Incarnation by teaching that the divine Christ descended on the human Jesus at His baptism and then departed before His cruxification. John teaches that Jesus did not merely enter into an already exising human being. The Greek tense of the verb has come and the meaning of the noun flesh indicate that not only did Jesus come as a human being; He was still a human being ever as John wrote. God the Son is forever fully God and fully man. He is immortal and has received a resurrected body of flesh that does not age or die. A denial of Jesus full and true humanity proves that a teacher is not of God.
The Antichrist will be a person who epitomizes all that is evil, and he will be readily received by an evil world. He is more fully described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-13 and Revelation 13. the “spirit of the Antichrist” is already here (2:18-23).
Most of the eye witnesses to Jesus ministry had died by the time John composed this letter. Some of the second or third generation Christians began to have doubts about what they had been taught about Jesus. Some Christians with a Greek background had a hard time believing that Jesus was human as well as divine, because in platonic thought the Spirit was all important. The body was only a prison from which one desired to escape. Heresies developed from a uniting of this kind of Platonic thought and Christianity.
A particularly widespread false teaching later called Docetism from the Greek word meaning to seem, held that Jesus was actually a spirit who only appeared to have a body in reality he cast no shadow and left no footprints; he was God but not man. Another heretical teaching, related to Gnosticism (from the Greek word knowledge) held that all physical matter was evil, the spirit was good, and only the intellectually enlightened could enjoy the benefits of religion. Both groups found it hard to believe in a Savior who was fully human.
John answers these false teachers as an eyewitness to Jesus life on earth. He saw Jesus, talked with him, touched him-he knew that Jesus was more than a mere spirit. In the very first sentence of his letter, John establishes that Jesus had been alive before the world began and also that he lived as a man among men and women. In other words, he was both divine and human.
Through the centuries, many heretics have denied that Jesus was both God and man. In John’s day people had trouble believing he was human; today more people have problems seeing him as God. But Jesus divine human nature is the pivotal issue of Christianity. Before you accept what religious teachers say about any topic listen carefully to what they believe about Jesus. To deny either his divinity or his humanity is to consider him les than Christ the Savior.
Verse 4:4, “4Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world..”
It is easy to be frightened by the wickedness we see all around us and to be overwhelmed by the problems we face. Evil is obviously much stronger than we are. John assures us; however, that God is even stronger. He will conquer all evil-and his Spirit and his Word live in our heart. Overcome here comes from the Greek word, “ Nikao which means ,”conquer, conquering, overcame, overcome, overcomes, overpowers, prevail, victorious” This word is used five times in 1st John in 1st John 2:13-1413I am writing to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I am writing to you, young men,
because you have overcome the evil one.
I write to you, children,
because you know the Father. 14I write to you, fathers,
because you know him who is from the beginning.
I write to you, young men,
because you are strong,
and the word of God abides in you,
and you have overcome the evil one.” 1st John 4:4, “4Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1st John 5:4-5, “4For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
.
Jesus never promised that obeying him would be easy. But the hard work and the self-discipline of serving Christ is no burden to those who love him. And if our load starts to feel heavy, we can always trust Christ to help us bear it. (Matthew 11:28-30)
Living the Christian life is not an easy thing but loving God is the most logical thing we can do. He has purchased for us this great salvation. The only way we can overcome in victory in Christ is if by faith we take hold of who we are in Christ through prayer. We can claim the victory in our lives because Christ has already accomplished victory over death itself. Therefore, we can overcome to victory in Christ by applying who we are in Christ to our prayer lives.
John 16:33, “33I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
Verse 4:5, “5They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.”
Our worldview must be completely and uttered encapsulated by the Lordship of Jesus Christ. For a person who isn’t saved there worldview is based upon evolution, and philosophical perspectives. There truth is ultimately relative based upon reason and science which in the end all lead back to the same question, “What am I really here for?” and “What is really my purpose?”
4:6, “6We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
False teachers are popular with the world because, like the false prophets of the Old Testament, they tell people what they want to hear. John warns that Christians who faithfully teach God’s Word will not win any popularity contests in the world. People don’t want to hear their sins denounced; they don’t want to listen to demands that they change their behavior. A false teacher will be well received by non-Christians. Those who preach Christ faithfully can expect to be persecuted. Persecution is the acid test for whether a teacher is true, or false.
1st John 5:1-2, “1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. 2By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.”
The condition on being of God for being a child of God is believing or trusting in Jesus Christ. Only correct, sincere belief produces spiritual birth. This birth is reflected in love for others who also have been born into the family of God (1st John 2:3-11). By this points to the remainder of the verse which develops the theme of love further. The false teachers are probably in view. It is likely they were guilty of excluding other Christians from the fellowship. Loving God’s children is linked directly to obedience.
Being a Christian is a lot like having a name. Every person has a name and so does God. We don’t get to choose who God’s children are, because God has already chosen that in advance. Our responsibility is to love those with who have accepted Jesus Christ. John is comparing and contrasting those who believe in Christ with those who are actually in Christ. He does this in stages. The first stage is everyone who a believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God which would be the first stage. We accept Jesus and come into a relationship with Him. Second stage and everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too is to love our family members, because Christ loves them and purchased the same salvation. Third stage we know we love God’s children if we love God and obey His commandments this process will show that we really belong to God that our actions are shown by the way we live our lives.
1st John 5: 3-4, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. 4For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.”
The love of God demands obedience (John 14:15, ) However rather than being burdensome, God’s commands frees believers to be the people they were originally created to be: holy beings who clearly reflect the image of God. The new nature of the child of God does not live as thet want but as God wants. Regeneration that is our spiritual rebirth provides for victory over the world that is opposed to God. The faith that overcomes the world is faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for us. The one who overcomes the world obeys God rather than following the expectations of the world. If we love God we will find obeying Him a pleasure.
Jesus never promised that obeying him would be easy. But the hard work and the self-discipline of serving Christ is no burden to those who love him. And if our load starts to feel heavy, we can always trust Christ to help us bear it. (Matthew 11:28-30)
Living the Christian life is not an easy thing but loving God is the most logical thing we can do. He has purchased for us this great salvation. The only way we can overcome in victory in Christ is if by faith we take hold of who we are in Christ through prayer. We can claim the victory in our lives because Christ has already accomplished victory over death itself. Therefore, we can overcome to victory in Christ by applying who we are in Christ to our prayer lives.
1st John 5:5-9, “5Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? 6This is he who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ; not by the water only but by the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. 7For there are three that testify: 8the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree. 9If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater, for this is the testimony of God that he has borne concerning his Son.”
The faith which overcomes the evil world system involves orthodox conviction that Jesus is the Son of God. The Father bears witnesses that Jesus came in the flesh and is the source of eternal life for all who believe. Water and blood refer to Jesus baptism and death, His incarnation, the water and blood that flowed from His side on the Cross, and as the baptism of the believer and the Lord’s supper. Either way you intrept this John is correcting the false teacher Cerinthus who claimed that the Spirit came on Jesus at His baptism but left before His death.
At this time, there was a false teaching in circulation that said Jesus was “the Christ” only between his baptism and his death-that is, he was merely human until he was baptized, at which time “The Christ” then descended upon him but then later left him before his death on the cross. But if Jesus died only as a man, he could not have taken upon himself the sins of the world, and Christianity would be an empty religion. Only an act of God could take away the punishment that we deserve for our sin. The Gospels twice record God’s clear declaration that Jesus was his Son-at Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16,17) and at his transfiguration (Matthew 17:5).
1st John 5:10-11, “0Whoever believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne concerning his Son. 11And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”
The witnesses look back to the anointing of the believer in 1st John 2:27 and refers either to the Holy Spirit or to the testimony of Scripture. The last part of the verse suggest that the Scripture is meant. John is contrating those who accept and those who reject what God says. A person who trusts in Jesus possess the witness; namely the truth of God. The one who rejects God’s testimony is claiming that God is a liar. This is the testimony is the same phrase translated this is the witnesses of verse 9. God’s witness or testimony is that He has given us eternal life and this life is in his Son. Eternal life is not a wage to be earned but a gift to be received from God (Romans 6:23)
Christ is the Word, He existed before time. To deny this fact is to deny who you are. Who you are is really wrapped up in who God is therefore to deny that God is true is to deny that you yourself are self.
1st John 5:12, “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
Whoever believes in God’s Son has eternal life. He is all you need. You don’t need to wait for eternal life because it begins the moment you believe. You don’t need to work for it because it is already yours. You don’t need to worry about it because you have been given eternal life by God himself-and it is guaranteed. As Christians, we must live in Christ.
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Dave
The Danger of Overconfidence Greetings in Christ, For those of you who don't know me, my name is Dave, and I’m one of the Pastors at Servantsofgrace where Jesus is our Senior Pastor. By God’s grace alone and with His help, I run an online ministry/church called Servants of Grace I just wanted to let you all know that if you need prayer or counseling, I am here for you (as well as the rest of my staff at Servants of Grace) For those of you who have been following us through the book of 1st Corinthians this week we will be going over 1st Corinthians 10:1-13. The title of this message is The Danger of Overconfidence. In this sermon we discuss temptation, overcoming temptation, spiritual cleansing, spiritual renewal in our lives and churches, bitterness, resentment, and who we are in Christ among other various topics: The Danger of Overconfidence If you enjoy these sermons you can now to subscribe to the listen to more of Pastor Dave’s sermons PastorDaveAudio If you would like prayer or counseling do not hesitate to contact me at anytime. If you would like to fellowship you can message me on yahoo at pastordavejenkins, aol at PastorDave25, or msn at pastordavid@servantsofgrace.net. You can also send me a private message which will go to my email by clicking on: SendPastorDaveamessage May the Lord richly bless you and shine His face upon you granting you His peace, in Jesus name, Amen. In Christ Alone, Pastor Dave
The Portrait of Christian liberty Greetings in Christ, For those of you who don't know me, my name is Dave, and I’m one of the Pastors at Servantsofgrace where Jesus is our Senior Pastor. By God’s grace alone and with His help, I run an online ministry/church called http://www.servantsofgrace.net/Servantsofgrace/ I just wanted to let you all know that if you need prayer or counseling, I am here for you (as well as the rest of my staff at http://www.servantsofgrace.net/Servantsofgrace For those of you who have been following us through the book of 1st Corinthians this week we will be going over 1st Corinthians 9:1-27. The title of this message is The Portrait of Christian liberty. In this sermon we discuss servant leadership, spiritual cleansing, spiritual renewal in our lives and churches, godly relationships, resisting the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, repentance, living a life for Christ, being a missionary to our culture, who we are in Christ among other various topics: http://servantsofgrace.net/David/The%20Portrait%20of%20Christian%20liberty.wma Whether you have a ministry or not I want to encourage you to join with us in serving the Lord both here online and offline as we seek to reach all people with the Gospel of Christ; proclaiming forth the acceptable season and year of our Savior. Please go to http://servantsofgrace.net/pages/beinvolved.php and fill it out. If you would like prayer or counseling do not hesitate to contact me at anytime. If you would like to fellowship you can message me on yahoo at pastordavejenkins, aol at PastorDave25, or msn at pastordavid@servantsofgrace.net If you are not aware Sarah my wife had several gallbladder attacks which lead to her going to the emergency room three times over the course of the past year. During her last visit to the ER she had an ultrasound which showed several gullstones in her gull bladder. On Friday (yesterday) her surgery was successful they removed her gull bladder. When the Doctor came out into the family waiting room he told me that the there were a lot more gullstones in her gull bladder and that her gull bladder was much sicker than she thought. He told me that he was going to send the gull bladder to the pathologist. Sarah is now at home with me where she is resting and nearly pain free except when she lays on her side. We both greatly appreciate your prayers and support they mean the world to us. May the Lord richly bless you and shine His face upon you granting you His peace, in Jesus name, Amen. In Christ Alone, Pastor Dave
New audio teaching-Sanctification and the Prospects for the Future
Friends,
My new audio teaching is now out on Romans 8:18-30 titled Sanctification and the Prospects for the Future. You can listen by clicking on:
SanctificationandtheProspectsforthefuture
Come fellowship with us in our online congregation where you can share your prayer requests, teachings, questions or anything else. You can visit by clicking on:
Servantsofgrace
May the Lord richly bless you.
In Christ Alone,
Pastor Dave
An emotional awakening to spiritiual life in Jesus Christ
All we have to do is look at the news in the recent days and weeks and it begs the question, What is going on? Evil seems to be rising more and more in this hour than in any other. With the deadline going on with Iran to cease and desist their nuclear activities and other such news what do we do? Many are frightened and afraid and many others just argue that Jesus Christ is coming back for His own very shortly. So who exactly is right? More important more are asking even deeper questions than this about who they really are in there emotions. Whose right here? Is it even a matter of who is right and who is wrong?
In effect what we see in the Middle East goes as far back as the beginning of the nation of Israel. Israel was born out of conflict even in the times of Moses. Israel has been repeatedly disobedient to its calling as a divine nation but does that mean all at the same time that God has done away with Israel? If God did away with Israel then we have a huge problem. That problem is that He is a Covenant God who made promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob only. The Muslims claim ancestry to Abraham through Ishmael, but the promise was never given to Ishmael but to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. If this is so then we have a huge problem-in effect a difference of intreptation. If the Scriptures are true and God stands in judgment of man then we have an even wider gap. This gap involves satanic perversion of the Truth of Gods Word. In effect since the Bible speaks loudly about false prophets and religions then what Islam as a whole must be from the pure standpoint of intreptation from Scripture is a false religion and a cult.
A cult can be defined as any organization that leads people away from the Truth of Gods Word. If this is so then Islam is clearly a cult. It is a clear historical fact not an opinion that Muhammad was a murder. If that is so then those who claim that Islam is a religion of peace must surely be wrong. Since historically also Christians albeit it through the Catholic Crusades also murdered the Jews wouldnt that also mean that the Catholics were anti-Semitic? In effect anti-Semitism is all around us even in our churches through the belief that Israel is done away with as Gods covenant nation. But the reality is if religion is what God had wanted then He would have said it during His earthly ministry. What Jesus exposed was the kind of religion that worked itself out merely in the mind. In other words during the Sermon on the Mount He said, Blessed are the poor in Spirit. Blessed are the meek and so on. If this is so then we have another problem. The kind of religion espoused by cults focuses only on the mind but God measures spirituality based upon the mind and the heart. Jesus told us to love Him with all of our hearts, mind and strength (Matthew 22:38-40). Jesus said that we would be known by the way we love one another as believers in His name (John 13:35).
If this is so then we need a radical awakening. What this means is that what God cares about more than anything is our hearts. Our hearts are what need major surgery. The statistics bear out the point that our marriages, our churches and in effect the nation of America is in a moral dilemma. Why so you may ask? America is in a state of chaos because it fails to deal with root issues within itself. Instead of seeking God it instead seeks after the material possessions it can obtain or have more responsibility by occupying more land. How does that deal authentically with people who need answers? How does not looking at oneself as Jesus said to take the log out of our own eye reflect the national sentiments of a nation divided over its purpose in the world?
Yet many are calling out for not only this nation but also the churches in American to repent of its moral and spiritual failures. If this is so then we must also examine ourselves. By saying this it means that even I before I write must look at myself to see if I have any hidden thing in my heart so that God may use me to speak and be the living epidomy of what He would say through me. In other words what we need is to deal with the deep emotional traumas of life. But how would we go about doing this?
If the church is supposed to be to the people then it go figure that Jesus also was a physician. If Jesus was a physician then the church also must be a physician to the culture. In effect the radical change that must take place in our congregations isnt in the preaching or teaching, but in effect in the doing of the ministry. There is a higher burnout rate among Pastors than ever before. Many just flat out walk away from God as a result even in cases of great success. So what does this mean? It means that not only do we not train our Pastors to deal with their emotions but it also means that we ourselves are not able to do so as believers. The old leadership proverb applies here, As goes the leaders so goes the church, nation or organization. If that proverb is true, which I do believe it is then our nation is in radical disarray because we do not have leaders who truly confront the emotional needs of the people, but rather try to appeal to the physical needs of the people.
It is the responsibility of a leader to speak the Truth in love. But does a leader not confront to resolve issues? Does not a leader first have to take a deep look inside of themselves to see where they are? As a leader myself for many years I have learned that in order to lead effectively and biblically for that matter I must look inside of myself to make sure I am walking in intimacy with Jesus. If there are emotionally unresolved issues in my own heart then I must take a look at them with the Light of Jesus Christ. Not only is this an important part of leadership but it is also an integral part of being a bondservant of Jesus Christ. Jesus calls us to being His bondservants first and then out to ministry. What Jesus wants is our intimacy after all He created us primarily for the purpose of enjoying His awesome creation. If this is so then how different would our churches look if Pastors took a hard look at the emotional issues in their own lives? Most Pastors dont even have the time to really examine the deep heart issues that have affected them. In effect most Pastors in my experience only briefly go over these issues not dealing with them until its far to late-when the people cry out to help them, but they are not equipped because they have the wrong idea about what spirituality is in the first place.
Spirituality begins with our hearts for when we were justified by faith Jesus enters into our hearts to reclaim the brokenness of our lives to lead us to wholeness in Christ. Immediately then we are declared Gods child which is positional sanctification, to engage in a journey of progressive sanctification or a journey of becoming like Christ which will culminate in each one of us as believers in Christ being glorified into the image of Christ in totality. We are then filled with the Holy Spirit and are members of the global Body of Christ. If this is so then what we ought to see salvation as is the total process of becoming totality identified in intimacy with Jesus Christ not only as Savior, but as Lord. If this is so then what Jesus wants is not only our physical bodies for His service, but rather what He wants to change is your emotions. In order to be spiritual mature one must surely exercise their mind, but also engage there heart. True maturity comes not from knowing the right words to say, but from a heart changed by the love of God. It is that heart and life that God can use to change the world, and make disciples.
If we have unresolved issues in our hearts and lives the shepherds of the flock are failing. The classical pastoral writers consistently stated that those who wanted to be an minister of the Gospel aspired for a great thing, but should be wary lest they fall. They would fall because they had unresolved issues in their emotions. Not only is this true it is a very serious issue. Why do more and more Pastors everyday engage themselves in porn? The addiction to porn is so strong these days because anyone can sit behind a computer. The computer exposes our deepest selves much the same way as it does a person who is drunk. A drunk person has no inhabitations whatsoever. If that is so then they are who they really are when they are drunk because they arent putting up any walls of pretense. In many ways Ive walked these halls and been where a vast majority of not only Pastors are today but where believers are. Its easy to say all the right words and proclaim intellectual dependence upon the Savior. But woah-nelly once you begin to talk about real deep issues such as emotional maturity then you venture into scary territory.
I still remember the day the Lord challenged me to forgive my father. It was very painful to forgive my dad for all the years of emotional abuse and pain he caused me. I cried for a couple hours on my bed when the Lord told me, My Son I forgave you, so now you must forgive your dad for what he did to you. But once I spoke the words of forgiveness to my father there was a real release in me. A few years ago I did the same with my own mother. I still remember sitting there unloading about how I felt growing up and the things she did to me. I remember quite literally sitting in a public restrauent bawling my eyes out. Now why would I be crying my eyes out? Was it because I was an emotional immature man? Or was it because I was finally coming to the place of honesty and emotional maturity? Did it have to do with because I was very successful in ministry and wasnt able to humble myself?
In effect what we need is a forgiveness revolution in our churches and our land. So many people think that what they have to offer people is far greater than it really is. Just the other day I was talking to a man at a bus stop. He proceeded to tell me that ethics are dead. I said, Perhaps that is true in your world. And he told me, That is the world we live in. What this man did not understand is that we each have our own worlds which are composed of our own worldviews based upon our emotional backgrounds, family histories, cultural values, and so much more. The real point is that what our churches need is authenticity which starts with an awakening to the reality of dealing with our emotions.
How would we go about dealing with our emotions? The person you talk to about your emotional problems should be someone who has gone through some life experiences and are able to relate to your age, experiences and are in your estimate safe to talk too. The first way to deal with your emotions is to find someone you feel safe talking too. The second is to confide in them and build a relationship with that person. Third you should confess your brokenness to Jesus and ask Him to come in to cleanse you and renew a right Spirit within you. For when you do that you turn from your sin towards Jesus who wants to conform you more into His image to experience emotional healing in your mind, will and emotions, so that you can function as He created you (Romans 8:28-29; John 4:10-12; 1st John 1:8-10).
Sadly like the blind man who cannot even see some of you will turn away from your hearts never to deal with real issues. Such people are all around us in our world. You can find them in particular saying, My views are so right and yours are so wrong. Or you find them in prison because they cannot deal with what someone thinks so they end up murdering the person. You can find people who cannot deal with there emotions in mental institutions because failure to deal with your emotions can lead to emotional insanity and social withdrawal. With this said if what Jesus wants is our entire lives to be presented before Him as an offering for His service dont you think its time to take care of yourself? Arent our churches worth it ladies and gentlemen? Isnt it time for an emotional awakening in our land to the reality of the Lordship of Jesus over all of life?
If what Jesus called us to is to win disciples of the nations then the same Jesus who died on the Cross who declared that it is finished also wants all of your emotional, physical, mental and the total aspect of every facet of your life. If this is so then wont you present your body, emotions and life to the Lord Jesus? What He wants to do is to change your life from the inside out so that you can experience the love of God in Christ so deeply and completely.
Today I urge everyone of you under Gods hand to examine your lives under the light of Gods Spirit. Lamentations 3:40 says, Let us examine our ways and return to the Lord. Take a really hard look at the things going on in your life. Take inventory of the brokenness in your own past whether that be in your families, marriages, relationships, churches or any event where you experienced abuse, or pain of any kind. Take a hard look at it and then repent if you feel that you have done wrong. Confess your sin to Jesus because when we do so He is faithful and just 1st John 1:8-9 to cleanse us of all unrighteousness because of the blood of Jesus Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ still today cleanses us from ALL sin! Come running today as the woman at the well did into the arms of Jesus to worship the Lord Jesus Christ by His Spirit to sing songs of deliverance and joy unto the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is still the Alpha and the Omega, and God is still the same as yesterday today and forever more! He is still the same God who lead the Israelites out of Egypt into the Promised Land. God wants to take you on a journey today towards growing not only in spiritual understanding of your life, but also on a journey towards becoming a mature believer in Jesus Christ both in your knowledge of Him (intellectually), and emotionally so that the result will be a mature spiritual believer in Jesus Christ that can accurately be the representivate of Jesus Christ to a culture, and a world that needs more believers in Christ who have truly experienced the love of God in Christ Jesus.
Come into the arms of Jesus today to experience the love of God. God is calling His people in this hour to experience an awakening to the emotional realities of our spiritual life in Jesus Christ. Come and experience the joy of knowing God deeply in your emotions which will radiate from your heart and shine from your life. This is what our world needs now believers who have experienced the love of God intellectually, emotionally so that they can spiritually represent Jesus Christ in a world full of questions, doubts, fears and unrest. Come to Christ experience the love of God in your brokenness so that He can speak through you in wholeness.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May His face shine upon you and be gracious unto thee.
God bless you.
Pastor Dave
http://www.servantsofgrace.net/servantsofgrace
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