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Jesus Only
- Thread starter Kaella
- Start date
- Status
We recognize that some people, whose only concern
appears to be their own comfort and pleasure,
have no use for God whatsoever;
however we had better be careful about
judging their attitudes and actions.
Some of the stones we are so quick to throw at others
may shatter the thin glass of our own
self-righteous abodes.
All sin is under the judgement of God.
This includes the faults and failings that saturate
our lives as well as the wickedness of the ungodly.
There are upstanding. outstanding church people
who are very narrow in their analysis of other
people's character while they are being quite
generous and uncritical concerning themselves.
They also, become a law unto themselves
and are convinced they are abiding by
God's will in their lives.
They respect the doctrines of the church
and faithfully adhere to it's precepts.
They go through the motion of worship
and participate in all the religious exercises.
They distainfully snub or outraeously damn those
who fail to accept or measure up to their precepts
for right living.
And who is there among us that has not talked about
God's peace even when we promoted the violence
of war, or made profession of love while we ignored
or oppressed those of other cultures or classes,
or flaunted our apathies in the face of humanity's
sufferings, our unconcern in the midst of hurting people?
Yet we dare to call ourselves God's children and the
followers of Christ and seek to impress our peers
with our devotion to the service of worship
or the hour of prayer.
Worship and prayer, even the practices and exercises
of formal religion, are of unestemable value-
but only if we live within the precepts and
prerequisites, the will and order of our loving God.
The authentic Christian is that one who is such
from the inside out, whose righteous actions and
loving attitudes are genuine
reflections of the heart infilled with God's love and empowered
by His Spirit and committed to His purposes.
He is the one who is accepted and blessed
and used by God.
appears to be their own comfort and pleasure,
have no use for God whatsoever;
however we had better be careful about
judging their attitudes and actions.
Some of the stones we are so quick to throw at others
may shatter the thin glass of our own
self-righteous abodes.
All sin is under the judgement of God.
This includes the faults and failings that saturate
our lives as well as the wickedness of the ungodly.
There are upstanding. outstanding church people
who are very narrow in their analysis of other
people's character while they are being quite
generous and uncritical concerning themselves.
They also, become a law unto themselves
and are convinced they are abiding by
God's will in their lives.
They respect the doctrines of the church
and faithfully adhere to it's precepts.
They go through the motion of worship
and participate in all the religious exercises.
They distainfully snub or outraeously damn those
who fail to accept or measure up to their precepts
for right living.
And who is there among us that has not talked about
God's peace even when we promoted the violence
of war, or made profession of love while we ignored
or oppressed those of other cultures or classes,
or flaunted our apathies in the face of humanity's
sufferings, our unconcern in the midst of hurting people?
Yet we dare to call ourselves God's children and the
followers of Christ and seek to impress our peers
with our devotion to the service of worship
or the hour of prayer.
Worship and prayer, even the practices and exercises
of formal religion, are of unestemable value-
but only if we live within the precepts and
prerequisites, the will and order of our loving God.
The authentic Christian is that one who is such
from the inside out, whose righteous actions and
loving attitudes are genuine
reflections of the heart infilled with God's love and empowered
by His Spirit and committed to His purposes.
He is the one who is accepted and blessed
and used by God.
Upvote
0
That scripture reminds me of this old hymn. The teachings in them are so rare to find but if only we would look to the Word.
God in the gospel of His Son
God, in the Gospel of His Son,
Makes His eternal counsels known;
Where love in all its glory shines,
And truth is drawn in fairest lines.
Here sinners of a humble frame
May taste His grace, and learn His Name;
May read, in characters of blood,
The wisdom, power, and grace of God.
The prisoner here may break his chains;
The weary rest from all his pains;
The captive feel his bondage cease;
The mourner find the way of peace.
Here faith reveals to mortal eyes
A brighter world beyond the skies;
Here shines the light which guides our way
From earth to realms of endless day.
O grant us grace, Almighty Lord,
To read and mark Thy holy Word;
Its truths with meekness to receive,
And by Its holy precepts live.
God in the gospel of His Son
God, in the Gospel of His Son,
Makes His eternal counsels known;
Where love in all its glory shines,
And truth is drawn in fairest lines.
Here sinners of a humble frame
May taste His grace, and learn His Name;
May read, in characters of blood,
The wisdom, power, and grace of God.
The prisoner here may break his chains;
The weary rest from all his pains;
The captive feel his bondage cease;
The mourner find the way of peace.
Here faith reveals to mortal eyes
A brighter world beyond the skies;
Here shines the light which guides our way
From earth to realms of endless day.
O grant us grace, Almighty Lord,
To read and mark Thy holy Word;
Its truths with meekness to receive,
And by Its holy precepts live.
Upvote
0
Leslie Brant paraphrazed in "Epistles/Now" but of course every paraphraze should be accompanied with a NKJV or good interpratation bible and a concordence. A concordence can get really excting when you look up one particular word and read how that has progressed as God's teachings are more revealed in each of the dispensations. Thanks for the encouragement.
God bless 
His Word in the hearing of His children. 
Upvote
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Philippians 4:6-8
6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirableif anything is excellent or praiseworthythink about such things.
Good Night everyone
Upvote
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In view of the fact that church membership cannot
guarantee salvation and doesn't apparently meet all
the spiritual needs of every person,
it's not surprising that the institution is
regarded with suspicion; and some people insist
that they can fulfilled their Christian responsibilities
and maintain their faith by other means.
Perhaps they can,
but they are hardly qualified to put down the church.
Though the Lord made no effort to organize
an institution, the net results of His ministry of
redemption include the gathering together of the
redeemed; and, in a society where strength lies
in unity, this eventually resulted in what we know
as the church.
Made up of human beings,
it is permeaded with human error and disunity.
Nevertheless, it has been and continues to be the means
by which the Good News of God's continueing love is
communicated to the world about us.
And it certainly ought to be and is meant to be,
a loving fellowship in which we can support and
assist one another in the glorious struggle of faith.
Membership to the body through the fellowship
with a unit of believers is of value.
It brings us into contact with the gifts of God's grace.
This does not, however, assure the recieving
of those gifts.
In fact, our faithful adhereance to the church's rules
and regulations, rituals and traditions,
doctrines and dogma,
may leave us no better off than those ungodly
people who have no use whatsoever for the church.
The point is, we are all sinful creatures in desperate
need of God's saving grace.
Everyone of us must personally claim the forgiving
love of God by way of Christ's redeeming action
on our behalf.
Our good works and fine attitudes, our religeous
practices, even our intense loyalty to the church,
are not sufficient for our salvation,
God's forgiving love,
revealed and made available through Jesus Christ,
is bestowed upon every one who believes-
who embraces that love-
and then responds to God's love in reflecting
and relating in loving actions,
to fellow persons about them.
When we have in this way accepted what
Christ has done on our behalf,
we are then truly members of the church-
the true, invisable church;
and we ought to be
willing participants and workers within our
organized religious community, the visable church,
a distinquished member of the Spirit working within.
guarantee salvation and doesn't apparently meet all
the spiritual needs of every person,
it's not surprising that the institution is
regarded with suspicion; and some people insist
that they can fulfilled their Christian responsibilities
and maintain their faith by other means.
Perhaps they can,
but they are hardly qualified to put down the church.
Though the Lord made no effort to organize
an institution, the net results of His ministry of
redemption include the gathering together of the
redeemed; and, in a society where strength lies
in unity, this eventually resulted in what we know
as the church.
Made up of human beings,
it is permeaded with human error and disunity.
Nevertheless, it has been and continues to be the means
by which the Good News of God's continueing love is
communicated to the world about us.
And it certainly ought to be and is meant to be,
a loving fellowship in which we can support and
assist one another in the glorious struggle of faith.
Membership to the body through the fellowship
with a unit of believers is of value.
It brings us into contact with the gifts of God's grace.
This does not, however, assure the recieving
of those gifts.
In fact, our faithful adhereance to the church's rules
and regulations, rituals and traditions,
doctrines and dogma,
may leave us no better off than those ungodly
people who have no use whatsoever for the church.
The point is, we are all sinful creatures in desperate
need of God's saving grace.
Everyone of us must personally claim the forgiving
love of God by way of Christ's redeeming action
on our behalf.
Our good works and fine attitudes, our religeous
practices, even our intense loyalty to the church,
are not sufficient for our salvation,
God's forgiving love,
revealed and made available through Jesus Christ,
is bestowed upon every one who believes-
who embraces that love-
and then responds to God's love in reflecting
and relating in loving actions,
to fellow persons about them.
When we have in this way accepted what
Christ has done on our behalf,
we are then truly members of the church-
the true, invisable church;
and we ought to be
willing participants and workers within our
organized religious community, the visable church,
a distinquished member of the Spirit working within.
Upvote
0
It may be very subtle,
but most of us are still afflicted in some measure
with an insidious work-righteousness concept
in respect to our relationship with God.
Even in our proclaimations of grace
we still come down heavey on the side of the law,
the assumed do's and don'ts of the Christian life.
From the very beginning of God's dealings with
His chosen people,
even through such leaders as Abraham and David,
our great God made it quite clear that His
acceptance is not the result of great works
on the part of His creatures
but His own incomprehensible, incomparable Love.
We are so apt to tie our faith onto certain acts
that we do, to rituals and cerimonies
and sacrifices that we engage in.
Whereas these activities are not without value,
they may nullifie faith altogether and leave one
with the kind of righteousness that is unacceptable to God.
God's promises to Abraham and his descendents-
we are the spiritual descendents of Abraham-
were not to be given as a reward for those
who measured up to laws and requisites.
If God's Love is a reward rather than a gift,
then what would be the purpose of and use for faith?
the law of God, summed up in the commandment
to love God with our whole beings
and our fellow beings as ourselves,
is important to our existance here on earth.
This kind of love, however, is impossible
unless we are clothed in God's righteousness,
His saving Love as revealed through
the redemption of Jesus Christ and granted
to all who accept this Christ as Savior and Lord.
We are to embrace that righteousness, that saving Love,
by faith, and then to act upon it,
to recognize our obvious inability to measure up
to the demands of the law, to claim our freedom
from sin's condemnation, and eternal consequences
and live as the true sons and daughters of God.
It was the faith of human beings like Abraham and David,
their acceptance of God's order and purpose
and their reliance on His gracious promises,
that assured them of God's infinite Love.
We are even more fortunate because we have the
resurrected Christ, God's Beloved Son,
who demonstrated God's great Love for His
human creatures and became the means
by which every one of us can experience that love
and know that we belong to Him forever.
but most of us are still afflicted in some measure
with an insidious work-righteousness concept
in respect to our relationship with God.
Even in our proclaimations of grace
we still come down heavey on the side of the law,
the assumed do's and don'ts of the Christian life.
From the very beginning of God's dealings with
His chosen people,
even through such leaders as Abraham and David,
our great God made it quite clear that His
acceptance is not the result of great works
on the part of His creatures
but His own incomprehensible, incomparable Love.
We are so apt to tie our faith onto certain acts
that we do, to rituals and cerimonies
and sacrifices that we engage in.
Whereas these activities are not without value,
they may nullifie faith altogether and leave one
with the kind of righteousness that is unacceptable to God.
God's promises to Abraham and his descendents-
we are the spiritual descendents of Abraham-
were not to be given as a reward for those
who measured up to laws and requisites.
If God's Love is a reward rather than a gift,
then what would be the purpose of and use for faith?
the law of God, summed up in the commandment
to love God with our whole beings
and our fellow beings as ourselves,
is important to our existance here on earth.
This kind of love, however, is impossible
unless we are clothed in God's righteousness,
His saving Love as revealed through
the redemption of Jesus Christ and granted
to all who accept this Christ as Savior and Lord.
We are to embrace that righteousness, that saving Love,
by faith, and then to act upon it,
to recognize our obvious inability to measure up
to the demands of the law, to claim our freedom
from sin's condemnation, and eternal consequences
and live as the true sons and daughters of God.
It was the faith of human beings like Abraham and David,
their acceptance of God's order and purpose
and their reliance on His gracious promises,
that assured them of God's infinite Love.
We are even more fortunate because we have the
resurrected Christ, God's Beloved Son,
who demonstrated God's great Love for His
human creatures and became the means
by which every one of us can experience that love
and know that we belong to Him forever.
Upvote
0
From an e-devotioal today.
We need the Spirit to give us wisdom but we need His strength to do things according to God's standards. Praying for wisdom and power for the the Bride, the church, the overcomers.
Jesus, Possessing Wisdom and Grace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke 2:40 And the little child [Jesus] grew and became strong,
being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.
Colossians 2:3 In whom [Christ] all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge are hidden.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Verse 40 says that as the Man-Savior was growing, He was being
filled with wisdom. This wisdom, which came from the Savior's
deity, was revealed in proportion to the measure of His bodily
growth. Verse 40 also tells us that the grace of God was upon
Him. As a Man, even Jesus needed the grace of God for His
human life. He was filled with wisdom from His deity, and He
needed the grace of God for His humanity. As God, the Man-
Savior did not need grace. However, as a Man He needed the
grace of God. Therefore, we are told in verse 40 that the
grace of God was upon Him.
As human beings, we all need God's wisdom and grace. Wisdom is
related to the way of doing things, and grace, to the power,
the ability, to carry out those things. In our living we first
need the way to do a particular thing; then we need the power
to do it. Wisdom is the way, and grace is the power. We need
wisdom in order to have the proper way. However, wisdom itself
is not enough. We also need grace. If we do not have grace, we
shall not have the power, strength, or energy to carry out a
certain matter in the proper way. But we may have God's wisdom
for our way and God's grace for our power, strength, and
energy. The Man Jesus lived in God's wisdom and grace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(c) 2007 Living Stream Ministry.
We need the Spirit to give us wisdom but we need His strength to do things according to God's standards. Praying for wisdom and power for the the Bride, the church, the overcomers.
Jesus, Possessing Wisdom and Grace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Luke 2:40 And the little child [Jesus] grew and became strong,
being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.
Colossians 2:3 In whom [Christ] all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge are hidden.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Verse 40 says that as the Man-Savior was growing, He was being
filled with wisdom. This wisdom, which came from the Savior's
deity, was revealed in proportion to the measure of His bodily
growth. Verse 40 also tells us that the grace of God was upon
Him. As a Man, even Jesus needed the grace of God for His
human life. He was filled with wisdom from His deity, and He
needed the grace of God for His humanity. As God, the Man-
Savior did not need grace. However, as a Man He needed the
grace of God. Therefore, we are told in verse 40 that the
grace of God was upon Him.
As human beings, we all need God's wisdom and grace. Wisdom is
related to the way of doing things, and grace, to the power,
the ability, to carry out those things. In our living we first
need the way to do a particular thing; then we need the power
to do it. Wisdom is the way, and grace is the power. We need
wisdom in order to have the proper way. However, wisdom itself
is not enough. We also need grace. If we do not have grace, we
shall not have the power, strength, or energy to carry out a
certain matter in the proper way. But we may have God's wisdom
for our way and God's grace for our power, strength, and
energy. The Man Jesus lived in God's wisdom and grace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
(c) 2007 Living Stream Ministry.
Upvote
0
mushowani
Regular Member
We were separated from Christ,
Alianated from the commonwealth of Isreal,
Being strangers to the covenant of promise,
By nature we were children of doom,....
But glory be unto Christ,
who laid down His life as a sacrifice for us,
He gave up the heavenly delights for the sake of the lost,
He lost His life that we may have it,
Now we are a chosen generation, a perculiar people, a royal priesthood...
we have been made into the righteousness of God through Christ who strengthens us.
so it's all about Him
Alianated from the commonwealth of Isreal,
Being strangers to the covenant of promise,
By nature we were children of doom,....
But glory be unto Christ,
who laid down His life as a sacrifice for us,
He gave up the heavenly delights for the sake of the lost,
He lost His life that we may have it,
Now we are a chosen generation, a perculiar people, a royal priesthood...
we have been made into the righteousness of God through Christ who strengthens us.
so it's all about Him
Upvote
0
The truth of the matter is-
and this in spite of those fine religious people
who attempt to placate God
by means of laws and rules
and traditions and customs-
the truth of the matter is
that we have been accepted by God
through Jesus Christ.
This is where we now stand.
And this is what we ought to celebrate.
We can well afford to celebrate this
even amid the difficult circumstances that plaque us.
Whether it be physical pain or mental anquish,
material loss or excruciating sorrow,
this does not seperate us from God,
nor alter our relationship to Him,
It's when we accept and cling to what God has done
for us through Christ,
irrespective of our human feelings and frailties,
that those very conflicts that beset us,
and may even threaten to destroy us,
become God's tools
to grind and polish and temper our spirits
and prepare us for loving and obedient service.
This is no vain hope;
it's the gospel truth.
God's Love and Spirit do abide within us.
This isn't something we have earned or merited.
We wereestranged from God, the enemies of God,
from the very beginning.
And it was for God's enemies that Christ died.
It will always be a great mystery,
something we can never quite comprehend,
but it was this One, the Christ,
who reconciled us to God.
What we can't comprehend we can still celebrate.
For it was through this sacrifice of our Lord,
God's act of grace and gift of Love,
that we have been made
the very sons and daughters of God.
We know that all human beings are sinners-
that disease and death-physical and spiritual,
have permeaded the whole human race.
The laws of God,
and the precepts of mankind
who tried to find and follow God,
were initiated to bring order into humanities chaos.
And it was the ancient laws that revealed to mankind
the inner sickness and eternal estrangement
from the Creator.
God's Love for mankind, however, is far greater
than the evil that brings death and destruction.
God's grace is far more powerful than mankind's wickedness.
It was this that was revealed through Jesus Christ,
and it's this that grants us eternal life.
and this in spite of those fine religious people
who attempt to placate God
by means of laws and rules
and traditions and customs-
the truth of the matter is
that we have been accepted by God
through Jesus Christ.
This is where we now stand.
And this is what we ought to celebrate.
We can well afford to celebrate this
even amid the difficult circumstances that plaque us.
Whether it be physical pain or mental anquish,
material loss or excruciating sorrow,
this does not seperate us from God,
nor alter our relationship to Him,
It's when we accept and cling to what God has done
for us through Christ,
irrespective of our human feelings and frailties,
that those very conflicts that beset us,
and may even threaten to destroy us,
become God's tools
to grind and polish and temper our spirits
and prepare us for loving and obedient service.
This is no vain hope;
it's the gospel truth.
God's Love and Spirit do abide within us.
This isn't something we have earned or merited.
We wereestranged from God, the enemies of God,
from the very beginning.
And it was for God's enemies that Christ died.
It will always be a great mystery,
something we can never quite comprehend,
but it was this One, the Christ,
who reconciled us to God.
What we can't comprehend we can still celebrate.
For it was through this sacrifice of our Lord,
God's act of grace and gift of Love,
that we have been made
the very sons and daughters of God.
We know that all human beings are sinners-
that disease and death-physical and spiritual,
have permeaded the whole human race.
The laws of God,
and the precepts of mankind
who tried to find and follow God,
were initiated to bring order into humanities chaos.
And it was the ancient laws that revealed to mankind
the inner sickness and eternal estrangement
from the Creator.
God's Love for mankind, however, is far greater
than the evil that brings death and destruction.
God's grace is far more powerful than mankind's wickedness.
It was this that was revealed through Jesus Christ,
and it's this that grants us eternal life.
Upvote
0
S
SaintsandSinners
Guest
Amen God is love. The gospel truth is that God, Jesus, and the Spirit abide in those who have Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Praise God!
Upvote
0
Upvote
0
Regardless of our past,
no matter how attrocious our wrongdoings,
whether our sins be unconscious or even deliberate,
our Lord's sacrifice is sufficient
and God's forgiveness complete.
In this world we shall always be sinners,
and failures will plague us from time to time,
the forgiven and reconciled children of God
will dedicate themselves to obedience and good works.
We are now, even as sinners,
the sons and daugthers of righteousness.
We have, in effect, been crucified with Christ
and raised with Him from the dead.
We are new people,
focused upon new goals,
compelled by new ambitions,
committed to new objectives.
This means that we cease yeilding to self-interests
and self-concern,
seeking our own gratification at the expence of others.
This is the way we lived in the past.
We have now been reborn.
All things have become new.
Having recieved the Spirit of God's Love,
we love and accept ourselves
because God loves and accepts us,
and we dedicate ourselves
to loving our fellow persons as ourselves.
Whereas we were once slaves to self-concern,
we are now set free from it's destructive bondage
to be the followers of Jesus Christ.
While we celebrate our redemption,
even while we fail at times
to reflect and communicate the loving Grace of God,
this is the stand we take
and this is the goal we pursue.
We have discovered through sad experience
that there is nothing to be gained
theough self-service.
It resolves only in disallusionment and aching empyness.
The gift of Life is forever.
Service to God,
and to our fellow servant for God's sake and by His Grace,
fills life with joy and meaning and purpose.
no matter how attrocious our wrongdoings,
whether our sins be unconscious or even deliberate,
our Lord's sacrifice is sufficient
and God's forgiveness complete.
In this world we shall always be sinners,
and failures will plague us from time to time,
the forgiven and reconciled children of God
will dedicate themselves to obedience and good works.
We are now, even as sinners,
the sons and daugthers of righteousness.
We have, in effect, been crucified with Christ
and raised with Him from the dead.
We are new people,
focused upon new goals,
compelled by new ambitions,
committed to new objectives.
This means that we cease yeilding to self-interests
and self-concern,
seeking our own gratification at the expence of others.
This is the way we lived in the past.
We have now been reborn.
All things have become new.
Having recieved the Spirit of God's Love,
we love and accept ourselves
because God loves and accepts us,
and we dedicate ourselves
to loving our fellow persons as ourselves.
Whereas we were once slaves to self-concern,
we are now set free from it's destructive bondage
to be the followers of Jesus Christ.
While we celebrate our redemption,
even while we fail at times
to reflect and communicate the loving Grace of God,
this is the stand we take
and this is the goal we pursue.
We have discovered through sad experience
that there is nothing to be gained
theough self-service.
It resolves only in disallusionment and aching empyness.
The gift of Life is forever.
Service to God,
and to our fellow servant for God's sake and by His Grace,
fills life with joy and meaning and purpose.
Upvote
0
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