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The Freedom In Jesus Christ Our Lord

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“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?”
– Isaiah 58:5

Guest Post by James Hill:
For most of my life as a professing Christian I had always thought fasting was a humbling of ourselves before God … until I read Isaiah 58 completely, and prayerfully sought to understand. 

It was forty days ago that I woke one morning and realized I was on a fast.  I had tried a few times earlier in the year but only went a day each attempt, but this time I knew God had decided to lead me in it.  The previous year I had embarked on a fast that lasted forty days – drinking only liquids, water, coffee, diet soda, and the occasional French Vanilla.  I didn’t really understand what I was seeking at that time, but God met me and opened my eyes to insights that helped me grow as a man – as His man.  This year I knew what I wanted.

Freedom.

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter– when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
– Isaiah 58:6-7

It occurred to me that God was not just speaking of loosing chains and yokes that bind others – He was also speaking of the chains and yokes that bind me.  As my fast began God shone light on this passage within the first day or two.  It was obvious to me that God had drawn me to the fast because I was successfully and enthusiastically moving forward, but it was also quickly obvious that freedom is what He wanted me to seek.

As the days passed I began to wonder what deep aspects of myself God would reveal that have kept me bound, unawares over the years.  What mysteries deeply hidden within would God bring to the surface?  I’m afraid I still often regard my Creator as some grande mysterious Sudoku that I can unravel if I just concentrate hard enough.  Or that He is some omniscient psychologist Who will take me back to the hidden secrets of my past.  Much of the world can and has influenced my thinking and perspectives in this respect.  What He did eventually first reveal to me was, at first realization, more profound than I could have imagined because it had nothing to do with me … not really.  Instead of probing the roots of my beginnings He shared with me the roots of His creation.

I realized two truths in His revelation:

  1. God created us perfectly.
  2. God’s original plan for us was perfectly designed.

At first this baffled me because I have always had difficulty resolving that the creation was perfect, yet we are advised that the world and the flesh are wicked.

God created us perfectly.

There was no flaw in His design of mankind.  The human body is an amazing system of functions that interact with such complexity on an ongoing basis.  And it is perfectly designed to be selfish.  Yes, I said selfish – but not with the negative connotation we would automatically assume.  When our bodies are injured they proceed to heal.  If they are hungry we are compelled to feed them.  When they tire we rest.  The body is designed to be self-sustaining, to look after itself.  Perfectly selfish, but without the taints of greed or lust or ambitions that our own hearts can add.  Our body can hunger, but we can then decide we need more than it needs and seek to amass to ourselves more than enough.  We can pervert that hunger into greed.  Our bodies were never flawed, and never the problem.  Our souls, tainted by perversion, are.

God’s original plan for us was perfectly designed.

Before God opened my ears and eyes to better understand, I thought our gaining the knowledge of good and evil was our ruin, but it was always God’s intention that we have that knowledge.  It was a must for our perfectly designed ability to reason and choose.  So did God intend for us to fall?  I pondered this question with a friend one morning.  He also wondered if God designed us to fail.  Yet if our design was perfect and His plan was perfect, and this is the way it went – disobey, eat the fruit, cast out of the garden, death – then that must be His design?  No.  Emphatically, no!  Man ate the fruit, disobeyed God and experienced that disobedience in order to become aware of good and evil.  Yet if man refused to eat and obeyed God, man would have experienced obedience and again become aware of good and evil.  God wanted us to have that knowledge through obedience.  Our tainted souls chose otherwise.

This was a huge release for me to finally understand the perfection of our Creator and all that He does.  That our fall is not a consequence of either His secret motives or fallibility.  Our God is awesomely perfect!

This gave me much to consider going forward.  And it was in the latter weeks and days of my fast that two thoughts were impressed upon me that I verified through God’s Word in Scripture.

  1. There is enough time … for everything.
  2. The last shall be first.

The first idea was impressed upon me early morning at the gym.  Yes, God kept me strong and active during my fast 🙂  The second was impressed upon me in the last couple days, during the evening while listing to a radio ministry program.

There is enough time … for everything.

When this thought first rose up in my mind I was deeply impressed at how thoughts of immediacy and urgency faded before it.  There is no reason to be anxious or concerned about anything, because there is enough time … for everything.  I was, however, concerned because I could not recall any Scripture that said that same thing.  I was worried I just made something up for myself, so I set to prayer and searching to understand.

“Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.””
– Exodus 3:13,14

“‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ they said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’ ‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I AM!'”
– John 8:57,58

I AM is the very present moment.  And our God is omnipresent – everywhere at once, both in space and in time because He is not contained by either.  If time were a straight line drawn on paper, then God is the paper it is drawn on.  A thousand years ago God is present I AM, and a thousand years from now He is present I AM.

“I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
– Revelation 22:13

With such an awesome God Who is unlimited by space or time, and perfect in all His ways, how could anxiousness or fear stand before His way?  Trust in Him means there is enough time … for everything.

The last shall be first.

I sat quietly in my van, listening to the radio.  It was evening and I was considering how my fast was coming to an end.  The inspirational program included a song about the first being last and the last being first.  I could recall reading those words many times that our Lord spoke, and they were never so profound as they suddenly were in that moment.  The last shall be first.  I realized with such startling clarity that our Lord Jesus, for all intents and purposes, was always last.  He never sought His own.  He never argued to gain His own way.  He never asserted Himself so that others would not take advantage.  He put Himself last.  If I argue with another over a parking spot, or a table at a cafe, or their noise at the library … I’m seeking my own.  Trying to be first and only setting myself to the back instead.  It’s turning my cheek, and taking the loss, conceding the parking spot or table; that is to put myself last and give the enemy nothing to work with.  And God will honour me whenever I step out for His purpose.  Jesus gave His life – any dreams or hopes or aspirations dying with Him.  And now He has everything!  God has my good in mind, so I should easily trust Him and stop trying to establish my own good.  I do not have to fear, or to be anxious, or to entertain doubts.  The awesome, perfect God Who is unlimited by space or time, seeks to honour and raise me up!  Why worry?

The awesome, perfect God Who is unlimited by space or time, seeks to honour and raise me up!

And in this freedom God is preparing me to be of real use in His commitment to the well being of others.  To help in their freedom from chains and yokes and to never be a cause of them.

  This fast has been awesome 🙂 

James Hill, President and CEO of UserTutor Corporation, is a guest author sharing his experience in walking with Jesus Christ.  This article is printed with James’ permission and our appreciation.

It Is Christ Who Lives In Me

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“And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”
– Acts 10:38

This same Jesus of Nazareth, the risen and eternal Lord Jesus, now resides in all those who believe in Him.  And we go around doing good and healing all who are oppressed by the devil, for God is with us.

Or do we?  For many of us, we do not yet realize the great potential of Christ now living our lives.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
– Galatians 2:20

Do you see the amazing glory in Paul’s encouragement?  The same Spirit that lived in Jesus of Nazareth is the same Spirit that lives in you!  And we know that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” – Hebrews 13:8.  His purpose as a man in this world has not changed – to destroy the works of the devil and to bring all men from darkness to Light and to the love of our Father.  And He is still in this world as a human being – in you!

Even as we have died with Christ through His cross, we are now alive in Him through His resurrection.  We now live His life, and we now live His purpose.

And we go around doing good and healing all who are oppressed by the devil, for God is with us.

Unfortunately we talk ourselves out of living His purpose because our faith is weak.  Where we should be interceding on behalf of others, opening their eyes to the truth and freeing them from sickness and oppression, we still wonder if it’s actually possible to walk in the path of our Lord.  What if we fail?  What if we didn’t understand properly?  What if our faith fails?

Our answer is, your faith can only fail when it isn’t used.  Try.  Step out and intercede.  Offer to pray for someone for help, or healing, or freedom.  What you are doing is allowing Christ to live through you.  Ask the Father for His grace, tell the sick body to be healed, command oppressive spirits to be silent and depart, and invite the person you are interceding for to see the love of God for them.  Christ, Whose commands were obeyed 2,000 years ago is our eternal King with all authority.  His commands are still obeyed, and more so, and He is alive and active through your act of faith – you tried.  You stepped out.

And (you) go around doing good and healing all who are oppressed by the devil, for God is with (you).

Remember that this new life you live is by faith.  Christ does indeed live in you, and when you step out and try He lives through you as well.  Your act of trust allows the Lord to honour your requests and your commands in His name.  Step out and try.  It’s an uncertain and frightening step when every experience you know as a human being says you won’t make a difference because life is life – it happens.  But step out and try.  Let Christ live through you and soon your experiences will be radically changed as you see His faithfulness proven time and again.  Step out and try.

But how do I know that the Lord wants to heal someone or free them from an oppression?  Allow Him to lead you.  If you see someone hurting and the desire rising within you is to help them, that is Jesus inspiring your compassion and desire.  Step out and try.

But what it I’m not feeling inspired?  What if I think I’m just trying to prove something, or testing Jesus just to see what He does?  Then pray.  Talk to our Father and ask Him to open your heart to Jesus’ desires and to open your mind to His will.  Look at the person you would intercede for and allow God to stir you.  Your doubts will fade and your desire for that person’s good will grow.  Step out and try.

Christ does indeed live in you, and when you step out and try He lives through you as well.

Step out and try.  Our God is big enough to take our little faith and grow a huge tree with it 🙂  When your heart is for Him and your desire is for His will, you cannot make a wrong decision because God will work with and through your faith.

Settle it in the truth, the Lord Jesus lives in you.  And when you step out and try He lives through you as well.

And (you) go around doing good and healing all who are oppressed by the devil, for God is with (you).

Being The Unforgivable Sinner

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“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.”
– Hebrews 4:16

We have all heard talk and teachings about the unforgivable sin, but the unforgivable sinner is rarely spoken of.  We don’t talk about sinners not being forgiven because as Christians our entire faith is built upon the belief of forgiveness for all who ask.  And because as Christians we know that we ourselves are forgiven … aren’t we?

The truth is, yes, we are fully forgiven in Christ.  Yet a sad fact is many of us live our new lives as if we were still without forgiveness.  We conduct our days from confession to confession, ever seeking God’s mercy on us for who we are and what we’ve done.  Our mood is marked by a sense of apology and contrition as we seek mercy for ourselves, not understanding that we are being rendered ineffective in the service of our King.

We fail to come boldly to the throne of His grace.

a sad fact is many of us live our new lives as if we were still without forgiveness

To gain a better understanding of this, consider someone in your life who you respect and who has authority in your life.  Maybe a parent or grandparent, a teacher, an older sibling – someone whose opinion really matters to you.  Now imagine you did something against them, perhaps you stole money or a possession of theirs, and you were discovered.  Your first thought might be to try and make an excuse or to justify it, but inside you know there really is no excuse so you eventually confess to them your guilt, and you try to tell them how sorry you are for what you did to them.  You offer to restore or make up for what you’ve cost them because you can feel your own heart breaking for what you’ve done to them.

Now imagine they smiled, gave you a big hug and said not to worry about it.  They tell you that you are completely forgiven and ask you to stay for supper.  During supper they laugh with you about funny times you’ve shared with them in the past and it is as if you never stole from them.  You are happy with them just like before.

The next morning you wake up and begin to think again about what you had done to them when you stole.  When the phone rings you don’t answer because you can see on call display it’s them.  When they come to the door you keep quiet and don’t answer, pretending that no one is home.  When you accidentally bump into them in the afternoon you quickly make an excuse why you weren’t at home – even though you were there – and nervously laugh when they ask how you’re doing and make up another excuse of having to be somewhere soon.  You start to believe in your own guilt again, and you feel ashamed to be around them.  You find every reason you can to avoid them from then on.

But let’s look at another option:

The next morning you wake up and begin to think again about what you had done to them when you stole.  When the phone rings, this time you answer it and talk with them.  You tell them how you’re still feeling bad about what you’ve done, and they begin to assure you it’s all good.  You’re forgiven.  And after a little while you begin to feel as happy and accepted as you did the night before.  You go on with your day, confident because that dark weight is not on your shoulders.  You don’t avoid phone calls or meeting people and you are useful for many things throughout that day.  And you aren’t afraid to go visit them or to give them a call because you are reminded by their attitude that what you did will never be brought up by them again – it’s as if you never stole from them at all.  You can boldly approach them just like before.

You’re forgiven.

And it’s the same with our forgiveness in Christ.  The more time we spend with Him in prayer and in His word, the more we grow in being convinced of our forgiveness and the bolder we can be to approach Him at any time – for any reason.  It is as if we never sinned in His eyes.  He will never bring those things up again.

“And he has taken our sins as far away from us as the east is from the west.”
– Psalms 103:12
“I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”
– Isaiah 43:25

Unfortunately, so many of us get distracted and caught up in our day to day lives and we let go of that communication with our Lord.  And as that assurance He provides diminishes it gets replaced with the old guilt – that same guilt that leads us to find excuses to not pray or read His word.  Then as that guilt builds we eventually turn to Him and agonize about how bad we are and how sorry we are, and we beg Him to forgive us, and then we return to our distractions once again only to repeat that cycle – over and over and over again.

But shouldn’t our turning to Him cleanse us and give us a fresh start?  Not in the way we might think.  If, as a Christian, we told a lie or stole, that is an act that would cause us guilt and one that we would turn to Him for.  He in His faithfulness would tell us that He forgave us ALL our sin – past, present, and future – and He would assure us of our value and worth.  We would go forward from there confident and assured – boldly.  So in that case, yes, He picks us up and inspires in us that fresh start feeling of going forward and not looking back.  But, the guilt that renders us useless is not related to an act of sin but an ongoing state of sin.  We come to believe in how unworthy we are and we act worthless as a result.  Christ cleansed us and made us new creations, but that state of guilt is seeking forgiveness for something that no longer exists.  We’re bringing up the things He said He will no longer remember.

we beg Him to forgive us, and then we return to our distractions once again only to repeat that cycle – over and over and over again

Jesus certainly does not want us stuck in such a cycle.  He desires our hearts to be good ground that bears fruit to the glory of our Father.  And that good ground is a heart that believes Him, and believes in His righteousness.  Believing Him is the easier of the two.  James wrote in chapter 2, verse 19, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.”  What is harder for many of us to believe is His righteousness.  Did you know that righteousness and justice are the same word used in the Greek and the same word in the Hebrew?  They define as equitable, fair, without prejudice.  And that means what Scripture already tells us – God does not get influenced by the status or state of any person, but is good to all without variance.  That means if He forgives one who turns to Him, He forgives all.  There is no one who turns to Him where He would say, “Not this one.”  There is no unforgivable sinner.

And because we are blessed to share in His righteousness then we, too, learn to not be influenced by the status or state of any person.  And we do not say, “Not this one.”  And we do not say, “Not me.”  But we all must – must – continue daily with our Lord, speaking with Him and listening to His word.  He is the encouragement that reminds us of our forgiveness and acceptance, and our confidence to boldly approach Him and to serve Him usefully.  Without His influence we are left to the ways of a sinful world, of flesh, and of the devil.  And they do not understand God’s righteousness and so our ears and hearts are not reminded of our forgiveness – only about how bad we are.  We need God daily.

There is no unforgivable sinner.

A forgiven person dares to ask Jesus to heal another.  They dare to help the elderly and the young with their strength.  They dare to ask help from their Father for their needs.  They dare to intercede on behalf of another’s needs.  They dare to give freely and with joy.  They are useful to our Master and His service because they are reminded daily how loved and accepted they are by the Lord Himself.

An unforgiven person sits often alone, lamenting their shame and begging forgiveness.  They try to serve but joy often escapes them.  They neglect fellowship with Jesus and His children and only hear the words of condemnation that the world and the devil reinforce daily.  They cannot usefully serve the Master.

Settle it in  the truth then.  You are forgiven, and you must to be reminded of this daily through your abiding in Christ and in His word and in His fellowship.  Then boldly go forth – fully forgiven and fully useful in His service 🙂

Live By And Walk In The Spirit

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“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in [be guided by] the Spirit.”
– Galatians 5:25

There is so much said in such a short verse of Scripture.  “If we live in the Spirit” is a hypothetical statement used by Paul to encourage believers who have received Jesus to walk in accordance to His Spirit.  It is an intended redundant statement since as believers we have been raised to new life by the Spirit of God, even as our Lord was raised and emerged from the tomb by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Its intended purpose is for all believers to respond, “Yes, let us walk in the Spirit!”, yet there are many who feel an absence of the experience to this new life in the Spirit.  For many the conviction that comes from forces greater than ourselves seems missing.

Shouldn’t the experience of the Spirit of God joining with ours be something notable?  Shouldn’t it go beyond the feeling that maybe we’re only just stirring ourselves up because we want so much to believe?  The early church of Acts seems filled with examples of those who experienced something unique that stirred them to a greater participation and faith in Christ.

yet there are many who feel an absence of the experience to this new life in the Spirit

Our answer is, Yes, it is something notable and it does stir us up to greater faith!  But our observation is that Acts also contains examples of those who did not seem to experience anything new, but instead continued on as they were before.  Simon the sorcerer is recorded as believing, then he offered money to get the gift of laying on hands so others can receive the Spirit.  Peter quickly rebuked him for turning the gift of God into merchandise.  Ananias and Sapphira sold their possessions along with many others but kept back part of the proceeds for themselves.  That greed led to lying about it which then led to their falling dead when faced with what they had done.

Those two examples were of believers who apparently received Christ, but continued to walk in their worldly ways and thinking in accordance to their worldly reasoning.  Did they receive the Spirit when they believed?  Yes, because the promise of God’s Spirit is for all who call on the name of Jesus – however –  as notable and stirring as that impartation is, for many there are things still more notable and stirring to them than that Gift from God.

“For we also received the good news, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it.”
– Hebrews 4:2

Our faith is a reasoned choice and often tied into our worldly ways of reasoning.  We rely on our experiences to determine what methods and outcomes we can expect in any given situation.  To give you some examples to consider, who among us would have thought to look in a fish’s mouth for the temple tax?  Or who would have reasoned that to feed a multitude with very little food we just simply multiply that food?  Or to get to the other side of a stormy lake with no boat, who of us would have considered walking across it?  Our worldly ways of logic would never have considered those options.

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
– 1 Corinthians 2:16

When the Spirit of God raises us to new life what happens is our spirit is blended with His – and we become one Spirit.  The unity is so close and complete that one could not tell where he or she ends and God begins.  Before we were raised to new life, the spirit that was in us as normal human beings is what stirred us to our actions and responses.  It was the motivator and content used by our reasoning.  Now we are one with God’s Spirit and the motivator and content has changed dramatically – but the reasoning still tends to remain the same.  So we have the mind of Christ to think His thoughts – and our minds to think ours.  And more often than not we rule out the promptings of Christ’s thoughts because they don’t seem logical to our minds.

We rely on our experiences to determine what methods and outcomes we can expect in any given situation

Being raised to new life in the Spirit means we have to die first.  We need to die so we can no longer hold to the values and passions of our worldly experiences.  When anyone dies all their attachments, affections, passions, guilt, ambitions, and possessions no longer have influence on them or attachment to them.  When we die in Christ it is the same.  All that we have held as important in our lives gives way to the importance we now place on our new life in Jesus.

But didn’t Jesus die in our place on the cross?  Yes, but not so we would not have to die, but so that we could choose to die – with Him.  And dying with Him means being raised to eternal life with Him also.  We do not – and cannot – bypass the cross.  Our act of faith in baptism or public confession is our declaration that we follow Jesus to the cross and die with Him.

“For surely you know that when we were baptized into union with Christ Jesus, we were baptized into union with his death. By our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life.”
– Romans 6:3-4

[NOTE: There are many differing approaches to baptism from sprinkling to full water immersion to a no water public confession.  The position we hold on this is that the method is not a point of debate.  Our Father regards the hearts and when we come to Jesus and His cross in our response to declare and share in His death, whether sprinkled or immersed or neither, or in a church or a river or a bathtub, our answer is accepted before our Father.  And we emerge in newness of life – a new creation!]

We do not – and cannot – bypass the cross.

Whatever the method of your baptism or public confession we encourage you to settle that in the truth that you have died with Christ and are accepted by the Father.  The life you now live is in union with the risen Christ!  And now “If we live in the Spirit” is answered.  We do indeed live by the Spirit, as does everyone who turns to Jesus Christ.

So, are we then guided by the Spirit?

“Those who love their father or mother more than me are not fit to be my disciples; those who love their son or daughter more than me are not fit to be my disciples. Those who do not take up their cross and follow in my steps are not fit to be my disciples. Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it.”
– Matthew 10:37-39

The phrase “not fit to be my disciples” means unable to be students, or unable to be taught and guided.  Those who are still governed by their worldly reasoning cannot be guided by the Spirit of God.  Consider receiving advice from someone you hardly know, and from someone you respect highly – who would you listen to?  The one you respect highly, of course.  And if the Spirit is guiding you, and your own reasoning is guiding you, if you have any attachments or affections that exceed your love for Christ then you will not listen to God’s Spirit … you would be unable to be taught or guided by Him.

Those who are still governed by their worldly reasoning cannot be guided by the Spirit of God.

“Jesus tells us not to seek after the things of this world, but the rent is due and He doesn’t seem to be taking care of it!  And we need groceries, too!!  I’ll need to get more hours at work, then, or a second job!!!“  Sound familiar?  That’s our worldly reasoning looking into our wallet for God’s answers and provision.  “Trust my Father” is Christ’s reasoning.  Our reasoning has us anxiously borrowing, seeking, asking, focusing on our need and our reasoned solution.  Christ’s reasoning has us convinced God has our need in mind and our solution at hand so we can move forward in the day without distraction, focused on what He wishes to accomplish through us by the guidance of His Spirit.

“I really should be calling for additional work because we need the money! … But I really feel like I should call old Mrs. Smith to see how she’s doing.  Yet she’ll keep me on the phone for hours!!“  You have your worldly reasoning that has your best interests at heart, and you have the mind of Christ that says trust God and do good because your needs are met and the best interests of others is what’s at heart.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
– Romans 12:2

Practice trusting God at every opportunity.  Start developing new experiences that will form the new basis of your reasoning.  Settle it in the truth that God is a good Father who is deeply interested in you and your needs, and is willing and capable to meet and exceed those needs so that you are free to respond to His thoughts and guidance.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
– Psalm 34:8

Experience the Father and your new life in Him by trusting Him.  You will never be disappointed!  Filter every thought and reasoning through trust in Him and let it become your practiced response, and you will find yourself walking in and guided by the Spirit.  And encourage others because you’re not the only one learning this 🙂

* A closing thought:  It’s not all about you.  If it were all about you then you’d be in Heaven now.  No, you’re still here in this life because it’s about others.  Trust Him and find yourself extremely useful to His purposes for those others.

The Fundamental Things We Believe

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It seems useful to provide a statement of the things we believe so that readers can decide for themselves if our postings are worthy of their attention.  Truth is our foremost pursuit and we are pleased to receive any correction and any confirmation of our doctrinal and faith position.

1. We believe that the Bible contains God’s Word to us, that it was written by holy men of God who were inspired by God’s Spirit in the writing.  We believe that it is suitable for all doctrine, instruction, and correction.  And we believe that it is spiritually discerned by God’s Spirit in the heart of every believer of Jesus Christ.

2. We believe that God is Spirit and that no person has seen Him at any time.  We believe He is that Holy Spirit who shaped the worlds and created all things that were created through His own creative omnipotence and faithfulness to His creative, directive Word.

3. We believe that God has expressed Himself to mankind through His holy men the prophets, through His heavenly angels, and finally through His only begotten Son, Jesus.

4. We believe that Jesus Christ was sent by God to enter this world as a man, the Word having laid aside His divine attributes in order to be fully man, and lived His life in union with the Spirit of God Who enabled His sinless and miraculous existence among sinful mankind.

5. We believe that God gave man authority and dominion over the earth, and that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  As such, when mankind fell into sin only a man could redeem us from sin.  The price of sin is death and so Jesus Christ, fully man, paid that price on the cross for all people.

6. We believe that God chose Israel as bearers of His name to the world, and that they were entrusted with His commands and declarations, and with the authority to write and declare Scripture.  With fulfillment of the law declared as the means to salvation, Israel then rejected that by crucifying as a sinner the sinless Jesus of Nazareth.  All persons were effectively declared sinners through the entrusted nation of Israel because no one could surpass the sinless holiness of Jesus.

7. We believe that all mankind being declared sinners proved God to be just in permitting death as the wages of sin, and then further proved Him to be merciful through His grace in raising Jesus from death to eternal life.  God chose to save us!

8. We believe that in Jesus we die with Him through the cross and our sins are now paid in full, and we believe that in Jesus we are raised to newness of life in union with the Spirit of God and our lives are now at and in His service – empowered by His Spirit to sinless and miraculous existence.

9. We believe that all authority is given to Jesus Who is the eternal King and faithful High Priest over and for all mankind, and that trust in Him is the active and ongoing declaration of our faith.  We believe because He is!

10. We believe that we are exactly what God the Father and Jesus the Lord say we are: beloved, redeemed, accepted, holy, righteous and we live our lives in submission to His care and direction – free of condemnation and filled with trust at being in the caring and directive hands of our Creator and Saviour.

A Greater Weight Of Glory

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“All this is for your sake; and as God’s grace reaches more and more people, they will offer to the glory of God more prayers of thanksgiving. For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day. And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.”
– 2 Corinthians 4:15-18

The difficulties we may suffer serve a purpose in the Lord.  They are often the consequences of grace increasing its reach to the lost, for which the adversary is strongly and at times violently opposed.  And they serve to increase the development of Jesus in us.

Now you might think that suffering is a bad thing that needs to be removed immediately.  We agree.  Suffering was never a creation of God our Father; it was a consequence of a fallen world and a tool of darkness.  Christ came to destroy the works of the enemy.  However, as God carries out His divine will it sometimes requires that we endure suffering.

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
– 1 Peter 5:8-10

When suffering presents itself we know it is the work of the devil trying to break people down in body, mind and soul.  We know that he is on this attack against every believer across the world.  And we know it is only temporary because God restores each of us in His time.  Suffering is never without a purpose.

When you find yourself in difficult times, even agonizing circumstances, and it seems to go on without end be certain it is not God causing you that grief.  He’s not mad at you!  You are His child and He loves you and treasures you.  Certainly in His great power He could step in and end your grief immediately – so why doesn’t He?  Because while you are suffering your circumstances are aiding another or others in the receiving of God’s grace.  He hasn’t abandoned you.  He’s asking you to hang on!  This suffering won’t last!  You are working with Him in the salvation of other souls.

and as God’s grace reaches more and more people, they will offer to the glory of God more prayers of thanksgiving. For this reason we never become discouraged

And you yourself are receiving a greater weight of glory as the suffering serves to produce Christ in you even more than He was.  You become even more like our Saviour!  Trust our Father.  He knows the greater and the greatest good – for you and for every one of us.

Suffering is never without a purpose.

Does this mean we can reach a point where suffering ceases?  No.  Not in this life.  The devil is enraged.  Think of any experience you’ve had with an enraged person.  They’re almost insane in their fury, without stable logic and unable to be reasoned with.  He is violently attacking anyone and everyone.  However, for believers we do reach a point in our maturity when we see him for who he is, and we learn to resist him in the faith.  We know who we are in the Father and we grow in peace and certainty in our minds and souls.  We reach a point where the devil has no more influence on our thoughts, and no power over our persons.  

In each life he will often turn to deceiving others to be instruments of his attacks.  We do not resist them, but instead turn the other cheek.  In doing that the tools of the devil are rendered useless because they’re not being put to use.  The people themselves are not the enemy – just deceived by the enemy.  It is a war while we are still here in this life, and we are here because others are being saved through God’s preparations and actions involving each of us.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you will become children of your Father in heaven, because he makes his sun rise on both evil and good people, and he lets rain fall on the righteous and the unrighteous.”
– Matthew 5:44-45

Do you see how valuable you are when you are seemingly defeated?  Do you see how powerful you are at your lowest?

“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”
– 2 Corinthians 12:10

We encourage you to read and re-read this post – and settle your hearts and minds in the truth.  Suffering exists, and happens.  We try to avoid it with wisdom, and we try to end it when that is in our power, but we never blame God for it.  Instead we rejoice (or at least a little smile) that our Father is at work when we suffer.  We are partners with Jesus in saving souls, we are becoming even more like Him, and we are not abandoned – ever!

“…And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:20b