Christ at work in you, proofs of your faith, and of Christ through scriptures

December 1, 2013 Proofs of the Pudding “If you know that He is righteous, you know that every one that does righteousness is born of Him.” (1 John 2:29) The little book of 1 John provides a treasure trove of “proofs” that demonstrate the reality of the invisible spiritual change brought about by the new birth. There are two emphases: proofs based on personal experience and proofs based on intellectual awareness. Here is a short list of proofs we experience: Obedience to God’s commandments (1 John 2:2-5) 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. The Test of Knowing Him 3 Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. 4 He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.Experience of God in our lives (1 John 2:13-14) Obvious “antichrists” in the world (1 John 2:18) 18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the[a] Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.Worldly ignorance of Christianity (1 John 3:1) 3 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God![a] Therefore the world does not know us,[b] because it did not know Him. Sinners’ ignorance of righteousness (1 John 3:6) 6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. Our love for fellow Christians (1 John 3:16-18) 16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. The indwelling Holy Spirit (1 John 4:13) 13 By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. Our love for godly behavior (1 John 5:2) 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. Here are proofs we have intellectual confidence in: The Holy Spirit’s anointing (1 John 2:20) 20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. The holiness of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:29) 29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him. The Father’s love for us (1 John 3:1) 3 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God![a] Therefore the world does not know us,[b] because it did not know Him. Our eternal bodies to be like Christ (1 John 3:2) 2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Hating a brother is like murder (1 John 3:15) 15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Scripture’s message of eternal life (1 John 5:13) 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life,[a] and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. Assurance that we belong to God (1 John 5:19) 19 We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one Assurance that Christ has come (1 John 5:20) 20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. These evidences are primarily for the believer—that is, they are intended to assure the believer’s heart and mind of his security in Christ. John’s list is not intended to be complete but only to focus our thoughts on the obvious. When you count your blessings, remember these. HMM III

Thanksgiving

The was a man named Joseph and another man named Squanto, or Tisquantum, and strangely enough they are connected. Joseph was a brother of 12, whose father highly favored him, but he was so despised by his brothers that they fake killed him, and sold him into slavery. Squanto was kidnapped from America and sold as a slave in England. Both had to lean new languages, both were separated from their families. Both were educated and excelled at their educations. Tisquantum longed to be returned to America, and finally through Christian Englishmen, who bought his freedom, helped send him back. When he arrived his entire tribe was decimated by a disease probably brought by other whites, or English. Joseph was delivered from his prison eventually to interpret a dream Pharaoh had. His dream was a warning that there was going to be 7 years of plenty and 7 years of drought. Joseph was given the task of saving all the people by storing up grain for 7 years. Tsquantum, because he now spoke perfect english, came to a white settlement and communicated to the settlers ways of having enough food for the coming winter, which if he had not, possibly all would have died. In thanks, the whites invited Tisquantum and his new tribe to a celebration that lasted days, playing games, and eating a feast. God saves, He delivers, He rescues. He uses all things for good for those that love Him and are called according to His purposes. This morning my wife and I prayed, and we thanked God for His faithfulness of bringing us through all the betrayal, sickness, and trials of these last 9 months. God has birthed a new ministry from it. He has delivered my wife from cancer, and He has faithfully sustained us miraculously without a pay check. We have much to be thankful for. Thank You Lord so much. What people meant for evil, You have used for good, throughout history, and in our history. You are a good God, and we are thankful. In Jesus name, God bless you all, this day, and everyday. May you receive His blessings, amen.

Pride

Pride has been and always will be a horrendous, bad sin that even got angels kicked out of heaven. Pride has now been redefined and used excessively in the church, "I am proud of my daughter" people now say with fluency. Pride is evil, it always has been, and it always will be. Here is the full definition from Webster's 1880's dictionary: PRIDE, n. 1. Inordinate self-esteem; an unreasonable conceit of one's own superiority in talents, beauty, wealth, accomplishments, rank or elevation in office, which manifests itself in lofty airs, distance, reserve, and often in contempt of others. Martial pride looks down on industry. Pride goeth before destruction. Prov.16. Pride that dines on vanity, sups on contempt. All pride is abject and mean. Those that walk in pride he is able to abase. Dan.4. 2. Insolence; rude treatment of others; insolent exultation. That hardly we escap'd the pride of France. 3. Generous elation of heart; a noble self-esteem springing from a consciousness of worth. The honest pride of conscious virtue. 4. Elevation; loftiness. A falcon tow'ring in her pride of place. 5. Decoration; ornament; beauty displayed. Whose lofty trees, clad with summer's pride. Be his this sword Whose ivory sheath, inwrought with curious pride, Adds graceful terror to the wearer's side. 6. Splendid show; ostentation. Is this array, the war of either side Through Athens pass'd with military pride. 7. That of which men are proud; that which excites boasting. I will cut off the pride of the Philistines. Zech.9. Zeph.3. 8. Excitement of the sexual appetite in a female beast. 9. Proud persons. Ps.36. This is what pride used to mean. But now we have redefined it to be a good thing. Nowhere in scripture is there any good pride, there just isn't. If you think about having pride in filthy rags, nasty, blood ridden filthy rags, we might get a small picture of how silly it is for us to have pride in ourselves, in something we've done. Scripture is very clear that we are not to think highly of ourselves, because our worth outside of Christ is just that, filthy rags. So what is there to be proud of? Instead of pride in people, and none of us are worthy of that. How about love instead. Instead of us being proud of someone, how about we just love and bless them. We don't need pride, and besides, it's bad! Here are just 25 scriptures on pride, there are many more: I will break down your stubborn pride. Leviticus 26:19 The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who live in the clefts of the rocks and make your home on the heights, you who say to yourself, ‘Who can bring me down to the ground?’ Obadiah 1:3 His pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the LORD his God. 2 Chronicles 26:16 In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. Psalm 10:4 For the sins of their mouths, for the words of their lips, let them be caught in their pride. Psalm 59:12 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2 Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Proverbs 13:10 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor. Proverbs 29:23 The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride. Ecclesiastes 7:8 The eyes of the arrogant man will be humbled and the pride of men brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. Isaiah 2:11 I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. Isaiah 13:11 Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the glory of the Babylonians’ pride, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah. Isaiah 13:19 The LORD Almighty planned it, to bring low the pride of all glory and to humble all who are renowned on the earth. Isaiah 23:9 But when his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride, he was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory. Daniel 5:20 “Do not go beyond what is written.” Then you will not take pride in one man over against another. 1 Corinthians 4:6 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. Galatians 6:4 Your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 8:14 Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at every proud man and bring him low. Job 40:11 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. Psalm 138:6 The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished. Proverbs 16:5 Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Proverbs 16:19 Before his downfall a man’s heart is proud, but humility comes before honor. Proverbs 18:12 The LORD Almighty has a day in store for all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted (and they will be humbled). Isaiah 2:12 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 1 Corinthians 13:4 Use a different word, but don't use pride when you're describing your affection and feelings for others. I love my daughters, but I never want them to feel my, or anyone else's pride, just their love. Love replaces faith and hope as the greatest thing, do that, and everything else will come into it's reightful place, even pride, which belongs with the other dung we've been freed from.

How to raise a pagan kid in a Christian home; reprinted!

I read this, and thought it so touched on many of the things the Lord has shown us as parents, I had to copy paste! How to Raise a Pagan Kid in a Christian Home *Authors note: This post has gotten quite a lot of traffic. Several people (mainly practicing pagans) have pointed out that I used the word "pagan" in a way that doesn't fit the official definition. For my purposes here, I used that word to broadly define someone who rejects a biblical world view, fails to place God at the highest place in their lives, and is depending on something other than the cross for salvation. In hindsight, I probably could have gone with a different word. If you are a practicing pagan, please accept my apologies. Every Imperfect and Normal Family wants their kids to turn out right. So, we establish goals for character development and try to create an environment where our kids can mature. Church, school, sports teams, family relationships... each of these provides a context where our kids can learn to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Unfortunately, our “good” objectives might have absolutely nothing to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we inadvertently end up raising pagans instead of Christians. Too many times, (Christian) parents have it as their goal to make their kids good and moral. It is as if the entire purpose of their family’s spiritual life is to shape their children into law-abiding citizens who stay out of trouble. The only problem with this goal is that it runs in stark contrast to what the Bible teaches. The gospel is not about making bad people moral, but about making dead people alive. If we teach morality without the transforming power of the gospel and the necessity of a life fully surrendered to God's will, then we are raising moral pagans. We end up teaching the wrong thing because we have the wrong objectives. This sentiment was stirred in me afresh when I read an interview with Veggie Tales creator Phil Vischer. He was reflecting on how the “Christian message” he was trying to teach wasn’t Christianity at all... "I looked back at the previous 10 years and realized I had spent 10 years trying to convince kids to behave Christianly without actually teaching them Christianity. And that was a pretty serious conviction. You can say, "Hey kids, be more forgiving because the Bible says so," or "Hey kids, be more kind because the Bible says so!" But that isn't Christianity, it's morality. . . And that was such a huge shift for me from the American Christian ideal. We're drinking a cocktail that's a mix of the Protestant work ethic, the American dream, and the gospel. And we've intertwined them so completely that we can't tell them apart anymore. Our gospel has become a gospel of following your dreams and being good so God will make all your dreams come true. It's the Oprah god.” So what is your objective? Do you teach your kids "be good because the Bible tells you to" or do you teach your kids that they will never be good without Christ’s offer of grace? There is a huge difference. One leads to moralism; the other leads to brokenness. One leads to self-righteousness; the other leads to a life that realizes that Christ is everything and that nothing else matters. I want my kids to be good. We all do. But as our kids grow up, the truth of the gospel can easily get lost somewhere between salvation (where we know we need Jesus) and living life (where we tend to say “I’ve got this”). My experience is that the vast majority of parents are encouraging moral behavior in their kids so that God will bless their (usually self-centered) pursuits. It's the American Dream plus Jesus. And it produces good, moral pagans. Consider the key objectives you have for your kids. Seriously, take a minute to think about what would deem you a successful parent. If your goals are focused on your kids’ behavior, their happiness, or their accomplishments (but don’t include a dependence upon Christ and a submission to His will and work), then you might want to make some adjustments. Because the world has enough pagans. Even plenty of really nice ones. What we need is kids who fully grasp the reality that they have nothing to offer, but who intimately know a God who has everything they need. Phil Vischer finally got this. What about you? *Check back in early 2014 for information on our new book, The Talk(s): A Parent's Guide to Talking about Sex, Dating, and Other Unmentionables. You can click on the link to read a brief excerpt. The book has been developed to assist parents as they help their kids navigate our hyper-sexualized culture. *And we always appreciate it when you share INFO posts on social media. If you want more from INFO for Families, you can subscribe on our home page, like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter, or even find us on Pinterest.

The Game of Trouble; The Game of Life

How many of us have played the kids game, Trouble? You push the thing, and the dice tumbles and then you move your plastic, thimble looking pieces around the board and the first one to get all your yellow, (My wives favorite) blue, (My favorite, and every other boy in our house's favorite, which means I usually don't get, lay down my flesh right!?) red, (Everyone else's favorite, and my 2nd favorite, which means I usually don't get this one either) and green (The color no one usually wants, which means it's the one I usually get!) pieces home wins. I felt the Lord guiding me last night as I was playing. I've felt Him do this many times before. This time I decided not to listen, and I got pummeled, lost my peace, and did not do well! If God can guide a game, can't He guide our lives too? Let me tell you this; if He doesn't guide you, you, I, we, WILL be in trouble, and I'm not talkin' about the game!

The flesh profits nothing

I was standing at the stove this morning when the Lord had me pray. Looking at the cook top, "The Lord is the master chef, and we are His dish. He deicides what ingredients to put in, not us. He decides when to serve, not us. So if the Lord isn't serving it; a word, a deed, then it's just me." John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The Spirit alone gives life. God Himself breathed life into us, as He did with Adam, the first man. I can't save, I can't heal, but we know Who can. No matter how hard I work in the flesh, I can never accomplish one thing that the Spirit can. Sometimes our sin doesn't seem to hurt anyone, it's just a nuisance. But what good is a nuisance? It's worthless, it profits nothing. Dead works the bible calls them. “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and a faith toward God.” (Hebrews 6:1) Hebrews 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? There is nothing He can't do, none He can't save or heal. But there is nothing we can do if we are in our flesh, remember, the flesh profits NOTHING! According to Jesus, and that's my standard, and the only way that leads to life.

Handiwork of the Lord

The imprint of the day should be the handiwork of God, in every way, in every day. If " This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." then we should see God's imprint on it, and not ours!(Psalm 118:24) A nock off Rolex might look the part, but it will not have the parts of a real Rolex. I don't want a knock off day, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15b) A knock off never has the same look and feel, if you know the real thing really well. I've even been told counterfeit bills are best seen if you know the originals inside and out. Do we know Christ in this way? Do we surrender our days to His bidding? "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10) Are we allowing God to be Lord master, savior, ruler of the day? Is it our day or His? Again, "...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15b)