Fruit

Fruit

We are to produce the fruit of GOD’s Kingdom by abiding in Christ Jesus! “I Am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

We can have useless fruit in our lives; fruit that is not resulting in treasures being built up in Heaven. “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Either make the tree good and its fruit good or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.” (Matthew 7:18, 12:33)

We can have wheat and tares growing in our life. “Let both grow together until the harvest and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.’” (Matthew 13:30)

We can produce fruit in our life that is a blessing to ourself and our family but has no spiritual or eternal value; tastee and satisfying but not nourishing.

Abiding and being fruitful is the work of Holy Spirit in our life but we must participate; being fruitful is not a spectator sport. We have to not just ask for forgiveness, but we have to get the bad habits out of our life and incorporate the good habits of GOD’s Kingdom into our life; this is repentance.

“Father, dig up the soil around me, fertilize and water me so that I will produce the fruit of Your Kingdom. Father, forgive me for producing fruit that is under developed, that is not nourishing or good for seed for me, my family, the Church or the world. If it is not the fruit of Your Spirit – love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance – cut it from my life. Father, cut down the trees in my life that produce false good fruit (fruit that meets the world’s standard of success) and cut down the trees in my life that produce bad fruit. Father, prune the good but weak fruit in my life to bring good, healthy fruit to harvest and produce in me the humility of wheat so the tares can be reaped and burned.”

Study Matthew 3:4-12, 6:18-21 & 24, 7:15-23, 12:33-37, 13:24-30 & 36-43, 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14 & 20-24; Luke 3:7-14, 13:6-9; John 15:1-17; Galatians 5:18-26

Faith Is Works

Faith Equals Works

Works Require Faith

We all understand the principle of faith and works it is well taught by James and expressed by Paul. What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. (James 2:14, 26; Hebrews 11:1) Paul defines faith and James defines the relationship between works and faith; that is the way we generally view these passages.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of GOD, not of works lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9) This seems to contradict the previous scriptures, but it does not when you read the whole section of this letter to the Ephesians (in context).

If we believe that Hebrews 11:1 is the definition of faith and that James teaches the works of faith how do we answer his question in verse 14, Can faith save him? Yes, of course it does. We understand that the works referred to in Ephesians 2 are works that would prepare us for salvation; stopping our bad habits, start going to church, stuff that we do of our own accord so that GOD will like us and be pleased with us. The fact is that we cannot do anything that will make GOD love us more or want to save us more than He already does. For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven where neither moth not rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 7:19-21) So if we are saved by faith not by works and faith without works is dead and works without faith are dead how do we build up treasures in Heaven?

What then is the balance of faith and works? We know that we cannot do anything to save ourself, we must come to GOD as we are; a sinner who cannot or will not change and only the power of the Gospel of Christ can save us. For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of GOD to salvation to everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of GOD is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17) So it is by faith that we do the works of salvation that will change us. Therefore my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is GOD who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13) What are the works of salvation?

This is where we have to know what Jesus said and taught, He taught us to pray for the will of GOD, “Your Kingdom come Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Seek first the Kingdom of GOD and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Not everyone who says to Me,’ LORD, LORD’, shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me. Truthfully, I say to you, he who believes in Me the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. If you keep My Commandments you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” (Matthew 6:10, 33; 7:21; John 5:12, 38, 15:10)

So we are saved by faith through grace not by our own works or will, we are to do the will of the Father – the works of His Kingdom in the earth and not our own, and we are to keep Jesus’ commandments. Grace, faith, works (will) these work together not separately if we are going to work out our own salvation which is a gift from GOD through grace in fear and trembling then it must be done by keeping Jesus’ commandments which is to do the will (works) of GOD.

Why with fear and trembling? “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you, depart from Me you who practice lawlessness.’ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 7:23, 10:28)

What are the works of GOD that we are to do to build up treasure in Heaven? What did Jesus do? Only what He saw the Father doing. What did Jesus say? Only what He heard the Father saying. Why is this so hard for us? It is work sometimes hard, messy, painful work. It requires the surrender of our will (desires) to the Father’s will. It requires a public presence and statement of faith in Jesus by our obedience. It is scary!

In the 1960’s and 70’s during the Jesus and Charismatic movements many of the opponents and resisters of Christianity claimed Christianity was for weaklings, that it was like a crutch. That of course is not true, even in a country like the USA where Christianity is mostly excepted and persecution is minimal Christians are still ridiculed, mocked and treated with distain by many. But the hardest and messiest part is the personal changes we have to apply to our life (repentance). Repentance is not just asking for forgiveness but it is the process through testing, trials and persecutions of taking up our cross and following Jesus – dying to self to live for Jesus or be like those in Matthew 7:21-23

The cross was the will of the Father for Jesus and it is the will of the Father for us! When He had called the people to himself with His disciples He said, “Whoever desires to come after Me let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” (Mark 8:34)

Study Matthew 6, 7:21-23, 12:27-31, 13:24-30 & 36-43, 26:36-46, 28:16-20; Mark 8:34-38, 14:32-42, 16:14-18; Luke 12:4-7, 22:39-46, 24:44-49; John 3:14-21, 11:17-27, 14:7-18, 17:1-5; Acts 1:4-8; Romans 11:1-10; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; Ephesians 2:1-10; Philippians 2:12-18; Hebrews 11:1-12:2; James 1:21-27, 2:14-26.

Psalm 87

Psalm 87

A psalm of the sons of Korah. A song.

His foundation is in the holy mountains. The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of you O city of GOD! (Selah) “I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to those who know Me; Behold, O Philistia and Tyre, with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.’” And of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her; and the Most High Himself shall establish her.” The LORD will record when He registers the peoples: “This one was born there.” (Selah) Both the singers and the players on instruments say, “All my springs are in you.”

This was written to the Israelites but it also applies to the Church, those who are born again not by natural birth of the blood line of family; but those born of spirit and water by the blood line of Jesus into His family. This is exclusive: everyone is invited but not everyone is chosen.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from GOD; for no one can do these signs that You do unless GOD is with Him.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you, be very assured unless one is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of GOD. …  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. GOD did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of GOD.” (John 3:1-21)

Jesus said, “I saw satan fall like lightning from Heaven, listen carefully, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven.” (Luke 10:17-20) He made a point that our spiritual birth, being born again, was recorded in Heaven in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Before the foundation of the earth was laid, Jesus was crucified so that every person ever born and who will be born can be saved. Jesus did everything necessary for us to be saved but we have to except the invitation and fulfill the requirements. Requirements? Yes, requirements!

Jesus was clear that being saved is not just saying a prayer and then waiting to die and go to heaven, or saying a prayer and then doing whatever we want for the rest of our life. Jesus said such controversial things as, “If anyone loves Me he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My Words; and the Word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me. … Most truthfully I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. … I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6, 12, 23-24)

 “I am the true vine and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes that it may bear more fruit. … As the Father loved Me I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you that My joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:1-2, 10-12)

Study Psalm 91; Isaiah 54:1-17; Matthew 7:21-23, 22:1-14, 25:31-46; Luke 10:1-24; John 1:1-34, 3:1-21, 14, 15:1-17; Revelation 1, 2, 3, 13:1-10, 20:11-15, 21:22-27

Get a red letter edition of the Bible and study what Jesus said!

Study what the Apostles wrote to the first believers in the Epistles, remember they only had the Old Testament to study and quote. But, like them we also have Holy Spirit to remind us of everything Jesus said. That is why we have the New Testament, other than the Gospels and Revelation the writers did not know they were writing for us today so that we would know how to live and do the works of Jesus’ Kingdom in the earth as it is in Heaven.

Take Up Our Cross

Jesus told us to take up our cross and follow Him!

Not the cross of complaining and bitterness over our situation.

But the cross of yieldedness and obedience.

Not the cross of resentment or envy towards the success of others, whether good or bad.

But the cross of humility and servant hood.

Not the cross of desire and lust for success and peace.

But the cross of being conformed to the image of Christ!

Ain't No Skin Off My Back!

This afternoon while I was doing nothing in particular a phrase that I have not thought of for a very long time came into my head. Some of you may have heard it even though it is a very old saying. “Ain’t no skin off my back!”

As I remember its general meaning it has to do with not caring about, being bothered by, or affected by the words or actions of another person. Like, “Seth, I heard your brother robbed the bank.” Seth says, “Well, that ain’t no skin off my back, but if the cops are chasing him he better not come here.” My wife Charlene thought it was related to being whipped like a slave.

What I thought about was that it was literally the skin off Jesus’ back! When we read in Isaiah and Peter that “By His stripes we are healed.” do we really understand what that means? When we read in the gospels that the Romans scourged or chastised Him before He was crucified do we really understand what that means? I know that some have taught what those statements mean and I am not going into the gory details.

What I thought about was that His giving the skin off His back for us came in the middle of what he experienced that day. At about the time of the morning that He was scourged He had been up about 24 hours. He had been arrested during the night and all His disciples abandoned Him, He was taken to Annas the father-in-law of the High Priest where He was questioned and open handed slapped in the face. Then sent to Caiaphas the High Priest where He was questioned then mocked and blasphemously spoken of, He was beaten, blindfolded and struck in the face and asked, “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck you?” While this was happening Peter denied Him three times. Then He was taken to Pilate where He was accused, questioned and sent to Herod. At Herod’s He was expected to perform miracles then He was accused, mocked and treated with contempt and sent back to Pilate. Then He was accused and rejected by the people for a murderer, he was mocked by the Romans who put a crown of thorns on His head and struck Him with their hands, they hit Him with a reed type rod. Then He was scourged, this is done by one or two Roman soldiers who had whips that had up to nine leather straps and each strap had a piece of broken glass, or a broken bone, or a piece of metal and He was beaten with them thirty nine times where the skin (flesh) was literally ripped off His back, from His shoulders to His buttocks and down both sides of His body. Then they put a purple robe on Him and paraded Him before the people who again rejected Him and cried out, “Crucify Him!” Then He was paraded through the streets of the city with a stranger carrying His cross to Golgotha where He was crucified. He was nailed to the cross then hung on the cross for 6 hours, from the 3^rd to the 9^th hour of the day. While He hung there He was mocked by the people passing by and the religious leaders. Then He felt abandoned by GOD because of our sins that were applied to His life in our place and then He died.

Psalm 81

Psalm 81

A Psalm of Asaph – A Prophecy

:1-4 Asaph is calling the nation of Israel to worship GOD according to the statute for Israel.

“Sing aloud to the GOD our strength; make a joyful shout to the GOD of Jacob. Raise a song and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the lute. Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day. For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the GOD of Jacob.”

:5 The transition from Asaph speaking to GOD speaking.

“This He established in Joseph as a testimony, when He went throughout the land of Egypt, Where I heard a language I did not understand.”

:6-16 The prophecy.

“I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the baskets. You called in trouble and I delivered you; I answered you in the secret place of thunder; I tested you in the waters of Meribah. (Selah) Hear, O My people and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me! There shall be no foreign god among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god. I Am the LORD your GOD who brought you out of the land of Egypt; open your mouth wide and I will fill it. But My people would not heed My voice, and Israel would have none of Me. So I gave them over to their own stubborn heart, to walk in their own counsels. Oh that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways! I would soon subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their adversaries. The haters of the LORD would pretend submission to Him but their fate would endure forever. He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; and with honey from the Rock I would have satisfied you.”

First GOD reminds Israel what He did for them in Egypt, then admonishes them that He is their only GOD, reminds them that they rejected Him so He let them have their way, He reminds them that if they listen to Him and serve Him He sill defeat their enemies even though there are haters of GOD among them whose fate is sealed, yet He would provide for their needs.

Does this not sound like the Church today? We have many false gods that we serve (Selah) doctrines, worship, prosperity, denominations, non-denominations and others. There are haters in the Church who seek to undermine the faith of others by casting doubt and unbelief. Yet GOD’s mercy is for all humanity, His blessing is for the believer and the unbeliever.

Search your own heart (Selah).

Do you go to church because the music is great, they have cool activities for the kids, they have a great coffee – snack bar to sit around in after service and visit with your friends; because the pastor is really cool and they never talk about things like the blood of Jesus and bearing your own cross and other religious stuff?

Or do you go because it is a requirement to get GOD’s blessings and get into Heaven someday; it fills you with peace that you are doing the right thing even if it is not always pleasant or convenient?

Or do you go because you love GOD and what He is doing in your life and family, you love to join in worship of Jesus, you love to be taught from the Bible and you love to fellowship with other believers; you want to make a difference in your community and place of work for GOD’s Kingdom no matter that it cost your whole life?

The Conflict of the Church

The Conflict of The Church

What is the conflict of the Church? It is the difference between the will of GOD and what we want!

Psalm 80 is a testimony of Asaph; it speaks of GOD’s judgment against Israel and calls for His mercy to restore them. Verses 17-19 say, “Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand, upon the son of man whom You have made strong for Yourself. Then we will not turn back from You; revive us and we will call upon Your name. Restore us, O LORD GOD of hosts; cause Your face to shine and we shall be saved!”

In 2 Chronicles 7:13-14 the LORD told Solomon, “When I shut up heaven and there is no rain or command the locusts to devour the land or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

This is the same conflict we have in the Church today; many quote 2 Chronicles 7:14 but live Psalm 80:17-19, if He blesses us we will not turn away from Him (17); if He revives us we will call upon Him (18); if He restores us and blesses us we will be saved. This is the opposite of what GOD told Solomon that we should do when His judgment is upon us, humble ourselves, repent and call upon Him – then He will forgive and heal and restore us.

This is the difference between those whom He calls by His name and those who call themselves by His name. Matthew 7:21-23 also makes this distinction when Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to Me, LORD, LORD shall enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘LORD, LORD, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Because, He had already said in Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve GOD and mammon (riches).”

That is the difference between those who practice Psalm 80, bless us and we will serve You and those who practice 2 Chronicles 7, seek Me and I will bless You. Jesus told us the same thing in Matthew 6:25-34 summed up in the often quoted verse 33, “But seek first the Kingdom of GOD and His Righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” Remember those things are the necessities of life not the treasures.

This is the problem we have with parables of the Kingdom, like Matthew 13:44, “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” This is like everyone of us, we are all going through life trying to find out how to become anything from comfortable and liked to rich and famous then one day we find it (really He reveals Himself to us). So Jesus said that parables were for those who have ears to hear to understand and that those who do not have ears to hear will not understand, He also said He would give us His Spirit (Holy Spirit) to remember and understand everything He said.

So here is how I understand this parable; a man is walking through a field and finds a hidden treasure, we do not know why he was in the field of how he found the hidden treasure because they are not important facts. He then goes and sells all that he has and buys the field so that he can possess the treasure. How is that like us or how do we relate to this parable?

First we are all going through life looking for its treasures, hoping to find that one that will fulfill and satisfy us in every aspect of our life. If we find it, it is usually an accident on our part. Most of us in our testimony tell of finding the LORD, the reality is that He was not lost we were and He knew where we were the whole time, He was just waiting for us to enter the correct field and stumble across Him, the hidden Treasure. When this happens many of us hide the Treasure in our heart and only start to make it know to others later after we are sure it’s the real thing.

And what is the price of this Treasure, everything, our whole life! We are to give our life to GOD, spirit, soul and body to do His will and proclaim Jesus as the Treasure.

Prayer: Father, forgive me for being a seeker of the things of this life rather than a seeker of Your eternal Kingdom. I want to do Your will since You made me for Your good pleasure. Teach me Your ways as You conform me to the image of Christ, my LORD and savior.