Have you become petrified or, are you a living, building stone for Christ?
Christians are all part of the body of Christ and have an important role to play in God’s plan. Ask Jesus everyday what He wants you to do? Seek His guidance in everything. Be a useful stone in the building of the Church. Even in the wilderness the Israelites relied on a Spiritual Rock.
1 Cor. 10:3-5 All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. FOR THEY DRANK OF THAT SPIRITUAL ROCK THAT FOLLOWED THEM, AND THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST!
When Christ started His ministry and began building His Church, He selected twelve apostles to train in building His Church. Jesus chose Peter as the chief apostle and rock of the Church to start His building!
Matthew 16:18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church.
The Church has grown in two thousand years to about two billion Christians on the earth. It is still growing as you the building stones of the Church are spreading the gospel of salvation to reach the lost of the world.
Again I ask are you petrified or are you a living stone for Christ? Are you using your life to reach others who are lost? Are you planting and watering so God can give the increase? That is what He commands!
1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
Ephesians 2:20 Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF BEING THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE. Thess. 1: 6 You became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, WITH JOY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Be moved by the Holy Spirit! The Holy Spirit dwells in you! Let Him use you as a fruitful building stone for Christ.
People can say anything but what you do says a lot more than what you say!
Matt. 21: 28-31 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”
Examine yourself to be sure your motive is right before you commit to anything. Don’t let your moral or ethical principles be compromised, do all with honesty. Let your actions speak louder than words.
Titus 2:1 But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine!
You need the wisdom of Jesus shining like a light from inside you, so that those who do not know Him will be curious as to what makes you so different, perhaps even desiring the same thing you have. Let your example be like a sweet honeycomb.
Imitate Jesus because He changes everything! Be effectual in all things, bearing fruit to Christ, amen!
I have covered four of the fruits of the Spirit in previous articles and now will get into the fifth fruit of the Spirit, kindness.
Kindness is one of those virtues of God that is just there. God’s kindness is the opposite of cruelty and exhibits compassion and sympathy. The definition of kindness in the Oxford dictionary is: the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Yet people can show the kindness defined in the dictionary and never be compassionate or considerate. God’s compassion is like shoving you out of the way of a bus and letting the bus hit Him instead. That is exactly what Christ did for us on the Cross and there is no greater kindness than that God would take on the flesh of a man and give His life for mankind on the Cross so that we could continue living forever.
The apostle Paul understood Godly kindness and suffered more than any man showing the kindness of Christ through him.
2 Corinthians 11:25, 28 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; besides the other things, what comes upon me daily:
2 Corinthians 6:4, 6 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God:…, by kindness…
Ephesians 2:4 -7 God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Paul also tells us that we as believers are to follow his example and display the kindness of Christ who lives in us.
Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness
Read the Holy Word of God and pray that you understand what the real spiritual kindness of God is all about. Follow His example not the ways of this world.
In Galatians 5:22 the first fruit of the Spirit is love.
The world’s idea of love is sensual and lustful but that is a counterfeit love perpetrated by the devil to lead all mankind into an abyss of destructive sin. Jesus taught a different kind of love; love that is neither selfish nor demanding of demonstrations of the flesh. In the counterfeit love people are always trying to satisfy their own desires. They are only serving themselves. The love that Jesus teaches us is totally the opposite. Jesus says that through love we should serve one another. We should be out-going and giving in every sense of the word.
Jesus also teaches us that the second greatest law is that we should love our neighbors as we would love ourselves.
Getting out of one’s comfort zone and giving of their time and service to someone in need or just to be encouraging brings great rewards and satisfaction you will get no other way. That is genuine love by God’s definition. James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble. That is an act of love that God greatly blesses.
You should begin to understand now that the love that is the first fruit of the Spirit is not the same love that the world lavishes on itself. But Gods love is a love that the world needs to know about and taught about. God’s love is something that lives in you and is manifested through the heart unselfishly.
Those with the greatest love are servants to all.
Godly love comes from the Spirit in you if you first let Jesus into your life and follow Him.
John 14: 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Jesus is standing at your door right now as you read open the door and let Him in!
Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
A good barf bag is absolutely essential when coming face to face with the new wave of morality that is sweeping over this nation. Jude 1: 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
Don’t let these things become a normal accepted way of life! Reject it! Don’t let a miniscule sect of deluded people cast their ways over you and rule you.
Romans 12: 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good.
14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Always follow the Lord Jesus Christ and imitate Him. Read the scriptures and do as He teaches. Jesus gives a thorough and complete breakdown of His “Spiritual Laws” in The Sermon On The Mount. (Matthew 5-7).
Resist the Devil and he will flee from you. Set the right example for others by letting your spiritual light shine.
2 Corinthians 4: 6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
There is a lot to be done so keep your barf bag handy!
Acts 1:11 This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
There are truly fantastic and unimaginable things happening in the world all around us which leads many to believe that beginnings of the end times are here. Jesus gave us insight as to what to watch for, He said that when we see the leaves appear on the fig tree know that spring is near. This is an analogy to be aware of when the end of times is here. In Matthew chapter 24 and Mark 13 He gave many signs that would warn us that the end is near.
The question is what will you have accomplished with your life to be able to stand before the Son of Man? The Apostle Paul give us some instruction and explanation of individual situations. 1 Corinthians 7:17 But as God has distributed to each one, as the Lord has called each one, so let him walk. And so I ordain in all the churches.
Every one will not have the same results. We have been given the parable of the talents as a guide.
But we must use those talents shrewdly.
Matthew 25:15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’ 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
What is the lesson here? We need to watch and prepare because we don’t know when our Lord will return. We need to put our life to use for the Lord and accomplish profitable works in spreading the Kingdom of God throughout the world. Our lives should display that we are born again and citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven standing for Christ and declaring His salvation for the world. (John3:16)
Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
1 John 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.
Philippians 3:20 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
As the Lord says, overcome and endure. The reward is worth it! What He has in store for us is indescribable but he gives us glimpses.
Revelation 2:26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations —
Revelation 3:21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Revelation 21:7 He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
Our God and savior will return in the same manner as He left. (Acts 1:11) What will He find? Will we be asleep spiritually or will we be constantly at attention waiting for His return? Are we complacent or are do we really believe and have faith that our Lord returns.
Luke 12:35 “Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning;
36 and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately.
37 Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.
43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
God bless you! Love the Lord with all your heart! Look for Him every day! Amen!
To grow tomatoes you must first plant a seed and then proceed to nurture the tomato plant by fertilizing and watering it. The plant begins to grow and develop strong roots and stalk so it can hold up the heavy tomato. After the plant is thoroughly nourished and receives a lot of sunlight, it produces beautiful flowers. The flowers begin to change and become little green tomatoes. This is the fruit of the tomato plant and it must grow and grow until it reaches its full growth and then the tomato begins to mature into a beautiful finished creation suitable for the masters table.
A Christian must first have the seed of the Word of God. Luke 8:11 “The seed is the word of God. We received the Word by someone sharing Christ, evangelizing, preaching and many other ways that God may use.
We must be born again and when we are baptized we are raised from a watery grave a new creature. John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. We continue to be taught the word nurtured and discipled in the Church. 1 Corinthians 3:6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
We begin to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ and He becomes the main root of our lives and we are the branches. Jesus is the light of men and His light is bright as the sun. Our faces shine and become like beautiful flowers to God. As we begin to grow we become full of the maturity of the Spirit and await our Lords coming when we will burst into a new creation suitable for the Masters table. Revelation 19:9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’
"He brought me to his banquet hall and raised the banner of love over me. Restore my strength with raisins and refresh me with apples! I am weak from passion... His left hand is under my head and his right hand caresses me" - Song of Solomon 2:4-6
WORLDWIDE INTERNET EVANGELISM 