19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20)
This should be our mantra as a church! I find it very interesting that Jesus chooses to use a fisherman, as one who brings souls unto the Lord. If any of you have ever taken some time to go fishing (I'm looking at you Mark o_O), then you would know that one thing it requires a great deal of is patience. Fish can be very particular, distrustful (for good reason in this case), or just not hungry. Humans work much the same way. Many scorn God from a lack of trust (maybe they were caught by false doctrine in the past, or just got "hooked", and didn't get any substance), or perhaps they just aren't in the right place at the right time. Which is why we need as many fishermen as possible; the more people that take the bait, the greater Jesus' catch will be when he comes back again!
Getting back the concept of "disciple", it is only mentioned twice, both in the book of Isaiah:
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples (Isaiah 8:16).
4 The Lord God has given Me the tongue of disciples, That I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning, He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. 5 The Lord God has opened My ear; And I was not disobedient Nor did I turn back. 6 I gave My back to those who strike Me, And My cheeks to those who pluck out the beard; I did not cover My face from humiliation and spitting (Isaiah 50:4-6).
If there is anything that we can take away from this, it is that disciples have both the law, the ability to listen, the ability to speak in an encouraging manner, and humility in the face of adversity. All characteristics we are striving for, amen! While it is not mentioned in the New Testament that Jesus' beard was ripped out, he was beaten across his back with a whip called a flagrum, for what many estimate to be 39 blows (1 less than that stated in the Torah, the Jewish Old Testament). Isaiah of course also has many prophetic chapters detailing the coming of our King. What that translates to, is that we should see Jesus as our example of what a disciple should be! A disciple is not a part time job, but something our lives revolve around. The more we look to him, the more these characteristics will become a part of us. I know I feel like a hypocrite saying these things, especially since I missed prayer meeting last night ;(, but that does not mean I give up! I look to remember that every mistake I make is mine alone, and it is not about trying, it is about trusting. Trust is not built in a day, week, month, or even years. It is a lifelong affair, just as we trust that everyday we will be provided the oxygen, food, clothing, shelter and water we need to survive. Keep on, this is something worth fighting for!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
I will hope in Him
Over break I began reading Isiaih, which is one of my favorite books from the bible. Similar to Jeremiaih, it tells of one man who dwells among a wicked and sanctimonious people. Indeed, every prophecy that Isaiah makes, from the conquest of Judah by the Babylonians, to the birth, death and resurrection of our Savior, is fulfilled. I feel this is a particularly relevant book to our present day, as many of us Americans acknowledge God with our lips, but are anything but a God fearing and loving nation. It's scary to think that some of the highest rates of husbands abusing their wives are from pastors (!).
Isaiah 8-9
8:19 35 They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations. 36 Should people not seek oracles from their gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?”
This is an admonition against using such mediums that are commonplace in today's societies, from astrology (not astronomy, which is God's glorious gift to us) to fortune tellers. I still get chills when I think about the time Saul called upon a mystic to bring back Samuel from the dead.
9:6 For a child has been 15 born to us,
a son has been given to us.
He shoulders responsibility
and is called: 16
Extraordinary Strategist, 17
Mighty God, 18
Everlasting Father, 19
Prince of Peace. 20
How amazing almost 800 years before His birth, Isaiah was given these prophetic words from the mouth of our father. This chapter starts off saying "Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed." We always need to remember this hope no matter what tribulations come our way. If we wake up in the morning and are not joyful over another opportunity to praise and serve in God's kingdom, let us pray unceasingly. There is no reason to let our joy be diminished, for Jesus is the greatest thing to ever happen to this world.
9:13 The people did not return to the one who struck them,
they did not seek reconciliation 40 with the Lord who commands armies.
9:14 So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail,
both the shoots and stalk 41 in one day.
9:15 The leaders and the highly respected people 42 are the head,
the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
9:16 The leaders of this nation were misleading people,
and the people being led were destroyed.
This should stand us a testimony to us today. In the midst of the hurricanes, flooding, snowstorms, tsunamis, earthquakes, we (collectively) are still convinced there is no God. Instead of seeking to pacify the One who controls all things, we continue on in our way. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). If this country placed its hope in our Savior rather than the man who is a part of the very system that is causing its downfall, there may have been a completely different outcome. As it is now, we must remain vigilant in our faith, and not let a single day go by without longing to be near our Jesus.
9:21-Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 60
We really need to dwell on and in God's mercy. Through all of our mistakes, God is still calling and reaching out to us. He is truly longsuffering toward us, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should come to repentence (2 Peter 3:9). My prayer for us is that we remember this always, that Christ died for every one of us, loving us even when our hearts rebelled.
Isaiah 8-9
8:19 35 They will say to you, “Seek oracles at the pits used to conjure up underworld spirits, from the magicians who chirp and mutter incantations. 36 Should people not seek oracles from their gods, by asking the dead about the destiny of the living?”
This is an admonition against using such mediums that are commonplace in today's societies, from astrology (not astronomy, which is God's glorious gift to us) to fortune tellers. I still get chills when I think about the time Saul called upon a mystic to bring back Samuel from the dead.
9:6 For a child has been 15 born to us,
a son has been given to us.
He shoulders responsibility
and is called: 16
Extraordinary Strategist, 17
Mighty God, 18
Everlasting Father, 19
Prince of Peace. 20
How amazing almost 800 years before His birth, Isaiah was given these prophetic words from the mouth of our father. This chapter starts off saying "Nevertheless the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed." We always need to remember this hope no matter what tribulations come our way. If we wake up in the morning and are not joyful over another opportunity to praise and serve in God's kingdom, let us pray unceasingly. There is no reason to let our joy be diminished, for Jesus is the greatest thing to ever happen to this world.
9:13 The people did not return to the one who struck them,
they did not seek reconciliation 40 with the Lord who commands armies.
9:14 So the Lord cut off Israel’s head and tail,
both the shoots and stalk 41 in one day.
9:15 The leaders and the highly respected people 42 are the head,
the prophets who teach lies are the tail.
9:16 The leaders of this nation were misleading people,
and the people being led were destroyed.
This should stand us a testimony to us today. In the midst of the hurricanes, flooding, snowstorms, tsunamis, earthquakes, we (collectively) are still convinced there is no God. Instead of seeking to pacify the One who controls all things, we continue on in our way. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). If this country placed its hope in our Savior rather than the man who is a part of the very system that is causing its downfall, there may have been a completely different outcome. As it is now, we must remain vigilant in our faith, and not let a single day go by without longing to be near our Jesus.
9:21-Despite all this, his anger does not subside,
and his hand is ready to strike again. 60
We really need to dwell on and in God's mercy. Through all of our mistakes, God is still calling and reaching out to us. He is truly longsuffering toward us, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should come to repentence (2 Peter 3:9). My prayer for us is that we remember this always, that Christ died for every one of us, loving us even when our hearts rebelled.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Acts 6-7-our hearts too are judged daily in the house of God
I'm not going to dwell on my lack of consistency in blogging the last few weeks-I didn't have internet access at all last week, but I do now, so no excuses, for there is no excuses for sin either (Romans 1:19)! That is the truth of forgiveness; if we dwell on our mistakes, then we don't really believe we have been forgiven. When it comes down to it, I'm really grateful that we have this opportunity to share our spiritual lives with each other daily, and shouldn't take it for granted by not using to its full potential.
Acts is a book that we at cornerstone, as well as every church in Christ, should read from very often. In it we see in literary action that Christ is indeed the head of every church and there is no replacement. Just as a starving person will eat near anything, if we deprive ourselves of our saviour Jesus in our hearts, we can begin to wander and consume any false doctrine that comes our way. Be sober, be vigilant (I Peter 5:8)!
Chapter 7 describes the martyr Stephen's testimony before the synagogue of the freedmen (consisting of alexandrians, cyrenians, and those from Sicily and Asia). Their external reasons for doing so were to prevent changes to the law and commandments from Moses, and prevent Christ from glorifying His name. Clues within hint at something even darker however, as 6:10 states "They were not able to resist the Spirit and the wisdom by which he spoke", which tells us the Holy Spirit was so strong in him that even wicked men could not deny its power. This is why we should be reading Acts so often; we see the power of the Holy Spirit was constantly within His disciples, and people were being added daily(2:47). That is not to say we should be discouraged, but honestly ask ourselves, "How many people have come to the Lord by his using me as a vessel?" If your answer is anything like mine, it means we need to trust in the Lord more and pray for the Holy Spirit to be in us always. Being regretful and hard on ourselves will do nothing; for there is nothing within us that can save anyone regardless.
In 7:52, Stephen talks about how the fathers of the men he testified before killed the prophets who spoke about the coming of our Savior. This is something we should honestly consider; how strongly the forces of darkness are opposed to us, that the enemy of our souls seeks to snuff out the very life of those who speak His name. That does not mean we cower in fear, but acknowledge that warfare is all around us, and equip ourselves with the armor of light daily and let the Holy Spirit control our hearts. I say don't ask that the martyrdom of Christians cease, but that the gospel be preached to the very coming of Jesus Christ!
Acts is a book that we at cornerstone, as well as every church in Christ, should read from very often. In it we see in literary action that Christ is indeed the head of every church and there is no replacement. Just as a starving person will eat near anything, if we deprive ourselves of our saviour Jesus in our hearts, we can begin to wander and consume any false doctrine that comes our way. Be sober, be vigilant (I Peter 5:8)!
Chapter 7 describes the martyr Stephen's testimony before the synagogue of the freedmen (consisting of alexandrians, cyrenians, and those from Sicily and Asia). Their external reasons for doing so were to prevent changes to the law and commandments from Moses, and prevent Christ from glorifying His name. Clues within hint at something even darker however, as 6:10 states "They were not able to resist the Spirit and the wisdom by which he spoke", which tells us the Holy Spirit was so strong in him that even wicked men could not deny its power. This is why we should be reading Acts so often; we see the power of the Holy Spirit was constantly within His disciples, and people were being added daily(2:47). That is not to say we should be discouraged, but honestly ask ourselves, "How many people have come to the Lord by his using me as a vessel?" If your answer is anything like mine, it means we need to trust in the Lord more and pray for the Holy Spirit to be in us always. Being regretful and hard on ourselves will do nothing; for there is nothing within us that can save anyone regardless.
In 7:52, Stephen talks about how the fathers of the men he testified before killed the prophets who spoke about the coming of our Savior. This is something we should honestly consider; how strongly the forces of darkness are opposed to us, that the enemy of our souls seeks to snuff out the very life of those who speak His name. That does not mean we cower in fear, but acknowledge that warfare is all around us, and equip ourselves with the armor of light daily and let the Holy Spirit control our hearts. I say don't ask that the martyrdom of Christians cease, but that the gospel be preached to the very coming of Jesus Christ!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
My soul longs for thee, as a deer pants for water...
In Romans 8:18-26, Paul discusses the desire we harbor in our spirit to see our bodies in peaceful matrimony with our spirit, no longer at odds. I feel that this is something we take out of context with Paul's teachings; that we are somehow supposed to condemn our bodies because of our fleshly desires. We do this in some sense falsely believing that by hating our physical selves we will somehow be able to overcome our weaknesses. Even were we able, what difference would that make if we are not relying on God? Colossians 3:20-22 tells us "..why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourself to regulations, Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle, which all concern things which perish with using..."
If we are trying to overcome our sins our earthly desires on our own merit, rest assured this is not pleasing to God and profits us none. Do not even infidels try to overcome their own sins on their own (ie fasting to lose weight). We need to remember this! Sorry, I'm on a public computer and my time is running out!
If we are trying to overcome our sins our earthly desires on our own merit, rest assured this is not pleasing to God and profits us none. Do not even infidels try to overcome their own sins on their own (ie fasting to lose weight). We need to remember this! Sorry, I'm on a public computer and my time is running out!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Blessed is he who is not offended because of Me…
Jesus spoke these words to John the babtist in Matthew 11:4-6, around the time he was brought to prison. It seems that these words were meant to say, ‘Do not grow angry towards God because of your circumstances’. As most of you probably know, John was beheaded at the request of Herodias’s daughter (Herodias was Herod’s brother Philip’s wife). Incidentally, John was imprisoned for being politically correct-in telling Philip that it was unlawful for him to have Herodias as his wife, for she belonged to his brother (Leviticus 18:16). This is something we should keep in mind- doing the right thing will become evermore contrary to our society’s laws-and we may be persecuted in our faith for doing so.
Sticking to the point of this verse (break out the God leash! ;) ), we are far too easily offended in this society. Churches don’t talk about hell because it could ‘scare people’, we get mad at God if things don’t go our way, on our time schedule; and far too often live in a ‘if I do this, then God should do that’ type of mentality. I am not trying to say we should not live healthy, joyous lives; on the contrary, we should desire this with all of our strength! When tribulations do come however, we should endure them with thanksgiving!
“A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle” Proverbs 18:19
Holland became so liberal because they were upset their prayers for not being invaded by Hitler weren’t answered. Ted Turner turned from God in his anger when his sister died (the founder of CNN). And yet biblically we are told an entirely different story. Paul and Silas rejoiced so much when they were thrown in prison that the walls could not hold them. Joseph, when he was thrown in prison for avoiding the pharaohs wife (Genesis 39; remember our bible study on it?), then he would never have met the butler, and then put into a position of power. If this hadn’t happened, Israel may never have existed at all! Our savior Jesus was able to endure the cross because of the Joy of the Lord (Heb. 12:2).
This is something we cannot do on our own. All of us can be thankful when we are happy, but when we are angry, hurt, exhausted, etc? We need to pray for strength from God and ask for his Holy Spirit to give us a contrite and humble heart, that we may be joyous in all things. There was a pastor Greenway from Alabama (I just finished a book called “Living in the Final Chapter” by Perry Stone if you were wondering where some of this stuff came from), and when his son died after countless prayers, said “God I don’t understand but I’ll not go to hell over a mystery.” If he could endure this, then what is our excuse? If you are like me and need to be more thankful in all things, don’t get discouraged, that does nothing. Look and ask God for guidance, He is here to bless our hearts!
Sticking to the point of this verse (break out the God leash! ;) ), we are far too easily offended in this society. Churches don’t talk about hell because it could ‘scare people’, we get mad at God if things don’t go our way, on our time schedule; and far too often live in a ‘if I do this, then God should do that’ type of mentality. I am not trying to say we should not live healthy, joyous lives; on the contrary, we should desire this with all of our strength! When tribulations do come however, we should endure them with thanksgiving!
“A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle” Proverbs 18:19
Holland became so liberal because they were upset their prayers for not being invaded by Hitler weren’t answered. Ted Turner turned from God in his anger when his sister died (the founder of CNN). And yet biblically we are told an entirely different story. Paul and Silas rejoiced so much when they were thrown in prison that the walls could not hold them. Joseph, when he was thrown in prison for avoiding the pharaohs wife (Genesis 39; remember our bible study on it?), then he would never have met the butler, and then put into a position of power. If this hadn’t happened, Israel may never have existed at all! Our savior Jesus was able to endure the cross because of the Joy of the Lord (Heb. 12:2).
This is something we cannot do on our own. All of us can be thankful when we are happy, but when we are angry, hurt, exhausted, etc? We need to pray for strength from God and ask for his Holy Spirit to give us a contrite and humble heart, that we may be joyous in all things. There was a pastor Greenway from Alabama (I just finished a book called “Living in the Final Chapter” by Perry Stone if you were wondering where some of this stuff came from), and when his son died after countless prayers, said “God I don’t understand but I’ll not go to hell over a mystery.” If he could endure this, then what is our excuse? If you are like me and need to be more thankful in all things, don’t get discouraged, that does nothing. Look and ask God for guidance, He is here to bless our hearts!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Psalm 131
“Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty, neither do I concern myself with great matters, nor with things to profound for me.
Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.”
What is stress? The American Heritage College Dictionary (hey, it’s all I’ve got right now!) defines it as “A state of extreme difficulty, pressure or strain.” In other words, it is from facing circumstances beyond our control. With everything in our lives that we are juggling, we easily forget that we weren’t designed to handle everything, nor were we meant to know everything. In all things the Holy Spirit should be our guide. If we are becoming overwhelmed with what we are facing, be it school, family, friends, sin, any of these things, then we should be praying. I know for myself, the more stressed I become, the less I listen to the Lord. The enemy loves to keep us running in circles, convinced that we accomplishing much when we are only draining the tank. I know it’s not easy, but I encourage everyone along with myself to make not just this semester, but the rest of our lives to be as free from stress as possible. Jesus tells us “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (I John 5:3), and we should hold this as gospel truth, Amen? As we grow more stressed, we lose our spirit of thankfulness, followed by our garments of humility, putting us in a dangerous place indeed. We need God to take his ‘super’ and put it on our ‘natural’, so keep our eyes toward our Savior, no matter what flood comes our way!
Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever.”
What is stress? The American Heritage College Dictionary (hey, it’s all I’ve got right now!) defines it as “A state of extreme difficulty, pressure or strain.” In other words, it is from facing circumstances beyond our control. With everything in our lives that we are juggling, we easily forget that we weren’t designed to handle everything, nor were we meant to know everything. In all things the Holy Spirit should be our guide. If we are becoming overwhelmed with what we are facing, be it school, family, friends, sin, any of these things, then we should be praying. I know for myself, the more stressed I become, the less I listen to the Lord. The enemy loves to keep us running in circles, convinced that we accomplishing much when we are only draining the tank. I know it’s not easy, but I encourage everyone along with myself to make not just this semester, but the rest of our lives to be as free from stress as possible. Jesus tells us “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (I John 5:3), and we should hold this as gospel truth, Amen? As we grow more stressed, we lose our spirit of thankfulness, followed by our garments of humility, putting us in a dangerous place indeed. We need God to take his ‘super’ and put it on our ‘natural’, so keep our eyes toward our Savior, no matter what flood comes our way!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Sin is no longer alive in one who is born again!
Romans 6:-
What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase? 6:2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 6:3 Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life. 1
6:5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection. 2 6:6 We know that 3 our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, 4 so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 6:7 (For someone who has died has been freed from sin.) 5
6:8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 6:9 We know 6 that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he is never going to die 7 again; death no longer has mastery over him. 6:10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. 6:11 So you too consider yourselves 8 dead to sin, but 9 alive to God in Christ Jesus.
6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, 6:13 and do not present your members to sin as instruments 10 to be used for unrighteousness, 11 but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments 12 to be used for righteousness. 6:14 For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.
Being reliant on our own flesh to overcome our sins is something any Christian will tell you cannot overcome the grave. Why then do we continue to give ourselves daily report cards on our behavior, as if we are good Christians one day, and mediocre ones the next? How many of you when you were children, told yourselves, “Today I’m a good boy, but yesterday I was bad. Mom and dad didn’t love me then, but now they do! Gee, I wonder if they will tomorrow?....”
Unless you had some serious booty-beating parents, none of you, I’ll bet!
Our outlook towards our nature should be the same. “For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.” (6:10)—so too are our trespasses. We do not overcome our sins based on what we are able to do, so why are we so hard on ourselves when we have committed sins? It is as if we caught between living under the law and obeying the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ who has made us free from the law of sin and death. God ordered Adam and Eve that they may not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for they were eating from the tree of life. And yet we try and do both, as if the tree of life was not sustenance enough! Every time we try to summon some inner will to conquer our sins, we get nowhere. In James 4:7, it does not say “Resist the devil and he will flee from you”, but “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” By just living by doctrine we are only establishing religion, not a relationship. Anyone out there can have a religion. Only those born again in Jesus Christ have a relationship with the father!
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” I Corinthians 3:16
If we continue on trying to please God in the flesh, it will never happen, because “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age..” Ephesians 6:12. When we do this we are being deceived by the enemy, because by dwelling on our sins, we are taken away from Jesus, who has freed us from them to begin with! I say this not to preach, but as someone who has been in this cycle long enough, and cannot bear to see the church of Christ be held back by lies any longer. It is deeply impressed in my heart to see Cornerstone grow, but the more we dwell on “me”, the more we will fail. Jesus is our cornerstone, and the only foundation we need.
What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase? 6:2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 6:3 Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 6:4 Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life. 1
6:5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection. 2 6:6 We know that 3 our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, 4 so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 6:7 (For someone who has died has been freed from sin.) 5
6:8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 6:9 We know 6 that since Christ has been raised from the dead, he is never going to die 7 again; death no longer has mastery over him. 6:10 For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. 6:11 So you too consider yourselves 8 dead to sin, but 9 alive to God in Christ Jesus.
6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires, 6:13 and do not present your members to sin as instruments 10 to be used for unrighteousness, 11 but present yourselves to God as those who are alive from the dead and your members to God as instruments 12 to be used for righteousness. 6:14 For sin will have no mastery over you, because you are not under law but under grace.
Being reliant on our own flesh to overcome our sins is something any Christian will tell you cannot overcome the grave. Why then do we continue to give ourselves daily report cards on our behavior, as if we are good Christians one day, and mediocre ones the next? How many of you when you were children, told yourselves, “Today I’m a good boy, but yesterday I was bad. Mom and dad didn’t love me then, but now they do! Gee, I wonder if they will tomorrow?....”
Unless you had some serious booty-beating parents, none of you, I’ll bet!
Our outlook towards our nature should be the same. “For the death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God.” (6:10)—so too are our trespasses. We do not overcome our sins based on what we are able to do, so why are we so hard on ourselves when we have committed sins? It is as if we caught between living under the law and obeying the Spirit of life in Jesus Christ who has made us free from the law of sin and death. God ordered Adam and Eve that they may not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for they were eating from the tree of life. And yet we try and do both, as if the tree of life was not sustenance enough! Every time we try to summon some inner will to conquer our sins, we get nowhere. In James 4:7, it does not say “Resist the devil and he will flee from you”, but “Submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” By just living by doctrine we are only establishing religion, not a relationship. Anyone out there can have a religion. Only those born again in Jesus Christ have a relationship with the father!
“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” I Corinthians 3:16
If we continue on trying to please God in the flesh, it will never happen, because “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age..” Ephesians 6:12. When we do this we are being deceived by the enemy, because by dwelling on our sins, we are taken away from Jesus, who has freed us from them to begin with! I say this not to preach, but as someone who has been in this cycle long enough, and cannot bear to see the church of Christ be held back by lies any longer. It is deeply impressed in my heart to see Cornerstone grow, but the more we dwell on “me”, the more we will fail. Jesus is our cornerstone, and the only foundation we need.
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