Time to awake out of sleep

Bible Reading: Romans 13

Romans 13:11-12 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.

Do you know what time it is? I don’t mean what the clock on the wall says but what the signs of the times show us. The Lord is coming soon. We see the signs of his coming all around us. It is time for believers to WAKE UP! Slumbering church – that is what we see in America. Christians that look just like everyone else in the culture seems to be the mark of the day. Believers are slumbering along lulled to sleep by the lullaby of the world. But now it is time to wake up. Our salvation is nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent. The day is dawning. It’s time to get up and go to war.

The Bible says that part of waking up is to cast off the works of darkness.

Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

The works of darkness are the works that those who do not know Christ walk in. Another way of saying this is to say the works of the flesh are the works of darkness.

Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

We are called to cast off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light.

1 Thessalonians 5:6-8 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

Wake up and love, believe and hope in Jesus!

In Christ,

Rody

Elders in every church

Acts 14:21-23 And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

On Paul’s first missionary journey, he and Barnabas preached the gospel primarily to four cities – Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. Then they turned around and went back through each city ‘confirming the souls of the disciples’. I suppose this may be where some churches get their concept of ‘confirmation’. The word means to strengthen or to support further. It means they sat down with those who had trusted in Jesus Christ and taught them more about Him. They encouraged the believers and helped them get ready for tribulation and trials that would come as a result of being Christ-followers.

These new churches also needed leadership. Of course, Jesus Christ is the head of the church, but he uses shepherds to help feed his flock. So, Paul and Barnabas ‘ordained’ elders in every church. This means they selected or appointed elders in each church. This is important because we see that Paul wanted the churches to have shepherds to serve them. He knew that it could be years before he returned and God’s flock needs shepherds.

This ordination involved prayer and fasting as they sought the will of God for each church. Here are a few things that are interesting about this. First, the men were from the church where they served. Paul did not send someone from the outside. He will do this later with Timothy, Titus and others, but the majority of congregations had a pastor who was one of them. Second, there were elders in each church. There were more than one in each church. The church needs men who love them and will shepherd them. Third, Paul trusted the Lord with these men and commended them to the Lord. Some of these men had not been believers long. As the title ‘elder’ assumes, they were men of maturity. They were fatherly in their love for the people and apparently, the people recognized that these men were some of the more mature men in the Congregation.

Paul said in another place:

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.

Paul was confident that a real relationship with Jesus will continue until he returns. I thank God for the pastors in my life. I hope you do too. They are a special gift to the church.

In Christ,

Rody

Cleave to that which is good

Bible Reading: Romans 12

Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good.

What is a loving person like? The Bible says in 1 John 4:8 that God is love, so a person who loves is exhibiting a godly characteristic. As followers of Christ we are instructed and equipped to love. Love is the greatest of all commandments and if we live a life of love, we will fulfill all the commandments. Here the Bible tells us to love without dissimulation. That means a love without acting or hypocrisy. This is a true, genuine love that comes from God. Let us see a little of what the Bible says about love:

Mark 12:30-31 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

Titus 2:3-4 The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,

Matthew 5:43-45 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Romans 13:9-10 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

God wants us to have a genuine love in all these relationships. When we abhor (hate or detest) evil and cleave to the good, we will begin to see the kingdom value of love. God has given us his Holy Spirit to bring the fruit of love out of our lives (Galatians 5:22-23). Let us be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) so that we can have a genuine, Holy Spirit inspired love.

In Christ,

Rody

Of him and through him and to him

Bible Reading: Romans 11

Romans 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

The plans of God come from God and work out through God’s working and return to him for his glory. This passage comes at the end of a section discussing the plan of God for the Israelites. However, it says that this applies to ‘all things’. When it says all things the Bible is talking about all things spiritual that are a part of God’s plan for man. Let’s apply this to prayer and see how prayer plays into God’s plan.

First, prayer must be of him. This means that when we pray, we must receive the topics and desires of prayer from God. This will spare us of wrong motives. The Bible says if we pray with wrong motives we will not receive answers to our prayers.

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

So how do we receive our prayers from God? We start with the Word of God. The Bible tells us:

James 1:6-7 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

We need faith to pray rightly and faith comes from hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). When we diligently study God’ Word, we learn what God wants and we begin to have our will line up with God’s. When we do this, our prayers will reflect God’s heart and they will be ‘of him’.

Second, all things go ‘through him’. This means that we must prayer through God. How do we do this? We must pray in the name of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit.

John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

Ephesians 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

When we pray in the Spirit, we are praying in the name of Jesus or according to what Jesus would ask the Father for. We are also filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). This means that God in us is helping us to pray (Romans 8:26-27).

Third, all things are ‘to him’. Our payers are directed toward the Father who hears and answers prayer. Prayer is asking God for anything according to his will. These prayers are powerful prayers that God answers.

1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Prayer is God’s idea. Let us take full advantage of his invitation to come before his throne of grace! (Hebrews 4:16)

In Christ,

Rody

Unto them that asked not after me

Bible Reading: Romans 10

Romans 10:19-21 But I say, Did not Israel know? First Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he saith, All day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people.

Israel provoked God to jealousy by sacrificing to other gods and worshipping devils.

Deuteronomy 32:16-17 They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.

God then promised to provoke Israel to jealousy by them that are no people and by a foolish nation. These are the Gentiles. Those people who were not born Israelites and did not attach themselves to Israel are called the Gentiles or the nations. The gospel went beyond Israel and the Gentiles heard the message of Christ and believed. Unfortunately, many Israelites rejected their Messiah. However, God is not through with Israel.

Do you live a Christ following life in such a way that an Israelite would be jealous of the relationship you have with the Father? Many within Israel are disobedient and gainsaying toward God and his Word. Do you honor the Father by being obedient and compliant with him? He wants others to see the walk with God that you have. An Israelite who does not believe in Jesus cannot please God. But you can if you walk by faith in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Do others want what you have? Is there anything about you that is different than the world around you?

These are very important questions because the Bible says:

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

God wants for us who have trusted in Christ out of the Gentile nations to live with a circumcised heart. He wants for religious but lost people to look at us and realize that we actually know God and walk with him like Enoch did. You can have that kind of relationship with the Father. It comes when you trust the Son of God and receive him into your life.

In Christ,

Rody