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Abounding in Full Experiential Knowledge and Discernment

1Paul and Timothy, servants belonging to Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus, the ones in Philippi, with the Bishops and Deacons. 2Grace is to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ. 3I thank God upon all the remembrances of you, 4always in all my supplication on behalf of all of you, I am making, generally associated with joy, the previously mentioned supplication, 5on the basis of your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now. 6I am in a state of having been persuaded of this same thing, that the one having began in you a beneficial work will bring it to its intended end right up until the day of Jesus Christ. 7Just as it is right for me to think this concerning all of you, because I have you in my heart; in both my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the Gospel, all of you being my partners of the Grace.8For God is my witness, as I long for all of you with the compassions of Christ Jesus. 9And this is my communication of worship, in order that your love yet more and more should abound in full experiential knowledge and all discernment, 10for the purpose that you approve the things that differ, in order that you all are sincere and do not cause offense unto the day of Christ, 11having been filled up concerning the fruit of righteousness, the one through Jesus Christ, unto an expression of a proper opinion and praise concerning God.

Paul’s communication with the Father is for the saints continued growth in love that will about in full experiential knowledge and discernment. He is not just asking […]

Abounding in Full Experiential Knowledge and Discernment2013-04-15T07:13:19-07:00

Salt and Light

You are the salt of the earth…

In Matthew 4:17, as Jesus speaks to the crowd, He addresses the fact that the Jews are the salt of the earth. The Jewish nation is the salt of the earth because of the promises that God gave to Abraham. In Genesis 15:18-21, God made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants regarding a specific section of land. It is because of this covenant that the earth is being preserved. Jesus is using the term “salt” metaphorically to describe how the nation of Israel keeps the earth from total destruction. However, if a Jew is not believing in the promise and doesn’t live a life that glorifies God, what value towards preserving the world does this Jew have? Just as salt that has no flavor is cast out to be trodden by men, so a Jew who does not believe in the Kingdom will be tossed aside. The message that Jesus is bringing requires the Jews to change their mind about His coming Kingdom. The Kingdom is now at hand. If they do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, then how can they enter into the Kingdom?

Christians are never describe as salt. There is only one section in Scripture where salt is used in connection with a Christian; Colossians 4:6. Christians are instructed that their speech should be with grace and seasoned with salt.

As God’s nation the Israelites are also described by Jesus as being a light to the world. He likens them to a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. The nation as a whole is responsible for showing light to the world by their good works so that their Father who is […]

Salt and Light2023-11-23T10:33:29-08:00

Having an Attitude of Gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:18 in all things give thanks, for this is the desirous will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Often times we think of thankfulness in regard to things that are good. We are thankful when life is going the way we would like, when we are at peace, and when, for the most part, life is wholesome. What about the difficult times in our lives or the problematic people? Should we be thankful for them? Why would God want a saint to have a mind that is thankful for all situations?

Having an attitude of gratitude comes from knowing who we are in Christ, what God expects of us, and how God controls the situations in our lives to bring about His glory.

What is the purpose of our life? Before we were saved, our focus was to fulfill the desires of the flesh. But now it is to glorify God. We glorify God by a life that manifests His opinion of who we are in Christ. By setting our minds on God’s opinion of us and living according to His view of us, we can be thankful in any situation because when we are loving God, He will work out any situation to our benefit to make us happy; a true happiness that can only come from living a life that enjoys all the benefits of who we are in Christ.

If we are not thankful, it is because our mind is not focused on the things of the Spirit, but rather on the things of the flesh. Having an attitude of gratitude is not being happy all the time. We can be displeased about something but still be thankful.

Difficulties in our lives expose who […]

Having an Attitude of Gratitude2013-02-14T06:19:00-08:00

Desiring to Live Godly (Manifesting God’s Quality of Life)

2 Timothy 3:12 and indeed, all the ones desiring to live Godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Living a life that expresses godliness is such a wonderful thought; however, this type of lifestyle can bring persecution into our lives. When persecution comes to mind, we tend to think of physical suffering. However, the word “persecution” comes from a Greek word that also has the meaning of “pursue” or “harass”, along with causing on to run or flee. It has both good and bad meanings, that is, we can pursue something good such as peace. We as Christians are to pursue peace among ourselves, maturity in Christ, the mark of the price of the upward call of God in Christ, doing that which makes others happy not just for other Christians but for all people, righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness, fighting the good fight of the faith. On the other hand, we can suffer persecution; both physical and mental suffering caused by another. When we even desire to pursue a life of Godliness, the bad side of persecution is coming our way. At the very least we will be harassed by those who do not want to see God’s quality of life that we are living out.

In addition, persecution not only comes from other people, our three enemies can cause persecution also. Anytime we choose to live a life that glorifies God over doing something that lacks in character we have an internal battle. Within our minds, there is a battle for the control of our thoughts. Do we give in and focus on the flesh, or take the way of escape and continue to live godly?

There are periods in our lives when the […]

Desiring to Live Godly (Manifesting God’s Quality of Life)2013-02-06T20:59:12-08:00

To “Be” or to “Bear” a Witness

Acts 1:8 …but you will receive natural ability, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be to me witnesses in both Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and up to the ends of the earth.

Do your words line up with your actions?

True evangelism does not come from speaking to everyone you meet about God, it is a natural result of you living your life according to who you are in Christ because by doing so you will show others a quality of God’s character. The threat of hell and damnation never saved anyone. Oh, it may bring hoards into the Churches at times, but they are not truly seeking to know the Lord. How a person comes to a saving faith in Christ is by the kindness of God, never by an expression of His wrath.

Actions always speak loader than words. Telling a person that you are a Christian and living a lifestyle that is no different than an unsaved person is no testimony at all. It just simply shows that you do not really believe what you are saying.

Before Christ ascends to the third heaven to sit upon the throne, He informs the apostles that the Holy Spirit will give them the natural ability to be His witnesses in all the earth. Christ did not instruct them to bear a witness, but rather, he told them they would be a witness. It is the same with us today. We are never told to go out and evangelize the world; rather, we are told to always be ready to give a defense for the hope that we have when we are questioned about it. Even the verse used for the Great […]

To “Be” or to “Bear” a Witness2023-12-14T12:31:55-08:00
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