Posted by: missionventureministries | October 28, 2012

FOR THE LORD DOES NOT SEE AS MAN SEES – 1 Samuel 16:7

“For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7 

God doesn’t focus on our outward appearance. It is what’s on the inside that matters to Him. Scripture tells us that our beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes which call attention to us. Rather, it should be that of our inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. (1 Peter 3:3-4)  

So often we look at what we can see on the outside – beauty, talents, fame and such, but God sees straight to the heart – motives, intent and character. 

Unfortunately we live in a superficial world where people do judge on appearance. We would love to say that this is something we do not do and that we look beyond what is on the outside, but virtually all of us are influenced at times by appearance.

Even Samuel was swayed by physical appearance. When meeting Jesse’s first son, Eliab, he immediately assumes this must be God’s anointed one, however, God makes it clear: “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.” (1 Samuel 16:6)

As we can see from God’s perspective, the outward appearance is not the best way to judge a person. There is an old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Its meaning is simple, a person’s appearance, either their physical attributes or clothing, are no indication of their inner being. We need to be very careful because outward appearance can be very deceptive. There are people in this world that many consider beautiful on the outside but their inside does not match their temporary exterior beauty. “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting: but a woman (or man) who fears the Lord is to be praised.” (Proverbs 31:30) 

Jesus told the teachers of the law and Pharisees: “you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” (Matthew 23:27-28)

‘Beauty is only skin deep’, and often the vain and arrogant seem to be the most beautiful to those lacking discernment from God, since our heavenly Father makes it clear that what actually matters to Him is what is in our heart.

Many admire and try to emulate the famous, or follow someone’s teaching without first praying to God and asking Him for guidance and answers. Beware, because the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8) and he uses wolves disguised as sheep to do his job.

On the other hand, there are times when we do not give a person a chance by judging them by our first impression of them. We need to realize that first impressions rarely tell us much about a person, so we should give him or her some time to reveal what is in their heart before making a decision.

A true child of God will reflect a humble spirit, love for God and others, as well as joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This is truly a beautiful person in the eyes of God. “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:20)

Lord, You alone know each heart; I pray for discernment of Your Holy Spirit to recognize the qualities of the people who come into my life and not only look at the outward appearance, but to look at their heart.

 

DISCLAIMER MVM

9 Comments

Posted in 1 Peter, 1 Samuel, BIBLE STUDIES, Galatians, Matthew, Proverbs, SCRIPTURE | Tags: , , , , ,

Posted by: missionventureministries | October 21, 2012

JESUS TEACHES ON THE YEAR OF THE LORD’S FAVOR – Luke 4:18-19

Jesus returns to Galilee in the power of the Spirit and goes to Nazareth where He had been brought up. He has been away for quite some time and on the Sabbath day He went to the synagogue, as was His custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19) 

Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him. Then He told them, “Today you heard this scripture being fulfilled.” All the scriptures of the Old Testament must be fulfilled in the Messiah, as Jesus tells them after His resurrection: “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” (Luke 24:44) 

Luke records that Jesus stands to read as it was the custom in honor of God’s word and sits to give the explanation of what He just read and said of Himself.  

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me – In the context of Isaiah’s original prophecy, declared many hundreds of years before Christ, the Anointed One, the Messiah was spoken of and had been eagerly expected and Jesus’ audience immediately understood Him to be applying the prophecy to Himself. He stopped reading, before the end of Isaiah’s prophetic words about the day of vengeance. That time is still in the future when Jesus will return as King. 

When Jesus read the ancient Hebrew words, His utterance of the word mashach, “anointed,” must have caused astonishment. Mashach is the root word of Mashiach, “Messiah.” When Jesus finally declares, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21), there must have been a moment of amazement in the congregation.   

To preach the gospel to the poor  – Jesus is referring here to “the poor in spirit,” the differentiation between the humble in contrast to the proud as He refers to them in the Sermon on the Mount – “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). A humble person is much more apt to listen to Jesus’ word as are the proud.  

We are to follow Jesus’ example and teach the gospel to the poor; to declare the good news, to evangelize, to teach about Jesus and salvation. Poor in this context is anyone who doesn’t know the riches of life in Christ. 

He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted – Isaiah had prophesied what Jesus would be doing, He was sent to heal the brokenhearted, just as God had stated: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3) 

People that are brokenhearted by their sin and are truly humbled in repentance will find healing when they accept, believe and confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. We are to minister to the brokenhearted and point them to Jesus for their healing. 

Proclaim liberty to the captives – In Acts 10:38 we read “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed (captive) by the devil, for God was with Him.” 

Jesus came to set people free. The freedom He is speaking of is from the imprisonment of bad habits, physical addiction, the lust for money and the ways of the world. Freedom received by a humble heart in contrast to a prideful heart is like the one found in the parable Jesus teaches about the Pharisee and the tax collector. (Luke 18:9-14) 

And recovery of sight to the blind  – Jesus did many miracles and healed many blind people, He even opened the eyes of one blind from birth, but here He is speaking of spiritual blindness as he states in John 9:39 “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.” Jesus meant by this that the Pharisees who could see became blind to the truths of His teaching because of their pride and unbelief. 

As believers we should follow Jesus’ example and seek to open the eyes of those who are spiritually blind, with the truths of God’s word. 

To set at liberty those who are oppressed – Many people in Jesus’ day were oppressed and many took advantage of widows and orphans. They also were oppressed by taxation. Things have not changed in nearly 2000 years, however, Jesus said: “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. –  In the context of Isaiah 61:1-2, it seems to refer to the Year of Jubilee that occurred every 50 years. In that year all Hebrew slaves who may have been enslaved due to debt were set free. Land that had been sold to another reverted to its ancestral owner (Leviticus 25:8-13). Isaiah’s prophecy is exactly what Jesus came for to set the captives free.

As we continue reading Isaiah 61, he is also declaring the coming of the Messiah at the end of the age to usher in a period of unparalleled freedom and wholeness. Righteousness will triumph over oppression, and the unrighteous will suffer severe retribution and justice from God. 

When we think on this passage we realize that as Messiah’s followers we need to tell others about Jesus, and in doing so, we too are declaring that “now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2) 

The acceptable year of the Lord is the year when we are restored and set free. It is the year when we accept Jesus as our Messiah and acknowledge the need for a Savior and the acceptance that we are going to serve Him, praise Him, worship Him, honor Him, seek Him and obey Him for the rest of our life.

DISCLAIMER MVM

5 Comments

Posted in 2 Corinthians, Acts, Isaiah, John, Leviticus, Luke, Matthew, Psalms, SCRIPTURE | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: missionventureministries | October 14, 2012

SEARCH ME, O GOD! – Psalm 139:23-24

“Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24

We see the evidence of the depth of David’s relationship with God in this Psalm. He certainly was a person after God’s own heart, as Scripture says (1 Samuel 13:14).

In this prayer David invites God to test his thoughts. And the focus here is directly on what is within him. He wants God to look inside of him, his inner person, so that he is assured that God knows what is in his heart.

In Psalm 26:2 he says: “Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind.” Every child of God should urge the Holy Spirit to probe deep within their heart to see if they are abiding in the Word of God and doing His will for their life.

What David is concerned with and wants God to look for is “any offensive way.” Or “God look for anything in me that causes pain.” David wants God to show him any offensive way, so that it can be dealt with.  The phrase, “lead me in the way everlasting” is talking in ‘the way of God,’ or ‘the way of righteousness.’ So the request is that God help him not to walk in an offensive way, but in the way of God.

As Christians we should be requesting the same thing David was asking of God: “Are there sinful thoughts, bad intentions, brokenness or failings that cause you pain Lord? Am I hurting others?

Are we willing to pray as David did? It takes a humble heart to invite God to show us our weaknesses and our sins.

Because of pride we usually want to hide all our failures and sins. Most of us do not want to think about them or deal with them. We don’t want others to see our faults and often we respond by living in denial, although God knows everything. Most of the time when someone brings something up, we get defensive and refuse to deal with the situation and to admit our mistake.

It takes humility to pray like David did, because when we do, we are inviting God to correct our issues, so that we can once again have fellowship with the Lord, because sin separates us from our heavenly Father. When we humbly admit and confess our sins to God is when we grow in our Christian life. It is only when we are completely honest with God that He can help us with our problems and shows us things that very often we are too blind to see.

We need to realize that God already knows all our “offensive ways,” and probably other people do as well. So instead of living in denial and being defensive, we need to ask God for help. As believers we should not run away from God with our struggles, we should run to God for help and a renewed relationship with Him.

If you have not trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you can do this right now because God loves us and wants us to be saved by His grace and be made alive with Christ because it is by His rich mercy and grace that we are saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5)

We need to be aware that God gives us a choice and the consequences are ours to bear because we “are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). As the Lord told Jeremiah: “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:10)

For more information about how to become a child of God please click on SALVATION

*******

DISCLAIMER MVM

5 Comments

Posted in 1 Samuel, BIBLE STUDIES, Ephesians, Jeremiah, Psalms, SCRIPTURE | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: missionventureministries | October 7, 2012

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE JESUS’ DISCIPLE? – John 8:31

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32).

In these verses, Jesus is teaching us that if we abide in God’s Word and hold to His teachings we become His disciples. The meaning of a disciple literally translates into ‘a learner’ … it denotes ‘one who follows someone’s teaching’…. In biblical terms, a ‘disciple’ is a believer who follows Christ’s teachings and pursues His example.

So discipleship is not simply a decision of belief at some point in time, but an ongoing process of following and obedience. This means we are to read His word very carefully and apply it to our daily lives. We are commanded to abandon any teachings that are not according to God’s words as Paul warns Timothy. “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Timothy 4:2-4)

The result of abiding in Christ’s word is freedom, spiritual freedom from the bondage of sin (John 8:32), because “everyone who sins is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). Spiritual, intellectual and moral freedom is only attainable when we are set free from darkness, sin, ignorance, superstition and let the Light of the World shine on us and in us. “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

Jesus came to set us free and before ascending into heaven, He told His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20). It is important for those who are believers and disciples of Jesus today to be able to teach other to understand that trust comes from evidence and the proof is found in the word of God. People will never find truth and freedom until they examine the substantiation that Jesus is who He claims to be.

Hundreds of thousands of people reject Jesus without ever researching the facts of who He really is. The Scriptures tells us that “these things are written in order that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and believing, you might have life in His name.” (John 20:31)

Jesus said: “If you continue in My word, you will truly be My disciple.” We become His disciples when we realize that Jesus is our loving Creator that wants us to be free of sin, deceit and error. He wants us to realize that He who is Truth will set us free from eternal damnation and in turn give us eternal life with Him.

Becoming His disciples and teaching other to know the truth is a process, it does not happen all at once. As we obey the word of Jesus and continue seeking His truths, we will begin to look at ourselves differently; we will not see ourselves any longer the way we once did. We will see people differently and Christ’s precious teachings will change our whole value system. We will begin to understand that “Jesus Christ has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true.“ (1 John 5:20)

Truth is a title for Jesus. He said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me,” (John 14:6) and He has revealed His truth to us through His Word. Knowing absolute truth is only possible through a personal relationship with the One who is the Truth – Jesus Christ.

The truth will deliver us and will permit us to be all that we were meant to be, since truth is used in Scripture as a summary of the godly life; for truth telling, and being truthful with oneself and God, is the essence of being a disciple of Jesus Christ, which God intends us to be.

We must understand that it is not enough to read about God’s truth, we must walk in it. It is only when we receive the truth, love it, hold on to its teaching, and walk in it, that we are genuine disciples of Christ.

4 Comments

Posted in 1 John, 2 Timothy, BIBLE STUDIES, Galatians, John, Matthew, SCRIPTURE | Tags: , , , , , ,

Posted by: missionventureministries | September 30, 2012

Warning about Antichrists – 1 John 2:18-19

“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. 19 They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” (1 John 2:18-19)

To fully understand the message that God has for His people, it is necessary to stop and analyze the meaning of the word antichrist. The word antichrist is a grouping of two words, ‘anti’ and ‘Christ’. Christ means the Anointed, the Son of God and according to the dictionary, the word ‘anti’ means ‘opposite’ or ‘against’, so the antichrist is the contrary of, or the opposite of Christ and His teachings.

In our churches today, there are antichrists among us. There are those that pretend to be in Christ and follow His teachings, but in reality they are not real, genuine believers. However, John teaches us that they will not be able to remain hidden forever, but they will reveal to be false when they turn their backs on the things that the Bible teaches and embrace the world’s system and ideals and leave the bond and fellowship that is found with other believers. It is not that they stopped being Christians, but it is that they were never genuine Christians.

This is a very hurtful experience in the life of a Bible believing fellowship when a supposedly Christian leader, teacher, or pastor decides to abandon his faith and even to teach against it. This sort of thing doeshappen all too often, and it obviously brings up difficult questions.

Can a true believer, a teacher of the Word, a soul-winner, actually lose his salvation? Can a born-again Christian go back and be unborn? Can one who has received everlasting life through faith in Christ not really have eternal life?

If so, what about the many promises in the Bible which have assured us that: “you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.“ (1 John 5:13) and the one: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.“ (John 10:28)?

The answer to this troublesome question is found in our text – 1 John 2:19. When such people, who once seemed to be genuine Christians become apostates, denouncing the truth they once taught, it is because “they were not of us“, no matter what they professed at one time.

This fact implies a serious warning. When “professing Christians” fall away, assuming they have truly understood the facts and evidences of the Christian faith: “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age 6 and who have fallenaway, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting Him to public disgrace.” (Hebrews 6:4-6). One way you can identify false Christians, are those who are called ‘tares’ in Matthew 13:38.

It is important therefore, for all professing believers to “make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble“ (2 Peter 1:10). We must be “rooted and built up in Him” (Colossians 2:7), and “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect“ (1 Peter 3:15).

We are also told to – “test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).  We should ask: Does what they believe and teach meet with Scripture?  Can they prove it with the Bible? When they instruct, does it conflict with any teachings of Jesus Christ? 

Therefore, we have to study the Holy Scriptures so that we are not deceived by these false antichrists. Our faith must be grounded and firmly entrenched. It must be steadfast, without wavering and without compromise and always reaffirming that: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness 17 so that the servant of Godmay be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

 

 

 

 

1 Comment

Posted in 1 John, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 2 Timothy, BIBLE STUDIES, John, Matthew | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: missionventureministries | September 23, 2012

JESUS PAYED FOR OUR SINS – 1 Peter 3:18

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” – 1 Peter 3:18 

In reading Hebrews 10:1-4 we see the Mosaic Law’s inability to provide true atonement for sin and Christ’s sacrifice once and for all. “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. 3 But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. 4 It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:1-4).  Verse 4 tells us that bulls, goats, sheep and other animals used, no matter how spotless or without blemish they might be, cannot truly stand in for human beings before God because they are not made in His image and cannot authentically represent men and woman.  

The Lord did accepted animal sacrifices from His people under the old covenant as a means of postponing His wrath (Leviticus 1; 4 and 16), but the sins of the people were not actually removed by these animals, but showed the people that the high price of death and shed blood had to be paid to cover their sin. Even though God preached the gospel for centuries leading up to the birth of Jesus, they did not yet fully understand that the only death that could pay for their sins would be the death of God’s Son in their place; but they did realize that life had to be given for atonement. God left these sins unpunished in anticipation of the day in which He would judge them in Christ. “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of His blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished.” (Romans 3:25)  

The sacrificial system was instituted not to cover sin but to point us to the One who satisfied His Father’s wrath on the cross. “Every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But Christ, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, 13 from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. 14 For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.” (Hebrews 10:11-13) 

God has ordained that only those walking in obedience to Him can have eternal life; only men and women who serve God actively and submissively enjoy the true blessings of life. “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 20 Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, 21 so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:18-21) 

We must have a substitute who obeyed our heavenly Father, a substitute who has put God’s law into practice perfectly. Peter tells us that when “Christ suffered once for sins,” it was “the righteous for the unrighteous” (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus did not live merely without sin but was obedient as well. He purchased the righteousness that we need to be restored to fellowship with our Father. This righteousness is put on our accounts, it is imputed to us when we believe, so that the covenant obedience that gets us into heaven is not ours but Christ’s. “21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:21-26). 

The life of Jesus is as important to our salvation as His death. He had to be “truly righteous”, triumphing where Adam failed. Christ purchased righteousness for us by resisting temptation and obeying His Father on every occasion (Matthew 4:1-11; 5:17-20; 27:22-23). 

Peter points to Christ to illustrate the nobility of suffering according to the will of God, which was consummated in resurrection. Though Christ was just, sinless and righteous, He suffered for the sins of the unjust. His suffering brought us to God and we are made presentable on the basis of His atoning death. Though put to death in the flesh, Christ was made alive by the Spirit, which gives us reason to patiently endure our own suffering.

We need to understand that Jesus’ death on the cross was a reconciliatory event. The purpose of Christ’s death was to reconcile people back to God. He re-initiated a relationship between God the Father and the believer because of His death; since apart from Christ we are cut off from God. Every person who is born is a sinner and not part of God’s family, and the only way that we can be adopted into God’s family and become His children is by trusting in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We must be righteous to have a relationship with God, and Jesus put Himself in our place on the cross, for we deserved to suffer eternal punishment and He offered His righteousness to us if we would but receive it.

Therefore, righteousness is imputed apart from the law, in order to help us understand that it is not the law, but the forgiveness we have in Christ, that makes us righteous in the sight of God. “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

Leave a Comment

Posted in 1 Peter, BIBLE STUDIES, Hebrews, Leviticus, Matthew, Romans, SCRIPTURE | Tags: ,

Posted by: missionventureministries | September 16, 2012

SALVATION BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH – NOT BY WORKS – Ephesians 2:8-9

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) 

The word of God is telling us that salvation is received by FAITH based solely on the GRACE of God. The concept of grace is unknown among cults and false religions invented by man. All those who practice in these false religions to some degree are seeking to merit or earn the right to heaven by their works. 

Sadly even among the “Christian” religions there are those who do not understand God’s grace, Christ’s atoning work or biblical salvation. These misguided churches teach a false salvation, based on adding men’s good works, church membership, baptism, and a host of other religious acts instead of biblical truths. They teach that man is saved by the righteous works of man.  

Their assumption is that they can somehow work for their salvation demeaning or discrediting Christ’s suffering and death on the cross for the sins of mankind. However the Word of God explains in Romans 5:12-21 that death came upon all men because of the sin of Adam. Further God says: “But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.” (Romans 5:15) 

Nowhere in this passage or anywhere else in the Bible does God say a man can in any way justify himself. The atoning for sin was the sole work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was without sin. The Bible says: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)  

It is solely Jesus Christ who atoned for sin and no man can offer his own righteousness for his sins, because all men are born sinners and are under the condemnation of sin. This erroneous doctrine of works is not God’s plan of salvation, and therefore damns those that believe it to eternal damnation.  

What then is grace? The dictionary defines grace as: “disposition to grant something freely the condition or fact of giving favor – mercy, clemency, pardon. In theology it means the “unmerited love and favor of God towards man.” Further the word refers to the divine influence of God to change a sinful man and make him pure and justify him before a holy and righteous God.  

Thus grace by its definition and nature is something which is freely given to man by His Creator in which there is no requirements set other than to freely receive it. Salvation is not earned, nor deserved, but offered as the free gift of God. 

False and unbiblical religions know nothing of God’s grace! Is it grace if I tell you that if you are a good and moral person and go join a church, tithe, and do certain rites, such as baptism, Lord’s Supper, confession, religious works, practice self denial and etc that God will extend grace to you? The answer is a resounding NO because by the very biblical definition of grace it is not grace when there is a condition or requirement attached other than freely receiving it. Romans 5:15 explains this truth and adds that grace is a “free gift”.  

God loves the sinner and offers grace and when it is received He takes away one’s sin and God Himself through Christ Jesus declares us righteous. It is totally the work of God offering us His unmerited favor.  

Romans 3:23-25 says: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed.” Note the verse says all are sinners. This establishes every non-believer’s need to be justified. 

Verse 25, uses the word “propitiation” which means to have one’s debt fully paid. The offending debt is appeased; it is removed, taken out of the way and satisfied. Christ Himself, through His dying on the cross, shedding His righteous and innocent blood, paid our sin debt that we could not pay.  

1 John 2:2, says that on the cross every sin ever committed by man was paid for in full. “And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”  

The Bible’s use of the word “propitiation” is an emphatic statement that man cannot earn God’s grace or salvation by works. The word means “full payment.” Christ is the full payment, not partial payment added to and completed by our good works. Thus man’s sin is removed totally by Christ based solely on His payment for our sins. God then imparts unmerited righteousness to the believer, when he by simple faith, believes in the Scriptures and trusts God. 

Romans 10:9-10 states: “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” 

Consequently Christians are not saved by their good works.  Christians are saved to do good works and it is crucially important to know the difference.  

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (James 2:26). Also look up Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 10:23-25; Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Peter 2:9-12 and Revelation 22:12-14. 

As we study Ephesians 2:9 we conclude that we are not saved “by works, so that no one can boast,” it restates and clarifies the meaning of verse 8, that salvation cannot come from works but only by grace through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.

 

1 Comment

Posted in 1 John, 1 Peter, Acts, BIBLE STUDIES, Ephesians, Hebrews, Revelation, Romans, SCRIPTURE, Titus | Tags: , , , ,

Posted by: missionventureministries | September 9, 2012

Made Alive In Christ – Ephesians 2:4-6

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,– Ephesians 2:4-6

In these verses we find the most important truth in all of Christianity:  “because of His great love for us, God made us alive with Christ.”

Previously life was hopeless, now we can have the promise and security in God. Once life was empty and void, now we can enter into the joy of the Lord and begin to be normal and enjoy life with Him at our side.

Looking deeper into this wonderful passage we realize that we were spiritually dead, because of sins and because we were not free from the power of our sinful self. We are born by nature children of wrath; and we become children of disobedience after rejecting Christ when we reached the age of accountability.

Because of His great love for us, . . . God made us alive with Christ when we admit that we are sinners andcannotattain eternal life by ourselves – (Romans 3:23). We believein Jesus Christ as God’s only Son who was crucified for our sins – (Romans 5:8). And confess that Jesus Christ is Lord of our life – (Romans 10:9), and He forgave all our sins. So having been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, believers are made alive by choosing spiritual rebirth according to God’s love and mercy. Salvation is in deed a choice made conscientiously by those seeking a relationship with the divine Father and His son Christ Jesus.

Being made alive with Christ means to experience God’s life within us; it means being born of God through His Spirit. The void in our lives is filled with the joy of salvation and we are made whole as we are raised from the grave of sin, and are seated with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

Being made alive with Christ means “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Being made alive with Christ means He has come to live in us, and He has joined himself to us, and we are one person with Him. Jesus himself taught us: “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5). Just like the vine and the branch are interconnected sharing life together, so now our identity is no longer in Adam but it is in Christ. We are no longer ordinary human beings, we are new creations linked with the life of Jesus Christ and we are intimately united to Him because Christ is our life.

Once we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it is important that we take these verses to heart and never think of ourselves in any other way, because the whole work of the enemy is to get us to disbelieve this most important truth that we are alive in Jesus Christ and we cannot ever be the same again. We need to remember that: We have been made alive to God, “in Christ” we have been raised up to a newness of life unobtainable to us outside of Christ, and we need to remind ourselves that “in Christ” we have been seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. We need to know these words so that we might live out these truths in our everyday life.

Through faith in His Son our Father saves us by grace, not by works, merit or deeds. Only those who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved, anyone else is doomed and headed to hell for all eternity. As believers, we need to remember that we were dead, but God acted on our behalf, He made us live, He made us alive with Christ though His glorious grace and not by our works, therefore, we should be eternally grateful and not boast. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Putting aside pride, greed and lust, believers are blessed with the gift of eternal life. Acceptance of this gift is subject to repentance and receiving according to God’s perfect plan for our lives. As His divine creations, we are made in His image, to serve Him, to praise and worship Him.

In Christ Jesus we are transformed from seeds of wrath to children of God. By faith we are born again, made alive spiritually in the glory of Almighty God.

Our Lord is inviting us all into His life, once we were dead spiritually and enslaved by Satan; now as born again believers, our hearts, our mind, and our spirits, have been set free.

Because of our position in Christ we can transcend any problem or situation. Once we had only ourselves to depend upon, but now we have the abounding power of God’s love, His mercy and grace, and His companionship every moment of our life.

Thank you Father for breathing eternal life into my spiritual deadness and making me alive with Christ.

Leave a Comment

Posted in BIBLE STUDIES, Ephesians, John, Romans, SCRIPTURE | Tags: , ,

Posted by: missionventureministries | September 2, 2012

DO NOT ADD OR TAKE AWAY FROM GOD’S WORD – Revelation 22:18-19

I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. – Revelation 22:18-19 

The historical, scientific, and prophetic accuracy of Scripture, along with its life-changing qualities, offer evidence that the Bible is the revealed Word of God, therefore, it is imperative that we believe that the Scriptures are the Word of God. 

The reason we can believe the Bible is because of the fulfilled prophecies contained in it. For example, there are over 300 Old Testament prophecies dealing with Jesus Christ that are fulfilled in the New Testament. 

Statistical evidence proof that to suggest that prophecies are merely fulfilled by chance is an impossibility. How could the prophet Micah predict Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem close to 400 year before it occurred? Why did Isaiah write that the Messiah would be born from a virgin centuries before He was born? And how could the psalmist describe His death by crucifixion long before that style of punishment was first used? How could they have written about Jesus being betrayed for exactly thirty pieces of silver, as the Old Testament prophesied? These are just some of the questions that are amazingly and accurately fulfilled. 

There is no way to explain fulfilled prophecy apart from divine inspiration; therefore, it is very important to note that the Bible closes with an affirmation of its truth, because the words of Scripture are “faithful and true” (Revelation 22:6). Sinners are to be alerted to respond to the warnings in the Word of the living God or suffer the consequences of what is written in this holy book. All the prophecies of Revelation regarding the doom of sinners will come true and that certainty should drive people to Jesus who rescues us from the coming wrath (1 Thessalonians 1:10). 

The Lord Jesus Christ himself testifies to the authority and finality of the words of the prophecy of this book (Revelation 22:20). His solemn warning against tampering with Scripture applies first of all to the prophecy of the book of Revelation – “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near” (Revelation1:3). There are stern rebukes of Jezebel and her followers (Revelation 2:20-23), those who had and have embraced the “deep things of Satan” (Revelation 2:24), and those of the “synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9). 

Throughout the centuries there have been many who have added or taken away not only from the book of Revelation from but from the entire Bible and seriously misinterpreted it. So in light of the warning against altering God’s Word in the book of Revelation, Christ cautions at the very end for His people not deviate from what is written in the Holy Scriptures because there will be grave consequences. 

In searching the Scriptures we find that teaching forbidding of adding to and taking away from is not limited to the book of Revelation. From the earliest days of Judaism those who were charged with preserving the words spoken by the Lord knew that their duty was to maintain their precise accuracy. They took very seriously the words of Deuteronomy 4:2 – “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” (See also Deuteronomy 12:32 and Proverbs 30:6). The oral tradition employed by generations of Jews went to great lengths to ensure that the exact words were passed on to the new generation. 

The Holy Bible is unparalleled in all of human history because it is “God breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16). No other ancient book is as accurate, and no other book is as relevant to human beings. Its truth transcends all times, languages and cultures and has as much to say to the person living in a big city as the bushman in the outback, because it was inspired by the everlasting God. 

Take time to familiarize yourself with this Magnificent Book and to draw nearer to God. When others teach you, make sure that you are getting the absolute truth from God’s Word by searching the Scriptures yourself just as the Bereans did. (Acts 17:11) 

It is the Lord Jesus who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Maranatha!

The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all of God’s people. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21)

 

5 Comments

Posted in 1 Thessalonians, 2 Timothy, Acts, BIBLE STUDIES, Deuteronomy, Proverbs, Revelation, SCRIPTURE | Tags: ,

Posted by: missionventureministries | August 26, 2012

MARRIAGE – “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate” – Matthew 19:6

Here we have a beautiful example of a prayer that can be used for the marriage vows: “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23).This is a loving example of how God wants us to function. Just as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are separate individuals within the Godhead, yet they are one in purpose. In marriage the husband and wife are different individuals and yet they are to be one in purpose. 

Scripture tells us that: “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.”(Proverbs 18:22) 

1 Corinthians 13 describes how love should be: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

In Paul’s teachings he wants us to realize: “that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3). Submission is a key element in the smooth functioning of any business, government, or family. God ordained submission in certain relationships to prevent chaos. It’s essential to understand that submission is not surrender, withdrawal, or apathy. It doesn’t mean inferiority, because God created all people in his image and because all have equal value. Submission is mutual commitment and cooperation.

Thus God calls for submission among equals. He didn’t make the man superior; He made a way for the man and woman to work together. Jesus Christ, although equal with God the Father, submitted to Him to carry out the plan for salvation. Likewise, the wife, although equal to man under God, should submit to her husband for the sake of their marriage and family. Submission between equals is submission by choice, not by force.

God created lines of authority in order for his created world to function smoothly. God created men and women with unique and complementary characteristics. One sex is not better than the other. We must not let the issue of authority and submission becomes a wedge to destroy oneness in marriage. Instead, we should use our unique gifts to strengthen our marriage and to glorify God.

In Ephesians 5:25-33 we read: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.”

Paul devotes twice as many words to telling husbands to love their wives as to telling wives to submit to their husbands. So how should a man love his wife?

  1. He should be willing to sacrifice everything for her.
  2. He should make her well-being of primary importance.
  3. He should care for her as he cares for his own body.

No wife needs to fear submitting to a man who treats her in this way.

We need to realize that the union of husband and wife merges two persons in such a way that little can affect one without also affecting the other. Oneness in marriage doesn’t mean losing your personality in the personality of the other. Instead, it means caring for your spouse as you care for yourself, learning to anticipate his or her needs, helping the other person become all he or she can be.

The creation story tells of God’s plan in Genesis 2:24 – “that is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh,” and Jesus also referred to this plan in (Matthew 19:4-6). “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

1 Comment

Posted in 1 Corinthians, BIBLE STUDIES, Ephesians, Genesis, John, Matthew, Proverbs, SCRIPTURE | Tags: , , , ,

« Newer Posts - Older Posts »

Categories