Ministry – Offerings and caring for the Poor.
Having sojourned along the ministry path of Thanksgiving and Justice we now begin building the Ministry of Offerings to the Lord and Caring for the Poor and Needy in the disciple.
We’re growing the disciple in two ways here, expressing love to the Lord and love towards one another. Like two wings on a plane, both must work or we fly in circles rather than grow in Ministry.
The goal is to love the Lord and others just like Jesus and the Apostles did. The plan is as follows.
* Note - each new posting builds upon the prior ones so to understand this posting FULLY you'll need to start from the first posting in March 2009 and read and study each one in chronological order.
“Ministry to the Lord” must come from a heart filled with love for God and the outward manifestation of that love includes our giving or offerings to the Lord. Jesus made this very clear:
Matthew 6:21 “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Luke 16:13 “" No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth."
The choice for the disciple is not between the Devil and God but rather between Wealth and God. It is understanding which one has gripped our heart, which one is our treasured possession - Money or God, earthly things or heavenly things, to please ourselves or to please God.
Colossians 1:10 “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”
It is true that the more earthly wealth and possessions we have the more our heart is attracted to and anchored to this earth, to the things of the world such as our degrees, careers, titles, positions, fashions, fads, cars, homes. gadgets, sports etc. As all these earthly things become more and more important to us, our love for the Lord grows lukewarm and then cold.
Hebrews 13:5 “Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, " I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,"
1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Revelation 3:16 “'So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth. 17'Because you say, "I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing," and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked,”
Luke 8:14 “"The seed which fell among the thorns, these are the ones who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with worries and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
How does the disciple know if he/she has some measure of love for money and thus lukewarm-ness to the Lord? Most of the time they don’t know so we must help them see it.
One sign is a lack of satisfaction and contentment which leads to a pursuit of worldly wealth:
Ecclesiastes 5:10 “He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.”
1 Timothy 6:9 “But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.”
Luke 12:15 “Then He said to them, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions."
The opposite is like two sides of a piece of paper where on one side is a short list of ones earthly possessions, not poverty mind you but not overly abundant accumulations either. On the other side is a long list of reported giving to the Lord, sharing with others and an abundant generosity. Jesus and the Apostles denied themselves, lived having only their needs met and were not consumed with money and possessions and gave all they had to others, sharing all things. To be a disciple means follow them as an example and that takes time to grow in.
Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.”
1 Corinthians 7:31 “those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.”
Luke 9:25 “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?
We are helping the young disciple to recognize his/her own condition of having some measure of the love of money in his/her heart, repenting of it and then growing in loving God.
How many possessions of this world did Jesus and the Apostles have?
Did they have a luxury car – the latest greatest luxury chariot of the day?
Did they have an inexpensive cart they rode in?
Or did they walk like the common non-wealthy people did at that time?
How would they have lived in the modern world of today knowing the principles they lived by?
Did they have the latest gadget, largest house of the day?
Did they have the fashionable jewelry, clothes, hair styles, tattoos as the world did?
Did they have a closest full of clothes and sandals like the wealthy or did they have what the common people had?
Did they take vacations at the luxury resorts of the day or like the common people did?
Did they eat the finest of food as the wealthy did or was their diet the common man’s diet?
Did they have a house and garage and storage shed full of stuff they didn’t need or use?
Did they have the most expensive rugs, finest beds and furniture etc?
Were they poor and needy, or rich, or neither?
Were they always concerned about making more money or giving more money?
Did they seek & find opportunities to help themselves or to help others?
There are many ways to examine the lives of Jesus and the Apostles regarding these things and from them find our example to follow in this matter.
1 John 2:6 “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”
1 Thessalonians 4:1 “ Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more.” NIV
Colossians 1:10 “so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”
We should be growing in having more treasure in heaven and less possessions on earth.
Other forms of loving money are selfishness, buying more and more things for oneself, being rich towards oneself, stinginess toward God and others, a reluctant giver, giving to impress others instead of because one loves God, stealing, taking advantage of others etc..
For example some verses:
2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Acts 5:3 “But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4"While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God."
Matthew 6:3 “"But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Luke 12:18 “"Then he said, 'This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry."' 20"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?' 21"So is the man who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
We also must avoid a common practice in our day of giving to God from a greedy heart instead of from a loving heart. This is often seen when people give expecting God to give them more money back as if it were an investment in the stock market rather than a love offering to the Lord. Giving to get is not love, its selfish greed. The greedy will find a verse like Malachi 3:10 to comfort themselves and their greedy hearts.
All ministry, including giving to God and the poor, must be from love. Jesus connected the two – service and love -- as did the Apostles:
John 21:16 “He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, " Shepherd My sheep."
1 Corinthians 13:3 “And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing"
1 John 3:17 “But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”
Hebrews 10:24 “and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,
1 John 2:15 “ Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
Luke 16:13 “" No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other You cannot serve God and wealth."
Pray with the young disciple asking the Lord to increase his/her love for God and increase their treasure in heaven and radically part with loving money and the world.
Encourage the disciple to judge himself and see if He/She is manifesting love for God and growing in becoming more generous and more joyful in giving.
Help the disciple develop a plan to grow in giving.
2 Corinthians 8:7 “But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” NIV
The disciple should settle the starting % amount giving/offering between him/her and the Lord rather than follow a starting point of 10% tithe and the reason is that the Lord is more concerned about the heart of the giver than the gift and the giver must give JOYFULLY, not grudgingly, FREELY, not under compulsion either by a LAW of Tithe or by an appeal such as a picture of a poor child somewhere.
2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
Whatever % the Lord and the disciple agree on, start there and every year add more %. For example year one give 5% of total earnings to the Lord, year two give 7%, year three give 12%, year four give 15% etc. This simple plan will help the disciple maintain a growth in loving the Lord and denying self. At some point they will reach giving 51% to the Lord and living a sacrificial and blessed life on the remaining 49% of total earnings.
Acts 20:35 “"In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
May the Lord anoint you to make disciples who love the Lord with all their heart!
Disciple Maker
P.S. Subsequent meetings on this Ministry topic will cover growing in self denial and compassion, growing in living on less and needing less, growing in giving to the poor and needy. Sharing all things with the brethren. Discernment and Wisdom in giving. Overcoming Cathedral building and the spirit of Babylon in our hearts. Being led by the Spirit in deciding where to Give. Overcoming insecurities, confiscations, robberies, losses of earthly things. Overcoming wrong motives in giving, Overcoming neglecting the kingdom and missions in giving, etc.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Christian Character Lesson 2 of 12- the Fruit of Peace
Christian Character Lesson 2 of 12 meeting 1a – Peace with God.
Having sojourned along the path of humility we now address the character fruit of “peace”.
We are doing two things here, getting rid of things that hinder this peace and growing in the spiritual fruit of peace. Like two wings on a plane both must work or we fly in circles.
* Note - each new posting builds upon the prior ones so to understand this posting FULLY you'll need to start from the first posting in March 2009 and read and study each one in chronological order.
Jesus’ first teaching included a teaching on peace as did his last teaching – two book ends holding together the books which are within them.
----- Matthew 6:26-31 “26"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' 32"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” NASB
---- John 14:27 " Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” NASB
Peace is tranquility, quietness, harmony, rest, being set at one or whole again and is the freedom from and absence of; war, conflict, worry, anxiety, torment, fear, etc.
Jesus as the Prince of Peace came to give his disciples peace from God.
---- John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." NASB
The 3 General areas of Peace that we build up in the young disciple are:
(1) Peace with God.
(2) Peace with self and life or peace of mind.
(3) Peace with others.
These three are progressive, meaning that if we fail at #1 then we cannot succeed at #2 and if we fail at #2 we cannot succeed at #3.
Meeting 1a is designed to build a growing peace with God.
Having been reconciled through Christ we have a foundation “Peace with God” already.
---- “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace” Eph 2:14,15
---- “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Col 1:20
Now we maintain the peace that we already have & ALSO grow in it.
---- 2 Peter 3:14 “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” NASB
How do we maintain that peace & rest?
Any known sins that have not been confessed in detail to the Lord nor repented of cause us to lack a clear conscience and peace with the Lord.
---- “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength”.. Isaiah 30:15 NIV
----- Psalm 85:10 “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” NIV
----- “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11 NIV
How do we grow in peace with God?
Confess in detail – not a broad stroke confession of “I sinned forgive me”, rather a detailed report to the Lord.
---- 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The Lord wants us to confess our sins in detail to him. Confessing our sins to the Lord in detail helps us to know the truth about ourselves and about God’s forgiveness.
---- Psalm 51:6 “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
Notice the Lord desired Adam and Eve to make a full confession report and explain themselves to God.
----- “8They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." 11And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." 13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Genesis 3:8-13 NASB
God knew the condition of Adam and Eve and was helping them to know the truth by encouraging them to make a full confession. Notice Eve did not give all the details of her heart as she should have and the Holy Spirit made sure we knew as it is recorded for our learning.
---- “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” Genesis 3:6
Thus Eve could have made a more detailed confession.
Likewise Jesus gave significant details to the woman by the well regarding her sins and explained the Truth regarding her condition. Jesus knew in advance her condition and was helping her see the truth of it.
---- John 4:18 “15The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw." 16He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here." 17The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; 18for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." 19The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."
The Lord is looking for a full accounting not because He does not know but because we don’t know the depths of our own sin - examine these verses:
---- Matthew 12:36 “"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
---- Romans 14:12 “So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
---- Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
By giving a detailed confession to God our eyes our opened to our true condition and need.
---- John 8:32 “31So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
----- 1 John 3:19 “We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him 20in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. 21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God”.
---- Hebrews 9:14 ‘how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
----- Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” NASB
We need to develop a good, clear conscience before God and that demands a detailed confession to the Lord. Examine these verses:
--- 1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
---- 2 Timothy 1:3” thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience
---- 2 Corinthians 1:12 “ For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.”
Its possible for a disciple to lack this “knowing” of both the true condition and true peace with God.
--- 2 Timothy 3:7 “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
--- 1 Timothy 1:19 “keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
Having a pure heart and a clear conscience requires a constant self examination, detailed knowledge and confession and repentance of sins - THEN WE HAVE PEACE!
--- Luke 7:47 "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." 48Then He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven."
---- Ephesians 3:19 “17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. 20Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
Help the disciple understand how to make a detailed confession to the Lord, how to know the truth and be set free, how to grow in being sensitive to the depths of sin and overcome it entirely – not just the fruit but the roots - and how to be confident in HIS forgiveness by hearing the voice of the Lord reassure them of His love and peace.
Confess in detail the sin and its roots and motive:
---- James 1:15 “14But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
---- Romans 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- 13for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. NASB
---- Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
--- James 4:3 “1What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. NASB
Below is a confession example for the disciple regarding the sin resulting from anger:
---- Genesis 4:6 “Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
Often anger is a result of not getting our way. Confess the lust for self will and a mind not controlled by the Spirit but rather led by the flesh. Anger can be a result of stress. Confess the worry, lack of contentment, lack of trust in God, doubts. Confess any, bitterness, jealousy, greed etc. that may be packaged in the anger. Inside anger may also be a lack of grace and mercy toward others, confess that as well if it is true. Is there any vengeance involved? Etc. As we go through the entire package we confess to the Lord the truth of our condition and sin and our eyes are opened.
Then we repent and change our ways regarding this anger and the contents of that package asking the Lord to forgive us and proclaiming His Words of TRUTH regarding his faithfulness to forgive and proclaim His words of TRUTH that we are in Christ and there is no longer any condemnation against us and proclaim His great love for us.
---- Ephesians 4:26 “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,” 27and do not give the devil an opportunity.”
Then ask the Lord to confirm His forgiveness and love for us personally by the Holy Spirit speaking to our conscience, soul and spirit, that we are indeed set at one with God and have this rest knowing that nothing is hidden and the accounting is accurate and the forgiveness is entire.
Growing in peace with God is increasingly growing in knowing our true condition and his forgiveness and love.
The Apostle Paul knew his true condition and had a clear conscience that the Lord had forgiven all.
---- 1 Timothy 1:15 “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”
---- 2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
----- Ephesians 3:16 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
---- 1 Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May the Lord bless you,
Disciple Maker
Having sojourned along the path of humility we now address the character fruit of “peace”.
We are doing two things here, getting rid of things that hinder this peace and growing in the spiritual fruit of peace. Like two wings on a plane both must work or we fly in circles.
* Note - each new posting builds upon the prior ones so to understand this posting FULLY you'll need to start from the first posting in March 2009 and read and study each one in chronological order.
Jesus’ first teaching included a teaching on peace as did his last teaching – two book ends holding together the books which are within them.
----- Matthew 6:26-31 “26"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' 32"For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” NASB
---- John 14:27 " Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” NASB
Peace is tranquility, quietness, harmony, rest, being set at one or whole again and is the freedom from and absence of; war, conflict, worry, anxiety, torment, fear, etc.
Jesus as the Prince of Peace came to give his disciples peace from God.
---- John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." NASB
The 3 General areas of Peace that we build up in the young disciple are:
(1) Peace with God.
(2) Peace with self and life or peace of mind.
(3) Peace with others.
These three are progressive, meaning that if we fail at #1 then we cannot succeed at #2 and if we fail at #2 we cannot succeed at #3.
Meeting 1a is designed to build a growing peace with God.
Having been reconciled through Christ we have a foundation “Peace with God” already.
---- “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace” Eph 2:14,15
---- “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” Col 1:20
Now we maintain the peace that we already have & ALSO grow in it.
---- 2 Peter 3:14 “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless” NASB
How do we maintain that peace & rest?
Any known sins that have not been confessed in detail to the Lord nor repented of cause us to lack a clear conscience and peace with the Lord.
---- “This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength”.. Isaiah 30:15 NIV
----- Psalm 85:10 “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” NIV
----- “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11 NIV
How do we grow in peace with God?
Confess in detail – not a broad stroke confession of “I sinned forgive me”, rather a detailed report to the Lord.
---- 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
The Lord wants us to confess our sins in detail to him. Confessing our sins to the Lord in detail helps us to know the truth about ourselves and about God’s forgiveness.
---- Psalm 51:6 “Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being, And in the hidden part You will make me know wisdom.
Notice the Lord desired Adam and Eve to make a full confession report and explain themselves to God.
----- “8They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10He said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself." 11And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." 13Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Genesis 3:8-13 NASB
God knew the condition of Adam and Eve and was helping them to know the truth by encouraging them to make a full confession. Notice Eve did not give all the details of her heart as she should have and the Holy Spirit made sure we knew as it is recorded for our learning.
---- “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” Genesis 3:6
Thus Eve could have made a more detailed confession.
Likewise Jesus gave significant details to the woman by the well regarding her sins and explained the Truth regarding her condition. Jesus knew in advance her condition and was helping her see the truth of it.
---- John 4:18 “15The woman said to Him, "Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty nor come all the way here to draw." 16He said to her, "Go, call your husband and come here." 17The woman answered and said, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You have correctly said, 'I have no husband'; 18for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." 19The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet."
The Lord is looking for a full accounting not because He does not know but because we don’t know the depths of our own sin - examine these verses:
---- Matthew 12:36 “"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
---- Romans 14:12 “So then each one of us will give an account of himself to God.
---- Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
By giving a detailed confession to God our eyes our opened to our true condition and need.
---- John 8:32 “31So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
----- 1 John 3:19 “We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him 20in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things. 21Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God”.
---- Hebrews 9:14 ‘how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
----- Romans 8:1 “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” NASB
We need to develop a good, clear conscience before God and that demands a detailed confession to the Lord. Examine these verses:
--- 1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
---- 2 Timothy 1:3” thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience
---- 2 Corinthians 1:12 “ For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.”
Its possible for a disciple to lack this “knowing” of both the true condition and true peace with God.
--- 2 Timothy 3:7 “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
--- 1 Timothy 1:19 “keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
Having a pure heart and a clear conscience requires a constant self examination, detailed knowledge and confession and repentance of sins - THEN WE HAVE PEACE!
--- Luke 7:47 "For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." 48Then He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven."
---- Ephesians 3:19 “17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. 20Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
Help the disciple understand how to make a detailed confession to the Lord, how to know the truth and be set free, how to grow in being sensitive to the depths of sin and overcome it entirely – not just the fruit but the roots - and how to be confident in HIS forgiveness by hearing the voice of the Lord reassure them of His love and peace.
Confess in detail the sin and its roots and motive:
---- James 1:15 “14But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
---- Romans 8:5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- 13for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. NASB
---- Hebrews 12:15 “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled;
--- James 4:3 “1What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. NASB
Below is a confession example for the disciple regarding the sin resulting from anger:
---- Genesis 4:6 “Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
Often anger is a result of not getting our way. Confess the lust for self will and a mind not controlled by the Spirit but rather led by the flesh. Anger can be a result of stress. Confess the worry, lack of contentment, lack of trust in God, doubts. Confess any, bitterness, jealousy, greed etc. that may be packaged in the anger. Inside anger may also be a lack of grace and mercy toward others, confess that as well if it is true. Is there any vengeance involved? Etc. As we go through the entire package we confess to the Lord the truth of our condition and sin and our eyes are opened.
Then we repent and change our ways regarding this anger and the contents of that package asking the Lord to forgive us and proclaiming His Words of TRUTH regarding his faithfulness to forgive and proclaim His words of TRUTH that we are in Christ and there is no longer any condemnation against us and proclaim His great love for us.
---- Ephesians 4:26 “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,” 27and do not give the devil an opportunity.”
Then ask the Lord to confirm His forgiveness and love for us personally by the Holy Spirit speaking to our conscience, soul and spirit, that we are indeed set at one with God and have this rest knowing that nothing is hidden and the accounting is accurate and the forgiveness is entire.
Growing in peace with God is increasingly growing in knowing our true condition and his forgiveness and love.
The Apostle Paul knew his true condition and had a clear conscience that the Lord had forgiven all.
---- 1 Timothy 1:15 “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.”
---- 2 Corinthians 4:16 “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.
----- Ephesians 3:16 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
---- 1 Thessalonians 5:23 “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May the Lord bless you,
Disciple Maker
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)