Picking up the Cross

The Cross means we are under Grace and that we are to obey God and follow His Word (the Bible). God wants a pure heart from us and He does not need to give us rules in order for our hearts to be pure. BECAUSE Jesus Christ cleaned our sins and all God wants us to do is be Christ-like. Jesus said in Matthew 5:8 "God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God." God wants our hearts more than He want us to follow rules. If we give our hearts to God, then we will know what is sinful and what is not sinful. The best definition of the Cross is this: "Salvation is free, ... but discipleship will cost you your life." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer) It is finished. It is UP to us to GIVE up sinful nature and worldly pleasures. Contentment is enthusiasm with no worldly cause. Contentment is excitement in the midst of illness, compassion over the needs of someone who is worse off than you, joy in the midst of pain. Contentment says, "Thy will be done, Lord," even when His will means a cross. Contentment is never being possessed by your possessions; never being irritated by another's success. 1. You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength. (Mark 12:30 NLT) 2. Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:31 NLT) (Also see Matthew 22:37-39) The key is about my heart. In Matthew 6:21, Jesus said "Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be." (NLT). 1. We should have no other gods. (Exodus 20:3) 2. We should not be devoted to anything more than God (Deut. 4:23) 3. We should not forget God. We forget God when we "give in" to idolatry. 4. We should not share God's glory with anything else (Isaiah 42:8) 5. We cannot serve both God and worldly things. (Luke 16:13) One of the greatest examples I have learn is from Lot's wife. Lot's wife died when she looked back. Looking back means you rely on flesh's desires more than God's commands and desires. A spirit-filled Christian are to focus all of their energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us to heaven." (Phillippians 3:13-14 NLT). “He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God” (Rom. 8:27). Repenting is picking up the cross by rejecting the world. Romans 6:6 "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—" Galatians 5:24 "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." 2 Corinthians 12:21 I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged. Spiritual conviction of the Holy Spirit leads us to "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death". 2 Corinthians 7:10

Spirit-Filled picking up the Cross

As a Spirit-filled Christian, I can say that in Galatians 6:14--Paul said that by taking up the cross of Christ, he crucified himself to the world--he died to everything around him and became consumed with the gospel of Christ. We're engaged in an eternal work; the destiny of souls is at stake. We are seeking to uphold the world, to save it from the curse of God of eternal death. Remember the story about the rich ruler? Jesus looked after the rich young ruler as he walked away, but Jesus did not follow him or attempt to coerce him. Jesus wants people make their own moral choices; and Christ knew this and permitted rich ruler to go his own chosen way. Jesus is saying that He cannot do our repenting for us. He died for our sins, now it is up to us to pick up the cross.

Isaiah 53:5

Sacrifices for Sin (Atonement) In the Old Testament Leviticus 9:7 Moses said to Aaron, "Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded." Hebrews 5 explains that "Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins." that in Hebrews 7 explains that Jesus is the "high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever." Pretty clear to me. Romans 3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 Peter 4:1 (NIV) Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. Isaiah 53 is not about physical healing but people are using the chapter is part of physical healing more than spiritual healing (salvation). Isaiah 53 is a chapter that has been talked about, debated, and argued over for years, and perhaps will continue to be for years to come. Isaiah 53:5 NIV: But he was pierced for our transgressions,he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,and by his wounds we are healed. KJV: But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. In NIV, words were used as: 1. pierced (wounded in KJV) for our transgressions (KJV is the same) 2. crushed (bruised in KJV) for our iniquities (KJV is the same). Transgression means violation of God's law. Iniquity means depth of sin, lawlessness. Source of iniquity is the heart (see Matt. 23:28, Ps 41:6). The bottom line is: SIN as in eternal death. Christ through His blood gave us eternal LIFE. Animal sacrifices were to cover their sins while Christ's sacrifice to purifies our sins. Exodus 29:36"Sacrifice a bull each day as a sin offering to make atonement. Purify the altar by making atonement for it, and anoint it to consecrate it." Leviticus 9:7 "Moses said to Aaron, "Come to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering and make atonement for yourself and the people; sacrifice the offering that is for the people and make atonement for them, as the LORD has commanded." Hebrews 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant. We live in a body that is decaying and dying which is temporal. If our bodies are decaying as Paul said, where does it say we are physically whole while our bodies are slowly dying?

Disgree on Doctrines and still be saved?

Christian can disagree on doctrines as long as they don't agree on the doctrine of SALVATION and other important doctrines (i.e. Apostle Creed). Are you TRULY SAVED? God looks in our hearts, not our works. Anyone can know this by looking in their hearts and see where they are at in their relationship with God. Is my heart bearing fruits from the Holy Spirit rather than works? ONLY God knows. I truly believe that you are saved but only God knows for sure. Christ through His death and resurrection, every legal hindrance has been met and satisfied. There is nothing that can keep US from assurance. Its not about thinking our way into salvation or to reason our way into salvation via works. The only way to get in is to believe (gift of faith from the Holy Spirit) Him with my heart which is sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Apostleship and Authority

In the book of Hebrew, it talks about the great apostle, Christ. You know what apostle means? "Sent one," and after Christ, and you would say Christ is capital APOSTLE, as the Great ‘APOSTLE’. Then you have the twelve, they are ‘Apostle.’ And then you have Andronicus, Junias and the whole bunch--Barnabas, and they are 'apostle' which means a broad word, is like "servant," "sent one." We can look at 'apostles' in an official capacity or an unofficial one without the "Apostle" gifts. Andronicus and Junias and those were "sent ones" they were like missionaries, there is a sense in which today, some of us are "sent ones". Apostle (with capital A) out of due season and in a very special way, then plus a lot of other apostles (in lower case 'a'). In Ephesians 2:20 says the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Hebrews 3:1 [ Jesus Greater Than Moses ] Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest whom we confess. The gifts and title of Apostleship are significant enough to be declared, along with prophets, as the foundation of the church (Eph. 2:20). From: Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Apostle

Apostles and the Spirit The primary function of the apostles was to witness to Christ. The Twelve had intimate knowledge of his life, and a wider group had been witnesses to his resurrection. Their commissioning by the risen Lord to worldwide witness (Ac 1:8), however, was incomplete without the anointing of the Spirit. Only after Pentecost were they empowered by the Spirit for their ministry of word and deed. Their witness to Christ was not only empowered, but also guided and validated by the Spirit (John 14:26). Thus, their full apostolic vocation was realized only in the Spirit (John 14-17). Paul viewed apostleship as a gift of the Spirit (1 Co 12:28), which was often accompanied by miraculous signs and mighty works (2 Co 12:12). Such signs and wonders, however, were clearly secondary to the apostolic functions of preaching and teaching. Apostolic Authority Having direct knowledge of the incarnate Word, and being sent out as authorized agets of the gospel, the apostles provided the authentic interpretation of the life and teaching of Jesus. Because their witness to Christ was guided by the Spirit (John 15:26-27), the apostles' teaching was considered normative for the church. They were regarded as the "pillars" (Gal 2:9) and "foundation" (Eph 2:20; cf. Rev 21:14) of the church, and their teaching became the norm for Christian faith and practice. The deposit of revelation transmitted by the apostles and preserved in its written form in the New Testament thus forms the basis of postapostolic preaching and teaching in the church. Paul uses the word "apostle" in more than one sense. At times he employs the term in the broader sense of messenger or agent (2 Col 8:23; Php 2:25). More often, however, Paul uses the term to refer to those who had been commissioned by the risen Lord to the apostolic task. Included in this category are the Twelve (although he never explicitly applies the title of apostle to them as a group), Peter (Gal 1:18), Paul himself (Rom 1:1; 1 Col 1:1; 9:1-2; 15:8-10; Gal 2:7-8), James the brother of Jesus (Gal 1:19; cf. Acts 15:13), Barnabas (1 Col 9:1-6; Gal 2:9; cf. Acts 14:4, 14), and possibly others (Ro 16:7). In addition to understanding apostleship in terms of its basis in a divine call, Paul views the life of an apostle as being one of self-sacrificial service that entails suffering (1 Col 4:9-13; 15:30-32; 2 Col 4:7-12; 11:23-29).

651 apostleship ajpostolhv apostole sending away, of the sending off of a fleet, of consuls with an army, i.e. of an expedition, a sending away, i.e. a dismissal, release, a thing sent, esp. of gifts, in the NT, the office and dignity of the apostles of Christ, apostleship 652 apostle ajpovstoloß apostolos a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders, specifically applied to the twelve apostles of Christ, in a broader sense applied to other eminent Christian teachers, of Barnabas, of Timothy and Silvanus 5570 false apostles yeudapovstoloß pseudapostolos a false apostle, one who falsely claims to be an ambassador of Christ From: The New Testament Greek Lexicon I found this interesting because I always believe the Apostles (Peter, John, etc) WERE SPECIAL. The successors to the apostles (Timothy and Titus) are never called apostles or regarded with full apostolic authority. Many apostles such as Timothy and Titus were to carry on the apostle's work like all Christians do everyday (as we do) The key point is this: The genuine apostolic succession was never meant to continue. There are Super Apostles (Peter, etc), and minor apostles (without special gifts). I am an apostle by definition of a servant, sent on and missionary. But I do NOT have the Apostleship authority as Peter and others had. There's a HUGE difference. Paul explained in his letters. Apostles were personal ambassadors for Jesus Christ. The title and their words carried divine authority which means there was no appeal above their words, no discussion, no debate. They had Divine gifts, bringing the very word of God to men. Their authority in the church was absolute. When Paul's rebuked Peter for not practicing what he preached (Galatians 2:11) and Peter submitted without debating. When they tell a person that they lacked faith, they had the authority, while we Christians DO NOT. (By the way, this is one of my issue when Christians tell me that I am lacking faith ) The other "apostles" didn't have those authority and divine gifts.

Noah and Righteousness

Noah (Hebrews 11, verse 7) - believed that God would send rain even though he had never seen it before. Ezekiel refers to Job along with Noah and Daniel (Ezekiel 14:14,20) who show GREAT faith regardless of their circumstances. 14 "even if these three men—Noah, Daniel and Job—were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD." 20 "as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness." Unrighteous are those who are not saved (rejecting the conviction of the Holy Spirit to accept Christ). During Noah time (before Abraham and before the Jewish race began), Faith in God in all situations was important to God. Christ's definition of Beatitudes (Matthew 5) contradicts those who believe they are gods. We received the GIFT of Eternal Life and Eternal Kingdom through Jesus Christ. True happiness begins in our hearts, mourning over sin which leads to meekness. From the attitude of meekness, we hunger and thirst for righteousness. Through Jesus Christ, we can receive God's mercy and righteousness that our hearts will be pure. When we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit came into our hearts and cleansed our sins and purified our hearts. Only God can provide happiness when we have Jesus Christ in our hearts and only Jesus Christ can give us true happiness. Happy are those who joyfully endure problems and trials because knowing God is teaching and leading us to where He want us to go. Enduring trials are part of a Christian's life. (Read: Romans 3 and James 1).

Great Faith

Great faith is trusting God's providence. He governs the world moment-by-moment through providence, so that everything that happens, every detail of our life occurs by God's divine providence or by God’s express permission. He is in control of everything. Even the bad things that happen to us are circumscribed by a loving providence and God promises to use them all for our ultimate good. 1 Peter 1:7 These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Anti-prosperity, Anti-proverty????

I am not anti-proverty nor anti-prosperity but anti-selfish temptations to get wealthy by using God. I came from a wealthy family. I may not be rich like my parents, but I do make good money (25 years with the same place and have a great retirement package). I have GREAT benefits such as health, dental and vision insurance. I have learned to steward my money by saving additional money into another retirement fund. Regarding economic systems around the world. I have studied economics and I am an accountant by profession. Without money and capitalism personal computers would not here, Medical Technologies would not advance, automobile would not advance, most technologies would not advance, technologies & devices for the disable would not be here, and I can go on and on. I don't know if we can call this a blessing or thankful that it is a system that benefits everyone even though some will still live in poverty. In this country, people have equal opportunity to be successful but not everyone would be successful. Just as everyone have the equal opportunity to excel in sports and make millions but only 2% of the population have the talent and gifts to play. Quotes by: Benjamin Franklin “The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.” “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” “How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them” Wealth is permissionable as long as we gain wealth with honesty and without cheating and stealing. Throughout the Old Testament, there were lists of people who were wealthy and in fact the Book of Proverbs wrote who we use our wealth. We are to work hard for our wealth (Proverbs 10:4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.) , live in a simple life and share your wealth with those who are living in poverty. Government is not the problem. Its PEOPLE. Earn your money, pay all you owe, live in a simple life without getting too materlistic and share your wealth with those who are in need. I have said in the past:

Spiritually, true prosperity is not measured in dollars and cents, rather it is measured by progressing in the things that I am doing according to God's will. Everything belongs to God, who calls the Church (Christians) to live in faithful stewardship of all that God has entrusted to us. Spiritual stewardship is looking at my financial situation and to look at my life spiritually in from God's perspectives. My spiritual life of a Christian should be focusing on God and His purpose for me individually where He have put me. Jesus warned about greed (see Luke 12). Wealth that is earned for personal growth rather than spiritual growth is not being used to fulfill God’s purpose. God is the one who gave me the ability to make a good living and have a great job. The word steward means: manager, custodian, caretaker, administrator, or trustee of God's properties. The steward is the person that effectively and efficiently uses the money and resources that God has given to as Christian duty.

How do you manage the money that you receive from our paycheck or earn an income from personal business. God's main goal is for us to earn enough to live by. Money is used to meet our daily needs such as food, utility bills and other expenses. God would meet all of our needs (Matthew 6), however God will not meet our selfish desires. There is nothing wrong with having a desire for something as long as our motives are correct. It is important that we look from God's perspective in our stewardship so that we are not pursuing desires against God's will and purpose. Because if we are pursuiing our selfish desires rather than God's will and purpose, then our motives are wrong. Christians' view of money and material possessions is an effective barometer of our spirituality. As Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matthew 6:21). In Proverbs 4:23, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do." (NLT) In Proverbs 21:2, "People may think they are doing what is right, but the Lord examines the heart." (NLT) If we are seeking God for our own selfishness (self-interest) other than our spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ is a form of idolatry. We all need to guard ourselves and be on the watch for any that takes away our true worship that belongs only to God. 1 Samuel 2:7 The LORD sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. Proverbs 10:4 Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Proverbs 13:7 One man pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth. Proverbs 22:4 Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth and honor and life. Proverbs 28:8 He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor. Free market capitalism produces long-term economic growth. Socialism by the state produce poverty and bureaucracy. If your goal is to keep poor people poor, generation after generation, you should promote socialism. Economic's chief purpose is to discover and refine just and loving means of creating, distributing, and consuming wealth to overcome poverty and to increase the material and spiritual prosperity of people. In a sin-filled world, economics—like all other activities of life in this world, cannot be perfect. 2 Timothy 2:6 The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops. In the Old Testament, Joseph was a man of economic because he knew there will be bad days down the road and that Egypt must reserve wealth and food for the people. Economic is stewardship. Economic is a system rather than beliefs. All produce, commodities, and money are to follow just weights and measures as described in the Bible: Lev. 19:35-36; Ezek. 45:10-14. A just weight and balance are of God's work. Prov. 16:11 Those who use unjust and deceitful weights are wicked. Mic. 6:10-11 You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, large and a small. You shall have a perfect and just weight and measure. Deut. 25:13-15. A false balance and diverse weights and measures are an abomination to the LORD; but a just weight is His delight. Prov. 11:1; Prov. 20:10, 23. So therefore, Ecclesiastes 5:10 Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless. 1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Stewardship means when you are wealthy, do not love your wealth but use your wealth as God wanted you. Proverbs 22:9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. Romans 12:13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Ephesians 4:28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Reasoning and Emotions

The mystery is this: True faith is not the ability to superiorize unseen things to the satisfaction of our human minds, instead it is the human power to trust Christ completely. To be contented and unafraid when going on a life's journey. Like a journey of a child with his father, a child is unable to imagine events but a child will know and trust his father. Jesus Christ is our all in all. We need but trust Him and He will take care of the rest. Psalm 42:9 I say to God my Rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?" Romans 9:18-20 Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. One of you will say to me: "Then why does God still blame us? For who resists his will?" But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' " Of course finally.......... Job 2:3 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason." Then Job gets inflicted even though God finds Job blameless. Blame God? NEVER because all of His actions are justified by His Sovereign and He is the Creator. God is Glorified: ?" But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? "Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'Why did you make me like this?' " Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use? What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath—prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory. Romans 8:17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. People still can "reason" why a person is not healed which they believe is true when they don't. They are not God because they are creatures. Most of the posts are ties to "works" in manner of measure of faith. The measure of faith by some is defined how successful we are spiritually. I truly don't believe that God determine (measure) our faith based on our own faith in each aspect of our lives. In reality, we need to guard our spiritual motives carefully and walk in Spirit when judging others who are not healed. We need to examine our FAITH daily to make sure that our motives are pure and let God be God. Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. James 2:5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? Ephesians 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. The bottom line: Romans 5:2-4 Through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. Mark 2:6-7 (Jesus) But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?