For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:21
Who cares what this life will bring? Why do we involve ourselves with what will come in this life?
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1 John 2:16
For surely, whether I live, I live for the Lord, and whether I die, I die for the Lord.
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Ephesians 2:8
Faith is not a work.
This is one of the places John Calvin, the leader of reformed theology, in my opinion, missed it. In depth doctrinal analysis of all of the branch of theology today called Calvinism aside, the essence of his argument for many of his works hinged upon the understanding of total depravity as being excluding using the faith God provided. According to that branch of thought, any effort on our part was lacking when it comes to pleasing God.
Many people complain about having “faith in faith”, and saying that it is not what saves you. Unfortunately, this steers very wide of the margin of scripture, and does nothing but raise a smoke-screen against the real issue, that many do not have a real understanding of what faith is.
Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.
John 12:26
There is no other Truth than Jesus. Paul didn’t surpass Jesus’ truth. Peter didn’t understand more. John, in his great revelation as the last book of the Bible wasn’t in possession of a greater revelation than that which Jesus is.
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.
1 John 1:1-4
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
Matthew 7:24-27
You see, it must be understood, whenever a leader falls, it is solely, squarely, and positively because of what is in their heart. This bears both great compassion and unswerving commitment to integrity. Every leader that has ever fallen has fallen, not because of the devil, not because of other people, but solely and squarely because of themselves.
As a man helping to raise up a global prayer movement, Mike Bickle, said, “God won’t stop it. The devil wont stop it. Only you can stop it. This should not come as a surprise to the church. God has provided a better way in Jesus.
For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, LET HIM WHO BOASTS, BOAST IN THE LORD.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
For everything of man must be recognized as of no value, for all flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers and the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows upon it; surely the people are like grass. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of our God stands forever (Isaiah 40:5-7). Every word of God is sure. It is tested and tried in the furnace. Every word is refined as by fire, tested in the fire seven times.
The Gospel is not of this realm, it is of another. The Kingdom is not of this world, but of Heaven. The Word of Faith is not the word of man, but it is Spirit!
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Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted.
Galatians 6:1
What a far distance from this Scriptures so many people live today! Not that this isn’t done, but that there are so few that can do it, or seem to, at the very least! It happens for sure, but we could be further along.
Consider this. If someone who is caught in a trespass, the one who is spiritual should restore the other in gentleness. That is, the person who is not caught in sin should restore the person who is. While it is obvious that a person here is caught in a trespass, let us not miss the obvious that there is someone in this picture who isn’t!
Superlative: [O]f the highest kind, quality, or order; surpassing all else or others; supreme; extreme: superlative wisdom.
via Dictionary.com
It is almost a wrong label to call the Kingdom superlative. It is Beyond that. John the Baptist was the superlative of human attainment. A life of solitude, of extreme separateness and consecration to the Lord was his. Jesus gave the man this testimony, and the comparison to the Kingdom.
Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Matthew 11:11
John was a man, a prophet, of the Old Covenant, under the law and order of Moses. He signified the demarcation point between Old an New Covenants. As the Law came through Moses, and Grace and Truth came through Jesus Christ, the exchange between the two marked the transition from the age of the Old Testament and the coming of the Messianic Age.
The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John; since that time the gospel of the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.
Luke 16:16
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.
Matthew 5:17-18
For too long, our theology has been laid out by theologians, and not by children. Ask any eight-year old what it means that the Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven hidden in dough means, and they’ll tell you that it means, more or less, that the Kingdom of Heaven is like leaven! It takes a real grown-up to tell you, after reading the words of Jesus, that the Kingdom of Heaven is anything other than what He just said it was.
What does the Kingdom resemble? A little bit of yeast! (Matthew 13:33). What must we do to have life within ourselves? Eat and drink His blood (John 6:53). Simple, eh?
Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it.
Luke 17:33 KJV
He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Matthew 10:39 KJV
Perhaps one of the most enigmatic phrases to the carnal observer would be this one, largely because it is so simple. He has hidden things from the wise and prudent, and revealed them to babes. Instinctive to nearly every human being who has not been otherwise affected is the basic drive for self-survival, self-preservation. It is at a core part of their being. In a human realm, such as in gangs and the mafia, only a greater fear than death itself is capable of overcoming such an innate, core part of our human nature. We fear death, and losing our self, and yet, this is at the core of not only the Gospel, yet of love itself. To love is to lose yourself, and yet retain it.
This verse is perplexing only in a natural sense, however, to mind of man, and not to God. Many have of course tried to fulfill this in their flesh, only to fail again and again, and some have set up whole camps for doctrines of thought around the whole idea that we should simply not try and just “let God”. While this may sound wonderfully and spiritual, the plain fact remains that we were given instruction for a reason, if we could just know how to apply it!
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Genesis 1:1-2
God spoke, and there was light. His Word entered creation, and light was over the vast expanse of the deep. God approved of this light, and as He separated light from dark, there was day and night. The first day.
God created the skies, and the lands beneath. His Word set the boundaries for the sea, so that it might only come so far. His Word called forth, and it came into being.
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