Old Lump

I want to take a quick look at what God has recently spoke to me through my daily reading.

1Co 5:6-8 ESV  Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?  (7)  Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.  (8)  Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

This whole chapter Paul is talking about sexual immorality. There is some pretty strong teaching in there. I would encourage you to read the whole chapter. It is only 13 verses :)... To keep the light on sexual immorality and these few verses, I want to look at two things. 1. The lie that we can have just a little of whatever we "like", will not hurt us. 2. That we play a part in walking in purity. I don’t know how many times I have preached on Luk_9:23 but these verses solidify this teaching (as if Jesus needed solidifying...) It is so easy for us to become complacent in our purity walk that we can easily get side lined with desire, leading to temptations, and ending in sin. So what’s the catch? how do we stay pure? We remove all of the "old leaven", we remove the flesh! We make no provisions for the flesh to fulfill its lust Rom_13:14! We die to the flesh daily! We do this that we may be new in Christ Jesus! For He was/is the Passover lamb for our sin/flesh! We do this because we love Him more then we even love our self!

So what does this mean for us, the mentors/ministers of the gospel? Paul also addresses this a few chapters over:

1Co 9:24-27 ESV  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it.  (25)  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  (26)  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  (27)  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

I am sure that we have all read, and heard teachings on this before. Though what is very interesting about this is verse 27. look at it again:

(27)  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

We as ministers even more than those who do not preach the gospel of Christ, should work to keep the flesh dead, by daily dying, and removal of the old life. James said this:

Jas 3:1 ESV  Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

So what are we to do? Begin each day new! There are many ways where I still allow my flesh room to live. This word was for me more than it was for any of you! Seeing that any area of my life in which I allow my flesh to feast, is an open door for the enemy to rule! I have seen how things that are innocent and "good" have caught my desire, lead me in temptations, ending in sin Jas_1:14-15. God is giving grace to me, and to you. That we may apply His word to our lives, in order to continually purge the flesh from us, that we may live in Him, in Spirit and in truth!

I say all of this to bring about a reminder for us in our ministry to remain pure. Yes we know this. And yes we preach this... But if Paul (and others) preached on this many times, it is worth looking at again...

Question 1. In what ways have you (do you still) allow life to your flesh?

            These may not all be sexual things... It can be anything that allows your flesh to feast.

Question 2. How can we as a group pray for you?

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

I Have Good News!!!!

God forbid, but if for some reason you were to die tonight, are you absolutely certain you would go to heaven? We have all done wrong in God's eye who is perfect. In other words we have all sinned and fall far short of what God wants. We are all born into sin naturally rebelling against God by choosing to do things our own way rather than to rely on God. What is man?... Is man good or bad?... Are we naturally good, with good intentions, and thoughts? Look at a child, do we have to teach them how to lie? Or steal from another child? Do we have to teach a kid to be a bully?  In other words we have all sinned and fall far short of what God wants.

God is holy and perfectly righteous and cannot tolerate sin. God is good and because He is good, He is just. By that I mean that He has to punish sin. If He did not, then He would not be good. If we have fallen short with people and relationships, then how much more have we fallen short against a holy and just God? And one day you and I will be judged by Him for the things that we have done in this life. In fact, if we are honest with ourselves, we are guilty of not only murder, but theft, adultery, blasphemy and so on! We are all sinners.

Therefore, because we are sinners we cannot be in God’s presence in our natural state. That is not good news for us because that means we are under judgment and we will be punished. The simple fact is when we stand before God when we die, we will have to give an account for all those "bad" things we have done. I have good news for you! The Bible tells us that "we can know that we have eternal life." He loves us too much to not give us a way to be reconciled back to Him. My friend, the love of God for you, could not have been expressed any better, than in sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die on a cross for your sin and my sin. God is good and because He is good, He is just. By that I mean that He has to punish sin. If He did not, then He would not be good. But Jesus, who had no sin, took upon Himself our sin.  He sent His Son Jesus to us for this reason. He (God) sacrificed His only begotten son, Jesus the Christ to redeem us.  I will tell you that Jesus came fully man, but did not sin! He never told a lie, stole, bullied, etc... He was perfect. He spoke the truth, and the showed the way that one must be saved. He said that "The only way to the Father is through Me.... I am the way, the truth, and the life..." Because Jesus is perfect having never sinned and being worth so much more than all of His creation, His life was more than worthy as a sacrifice to redeem ours

How can this be?

In love, God had His son, Jesus Christ pay the price for our sin! Because out of love for you and me, Jesus was accused of crimes He never committed. He was sentenced to death, carried His cross, was nailed to it and began to die! He was crucified!  God's Son, took our punishment on the cross. God began to poor out His wrath on Jesus, wave after wave! Jesus had become our sin to the point that God could not even look at Him, and Jesus cried out "My God, My God why have you forsaken Me?"  God had His son Jesus Christ, pay the price for our sin! And paying the penalty that we rightfully deserved. When God was done pouring out His wrath on Him, Jesus knew it was done, and said "It is finished." Then He died! He paid the full price for our sin, and not for ours only, but for everyone’s,  which was and is DEATH! Jesus Christ had to die for our sins, to give us that gift of eternal life. He humbled Himself and died for us. He died, and was buried. He went into the depths of Hell, and remained there for three days, then He rose again from the dead! 3 days later He rose from death conquering death once and for all. Jesus rose again from the grave. God was completely satisfied with what His Son did on the cross.

Jesus came to life!

The power of sin was no match against the power of God, for Jesus Christ arose from the grave and was seen by over 500 people.  He ascended back into Heaven with God! Where He now sits at God's right hand, as our appropriation for sins!

What must we do to be saved?

The Bible tells us that if we will confess our sins to God, and sincerely surrender our life to Him. Because of this, if we are willing to entrust ourselves to Jesus Christ and accept the price that Jesus paid for us on the cross, then we no longer are going to be punished. Thankfully, the shed blood of Jesus Christ is so powerful, that it atones for our sin, thereby freeing us from the penalty of sin. Jesus said that we must confess, and repent of our sins. Meaning turn from our old, and bad ways, and turn to Him. We must believe that He did what the bible says He did, by taking our sins, our judgment, our punishment, dying for us, and being raise again on the 3rd day. That He came to the earth in human form, born of a virgin to live among us as a man, subject to the same temptations and suffering that a human is subject to. If we trust and acknowledge Jesus as our Lord and Savior then are made right before God. Sincerely surrender our life to Him by asking Him to come into our heart to be our Lord and Savior, then we can be saved. Jesus had promised to also send the Holy Spirit to live in all those who confess Jesus as their savior.

Then we must take up our own cross daily, and follow Him. He said that if anyone should desire to come after Him they must do that, for one cannot live in his own way of the old life, but must be made new. Jesus said no one can enter into the kingdom of God unless He is born again. The Holy Spirit living in us a "Christian" can be transformed from a natural sinner to a person who can reject sin and be filled with the love that God has for us. 

Can you buy eternal life?  No.  Can you work to gain eternal life?  No.  It is a free gift of God being offered to you right now by God’s grace. May I encourage you to receive this amazing gift of eternal life today! What that entails is this:  (1) Placing your trust in Jesus Christ to save you, (2) Confess your sins to God and repent (which means to turn away from them) and follow Jesus Christ. If you are feeling the guilt and shame of the bad things you have done, and realize your need of a savior, let me encourage you to: find a quiet place where you can pray to God, coming to Him in need of Jesus the savior. Confess your sins, admitting that you have not only wronged people, but God too. Call out to Him to save you, believe that Jesus did die for you, and ask that Jesus make you new. Then let me encourage you to get a bible, and begin reading from the book John. Then make your way to a church, and tell them that you gave your life to Jesus, and begin talking with them. Become His child. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and provides us with the desire and strength to obey God. 

Our time in short so please do not wait! Go to God today seek forgiveness for your sins, through Jesus Christ!

Now that is good news!

+++

I am so excited right now! I asked 5 men to write in their own words the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To do it in the moment and put what was in their heart. They did it! What I shared with you is what I got from the men. Each color represents a different man speaking. Imagine 5 men standing and preaching the good news of Jesus to the lost (even to the “church”). When one finishes a breath, another picks up without hesitation… This goes to show that when we come together under the banner of Christ and Him crucified (1 Cor 2:2) and preach that, that we can be of one mind, and in unity! Thank you for taking the time to read this and share any thoughts, or questions you might have.

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

"You are not far from the kingdom of God"

Recently the Lord woke me up in the middle of the night. I cannot remember the last time He has done this. He woke me up with a dream, and kept me up for the next two hours. In short the dream had to do with me lending a hand to help a women in need. She needed some work done with fixing her roof. It was then that the Lord begin to speak to me. I was shocked at what He had to say.

You see for the last several months I have been getting pretty lose with how I speak to and reprimand my kids. While on our most recent vacation it all came to a head. No matter how sternly I spoke to my kids, how many times I spanked their butts, or how often they stood in the corner they simply would not listen. After God woke me up in the night, He made it clear that I had been going about this all wrong! You see I love my wife and kids. I even pride myself in saying that I am a family man. Though how I was acting you would not have been fooled. I had to repent for my behavior towards my wife and kids. Why? because there was not love there! How can I expect to live in Christ, and for Christ when I did not even show His love towards my wife and kids?...

Let me try and share with you what God shared with me. It starts in Matthew Chapter 6. After following God's leading to get out of the military, and do it in/on faith, He gave me this verse to begin living out:

Mat 6:33 ESV  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

For several months now I have been praying and seeking God on what that means for me. How I live that out. Where and what does His kingdom look like in my life? Trust me there has been a world of things that have come to mind, but none have stuck. That is until He woke me up in the night!

God began to take me on a journey through His word, and lead me to several things. One of which was to begin walking in love towards my wife and kids. I must... it must start there!

Mar 12:28-34 ESV  And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?"  (29)  Jesus answered, "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. (30)  And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' (31)  The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (32)  And the scribe said to him, "You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him.  (33)  And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."  (34)  And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions.

God gave me the word to seek Him, His kingdom, and righteousness first. We also know that He said to love God and others... what is catching is that when we begin do to this He tells us that "You are not far from the kingdom of God..." When God woke me up in the night. He showed me that I was in fact not walking in love towards my own wife and kids! WOW! what a word from God... right? If that will not wake up a person I don’t know what will!

We all know what love looks like. It looks like Christ, and Him crucified! If we dwell there for a moment, more will come into focus!... Paul helps by writing what love is:

1Co 13:4-8a ESV  Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant  (5)  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  (6)  it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  (7)  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  (8)  Love never ends.

Yes we have all seen this before, and I am sure that we have heard it preached from pulpit to pulpit, from wedding to wedding. But let's keep this in light of what God is saying. That the kingdom of God is not far when we love God, and when we love others! So how can we love others "outside" of our family, when we have not loved our family first? How can I teach and grow fellow believers, when I have lacked to teach my children? How will my children learn to "love" like Christ, when they have not seen His love in me?... What a gut check!!!

Christ also goes on to show us just what this means, and how this kind of love should look like:

Joh 15:10-17 ESV  If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. (11)  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. (12)  "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. (13)  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (14)  You are my friends if you do what I command you. (15)  No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. (16)  You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (17)  These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

If we are called to love each other, friends, and neighbors, then how much more are we to love our wife and kids?

We as men are called to be the head of our house! We are to lead our family not only with words, but even more with deeds! We are to teach our children in the ways of God, and we are to do that by showing them with our actions!

God says this:

1Co 11:3 ESV  But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.

To be the man of the house is much more than being the boss! It is laying your life down at the feet of Jesus... daily! Taking up your cross and following Him Luk_9:23! For there, and only there can you see the love that He shared for you, and in turn begin to put Him on Rom_13:14, and begin to live in love towards others!

Look at it like this how can I build my house without Christ being the cornerstone Eph_2:20? He must be the rock on which I build my family! But none of this can be done without love! When we begin to walk in a Christ love, we (in His words) are not "far from the kingdom of God."

So let us all begin here:

Mat 6:6 ESV  But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Let us men, fathers, and husbands seek God with all of our heart in the secret places. Where no one is looking. Where God can deal with us, teach us, lead us, correct us.... love us.... For then and only then can we begin to be the head of our own house (which He has graciously given us to look after!). As our own house (and our actions towards them) come into alignment, we can then know how to practice and operate in Christ love towards others outside our family!!!!

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."