Word Keeper

Amazing song!

Jason Video, Wednesday Worship

O, Calvary’s Lamb

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Audio currently unavailable

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So far in this “One Month to Live” series, we’ve looked at two principles from the final days of Jesus. The first one was to live passionately. The second was to love completely. Today we will learn to learn humbly.

If you break an arm, you learn there’s a lot that you cannot do with only one arm. As  result, you often have to swallow your pride and ask for help for something you normally do on your own. … I’ve been blessed enough to have never broken a bone, but I also have Cerebral Palsy and can’t do a lot of things with my hands. I can, however, do a lot of stuff with my feet. And because I can do so much with my feet, I can be pretty prideful, but there are those times everyday when I have to swallow my pride and ask for help to do something that is trivial for most people. I think that as a result, I have learned how to humble myself when I need to. But I really should be humble all the time. I, all of us actually, need to learn humbly.

Hebrews 5:7-9; 2:10; Philippians 2:3-11; Mark 14:32-36; Luke 22:44

Hebrews 5:7 : Did God answer Jesus’ prayer when He was suffering? … Yes, God answered Jesus’ prayer, But God answered in a different way than Jesus’ human-element wanted God to answer. God answered in a way that benefit everyone, not just Jesus. … As humans, we don’t see the big picture, but God does and He knows what’s best for us.

Hebrews 5:8 : How did Jesus learn obedience through suffering? … Jesus knew it was God’s will and that He had to it.

Hebrews 5:9; 2:10 : How was Jesus made perfect through suffering? … The process of Jesus becoming the perfect savior was completed through suffering. If Jesus had  never suffered, then He wouldn’t be the perfect savior because He wouldn’t have experienced everything we, as humans, experience. … We can never be perfect, but we can try. … Often, when we suffer in one area, another area becomes stronger. For example: A blind man can’t see and must rely on his hearing and feel to let him know what is around him. The blind man’s hearing awareness becomes so good that he recognizes how certain people sound when they walk and his smelling becomes so sensitive that he can tell who is around him just by the smell.

Philippians 2:3-11 : The barrier that keeps us from learning life lessons in adversity is pride.

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This is part of the small group video we watched for this week. It’s an interview with Nick Vujicic, a man with no arms and no legs, but a great personality. Here’s part 1 and part 2 of the interview. I really think you should watch this. It’s amazing.

Jason One Month to Live, religion, Series, Sunday Sermon

So, we were offline for a while, but now we’re back!

And here’s a nice music video for you!

Mercy Me singing “How Great is Your Love”

Jason Fun, Music, News, Video, Wednesday Worship

God has a plan for your life.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29v11.

The Lord has led me to this portion of scripture, and laid a message on my heart, that I want to share with you the body of Christ.

When you consider the background of this portion of scripture, it is conveyed by Jeremiah, but is the inspired Word of God, it is a message of hope, from Almighty God unto His covenant people while they were in captivity in Babylon, this word has importance and relevance for us today.

God’s Word is important in every situation. No matter what circumstance we as believers may find ourselves in, it is reassuring that we can bring the Word of God into that situation, and see the Word make a way of deliverance.

My soul cleaves to the dust; Revive me according to Your word. Psalms 119v25.

My soul weeps because of grief; Strengthen me according to Your word. Psalms 119v28.

Establish Your word to Your servant, As that which produces reverence for You. Psalms 119v38.

May Your loving kindnesses also come to me, O LORD, Your salvation according to Your word; Psalms 119v41.

By examining the words of encouragement in just this one mighty Psalm we gain the revelation of how important it is to get into the Word of God, to enable the Word to get into us.

The Psalmist David declares that by the Word we as believers can be; Revived, strengthen, established and upheld.

Receive God’s instruction.

While spending time in the word , waiting on The Holy Spirit to bring this word to you, I sense the Lord say;

“ Know and understand that God is able to speak into anyone’s life, at anytime, no matter how the circumstance or their situation maybe”.

The Word of God must become a personnel word, a revelation of God speaking into the heart and life of each individual person, the Word carried by the Holy Spirit of God is able to bring hope to the hopeless, light to dispel darkness, and to be an anchor to lay hold off.

This is my comfort in my affliction, That Your word has revived me. Psalms 119v50.

It is of great assurance to the believer in Christ that; No matter what the circumstance may be around you, if God is in your situation, He will turn it to your good.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Jeremiah 29v11.

When you examine this scripture, you gain an understanding of the language of a covenant, God had a plan for the nation of Israel, He entered into covenant with them in which He would be their total source of supply, God always desired the best for His people.

In the Hebrew the word for know is from the root word – Yadah.
Yadah means;
To be personally acquainted with .
To confess over in praise.

The word for thoughts in the Hebrew is -Chashab.
Chashab means;
To have a plan for, to reckon to, to be absorbed in and to meditate over.

By locking these meanings together this is what Gods thinks of us, this is how we can comprehend the care and concern of God over our lives.
For I am personally acquainted with you, I confess over you with praise, I am totally absorbed in the plans I have for you.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. Romans 8v28-30.

Every believer in Christ needs to know and understand that God is a God of purpose, plan, design and objectivity, this is fully understood when you know that from the foundation of time itself, God in Christ purposed to have a people who would be; Called, Justified and Glorified in Christ.

This called out people would be known of Him, and would be consecrated by Him, through whom He would manifest His power and glory. God purposes for you to be a carrier, a consecrated vessel, to hold His power, Grace, mercy and anointing.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. Romans 8v28.

The Greek word for purpose is – Prothesis.[ pro-the -sis]
Prothesis means;
The setting forth of a thing, or object, to have it in full view at all times.
In ancient Greek it means to;
Have a deliberate plan.
An intention.
A grand design.

Christian! God has a purpose for your life, that He holds before Him in His full view, this plan is deliberate, with full intention, on a grand design.
The will of man must be yielded up.

For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; Romans 8v29.

Quite some years ago, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said;
“ sadly for too many, for too long, the church has tried to conform to the worlds way, which has produced a worldly church”.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12v1-2.

As Christians, we are not to conform our lives to the worlds way of doing things.
Conform means;
To comply with, to be obedient to, to act in accordance with, to adapt or make like.

The church can not be effective by trying to do the will of God the world’s way. Many times people are putting off onto others, things which they should do themselves, The Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul’s admonition is still the rule in the life of today’s church.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Romans 12v1-2.

As Christians we are responsible to present ourselves unto God, and to His Word, and as we do, the Holy Spirit will transform our lives…….

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

This one’s a little late because I guess I just wasn’t thinking yesterday morning.

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How You Live (Turn Up the Music)

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The Audio

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When asked, “what would you do if you knew you had one month to live?” most people respond by saying something about relationships, usually spending more time with family. People don’t usually leave a message about sports or work when they’re dieing, but they do leave an “I love you/him/her” message. … When you come to the end of your life, if you have regrets, it is most likely that those regrets will be in the area of relationships. … If we want to live a no regrets life, let’s change how we live in regard to our relationships. Extend forgiveness. Express love. Overlook faults. Reconcile where there’s division. … Come to the end of your life having loved completely.

Now let’s look at two biblical examples of men coming to the end of their lives and see how they handled relationships.

David is a negative example of what to do at the end of life. 1 Kings 2:1-9. David knew he was about to die, so he called his son, Solomon to him and gave him instructions. Verses 1-4 are good directions, but then in verses 5-6, he tells his son to kill Joab, the son of Zeruiah. Then verse 7 is good advice again. But verses 8-9 aren’t so good as he tells Solomon to kill Shimei, the son of Gera. … In regard to his relationships, David died harboring bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, and seeking revenge.

In contrast, we have Jesus. John 13:1-5. Jesus knew He was about to die; “the time had come.” What did Jesus at the end of His life? He showed the full extent of His love. … What can we learn from Jesus life? Last week we learned to live passionately, now we learn to love completely. …  He focused on His relationships with His disciples. He shows his love by serving them. He washed their feet, a servant’s job. He already knew Judas was going to betray Him, but He washed his feet anyway. He also knows that Matthew is going to run and dessert Him and that Peter is going to deny knowing Him, but He washed their feet anyway. … A bit different than David. … Then He tells His disciples to love on another as He loved them (John 13:34-35). … The next day, Jesus shows the full extent of His love in another way, when He died on the cross (1 John 3:16).

Which do you want to be like when you come to the end of your life? David or Jesus? You’re becoming, now, the person you will be at the end of your life. So start becoming like the one you want to be like, now. And your greatest joy or your greatest regret at the end of your life will likely be in regard to relationships. Start making sure your relationships are right, now, so you come to the end of your life with satisfaction and joy.

What can you do now so that you will end your life with satisfaction and regarding your relationships? … 1. Express your love and gratitude as Jesus did. 2. Offer and ask forgiveness (Ephesians 4:32). 3. Overlook offenses and accept one another (Proverbs 19:11; Romans 15:7; 1 Peter 4:8).

Lee Atwater was a Republican consultant in the 1980′s who was known for his aggressive campaig tactics: bullying, dirty tricks, personal attacks. … He gained notoriety in 1980 when as a consultant for a Republican congressional candidate who was being challenged by the Democrat, Tom Turnipseed. Atwater knew that Turnipseed had some electric-shock therapy as a teenager because of depression and suicidal thoughts. Atwater arranged for a “reporter” to ask a question about Turnipseed’s psychotic treatment. In response, Atwater said that Turnipseed “got hooked up to jumper cables.” This became known as the “jumper cable episode” and Turnipseed the lost the election. Atwater went on to work in the Reagen Administration and the George H.W. Bush Administration where he gained notoriety again in 1988. Bush was running against Dukakis, who was ahead, and Atwater linked Willie Horton’s release to Dukakis. Bush won the election. Next year, Atwater became chairman of the Republican Nation Committee. … In 1990, at a fund raiser for Senator Phil Gramm, Atwater collapsed. Doctors discovered that he had arare and aggressive  form of brain cancer, Atwater fought cancer just as he fought everything else in life. He tried different types of radiation, but nothing worked. … Something else happened to Atwater too. He found Jesus. His life changed. He didn’t hate anyone. He had good feelings towards other people. … He wrote letters to politicians he opposed during campaigns, apologizing for the cruelty of his campaign tactics. He apologized to Turnipseed for the “jumper cable episode” and to Duakakis for the “naked cruelty” of the 1988 campaign.

Jason One Month to Live, religion, Series, Sunday Sermon

In the Pursuit of God, the Desire of God, the Quest of the Believer. Part 3.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v12-14.

As we have been examining the spirit that was in the Apostle Paul, time and time again we have exhibited in him, a drive, a compulsion of his heart and will, to seek after Christ and lay hold the life that Christ could live in a person.

Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinks that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, I more:

Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.
But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, Philippians 3v4-8.

Paul did not get caught up in the material gain of Christianity, he wanted to attain to a place of abiding in Christ that goes beyond earthly possessions, Paul’s life consisted of one thing, to lay hold of Christ, to cleave unto Him.

That I may win Christ.
That I may be found in Christ.
That I may know Christ.
That I follow after Christ.
That I may apprehend Christ.

Examine the weight of the expressions that Paul used of his pursuit of Christ, and it is apparent that it goes beyond the normal practice or profession of Christianity today, but if God by the Holy Spirit have placed these scriptures in His Word, He does so not for historical record only, but for a living example for us all, if the Apostle Paul could pursue after Christ then so can I, so can you.

Winning Christ.

Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. Philippians 3v8.

Have you set your mark?
Have you placed your feet in the starting blocks?
Have you a determination to run the race, to pursue Christ?

What does it mean when Paul said- that I may win Christ.
Paul had received Christ as Saviour, but he wanted to know Christ as Lord of his life.
What Paul was striving to was the working out of his life, self, and having Christ live in and through him.

The meaning of the word Win is best described in Vines Expository as;
Of so practically appropriating Christ to oneself that He becomes the dominating power in and over one’s whole being, life and circumstance.

Pressing in to be able to press on.

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v14.

As you examine the life of the Apostle Paul many times you can see how he uses the sports arena of his day as an object lesson to convey a spiritual truth, as example;

Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receives the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beats the air:
But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. 1 Corinthians 9v24-27.

[ end of part 4 ]

With this in mind, with this mindset, as you examine the term I press toward the mark, you clearly understand that the Apostle Paul consider himself as one who was determined to run the course, to finish the race.

In the Greek, the word for press is- Dioko;
Dioko means;
The pursuit of as gain, to press forward, to chase after, in its fullest extent it speaks of active endeavour, which is performed constantly, with consistency.

In the same passage of scripture in his epistle to the Philippians, he speaks of reaching forth unto those things which are before.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Philippians 3v13.

In so doing Paul is bringing to his readers another Greek word- Epekteinomai.
This means;
To stretch oneself to the limit, to strain to the limit, it refers to the stretching of a muscle.

What is your Goal?

When the Apostle Paul was emphasizing his pursuit, he was already assured of his salvation, he was conscious of his right standing before Almighty God, he knew that heaven was his home, so what was his goal?

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v14.

The prize was not reaching heaven, heaven is not gained by striving, but heaven is given as a gift of God, access to heaven is attained through Jesus, and Jesus only!

Salvation is a gift of God granted by God to those who receive His Son, who through His death purchased salvation.

What the pursuit of Paul was, and what the object of our lives must be is to press in and press on to knowing Christ.

According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1v20-21.

Hunger and Thirst of the Believer.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5v6.

Here we have the words of Jesus, and in addressing His disciples, Jesus gives insight into what He desires to be resident in the heart of His body, the church, there must be the earnest desire to want to know Jesus, not to just know of Him, but to know Him in a deep and lasting fellowship.

I am reminded of an experience that I encountered with the Holy Spirit on new years eve 2003.

As I traveled to my work place, on the bus were a number of people, as I looked around I sense the Holy Spirit speak to me and said;

“ you walk as the living amongst the dead, you are the light in the midst of darkness I have set it so.”

There was such an overwhelming sense of His presence, that as I walked off the bus it was as if the Holy Spirit was walking and speaking to me, the verse of scripture that He brought to my attention was Philippians 2v13-16.

For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither labored in vain.

The message of the Holy Spirit was very clear and precise, He stated that the will and plan of God for His people is that they will have an insatiable hunger and an unquenchable thirst for Christ, and that those who fulfill this desire will be fully satisfied.

We as the body of Christ must understand that before we can touch the world around us, we must be touched and in tune with Jesus by the power of His Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit emphasized that we must learn of those people who have pressed into a walk with God that they have known the closeness of His presence.

As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? Psalms 42v1-2.

This must be our drive and earnest desire, notice what is said of the deer, it panteth, which is a continuous action, it does not say – it panted, which would mean that it used to long for water but now is satisfied, no the deer needed to be continually drinking from the source of supply.

O God, Thou art my God; early will I seek Thee: my soul thirsteth for Thee, my flesh longs for Thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see Thy power and Thy glory, so I have seen Thee in the sanctuary. Psalms 63v1-2.

My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholds me. Psalms 63v8.

When you have an unquenchable thirst for Christ, you will not be satisfied by the things of this world.

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

This is a fun song to sing with a big group.

Also, this is our 200th post! Woohoo!

However, YouTube still doesn’t like me apparently. It won’t me do much, so here’s the link to the song.

Jason Fun, Music, Video, Wednesday Worship

I don’t have the audio for this one yet… So my notes, might not line up as well with the audio when I add it.

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Worship: I Go to the Rock

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Last week, we introduced the “One Month to Live” concept, and this week, we’ll look at the first principle.

The first principle in the “One Month to Live” series is Live Passionately.

What does it mean to live passionately? More importantly, think about what it specifically means for you to live passionately.

Let’s look at three episodes from the life of Jesus that reveal His passion as well as the passion He instilled in those around Him.

Mark 1:14-20 – Dream big. Be radical. Take calculated risks. … When the disciples were called by Jesus, they immediately followed Him. “At once.” These disciples were fishermen, and probably had a steady, probably not booming, income, but they left the security of fishing to follow this man who simply called, “come, follow me.” That seems pretty radical to me, definitely a risk. I mean, they had no guarantee of income or even food. All they knew was that Jesus was supposedly the man John the Baptist had been preaching about. Perhaps they already knew him though, I don’t know. Anyways, the disciples showed what radical discipleship is. It’s leaving everything you know to follow something/someone you believe in. … Walt Disney dreamed big. He founded Disney, created Disneyland, and not to mention all the cartoons and characters he created, such as Mickey Mouse. I imagine it all started with a dream, a pencil, and piece of paper. He turned that big dream into a huge success.

Mark 1:35-39; 2:13-18 – Focus on your God-given purpose in life. Don’t let other people determine the agenda for your life. … Jesus would go off to pray by Himself every morning, and sometimes the disciples thought He should really be doing something with the crowd, Jesus knew He needed to pray and did not let anyone decide what He should or should not do. … In bull riding, when a rider falls off the bull, rodeo clowns distract the bull so the rider can get away. I think we can make a comparison to life here. You’re the bull, and the rider is some bad habit you have, so you do your hardest to get it off your back. Finally it falls of. And you go in for the kill, but then you get distracted by brightly clothed rodeo clowns, other sins, and forget about killing the rider…. Don’t let the rodeo clowns distract you, but also don’t let another rider on your back.

Mark 2:1-5 – Sacrifice less important things in order to do more important things. … Here we see the story of four friends helping a paralytic. Jesus was preaching from inside a house and all the windows and doorways were blocked. The four friends tried carried their paralyzed friend to Jesus so Jesus could him, but all the entrances were blocked. So they went to the roof and made a whole in the roof to lower the paralytic through. They sacrificed their energy, time, and a roof all to help their friend.

So I come back to the question. What would it mean for you to Live Pasionately?

Jason One Month to Live, religion, Series, Sunday Sermon

In Pursuit of God, the Desire of God, the Quest of the Believer; Part 2.

As we continue on our study of; In the Pursuit of God, I want to lay particular emphasis on the portion of scripture found in Paul’s epistle written to the Church at Philippi.

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.
More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
Not that I have already obtained or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Philippians 3v6-12.

In the first part of our study, by the Holy Spirit’s leading we examined the desire of God for communion with man, in this second part I want to bring to you the importance of the need of the believer to lay hold of God, and become more acquainted with Him.

The key scripture that the Holy Spirit prompted in my heart, the revelation that began this particular study is found in Philippians 3v12.

Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

In this verse of scripture the Holy Spirit brought to my attention the revelation truth that the primary reason why the Apostle Paul was able to pursue after Christ, was because Christ had already staked His claim on the life of the Apostle.

From the Greek the word for Apprehend is – Katalambano.
Katalambano means;
To lay hold of so as to make one’s own.
That which when taken is not let go.

If you will examine the scripture in the light of the revelation of the Holy Spirit leading, you will notice that Paul was speaking of his action being in the present tense, reaching out to respond to what Christ had accomplished in the past tense.

What is of great importance for the believer in Christ to know and grasp is that, everything we ever achieve in our Christian walk is our response to that which Almighty God has sought for and accomplished for us in Christ.
How important it is for us to embrace and retain the biblical principle of the word of Zechariah.

Then he answered and spoke unto me, saying, This the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4v6.

As we have previously examined in the Gospel of John, Jesus revealed or made manifest the heart searching of His Father, the desire of God, that of seeking after those who will worship Him in spirit and truth, now in the book of Philippians we have the emphasis of the quest of the believer.

Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe.
Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3v1-3.

There are 4 aspects I want to bring to your attention from this portion of the Word of God;

1] For we are the circumcision.
2] Worship God in the spirit.
3] Rejoice in Christ.
4] Have no confidence in the things of the flesh.

Have you had heart surgery?

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Philippians 3v3.

The Apostle Paul in writing to the church at Philippi, makes a definitive statement, he lays particular emphasis on an important element of the life of a believer, in that a true believer in Jesus Christ, is one who has had their heart or their inward man, marked by God.

It is important that we understand that when we speak of the heart of man, we are not referring to the physical organ, but we are addressing the spirit of man.

And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Luke 11v39.

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. Romans 2v29.

For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: Romans 7v22.

For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.2 Corinthians 4v16.

The act of circumcision undertaken under the Old Testament, was that which was wrought to or on the physical part of man, it affected the flesh, but circumcision produced in the New Testament, under the dispensation of grace, is the working of the Holy Spirit, through the new birth, through regeneration working on the inside or the core of man, the inward man of the heart.

This is very important to understand the vast difference of being religious, or being a child of the living God, for under the Old Testament or Old Covenant, which was the dispensation of Law, man was the agent of circumcision, but under the New Covenant the Holy Spirit is the medium who works with the Word to produce the life transforming of the nature of the recipient of the grace of God in Christ.

At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time. Joshua 1v5.

And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou may live. Deuteronomy 30v6.

Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 18v31-32.

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh Ezekiel 36v26.

At this point I want to underline the enormous importance of the person of the Holy Spirit, and understand the power of Him to work and dwell in us, for without Him we cannot live the life that God would have us to live, having the Holy Spirit abiding in our spirit, enables us to fulfill the desire of God, and have Christ glorified in us.

And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments, and do them. Ezekiel 36v37.

Being found by Christ, being found in Christ.

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: Philippians 3v9.

I have perceived the prompting of the Holy Spirit to once again examine this portion of scripture, every person who has accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour, has received Him into our lives, He is thereby found in you, but the Apostle Paul is emphasizing an experience beyond being found by Christ, Paul had a desire, a passion, a deep longing of the heart to know and be found in Christ.

Many of God’s people, although sincere, are not in the place in their walk with Christ, where they should be, Paul was born again, Paul had Christ in him, but there was in him a compulsion, a drive, a pursuit to be found and live in Christ.

In the Greek the word for found is – Heurisko.
Heurisko means;
To find out by practice and experience, to attain, to acquire.
Among the ancient Greeks there were a sect of people who were called Heuristics, these were people who were associated with, or obsessed with discovery, even when they came to know or discover something they were not satisfied, there was still further investigation sought.

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them dung, that I may win Christ. Philippians 3v7-8.

Now we can glean the desire that was in the heart of the Apostle Paul, he had come to the place in his life, where he counted everything that he had attained in his earthly life as worthless, and expendable compared to being found of Christ and finding himself in Christ.

Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an en sample. Philippians 3v16-17.

The gain or pursuit of Christ, in the life of the Apostle Paul, was for the furtherance of the spiritual life of those who God had entrusted into his care, there is another aspect of this pursuit of Christ in a person’s life and that is of demonstrating by example.

Because of the extent of the teaching, and of the importance that the Holy Spirit is laying on my heart in presenting to you this theme of -In Pursuit of God, we will continue this teaching into a third part which is to follow.

RealityMinistries Life of the WORD

Well, we just switched servers and everything appears to be working ok on the blog.

The forum, however, is not functioning, yet, and I’m not sure I’m going to reinstate it because it was very inactive.

And, now, because I apparently forgot to do a Wednesday Worship, here’s a nice music video.

The Cartoon Song – Chris Rice … YouTube isn’t letting me do much right now for some reason.

Jason News