I picked up an old book I have not read in a while and met some old quotes which brought back great memories such as "Any Old Bush Will Do" (will share it on a future blog). I found a new one on Eternal Life and it was good.
Ian Thomas The Saving Life of Christ p 139-140
What it eternal life? Is it a place that you are going to when you are dead? Is it a peculiar feeling inside? If you were to ask a normal congregation or any sort of Bible class or Sunday school in an evangelical church to define eternal life you would be amazed at the strange answers you would get.
What is eternal life? 1 John 5:11-12 "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life."
Jesus Christ and eternal life are synonymous terms, and eternal life is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, of whom it is written in John 1:4: “In him was life; and this life was the light of men.” If you have eternal life at all, it simply means that you have the Son, Jesus Christ – now! Jesus said, “I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life” (John 14:6, emphasis added).
Eternal life is not a peculiar feeling inside! It is not your ultimate destination, to which you will go when you are dead. If you are born again, eternal life is that quality of life that you possess right now, at this moment, in you own physical body, with your own two feet on the ground, and in the world today! And where does this life come from? Of Him! He is that life!
Grace and Peace, mike
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Give us shepherds
Lord, the church needs leaders who are seeking God, not their own promotion. Give us shepherds who are willing to serve as bondslaves of Christ.
Francis Frangipane, The House of the Lord (1991), 37-38.
The eternal One who established His kingdom in men two millenia ago is fully capable of producing it in us today. All we need is undiluted, uninhibited Jesus. All we need are hearts that will not be satisfied with something or someone less than Him. . . . . Let me make it plain: God is not raising up "ministries"; He is raising up bondslaves. After we recognize that the goal is not ministry but slavery, we will begin to see the power of Christ restored to the church. The pattern for leadership in the years ahead is simple: Leaders must be individuals whose burning passion is conformity to Jesus Christ. Is this not becoming the very passion of your heart, to possess the likeness of Christ? The issue with our churches is not merely one procedure over another; the issue is, will we become people who are seeking hard after Christ?
-Francis Frangipane
Francis Frangipane, The House of the Lord (1991), 37-38.
The eternal One who established His kingdom in men two millenia ago is fully capable of producing it in us today. All we need is undiluted, uninhibited Jesus. All we need are hearts that will not be satisfied with something or someone less than Him. . . . . Let me make it plain: God is not raising up "ministries"; He is raising up bondslaves. After we recognize that the goal is not ministry but slavery, we will begin to see the power of Christ restored to the church. The pattern for leadership in the years ahead is simple: Leaders must be individuals whose burning passion is conformity to Jesus Christ. Is this not becoming the very passion of your heart, to possess the likeness of Christ? The issue with our churches is not merely one procedure over another; the issue is, will we become people who are seeking hard after Christ?
-Francis Frangipane
Monday, November 1, 2010
Christian Music which moves me (Part 4)
As I have looked at the history of this blog, there have been three times I have shared Christian music and lyrics which have moved me.
Listened to Warren Barfield's first album of the same name and the song 'Mistaken' jumped out at me. My prayer is for everyone to mistake me and my actions for Jesus. My prayer is to 'give them Jesus, and Jesus only.' Nothing of me!
Here are the lyrics and a link to the YouTube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcY1CDoF6vo
Mistaken by Warren Barfield from his self-titled album
I shouldn't have to tell you who I am
Cause who I am should be speaking for itself
Cause if I am who I want to be
Then who you see won't even be me
Oh the more and more I disappear
The more and more He becomes clear
CHORUS:
Til everyone I talk to hears His voice
And everything I touch feels the warmth of His hand
Til everyone I meet
Sees Jesus in me
This is all I wanna be
I wanna be mistaken
For Jesus
Oh I wanna be mistaken
Do they only see who we are
When who we are should be pointing them to Christ
Cause we are who He chose to use
To spread the news
Of the way the truth and the life
Oh I want all I am to die
So all He is can come alive
Til everyone I talk to heart His voice
And everything I touch feels the warmth of His hand
Til everyone I meet
Sees Jesus in me
This is all I wanna be
I wanna be mistaken
For Jesus
Oh I wanna be
Oh I need to be mistaken
For You
Lord i wanna be mistaken
Mistaken
BRIDGE:
May He touch with my hands
See through my eyes
May He speak through my lips
Live through my life
I want Him to
I want Him to live
More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/w/warren_barfield/#share
Listened to Warren Barfield's first album of the same name and the song 'Mistaken' jumped out at me. My prayer is for everyone to mistake me and my actions for Jesus. My prayer is to 'give them Jesus, and Jesus only.' Nothing of me!
Here are the lyrics and a link to the YouTube video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcY1CDoF6vo
Mistaken by Warren Barfield from his self-titled album
I shouldn't have to tell you who I am
Cause who I am should be speaking for itself
Cause if I am who I want to be
Then who you see won't even be me
Oh the more and more I disappear
The more and more He becomes clear
CHORUS:
Til everyone I talk to hears His voice
And everything I touch feels the warmth of His hand
Til everyone I meet
Sees Jesus in me
This is all I wanna be
I wanna be mistaken
For Jesus
Oh I wanna be mistaken
Do they only see who we are
When who we are should be pointing them to Christ
Cause we are who He chose to use
To spread the news
Of the way the truth and the life
Oh I want all I am to die
So all He is can come alive
Til everyone I talk to heart His voice
And everything I touch feels the warmth of His hand
Til everyone I meet
Sees Jesus in me
This is all I wanna be
I wanna be mistaken
For Jesus
Oh I wanna be
Oh I need to be mistaken
For You
Lord i wanna be mistaken
Mistaken
BRIDGE:
May He touch with my hands
See through my eyes
May He speak through my lips
Live through my life
I want Him to
I want Him to live
More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/w/warren_barfield/#share
Jesus Adjectives Exercise (continued)
The words Carol picked were as follows:
Limitless
There is nothing that He can not do.
Precious
His love is the most precious thing we can receive.
Immense
His love and power are larger than anything
The words I picked were as follows:
Mighty
His mighty power is all I need to live this Christian life
Staggering
I am staggered by what He has done, is doing and will do.
Victorious
His victory is my victory and all I have to do is rest in it.
The words Chloe, my grand daughter, picked were as follows:
Mighty Powerful Amazing
Limitless
There is nothing that He can not do.
Precious
His love is the most precious thing we can receive.
Immense
His love and power are larger than anything
The words I picked were as follows:
Mighty
His mighty power is all I need to live this Christian life
Staggering
I am staggered by what He has done, is doing and will do.
Victorious
His victory is my victory and all I have to do is rest in it.
The words Chloe, my grand daughter, picked were as follows:
Mighty Powerful Amazing
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Jesus Adjective Exercise (continued)
I hope the first part of the exercise blessed you as much as it has me, especially as I have listened to friends and family share their three adjectives and why they picked them. Each time was a glorious sharing of Jesus' love and sufficiency in so many lives. If you feel so led, please comment and share your three. I will share mine in a later post.
I was going to take three posts to share the exercise, but I decided to do it in two so there here is the remaining parts.
Read the continuation of the paragraph from the last post. It is a question and answer. Meditate on what the Lord has provided to you through His life and His Spirit in you.
". . . this Christ has chosen to place all of His fullness where?
Inside of you! To [you] God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Do you believe the fullness of Christ through the Holy Spirit is in you? If so, how does it work itself out in how you love Christ and all He has done for and in you?
When you have meditated on the question and answer, read the partial devotional below and meditate on the bolded sentences.
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers - A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice
Sep 02 2010
He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow . . . —John 7:38
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.
Suggestion: Get a copy of My Utmost for His Highest and read the rest of this devotional.
Mike’s comment –
So, Jesus Christ is all the adjectives above and has given them to us through His life in us. It is not for us, but so His life which is like living water can be ‘poured’ out, ‘poured’ over and flow into other people. Amen!
mike
I was going to take three posts to share the exercise, but I decided to do it in two so there here is the remaining parts.
Read the continuation of the paragraph from the last post. It is a question and answer. Meditate on what the Lord has provided to you through His life and His Spirit in you.
". . . this Christ has chosen to place all of His fullness where?
Inside of you! To [you] God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory."
Do you believe the fullness of Christ through the Holy Spirit is in you? If so, how does it work itself out in how you love Christ and all He has done for and in you?
When you have meditated on the question and answer, read the partial devotional below and meditate on the bolded sentences.
My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers - A Life of Pure and Holy Sacrifice
Sep 02 2010
He who believes in Me . . . out of his heart will flow . . . —John 7:38
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.
Suggestion: Get a copy of My Utmost for His Highest and read the rest of this devotional.
Mike’s comment –
So, Jesus Christ is all the adjectives above and has given them to us through His life in us. It is not for us, but so His life which is like living water can be ‘poured’ out, ‘poured’ over and flow into other people. Amen!
mike
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Jesus’ Adjectives Exercise
Read the partial paragraph below from a great book on Jesus Christ. When you are done, please work the exercise shown below.
Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ
by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola
Kindle Edition - Location 768 - 804
“. . . the One who is supreme in every realm and holds the first place in all things – the Son the Father loves; the One whose significance is unmatched in human history; the One who holds the title deed to the universe . . . this
glorious,
limitless,
amazing,
incredible,
expansive,
incomparable,
marvelous,
stunning,
staggering,
majestic,
mighty,
matchless,
spectacular,
outstanding,
tremendous,
immense,
infinite,
vast,
grand,
triumphant,
victorious,
precious,
radiant,
peerless,
wonderful,
magnificent,
Christ . . .
Contemplate the adjectives for Jesus and pick out three (3) which made an impression on you. Highlight them in your mind, consider why these impressed you and how Jesus fulfills these in your life. If I was a betting man (and I am not) I would bet if you shared it would be a glorious word of your love for Him and what He has done in your life.
We will continue with the part two of the exercise in the next posting.
mike
Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ
by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola
Kindle Edition - Location 768 - 804
“. . . the One who is supreme in every realm and holds the first place in all things – the Son the Father loves; the One whose significance is unmatched in human history; the One who holds the title deed to the universe . . . this
glorious,
limitless,
amazing,
incredible,
expansive,
incomparable,
marvelous,
stunning,
staggering,
majestic,
mighty,
matchless,
spectacular,
outstanding,
tremendous,
immense,
infinite,
vast,
grand,
triumphant,
victorious,
precious,
radiant,
peerless,
wonderful,
magnificent,
Christ . . .
Contemplate the adjectives for Jesus and pick out three (3) which made an impression on you. Highlight them in your mind, consider why these impressed you and how Jesus fulfills these in your life. If I was a betting man (and I am not) I would bet if you shared it would be a glorious word of your love for Him and what He has done in your life.
We will continue with the part two of the exercise in the next posting.
mike
Monday, November 23, 2009
Thanksgiving
I know, I know, here comes the question,
Where has Mike been and why has he not put something on his blog.
No lame excuses, but the Lord moved me this morning and I wanted everyone to read this and ask themselves a few questions.
http://blog.faithteam.org/faithnotes.php/2009/11/23/should-we-keep-thanksgiving
1) Am I the one who continues to come back to the Lord with thanksgiving as we let the world takes us away from Him?
2) or will I be one who 'walks with Him and talks with Him' as we go and not let the world take us away?
3) Am I going to make this Thanksgiving one which I and others can recall in the next year and say, it was a glorious day because we allowed Jesus Christ to be the main focus of our thanksgiving.
Amen.
Where has Mike been and why has he not put something on his blog.
No lame excuses, but the Lord moved me this morning and I wanted everyone to read this and ask themselves a few questions.
http://blog.faithteam.org/faithnotes.php/2009/11/23/should-we-keep-thanksgiving
1) Am I the one who continues to come back to the Lord with thanksgiving as we let the world takes us away from Him?
2) or will I be one who 'walks with Him and talks with Him' as we go and not let the world take us away?
3) Am I going to make this Thanksgiving one which I and others can recall in the next year and say, it was a glorious day because we allowed Jesus Christ to be the main focus of our thanksgiving.
Amen.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)