CONTINUING IN THE WORD OF GOD

Proclamation:

“Then said Jesus to the Jews which believed on Him, ‘If ye continue in My word, then ye are My disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32 (KJV)

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke in the temple courtyards to the crowd of Jews during the Festival of Tabernacles after He had dismissed the woman who was caught in the act of adultery and brought to Him by the Pharisees, as recorded by the Apostle John.  Jesus said that if they hold His word near and dear to their hearts then they were truly His students.  Then He said that His word would set them free from being a slave to sin.

Application:

It is easy for a Christian to “get into” The Word of God.  We can even occasionally behave, speak, and think in a Christ-like manner.  Our problem is not in doing it, our problem is in continuing to do it.  Continuing in The Word of God implies being in it day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, second by second, and moment by moment.  If we continue to be in His Word, then we would always be in it and we would never be out of it.  That sounds like being a perfect Christian, which is a goal well worth striving for even if it is not attainable.  We need to be firmly rooted in The Word of God and not be fickle, falling in and out of it frequently or regularly.  We need to read The Word of God daily.  In a 24 hour day, on tenth of our time should be spent reading, studying, and meditating on The Word of God.  The remainder of the day should be spent try to live up to it as we go about our daily activities.  We all could do a much better job of doing that.  So let us endeavor to spend more time “in The Word of God'” with a goal of being continuously in His Word and living it.

DO IT IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Proclamation:

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts ... Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly ... And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of The Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God The Father through Him." Colossians 3:15-17

Explanation:

These The Holy Spirit of God inspired words were written by the Apostle Paul to the believers in Colossi.  Paul wanted them to have faith and let God rule their lives.  He wanted them to keep The Word of God in their hearts and let it guide their thoughts, words, and actions.  He wanted them to do all that they did in the name of Jesus so that God The Father would be glorified.

Application:

In this mean, stressful, hateful, war torn world in which we live, the only peace of mind we can enjoy is when we have the peace of God in our hearts.  Only if we believe in, and live by The Word of God can we praise God and give thanks to Him regardless of our situation in life.  As believers, The Holy Spirit of God dwells within us and if we let Him control us, then our words and actions would give God glory.  We have been blessed and the power of God has been shared with us to allow us to do things in the name of The Lord Jesus, The Christ. (2 Timothy 1:7)  We should do our best at whatever we do since all of our work is for The Lord and not for man. (Colossians 3:23 and 1 Peter 4:11)  May The Good Lord make us worthy of His calling, and that by His power may He bring to fruition our every desire for goodness and every deed prompted by faith.  May the grace of God enable us to behave in such a way that the name of The Lord Jesus is glorified by what we say and do. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

FOR THE GLORY OF GOD

Proclamation:

"His disciples asked Him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’  ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him." John 9:2-3 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written by the Apostle John to record the conversation which occurred just prior to Jesus giving sight to a man who was blind from birth.  Jesus explained the situation to His disciples by saying that some times things happen to people so that God can use the situation in order to show others what He can do and so He can be glorified.

Application:

Sometimes bad things happen to good people.  We don't understand it and we often ask why it happened.  Let us not be so quick to complain about our situation, whether our bad choices led us to it or if it was the result of something over which we had no control.  We should act in a Christ-like manner regardless of the situation.  God is still in control.  Whatever it is, it can still serve a purpose.  Our negative situations can be used by God for His glory, for our benefit, or for the benefit of others.  Remember the Bible story about Job.  He was a God-fearing good man who was wealthy and lost everything that he had when God let the devil test him. (Job 1:1-22)  In the end, Job was blessed with twice as much as he had. (Job 42:10 and 12)  As Christians "... we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)  So let us live for the glory of God, no matter what happens.

MY PRAYER FOR YOU

Proclamation:

“For this reason I kneel before The Father … I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit … so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you … may have power … to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ … that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Ephesians 3:14-19 (NIV)

Explanation:

Under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God the Apostle Paul wrote these words t the believers in Ephesus to let them know that he was praying for them.  He wanted The Lord God to bless them, to strengthen them, to dwell within them, to enlighten them and increase their understanding of the love of Christ.  Paul also prayed that they would be filled with the fullness of God, meaning that they would receive grace for grace from the fullness of Christ.

Application:

We are encouraged to pray, (Luke 18:1) to pray often, (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to pray for each other. (James 5:16a)  There is power in prayer, especially in the prayer of a sincere believer. (James 5:16b)  Here we are encouraged to pray that God will strengthen those that we care about and increase their understanding of Jesus Christ and His love for us.  The only strength we have is God’s strength, and all wisdom and understanding are gifts from God.  We need His strength to stand by our Christian principals. (Psalm 29:11)  We are only truly enlightened when He blesses us with wisdom and understanding. (Proverbs 2:6)  Only God and change a person’s heart so if you really want to help someone then pray for them. (John 12:40 and 2 Corinthians 5:17)  The more times I read these verses, the more I am convinced that as Christians, we should all pray this prayer for each other. 

SOME BLESSINGS ARE CONDITIONAL

Proclamation:

"If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin ..." 2 Chronicles 7:14 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of The Lord God which He spoke to King Solomon when He appeared to him in a dream after he had finished building the temple of The Lord and the royal palace as an answer to his prayer. (2 Chronicles 7:12)  God wanted His chosen people to change their behavior before He would answer their prayers and forgive them.

Application:

We are blessed by The Lord God in more ways than we can count.  We receive some blessings without asking for them.  We are blessed when our hearts keep on beating and we keep on breathing.  However, some blessings are conditional; we only get those blessings after certain conditions are satisfied.  We only get the specified "then" blessings when the "if" conditions are satisfied.  Some of our prayers will not be answered until we, as believers, humble ourselves, and pray, and seek The Lord, and turn from our wicked sinful ways.  We should not expect that God will forgive us and bless us if we continue to commit the same sins over and over again.  If we honestly cannot help ourselves, then we need to pray to Him for His help and strength to change our ways.  The Bible says that the fervent prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)  We don’t have to be perfect but we must believe and be sincere when we pray.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and then He will forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) 

DON'T JUDGE OTHERS FORGIVE THEM

Proclamation:

“Do not judge or you too will be judged.” Matthew 7:1 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, which He spoke to His disciples and to the surrounding crowd during His Sermon on the Mount as recorded by the Apostle Matthew.  Only Jesus has the authority to judge anyone and He will judge everyone. (John 5:22 and 1 Peter 4:5)  Those who judge others will be judged in the same way that they judged others. (Matthew 7:2)

Application:

Human beings are sinful by nature.  We will frequently do, say, or think the wrong things. However, all too often we are quick to condemn others for their wrongdoings.  None of us is perfect. (Romans 3:10)  All of us have sinned. (Romans 3:23)  To those who wish to condemn others, Jesus said, "He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone ..." (John 8:7)  It would be better for us if we would forgive those who have sinned against us and pray for those who have done wrong.  For if we forgive others who have sinned against us God will forgive us of our sins.  If we do not forgive others then we ourselves will not be forgiven. (Matthew 6:14-15)  So, let us not be quick to condemn and judge, let us be quick to forgive.

"YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN"

Proclamation:

“Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.’ ‘… No one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and The Spirit’ … ‘You must be born again.’” John 3:3-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of Jesus, The Christ, as He responded to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish ruling council, who had come to Him under the cover of night. (John 3:1-2)  Nicodemus took Jesus literally and wondered how one could re-enter their mother’s womb to be born again.  Jesus made it clear that He was referring to a spiritual birth. (John 3:5-6)

Application:

We must have a spiritual transformation or regeneration produced by The Holy Spirit.  This new birth is an act of God based upon a person's belief in and acceptance of Jesus Christ.  It also implies becoming a new born child of God.  Therefore all believers have two birthdays.  The first is their physical birthday and the second is their spiritual birthday.  We must all undergo a spiritual transformation.  Without this second birth, we will remain a lost soul for eternity.