Week of Prayer

• Monday Jan 23rd mid-day ……… Ask the Spirit to search your heart for any hidden sin
• Monday Jan 23rd evening ………. Confess anything the Spirit convicts of and truly repent
• Tuesday Jan 24th morning ……… Pray for your pastor and other local church leaders
• Tuesday Jan 24th mid-day ……… Lift up your local church programs, ministry, outreach
• Tuesday Jan 24th evening ………. Ask God to burden hearts for the lost we need to reach
• Wednesday Jan 25th morning ….. Pray for a new desire to be about the Father’s business
• Wednesday Jan 25th mid-day …. Ask God to show you your place in His kingdom work
• Wednesday Jan 25th evening …… “Without a vision the people perish” – Seek new vision!
• Thursday Jan 26th morning …… Pray for a new spiritual awakening in our land and true life changing revival among God’s people
• Thursday Jan 26th mid-day …… Intercede for denominational leaders – vision, purpose
• Thursday Jan 26th evening ……. Pray for denominational ministries- list can be provided
• Friday Jan 27th morning ………. Commit to the Lord your heart’s desire to serve Him
• Friday Jan 27th mid-day ……….. Ask the Lord to open new doors for personal ministry
• Friday Jan 27th evening ……….. Ask – “Lord what would you have me do?” Then listen!

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 I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

RESTORATION

We’ve all seen restored furniture. Restoring furniture involves stripping away old varnish or paint with strong chemicals. This reveals all the nooks, crannies and original spots on the piece. The sanding takes place next – the wood is rubbed with coarse sandpaper in order to level out its imperfections. Then the furniture is ready to receive a new stain or paint color – it’s ready for a new look. New glory can be given to old furniture. And God can do the same thing with us. He can put new glory inside an old life, but He must first strip away our old nature and sand away our sinful strongholds. (Tony Evans)

The Gospel to ALL People

God is challenging us to be multi-ethinic. Our Creator takes ethnicity, language, and culture seriously — even describing the assembly of heaven in these terms. Our nation is becoming more ethnically diverse by the day. It has been the feeling of many of our leaders that Victory Fellowship SMC must do the same, lest we become a mere ethnic church that looks like the America of the past, rather than of the present and the future.

Relax!

“Most of the church in any generation comes along through the slow, patient discipleship of the next generation. Whenever I’m tempted to despair about the shape of American Christianity, I’m reminded that Jesus never promised the triumph of the American church; he promised the triumph of the church.  Jesus will be King, and his church will flourish. And he’ll do it in the way he chooses, by exalting the humble and humbling the exalted, and by transforming cowards and thieves and murderers into the cornerstones of his New City.  So relax. And, be kind to that atheist in front of you on the highway, the one who just shot you an obscene gesture. He might be the one who evangelizes your grandchildren.” (Russell D. Moore)

Purpose

The vision that got this church incorporated was a vision from God for church in Dallas that confronts the sin of tribalism / racism and intentional to cross tribal or racial divide so that the lost of all nations and kindred can hear the gospel and worship their creator God as they live to bring him glory and honor. May it be so in the new year, if the Lord wills.

A conservative evangelical lifestyle

In 1 Corinthians chapter six through chapter 13 , apostle Paul sets forth a number of universal, non-negotiable principles that would enable any individual, family, church and a nation that fears God to live with integrity while staying true to the gospel of Jesus Christ both in what they say and how they live. Listen to the word.

A lifestyle of settling all disputes in brotherly love (Chapter 6)

¹ If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? ² Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? ³ Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! ⁴ Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? ⁵ I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? ⁶But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!

⁷ The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? ⁸ Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. ⁹ Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

A lifestyle of Sexual Purity

12 ‘All things are lawful for me’, but not all things are beneficial. ‘All things are lawful for me’, but I will not be dominated by anything. ¹³‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food’,^* and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. ¹⁵Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, ‘The two shall be one flesh.’ ¹⁷But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. ¹⁸Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. ¹⁹Or do you not know that your body is a temple^* of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? ²⁰For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.(I Cor. 6:12-30)

A lifestyle where sexual purity is kept in Married Life (Chapter 7)

¹ Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.” ² But since sexual immorality is occurring, each man should have sexual relations with his own wife, and each woman with her own husband. ³ The husband should fulfill his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴ The wife does not have authority over her own body but yields it to her husband. In the same way, the husband does not have authority over his own body but yields it to his wife. ⁵ Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control. ⁶ I say this as a concession, not as a command. ⁷I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.

⁸ Now to the unmarried and the widows I say: It is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. ⁹ But if they cannot control themselves, they should marry, for it is better to marry than to burn with passion.  ¹⁰ To the married I give this command (not I, but the Lord): A wife must not separate from her husband. ¹¹ But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.

¹² To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. ¹³ And if a woman has a husband who is not a believer and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him. ¹⁴ For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.  ¹⁵ But if the unbeliever leaves, let it be so. The brother or the sister is not bound in such circumstances; God has called us to live in peace. ¹⁶ How do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or, how do you know, husband, whether you will save your wife?

A lifestyle where the uniting Bond is keeping God’s commands

 ¹⁷ Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them, just as God has called them. This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. ¹⁸ Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. ¹⁹ Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts. ²⁰Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

²¹ Were you a slave when you were called? Don’t let it trouble you—although if you can gain your freedom, do so. ²² For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord’s freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ’s slave. ²³ You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings. ²⁴ Brothers and sisters, each person, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation they were in when God called them.

A lifestyle where celibacy is celebrated and cherished

²⁵ Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy. ²⁶ Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for a man to remain as he is. ²⁷ Are you pledged to a woman? Do not seek to be released. Are you free from such a commitment? Do not look for a wife. ²⁸But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

²⁹ What I mean, brothers and sisters, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they do not; ³⁰ those who mourn, as if they did not; those who are happy, as if they were not; those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; ³¹ those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

³² I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. ³³ But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife— ³⁴ and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. ³⁵ I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord.

³⁶ If anyone is worried that he might not be acting honorably toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if his passions are too strong^[b] and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married. ³⁷ But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing. ³⁸ So then, he who marries the virgin does right, but he who does not marry her does better. ³⁹ A woman is bound to her husband as long as he lives. But if her husband dies, she is free to marry anyone she wishes, but he must belong to the Lord. ⁴⁰ In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is—and I think that I too have the Spirit of God.

A lifestyle lived for glorify God  {Chapter Eight}

 ¹ Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that “We all possess knowledge.” But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. ² Those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know. ³ But whoever loves God is known by God.^[a]

⁴ So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that “An idol is nothing at all in the world” and that “There is no God but one.” ⁵ For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”), ⁶ yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

⁷ But not everyone possesses this knowledge. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat sacrificial food they think of it as having been sacrificed to a god, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled. ⁸ But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do.

⁹ Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰ For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? ¹¹ So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

A lifestyle where those called to ministry are celebrated not tolerated  (Chapter 9)

 ¹ Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? ²Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

³ This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me. ⁴ Don’t we have the right to food and drink? ⁵ Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas^[a]? ⁶ Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?

⁷ Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? ⁸ Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? ⁹ For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.”^[b] Is it about oxen that God is concerned? ¹⁰ Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. ¹¹ If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? ¹² If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?  But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.

¹³ Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? ¹⁴ In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.

¹⁵ But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast. ¹⁶ For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! ¹⁷ If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me. ¹⁸ What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make full use of my rights as a preacher of the gospel.

A lifestyle of Freedom

 ¹⁹ Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

A lifestyle of Self-Discipline

 ²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

A lifestyle with an understanding of Israel’s History (Chapter 10)

 ¹ For I do not want you to be ignorant of the fact, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and that they all passed through the sea. ² They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. ³ They all ate the same spiritual food ⁴ and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ. ⁵Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.

⁶ Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. ⁷ Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”^{[a] 8} We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. ⁹ We should not test Christ,^[b] as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. ¹⁰ And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

¹¹ These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. ¹² So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! ¹³ No temptation^[c] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted^[d] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,^[e] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

A lifestyle where the focus is not of Idol Feasts but rather celebration of the Lord’s Supper

 ¹⁴ Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. ¹⁵ I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶ Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

¹⁸ Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? ¹⁹ Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? ²⁰ No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. ²² Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?

A lifestyle of Freedom

²³ “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive. ²⁴No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.

²⁵ Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, ²⁶ for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”^[f]

²⁷ If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸ But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. ²⁹ I am referring to the other person’s conscience, not yours. For why is my freedom being judged by another’s conscience? ³⁰ If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?

³¹ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³² Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— ³³ even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. ¹Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.

A lifestyle of reverent Worship (Chapter 11)

 ² I praise you for remembering me in everything and for holding to the traditions just as I passed them on to you. ³ But I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man,^[a] and the head of Christ is God. ⁴ Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵ But every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is the same as having her head shaved. ⁶For if a woman does not cover her head, she might as well have her hair cut off; but if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should cover her head.

⁷ A man ought not to cover his head,^[b] since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man. ⁸ For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; ⁹ neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. ¹⁰ It is for this reason that a woman ought to have authority over her own^[c] head, because of the angels. ¹¹ Nevertheless, in the Lord woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹² For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God.

¹³ Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴ Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵ but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶ If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

A lifestyle where there is no abuse of the Lord’s Supper

¹⁷ In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. ¹⁸ In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. ¹⁹ No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. ²⁰ So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, ²¹ for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. ²²Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

²³ For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, ²⁴ and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” ²⁵ In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” ²⁶ For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

²⁷ So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. ²⁸ Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. ²⁹ For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰ That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. ³¹ But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. ³² Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.

³³ So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. ³⁴ Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.   And when I come I will give further directions.

A lifestyle where Spiritual Gifts are at work (Chapter 12)

¹ Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. ³Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.⁴ There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,^[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.^[b]11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

A lifestyle of Unity and Diversity in the Body

¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues^[d]? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

A lifestyle of love (Chapter 3)

¹ If I speak in the tonguesof men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.  ¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

2011 in review

The WordPress.com stats prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,400 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 23 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Build Your Hope on the Word of God

 LISTEN TO THE WORD

(1) “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

(2)  “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all contentment in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

(3)  “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

(4)  “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11)

(5)   “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” (Psalm 23:6)

Crossing the Divide

We will never have the mission urgency of Christ, or St. Paul, or even William Carey until the condition of the world (and even our own sinfulness) breaks our heart. There is a great divide between people and God. That same divide also spawns the sins that divide people into prejudices, classes, broken families, and warring factions.

Build Bridges

If the LORD wills and you see the new year, please make it your goal to be intentional to cross tribal or racial divide. Connect with people with a passion to reconcile all people to God. Build bridges to connect all people – (Lisu, Spanish, Koreans, white, black, etc). Acknowledge existence of tribalism do not deny. Do not make a social issue, it is a blood issue. Our gathering must reflect the gathering in Heaven – ALL PEOPLE present!

Stability

Do you know how to be STABLE, Satisfied, static – Deeply Contented, Rooted and Unmovable? There is a difference between confident movement of faith and craving movement of frustration! You want to be satisfied? Go with Jesus to your neighborhood or to the nations!” (JP).

“You have to listen to the voice who calls you the beloved, because otherwise you will run around begging for affirmation, for praise, for success. And then you’re not free.” Henri J. M. Nouwen

Choose Humility

In the Book of Proverbs, King Solomon stated that the Lord specifically regards “six things the Lord hateth, and the seventh His soul detesteth.” namely:

(1) A proud look.
(2) A lying tongue.
(3) Hands that shed innocent blood.
(4) A heart that devises wicked plots.
(5) Feet that are swift to run into mischief.
(6) A deceitful witness that uttereth lies.
(7) Him that soweth discord among brethren

THANK YOU

You may not be able to read the meaning of those small gifts of tithes and offerings on this side of heaven, but once with Christ, in that kingdom that shall never come to an end, {reigning with Christ who never causes any child of His one unnecessary tear}, you shall understand His wise and good reasons for allowing you to make such a gift. As you see souls transformed because of your generosity you will hear him say, “well done my good and faithful servant.”

On “simplicity and godly sincerity”

Deceit in word and deed is so common today that it may be said to be the habit of the world. The Christian, however, should shun hypocrisy or deceit in any form. Pretending to be or do what we have no real intention of being or doing is sin. May that “simplicity and godly sincerity” which God ever blesses be yours in 2012.

Handle all matters in the Spirit rather than Flesh

 Two young women who lived in the same house and who both had an infant son came to Solomon for a judgement. One of the women claimed that the other, after accidentally smothering her own son while sleeping, had exchanged the two children to make it appear that the living child was hers. The other woman denied this and so both women claimed to be the mother of the living son and said that the dead boy belonged to the other. The story is recounted in in

I Kings 3:16-28

¹⁶ Now two prostitutes came to the king and stood before him. ¹⁷ One of them said, “Pardon me, my lord. This woman and I live in the same house, and I had a baby while she was there with me. ¹⁸The third day after my child was born, this woman also had a baby. We were alone; there was no one in the house but the two of us.

¹⁹ “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. ²⁰ So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. ²¹ The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”

²² The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.” But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.  ²³ The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’” ²⁴ Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. ²⁵ He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”²⁶ The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!” But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!” ²⁷ Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.” ²⁸ When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

True mother’s instincts were to protect her child

This story offers insights about how we can wisely approach the delicate issues we face daily in the family, church or nation. Whenever we get overly emotional and contentious about a controversial decision within family, church or nation, we are in danger of acting like the imposter in this story from 1 Kings 3. We then push for our own agenda no matter who gets “cut out” by our selfish behavior.

When flesh takes over, then all we care about in those instances is getting our own way. That is just the opposite of the word of God teaches. We read in Ephesians 5:17-19;

¹⁷ Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. ¹⁸ Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.

Be filled with the power and with Spirit of the LORD

We read in the gospel that Jesus after his baptism and being  filled with the power of the Holy Spirit he went to the wilderness and while there is was tempted. The tempter could not overpower him because he was responding in by the power of the Holy Spirit. How we desperately need that power. When Christ’s love and His Spirit control us, then we are not hindered by the personal agendas.

Many people have left families, churches and nations after being treated with disrespect and hostility. Many families, churches and nations have been greatly weakened in their witness and effectiveness by infighting over issues that need not divide a unit that believes to be the body of Christ. There is no reason that issue has to divide individual families, churches or nations. If matters are handle in the Spirit rather than flesh, then different opinions can be welcomed and discussed while everyone works hard to promote a spirit of unity, mission, and friendship in Christ.

Hear the word… again

Isaiah 9

 ^{1 [a]}Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.

In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,

but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

 ² The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.
³ You have enlarged the nation
and increased their joy;
they rejoice before you
as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
when dividing the plunder.
⁴ For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered
the yoke that burdens them,
the bar across their shoulders,
the rod of their oppressor.
⁵ Every warrior’s boot used in battle
and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
will be fuel for the fire.
⁶ For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.

 

Who is at our door that we don’t notice?

Luke 16:19-31

[19] “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. [20] At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores [21] and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

[22] “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. [23] In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. [24] So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

[25] “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. [26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

[27] “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father’s house, [28] for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

[29] “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

[30] ” ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

[31] “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ “

Jesus is saying that

1. Wealth without active mercy for the poor is great wickedness.
2. If we close our eyes to the truth we are given, then we are doomed.

In the context, Jesus is condemning the Pharisees for their love of money but lack of mercy for the poor. Remember his comment about their scrupulous tithing? “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone” (Luke 11:42). It isn’t their piety that he is condemning, but what they AREN’T doing — showing mercy to the poor, seeking justice for the downtrodden. It is ironic that the Pharisees who prided themselves on being such Bible scholars largely missed the spirit of the Old Testament — mercy and justice.

Who is at our door that we don’t notice?

• Needy illegal aliens who avoid the social welfare system for fear of being deported?
• Divorced moms with kids who are living below the poverty level but are too proud to ask for help?
• Families where the breadwinner is sick or shiftless or missing?
• The poor in third world countries who are out of sight and out of mind?

The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats teaches a similar lessons.

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’  They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’  He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’  Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” (Matthew 25:41-46)

Wealth is not bad. After all, Abraham was wealthy. But wealth brings with it certain responsibilities, a certain stewardship. We will give an accounting for how we handle the wealth God has given us. Of course, in the USA, even the poorest enjoys a lifestyle far above a huge slice of the world’s population. We have relative wealth. Perhaps not relative to our own culture, but relative to the global village that we can affect with our giving. We will give an accounting. Archibald Hunter writes:

“If a man (says Jesus) cannot be humane with the Old Testament in his hand and Lazarus on his doorstep, nothing — neither a visitant from the other world nor a revelation of the horrors of Hell — will teach him otherwise. Such requests for signs are pure evasions.”[11]

“Blessed are the peacemakers”

And when he was departed thence, he lighted on Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him, and he saluted him, and said to him,

Is thine heart right, as my heart is with thy heart? And Jehonadab answered: It is. If it be, give me thine hand.”
2 Kings 10:15

 

While an ethical reporter checks facts and verifies wording, gossip has no commitment either to accuracy or good taste. It thrives on the juicy tidbits of gossip, what the dictionary defines as, “rumor, report, tattle, or behind-the-scenes information, especially of an intimate or personal nature.”

Gossip tantalizes. We listen.

“The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body” (Proverbs 18:8)

Whether true or false, gossip affects us.

Can gossip be avoided? Hardly. It is inevitable. The informal network often provides the only way to understand what is happening around us. We discuss with one another the latest scuttlebutt, trying to piece together some semblance of the truth from the rumors and events of the day.

Paul censured those who

“… get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to.” (1 Timothy 5:13)

This is the sort of gossip which tarnishes reputations, divulges secrets (Proverbs 20:19), reignites quarrels (26:20-26), and leaves friendships in ruins (16:27-28). Moreover, it brings terrible pain to its victims, who are angry, shut out, and isolated from the very community they need so desperately to sustain them.

Slander is gossip turned ugly, what the dictionary defines as “the utterance of false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage reputation.” Though slander may look like ordinary gossip, it differs in intent — slander actively seeks to tear down. Slander begins with anger, perhaps the reaction to a stalled promotion, a betrayal, a slight, a wound. Slander fights back, determined to brand the offender publicly.

Most often, slander does not originate with a lie but a distortion. While statements and actions can usually be confirmed, it is hard to prove intentions. Yet motives are vital to evaluating character; a jury’s verdict may hinge entirely on interpretation of motive. Everyday slander, however, faces no scrutinizing jury. This ugly form of gossip twists motive, discredits character, undermines public confidence. Impugning motives is the slanderer’s most sinister weapon. Although snide interpretations of motives are mere opinions, doubt, once planted, is difficult to erase. A slur conceived in anger becomes deadly innuendo. Subtly slipped into the flow of conversation, it is picked up by the grapevine and spread to a dozen ears, ruining a reputation.

Churches are not immune to slander. Regular members wonder if the rumors might be true. Hidden factions form. New people somehow sense the undercurrent of dissension. Disunity begets spiritual malaise, and the church suffers from a persistent low-grade infection. Slander despoils the body of Christ.

Malicious talk can damage anyone in the church, but the church leader is slander’s most devastating target. Moses’ enemies murmured behind his back. No longer could the Apostle Paul’s converts hear him speak or read his letters without wondering if his detractors might be right after all. Sadly, some of the sheep never find their way back to a fold after the ugliness of slander. Instead they wander without food eventually to weaken and die or be eaten by the wolves.

esus commanded: “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you” (Matthew 18:15). If he does not listen, we are to approach him again with one or two others, hoping to find reconciliation (vs. 16). If he will not listen to them we are to bring it to the church (vs. 17). By the same token Jesus tells us to confront the brother who bears some grudge against us (Matthew 5:24). If we are to avoid the destruction of slander we must be “up front” with one another, earnestly seeking to resolve our differences.

What if our pastor sins against us? A leader’s angry words can cause a hurt which burrows deeply. We are to treat a pastor just as we would another brother or sister: privately seek to restore the relationship with gentleness (Galatians 6:1; Matthew 18:15). Spreading a story without confronting the pastor involves us in sin and threatens the health of the whole church. Only if the shepherd refuses to acknowledge the sin and repent, should the problem be brought before others. The church should be informed in an orderly way (Matthew 18:16-17) and the leader publicly rebuked (1 Timothy 5:19-20).

Since anger is the root of slander, we must guard against our own anger, lest it “give the devil (literally, ‘the slanderer’) a foothold” (Ephesians 4:26-27). When angry we must seal our lips. Giving anger time to cool permits us the perspective either to overlook a hurt or to seek reconciliation. Slander is forbidden to us (1 Peter 2:1; Titus 3:2). We dare not breathe its “scorching fire” (Proverbs 16:27-28).

Even though we bear no grudge, we must be on the lookout lest we be sucked in to passing slander along. Instant recognition of degrading gossip is vital. We should stop the tale-bearer in mid-sentence, if necessary. We ought to challenge our Christian brothers, “Have you confronted the person with this?” To give ear to a nasty tale will not only injure our spirit but encourage gossipers to continue their destruction. We will either be part of the problem or part of the solution.

We sift our words through God’s grid:

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen…. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:29, 31- 32)

Nimble tongues itch to tell a tale. Inquiring minds want to know. But the Church’s health hinges on our willingness to submit our stories to His standard — peace in place of strife, upbuilding exchanged for a wrecking ball.

“Blessed are the peacemakers,” Jesus taught, “for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9).

What does the LORD require of you this Christmas?

SERMON BY Robert Murray M’Cheyne

Here is the piercing question of every awakened soul.Doctrine.—The good way of coming before the Lord.

“Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

MICAH vi. 6-8.

The question of an awakened soul.—

“Wherewith shall I come before the Lord?”

An unawakened man never puts that question. A natural man has no desire to come before God, or to bow himself before the High God. He does not like to think of God. He would rather think of any other subject. He easily forgets what he is told about God. A natural man has no memory for divine things, because he has no heart for them. He has no desire to come before God in prayer.

There is nothing a natural man hates more than prayer. He would far rather spend half an hour every morning in bodily exercise or in hard labour, than in the presence of God. He has no desire to come before God when he dies. He knows that he must appear before God, but it gives him no joy. He had rather sink into nothing; he had rather never see the face of God. Ah! my friends, is this your condition?

How surely you may know that you have “the carnal mind which is enmity against God.” You are like Pharaoh—“Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him?” You say to God, “Depart from me, for I desire not the knowledge of Thy ways.” What an awful state it is to be in to have no desire after Him who is the fountain of living waters!

An awakened soul feels that his chief happiness is in coming before God. This was unfallen Adam’s happiness. He felt like a child under a loving Father’s eye. It was his chief joy to come before God—to be loved by Him—to be like a mote in the sunbeam—to be continually basked in the sunshine of His love—no cloud or veil coming between. This is the joy of holy angels, to come before the Lord, and bow before the High God.

In His presence is fulness of joy. “The angels do always behold the face of My Father. ” On whatever errand of love they fly, they still feel that His eye of love is on them—this is their daily, hourly joy. This is the true happiness of a believer. Hear David (Psalm xlii.),

“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?”

He panteth not after the gifts of God—not His favours or comforts—but after Himself. A believer longs after God—to come into His presence—to feel His love—to feel near to Him in secret—to feel in the crowd that he is nearer than all the creatures. Ah! dear brethren, have you ever tasted this blessedness? There is greater rest and solace to be found in the presence of God for one hour, than in an eternity of the presence of man. To be in His presence—under His love— under His eye—is heaven, wherever it be. God can make you happy in any circumstances. Without Him, nothing can.

An awakened soul feels difficulties in the way. “Wherewith,” etc. There are two great difficulties.

1^st, The nature of the sinner.—“Wherewith shall I,” etc. When God really awakens a soul, He shows the vileness and hatefulness of himself. He directs the eye within. He shows him that every imagination of his heart has only been evil continually; that every member of his body he has used in the service of sin; that he has treated Christ in a shameful manner; that he has sinned both against the law and love; that he has kept the door of his heart barred against the Lord Jesus, till his head was filled with dew, and his locks with the drops of the night. O brethren, if God has ever discovered yourself to you, you would wonder that such a lump of hell and sin should have been permitted to live and breathe so long; that God should have had patience with you till this day. Your cry will be, “Wherewith shall I come before the Lord?” Though all the world should come before Him, how can I?

2^nd, The nature of God.—”The High God.” When God really awakens a soul, He generally reveals to him something of His own holiness and majesty. Thus He dealt with Isaiah (vi.), “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim; one cried to another, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is filled with His glory. Then said I, Woe is me, for I am undone.” When Isaiah saw that God was so great a God, and so holy, he felt himself undone. He felt that he could not stand in the presence of so great a God. O brethren! Have you ever had a discovery of the highness and holiness of God, so as to lay you low at His feet? O pray for such a discovery of God as Job had, “I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee, wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Alas! I fear that most of you will never know that God with who you have to do, till you stand guilty and speechless before His great white throne. O that you would pray for a discovery of Him now, that you may cry, “Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the High God!”

3^rd, The anxiety of the awakened soul leads to the question, ”Wherewith?”—Ah! it is a piercing question. It is the question of one who has been made to feel that “one thing is needful.” Anything he has he would give up to get peace with God. If he had a thousand rams, or ten thousand rivers of oil, he would gladly give them. If the life of his children, the dearest objects on this earth, would attain it, he would give them up. If he had ten thousand worlds, he would give all for an interest in Christ. Woe to you that are at ease in Zion. Woe to those of you that never asked this question, Wherewith shall I come before the Lord? Ah! foolish triflers with eternal things! Poor butterflies, that flutter on from flower to flower, and consider not the dark eternity that is before you! Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel! Ye are hastening on to death and judgment, yet never ask, “What garment shall cover me, when I stand before the great white throne? If you were going to appear before an earthly monarch, you would ask beforehand, Wherewith shall I be attired? If you were to be tried at an earthly bar, you would make sure of an advocate. How is it you press on so swiftly to the bar of God, and never ask the question, Wherewith shall I appear? “If the righteous scarcely are saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?”

The answer of peace to the awakened soul.“He hath showed thee, O man, what is good.”

• Nothing that man can bring with him will justify him before God. The natural heart is always striving to bring something to be a robe of righteousness before God. There is nothing a man would not do—nothing he would not suffer—if he might only cover himself before God. Tears, prayers, duties, reformations, devotions—the heart will do anything to be righteous before God. But all this righteousness is filthy rags. For,

1. The heart remains an awful depth of corruption. Every thing in which that heart has any share is polluted and vile. Their very tears and prayers would need to be washed.
2. Supposing this righteousness perfect, it cannot cover the past. It answers only for the time in which it was done. Old sins, and the sins of youth, still remain uncovered.Oh! dear brethren, if Jesus is to justify you, He must do as He did for Joshua, “Take away the filthy garments from him;” and “I will clothe the with change of raiment.”—Zech. iii.4. The hand of Jesus alone can clothe you with change of raiment.Christ is the good way.—”He hath showed thee,” etc. “Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.” Christ is the good way to the Father.

1. First, Because He is so suitable. He just answers the case of the sinner; for every sin of the sinner He has a wound, for every nakedness He has a covering, for every emptiness He has a supply. There is no fear but that He will receive the sinner, for He came into the world on purpose to save sinners. There is no far but the father will be well pleased with us in Him, for the father sent Him, laid our iniquity upon Him, raised him from the dead, and points you to Him. “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good.”
2. Second, He is so free.—”As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” As far as the curse of Adam extends, so far does the offer of pardon by Jesus extend. Here is good news to the vilest of men. You may be covered just as completely and as freely as those that have never sinned as you have done. “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good.”
3. Third, He is so God-glorifying.—All other ways of salvation are man-glorifying, but this way is God-glorifying; therefore it is good. That way is good and best which gives glory to the Lamb. The way of righteousness by Jesus is good, on this account, that Jesus gets all the praise. To Him be glory. It is of faith, that it might be by grace. If a man could justify himself, or if he could believe of himself and draw the righteousness of Christ over his soul, that man would glory. But when a man lies dead at the feet of Jesus, and Jesus spreads His white robe over him, out of free sovereign mercy, then Jesus gets all the praise.Have you chosen the good way of being justified? This is the way which God has been showing from the foundation of the world. He showed it in Abel’s lamb, and in all the sacrifices, and by all the prophets. He shows it by His Spirit to the heart. Has this good way been revealed to you? If it has, you will count all things but loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of it. Oh, sweet, divine way of justifying a sinner! Oh, that all the world but knew it! Oh, that we saw more of it! Oh, that you could make use of it! “Walk therein and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”
4. God’s requirement of the justified. When Jesus healed the impotent man at the pool of Bethesda, he said to him, “behold, thou art made whole, sin no more, lest a worse thing happen unto thee.” And again, when He covered the sin of the adulteress, he said “Neither do I condemn thee, go and sin no more.”— John viii. So here, when He shows the good way of righteousness, He adds, “And what doth the Lord require of thee?”

1. God requires His redeemed ones to be holy.—If you are His brethren, He will have you righteous, holy men.
   1. 1^st, He requires you to do justly—to be just in your dealings between man and man. This is one of His own glorious features. He is a just God. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” “He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.” Are you come to Him by Jesus?—He requires you to reflect His image. Are you His child?—you must be like Him. O brethren, be exact in your dealings. Be like your God. Take care of dishonesty; take care of trickery in business. Take care of crying up your goods when selling them, and crying them down when buying them. “It is nought, it is nought, sayeth the buyer, but when he is gone his way, he boasteth.” It shall no be so among you. God requires you to do justly.
   2. 2^nd, He requires you to love mercy.—This is the brightest feature in the character of Christ. If you are in Christ, drink deep of His Spirit; God requires you to be merciful. The world is selfish, unmerciful. An unconverted mother has no mercy on the soul of her own child. She can see it dropping into hell without mercy. O the hellish cruelty of unconverted men. It shall not be so with you. Be merciful, as your Father in heaven is merciful.
   3. 3^rd, He require you to walk humbly with thy God.—Christ says, “Learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly of heart.” If God has covered all your back sins—rebellions—backslidings—out-breakings; then never open your mouth except in humble praise. God requires this at your hand. Walk with God, and walk humbly.
   1. Remember this is God’s end in justifying you.—He loved the Church, and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify it and cleanse it. This was His great end, to raise up a peculiar people to serve Him, and bear His likeness, in this world and in eternity. For this He left heaven—for this He groaned, bled, died, to make you holy. If you are not made holy, Christ died in vain for you.
   2. Whatever He requires, He gives grace to perform.—Christ is not only good as our way to the Father, but He is our fountain of living waters. Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. There is enough in Christ to supply the need of all His people. An old minister says, a child can carry little water from the sea in its two hands, and so it is little we can get out of Christ. There are unsearchable riches in Him.

   Be strong in the grace that is in Him. Live out of yourself, and live upon Him, Go and tell Him, that since He requires all this of thee, He must give thee grace according to your need. My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. He hath showed you one that is good—even the fair Immanuel; now lean upon Him—get life from Him that shall never dry up. Let his hand hold you up amide the billows of this tempestuous sea. Let His shoulder carry you over the thorns of this wilderness. Look as much to Him for sanctification as for justification.

So will your walk be close with God,
Calm and serene your frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads you to the Lamb.

Giving for the sake of the Gospel

According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately,and liberally for the advancement of the KINGDOM of God. God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him.

Deuteronomy 8:18 :

And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Malachi 3:8-10:

Will a man rob God?Yet you have robbed Me!But you say,„In what way hav e we robbed You?‟In tithes and offerings.You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed
Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house,And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts,,“If I wil l not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

Matthew 6:1-4 :

Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. Therefore, when you do a
charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

Matthew 6:19-21 :

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 23:23:

Woe to you,scribes and Pharisees,hypocrites!For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and
faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

Acts 2:44-45:

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

Acts 20:35:

I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak.And remember the words of the Lord Jesus,that He said,„It is more blessed to give than
to receive.

2 Corinthians 8-9

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

2 Corinthians 9:6-8 :

But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:15 :

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Philippians 4:13, 19:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me…. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Observations

1.  God owns everything, and therefore we are to be stewards of all he gives us. God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. As Creator he owns all that is or ever will be. He owns our lives and bodies, our goods and possessions. He owns us all! In his wisdom and providence, he has placed in our hands and at our disposal certain blessings and gifts for our use for his glory.
2. We are responsible for using his blessings for His glory, our good and the welfare of others.
3. Matthew 25:14-29 makes clear that our responsibility is to multiply the gifts given to us by God. Being a responsible steward of all that we have is part of our Christian discipleship.
4.  Scripture teaches us to give “cheerfully,regularly,systematically,proportionately,and liberally …” to the Lord ‟s work.