Category Archives: Jesus Is The Only Way!

Leading To Or Following What??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #407

01 Wednesday Nov 2017

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #407 Leading To Or Following What???

 

“Be ye followers of me,

even as I also am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1

We are to be followers of Jesus, and as part of the body of Christ Jesus, we are to lead one another to the cross. Paul called those he had influence over to be followers of him, “as I also am of Christ”! And friends, that is the only thing that we can trust in. As we follow anyone, the litmus test must be “Are they following Jesus and His Word?” It’s truly all about Jesus, and He calls us to testify of His Gospel, and to encourage and call each other to the cross!!!

“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17

We are to be iron sharpening iron—helping one another! We are called to be iron, not plastic—changing shape with every wind of change around us.

“For when they speak

great swelling words

of vanity,

they allure through the lusts of the flesh,

through much wantonness,

those that were clean escaped from them

who live in error.” 2 Peter 2:18

There have always been false teachers and leaders around:

“But there were false prophets

also among the people,

even as there shall be false teachers

among you,

who privily shall bring in

damnable heresies,

even denying the Lord that bought them,

and bring upon themselves

swift destruction.” 2 Peter 2:1

We must beware of those who twist the Word of God, and to do that we must know The Word for ourselves, so we won’t be led astray. In fact, one of the words used in this passage to describe these false teacher’s words, is a root that we get our English word “plastic” from! In other words they “molded” their words to fit the listeners! We must know truth to discern whether others are speaking truth or error!

“That we henceforth be no more children,                           

tossed to and fro,

and carried about

with every wind of doctrine,

by the sleight of men,

and cunning craftiness,

whereby they lie in wait

to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love,

may grow up

into him

in all things,

which is the head,

even Christ:” Ephesians 4:14-15

And we can only gain maturity as we dig out the truth for ourselves, by searching the scriptures.

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God,

a workman

that needeth not to be ashamed,

rightly dividing the word of truth.”   2 Timothy 2:15

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica,

in that they received the word

with all readiness of mind,

and searched the scriptures daily,

whether those things were so.

12 Therefore many of them believed;

also of honourable women

which were Greeks,

and of men, not a few.” Acts 17:11-12

May we be like the Bereans, who “searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so”; measuring everything we hear and read by the Word of God, to know if any person is speaking the truth or error. We are not to be blind to the lies of false teachers, but know the truth so as to recognize and discern the things that we hear and see, whether it’s truth or error.

“Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” Matthew 15:14

Rather than blind, we are to have our eyes opened by truth.

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,” Ephesians 1:18

May we have only one message—the truth of Jesus Christ our Lord and His Word (Which IS Jesus! See John 1)!

“For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.”   2 Corinthians 4:5

Who are you following? Who are you leading? Where? We are either leading people “to” the cross, or away “from” it! Are you on the broad road or the narrow? There is a test!

That’s NOT Compromise Is It? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No. 16

29 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by in Changed Lives, Compromise, Confidence, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Knowing God's Word, Living Right, Salvation, The Word, The Word Or The World?, TODAY

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No.16 That’s NOT Compromise Is It?

 

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live

in the flesh

I live by

the faith

of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”    Galatians 2:20

Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ”, and many find that an extreme idea. What is Paul calling us to do? He, along with our Savior, has called us to live a life that is “crucified with Christ”—a life that is lived in the power of the cross! The cross, an instrument of death; a method of execution that our Savior endured for you and me! Yet we so easily disregard this call to the crucified life, believing that God is more concerned about our “happiness” than our “holiness”! God is concerned with working in our lives that we will be “conformed to the image of His Son”! And my friends, that isn’t a painless journey!

Even Jesus addressed this idea of the “crucified” life.

“Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes,

and be slain,

and be raised the third day.

23 And he said to them all,

If any man will come after me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross

daily,

and follow me.

24 For whosoever will save his life

shall lose it:

but whosoever will lose his life

for my sake,

the same shall shall save it.

25 For what is a man advantaged,

if he gain the whole world,

and lose himself, or be cast away?”    Luke 9:22-25

Jesus clearly tells us that anyone who will “come after me” must “take up his cross daily” to follow Jesus! And taking up “your” cross means dying to self, because “Christ liveth in me”! And if Jesus lives “in me”, then I can trust Him to enable me to live out my faith in HIM, because I now can “live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”! Jesus gave it all on the cross for you and me, He brought in the “New Covenant”, which is the imparting of the indwelling Holy Spirit to every believer. And if I will yield to HIS work and directing in my heart, I can walk in obedience and victory by HIS power!

So what does this have to do with “compromise”? Well, compromise has many meanings, but the one that we will consider today is:

Compromise: to make a dishonorable or shameful concession.

When we settle for anything less than that which The Holy Spirit is leading us to know, be or do, it is a concession to something less than God’s best for us. Paul reminded us of the high calling of the cross.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren,

by the mercies of God,

that ye present your bodies

a living sacrifice,

holy,

acceptable unto God,

which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world:

but be ye transformed

by the renewing of your mind,

that ye may prove

what is that good,

and acceptable,

and perfect,

will of God.” Romans 12:1-2

God calls us to be a “living sacrifice” unto HIM!!! That is the crucified life, which we can only live successfully through the “mercies of God”—His power working in us by HIS Holy Spirit, our “reasonable service”! He also calls us to “be not conformed to this world”! Conformed means shaped like, in other words, we not to allow the world to make us into its image—because we are being “conformed” to the image of Jesus! You can’t do both!!! Anything less than the “transformed” life IS compromise, for transformed means “made new”—it’s from the Greek word that we know as “metamorphosis”, a caterpillar being “transformed” into a butterfly! Are we renewing our minds with God’s Word? Are we yielding to His Spirit and dying to our fleshly desires? Not easy, but by God’s mercies and His Holy Spirit we can live a crucified life victoriously!

“This I say then,

Walk in the Spirit,

and ye shall not fulfil the lust

of the flesh.

17 For the flesh lusteth

against the Spirit,

and the Spirit

against the flesh:

and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would……

25 If we live in the Spirit,

let us also walk in the Spirit.”    Galatians 5:16-17 & 25

We are to walk in the Spirit not the flesh, because the flesh will compromise every time! But when we die to ourselves and live unto Jesus, we can have HIS power for every day living, we can live daily in “newness of life”!

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him

by baptism

into death:

that like as Christ was raised up

from the dead

by the glory of the Father,

even so we also should walk

in newness of life.

5 For if we have been planted together

in the likeness of his death,

we shall be also

in the likeness

of his resurrection:” Romans 6:3-5.   (This whole chapter would be beneficial to read!)

We can walk in resurrection power, when we yield to The Holy Spirit of God/Jesus. We can walk in that newness of “life”—the “life” of Jesus in us.

“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

So our question for today is, “Are we living the crucified life—the new life in Jesus Christ?” Or are we so caught up in the compromise of the world that we’ve missed the crucified life? Are you following Jesus or your flesh; Jesus or the world; Jesus of popular opinion? Only you can answer these questions, but I’d like to leave you with a few scriptures to think on this week, a few verses to help you assess your living by The Word Of God.

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. 31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”    Romans 8:28-31

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds😉 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;”   2 Corinthians 10:3-5

“Finally, brethren,

whatsoever things are true,

whatsoever things are honest,

whatsoever things are just,

whatsoever things are pure,

whatsoever things are lovely,

whatsoever things are of good report;

if there be any virtue,

and if there be any praise,

think on these things.”    Philippians 4:8

If you will “think on these things” you will find that you will grow and learn to recognize “compromise” which you may not be seeing now. God calls us to live the crucified life because it is a wonderful life to live in union with His Holy Spirit, who dwells within every genuine believer. Are you following Jesus? Are you following the world? Are you allowing the world to shape your life into its mold? Satan is busy in these last days, but we can have victory IN JESUS!

“Ye are of God, little children,

and have overcome them:

because greater is he that is in you,

than he that is in the world.

5 They are of the world:

therefore speak they of the world,

and the world heareth them.

6 We are of God:

he that knoweth God

heareth us;

he that is not of God

heareth not us.

Hereby know we the spirit of truth,

and the spirit of error.

7 Beloved, let us love one another:

for love is of God;

and every one that loveth

is born of God,

and knoweth God.” 1 John 4:4-7

Blessings on your week as your pursue the crucified life instead of compromise! For “greater is he”!!!

Leading Or Mis-Leading??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #406

27 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in Confidence, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Leading Or Mis-Leading?

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #406    Leading Or Mis-Leading???

 

We all hear about someone having the “leading” role in some theatrical production, or even as children we all played follow the “leader”, and little school children love to be picked as the “leader” for the day. Most everyone wants to be a leader at one time or another, but what kind of leader are we being? And like it or not, we are all a leader in someone else’s life! So m y question for us today is a question that Dietrich Bonheoffer posed many years ago, will you “be a leader or a ‘mis-leader’”? The only way that we can be a true and faithful leader is to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, the creator, savior and Lord of all!

Jesus calls us to follow Him, and as we follow Christ faithfully, we can rest secure as others follow us.

“For though ye have ten thousand instructors

in Christ,

yet have ye not many fathers:

for in Christ Jesus

I have begotten you

through the gospel.

16 Wherefore I beseech you,

be ye followers of me.

17 For this cause have I sent unto you Timotheus,

who is my beloved son,

and faithful in the Lord,

who shall bring you into remembrance

of my ways

which be in Christ,

as I teach every where in every church.” 1 Corinthians 4:15-17

Paul called the Corinthians to be “followers of me” as he was a faithful ‘follower’ and Apostle of Jesus, leading them in “my ways which be in Christ”! What way are we leading those who are following us? There is a great responsibility for each of us, and the example we set for others ought to be faithful and true to God and His Word! Just as Jesus called us to follow Him, and sacrifice “self” to HIM!

“And he said to them all,

If any man will come after me,

let him deny himself,

and take up his cross daily,

and follow me.

24 For whosoever will save his life

shall lose it:

but whosoever will lose his life

for my sake,

the same shall save it.”   Luke 9:23-24

We must loose ourselves ‘in’ Jesus, but we must also ‘come’ after Him with all our will, giving ourselves to following Him deliberately and consistently. Then, and only then, can others see HIM in us, and we will be leading them “to Jesus” and not to ‘self’! And we can only do this by the power that Jesus gives to those who are His, the power of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gives to those who come to Him in repentance and faith! And when we come to Jesus we are to abide in HIM and not the world; and then Jesus can be seen by those who are following us, for without HIM we will never lead them in the right direction!

“I am the true vine,

and my Father is the husbandman.

2 Every branch in me

that beareth not fruit

he taketh away:

and every branch that beareth fruit,

he purgeth it,

that it may bring forth more fruit.

3 Now ye are clean

through the word

which I have spoken unto you.

4 Abide in me,

and I in you.

As the branch

cannot bear fruit

of itself,

except it abide

in the vine;

no more can ye,

except ye abide in me.

5 I am the vine,

ye are the branches:

He that abideth in me,

and I in him,

the same bringeth forth

much fruit:

for without me ye can do nothing.”   John 15:1-5

May we “abide” in Jesus! His work being seen in us, by the power of HIS Spirit, so others, who are following us, will see HIM! And that’s what it’s all about. Being leaders and never “mis-leaders”, as we die to self and live unto Jesus! Lead on dear friends—lead on as “Christ liveth in me”! Press on! Lead on—someone is following YOU!!!

“I am crucified with Christ:

nevertheless I live;

yet not I,

but Christ liveth in me:

and the life which I now live

in the flesh

I live by the faith

of the Son of God,

who loved me,

and gave himself for me.”  Galatians 2:20

Changed Lives??? Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No. 15

22 Sunday Oct 2017

Posted by in Changed Lives, Confidence, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Free Indeed?, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Let You Light So Shine, Salvation, SIN, The Only Way, The Word

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Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No.15      Changed Lives???

 

A shorter article today than I normally write on Sundays, but I’d like to share a topic that’s dear to my heat. While we live in a culture that minimalizes the gospel and churches that promote a gospel of convenience and meaninglessness, the Gospel of Jesus is the Gospel of transformed lives—lives, hearts, souls and minds set free from sin.

We aren’t set free from the presence of sin yet, but we are set free from the power of sin in our lives as we will yield to the Holy Spirit of Jesus! God had promised The Messiah throughout the entirety of the scriptures, and Jesus was/is the fulfillment of all of those promises! Yet He wasn’t the promise that would save people “in” their sin, but “from” it!

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Matthew 1:21-23

Jesus was coming “save his people from their sins” by paying the price for SIN; and through His atoning, substitutionary sacrifice on the cross He would give His Holy Spirit to dwell within HIS own. Jesus came to be “God with us”! He was and is the fulfillment of the New Covenant—the Spirit of God within us, far beyond tablets of stone.

“Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

32 Not according to the covenant

that I made with their fathers

in the day that I took them

by the hand

to bring them out of the land of Egypt;

which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:

33 But this shall be the covenant

that I will make with the house of Israel;

After those days, saith the LORD,

I will put my law

in their inward parts,

and write it

in their hearts;

and will be their God,

and they shall be my people.”    Jeremiah 31:31-33

Jesus death and resurrection accomplished the New Covenant, which paid the price for sin, and enabled the Holy Spirit of God to dwell within each believer. When we claim to belong to Jesus (and Him to us) yet still relish the sin that He saves from (without any discipline from God), we might want to check what we think saved us, for the blood of Jesus saves the sinner from their sin and makes us a new creation. Jesus revealed HIS ‘New Covenant’ to his disciples before He went to the cross.

“And he took bread,

and gave thanks,

and brake it,

and gave unto them, saying,

This is my body

which is given for you:

this do in remembrance of me. 

20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying,

This cup

is the new testament

in my blood,

which is shed for you.”    Luke 22:19-20

The blood of Jesus IS the New Testament—not the 2nd portion of scripture– but the New Covenant that Jeremiah and Ezekiel promised! The New Covenant in the blood of Jesus, through repentance and faith, makes new creatures.

“For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge,

that if one died for all,

then were all dead:

15 And that he died for all,

that they which live

should not henceforth live unto themselves,

but unto him which died

for them,

and rose again.

16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man

after the flesh:

yea, though we have known Christ

after the flesh,

yet now henceforth know we him

no more.

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ,

he is a new creature:

old things are passed away;

behold, all things are become new.

18 And all things are of God,

who hath reconciled us to himself

by Jesus Christ,

and hath given to us the ministry

of reconciliation;

19 To wit, that God was in Christ,

reconciling the world

unto himself,

not imputing their trespasses

unto them;

and hath committed unto us

the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ,

as though God did beseech you

by us:

we pray you in Christ’s stead,

be ye reconciled to God.

21 For he hath made him

to be sin for us,

who knew no sin;

that we might be made

the righteousness of God

in him.”   2 Corinthians 5:14-21

Ephesians 2 reminds us that what we ‘were’ we no longer ‘are’—we were “dead in trespasses and sins” but through he blood of Jesus we are now “created in Christ Jesus unto good works”!!! Changed lives are the testimony of a true and supernaturally regenerate life. Life that only Jesus can impart through His blood! Its evidence being our service in “good works” which ‘God’ has purposed for us—not to earn our salvation–but as the testimony of our being saved “from” our sin!!!

“And you hath he quickened,

who were dead in trespasses and sins;

2 Wherein in time past ye walked

according to the course of this world,

according to the prince of the power of the air,

the spirit that now worketh

in the children of disobedience:

3 Among whom also we all

had our conversation

in times past

in the lusts of our flesh,

fulfilling the desires of the flesh

and of the mind;

and were by nature the children of wrath,

even as others.

4 But God, who is rich in mercy,

for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5 Even when we were dead in sins,

hath quickened us together

with Christ,

(by grace ye are saved;)

6 And hath raised us up together,

and made us sit together

in heavenly places

in Christ Jesus:

7 That in the ages to come

he might shew the exceeding riches

of his grace

in his kindness toward us

through Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace

are ye saved

through faith;

and that not of yourselves:

it is the gift of God:

9 Not of works,

lest any man should boast.

10 For we are his workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus

unto good works,

which God

hath before ordained

that we should walk

in them.”    Ephesians 2:1-10

Changed lives are a testimony that we really belong to Jesus! Has He changed your life? May we ever live and reflect HIS truth before a lost and desperate world! Amen!!!

Without Fearfulness??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #404

20 Friday Oct 2017

Posted by in Confidence, Every Knee Shall Bow, Faithful is He that has Promised!, Fearfulness, Fearlessness, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Made like Jesus!, The Word, TODAY, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #404       Without Fearfulness???

 

It’s so easy to let circumstances, situations or the sheer violence of our culture cause us to be fearful, but like we talked about last time God is our “help” in all times!

“God is our refuge

and strength,

a very present help

in trouble.” Psalm 46:1

And in this same Psalm God reminds us of what to do when we do become fearful—and we all have times of fearfulness (granted, some of us have more issues with fearfulness than others)!

“Be still,

and know

that I am God:

I will be exalted

among the heathen,

I will be exalted in the earth.

11 The LORD of hosts is with us;

the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.”    Psalm 46:10-11

“Be still” isn’t an easy assignment—because we are a people on the “move”! But God calls us to settle down, stop the fretting, just “Be still” and He will calm our souls to “know that I am God”!! To know that HE will be “exalted” before the heathen, before the whole world! There is a day coming when our God Almighty will make Himself known before the world and when that time comes we can rest assured:

“That at the name of Jesus

every knee should bow,

of things in heaven,

and things in earth,

and things under the earth;

11 And that every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.”    Philippians 2:10-11

What a glorious day for those who “know” Jesus, those who have believed in His saving, atoning, substitutionary sacrifice for sin—my sin and yours; but a day of reckoning for those who have refused to believe or bow before Him! That day is coming and we can live in confident fearlessness, because He has called us to trust Him in all things! It is HIS work being done in and through us—“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works”! God is ever at work in and through us—fearlessly!  (See Ephesians 2:10)

“Being confident of this very thing,

that he which hath begun a good work

in you

will perform it

until the day of Jesus Christ:”    Philippians 1:6

It is God who is at work in us and Paul rehearses that thought throughout the book of Philippians, and I’m so glad that he did!

“For it is God which worketh in you

both to will

and to do

of his good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13

Knowing that it is God who is at work in His own children, refocuses us on Him and His will for us without fear, but rather with confidence in HIS continual work in our lives as we “walk in the Spirit” and “live in the Spirit” –to God’s glory and our maturity in HIM! (Gal. 5:16 & 25) We can continually gain confidence in our God who calls us to stand fast without fear.

“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;

but of power,

and of love,

and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

It is HIS love working in us continually through His Spirit! (See Ro.5:1-8)

“There is no fear in love;

but perfect love

casteth out fear:

because fear hath torment.

He that feareth

is not made perfect

in love.

19 We love him,

because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:18-19

When we exercise our trust in God, in all our ways, we can experience His “perfect love”, remembering that HE is working in all things, and that we are being “conformed to the image of his Son”! Oh that today we might remember that trusting God in all things, will help us live without fearfulness from the world or from our own circumstances! And we can do this because:

“Ye are of God, little children,

and have overcome them:

because greater is he

that is in you,

than he that is in the world.”    1 John 4:4

Have a blessed and fearless day in HIM!!! Amen and Amen!