randi

Righteousness obtained through the keeping of the law is just that. It is based on how well your behavior is. Under the law considers a persons righteousness based on their behavior. God says there are none righteous, no not one. All have sinned and fallen short. God says our righteousness is as filthy rags. We can not keep the law. Righteousness through faith is in believing that Christ died for our sins and rose again from the grave. Jesus is the only righteous one and He chose to come and die for us taking our penalty for sin upon Himself. He took our place on the cross that we could have eternal life through Him. By our faith in His Son God declares us righteous. In my personal congregation I believe there is no problem concerning righteousness. We believe in righteousness through faith in Christ and His blood does the saving. Society's view of Christianity in general is righteousness through law. They believe it is in being good and not doing bad. People want to believe it is something they have acheived themselves, for their own egos. I believe that righteousness by faith is hard to grasp because it is a gift, the plan of salvation is so simple people always want to add things on to it. Human nature wnats to do things for themselves and they think they don't need anyone else. Our human nature wants to boast about itself and we have no place to boast it is all in Christ. Our pride wants to make it harder than it is.

Paul is not neutral about his religious pedigree because these credientails do not satisfy the heart. Paul is more concerned with his heart's condition than with where he came from or who his family belonged to. These credentials represent pride. They have nothing to do with Christ coming to die for us. Paul understood that what he needed was not high credentials but an intimate relationship with Christ. Your religious background could impede your faith if you were leaning on it more than trusting in Christ. Many believe if they belong to a certain church they are automically on their way to heaven or if they are good or if they have been baptized. None of these things will get you into heaven. Jesus said I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father but by Me.

I can think of one circumstance where it was obvious that some were working in the flesh, that is when we were building our addition on and the building became almost more important than serving God. Every one was in a hurry to see it complete, therefore less time was spent in communion with God. I have learned from some very difficult circumstances that we cannot trust in the flesh because we will fail, all our confidence must be in the Lord.

This church may have had a problem with selflessness. They also were complaining alot. Timothy's character had been proven. Paul knew he had no selfish desires only a true desire to serve Christ and anyway christ needed to use him. Timothy was not going to lead a church for the benefits of pleasing man but of pleasing God. Epa.. was also a true man of God and had almost died for the cause, so because they gave of themselves to God and what God wanted the people should honor them and be obedient until Jesus and stop the complaining they were doing. Both men had a great testimony that followed them.

The signifiance of serving Jesus as a "slave" as opposed to serving as a preference? Serving as a "slave" you will serve to please Jesus not man. You will serve wholeheartedly because it will be out of a love for Jesus. You will serve with humility and obedience. Serving Jesus is a priviledge when doing it unto Him. When we serve as a preference we may be doing it with an alternative purpose, such as to look good in man's eyes. Serving as a "slave" we will never think ourselves above any job there is. We will serve even in places not many see. Quality for serve will be better and without complaint because it will be for our Lord and Savior. Our commitment will last a life time. Leaders who serve out of preference will want the praise of man. After awhile of service they will get tired of serving and go on to other things.

Timothy's selfless concern was rare because he genuinely cared for the church and it's people. Sometimes men will do the work of a pastor for the pay or the recognition. Or if they start out with real concern and things go well than they may get the big head and forget that it is all God, they are only the vessel He uses. Yet with Timothy it wasn't this way, he had agreat mentor and a mother and grandmother who had taught him the faith from infancy.

My struggles honor God only when I keep my focus on Him and His Word. When I go through tough times if I turn to God and trust Him to give me wisdom on the way I should go, this brings honor to Him. When circumstances around me are dark if I count on His promises and keep the faith than others will see and this will bring honor to Him. This brings value to my struggles because others are watching to see if the Christian will still depend upon his God when times are rough. If we look at our tough times as the world does than what do we have to offer them, but if they see us still rejoicing in these struggles they will know we have something the world does not possess.

Paul tells us to hold onto the Word so we don't loose it. In our churches we should preach and teach the true Word of God and all the Word of God. In recent years some churches have become what is called churches that tickle the ears. They are preaching and teaching what the people want to hear and not the true Word of God that is in the Scriptures. Churches are reluctant to even mention hell any more because they are a fraid to loose members if they do. If we loose the Word out of the church the church is ineffective. We as the body of Christ are to go out and proclaim the Word of God. We are to go and tell our testimony and to hold forth the Word. How are they to know if we don't tell them. When we give them the Word, Jesus Christ, we offer them life and life eternal. As a local church we are not to just keep it for ourselves, the Word is to be shared with all. If we are just pew sitters on Sunday morning what good does that do to bring others to the Kingdom of God. The churches purpose is to be the body of Christ and to spread the good news. The harvest is right, but the laborers are few.

We must not be complaining and arguing in our church body, if we do that we look just as the world does. People are looking for something to make sense out of their lives. They are looking for the void they feel in their heart, that can't be filled by the world. People read us sometimes as their only Bible. They have to see something in us that they want before they will want it. They have to see something different than what the world has to offer. Therefore there must be a difference in the church from other places. We need to show Christ love and to do that we must be a loving example to them. Only unity and harmony one with the other will achieve this. We need to shine as Christ did. We need to be trying to show Christ as we know He is: merciful, forgiving, filled with unconditional love. At this time we are not experiencing a lot of cmplaining and murmuring in my church we are working together out of love and humility to bring others to Christ. But if we don't stay attached to Christ this could very well happen.

To me, Paul is speaking of the church as a whole continuing in faith, studying God's Word, assembling together to worship, and doing good works, not good works for salvation but as evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in us. This is not speaking of salvation from sin, that we can't earn or work for, it is a gift from God. The salvation in the church body to be ynited, of one accord, bringing about fruit in the Spirit. The whole body being humble and loving, relying only on God's strenght.

Yes Jesus was fully human and fully God. I know that Jesus would not just pretend to be or just take the form of one. These verses teach that He was a human being. That He literally was born of a virgin. That He came in the flesh. He hungered, He thirst, He wept. The difference it makes that as a man in the flesh we can understand somewhat of the suffering He did. We know that He was tempted as we are, He felt the emotions we feel. He has been where we are walking today and this should encourage us to run the race for Him and not give up. Praise God for His Son!! The giver of life!!

I believe that Jesus is equal with God and always existed. I believe that when He came to earth He voluntarily sit aside His divine powers so that He could experience all the things we go through. When He left heaven His mission was to die for us as our sacrifice for sin, to make possible our salvation. He became the pure sacrifice for us, so we could have eternal life. He was no less God but He choose to become a servant for us, whom He loves unconditionally. As the song says He could have called a thousand angels to get Him of the cross. This passage teaches that Jesus is divine with all the powers of God for He is God and has existed forever. But He choose to humble Himself and be our sacrifice. To do the Father's business. All the time He was on earth He did the Father's will. OH His unconditional love Praise and Honor to His name!

Humility is the most important thing for unity. It is being humble enough to put others before yourself. If we are always thinking about ourselves and the other members never enter our mind how can there be unity. We must really care about the other parts of the body. A body will not function at its best if it has a hurt part. We are called to be humble because Christ humbled Himself and became a servant. Part of our being in the body of believers is to serve each other with our different gifts. Not lately but there was a time when within my congregation there was a lack of humility. Certain members would be jealous over what another member was doing, yet these jealous members never had time or enegy to do these things. I have also attended a church where the deacons wanted to be over the Pastor, this is not showing much humility. They were more concerned about being in the spotlight than serving others. In my own congregation I have started a small Bible group. We get together once a week to study God's Word and to pray for the other members of the church. I try to be friendly to all when we meet to worship. I can testify of many times when I would be feeling down and just a smile from another in church could lift my spirit. If they were only concerned with themselves I would not have received such a blessing. We try to put others first and to be concerned what they are going through. If I know another member is going though some trials I try to send them a card of encouragement, to let them know I care.

Phillippians and Corinthians teaches that if we are born again believers when we die we will immediately be with the Lord in Heaven. Other scripture to back this up are " to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." Jesus told the thief on the cross " today you will be with me in paradise." This is a great comfort and takes the fear out of dying. What better place to be than with Jesus! This energizes us because we will want to share this with the people we meet so they can know the joy in being a Christian and what lies ahead for them.

Fear can keep us from being a bold witness because fear is of the devil and he does not want us to proclaim God's truth. The devil will whisper to us that they don't want to hear, that they will think less of us, when we get caught up in this we will not witness as we should. Fear is false evidence appearing real. Fear of people will keep us from witnessing because most people are people pleasers and want to be liked by people, so they are afraid they will lose friends or make enemies if they witness. We are not to put people first we are to put God first, therefore we should not be concerned with how people feel. It is our responsibility to put the Word out there, but it is God's responsibility on if they receive it or not. We are not responsible for the reaction that people give. When we lose our life for Christ we are surrendering our life to Christ for His purpose and Christ knows what is best for us and the plan He has for our life, therefore our life will be more abundant. Eternally speaking when we give our life to Christ we are assured life eternal with Him.

If we have faith that God is in control we will not have to spend our time with worry and stress and anxiety, we will be free to rejoice. We must believe that God is in control. Romans8:28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.

When under going personal stress and struggles you are a better witness because at these times you are more apt to be walking a closer work with God. When you can stand on faith in tough times this encourages others to be more faithful. If they can see your dependence on God they will more likely to depend on God themselves. Although we should be walking close to God at all times this is usually not the way it is, it is when we are in trouble that we run to Him. Paul's witness was so powerful because he spoke from his experiences and had been through experiences some one else had been through. If we have walked in the same shoes than we know better where people are coming from and we can testify of what God did for us in those circumstance. As for my personal struggles there are many I've been through but there is two I find I have the most trouble with and that is worry and fear of the future. Both of these are sin and I would like to receive the victory for them. Why I say receive the victory is because we already have the victory in Christ we just have to accept it andbelieve it. I will go to the altar lay it down and not long after pick it back up, just to have to lay it down again. If I would just leave it at the altar it would than enhance my testimony because others around me would see the freedom God has given me in these issues.

Paul asks for discernment for the Philippians so they will know what is best, pure and blameless. Another words what pleases God. Our lives will than bringglory and praise to God. We will love God more. Selfishness clouds our discernment because we are more interested in what we think is the best. We must want to put God first and His will first over ours. If we are preoccupied with the good things we will not have time to search out for the best, most important things. The things of greatest value. We could spend our whole lives just settling for the good things when God wants us to have the best.

Paul expects God to continue to help them grow to maturity in their Christian walk. Because Paul know's that God is faithful and He is involved in our salvation. If God says He will do something it will be done. When we accept Christ and are born-again God works in us through His Holy Spirit to give us knowledge and wisdom. We can expect this for us also because God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, therefore His promises are for all time. We can have confidence in god's faithfulness, God is truth and He cannot lie.

When we are a financial partner to ministries we reap in sharing the eternal reward. In our church we have a thing called "Faith Promise" at a certain time each year we pledge to give a certain amount to missions each week. With Faith Promise we as a small church have increased missions from $6,000 to $26,000 this year. Our pledge is not to man but to God, what each one of us feels God is leading us to give. Beyond financial support you can love and encourage the workers. Prayer is very important and you can be a prayer warrior. The prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Slaves are solely committed t their masters for life. Slaves are not like hired servants who come and go. Saints are born again Christianswho are consecrated to God for life, to do His service. Saints are not perfect but they are dedicated to serve God for the long run. When we are born again and set apart for God we become His possession and agree to work for the rest of our life in service to Him, therefore our being a saint is as being a slave is to his master.

Gideon's influence gave Israel peace for forty years, until he died.Gideons leadership keeps Israel strong both spiritually and militarily. For the rest of Gideon's life they were not invaded.

A snare is a trap. A snare can entrap. The people are entrapped and lured away from worshipping the one true God. The family becomes caretaker of yet another idol. Sin is sin. No one can serve two masters. The began to worship idols again instead of the one true God. Because Gideon created this ephod it will cause people to take their eyes off of God and be unfaithful to Him.

An ephod is a sacred garment that in the Old Testament was worn by the high priest. It was made of gold with Urim and Thummin. it covered from the shoulders to the thigh area. Breastplate had 12 precious stones in it.

Gideon asked for gold earrings for reward. This is an appropriate reward for the successful commander. Gideon was not wrong to take the gold, but he used it to make an ephod which he placed in Ophrah, and the Israelites worshipped it. Sin began with the making of this ephod, because it may have set Gideon up as a seer to determine God's will.