May

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 The only way we can truly walk in love is to first grasp the depth of love our God has for us. Once we begin to walk in that love our flesh will be less tempted to follow the wrong path.

Ephesians 5: 1- 6, 1, Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. 3 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; 4 neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

                As I pointed out in the past, love is what we must purpose to walk in. We have the ultimate example of love in the life of Jesus and what God did for us even while we were in our sins. What I want to address in verse 3 – 6 is a misunderstanding that many people fall into regarding inheritance versus salvation. I have heard it preached, and many pastors and fellow saints use these verses to condemn fellow saints that stumble in one of these areas, as scripture of proof that they will not enter heaven because of their sin, even though they have accepted Jesus as their Savior.

                Inheritance is just what it says, inheritance. When a parent or relative passes away the family members left behind will receive the inheritance; the stuff. If a son or daughter has fallen out of favor from a parent, they may not be in the Will and therefore cannot receive anything from the estate. This does not mean the son or daughter is no longer a son or daughter, just that they will not receive any blessings from the estate of the deceased parent. Salvation is not just the forgiveness of sins, but the complete removal from all sin, past, present, and future. John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”, In case someone did not catch this; everlasting is without end. Our salvation is eternal unless we reject it once we realize we have it. The actual verse people stumble over that appears to justify Ephesians 5:3-6 as loosing ones salvation, from backsliding is: Hebrews 6:4-6. “4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame”. The key to fully understand these verses is to look at some of the actual words used. It is impossible for those who “were once enlightened”, “tasted the heavenly gift”, filled with the Holy Spirit, and “tasted the good word of God”. To be enlightened is to have full and complete understanding of something; to the point that the knowledge itself actually controls your very actions in life. A person that is enlightened on the knowledge of gravity will not step off a tall building without any type of support to prevent eminent death at the bottom. A person that has tasted the heavenly gift, and has felt the presence of God in their life, or the Spirit filled saint that has tasted the good word of God is one that has become intimate, or at one with God to the point they are guided with his eyes. (Psalms 32:8) A person that truly fits these criteria will not allow themselves to fall into sin, but may stumble in sin while growing up to this state of understanding. If a person does fit this criteria and makes a conscience decision to reject their salvation with complete knowledge of the consequences, than there is no other way of salvation. Bottom line is you cannot easily lose your salvation, but you do risk hardening your conscience that helps you stay away from sin. If you live in sin long enough you risk making that statement of denunciation.

                Where we miss it regarding sin is that the wrath of God is for the sons of disobedience not the saints that stumble into sin. If you are sleeping with the enemy when the wrath comes you may get caught in the cross fire. If you are holding hands with someone that is about to jump off the roof of a building, they may take to with them even though you would never consciously jump yourself. If you are holding on to your sin, there are natural consequences to sin that will affect your walk here on earth. The saint walking in sin cannot receive the blessings from God while here on earth as God is not mocked. Those that have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior have been adopted by God as sons and daughters, Galatians 4:6. In Romans 8:17 the word says we are children of God and joint heirs. We need to come to a better understand of being a son of God. Making stupid decisions I life or walking away briefly, only to return does not take away your adoption as God’s child. To better understand our position as child of God we need to understand the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. The son took his inheritance and left the presence of his father. Never does it say the father disowned him, but when the son was out from under his father’s covering he was left alone to the deception of the world. He eventually lost every possession that had been given to him by his father and ended up feeding pigs. The most significant thing to realize regarding where the son ended up is for a Jewish person, pigs are considered unclean and they are not to eat pork or even touch them. This mean the son had ended up in the lowest place of disgrace a Jewish person could ever reach. While away he could no longer partake of the wealth and blessings associated with his father. When the son came to himself, realizing how he had sinned against himself, his father, and his God, he decided to return home, ask forgiveness. He also intended to ask for a position as a servant in his own father’s house. The prodigal son new that even the servants that lived in his father’s house, lived better then he ended up. In Luke 15:20 we read that the father saw him when he was still far off, but returning. God is forever looking for our return when we slip into sin. We are still God’s children, just as the prodigal son was still his father’s son. Not only did he see his son returning because he was looking for him, but ran to him and restored him to his rightful place of inheritance. True the son lost all that was given to him when he first left, but his father started the process of restoration by placing a ring on his finger, giving him the best robe and even had a celebration. (20 And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. 23 And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; 24 for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' And they began to be merry)

             God will restore His children. You may have natural consequences to walk out as a result of your sin, but you are still His child. I mentioned earlier, you risk getting caught up in the cross fire if you are sleeping with the enemy. While you are away from God you cannot partake of God’s blessings even though you are still a son. There is also a strong risk of getting so far from God that you make the choice to never return. I encourage you to make a decision if you are reading this and see yourself as the prodigal son in Luke 15. Look at where you have ended up and return to God, you’re Father, and let Him restore you. If you see yourself as the angry son that never left the father and wanting to condemn the prodigal brother, check your heart. God is love and when you are not walking in love, especially to your fellow saints, “children of God”, than you are really no better off than the son that physically left. In fact you could be worse off since you may not recognize the fact that you to have fallen in to the sin of the accuser of the brethren. (Revelations 12:10)

             These diffuse two opposing schools of religious doctrine; “Once saved, always saved”, and “if you have sinned and die without repentance”, or are “still in sin when you die, you will not go to heaven”. A person can stay in sin long enough that, with full understanding of what they are doing, denounce their salvation. It is not the sin that keeps you out of heaven, as all sins have been paid for by the blood of Jesus. It is your knowingly rejecting your salvation after you had a solid understanding of the truth. Other people get born again without any real understanding of salvation, either when a small child because they were encouraged to do so by a parent, or as an adult having heard a stirring sermon and making a quick decision. These people may have never had a full understanding of what they had. There is room in God’s grace for them to come to back to Jesus with true repentance and salvation without fitting into the category of a person that had knowingly rejected Jesus. Hebrews 6:6 does not apply to this person as they never truly accepted Jesus’ death for their sin in the first place. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, if you are reading this and realize you are that prodigal son, there is grace for your return. Only you and God know how far you have gone, and without full understanding, Satan can deceive you that you have gone too far to come back. If this is you, contact this ministry and ask for council and prayer, and let God determine your outcome not man’s doctrine. If you are in the North Houston area, get involved with our bible study. If you live elsewhere find a full gospel church that has a solid understanding and teaching of God’s grace and go there. God is watching and waiting for your return so that He can restore you.

 The difference between friendship and fellowship is determined by the depth of the relationship. Often we think exposing unfruitful works is to point out faults in the other person. However to live your life for Christ and have fellowship with a brother in Christ (iron sharpens iron), light of the Lord will increase in you. His light will expose the darkness in your friendships.

Ephesians 5:11-13, 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

                Verse 11 gives me the opportunity to expand on the difference between friendship and fellowship. Most of us develop different levels of friendships throughout our life. These friendships are often around kindred activities, hobbies, work, church, and even political venues. There is usually something about that person that stirs up a good emotion or memory of past experiences. Having a childhood friend is a typical example or seeing each other during adulthood and remembering the old time fun. A healthy friendship will not drain you, but should be one of mutual enjoyment. There may even be levels of encouragement between friends. In 1 Corinthians 1:9 the Apostle Paul tells us that God has called us into the fellowship of His Son Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 6:14 Paul warns us, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” The interesting point is his connection of communion in a similar context as fellowship. When we take communion we are actually participating in the body and blood of Christ. This is an outward expression of our inward joining of ourselves with Jesus. Romans 6:11 tells us we are alive together “in Christ”. (Emphasis mine) When we join ourselves to a person emotionally or partake of their friendship to the point we become at one with them in spirit, we have crossed over from friendship to a deeper level called fellowship. They look very close in outward appearance. Where we would slip into fellowship with an unbelieving friend, instead of keeping it on a friendship level, is if we decide to physically participate in, or give approval to, their sinful lifestyle.

Example; You could have an unbelieving friend from work or college that you have fun being around. Let’s say you both like skateboarding; So far no problem. If that friend happens to have an addiction to porn and you know about it hopefully you would encourage him to come to Christ so he could be set free. If you decide to go with him to watch or buy a porn movie because you are afraid of losing that friendship, or have been hanging around him enough that you decide to participate in that sin, you have just fallen into fellowship with his darkness. Even if you decide to not make a different sound to your friend for whatever reason, then your silence is giving approval to his actions. Your different sound would be shedding light on his sinful actions and could lead him to Jesus where he could be delivered. You may be the only friend he has that cares enough to help him get free from that addiction, but your spiritual strength and commitment to Jesus must be strong enough for that level of spiritual warfare. Friendships with people in the world can be used by God to bring more people into the kingdom of Christ, but the call of darkness to our natural mind can be overwhelming if we are not grounded in truth and “fellowship” with Jesus. This is all the more reason to find likeminded believers to develop friendship with. God can use this friendship to encourage and strengthen each other. Iron sharpens iron.

                For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret, is another stumbling block for believers both old and young alike. If you are telling a believing friend of another friend’s sin, even for the purpose of asking for prayer, you could be falling into gossip. Choose your words carefully when you are giving reason for your prayer request. I have personally heard Christians sitting around and bring up a fellow believers dirty laundry, only to follow up with, “well we need to pray for so in so”. The damage has already been done; they have acted shamefully by speaking of things done in darkness. Another stumbling block can happen when a testimony of what God has done in a person’s life is shared. I have heard people give a several minute account of all of the sinful things they did, even going into greater detail than need be only to follow up with, “then God came into my life and now I am born again”. It is a good thing that they have accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior, but their emphasis was on their past sinful life and not on the glory of God and Jesus.

                Our walk with Jesus should be one of His light shining through our lifestyle. This can only happen through understanding what He has done for us and who we truly are in Him. Fellowship with likeminded believers is one of the main keys to growing up in this revelation. This fellowship will only be enhanced with continual hearing and study of God’s word. The word of God is alive and ever growing in our lives. It has the ability to speak to us right where we are and as we grow in Christ, the word seems to grow with us, shedding additional light on our walk. 

 Forgiveness of others parallels the forgiveness of self. Jesus forgave you of “all” your sins and loves you unconditionally. Once you have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior it’s time to begin forgiving yourself for your past failures. Only then can you truly show others the love of God.

Colossians 3:13b-14 “13; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.”

            We are to forgive even as Christ has forgiven us. This may seem a tall order, but it is possible for us to walk in. Forgiveness is not like giving someone trust or giving them authority in your life. Trust and authority must be earned, but forgiveness is a command and obtainable through the Holy Spirit. We were forgiven before we asked, even before we were born and yet Christians often use the words, “I have forgiven, but I will never forget”; that is not forgiveness that is still holding the offence over the person. Praise God He does not hold any offences over our head.  Holding an offence over a person is just not true forgiveness; it is not any type of forgiveness. With this said even a Christian being a mortal cannot forgive exactly like Jesus forgave since we are not called to literally die for another person, but the heart of forgiveness in letting go completely the offence is a command that God can require of us and we can do it. In times of difficulty in walking in forgiveness we can draw on God’s forgiveness toward us for our strength to forgive others, Ephesians 4:32. 

                I want to point out that the verses in Colossians Chapter 3 were Paul is using the phrase “put on” are similar to applying layers of clothing which is a beautiful word picture for adding these characteristic to our lives. With that being the case verse 14 where we are called to “above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection, is the final overcoat that covers all of the other clothing. In 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter, Paul tells us that no matter what we do or how good we do it without love we are nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:13 the final verse in the chapter says, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Faith is in the past having confidence that what Jesus did on the cross was real. Hope is in the future in that our faith will provide for us in the future, but love is right now. Love is actually acting and moving in the “here and now” in the faith you have. They actually couple together in that with the same measure you show love; the same measure of faith you have in what Jesus did for you.

Paul calls love the “bond” of perfection. The Greek meaning for bond means “that which binds together” so we could call it the glue. Love is more than a gushy feeling or emotion; it is a characteristic that extends far beyond emotions. Even when our emotions do not feel good we can show the love Paul is speaking of. The Greek word for love in verse 14 is AGAPE, which was not actually in the Greek language nor did it have a meaning prior to the writings of Paul. AGAPE actually comes from the Greek word AGAPAN which means “great with affection, love”.  The early Christians used it for their “love feast” in conjunction with the Lords Supper. In 1856 AGAPE was translated into “Christian love” which is actually in opposition to “EROS” which is carnal or sensual love; Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper. This kind of love, AGAPE, would also be much stronger than FELIO which is another Greek word meaning a deep mutual friendship. AGAPE is what God showed us in John 3:16 in that even when we seemed unlovable due to our sin nature, God’s love for us led Him to give His only begotten Son that we might have everlasting life. Because this kind of love is not tied to an emotion, but rather a chosen state of being, it can be commanded of Christians to walk in it. Notice I said of Christians and not mankind. Without the love of God and becoming born again, thereby receiving the Son Spirit, a mere natural man can never exhibit AGAPE love. This is why it was never recorded in any language prior to Paul’s day. 

 When a person truly understands Jesus’ perfect work on the cross they will purpose to keep Him in everything they do in life. It is impossible to sin if you purpose to do all things both in word or deed in the name of Jesus.

Colossians 3:17 “17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”

            Verse 17 is the second point Paul has given to us for walking in Godly attributes. This too seems like a tall order much like putting off all ungodly attributes and putting on the Godly attributes mentioned in verses 5-14. Just like everything else in the walk of a Christian, with man everything is impossible, but with God all things are possible, Mark 10:27. The key to taking the first part of verse 17 out of the natural / works mode and into spiritual accomplishment is “thanksgiving”. In verse 15 Paul says to be thankful. Think about what Paul is saying in these two verses; do you want to have Godly attributes, be thankful for what He has done. Do you want to avoid falling into various sins, be thankful to God for everything you are about to do and the ability to do it? This verse just brought everything into a different light. If you desire to live in lust, you now have to figure out how to be thankful to Jesus for your lust. THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE! For a Christian who understands that Jesus died for our sins and that only by the grace of God we can have forgiveness for our sins; it is impossible for that Christian to perform any sin in the name of Jesus. We would never steal; commit adultery, lie, slander, curse, show anger, or any other sin if we purposed to live our life in thanksgiving to Jesus for what we are actually doing. Do you want to take your spiritual temperature to see how you measure up, look at your level of thankfulness? Those who are not thankful are probably not committed believers and the lack of thanksgiving is one of the signs of the end times according to 1Timothy 3:2. 

                To live contrary of thankfulness to Jesus is to live carnally and Romans 8:6 tells us that the carnal mind is enmity to God. Let me take some pressure off. I am not saying that if a person does something without being thankfully conscious to Jesus at the time that they are in sin, but when people stay in carnal thinking for extended periods of time they lose their God consciousness every time. That is why it is called stumbling; you are just not being as mindful of where you are walking at that time. Making the decision to not get back up after a spiritual fall is walking in sin. I watched a movie called “Fireproof” which is about a married couple having marital troubles to the point of both wanting out. The father of the husband gave his son a 40 day challenge to “fireproof” his marriage. Would you like a simple daily action to follow to fireproof your walk with the Lord? “3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength.” This is the continuation of the prophesy from the book of Isaiah which starts in chapter 26 and is the prophesy to the children of Israel of our time. Since the resurrection of Jesus, every person that believes on the name of Jesus can claim verse 3 & 4 for themselves. God will keep you in perfect peace as your mind is stayed on Him, because you trust in Him. Do you want to fireproof your walk with God, do you want to simply take off the old coat of sins that so easily ensnared you in the past, do you want to put on the new coat of righteous that was given to you by God, do you want to walk in AGAPE love toward your brother and the rest of the world; trust in Him, stand on His strength not your own?

                Do everything you do in the name of Jesus and never quit giving thanks to God the Father through Christ Jesus. God wants you blessed more than you want to be blessed. He has already given you all of the promises and blessings written in the Old and New Testaments, all you have to do is learn how to spiritually adjust the receiver on your life. 

 The comparison of Jesus to Melchizedek was important for the Jews to understand since they put so much trust on the High Priest to make the Sacrifices for them. It is equally important for non-Jews to understand this because there was no end, by man’s terms, of the priesthood of Melchizedek. This means his priesthood would have lasted as long as he lived, but Jesus lives forever.

Hebrews 7:23-28, “23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. 28 For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.”

                The author of Hebrews has been using the comparison of the High Priests under the Law of Moses, to Jesus’ Priesthood as similar to Melchizedek. I have found that many Christians reading this section of Hebrews tend to blitz through it because this has been the same theme since Hebrews 5:6 and the natural mind tends to look over similarities by clumping them all together. And since most Christians are not descendants from the Jews they do not have an existing foundation of lived history to base their understanding of this comparison on. However in verse 28 we begin to see additional importance to Jesus’ Priesthood.

                The word perfected should stand out with understanding that once something is perfected there is no need for change, modification, or repetition. Under the Law of Moses the only constant was change. Their High Priests, the only person allowed into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for all of the Jews, was never in office long thereby creating never ending change. As each generation of High Priests were replaced and different kings came into power, modification or in some cases complete rebellion to the Law happened. And the only thing the children of Israel could do was to live in repetition of what they had since there was no other way. Einstein’s definition of insanity was to do the same thing over and over expecting different results. Would you consider yourself to be an insane person? Most people, and especially Christians will answer no.

Every Protestant Christian and even many non-Christians can see the weakness of Catholicism in its enforced dependency of the congregation upon the Priest, then their Bishops, Cardinals, and the Pope. I ask you, how many people are you willing to allow to stand between you and God? Many Christians will say none, and yet there is still this underlying push for confession of sins to the pastor or one of the elders. And the mega churches officially call them counselors.  Still others will answer the same as the children of Israel did in the wilderness when they told Moses to speak to God and then they would listen to him. By nature it is a fearful thing to stand in the presence of God as written in Hebrews 10:31 and therefore the carnal mind is ok with going to a priest, pastor, or some other religious person instead of going directly to God. Notice I wrote “by nature” and “carnal mind”. There is nothing natural man can ever do that will allow him to enter into the presence of God and when asked, most Christians will agree. However it does not take great research to realize that all denominations and even most of the non-denominational churches are full of man’s efforts, rulings, and predetermined ways of life necessary to be accepted by that denomination and ultimately God. Some even go as far as stating their religion produces the only true Christians. Other Christian religions even discount the infilling of the Holy Spirit. And some denominations hold on to a gross misunderstanding of the term predestined, (as found in Romans 8:29-30, Ephesians 1:5 & 11), and believe that God has predestined those who can and who cannot get into heaven. And I have found very few Christians who do not place the lion share of emphasis on their actions and appearance, over the heart connection and relationship with Jesus. What does this mean; unless you are placing your entire walk with God based on Jesus’ perfected priesthood which rests on His perfect work on the cross, you are guilty of holding on to man in addition to holding on to God. To mix in man’s efforts with the blood of Jesus as some hybrid way of connecting to God is to actually taint the precious blood of Jesus that was shed for you. This is a hard thing to understand, but necessary to begin living by faith in all areas of your life, and not just your go to church part of life.

 I tell people that the greatest stand out concept of Hebrews 12, the faith chapter, is found in what is not said as much as what is. While the great works of faith are mentioned in chapter 12 of many of the Old Testament saints, not one failure from their life is recorded in this chapter. In fact if a person has never read anything else in the bible and then reads Hebrews chapter 12, it is highly probably they would consider these mentioned saints of old as people who must have walked perfect before God in their day. The only thing recognized is their walk of faith and what was produced. They did not have Jesus to base their faith on, they simply believed God and purposed to follow Him. Under the New Covenant we have Jesus and the full message of the gospel and yet we still stumble, lean, or in some cases prefer to walk by religion over having a walk in faith. I believe this is because it is easier to walk by a set of rules like following a map, then to take step by step directions from God in our daily life. When we do take a step of faith in one direction and it seems to work, by nature we will attempt to do the same thing the second time instead of seeking God again for His direction. As proof of my statement, look at the life of Moses when he was leading the children of Israel in the wilderness. The first time they needed water he went to God and was told to speak to the rock and then strike it and water came out. The second time they needed water he went to God and was only told to speak to the rock, but when the time came he spoke and then struck it again even when told not to, because it worked the first time. Even though water came out the second time, he failed at following God’s lead. His actions may have produced the needed water for the complaining children of Israel, but he lost out on his full reward of entering into the Promise Land. Don’t risk losing out on your full reward by holding on to an action over holding on to Jesus’ perfect work on the cross which paid the way for you to boldly go to the throne of grace in your time of need.     

 Understanding the difference between Jesus’ High Priesthood in heaven, verses that of the High Priests under the Law of Moses here on earth will strengthen the faith of the believer to trust in Jesus’ perfect work on the cross. 

Hebrews 8:3-5, 3 For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. Therefore it is necessary that this One also have something to offer. 4 For if He were on earth, He would not be a priest, since there are priests who offer the gifts according to the law; 5 who serve the copy and shadow of the heavenly things, as Moses was divinely instructed when he was about to make the tabernacle. For He said, "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain."   

                Two things to remember, one Jesus was from the tribe of Judah not the tribe of Levi where Old Testament priests were appointed from. Secondly The gifts and offerings of the Old Testament were made over and over since none of them actually cleansed anyone from their sin, but merely gave them atonement which is a satisfaction or a since or repairing a wrong. If you think about the definition, something that has been repaired still has the break or damage; it has simply been covered up to “appear” whole again. With the New Covenant there is a complete replacement of what was broken with a brand new. Our old “Adamic” fallen spirit, was replaced with the new Son of God spirit as read in Galatians 4:6. Because Jesus was not a Levite, under the Old Covenant He would have never been appointed a High Priest, therefore His priesthood must be over different covenant. The High Priests offered bulls and goats, but Jesus offered Himself. In nature one man could offer to die for another man’s crime, but once dead he could never die for another. Jesus, however has the Sons spirit not the Adamic spirit and although He walked on earth as a Man, He was in fact spiritually God in a Man’s body. Because He did not have sin, the grave could not hold Him and once risen God sat Him at God’s right hand. Today there is no more need for sacrifice, which is just atonement or repairing of what is broken because we have been made brand new.

                Because Jesus could not have been appointed High Priest over the Old Covenant, and His sacrifice gave us His Son’s spirit instead of temporarily repairing our broken spirit, there must be a New Covenant for Him to be High Priest over. Everything about the Law of Moses was at best a temporary fix to something that could never be replaced only repaired. Verse five is reminding us of this truth. The Old Testament, priesthood, and tabernacle were only earthly copies of the real which is in heaven. The importance of this is often overlooked. Everything we see in the natural here on earth is in a constant state of change and if not maintained decay will always set in. Look at anything made by man that is left uncared for and it will begin to fall apart without consistent repair. And even if cared for there is always something breaking or wearing out that needs replacing. Once you start repairing and replacing the manmade item is no longer the same as when it was when created, it is now altered and less perfect even if it “appears” to be the same. Why would anyone understanding the imperfection and limited ability of the Old Covenant want to hold on to it when we have Jesus? 

 God places the Lion’s share of the stability of the marriage on the husband. Christian men all want a Proverbs 31 woman, but are they providing her a Proverbs 31 husband for her to trust in?

Ephesians 5:23 – 24, 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.

                                The word Savior is only capitalized in the NKJV, but in the original KJV is was not. This is an interesting point in that the Greek word “SOTER” which is used 24 times in the KJV bible is capitalized everywhere but in Ephesians 5:23. The word “he” in verse 23 is also not capitalized in KJV which coupled together is stronger indication that the husband does not have salvation authority over his wife in some type of priestly fashion as some people have believed. This is congruent to the Spirit of the New Testament which point to Jesus as the only Savior of our soles and not any man. This verse cannot stand out above the New Testament and give the husband some kind of supernatural salvation power over his wife. In Galatians 3:8 Paul tells us we are neither male nor female, which takes away any gender superiority, but in 1 Peter 2:9 we are told that we are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. This should be proof that a man is not the spiritual savior of the wife, but there is a responsibility that does rest on the husband.

                The word savior in the dictionary is one who rescues, preserves, or provides safeguarding. Christ has done this for the church in that He not only paid for our salvation He is the protector of His church. Likewise in the natural, which is the only headship a husband has, he is responsible for the safety and preservation of the wife and his family. He has been given this authority by God, but the word is very clear in Luke 12:48 that to whom much is given, much is required. Verse 23 should be read as a charge to the husband to step up to the plate and be the protector and provider for his wife in physical matters. He is called to grow up and be the responsible one over natural matters not the priest over the wife.

                I added verse 24 with this devotional because it is a recap of verse 22. You must always look at verses in the bible in context of how they are written. It is clear that the context of these verses for the wife to “choose” to submit to her husband regarding physical matters and not as her spiritual head. She must do what is right before the Lord regarding spiritual matters; likewise the husband has a huge responsibility to do what is right before the Lord as the physical head of his wife and family. Remembering that according to the word of God “the two shall become one”, In 1 Corinthians 12:14-23 Paul uses the analogy of the human body as to how the body of Christ, the church, is to function in unity. This same analogy works for the marriage. When a person develops Alzheimer’s, they not only lose their memory, but their brain “the head” causes havoc for the rest of the body. When the husband does not line himself up with the word of God in all of his actions and thoughts, he causes problems for his wife and family.  

 No weapon can be formed against love and when a husband can love his wife unconditionally and not allow himself to become bitter toward her, his love will strengthen the relationship between the two of them. Remember from Ephesians 5:25 that God places the weight of the marriage on the husband.

Colossians 3:19 “19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.”

            For additional help on understanding this verse you can read my comments on Ephesians 5:25 in my Ephesians bible study. In Ephesians 5:25 Paul adds, “just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her”, whereas in Colossians 3:19 he stated do not be bitter. There is an old saying “if mamma isn’t happy, nobody is happy”, and still rings true today. The flip side of that statement can be seen in Ephesians 5:28. Husbands do you hate yourself and want to be miserable in marriage, than stay bitter toward your wife, you WILL get more than you ask for? On the positive note a Godly husband will recognize and understand Proverbs 12:4, “an excellent wife is the crown of her husband”. Husbands if you want an excellent wife treat her with excellence. Remember Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him”, if you apply this to your wife you will never go wrong.

                I want to touch on what bitterness is and what it does to everybody around it. Bitterness as defined by the unabridged dictionary as “causing pain; piercing; stinging: characterized by intense antagonism or hostility”. This meaning tells us that it defiles everything it touches including the person it comes from. Even words intended as kind or up lifting from a bitter heart will always be heard with an edge of harshness. God showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ dies for us, Romans 5:8. Jesus tells us in John 13:35 that people will know His disciples by the love they show one another. In Romans 12:10 Paul tells us to be affectionately kind to one another and in honor show preference toward one another. There may not be a better way of showing the world and people around you loving kindness than for a husband to publicly and privately show his undying love for his wife.  

 As you pray for yourself and family, remember to lift up those who labor in the word and live to reach others for Christ. You heart felt and sincere prayers will strengthen and help open doors for those called into the fivefold ministry. 

Colossians 4:3-4 “3 meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, 4 that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.”

                This is an interesting comment from Paul who was in prison at the time and one similar to that of the Apostles in Acts 4:29 after they had been threatened to not speak the gospel by the “religious” Jewish priests. The world wants to shut the mouths of Christians from spreading the gospel because of the blindness of their hearts as I mentioned in Colossians 4:2. There are also numerous “religious” leaders of today, many of whom call themselves Christians who resist the preaching of the grace message insisting that it is only pleasing the flesh of the hearers. These “religious” are still trying to keep righteousness tied to works of the flesh and they are actually walking in spiritual blindness of heart, not being able to see into the spirit realm of God. This spiritual blindness which leads to works of the flesh for righteousness is the direct result of lack of thanksgiving and meditation of the good things of God, Philippians 4:6 & 8, Philemon 6, & 1 Titus 4:15. The mystery of Christ mentioned by Paul is fully expressed back in Colossians 1:27, “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  This hope of glory is the grace of God to receive complete salvation and be able to enter into His presence freely on our faith of Jesus Christ and the blood He shed for our sins. To understand grace is to understand Jesus’ perfect work on the cross.

                Paul reminds us that he is in chains for preaching the gospel, but wants the opportunity to preach the gospel even more. Many Christians today walk in fear of ridicule for sharing their true faith with their friends, fellow workers, and acquaintances. In the US we are nowhere near the level of persecution as many of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are, but we are heading that way if righteousness does not stand in the streets. This Grace of God message has to start in your own backyard so to speak. Missions are great and I praise God for those who are called to go into foreign countries and risk their lives to spread the gospel. The problem is the spreading of the gospel in the United States is basically left up to TV and when a seeker stumbles into the right church. There are other religions that see the US as their mission field and two of them are “look a likes” to true Christianity. These two religions are anti-Christ in that they cannot say that “Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior”, the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Paul’s prayer needs to be ours as well that we too can make the gospel manifest as we ought to. Notice that Paul says that he should still be making the gospel manifest even after he is in prison for doing so. All Christians are called into a commission with Jesus Christ to spread the gospel in our daily lives. I am not saying that every believer is called into the fivefold ministry, but all can share their faith in Christ Jesus and as a whole Christians do not. The reason the ministry of the gospel is not fulfilled by the saints, is because there is not enough of the knowledge of the gospel of Christ in our hearts. Many may have it in their minds, but according to Jesus it is not what goes into a man that is of any importance, it is what comes out of the man’s mouth that reveals his true heart, Matthew 12:34 & Luke 6:45 “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”, and Matthew 15:18 “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man.” What is in your mind that comes out of your mouth?

Here is the truth of spreading the gospel, Acts 4:1-8 tells us that the evangelism of the gospel was never meant to be done by churches, the pastor, or the clergy. Saul, long before he had his Damascus road experience after which God changed his name to Paul, thought he was doing a great work for God by persecuting the church at Jerusalem which scattered the believer’s abroad preaching the gospel; only the Apostles stayed. Saul did more for spreading the gospel back then most people realize. Had he not first disbursed the church into all regions around Jerusalem with his hate letters from the Pharisees, the spreading of the gospel would have been crippled. The gospel must be spread door to door, friend to friend, and acquaintance to acquaintance. Many Christians including pastors believe inside the church is where the gospel is to be spread, but Paul knew that evangelism had to be done outside the church building and by the saints, not the pastors and clergy. That is why he knew how he ought to speak, verse 4, and why he asked for prayer for the door to opened for him to go spread the word of God. Many people will argue that Paul was a pastor and taught in churches. No Paul was an evangelist and teacher preparing the saints for the ministry of the gospel. Read his words from Ephesians 4:11-12, “11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” The fivefold ministry was never meant to be the hierarchy of authority that some religious people try to make it. The fivefold ministry was given as servants to God and to the saints, “ for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry”. The fivefold ministry is to buildup, teach, and encourage the saints in Christ Jesus, the saints are the ones to spread the gospel with what they have learned and know in their hearts. .

 In all of today’s Facebook, vine, Instagram, and other social media it has never been easier to stay connected with friends and family. Are we using this media to encourage, exhort, and comfort our fellow Christians? Take heed to the ministry which you have received, that you may fulfill it. We are called to love one another as Christ love us first.

Colossians 4:7-18 “7 Tychicus, a beloved brother, faithful minister, and fellow servant in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me. 8 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, 9 with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all things which are happening here. 10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, with Mark the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions: if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are of the circumcision; they have proved to be a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those who are in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you. 15 Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church that is in his house. 16 Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it." 18 This salutation by my own hand--Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.”

            Today with all of our technology and just about everyone in the US owning a phone and many have personal cell phones, we do not understand the difficulty and time constraints on communication in Paul’s day. Remember that the church in Colosse had never seen Paul, but was most likely started by Epaphras (Colossians 1:7) who went to Colosse from Ephesus, and held church in the home of Philemon (Philemon 1:2).  Paul’s letter to the Colossians had to be hand delivered and because of the spiritual weight of the word itself, and having not established his own personal relationship with the Colossians, he sent a fellow minister who the Colossians could identify with. Onesimus is an interesting fellow in that he is actually a runaway slave from the house of Philemon, but after he came to Paul became a great help to Paul. We read in the book of Philemon that Paul pleaded to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, not only for his life, but for his acceptance as a brother in the Lord. In the Roman culture the owner of a runaway had every legal right, and for the sake of control of the other slaves, could have had Onesimus put to death. So here we are at this time of where Paul is correcting some of the thinking of the Colossians and pointing them toward actions of grace and love toward each other and those on the outside that he sends a runaway slave back to his Christian owner as a brother in the Lord. What a test!

                The Mark in verse 10 is the same one that was with Paul in the book of Acts and most likely the same Mark that was with Peter when he started the church in Ethiopia. Mark was not an apostle as some people think even though he wrote the book of Mark, but actually acted as a scribe for Peter. He is the same John Mark in 1 Peter 5:13 and according to Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History, Bishop Papias describes Mark as “the interpreter of Peter”. In verse 11 Paul identifies both Mark and Justus as converted Jews. Paul also identifies Mark as a proven comfort to him which is important because in Acts 15:38-39 we read that Paul and Barnabas parted ways over Paul not wanting Mark’s presence. According to verse 38 Mark had deserted them during the work in Pamphylia and Paul had taken an offence to it. This is proof that the very teaching of grace and love was actually lived out by Paul himself.

                Paul also identifies Luke, verse 14, as being with him while in prison. Luke was not one of the original twelve apostles either, but record shows that he was there during the life and ministry of Jesus while He was here on earth. Luke was a very educated physician who takes account for the factual recording of events that we read in the book of Luke and Acts. Verse 15 is another indication that church in the early days was actually held in people’s homes. Romans 16:6, 1 Corinthians 16:19, and Philemon 2 are additional records of the church in the homes of believers.

An interesting note is it was in the year 323 AD when Constantine commissioned the building of a temple, similar to those used by Pagan worshippers, to be built for the Christians. Until then records show the church to be held in the homes of Christians. This was the beginning of a massive growth in churches in the Roman Empire and these churches were identified by a name from the New Testament. Church as we know it today did not start out that way, and I have to admit that this movement did cause an explosion in “church” attendance, but the attendees were not all believers. Many were Pagans attracted by the beauty of the building itself. History also shows that some of the holidays we celebrate today were actually aligned with preexisting Pagan days of worship in effort to aid in conversion of the Pagans. Even Halloween which is short for “All Hallows Eve” came about when the Roman Catholic Church named November 1 as All Saints Day since they had identified more people as saints than there were days in a year. October 31 was already an existing Pagan night of worship of the dead when the church declared All Saints Day as November 1. The church may have exploded in membership, but the original intention of the spread of the gospel was to be person to person. Conversions in this manor are more real.  

 The first covenant required earthly service as a means of maintaining a godly conscience. The New Covenant creates a godly conscience which empowers the believer to enter into godly service while here on earth.

Hebrews 9:1-7, 1 Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and the earthly sanctuary. 2 For a tabernacle was prepared: the first part, in which was the lampstand, the table, and the showbread, which is called the sanctuary; 3 and behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, 4 which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail. 6 Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. 7 But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people's sins committed in ignorance;

                The first seven verses are actually a sharp contrasts between the Old and New Covenants that is often overlooked. They had ordinances which are simply laws, rules, and commands on how to serve in the temple which was confined to earthly things. We have an open door of freedom to enter into the throne of grace in heaven where we are empowered from on High to live in His kingdom while here on earth. Their tabernacle was prepared by man’s hands with material things which were separated by a veil from the rest of the population where only the priests could enter. Psalms 23:5-6 tells us that God prepares a table before us in the presence of our enemies; He anoints our head with oil; and our cup runs over with goodness and mercy following us all the days of our life. They had a second veil to the Holy of Holies keeping even the priests out except the chosen High Priest, and he could only enter once a year. Jesus tore the veil into so we could have instant access to God simply through our faith in His perfect work on the cross. They had a gold covered box called the Ark of the Covenant with items of importance, kept inside the box out of sight, as a reminder of the great things God had done for them. We have a personal covenant in our heart, and we are God’s treasure placed in full sight of all man proclaiming His great love for us. They had two fixed statues of Cherubim overlooking the Ark where a man would sprinkle the blood of bulls and goats on it once a year for atonement of sins till the next year. We have an alter in heaven where Jesus sprinkled His blood for all of our sins for now and forever more. No one can discuss in detail what any of these items listed in verse 1-5 truly looked like because God has hidden them from man that we would not hold them in higher significance than Jesus. We can discuss in detail who Jesus is because He lives forever in us proclaiming His victory for our lives.

                 Question; which covenant do you want to be under? At first this seems to be an easy answer, however Hebrews was written to Jewish converts to help guide them back into a walk of faith instead of their original walk of works. God added Hebrews to the bible to help us from drifting into a fruitless walk of works instead of maintaining our walk of faith.  .