Pastor Buddy’s Blog

Journal.

Last evening we completed a defining moment in the history of Christian Challenge. It was our last regular Wednesday evening service before instituting our Christian Challenge Community Groups. The home groups will meet at various times during the week, some in private homes, others at Christian Challenge. Sunday morning remains our time of gathering for the body of believers of Christian Challenge.

It was my privilege to preach the final Wednesday evening message. My subject was

Turning Points in Life…

The service was treasured from beginning to end. Jeff led the worship and invited members to make song selections. Even had kiddies choosing songs. Jeff completed the worship with the theme song of Christian Challenge, ‘How Beautiful Upon the Mountains’. This is a song the Lord gave me in 1976. If you would like to hear it, on the bottom right of my blog, under ‘Related Sites’, click on ‘Bro. Buddy’s Music,’ then click on song #14. 

– Don’t expect anything professional. All the songs on our Jubilee CD are originals by yours truly and done in-house. –

Jacob’s call to return to Bethel…

My ministry last evening was taken from Genesis 35:1-7, where the Lord instructed Jacob to return to Bethel. I spoke from three aspects of this point of turning in the life of Jacob and his family.

I - God’s Call to Remember

II - The Power of Re-Consecration and Turning

III - A Time of Fresh Start and Renewed Revelation

I won’t try to provide more concerning this particular message. However if you would like to hear the message by video, go to the following site, drop down the page to ‘View Sermon Archives,’ and click on the ‘Wednesday’ box:

http://christianchallenge.org/live/index.html

(Keep in mind that our Sunday and Wednesday services are available by means of video for one week. They are replaced with each Sunday and Wednesday service. This video will not be available after next week.)

If you would like to know more about the direction we are taking with our ‘Community Groups’, it would be good to listen to Nathan’s, Sunday message. Just click on the ‘Sunday’ box.

Changing Themes…

My blog will be taking on a new look shortly. Had some problems in the past with the theme that I’ve been using. Anyway, I will be selecting a new theme (blog appearance) that will be more friendly-user. Found one that has ‘wheat’ in the banner. Love that look. Still not decided.

Ok, for a final thought.

You need someone to lean on…

This morning I was reflecting on our service last evening and the love that is shared at Christian Challenge. It seems we’ve had a strong love bond from the beginning. But isn’t that really what it is all about? Jesus said that the world would know we are His disciples by our love for one another.

Anyway, during my morning devotion I was listening to one of my favorite gospel singers, Stephen Hill. There is a song that I truly love to hear him sing; ‘Lean On Me.’

Thought you might enjoy it. Here it is by Stephen Hill:

Your brother in Christ,

Buddy

This morning I took the love of my life to the airport and watched as she headed for the silver wings that would begin her trip to Oklahoma.

Yep, this lady has been my true love for forty-five years. Truth of the matter is the first time I looked deeply into her blue eyes, I knew I was toast. Remains the same to this day — Every time I look into her eyes my heart does a silly jig.

Betty and her Zaccheus the Wee Little Man, saying goodbye

My sweet lady is off to be with her mom for a couple of weeks. Mom Green is having an operation. The four sisters will share time with her. Of course I’ve been through this often before. Betty needs to have time with her family. And I’ve always admired those girls. Each one of them is a jewel.

Ok, here is a tribute to my lady. Silver Wings by Jewel and Merle Haggard…

Well, about the best I can do right now is offer a bit of Bible study.

Let’s call it…

The Imprinting of the Lord…

In this study we will look more closely at a spiritual phenomena that is unique to the Christian faith. It can be compared to ‘imprinting’ that takes place between children and their parents. It seems that even nature teaches us many lessons about our heavenly life.

Jesus spoke of the new covenant experience by the use of prophetic pictures. He said, “Out of your innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38) This is a picture of a believer who is deeply acquainted with the spiritual life of our covenant in Christ.

Peter adds to this by saying that we have been delivered from a futile way of life that belonged to our fathers, and that we now have life that is joyful, being inexpressible, and full of glory. (1 Peter 1:8,17-19)

Nature seems to carry pictures of the spiritual imprinting that takes place between the Lord and a person born from above. You see it in the bird kingdom. Imprinting is what causes the penguin chick, and the mother penguin to recognize one another, even in the midst of literally hundreds of thousands of birds chirping loudly, and covering the beaches like a huge blanket.

How does the mother penguin know her chick? How does the chick know which mother is the parent? The mother penguin knows even sooner than does the chick. And so it is with our heavenly Father. He knew us, and loved us long before we had a capacity to return our love to Him.

Among earthly creatures, such as the penguins, imprinting is an activity of sound & smell, along with other things. With the case of God’s heavenly children, imprinting is a work of the Holy Spirit. It is this process that causes believers to know and recognize the voice of Jesus. The Lord said, “I am the good Shepherd, and I know My own and my own know Me.” (John 10:14)

Think about the natural human family. Infants imprint with the mother soon after birth. And even to some extent with the father. What happens is that the infant begins to recognize the ’sounds’ of the mother, her smell, and various other stimuli.

If you’ll notice, the mother will adjust her voice to a special tone when speaking, or singing, or playing with the infant. Fathers do this also. This is nature. But the strongest stimuli is ‘the voice.’

Scientist tell us that if for some reason an infant does not bond or imprint at an early stage with someone, that child will actually enter adult life with psychological, and even physical problems. In fact, they will never be able to bond with other adults properly. (Of course, in Christ this all changes.) This lets us know how very crucial imprinting is to our human nature.

To bring this over into the new covenant realm, it seems the natural is a reflection of the spiritual. In fact, Paul even makes such a comparison. He says, “The spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual.” (1 Corinthians 15:46)

Perhaps it would be well to say that all of nature carries a spiritual message. I can tell you that I have observed the imprinting process hundreds of times over the years.

Generally new believers begin to imprint quickly. This is especially true when their spiritual environment is conducive to them learning the voice of Jesus early on.

Is there any Bible for such a thing as imprinting in a spiritual sense? Perhaps there is. Paul wrote the Galatian Christians, and said, “My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you.” (Galatians 4:19)

I don’t believe that Paul was speaking of them being born again, again. His concern was for their inability to know and recognize the things of the Lord in their lives. The Greek word for ‘formed’ is ‘morphoo.’ It literally means ‘to form the nature of.’ This statement can be translated, “Until you become like Christ was.” The idea carries over as a sense of imprinting.

Many of the Galatians believers were not yet familiar with the voice of Jesus. Because of this they were being pulled back and forth with bad teachings.

Paul said a similar thing to the Ephesian Christians. He said, “We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him.” (Ephesians 4:14)

It could be said that one cause of immaturity among believer is that they have yet to bond properly with the heavenly Father. They become restless and unbalanced. They are easily misled. A pastor’s greatest job is to help the flock bond with the Lord. (Not with him.)

I want to pick up a word in the Bible that carries a similar idea as bonding. Our English word ‘believe’ comes from the Greek ‘pisteuo’, which, means to bond, to adhere to, to cleave to. (We get our word glue from this word.)

If a young believer is not under the kind of teaching that will lead him to believe deeply in his salvation and in God’s love, he will manifest psychological problems. This believer can become fear driven. The first need of a child of God, is the need to know they are loved without conditions. This is set forth by the apostle John.

This is why Paul instructed us to be very careful with the weak. He said, “Accept the one who is weak in faith (keep imprinting in view), but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.”

Paul concludes that we are to never put an obstacle or stumbling block in a brother’s way. We are to encourage and let each believer progress on the level where he is. What Paul said was, “To his own Master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Romans 14:4)

Did Jesus say anything about interfering with the bonding process of believers? I think so. He said, “But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.” (Matthew 18:6)

Doesn’t that sound just like a mama? “You touch my kids, you will have to deal with me.”

What is it we need to know? We need to know that in the new covenant we have the Holy Spirit to parent us into the processes of the covenant. It is God’s Spirit who imprints us to the Lord.

Just some things to think about.

Love in Christ,

Buddy

Journal,

We have so many new members at Christian Challenge, that we felt it would be good to have a new member’s class. Yesterday was our first luncheon for new members and for prospective members. All I can say is that the excitement is quite contagious

Since we have so many folk wanting to know more about Christian Challenge, I thought it would be good to pass on some of the information that we shared yesterday.  

– This entry may seem a bit long, but it will be well worth the reading if you have an interest in Christian Challenge –

Here is the history part of our introduction booklet entitled ‘CCI 101: Discovering Christian Challenge’, that we provided at the luncheon…

History

To understand the history of Christian Challenge you have to know the founders. Christian Challenge was founded by Lawrence “Buddy” Martin (but nobody knows him as “Lawrence”!) in 1976 but its beginnings go back even further than that.

Bro. Buddy was a pastor and evangelist with the United Pentecostal Church beginning in the mid 1960’s, soon after his marriage to Betty Green in Colorado, herself the daughter of a United Pentecostal Church pastor. However, the Lord began to deal with Bro. Buddy about some of the “mis-teachings” of that organization, especially with regard to salvation issues. In 1971 he let his ministerial license drop with the UPC denomination and served in a local church in Lafayette, LA. During this time the Lord continued to heal his heart and bring him to a clearer view of salvation by grace through faith.

In 1974 he formally left the UPC denomination and shortly thereafter was led by the Lord to pastor an independent Pentecostal church in Mora, a rural community in northwest Rapides Parish. However, he felt the call to begin a “School for Christian Workers” that would not be affiliated with any denomination and would provide training for Christians who could not pull up roots to go to Bible schooL

On March 9, 1976 Christian Challenge held its first service in Boyce, LA, in a closed-down grocery store. The ministry registered as “Christian Challenge Incorporated” (later changed to “Christian Challenge International”) and the sign next to the door simply read “School for Christian Workers.” The name “Christian Challenge” was partly influenced by “Teen Challenge,” a ministry to New York gangs whose story is told in the book “The Cross and the Switchblade” which greatly challenged Bro. Buddy’s faith.

Over the next couple of years the ministry grew and it became clear that it needed to move to serve its growing congregation, which came from all over Central Louisiana. In 1978 the ministry moved to Pineville and rented part of “the old Rent-It Company” building (now a law office near the intersection of Hwy 28E and the Pineville Expressway, under the water tower). The ministry continued to grow, eventually renting the entire building.

In the mid-1980’s it became plain that it was time to build. Bro. Buddy had taught a debt-free lifestyle of faith and he led Christian Challenige to believe God to build without borrowing money. From 1986-1990 CCI built a 12,000 square foot worship center at 300 Pearce Road. It took four years, during which time the members of the church did the work as the Lord provided the money. From time to time the Lord would bring someone along to donate special skills, such as plumbing, electrical work, roofing, etc, all in His perfect timing. In 1990 the first service was held in the nearly completed building and not a penny was ever borrowed!

During this time the Martin’s oldest son, Nathan, had felt a call to the mission field. He was attending Louisiana College but transferred to King’s Way Missionary Institute in McAllen, TX. He returned to Pineville to serve briefly on staff and to help with construction but in December, 1986 he moved to southern Mexico to serve as a church planter. Over the next four years he helped oversee or plant 13 churches in the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Veracruz. He married Lori Chapman of McAllen in 1987 and they had their first of three daughters while living in Mexico.

In November, 1990, Nathan & Lori returned to CCI to serve as associate pastor. Over the next several years he served in many capacities - as youth pastor, worship leader, office manager, children’s worker, missions director, School for Christian Workers director, etc.

God blessed Christian Challenge and it continued to reach out to the Central Louisiana community. New ministries sprouted. Christian workers were trained and many lives were touched. During this time CCI built a parsonage, completely debt free, all the while continuing its ministry of “making disciples.” CCI also has had a strong presence in the community, providing leadership in many multi-church efforts, such as March for Jesus, Promise Keepers and the Franklin Graham Crusade. We believe the body of Christ is much bigger than our local fellowship and it has been our honor to promote Jesus, not CCI!

In 2006, after 30 years of leading CCI, Bro. Buddy was diagnosed with Lymphoma. In the fall of that year he began taking chemotherapy and he turned over the practical leadership of the church to Nathan. In December of 2006 Nathan was installed as Senior Pastor and Bro. Buddy took on the role of “Founding Pastor” to allow him to focus on his treatment and to transition CCI into the future that the Lord had been planning.

In 2007 Bro. Buddy completed his treatment. Then, three months later in a routine follow-up he was informed that the cancer was back and was now in his bone marrow. He was referred to M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX for a bone marrow transplant as it was beyond the capacity of the local hospital to deal with.

Obviously this dealt the entire church quite an emotional blow. However, during this time during one of his regular morning devotionals the Lord spoke to Bro. Buddy’s heart to “expect the unexpected.” Not completely sure what that meant, he shared it by faith with the entire congregation and urged them to continue believing God for His perfect will to be do and for God to be glorified in whatever happened. Then the unexpected happened. M.D. Anderson ran a complete set of tests to determine their course of action and the outcome of every test showed no signs of cancer!!! God had performed a verifiable miracle to bring glory to Himself! Thus the phrase “Expect the Unexpected” became part of the DNA of Christian Challenge.

Bro. Buddy continues to minister by writing and mentoring. He has a passion to reach out to those caught in religious bondage to legalism as he was previously. In addition to his in-person ministries at Christian Challenge, he is the author of a teaching blog and leads two active online discussion forums. He also provides numerous Bible studies that have blessed countless people all over the world. He frequently says that Nathan’s role is to “pastor the flock” and his role is to “pastor the pastor.

Bro. Nathan continues to guide Christian Challenge into its new future. Since his installation as Senior Pastor several new ministries have been devloped including the CARE Team (water outreaches, etc), Angel Food Ministries and the First Class Home School Coop. He is most excited about the development of the new CARE Groups that will provide Community, Authenticity, Relationships and Encouragement in a small group setting. His passion for what God is doing and will do through Christian Challenge is infectious. Truly he expects the unexpected!

………….. There it is - The history in brief…………

What of the Martins…

Here are early pictures of the Martins. The first one is when Brother Buddy was an evangelist with Betty, and their two sons, Nathan and Andre’. Shana was yet to be born.

The next picture is Buddy and Shana when Christian Challenge was quite young. (Actually we held our first service on Shana’s second birthday.) 

My, how we have grown. Our three children, Nathan, Andre’, and Shana, are married and we now have fifteen grandchildren, with one great grandchild on the way.

And to top it off, Nathan’s oldest daughter, Joy, is our first grandchild to explore the mission field. Joy is serving her internship at an orphanage in Mexico. (She was born in Mexico and has a heart for the Mexican people.)

Here she is at her eighteenth birthday and going away party. We have pet names for one another. I call her “Red” and Joy calls me “Grey.”

Here is one of my favorite Scriptures…

I must concur with David, when he said,

“I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not see the righteous fosaken or his descendants begging bread.” - Psalm 37:25 nasb

And always remember,

Much love is coming your way,

In Christ,

Buddy

Journal,

Before I begin my musings please take time to listen to Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, and Roy Rogers, Jr., as they sing, ‘Happy Trails to You.’ It will set the stage for what I wish to share.

For people of my generation Roy and Dale were favorites. Most everyone knows that Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were Christians. In addition to their own children, they adopted several more. They always had generous and loving hearts. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed their singing. Sure brings back memories for me, not to mention a few tears.

By the way, did you know that one of Roy’s favorite sayings was, “Until we meet again, may the good Lord take a liking to you.’

If interested here is a site with plenty of information you can peruse:

http://www.answers.com/topic/roy-rogers?cat=entertainment

Now to my musings - Since Roy Rogers and Dale Evans always seemed to have twinkles in their eyes, or what I liked to call ’smiling eyes,’ wouldn’t you like to know where those twinkles came from.

Sure you would. Let me share a bit on…

Where true Christian happiness comes from…

Daniel Boone said, “All you need for happiness is a good gun, a good horse, and a good wife.”

Well, I’m not so much concerned about a good gun and a good horse, but I am well blessed with a good wife. Proverbs 18:22 says, “He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord.”

But to put this on another page,

Where can true and lasting happiness be found…

I’m speaking of a happiness that reaches so deep into the human spirit and psyche that it remains unchanged throughout a person’s entire life. It is the kind of happiness that has no connection with earthly wealth or position. Actually it really has nothing to do with earthly things.

This kind of happiness is only found one place. It is an eternal happiness that is in God alone. And this is the happiness that is placed in the heart of every person who truly receives Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior. 

God spoke of this through Isaiah the prophet;

“How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” - Isa 52:7 NASB

Our birth from above…

When a person is born from above, God takes a dowery from heaven and places it in the heart of the believing one. [Dowery here refers to a small portion, a surety, or the heavenly essence.]

Paul calls the dowery the seal of the Spirit. The seal says, ‘This person belongs to God.’

Since it is God’s seal, it can only be broken by God, and He says that nothing will ever be able to separate a single believer from His love. It is a royal seal based on an eternal lover and filled with an eternal love.

All the angels of God recognize it. The seal has in it the sprinkled blood of the Lamb.

The apostles taught that the Holy Spirit sprinkles the blood of Jesus on the heart of a believing one, and places God’s seal on the heart. 

Peter explains it this way:

“Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” - 1Pe 1:1-2 NASB

And Paul explains it this way:

“In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation–having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” - Eph 1:13-14 NASB

The seal speaks of a divine destiny…

In the heart of every believer is this knowing that our sojourn on earth is as a passing through. We are acutely aware of another dimension of a heavenly reality. The ’seal’ keeps that awareness in us always. On the short side this means that we are ‘aliens‘ on planet earth.

Gotcha! 

Think about it. The common thinking for an alien is that he is a being from another world. A similar sense carries over into all who have been born of God’s Spirit. Jesus said,

“[Father] I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” - Jn17:14 nasb

The apostle Paul adds to this:

“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.” - Php 3:20-21 NASB

We are heavenly citizens in earthly bodies…

Don’t misunderstand what I am saying about happiness. All believers have times of heartache and sorrow, battles with temptations, and struggle through varying trials of life. Yet in each believer’s heart is this realization that we are only passing through this time of tears, that our home is in heaven.

Knowing that we are destined for heaven has been a hallmark of God’s people from ancient time. When the apostolic writer describes the ancient people of God, he writes,

“But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.” - Heb11:16 nasb

This realization that we have a divine destiny is so deep within us that we can see heaven in all of God’s creation. We see it in the sunsets. We see it in the swaying trees. We see it in the stars of the night sky. It puts a twinkle in our eyes.

Notice the picture of wild flowers in a valley in California. If you are a believer, does this not remind you a bit of heaven?

Even the animals get happy around God’s children…

Remember what Paul said about all of God’s creation? He said,

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” - Romans 8:18,19 nasb

Well, I could write so much more about true happiness and how it affects even the animals around us, but let’s let this film clip of Roy Roger’s dancing horse tell the tale.

Boy, do I ever look forward to meeting Roy and Dale in heaven.

Just think about it.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Journal,

As a rule I don’t do much writing on the occultic side of false movements. I find it more productive to simply keep the true message of the cross ever before the people. I agree with C. H. Spurgeon, who said that the gospel has no need to be defended. Like a caged lion, just turn it lose and it will take care of itself. 

And I certainly take my stand with the Apostle Paul, who said,

“But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” - Gal6:14 nasb

My warning is to true believers who may become sidetracked …

The church has always had to deal with false movements and false Christianities. Both the prophets of old, the Lord Jesus Himself, and the apostles all state that in the last days the false prophets, false teachers, and false movements will abound. 

Keep in mind that the false prophets the Bible speaks of are those who prophesy in the name of the Lord. In the case of New Testament Christianity, the false prophets will freely and abundantly use the name of Jesus as a drawing card in their deceptions.  

These strange movements also draw their attendance on false signs and wonders. The movements are emotionally driven, psychologically damaging, spiritually dangerous, and negatively charged with ungodly messages. In these movements it is easy to get caught up in forms of mass subjective hypnosis where people are led to believe in something that is not true. 

The apostle Paul called the preaching of ‘lies’ the hallmark of false movements. When the apostle wrote about the coming of antichrist, this is what he said:

“For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness. But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.” - 2Th 2:11-13 NASB

The Greek for ‘deluding influence’ speaks of an activity of error. Paul says this deluding influence will be a judgment on those who have rejected the true message of the cross and have turned to lying messages, lying wonders, and deceiving spirits. He further writes,

“But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” - 1Ti4:1 nasb

Now listen carefully to how the prophet Jeremiah describes the last days:

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘Do not listen to the words of the prophets who are prophesying to you. They are leading you into futility; they speak a vision of their own imagination, not from the mouth of the LORD.

“The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; in the last days you will clearly understand it. ‘I did not send these prophets, but they ran. I did not speak to them, but they prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, then they would have announced My words to My people, and would have turned them back from their evil way and from the evil of their deeds.” - Jer 23:16-22 NASB

Jesus warned about those who say ‘Christ is here”…

Beware of those who say, ‘The anointing is here.’ ‘The power is here.’ ‘The special prophet of God is here.’ ‘The river of power is here.’ ‘The great move of God is here.’ 

Jesus said,

“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” - Mat 24:23-27 NASB

Here are a couple of informative YouTube videos. See what you think. The first is by an ex faith healer. He explains how these false prophets do what they do. The second one makes a comparison between the supposedly Christian movements and pagan demonic religions.

I will leave this to judge for yourself… 

Do these clips upset you? Do they make you angry? Did you see anything in these film clips that speak of historical Chrisianity? What did you see?

What you saw were actions totally opposite to how the Bible says the Holy Spirit works in our lives. The apostle said that God’s love, that is, the inspired love of the Holy Spirit that fills our hearts will never act in an unbecoming way. (Cf. 1Co13:5)

No where in the Bible do you ever see where a true believer acts in such a manner of madness without self control. In fact one of the fruit of the Spirit is called ’self control.’ The Holy Spirit does not jump on people and jerk them around like puppets on a string.

So, what kind of spirit does this?

And now for the good news…

The good news is that if you are a true believer, and if you have been involved in any of these kinds of movements, then there are two things at play in your life. One is that you already have ’red lights’ going off in your spirit. These red lights are cautions from the Holy Spirit telling you to get out, to flee and don’t look back.

The second thing at play is a promise given to all believers by the Lord Himself. The Lord does not want His people to fear the enemy or to have a fear of losing their salvation. One of the all encompassing promises in the Bible, is where Jesus said,

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” - Joh 10:27-29 NASB

Paul gave a summary in what we are to follow. He wrote the Corinthian church about their being misled with false gospels, false spirits, and even a false Jesus. He said,

“But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” - 2Co11:3 nasb

Did you catch it? Our faith is to always rest on a simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

And so the time has come for me to move on. Hope this entry has given you food for thought. My final caution is simple, ‘Don’t chase after strange movements.’

Blessings,

Buddy

Journal,

In my close to forty-four years as a minister of the gospel, there are certain guiding principles of faith that I’ve learned to apply to my walk with the Lord. I wanted to pass these on to my readers. Perhaps some or all of the principles will become a source of strength for your own life.

I’ll base these nuggets of gold on something that the sage wrote:

“My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, or loathe His reproof, for whom the LORD loves He reproves, even as a father, the son in whom he delights. How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding. For its profit is better than the profit of silver, and its gain than fine gold.

“She [wisdom from God] is more precious than jewels; and nothing you desire compares with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who hold her fast.” - Pro 3:11-18 nasb

Here are the twelve nuggets:

I – Remember that Jesus is the author & finisher of your faith 

The walk of faith is deeply personal so don’t compare yourself to others. There are a couple of issues to keep in mind. One is that the outwalking of our faith is always under the guiding hand of the Lord. Second is the test of faith. The test has to do with, ‘Am I this very moment trusting Jesus Christ for whatever my need may be’.  Cf. Phil2:12,13; 2Co13:5.

II – Learn to live daily from God’s renewing mercy and grace 

Jeremiah sorrowed over Jerusalem. Then he remembered something about the Lord. Listen -

“This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The LORD is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘Therefore I have hope in Him.’ The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.” - Lam 3:21-25

We need renewing grace each and every day. In the tabernacle the table of showbread was known as ‘the bread of the face,’ or, ‘the bread of His presence.’ It had to be fresh bread daily. So, where do we find the bread of His presence daily? Believers will always find renewing grace in God’s holy book, the Bible. Cf. Heb4:12,13; 2Co3:14-18.

III – Learn to strengthen your heart in faith

This is what ‘speak truth in your heart’ means.’ It means to speak in line with what God Himself has to say. But it also tells us to see to the condition of our heart. I like to call this, ‘the heart watch.’

“But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

“My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them and health to all their body. Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” - Pro 4:18-23 NASB

The Hebrew word for ’springs’ (to-ma-ah’) speaks of boundaries, or source, or outgoings. We actually live from our heart. This is why we must keep a heart watch. Out of our heart flows the directives of our life. So yes, we live from our heart.

IV – Refuse to compromise your faith

Satan’s attacks are always at disrupting our faith. This is a two-pronged area. As a beginning place don’t sin against your own conscience. (Where your faith speaks from.) And, secondly, don’t interpose on another believer’s faith. A good chapter to read for this truth is Romans 14.

This is also what can be called the ‘hold fast’ principle of the faith walk. Hebrews 10:36 says, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.”

V – Retake Lost ground 

Never underestimate blessing of repentance and reconsecration. All through the Scriptures, God’s blessings rest on the repentant one, always and without exception. Why is this? It is because of God’s love. The ancient people of God considered repentance to be a form of worship. To them it meant making continual adjustments in the path of righteousness. Listen:

“For thus the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, has said, ‘In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.’ But you [the nonbeliever and unrepentant] were not willing.” Isaiah 28:12 nasb

“‘For My hand made all these things, thus all these things came into being,’ declares the LORD. ‘But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.’” - Isa 66:2 nasb

VI – Remember where the Lord brought you from 

I like to call this principle ‘building memorial stones for my children to remember’ nugget. This is where fathers and mothers can pass their faith on to their children. 

When Israel cross the Jordan River, they were instructed to place a marker there. Listen to its purpose:

“Those twelve stones which they had taken from the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. He said to the sons of Israel, ‘When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, “What are these stones?” then you shall inform your children, saying, “Israel crossed this Jordan on dry ground.”

“For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan before you until you had crossed, just as the LORD your God had done to the Red Sea, which He dried up before us until we had crossed; that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” - Joshua 4:20-24 NASB

The reason God gave us a written record of His works throughout history is so that we would know the truth about Him and what He can do and has done through the ages. Cf. John 20:30,31. 

VII – Allow the Lord to choose for you

When we were young in faith we tended to tell the Lord how we wished Him to bless us. As we mature in our faith walk our attitude begins to change. A more mature level of the faith walk is when we ask the Lord to choose for us. This is the true Abrahamic attitude that believers are to acquire.

“The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup; You support my lot. The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places; indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.” - Psa 16:5-6 NASB

This principle can also be called the ‘Abba! Father!’ principle, where we say, “Lord, not my will, but Your will be done.’

VIII – Remember blessings come in unexpected ways

A true walk of faith always carries in it an anticipation of good things to come. Many times our blessings will come in strange packages, sometimes even in a heart ache. The issue at hand is to know that you are a ‘blessed one’ of the Lord. Listen again: 

“O taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him! O fear the LORD, you His saints; for to those who fear Him there is no want. The young lions do lack and suffer hunger; but they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.” - Psa 34:8-10 NASB

IX – Prove to be a doer of the Word 

It is in the doing of God’s Word that we are blessed. This doing is called ‘the obedience of faith.’ But there is also a key here. The Lord looks at why we do what we do and not merely the doing itself.

“But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.

“But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty [the gospel], and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.” - Jas 1:22-25 NASB

The Greek word for ‘doer’ is very interesting. Poietes is where we get our word ‘poet.’ A poet works with words. Pioetes speaks of making something or to perform something, that is, a performer. In a similar sense the Lord has given us His Word to build our lives upon. It isn’t that we create life. Life has already been created for us. We discover our true life in Jesus in the doing of God’s Word.

X – Learn to put behind the old life

Whether its our past life before we met Jesus, or something that we have stumbled over in our walk with the Lord, these things are to be left behind. It is important to remember that the Lord saved us, is saving us, and will save us. Take to heart the new covenant promise: 

“‘For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ says the Lord: ‘I will put My laws into their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

“And they shall not teach everyone his fellow citizen, and everyone his brother, saying, “know the Lord,” for all will know Me, from the least to the greatest of the, For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.’” - Heb 8:10-12 NASB

XI – Live by your last instructions

The walk of faith has spiritual boundaries. When you lose your peace this means you have crossed a line. Paul said, 

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” - Col 3:14-16 NASB

Sometimes when we lose our peace it is because we have gotten ahead of the Lord. This is where it is so important to go back to our last instructions, and remain with that instruction until He gives us a clear leading to do something else. 

We can metaphorically apply Psalm 147:14 to our spiritual walk; “He makes peace in your borders; He satisfies you with the finest of the wheat.” 

XII – Acquire a sense of humor

 This is the one you may think doesn’t fit anywhere. You are quite wrong. Having a healthy sense of humor is crucial to a healthy faith walk. There is nothing the enemy hates more than for a believer to be able to laugh in difficult moments. 

The point is that every time God answers a prayer, or sends a blessings, or shows Himself awesome in some other way, He is creating laughter that belongs to faith. Listen:

“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” - Pro 17:22 nasb

Do you recall the story of the birth of Isaac? See if you can find the faith connection with laughter:

“Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, ‘God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.’ And she said, ‘Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.’” - Gen 21:5-7 NASB

Has God ever made laughter for you? Think about it.

Well, there you have it. What a treasure these ‘twelve nuggets of gold.’ Perhaps you have some more nuggets that you could add to the collection. What about it?

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Journal,

Isn’t it amazing how you can carry a memory through life. Some of my memories from my younger days, even days of my childhood are just as fresh today as ever. Of course I can’t remember where I placed my glasses. 

Anyway, I was serving as a radioman aboard the USS Calvert in the Pacific Fleet. It was 1962. I’m on duty in the radio shack. Everything is quiet. Nothing to read except a dictionary. Course I’ve always been an avid reader so having a dictionary on hand was fine with me. That was when this strange idea struck me that I ought to write a book. 

Write a book? There I was 22 years of age, and thinking of writing a book. Wow, I hated English in high school. I had no literary experience or training. 

Besides that, who would be interested in reading a book by an unknown author who did not know the difference between an adjective and an adverb, much less a dangling participle.  (Still don’t know that the last thing is.)

But I couldn’t shake it. Anyway, that memory has remained in the background of my thought life through all the years. Here I am nearly 68 years old and the thought still lingers.

Well, it doesn’t matter. The aspiration to write a fictional book about a fictional character without the slightest idea of what the book was to be about, happened some forty-six years ago. And like a ship without a sail, it was dead in the water.

Or was it? Maybe its time had not come. And maybe my writing was not simply to be fictional.

Could it be that a seed had been planted in my heart …

Could it be that all our giftings are part of God’s divine plan and that they have a unique purpose in fitting into the Lord’s work of redemption?

Could it be that nigh forty-six years ago the Lord actually planted a seed in my heart that would flourish into writings for His kingdom. 

Over the years I’ve written a great many studies on the Bible. Enough to make up several books. But there is a greater writing that I’m well aware of. As a preacher of the gospel, the Holy Spirit has used my speaking to write the story of the cross in the hearts of countless people.

Paul speaks to this when he said,

“Being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets olf stone but on tablets of human hearts.” - 2Co3:3

So, it isn’t simply writing books that I’m concerned with. I’m thinking about those ‘God seeds’ that rests in the spiritual make up of all God’s children. We could call these God seed, ’the planting of the Lord.’

I have come to believe that every child of God has ’God-seed kingdom investments’ planted in them. Yes, I have even come to believe that some of what we think may be ‘pipe dreams’ are actually things placed in us by the Spirit. And while we may sometimes misunderstand their intent, the Lord will make them to become realities in their time.

The point is that our giftings in life come with our calling in life. 

Paul said in Romans 11:29, “for the gifts and the caling of God are irrevocable.”  For something to be irrevocable means that it is not subject to recall. It also means that whatever the purpose of the gift and the calling, they will have a fulfillment in the proper season.

Anything planted by the Lord has the nature of the divine will in it. It will produce fruit in its season.  David spoke of this when he said,

“[The righteous person] will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” - Psalm 1:3 nasb

What makes all this even more interesting is that our spiritual genetic code of life was implanted in us before we were born. David also speaks of this:

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.” (Psa 139:13-14)

What about the book that was never written…

This has been an off and on thing with me. Sometimes I think it would be good to put some of my writings in book form. At other times I remember what the sage said about the writing of books and how tiring it can be. Solomon wrote:

“The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly. The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.” (Ecc 12:10-12)

There is one book that I never tire of reading. It is the only book that has lasted through the ages and remains the most beloved of all books. Of course you know the book I am speaking of. Its God’s holy book, the Bible.

But who knows. Maybe one day I’ll write ‘the book I never wrote.’ And what would it be about? Well I only have one message. This one message has been at the center of my preaching for forty something years. The book would have to be about the cross. And if the truth be known, there really isn’t any other story to tell.

How about you? Have you wondered about your giftings and callings? Don’t lose your dream. Don’t let the bumps in life try to cheat you out of that which the Lord has planted in your garden. 

Think about it.

Much love coming your way,

Buddy

Journal,

Some of you may remember the song, ‘Zaccheus was a wee little man.’ It is a children’s song that has made its way around the globe. I found several versions of it from different countries, mostly by small children. Anyway, here is a version of it by a classic trio called ‘the three tenors.’

Yes, there is a point in all this. And now I introduce to you…

Zaccheus the Great…

At long last we’ve added to the Martin tribe our newest member. He has been officially dubbed ‘Zaccheus the Great’, but just plain ‘Zach’ will do. Betty gave him his name because his tiny size.

Zaccheus is Betty’s mother’s day present from our three children and me. Had to wait til he was eight weeks old before bringing him home. (If you are curious, the story of Zaccheus the tax-collector is found in Luke 19:2-10)

Here he is getting acquainted with the General.  

— ‘What kind of dog is you?’ says, General Claudius Josephus.

— ‘They says I’m a Yorkie. Wow! Yo daddy must been an elephant!’

These pictures will tell you much about Zach’s size:

Well, let’s move on to other things.

Isn’t it interesting how you can be inspired from the most unusual sources…

Betty and I and the kids have a game we play when we eat at one of our local Chinese restaurants. (Owned by Christians.) When we get our fortune cookie, I’ll usually say, ‘Ok, let’s see what our prophecy is for today.’

And of course we always get some very practical sayings. What makes it even more interesting is that sometimes each of us will get a practical saying that fits right into our life. I got one last evening that made me think of the many people that have been caught up in some sort of religious bondage, that the Lord has had me minister to over the years.

Here is what it said —

‘One’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.’

I thought to myself how very true this is. Some of God’s people have been in bondage under misguided teachings for years and not able to realize it. But when they come to the place where the truth of their completed salvation in Christ begins to enlighten their minds, something awesome happens.

Jesus said it this way, “If you continue in My word [heaven's gospel message], then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (John 8:31,32 nasb)

David said it this way…

In Your light we see light…

Listen more fully to what David had to say:

“How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the chiildren of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; and You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” (Psalm 36:7-9)

Sometimes we miss what is being said in the Scriptures because we aren’t familiar with the Hebrew underpinning of the Bible. In the Scriptures the term ‘Light’ holds a key revelation to God’s working of redemption. The Jewish people connected the term ‘Light’ with Messiah.

For instance when Jesus said, “I am the Light of the world, he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the Light of life”, the people would have been able to grasp what was behind this statement.

The peoples were taught that the original Light in Genesis had to do with God’s spiritual wisdom for life that He originally intended man to live by. When Adam sinned, this Light was removed. It would only come back when Messiah came. 

Don’t trade religion for God’s Light…

I realize that this sounds a bit odd. In fact, religion in itself isn’t bad. What we need to realize is that religion is something that men do. It refers to our form of worship.

Relationship and reality are what Jesus came to give us. He came to give us the Light of life. So, the point is, don’t let your religion take the place of the Lord in your life. It happens far too often.

I’ll leave things be for now. Just wanted you to think about some things.

Blessings,

Buddyy

Journal,

Isn’t it odd how we sometimes look back on our life and wonder what direction our life would have taken had we made a different choice than the one that we made at a certain time. (Hope that makes sense.) Well, the problem with that kind of thinking is that it achieves absolutely nothing. It simply goes with the saying, ‘No one can walk backwards into the future.’

Life only has one direction it can travel. We are always moving towards the future. But we can only live in the now. The land of ‘what might have been, is a land of imagination with no substance or reality. No one knows what ‘might have been’ regardless of what took place in the past.  

From cast down to uplifted…

Last evening I was looking at our 1995 picture album for the members of Christian Challenge. (13 years ago.) We had thirty-seven family units. As I looked at the pictures, it began to dawn on me that over a half of the family units were no longer with us. What a cast down cheerless thought.

I thought about each family. There had been some deaths, some relocations, some went into the ministry, while others had simply changed churches. The good side of all this is that all the peoples are still serving the Lord, regardless of where they life has taken them.

Then I began to think, ‘What about now?’ 

With that in mind I took a look at our present member’s album. What an unlifting story. We had increased from thirty-seven family units to sixty-seven family units, an overall thirty families had been added to the flock. What a difference the ‘now’ took. While I appreciate everyone who has been a part of Christian Challenge, I have to leave each of their lives in the hands of the Lord. I can simply rejoice in our ‘now’ forward movement.

My thoughts changed from cast down to completly uplifted. The moral of the story is to leave the past alone. No one can relive the past. The only life we can live is the life we are now living.

We are instructed in the Bible not to draw on the past…

… or to project ourselves into the future. Both these things can become hinderances to the spiritual life of a child of God. They are both imaginary air castles. A true walk of faith is always about the ‘now.’ Salvation is present tense. It is never about the past or the future.

Paul quotes the prophet Isaiah,

“‘At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you.said,’ behold, now is ‘the acceptable time,’ behold, now is ‘the day of salvation.’” 2Co6:2 nasb

There are a number of Scriptures that tell us not to dwell on the past or not to look back on what might have been. Here is a sampling:

Ecc 7:10 - “Do not say, ‘Why is it that the former days were better than these?’ For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.”

Luk 9:62 - “But Jesus said to him, ‘No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.’”

Isa 43:18,19 - “Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.”

Gen 19:26 - “But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.”

Have you learned to trust in Jesus, through it all…

Jesus isn’t simply our yesterday Savior. He is our Savior of yesterday, of today, and for all eternity. He is our forever, right now Shepherd. This is why I love to hear Andrae Crouch sing this song entitled, ”Through It All.’ 

Listen to Andrae’s testimony about this song.

Well, that’s it for today.

Blessings,

Buddy

Journal,

Several years ago I had a dream that I knew was from the Lord. That dream played a great role in helping me with a better understanding concerning ’the finished work of the cross’. 

In the dream of the night —

Jesus is standing at the pulpit. I am behind Him to His left. While I was unable to see His face, I knew it was Jesus. We were in a former church that Betty and I had pastored. The difference this time was that the congregation was made up of people of whom I had conducted funerals for.

The Lord had a dear sister stand. All eyes were on her and then on Him. He had a large book opened in front of Him. It was her life book. As He began going through her life, all we heard were praises. He just kept commending her. Yet, everyone knew that there had been a major sin failure in her life.

In the dream I found myself becoming anxious. I loved this dear sister and I did not want to hear the Lord speak of her failure. He was getting closer all the time. When the Lord came to the place in her life where He would have to deal with her failure, I caught my breath. My heart was breaking.

But I heard nothing. When I looked over at the book, the place was white. Nothing was written there. He just kept on praising her.

When I awoke the dream was lingering in full color on my thoughts. That’s when the Scriptures began to come. There was one in particular, where Paul said, “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.“ (1Co4:5)

Did you catch it? There was no hint of condemnation. 

You shall be holy …

This is why I wanted to share a study on what it means to be holy.

Believers are sometimes confused over what holiness is really about. Laying aside all the technical aspects of holiness let’s simply say that holy is what God is. The Spirit of God is called the Holy Spirit. Then we have this, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

The concept of holiness in the former testament had largely to do with closeness. The closer you were to God, the more holy you were. This is why the prophets were spoken of as ‘holy men of God,’ Israel was called ‘the holy land,’ and the holiest place in all the land was known as ‘the holiest of holies.’

Talmudic Judaism brings this thinking out in the Mishnah [Kelim - Vessels - 16:9]:

“The land of Israel is holier than any other land … The walled cities of Israel are still more holy … Within the wall of Jerusalem is still more holy. … The Temple Mount is still more holy. … The rampart is still more holy. … The Courtyard of the Women is still more holy … The Courtyard of the Israelites is still more holy. … The Courtyard of the Priests is still more holy. … Between the porch and the altar is still more holy … The Sanctuary is still more holy … The Holy of Holies is still more holy, for none may enter therein except only the High Priest on the Day of Atonement in the time of the Temple service.”

So we can see how holiness began with the land. The closer to the temple the more holy was the journey. Thus the journey of holiness reached a point where only certain ones could make the next progression of holiness, that is, being near to God. To go beyond the allowable limit was to invite death.

During the time of Jesus the temple was laid out so as to make this distinction on degrees of holiness. Gentiles were allowed only in the great courtyard to the south of the sanctuary. A sign of warning cautioned them not to go further on pain of death. The next courtyard was for Jewish women. Then the courtyard for Jewish males. The central area was the place for priests alone. And finally you had the holiest of holies where only the high priest could enter.

No longer degrees of holiness …

I shared all this to give some background for how the new covenant brings the idea of degrees of holiness to a halt. It is so important to understand this. Listen to these Scriptures:

“For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall. … for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Eph2:14,18)

The dividing wall was the wall that separated the Gentile ‘on pain of death’ from coming any closer to other temple areas. Now we all have direct access to the holiest of holies by the Spirit.

“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal3:27,28)

Notice now how all the walls are torn down. No more limited status for women, or the common priest, etc. But pay special attention to the last of this portion; “For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

There are no longer degrees of holiness. The reason is because God has placed every believer in Jesus Christ. Paul calls this being ‘one new man.’ This means that what Jesus is, we are. And this is the great mystery of the new covenant.

So when we read the Scripture where God says, “You shall be holy for I am holy,” we should not look at this in dread. It is not merely a command. It is a promise. We have been made holy in Christ. His holiness is our holiness. When Jesus entered into the heavenly holiest with His own blood, He brought us with Him.

The point is that holiness is not simply something that you do in life. It is the issue of who you are in Christ. Certainly we are told to cleanse ourselves from all unholy conduct and unholy attitudes, but the basic premise of holiness remains the same. In the new covenant all believers have been made holy in Christ. Holiness is our standing with heaven.

I realize this is hard to grasp, but it is very necessary in order to understand the other ramifications of holiness. Think about it. Why are believers called ’saints’ in the New Testament? The word ’saint’ means a holy one. When Paul wrote a church that was filled with the flesh, he yet addressed them as, “saints by calling.” (1Co1:2) The reason is because neither holiness nor righteousness are things that we can earn. They come to us through the cross.

Perfectly identified…

Jesus so perfectly identified Himself with us that He took us to the cross, and from the cross, He then took us right into heaven, and had us seated with Him in the heavenly places. This is why John wrote,

“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.“ (1Jn4:17) 

The glory of God’s love is the glory of the cross. Jesus exchanged His life for ours. He took the whole of our sinful life to the cross, and gave us the whole of His righteousness as a covering for our entire life. It wasn’t simply our past sins that were nailed to the cross. The total of our life was judged in Christ. This is why no accusation can be made against a believer.

Is this an excuse for sin? Never. Sin in itself is contrary to the divine nature that is implanted in each believer. (More on this a bit later.)

This is where the book of Hebrews can help fill in the gaps. The apostolic writer quotes from Jeremiah concerning the new covenant, and says in part,

“I will effect a new covenant … For all will know Me, from the least to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.” (He8:8,11,12)

Again listen:

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.”

The second coming of Jesus has no regard to sin for believers. Why is this? It is because all our sins were placed upon Jesus and judged at the cross. Not just past sins, but now sins, and future sins. Again this is not a issue of being able to sin with no consequences. 

Again listen:

“By this will [Jesus body on the cross] we have been sanctified [made holy] through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (He10:10)

Notice that our sanctification is through the work of the cross. Peter says it comes with the blood of Jesus. Every believer has already been sanctified, or declared holy before God. How? Our life has been  hidden in Christ. To judge us, the Father would have to judge Jesus again. But keep in mind that the cross came from the heart of the Father; “For God so loved the world…”

And again:

“…but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God.” (He10:12)

Did you catch it? One sacrifice for all sins for all time. You cannot add to this. You cannot take away from it. The price has already been paid. In another place, Paul quotes David, in saying,

“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven and who sins have been covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.” (Rom4:6-8)

Paul is speaking for the righteousness that is placed on our account apart from any works. If you try to earn your standing with God, you are in fact setting aside the cross. This is why the most victorious Christians are always those who live by a simple devotion to Jesus Christ.

And again,

“For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” (He10:14)

Notice that our perfection is for all time.

Always keep in mind that our being sanctified in Christ does not come through any work on our part. It is God’s work. We are made holy because Jesus Christ is holy. He has given us His holiness. (To repeat this is good. It needs to find its way deep into our conscious thought life.)

Once this message is clearly understood, then we are able to go on to the other aspects of the cross and see where a personal walk of holiness does figure into the picture. Yes, there is an issue of cleansing ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit. This cleansing belongs to the experiential side of the finished work of the cross.

Here is where someone may say, ‘Well, if I’ve been given the holiness of Jesus Christ, then it really doesn’t matter what I do. I can sin all I want and nothing can be charged against me.’

The answer to that is that the work of the cross has both a positional side and its experiential side. The positional side is what God Himself has decreed through the cross. The experiential side is what the Holy Spirit works in the believer.

Listen to Paul:

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? … knowing this, that our old self was crucified with him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin.” (Rom6)

The point is that for all who are born of God’s Spirit, sin will always be contrary to his or her own righteous nature. No person on this planet has a conscience as sensitive as that of a true believer. The very least of spiritual contaminations affects us. Where a sinner sins by nature, a child of God sins by temptation. Can we sin? Absolutely. Does is affect us? Absolutely.

And this is why John says that a believer is unable to continue in a life of sin. It hurts too deeply. He may get in the pig pen for a time, or have a relapse for a time, but this is not who he is. Every believer has deep in his inward man something called ‘the Spirit of holiness.’ It is also called the ‘divine nature.’ And until we are cleansed of any unholy conduct, we grieve in ourselves. This grieving is the parent of repentance. The grieving is from the Holy Spirit.

There is much more to be said. Just want to give my readers something to think about.

Yes, I had a dream. The Lord has often dealt with me in dreams and in visions. So all I can say is, ‘Thank you Lord Jesus, for your instructions that have come to me in the deep of the night.’

And remember,

There is much love coming your way,

Buddy