Thanks Jude

Thanks Jude
Bible Reading: Jude
Focus verse: "I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." Jude 4

Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote a letter to those who are together in the salvation of Jesus.  He really wanted to send a letter rejoicing in their common salvation, but could sense that he should be sending some warnings as well.  The first warning is to strive to keep the gospel pure and not distorted.  He wants you to check what preachers teach to see if they match up to the Bible, the original writings.  False teachers will be plentiful in the last days.  It's interesting that the book of Jude comes before Revelation in the Bible.  There are many who claim to speak for God today.

How can you find the true preachers?  How do you notice a false teacher?

First, you must study the Word of God for yourself.  When you know the truth, you will recognize a lie.

Second, be sure of their views are right on who Jesus is, the trinity, repentance and Christ's work of redemption for salvation.  Matthew 16:15-16  Is the Gospel part of their message or does it seem incomplete or perverted?

Third, look for the fruit of a Christian in their lives. Matthew 12:33 Do you see a heart that is affected by the Holy Spirit in their lives. Nobody is perfect, but do their lives show fruits of the Spirit?  Galatians 5:22-23  Do you see humility or pride?

Fourth, are they teaching from the Bible or their own ideas and thoughts of what is reasonable to them?  It may sound good, but our hearts can deceive us.  The Bible says "Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son." 2 John 9  Remember that at false teacher can have good intentions, but in the end, they are a tool of the enemy

Thanks Jude, for the warnings, caution and encouragement!  We must be aware of false teachers and the dangers of following them.  We must remain faithful to the true Gospel and encourage one another.  We must show mercy to those whose faith wavers, rescue some from judgement, show mercy to people while hating the sin that contaminates their lives.  May God have glory in our lives as he keeps us completely His forever.

~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Remember Who The Enemy Is

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 6: 1-7

Focus Verse: "For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against persons without bodies—the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world"  Ephesians 6:12

One day I was in a meeting of 12 people.  There was a decision to be made and the vote was 9 -3.  One of the three people gave a very emotional complaint after the vote because she didn't think the decision was good.  Although she doesn't agree, she faced a choice to accept the vote and live in peace or choose to live in discord and maybe anger.  One way shows humility, the other is pride.

I realize that people, yes, even believers are not always going to think the same way.  They are not always going to agree.  Sometimes the matter is small and other times the matter seems to be big.  The Bible reading today tells us that nothing on this earth that we argue about is greater than the heavenly judgements to come.  God tells us to have unity and love one another in humility.

When
 you
 find
 yourself
 in
 a
 dispute
 with
 a
 fellow
 Christian,
 ask
 yourself if you can accept the way things are with the help of Christ and live in peace.  If you can not make peace, 
rather
 than
 brother
 against
 brother
 in
 court
 thus shaming the church, it becomes necessary that Christian brother
s (sisters) should
 together
 seek
 out
 a
 fellow
 Christian
.  Even then, if you don't agree... In the end of the scripture 1 Corinthians 6:7 says that it is better to allow yourself to be wronged and cheated than to take a believer to court of unbelievers.

The enemy is not your brother; remember who the enemy REALLY is.  The true enemy, Satan and his demons, seek to sow discord in the body of Christ.  We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against the unseen enemy of evil. 
Further reading: James 4

~Page Johnson
Interlocking Minstries

Head or Heart Knowledge?

Head or Heart Knowledge?

Scripture Reading: Romans 10

Focus Verses: Romans 10:9-10 “If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

Some people don’t realize it, but there is a big difference between having head knowledge about God and having faith in God in your heart.  If you know facts about God that is totally different than having faith in God.  You could actually miss heaven by 45 centimeters.  That’s the distance between your head and your heart.

Maybe you’ve got all the facts about God in your head, but you have never repented (turned away from) your sins and accepted by faith (complete trust) in Jesus.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says by faith you are saved, not what you know or what you have done.  You can speak the Christian language, go to church, be a kind person, give money to the poor and not really be saved.  You can fool others and maybe even fool yourself, but you can’t fool God.  He can see right through a fake relationship with Him.  The question is, have you ever been transformed through God’s saving power through Jesus Christ?

Isaiah 29:13 “The Lord says, These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught."  Don’t resist yielding to God with all the head knowledge that you may have of Him.  He wants you to come to Jesus with a childlike faith and receive Christ as your Lord and Savior.

If you never have humbled yourself, bow your head now.  Ask forgiveness of your sins in humble repentance, and accept Him into your life as Lord and Savior.  John 3:3 Jesus said, “except a man is born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Additional reading for assurance of salvation.  1 John 5:13 Are you placing your complete hopes on Jesus or yourself?  Colossians 3:12 You also have a new nature that brings new desires; godly desires.  That's how you know.

Full Obedience in Faith

Bible reading:  Judges 1:19-36

Focus verse:   Hebrews 13:20-21  "Now may the God of peace—who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood—may he equip you with all you need for doing his will.  May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him.  All glory to him forever and ever! Amen."

Back in Exodus 23: 23-33,  God gave the rules for entering and living in the promised land.  He said clearly that were not to make any agreements with the enemy or even allow them to live in the land or else they would cause them to sin and their worship of other gods would be a snare to them.  Now we read in Judges that they went into the land, but did not complete the command to totally drive out the people.  They lived with them.  They kept some as slaves.  The Danites (Dan line of the Israelites) never entered their land, but lived on the rugged edges of it.  There were consequences for this partial obedience.  They began to weaken and began serving Baal.

Obedience is also the evidence of faith.  It takes faith to obey things we don't fully understand. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Hebrews 11:6  Obedience flows from this faith that pleases God and it proves that we love Jesus.   Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commands." John 14:15  

The Bible clearly tells us the things that we should do.  We may try to think in our own minds why we would not obey God completely, but only part of it.  We become an enemy of our own selves when we talk ourselves out of obeying God.   We miss out on His blessings and suffer consequences.  If you have disobeyed, then you should repent and begin obeying Him.

What is God telling you?  Obey it completely.  Even if you feel like you are alone in your obedience to God, continue in your trust in Him and obey.  He promises to equip you with all you need to do His will. 

Quote:  “Satan's cause is never more in danger than when a human being..., intending to do God's will, looks around upon a world from which every trace of God seems to have vanished and asks why he has been forsaken, yet still obeys.”  ~C. S. Lewis

Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Self or Spirit Led

Scripture Reading: Galatians 5:13-26

Focus verse: "As for you, my friends, you were called to be free. But do not let this freedom become an excuse for letting your physical desires control you. Instead, let love make you serve one another." Galatians 5:13

Jesus called me to Him.  I began to follow Him and was set free from my sins.  And the Spirit comes into my life and gives me desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires.  I find the fruits of the Spirit nature coming in my life.  Sometimes, however, the human nature creeps in and I fail.  This can happen when I am focused on myself, my desires and even if I am focused on my failures.

Though God set me free, in my freedom, I should not give excuses for following my own selfish desires.  My human nature will lie to me and so will the enemy.  My human nature will lead me astray and that way will destroy myself and others.  My human nature will lead me to anger, jealousy, selfish ambition, fighting and separation from other believers.  If I follow my human nature long enough, I can become blinded by it and fall even deeper into sin.  In my pride, I will blame others and make excuses for my decisions and actions.  I may not even see the pit that I am in, until suddenly, I feel lost and God makes it clear through conviction of the Holy Spirit. 

I need to decide every day to focus on the Spirit.  Plan each step with God to walk with Him and allow Him to lead you.  This is what the Spirit produces:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Is this what my life looks like?  You can not follow selfish human desires and the Spirit at the same time.  If you are sensitive to God's Spirit, you will know when you have strayed and can make a correction.

Today is a good day to examine your life.  Do you see the fruits of human nature or the fruits of Spirit nature?  Commit to spend some time in prayer today about anything that you need God to change in your life.  Ask God to open your eyes to see truth.  Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Additional scripture:
Matthew 6:24

How To Know You Are Saved

Scripture Reading: Romans 4:13-25

Focus Verses: Romans 4:24-25  “God will credit righteousness for us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.  He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

How are we saved?  How do we become a Christian?  It is not a complicated process.  First we recognize that we can not save ourselves.  There is nothing we can do that is good enough.  Verse 15 says that we still get punishment if we rely on the law.  You may have done a lot of good things in your life, but I can assure you, you have also done a lot of bad things also.  I sure have.  The good news is in verse 24 that says, " for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead."  We need to tell God we are sorry for our sins.  We are sorry for the things we have done wrong.  You must believe that Jesus died on a cross to pay for your sins, and that three days later the power of God raised Jesus from the dead.  He came out of the grave just as He said.   We were not there to see these things happen with our own eyes, so we must demonstrate faith and believe that this happened.  The Bible is trustworthy and true, so what the Bible says you can believe.  We turn and walk a new life with God.

I attended the funeral of a five year old girl today.  We mourned with her family, but we also celebrated her life today, because we have the hope that we will see her again one day.  We heard testimony that she had a childlike faith, but also she perhaps had not reached the age of accountability.  Where does this faith start?  The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our faith.

Preaching without the cross and the power of the resurrection leaves out the most important thing:  If Christ did not raise from the dead, then we have no hope after the grave. It’s all because Jesus was raised from the grave that we have hope!  Have you settled in your heart the reality of Jesus’ resurrection?  If not, accept it today.  Don’t be swayed by the beliefs of this world.  There will always be those out there who try to justify their conduct.  They will say Christ is not who he claimed to be.  But we know better, because He has changed our lives.  2 Corinthians 5:15  says, “And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.”

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Being Humble in God’s Eyes

Bible Reading Isaiah 66:1-6
Focus Verse: "I will bless those who have humble and contrite hearts, who tremble at my word." Isaiah 66:2b
Have you ever heard the expression “It is easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.”?  I remember the first time I heard it.  I was slightly shocked because it didn’t seem like it was moral.  I came to realize that it could be tempting if your parents or your boss was very forgiving.  You could really get into a habit of taking advantage of that forgiveness.  You could do things your way with your ideas and it will be much easier.  The attitude behind that thought process is not humility, but pride.  You are putting your own selfish desires above your authority.  You are using a position of pride and selfishness to do what you want.

A pastor, John Piper, once said that he needed prayers of the church people that God would help him to be humble.  This is what he prays for himself, "[God,]Before I give way to any kind of proud misuse of this influence for my ego, kill me. Take me before I ruin this church, this ministry, and these books. If I have to end on a note that would cast a pall over an entire life of effort, please take me before that happens."  Wow, that is commitment to God's calling.  He is also realizing that we all have the capacity to have sinful pride that can lead to ruin of ourselves and our ministry.  It sounds like Piper trembles before God's authority.

The scripture reading today reminded me of this, because the Lord our God is the ultimate boss.  He is big and mighty.  He lives in heaven and puts his feet on earth.  If we know what is wrong and we do it anyway, we are living in pride.  Even if we come asking for forgiveness, it is does not honor God.  It reminds me of 1 Samuel 15:22 that says,

“Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
   as much as in obeying the LORD?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
   and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

God says that He looks on us with favor when we are humble and recognize the authority of God.  When we hear His Word and tremble at His Word we are blessed.  Do you know what God expects from you?  Will you take advantage of his grace by pridefully sinning more or will you submit yourself to Him and humbly do His will?

It is better to ask for permission than forgiveness.

~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries