What would Jesus do?

The phrase “What would Jesus do?” (often abbreviated to WWJD) became popular in the United States in the 1990s and as a personal motto for adherents of Evangelical Christianity who used the phrase as a reminder of their belief in a moral imperative to act in a manner that would demonstrate the love of Jesus through the actions of the adherents.

What should the church do with the appearance of a mysterious stranger and his impassioned pleas for the poor and downtrodden?

In this popular novel, Rev. Henry Maxwell encounters a homeless man who challenges him to take seriously the imitation of Christ. The homeless man has difficulty understanding why, in his view, so many Christians ignore the poor:

“I heard some people singing at a church prayer meeting the other night,

‘All for Jesus, all for Jesus,

All my being’s ransomed powers,

All my thoughts, and all my doings,

All my days, and all my hours.’

and I kept wondering as I sat on the steps outside just what they meant by it. It seems to me there’s an awful lot of trouble in the world that somehow wouldn’t exist if all the people who sing such songs went and lived them out. I suppose I don’t understand.

But what would Jesus do?

Is that what you mean by following His steps? It seems to me sometimes as if the people in the big churches had good clothes and nice houses to live in, and money to spend for luxuries, and could go away on summer vacations and all that, while the people outside the churches, thousands of them, I mean, die in tenements, and walk the streets for jobs, and never have a piano or a picture in the house, and grow up in misery and drunkenness and sin.”^[3]

John Wesley in 1766 postulated the concept of Christian perfection, a moment in the life of a Christian at which the regeneration effectuated by the Holy Spirit results in a “perfection in love” which means that at least at that moment one is being motivated wholly by love of God and neighbor, with no taint of sin or ulterior motives in effect.

While such Christian perfection is expressed in outward action, it is also the effect of grace. Indeed, Wesley could speak of sanctification by faith as an analogous doctrine to the more widely held belief in justification by faith. Because Christian perfection is also visible in outward good works and a rigorously moral lifestyle, adherents of the Holiness movement assumed that a perfectly moral lifestyle is a consequence (not the cause) of the state of grace and ultimate salvation.

 

Light of the Gospel

I remember one who spoke on the missionary question one day saying, “The great question is not, ‘Will not the heathen be saved if we do not send them the gospel?’ but ‘Are we saved ourselves if we do not send them the gospel?’ {Spurgeon}

The LIGHT of the GOSPEL

“The great question is not, ‘Will not the heathen be saved if we do not send them the gospel?’ but ‘Are we saved ourselves if we do not send them the gospel?’ {Spurgeon}

Wisdom of Ages

 

1. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.
2. Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite.
3. A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.
4. It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happiness.
5. Beware of no man more than of yourself; we carry our worst enemies within us.
6. We have come to a turning point in the road. If we turn to the right many of our children and our children’s children will go that way; but if we turn to the left, generations yet unborn will curse our names for having been unfaithful to God and to His Word.

Qoutes by Charles Spurgeon

GOD’S WORD

The Bible is God’s Bible; and when I see it, I seem to hear a voice springing up from it, saying, “I am the book of God; man, read me. I am God’s writing; open my leaf, for I was penned by God; read it, for he is my author, and you will see him visible and manifest everywhere.”  

(Taken from a  sermon Spurgeon delivered on March 18, 1855, that you may find here)

“We read biographies because worthy portraits of our fellow human beings help us to make sense of the world. We are especially fascinated by the lives of those who have made a difference in the world–whose mark remains visible even now. The lives of the famous and the infamous make for compelling reading.”  Dr. Al Mohler

Let HIS Gospel soak into your soul

“Avoid a sugared gospel as you would shun sugar of lead. Seek the gospel which rips up and tears and cuts and wounds and hacks and even kills, for that is the gospel that makes alive again. And when you have found it, give good heed to it. Let it enter into your inmost being. As the rain soaks into the ground, so pray the Lord to let his gospel soak into your soul.” CHS

Unchanging Gospel

“We have an unchanging gospel, which is not today green grass and tomorrow dry hay; but always the abiding truth of the immutable Jehovah.” (C.H. Spurgeon)

GOSPEL

“Never lose heart in the power of the gospel. Do not believe that there exists any man, much less any race of men, for whom the gospel is not fitted.” (CHS)

Christ the Savior is Born in Bethlehem

In recounting the birth of Christ, Matthew says:

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the day of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying ‘Where is he who has been born kind of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When Herod heard this, he as troubled, and all Jerusalem with him, and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet.'”

At this point, Matthew quotes from the Hebrew Scriptures; from the book of Micah (Matthew 2:1-6).

What do we know about this little town of Bethlehem?

It is located about six miles to the southwest of Jerusalem. The name of the town means “House of Bread.” Ephrathah (“fruitful”) also adds to the meaning. This was a town in a rich agricultural region. Along the western side there were rich, fertile hills used for farming and pasture lands for sheep. However, this was a very small community.

According to official records of the towns and cities in Judah, Bethlehem was not even mentioned (see Joshua 15; Nehemiah 11). Even so, a great king had been born in this town.

Many years earlier, the prophet Samuel was instructed by the Lord to go to Bethlehem and to anoint one of Jesse’s sons as the next king of Israel. This was David (1 Samuel 16). So just consider the irony on display: God took a small and relatively unknown place and made it the birthplace of the greatest person in history.

May you have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Wishing you all peace, joy and blessings this Christmas in 2013. The word of God says of a new beginning;

• –

“Old things are passed away, behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

A New Year is not a mere change in the calendar. A New Year is not a mere exchange of congratulations and cheers. A New Year is a new way of life. It is a change in our behaviour, and our way of living to a better life.A New Year is a serious moment in which we stand and look where we are and where we should be. It is an oppurtunity to reflect on whatever changes need to be made in our lives. These changes can be made with the help of the Holy Spirit.Let your motto this year be;

• –

“Old things are passed away, behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor. 5:17)

At the beginning of a New Year, let each one of us have his own spiritual program, chosen and arranged. The grace of God is willing to perform miracles with us and within us on the condition that we do not hinder His work or resist the Holy Spirit.  God’s will is our holiness, and as soon as our will is the same as God’s, then our life will be quiet and peaceful. Though we may meet problems or tribulations in our lives, they will all be for our own benefit.

WELCOME

This is a spiritual journey in which we;

1. CHOOSE INSTRUCTION OVER MATERIALISM.

• Receive my instruction and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold. PROVERBS 8:10

2. CHOOSE WHOM YOU WILL SERVE.

• If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; butas for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. JOSHUA 24:15

3. CHOOSE UNDERSTANDING OVER COMFORT.

• How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver. PROVERBS 16:16I ca

4. RESOLVE TO CONTROL YOUR MOUTH.

• Let my judgment come forth from Your presence; let Your eyes look with equity. PSALM 17:2

5. RESOLVE TO NOT BE DEFILED BY THE WORLD.

• But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s choice food or with the wine which he drank; so he sought permission from the commander of the officials that he might not defile himself. DANIEL 1:8

6. RESOLVE TO LIVE AS YOU BELIEVE.

• For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 1 CORINTHIANS 2:2

7. PURSUE RIGHTEOUSNESS.

• Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. II TIMOTHY 2:22

8. PURSUE PEACE.

• Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.HEBREWS 12:14

Remember to Pray for

• Your community
• Your Family
• Your Friends
•  Your Neighbors
• Your co-workers.

And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. HEBREWS 10:25

Pray for

• Victory Fellowship
•  Ministry,
• Leadership, 
• Vision,
• Stewardship and
• Impact

Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. PHILIPPIANS 1:27

And do not forget to pray for:

• The World
• Those who don’t know Christ
• Those who aren’t walking with Him
• Those afflicted
• Our Nation’s leadership, decisions, and soldiers
• The Church around the world
• Those suffering from all that sin bring to this journey.

Do this, knowing the time that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. ROMANS 13:11-13

Remember If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 JOHN 1:9

…Good News….

Luke 2

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Saviorhas been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.

Nothing can ever compare to Christ’s passion for us. Prophet Zephania said,

 “Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!”

When Zephaniah talks about the future joy of Israel he is not referring to their return from Babylonian captivity. This is something far bigger than the nation of Israel.

We like to think that Zephaniah is looking some 700 years ahead to the New Testament Church. He is talking about Victory Fellowship Church, the daughter who have been birthed by Israel and became the bride of Christ.

Look at the phrases Zephaniah uses:

1) Our Judgment Removed 

Zephania 3:15 says, “The Lord has taken away your punishment…” Literally the Lord hascarried away your punishment. We are now liberated from our guilt. This is the joy that God’s jealousy brings us.

2) Our Enemy Cast Down

15 goes on, “…He has turned back your enemy.” There is one enemy of our soul: the raging lion that goes about seeking whom he may devour; the thief who comes to kill and to steal. He deceived our first parents, and he has enslaved all their descendents. But God makes a sure promise to Satan in Genesis 3:16: A Savior will come and “…he will crush your head.” At the Cross Christ delivered a knockout blow to Satan. Satan may still roar against us, but he is now a toothless lion, bound in chains

3) The LORD, is with us Forever

Verse 15 continues, “…The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you…”  Before Jesus ascended to heaven after spending 33 years among us, he said  “Surely I am with you even to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20.

When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, Jesus spiritually returned to live in the body of Christ. His presence and power is in each of us. I John 4:4 says, “Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.” Romans 8:37 say “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” And Philippians 1:6 promises, “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to the day of completion.” His passion pursued when we were sinners, redeemed us at the Cross, and stays with us until we are conformed to the image of Christ. We praise him because he is jealous for our triumph in him.