Showing posts with label Mission. Show all posts

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Celebrate Freedom Discipleship Course - Lesson 7 - Mission

I am happy to announce that I have completed the editing and the video teaching of the last installment of the Celebrate Freedom Discipleship Course and have decided to launch it now!

As I stated previously: "I developed the Celebrate Freedom Discipleship Course in 2020 as part of my master’s thesis in Christian Counseling to “fill in the gaps” of the Christian Twelve Step/Celebrate Recovery – Teaching Curriculums by introducing concepts of Christian Discipleship that I found important in my walk of faith and in my recovery over alcohol, drugs, sex addiction, and food addiction."

We hope it encourages you to follow Jesus and to overcome any hurts, habits, and hang-ups that still persist in your lives.

God Bless You All,

M.T. Clark

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Listen to the Podcast: Celebrate Freedom Discipleship Course - Lesson 7 - Mission Podcast

Or Watch it on YouTube:

Celebrate Freedom Discipleship Course - Lesson 7: Mission

Discipleship Principle 7 – We are to seek out and continually walk in our personal kingdom mission, which will include fellowshipping and discipling with the body of Christ and impacting the world outside the church through service and evangelism.

Ephesians 2:10 tells us “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

One of the biggest concerns regarding recovery, or the Christian life in general, is maintenance. Often when people have success in recovery or have given themselves to the Lord, they tire of the new life they have because it is unfamiliar and eventually they are disappointed in the body of Christ, or themselves, and either end up leaving the fellowship of the church and go back to their previous habits and attitudes of life or remain but have little or no growth and fail to pursue their kingdom purpose.

In Matthew 13:20-22, Jesus taught: “The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.

Jesus warns that believers can stumble or be unfruitful when our spiritual foundation isn’t right. When we go from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, or from addiction to recovery, we have to adapt to a whole new way of living. To do that successfully, we must fill in the gaps in our lives that our old attitudes and habits previously occupied.

The way we maintain the freedom that we have so desperately fought for is to remember what we have learned while we seek the new purpose that God has for us. We need to find our kingdom's mission.

Managing Expectations for Our Walk

Philippians 3:12 says “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.”

The idea of being a “super Christian” should be put aside as we are only trying to make steady progress according to our individual gifts and call from God. We are not pushing for perfection as much as remaining in peace and harmony with God as we follow where He leads us. The levels of our surrender will vary depending on each of our individual gifts and call. So, we should not look to our neighbor’s walk and find fault or feel superior, as we realize we are all different and are following God the best we can. We are to seek God and support one another with love and encouragement.

Romans 12:4-6 tells us “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: …”

Everyone is different with unique gifts and a call on their life. We are in a process of maturation. We have made progress but are still growing and will be until we see Jesus. Remember our lives in Christ are about progress not perfection. We are His eternally so we can go at our own pace.

So, we must develop the fruit of gentleness with ourselves by being patient and forgiving when we “miss the mark” of our desired behavior and goals. Remaining persistent, we must pick ourselves up when we fall, try to reduce the number of falls, increase the duration of time between falls, and try to eliminate the falls altogether. We must keep our journey balanced with conviction, compassion, and commitment where we acknowledge when we go astray, thank God for His forgiveness, and endeavor to not make the same mistakes twice and learn from them.

Ephesians 1:17-18 tells us “that the God … may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling…

In our walk, we never lose hope, even when we are not progressing or have taken a step back. because we know our journey is not about performance. Although we try to get better as part of our maturation process and try to discover our kingdom purpose, we should remember to be patient and forgiving towards ourselves as we go. We should also look for some company as we walk.

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Discipleship

In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus tells us to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…

The simple meaning of the word “disciple” is “learner.” People in recovery are becoming “disciples” in a sense because they are learning a new way to live.

In Matthew 10:24, Jesus taught that: “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.”

For Christian recovery, we want to be disciples of Jesu and our daily lives should be used to grow deeper in the knowledge of our Lord and more intimate in terms of our heart relationship with Him. Our devotional practices, bible study, and prayer prepare our hearts and minds for our kingdom mission. As we come together to support one another in our recovery and our walk with God, our process could be identified as discipleship, or discipleship counseling, as we give each other advice.

Discipleship is an intentional relationship in which we walk with other believers to edify and encourage each other in our faith walk, growing closer to one another as we grow closer to the Lord. We can learn to live the Christian lifestyle through studying the Bible or taking a discipleship course. By doing this together, we can learn through one another’s advice as we can draw upon our collective knowledge and experience of applying the word’s wisdom to our lives to avoid mistakes and pitfalls that others have suffered. The accountability, clarification, and feedback that we receive in discipleship are elements that we cannot fully replicate through individual study.

Discipleship also includes equipping one another to teach others as well. The value of talking about our faith with one another is realized as we learn to not only understand what we believe and how we are to live but also learn how to verbally express it effectively to others. Together we can learn to overcome objections, questions, and doubts through examining, rehearsing, and perfecting our testimonies and gospel messages through coaching and encouragement.

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Discipleship Triads

In Matthew 18:20 Jesus said “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them."

Triad discipleship groups are three or four individuals, who agree to meet periodically, to build supportive relationships to assist and to challenge one another to become more passionate, fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ. Greg Ogden’s Transforming Discipleship demonstrates that groups of three or four Christians discipling one another change the dynamics from a student-mentor discipleship model to a group process where the parties are energized and benefit from group wisdom and a team mentality.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 ¹²Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Twelve-step programs stress the importance of sponsors and accountability partners for an individual’s successful recovery. Having the support and feedback of other people who are traveling on the road to recovery can be the difference between someone relapsing or continuing to stay clean and sober. As Christians in recovery who are seeking to maintain our victory, we should seek to extend our relationships with sponsors and accountability partners into discipleship triads.

Celebrate Recovery small group discussions establish a vehicle to discuss material transparently and to grow closer as groups. They provide an opportunity to form accountability groups and a natural way to transition to small discipleship groups. Discipleship triads would serve as a support to recovery, to the Christian lifestyle, and to apply biblical principles to life’s problems as they happen.

Transformation happens when we live in community with other Christians being encouraged and challenged to consider the wisdom of the Bible in the context of everyday life. Accountability brings the relationship to a deeper level allowing others to speak truth into our lives and hold us responsible to keep the promises we make. Disciple triads can become an effective defense for relapse or walking away from the church and even empower purpose as the team not only supports one another but can work together in joint service projects or to bring others into the kingdom through evangelistic outreach. Beyond these benefits, discipleship prepares us to grow into our individual kingdom mission as we learn where our strengths and the Lord guide us.

Church Community – Service in the Body of Christ

The local church community is the place where we are intended to dwell and prosper. As disciples, we should seriously consider serving our local church. Several opportunities for service may be available such as:

· A/V Ministry

· Sunday school – Children’s ministry

· Worship team – choir

· Ushers – Greeters

· Nursery

· Cleaning, Maintenance, and Groundskeeping

· Jail Ministry

· Hospital-Nursing Home -Ministry

· Bible Study

· Discipleship

· Small Groups

· Youth ministry

· Hospitality

· Recovery Ministry

All churches are not created equal however and there is a wide spectrum of the varying levels of opportunity for service and fellowship depending on your local church. Some churches have a plethora of programs, small groups, and social activities, while others have virtually none. Serve your church where you can as you are led by the Spirit.

Outside the Four Walls - Go into all the world

Mark 16:15, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'

Although we can find the means to serve and grow within the church, scripture clearly shows we are to go out into the world to preach the gospel and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

International – National Missions

Opportunities exist to go on short or long-term international and national mission trips through local churches and national and international missionary organizations. Short-term mission trips are a great way to serve the Lord and to mature in your faith. For those with a call on your heart for long- or short-term missions, make goals to position yourself to go.

Local Missions - It has often been said that our local community is our mission field. As followers of Jesus Christ, we need to be a witness to our friends and neighbors in our local community. As stated in the worship lesson, those at our places of work should be aware that we are Christian by our personal testimony and by our conduct. While there may be restrictions on what we can say and do at work regarding our faith, there are virtually no limits to what we can do in our personal lives to represent the kingdom and encourage others to follow Jesus.

Evangelism - Our best form of evangelism is our personal testimony and our Christian lifestyle. Being an overcomer, we are supernaturally blessed with a testimony of a transformed life. As we walk and commit ourselves to good works for the glory of the Lord, our testimony becomes richer and richer as our impacted life touches those around us. When our walk with the Lord is continuous, our testimony never ends.

We can add to our witness by doing organized evangelism by partnering with other Christians from our local church in doing street evangelism, putting on public outreach events, or distributing gospel tracts. These means not only can be used by the Lord to bring new people into the kingdom of God but can also cause us to grow in our faith and to grow closer to those we partner with from the body of Christ.

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Social Media - Social media is a great way to make friends and share the hope of the gospel with others both near and far. We can monitor posts to see what is going on in people’s lives and to offer prayer or encouragement to our friends and acquaintances when we see a need. Connecting via social media can be used by the Lord for discipleship and evangelism. We should utilize all the tools at our disposal to further the cause of the kingdom of God and to help others and that includes social media and the latest technological forms of communication including email, texting, podcasts, and streaming or uploading video.

Volunteering One of the best witnesses for the church, which is underutilized, is becoming involved in local community service and national charities that serve various causes for the community. Be it walks, 5k’s, marathons, or other fundraising events, these charitable venues allow you to meet people outside of the church who have a heart for community service but need Jesus. Some examples of organizations that have volunteering opportunities include:

· American Red Cross.

· United Way.

· Volunteer Fire Departments

· Salvation Army.

Our entrance into volunteer service is to serve the cause we have volunteered for but should always be undertaken with the understanding that we are participating to serve the kingdom of God on a larger scale than where we would have been able to in our normal circles. Every new contact is a chance to share our testimony and the love of Jesus Christ. With every volunteering opportunity, we should also be prepared to lead as the Lord often positions His people for a place of authority.

Wrap Up

As followers of Jesus, our mission in life is to share the good news of the kingdom of God. We are all different with various talents and gifts so what our personal kingdom mission is will be determined by where God has placed us and what He has placed in our hearts.

As our ascension lesson taught, part of our mission is to overcome our sins and to resolve conflicts or character defects that prevent us from being what God wanted us to be: free!

As our worship lesson taught, our lives are to be living expressions of our love for and gratitude to our Lord and Savior. Our worship draws us closer to the Lord by renewing our minds and hearts to love and serve Him as a natural expression of our faith.

This lesson told us to build one another up in our faith through discipleship and to equip one another to disciple others. We recommended forming discipleship triads to empower and build the overall body of Christ and to increase its numbers.

We spoke of the importance of finding and building into a home church with service.

Then we encouraged you to go out and evangelize friends and neighbors both locally, nationally, and internationally both through your physical presence and via social media.

These “steps” are progressive, and simultaneous, as they add up to a transformed life that is sustained by the love for the Father to seek our purpose: to give Him glory in the way that was meant specifically for us.

When we seek out God’s mission for our lives, we replace our past darkness with a life of love, meaning, and purpose. Living for God is every disciple’s kingdom mission.

Review and Examine.

1. How does a personal kingdom mission affect one’s recovery or Christian walk?

2. How should we manage our expectations for our Christian walk?

3. Where should every disciple consider serving? How?

4. According to the lesson what is the best form of evangelism? What are the benefits of evangelism?

5. What role could national or international missions play in our purpose?

6. How can you serve your kingdom mission in your local community? What are the advantages to local service?

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Called to See, Believe, and Worship - Purity 1145

Purity 1145 09/12/2023 Purity 1145 Podcast

Purity 1145 on YouTube:

Good morning,

Today’s photo of lush green tropical plants in the foreground of a stone pathway leading to a swimming pool oasis beyond comes to us from yours truly and a few years back, on July 18^th, 2019, as I originally captured this scene at the Camino Real Hotel in Antigua after a week-long vacation mission trip to the mountain areas near Jocotan Guatemala. We dug out the foundations and built a church in those mountains of Guatemala and this scene represents the reward that awaited those who decided to surrender a week of their summers for service to the kingdom of God.

I wasn’t trying to earn anything on that trip of course, I was a volunteer, but our leadership team made arrangements to give us a day of rest and reward before going back home for our faithfulness and it was much appreciated.

Looking back, I’m still amazed at the fact that I went to Guatemala to serve the body of Christ but this morning I was also reminded that my personal life was somewhat in shambles at the time, as my marriage had fallen apart but I was cohabitating with the ex and was still waiting for the divorce agreement to be signed and finalized. I suppose one could surmise that I went on that mission trip to “escape” the harsh realities at home but although I could see why one could think that I would have to tell you that you were wrong.

I didn’t go to Guatemala to escape reality and I didn’t go there for some reward. I went to Guatemala to worship and serve the Lord. My local church announced the mission trip and I felt called to go, so I went. You see God had saved me back in 2010 and led me into freedom from my addiction to alcohol in 2015, and at the time I was a few months away from being sexually pure for a year, so although I knew I could never pay the Lord back for all He has given me through my faith in Christ, I knew that it was good to serve and worship Him wherever He called me.

This morning I was reading John 9, the passage where Jesus heals a man that was blind since birth but when he declared that Jesus was a “prophet” he was thrown out of the synagogue by the Pharisees.

John 9:35-38 (NKJV) tells us that:
³⁵ Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"
³⁶ He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"
³⁷ And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."
³⁸ Then he said, "Lord, I believe!" And he worshiped Him.

This man had received his and didn’t even know Jesus when He saw Him! But when his eyes were opened to see the One who healed Him, despite the opinions of the supposedly religious elite, He believed in Him and worshipped Him.

This man’s example is the appropriate response for meeting Jesus. Having received His healing from Jesus, He had to tell others about it, even though it cost him – He was compelled to tell the truth about what happened to Him and to what it must mean about his healer.

When the Pharisees said they knew Jesus to be a sinner this man said:

John 9:25 (NKJV)
²⁵ …"Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see."

And later,

John 9:30-33 (NKJV)
³⁰ … "Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes!
³¹ Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him.
³² Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind.
³³ If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing."

He defended Jesus’ name and was cast out for it and when He finally saw His healer face to face, He believed in Him and worshipped Him.

My eyes were opened in 2010 through a David Jerimiah gospel radio message and as I followed I received my healing too. And so now I proclaim Jesus as the Lord and Savior and try to worship Him in all I do. And no matter what hardship comes my way, I will choose to worship Him because I can do nothing else.

My eyes have been opened, so I worship and proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ. So don’t lose your vision, don’t forget what the Lord has done in your life by revealing who Jesus is. He saved you. He forgave you. And He calls you to follow Him into a new life of meaning and purpose to serve His kingdom. When we follow we are healed and made brand new, and it is only appropriate to believe and worship Christ forever.

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Anger, Hot Temper.

Proverbs 14:29 (NLT2)
²⁹ People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.

Today’s verses fall under the second point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Anger, Hot Temper

2. Be slow to become angry.

Today’s verse is another verse that our resource provides to encourage us to be slow in becoming angry. Our resource provides three passages to support this point and rather than giving them all yesterday, I decided to “take it slow” by presenting them one at a time.

This verse emphasizes the wisdom that is demonstrated in controlling our anger. A hot temper shows great foolishness but people with understanding control their anger. As we mentioned yesterday, one moment of unbridled anger can result in life-ending or life-altering consequences.

There are “crimes of passion” where people are possessed by anger and release their frustrations in violence and even though they were able to pour out their wrath, they are held responsible for the damage they have done. Although releasing anger in the moment may have felt good, the punishment and the negative consequences can cause us to regret how we let our hot tempers lead us into regrettable actions.

So be wise and don’t let your anger burn hot. Remember to take a moment to think about what you say and do when you are angry. Forgive as we are called to forgive those who offend us. Take a moment and count to ten, Walk away if you need to because the far-reaching effects of regrets of an angry outburst can be avoided when we are slow to anger.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work. This resource is available online for $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Spirit-Arthur-Pink-Collection-ebook/dp/B008CM5292/ref=sr_1_3?crid=AHKAQOM39CTN&keywords=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit&qid=1684376225&sprefix=a.w.+pink+the+holy+spirit+%2Caps%2C96&sr=8-3)

A.W. Pink’s The Holy Spirit

23 - The Spirit Witnessing

Guidelines for Subjective Witness

First, the Spirit’s witness is in strict accord with the teaching of Holy Writ. In the Word He has given certain marks by which the question may be decided as to whether or not I am a child of God: He has described certain features by which I may identify myself—see John 8:39, Romans 4:12 and 8:14 and contrast John 8:44 and Ephesians 2:2, 3. It is by the Truth that the Spirit enlightens, convicts, comforts, feeds, and guides the people of God; and it is by and through the Truth that He bears witness with their spirit. There is a perfect harmony between the testimony of Scripture and the varied experiences of each renewed soul, and it is by revealing to us this harmony, by showing us the correspondence between the history of our soul and the testimony of the Word that He persuades us we are born again: “Hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him” (1 John 3:19).

Second, He works such graces in us as are peculiar to God’s children, and thereby evidences our interest in the favor of God. He makes the Christian to feel “poor in spirit,” a pauper dependent upon the charity of God. He causes him to “mourn” over much which gives the worldling no concern whatever. He bestows a spirit of “meekness” so that the rebellious will is, in part, subdued, and God’s will is submitted unto. He gives a “hunger and thirst after righteousness” and gives the soul to feel that the best this perishing world has to offer him is unsatisfying and but empty husks. He makes him “merciful” toward others, counteracting that selfish disposition which is in us by nature. He makes him “pure in heart” by giving him to pant after holiness and hate that which is vile (Matthew 5:3–8, etc.). By His own fruit in the soul, the Spirit makes manifest His indwelling presence.

Third, He helps us to discern His work of grace in our souls more clearly. Conscience does its part, and the Spirit confirms the same. The conjoint witness of the Spirit gives vigor and certainty to the assurance of our hearts. When the flood-waters of a land mingle themselves with a river they make one and the same stream, but it is now more rapid and violent. In like manner, the united testimonies of our own conscience and of the Spirit make but one witness, yet it becomes such as to break down our fears and overcome our doubts. When the blessed Spirit shines upon His own work of grace and holiness in our souls, then in His light we “see light” (Ps. 36:9). Inward holiness, a filial spirit, an humble heart, submission to God, is something that Satan cannot imitate.

Fourth, He helps us not only to see grace, but to judge of the sincerity and reality of it. It is at this point many honest souls are most sorely exercised. It is much easier to prove that we believe, than to be assured that our faith is a saving one. It is much easier to conclude that we love Christ, than it is to be sure that we love Him in sincerity and for what He is in Himself. Our hearts are fearfully deceitful, there are many minglings of faith and unbelief (Mark 9:24), and grace in us is so feeble that we hesitate to pronounce positively upon our state. But when the Spirit increases our faith, rekindles our love, strengthens us with might in the inner man, He enables us to come to a definite conclusion. First He sanctifies and then He certifies.

The deceits of Satan, though often plausible imitations up to a point, are, in their tendency and outcome, always opposed to that which God enjoins. On the other hand, the operations of the Spirit are ever in unison with the written Word. Here, then, is a sure criterion by which we may test which spirit is at work within us. The three truths of Scripture which more directly concern us are, our ruin by nature, our redemption by grace, and the duties we owe by virtue of our deliverance. If then, our beliefs, our feelings, our assurance, tend to exalt depraved nature, depreciate Divine grace, or lead to a licentious life, they are certainly not of God. But if they have quite the opposite tendency, convincing us of our wretchedness by nature, making Christ more precious to us, and leading us into the duties He enjoins, they are of the Holy Spirit.

It only remains for us to ask, Why does not the Holy Spirit grant unto the Christian a strong and comforting assurance of his Divine sonship at all times? Various answers may be given. First, we must distinguish between the Spirit’s work and His witness: often it is His office to convict and make us miserable, rather than to impart comfort and joy. Second, His assuring consolation is often withheld because of our slackness: we are bidden to “make your calling and election sure” and “be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace” (2 Pet. 1:10 and 3:14)—the comforts of the Spirit drop not into lazy souls. Third, because of our sins: “The Holy Spirit fell on all them which heard the Word” (Acts 10:44)—not while they were walking in the paths of unrighteousness. His witness is a holy one: He will not put a jewel in a swine’s snout (Prov. 11:22). Keep yourselves in the love of God (Jude 21) and the Spirit’s witness will be yours.^{^[1]}

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Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com.

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ), her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

For those who require the assistance of a Deeper Walk International Prayer Minister to experience healing or your freedom in Christ, I highly recommend Christy Edge’s Life on the Edge Freedom Prayer Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to : https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

^{^[1]} Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).

Monday, August 28, 2023

Pressing on – Surrendering Body and Mind to Freedom in Christ– Statements of Truth - 8 - Purity 1132

Purity 1132 08/28/2023 Purity 1132 Podcast

Purity 1132 on YouTube:

Good morning,

Today’s photo a rainbow over the farmland just off of Waite Rd comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene after making the decision to press on through a short but significant rain shower while out walking my canine pal, Harley, this past Saturday. I had a long day of forced overtime work on Saturday and after dinner took the dog for a walk when we were about halfway down our normal route when the clouds decided to open with what threatened to be a torrential downpour. While I would normally, turn tail and run back the way I came in such conditions, there was a partial rainbow on display and something told me to keep going regardless of the rain and I’m glad I followed my intuition to press on because by the time we reached our normal turn around point not only did the rain stop and the partial rainbow develop into a full rainbow but the sun also emerged beneath the clouds and blasted us with its shining light and heat to dry us off and cause us to wonder if we had indeed just moments before get covered in rain. It was an absolutely magical moment, and I am sharing the panoramic shot of the full scene on the blog today for those who are curious to get a glimpse of the full scene that I found myself in.

But one thing even the panoramic shot won’t show you, is that the presence of the Lord was with me. That “still quiet voice” in my mind that told me to keep going after the rain started to fall, oh that was the Lord and for whatever reason He invited me to go beyond what I would normally do to follow Him and there was a magnificent blessing just down the road for me to experience. But if I didn’t trust that intuition and keep going I would have never experienced it.

Similarly, in our walks of life, we will encounter trials, struggles, doubts, and negative circumstances when we decide to follow the Lord, especially when we decide to repent or be free of our hurts, habits, and hang-ups. In recovery, we will come to a part of our journey where our minds, hearts, bodies, or circumstances will tell us that the going has gotten just too tough, and it would be best to just give up the hope of being set free. The enemy will tempt us that we are just fine the way we are or that we don’t have what it takes to be free of our struggle and it’s just best to quietly go back to our old ways, perhaps with a little more moderation. The enemy will bargain a limited peace and entice you with “having the best of both worlds” – a little godliness and a little worldliness – you are only human after all. He will offer an easy end of your pain, and the things you are used to, as give up this “crazy dream” to be free.

The secular world has now redefined recovery to include periodic relapses, safe injection sites, and substitutionary “medications” including marijuana and opiates replacements (that people sometimes sell because they can get you high, just not as high as heroin, really? Yup.) for the “treatment” of addictions, the Lord calls us to turn from darkness to His light and pursue purity. Don’t get me wrong, if you need medications as an alternative to the chains that bind, by all means, use them to stabilize. But after you get stable, go back to the Lord and ask Him if He can lead you to more freedom.

Long before any of the current medications were available, addicts throughout the history of Christendom have found the strength to overcome their addictions when they relied on the Lord to give them the strength to endure on the hard road of freedom. As one of them, I can tell you that you just have to keep going, one day at a time, one step at a time, with the Lord until you get there. That’s the truth.

But beyond standard recovery, the enemy will also attempt to keep us locked in fear and in inaction. He will tell us that we don’t know enough to share the gospel or to serve in ministry. That’s a lie too. This morning I woke to discover that Michael Thomas, a former student of one of the Freedom in Christ courses I facilitated online for Freedom in Christ Ministries reached out via email to let me know that the benefits of going through the Steps to Freedom are still playing out in his life over a year later. Michael wrote:

“MT, I was able to speak to a group of about 40 people at church today about our ministry with Love Life to help unborn children. This would not have happened if not for the Freedom in Christ Bible study discipleship course we did. Before Freedom in Christ the enemy had me 100% convinced that I could never speak to a group that size or ever lead a Bible study. I also am leading a Bible study on Thursday nights.”

Michael found his freedom in Christ and now it has led him to boldly step out and serve the kingdom of God. The enemy’s number one lie is that “you can’t do it” or “that’s impossible” but Jesus says that you can because all things are possible with God.

That’s the truth and when you test it by walking it out, you discover that you are really a new creation in Christ. You just have to present yourself to God for His purposes and He will lead you into your new life of freedom, purpose, peace, hope, and joy!

And that brings us to our current series – Statements of Truth – that springs from the last portion of Step # 2, Deception Vs. Truth, of the Steps to Freedom in Christ by Dr. Neil Anderson

That step deals with Deception, and because we have completed the process of examining, confessing, and renouncing all of the ways we have been deceived. the good doctor prescribes a healthy dose of truth for us:

Anderson introduces the Statements of Truth by stating:

“For two thousand years Christians have known the importance of verbally and publicly declaring truth. Read aloud the following statements of truth, and carefully consider what you are professing. You may find it helpful to read them aloud every day for at least six weeks, which will help you renew your mind to the truth.”

So for our current series, we are presenting each of the remaining 4 Statements of Truth from Step 2 of the Steps to Freedom in Christ, one at a time, We are declaring them verbally and publicly, because we, like the Christians who have gone before us over the last two thousand years. know the importance of doing so.

We are also sharing the statement’s associated Bible verses and sharing our thoughts about what each Statement of Truth is telling us, why they are important, and how they apply to our lives as Christians.

So today’s Statement of Truth is:

8. I choose to present my body to God as a living and holy sacrifice and the members of my body as instruments of righteousness. I choose to renew my mind by the living word of God in order that I may prove that the will of God is good, acceptable, and perfect. I put off the old self with its evil practices and put on the new self. I declare myself to be a new creation in Christ.

And the Bible verses listed with this statement are:

Romans 6:13 (NKJV)
¹³ And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

Romans 12:1-2 (NKJV)
¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Colossians 3:9-10 (NKJV)
⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,
¹⁰ and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,

Today’s statement of truth highlights the fact that we are new creations in Christ, but it also emphasizes the reality that we must choose to surrender our bodies and minds to the process of putting off our old ways to be the people that God created us to be.

The language here makes it clear that our faith involves more than just our “beliefs”. We not only have to believe in Jesus Christ we have to renew our minds with the word of God and put our bodies into action to pursue what God’s good, acceptable, and perfect will is.

Our minds and bodies must follow the Lord’s call to be more like Jesus.

To renew our minds we have to know what we believe, why we believe it, and to make the decision to live by it.

So we have to place our bodies in front of a Bible, a Pastor’s sermon, or Christian video or podcast to receive what the word of God says. We then have to reflect on what is taught with our minds to understand it and to go to the Lord in prayer to ask for His help in applying it to our lives.

We have to take our bodies away from the sins of our past, turn our eyes and minds away from our former darkness and instead turn to the light of a good and righteous life that God calls us to live.

To put off the old man, the new man has to DO SOMETHING. We need to replace the old ways with God’s way. We should fill the time we normally dedicate to our worldly ways with new pursuits like Reading and studying the Bible, Praying, Answering the Lord’s call to do good works, practicing gratitude and appreciation, examining and dismantling our old patterns, fellowshipping with other Christians, evangelizing the lost, and making disciples.

When we live according to who we are in Christ, when we walk in the Spirit, we will experience our new life in Christ and find our purpose in God’s kingdom. So agree with this statement of truth and choose to surrender your body and mind to finding God’s perfect will for your life.

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

This morning’s meditation verse comes from the section on Alcohol & Drug Abuse

Proverbs 21:17 (ESV)
¹⁷ Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

Today’s verses fall under the fourth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Alcohol & Drug Abuse.

4. Don’t love wine.

Today’s verse tries to scare us straight by sharing the wisdom that the pursuit of pleasure and the love of wine will not enrich our lives and could make us poor.

One of the lies of the enemy that comes from the original fall of man is that if we don’t partake in certain things (that God just happens to forbid or discourage us from pursuing in illegitimate ways) we will be missing out. So the enemy tempts us to pursue drunken revelries and the sexual sin that it so often leads to.

Hey, I speak from experience. The only reason I wanted to “go out” on the party scene was for the possibility of “fast times” with some “stranger in the night”. In contemplating those possible fast times, I’m ashamed to admit that I actually used to say: “I may not nail anyone, but I’m sure to get hammered”, meaning I might not have sex but there was I was sure to get drunk. Forgive me Lord. Talk about a “poor” view of life – that people were just things to be used and alcohol was to be drunk to the point of oblivion. And as much as those in the party life posture and pretend that their lives are exciting, there is a lot of pain, loneliness, and desperation in those bar rooms.

Beyond the spiritual poorness of that lifestyle, revelers and drunkards often spend their last dollars on booze. Many a time I begged money off of friends to “buy me a round”.

So the word of God is true. Those who love wine run the risk of being financially poor because they spend every cent on a nightly basis chasing good times and when they live in it their lives are poor reflections of what the Lord would have them do.

So don’t love wine, Love the Lord and pursue the rich life He has for you.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we continue sharing from The Holy Spirit By A.W. Pink.

A.W. Pink’s The Holy Spirit

22 - The Spirit Assuring

We do not propose to treat of the Spirit assuring in a topical and general way, but to confine ourselves to His inspiring the Christian with a sense of his adoption into the family of God, limiting ourselves unto two or three particular passages which treat specifically thereof. In Romans 8:15 we read, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.” The eighth chapter of Romans has ever been a great favorite with the Lord’s people, for it contains a wide variety of cordials for their encouragement and strengthening in the running of that heavenly race which is marked out and set before them in the Word of God. The Apostle is there writing to such as have been brought, by the grace and power of the Holy Spirit, to know and believe on the Lord Jesus, and who by their communion with Him are led to set their affection upon things above.

First, let us observe that Romans 8:15 opens with the word “For,” which not only suggests a close connection with that which precedes, but intimates that a proof is now furnished of what had just been affirmed. In the verse, the Apostle had said, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh:” the “Therefore” being a conclusion drawn from all the considerations set forth in verses 1–11. Next, the Apostle had declared, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (v. 13); which means, first, ye shall continue to “live” a life of grace now; and second, this shall be followed by a “life” of glory throughout eternity. Then the Apostle added, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (v. 14), which is a confirmation and amplification of verse 13: none live a life of grace save those who are “led by the Spirit of God”—are inwardly controlled and outwardly governed by Him: for they only are “the sons of God.”^{^[1]}

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com.

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

^{^[1]} Arthur Walkington Pink, The Holy Spirit (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, n.d.).

MT4Christ.org

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Thursday, December 28, 2023