Month: May 2011

How Holy Is Your Sanctuary? (p. 2)

On May 23, 2011

We are saved by grace alone. No great amount of sin in your life will keep you from attaining holiness in Jesus Christ. Furthermore, no great amount of “good deeds” in your life will grant you holiness. It is only acquired by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Through faith, His righteousness becomes our righteousness, His holiness – our holiness. We will battle temptation every day. Our flesh, the world, and the devil are our constant adversaries. They fight for control of our choices in an attempt to wrestle us away from devotion to our Lord. Yet, through God’s grace He provides deliverance through faith. After we have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, He has prepared good deeds in advance for us to complete. It is our pursuit for holiness.

Even though we are aware of our imperfection, our unrighteousness, our ungodliness, God sees us as His saints, His priests, His children through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. “And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.” (1 Peter 2:5 NLT) Our pursuit of holiness will continue to increase our understanding of freedom through Jesus Christ.

Constant prayer is practiced by every saint in the pursuit of holiness. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV) This is God’s will for us! Another way to look at this might be to say , that if we are not joyful, if we don’t stay in continuous prayer, if we don’t give God thanks in all circumstances — we are not in our Father’s will. Complaining is not holiness. Holiness requires the sinner to identify his/her unworthiness and their captivity to sin, the world, their flesh, and Satan.
Holiness requires an outpouring of one’s heart in gratitude to the Father of Lights for all good and perfect things.

In the pursuit of holiness we recognize our constant critical need for freedom, deliverance and salvation through our Savior, Jesus Christ. In our pursuit of holiness we will grow in our amazement at the mystery of God’s grace and love in Jesus Christ. Holiness helps us understand the futility of words to describe God’s greatness and His limitless worth to us; and, our need to be still to know Him. Holiness requires us to be “daily cross-bearers” following Jesus in complete obedience. In our pursuit of holiness we will always remain in awesome fear of His power and majesty.

The more I write and think about holiness, the more I understand how much I don’t know about it. It is a mystery to me that Christ would impart His righteousness to me, the chief of all sinners. Because He was the Lamb of God, because of He was despised and rejected, because He was tortured and crucified, I can live my life in joy without sinful remorse. I can live in freedom from the sin that once ensnared me. I can live without fear from Satan that even now prowls about looking to devour me. I can live in hope of the unimaginable life that is coming with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

How Holy Is Your Sanctuary? (Part 1)

By Marshall Mabry

On May 23, 2011

In Praise and Worship

Holiness has many meanings. Sanctity, purity, Godliness, undefiled, separate from sin(ners). To be holy — one must be “set apart.” How can Christ’s church be set apart (Holy) when it insists upon using the world’s way to reach the lost? No Man or Church brings the lost to Christ!

“They will have their own ruler again, and he will come from their own people. I will invite him to approach me,” says the LORD, “for who would dare to come unless invited?” (Jeremiah 30:21 NLT)

The lost can only be drawn to Christ by His Holy Spirit. Jesus said “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.” (John 12:32 NIV) Jesus said, “All men!”

An important scripture to agree with in aspiring holiness is:
“So brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I beg you to offer your lives as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be only for God and pleasing to him, which is the spiritual way for you to worship.” Romans 12:1 (New Century Translation)

Is your body a sanctuary for the Holy Spirit? Does Jesus’ word’s, “My Father’s house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den a thieves (Matt 21:13)” bring conviction to your heart. Tattoos, body piercing and gluttony are not optional! “Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:28 NIV) Is not the whole world “dead in its transgressions?” Does not the person desiring a tattoo and/or piercing want to bring outward attention to themselves, thereby partnering with the world, the dead? Where is humility in this deed? How do they believe they are set apart? “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.” (James 4:4) These are questions for people claiming to be Christians, but their actions do not agree with scripture. They will use scripture and “grace” in their defense, but I fear these words from Christ, “Away from me… I knew you not!” Jesus is understood to be Savior by many who claim Christianity, but is He Lord of your life? Do not let your deeds or actions become stumbling blocks to your Christian witness. Jesus said, “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” (Matthew 7:20 NIV)

Remember always, Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. (Ezekiel 16:49 NLT)

Citizens of His Kingdom

By Marshall Mabry

On May 17, 2011

In Praise and Worship

2 Timothy 3:1 – 5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

Can you see yourself in this prophesy? Every since Jesus left this world, Christians have been longing for His return. The Old Testament teaches us God’s law in general detail with many examples of how we should and should not live our lives. But it has significant importance for a Christian due to prophesy foretelling, “Salvation is coming! Jesus is coming! The King is coming!” The Old Testament serves as a warning to God’s people for their need to “Repent for the Kingdom of God is coming!”

The New Testament displays the power of God’s salvation through the story of His Son, Jesus Christ. It’s teaches us to proclaim His message to all men. Furthermore, it states that we Christians will be persecuted and that we should remain steadfast in our faith until His return. We are never to judge – “for none of us are righteous and all of us have sinned and fall short.”

Even today, the Old Testament message for the lost is still the same “Repent! The Kingdom of God is coming!” But for those of us who have received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord the message is different. “Rejoice! The King is returning!”

Jesus may not be physically present, but His Kingdom is here. He set up the foundation of His Kingdom when He accepted us as His disciples, His friends, His children, His brothers and sisters, as living members in the family of God. On this side of Glory, the Kingdom of God is not so much a place or location as it is a faith-based citizenship. I think we Christians need to be more concerned about how to maintain our citizenship in “good standing” than where the Kingdom is physically located.

God created all things. Man and beast, land and water, the planets, the stars, the universe. How can our tiny minds possibly limit His Kingdom to a specific location? His kingdom is wherever He is – and He is everywhere! He is omniscient! He is omnipresent! He transcends time and space. If you are a citizen of His Kingdom, you are a saint redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. You are a recipient of His amazing grace. His Holy Spirit guides and councils you. You are His Kingdom’s ambassador. You represent His Kingdom to every person He brings before you. Does your actions and behavior honor the Kingdom?

He has sent us warnings in His Word. They tell us to be ready for His return — to be alert and spiritually prepared. For when He returns He will bring judgment upon the world. Every action and deed, every thought; spoken and unspoken will be exposed and judged by our King of Kings. The Apostle Paul warns us here in Timothy of how close we are to His return.

Repent, the Kingdom of Christ is here! Receive it! Lay down yourself, your pride, the source of your trouble and enter into His peace. Jesus wants you to be a citizen and ambassador to the greatest Kingdom man will ever know. He wants you to be in His family and He will take you just as you are.

“…Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen! Come Lord Jesus! Revelations 20

Peculiar?

By Marshall Mabry

On May 5, 2011

In Praise and Worship

No Vacation! No Retirement!

Mysteriously enough, as Christians we never really have vacation. We are all on vacation trying to get back home where we belong. If we are living a Spirit–filled life, each day is a vacation filled with the joy of servitude. How can a person find delight where the world would feel sadness? How can we remain calm in chaos? How can we cry when the world laughs? We will appear detached, separated, different, and strange to the world; for they do not know Him and they will not know us. We are a peculiar people!