Saturday, September 5, 2009

Obey from the heart

Rom 6:17-18...But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.

First note they "were" (past tense) servants of sin
Second note they "obeyed" God (present tense)
Third note they were "made free"
Forth note they "became" servants of righteousness

A little Biblical food for thought this Labor Day weekend...Enjoy it in Christ! Get back to the truth of the Bible! Sound Doctrine is the true Gospel Message that brings the lifechanging...Grace of God!

I love you all! God Bless from the Churches on Trial!

Friday, September 4, 2009

Christians are "partakers" of the Holy Ghost

Did you know Christians are "Partakers of the Holy Ghost?" Yes, Christians taste the heavenly gift of right-standing with God. Christians are given a new nature that's clean and moral. To partake in the Holy Ghost means God puts something within the heart of man that has an experience with Christ. That something is holiness of character that comes from the power of God's Divine Grace. Yes, God puts within man a holiness of heart and conduct that fallen man cannot produce without trust in the redemptive work of Christ. That holiness of character is the outflow of Calvary in the heart and life of a believer in Christ. Men are enlightened to Christ when they hear the truth of the Gospel message.

Heb 6:4-5...For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

Men and women who believe and trust in the person of Christ "partake" in a holy nature produced by the Divine Grace of God.

2 Peter 1:4...that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,

That's why the Bible calls Christians, "Holy Brethren and partakers of the heavenly call".

Heb 3:1...Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,

The holy heart is received when man finds forgiveness for his sins through the death of a Saviour on the cross. The holy heart shows man's recognition and subjection to the authority of a living Christ in the Throneroom. The holy heart is a God given nature that far outweighs the sinful nature of man because the power of God is behind it. Christ is behind the divine nature as He regenerates the soul and gives man the God given power to do right. That God given power to do right by far outweighs the power to do wrong because Christ's holiness is behind it! Behind fallen man is a sinful nature that man inherited from the fall of Adam. Behind a saved man is the power of God that created the world, Promised a Saviour, the raised Christ from the dead! Yes, God given holiness of heart from the new nature is far greater than the unholy nature of fallen man. The Holy Spirit says so and so does the Bible!

1 John 4:4..."greater" is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

This writer advocates enlightenment to Christ by the preaching of the Gospel according to the Prophets! This writer advocates holiness and purity of heart in a religious world that does not believe Christians can live without sin! God honors heart purity and right living! Many people do not realize that Christ can provide man with enough power from salvation to live holy and right in the eyes of God. Christ is behind the clean heart! Christ is behind holy living! The Spirit of God that we partake in teaches holy living! The Bible teaches holy living! So does this writer! That's the purpose of this Blog!

God bless you all! I love you!

To partake...
1 : to take part in or experience something
2 : to have a portion
3 : to possess or share a certain nature or attribute

Thursday, September 3, 2009

The power of the Gospel message "calls" a lost world to Christ

Yesterday's Blog dealt with the Holy Spirit testifying or making Christ known to the heart of man. Today's Blog deals with how the Holy Spirit ministers to a lost world.

Christ left us with a command to preach the Gospel. The reason for preaching is God's means of reaching a "lost world" with the power of Salvation of the human soul. I speak of power that gets men to Heaven! The Bible teaches that lost men (the unsaved world) are called by the truth of the Gospel.

The Holy Spirit works (ministers) to the heart of man through the power of the Gospel message. The Gospel message calls lost men to repentance and sways them to a belief in the truth. Faith and salvation comes by hearing the Word of Truth. The Holy Spirit reaches the heart of man when the person of Christ is preached. What this writer is saying is, "There is power in preaching because a living Christ is behind the true Gospel message". Christ changes things Brother! He delivers men from sin and drug addictions! He cures the sick! He restores the heart and soul to a right and moral make-up in the eyes of God! He gives life! He makes men holy! He cleanses the heart and soul from the sin nature and sinful conduct.

Preaching goes into the ears and into mental process of man. This allows God to reach the hearts of fallen men through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. This is how Christ is made known to the human soul. This is why there is power in preaching. This is why Christ commanded us to preach the Gospel in "all" the world.

This type of teaching gets beyond human intellect! It leaves out human reasoning! It takes out mans intelligence by pointing all men and every walk of life to a simplicity that's only found in the person of Christ. This simplicity is the peace that passes all human understanding. This simplicity is a righteousness that's only found in a living Christ and not produced by man himself. This simplicity is a holiness of character that's only produced by God's Grace in the human soul. Man's brain, man's intelligence, man's social status, and man's eloquence of speech has nothing to do with...the simplicity of Christ that's found when Salvation or Sanctification from God is experienced.

The power of the Gospel gets men away from themselves and points them to Christ . The power of the Gospel calls lost men to a place to find out the truth about Christ's death burial and resurrection. The power of the Gospel allows God to minister His Spirit to the hearts of lost men and women. The power of the Gospel teaches the saint. The Gospel is God's way of bringing fallen man to a right standing with God. The Gospel teaches men the truth about Christ and what Christ is able to do within the human soul. The Gospel allows the Holy Spirit to make Christ known to all who listen. This is the other Comforter that Christ spoke of in Saint John. Christ said He would send another Comforter...thus declaring He was a comforter himself.

That's why I preach for Christ and write this Blog! I realize there's power in preaching the Gospel! The power I speak of is Christ who bled and died for this writer. The power I speak of is Christ, who bled and died to restore this writers marriage. The power I speak of is Christ, who rose and is exalted to give this writer revelation of who He is and what He does from the Throneroom. Yes, the Christ I serve is the one who gave understanding to this writer concerning the truth of His Word. He taught me the Word of God. He gives me the messages to preach. He "confirms" the Bible with the blessing of His Holy Spirit in this writers life.

Mark 16:20...And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Did you know the Holy Spirit "testifies" Christ to the human soul?

Examine the following words of Christ closely...

John 15:26-27... But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall "testify of me": And ye also shall bear witness

A sinner comes to know Christ through hearing the Word of God. The Spirit of Truth ministers Christ to the soul and shows sinful man what he really is. The Spirit's convicting power leads sinful man to an acceptance of the Saviour. This "work of the Holy Spirit" that sways fallen man...deals with the negative side of man that naturally rejects the truth about Christ. Without this work of the Holy Spirit (testifying truth to the heart of fallen man) man can never see his need for the redemptive work of Christ at Calvary. The Holy Spirit is the Comforting work that Christ spoke of that would make universal contact with the heart of man. The Comforter testifies Christ's person and presence to the human soul. The Comforter's omnipresence or universal contact with the heart of man is a blessing that came with the Grace dispensation we now live under in this present Church Age. I'm glad the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to the human soul. I'm glad the Holy Spirit makes Christ known to humanity.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Does God draw a line between man and sin? (Pt.2)

Language like being passed from; delivered from the power of darkness; translated into; being called out of; clearly describe an operation of God that gets man away from one side of life to the other. This language points to an operation of God that gives man a new heart and life. It pinpoints the work of Christ’s redemption that cleanses and restores the unclean inner make-up of an unsaved man. The mind, will, and desires of man cannot be cleansed by man him self. A son of God is a forgiven man morally changed by the power of a Living God.

· John 1:12…But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God

· 1 John 1:9…he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Because of sinful mans inherited negative side his natural understanding is darkened to a godly life. Outside of Christ man is blind to his moral need and change which only comes from above. Truth and power are only given to the human soul under the directive of the Holy Ghost. Only through the power of a living Christ is man able to change from the negative side of life to the positive. An unrighteous man is unable to gradually or progressively work himself into a right standing with God. With no possible way to obtain righteousness from God (except by faith in Christ alone) men still attempt to achieve righteousness through self justification and works. This mindset has caused many men to miss God and their salvation.

· Eph 4:18…Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart

Common temptations such as alcohol, lust of the flesh, gambling, and pornography are very much available to everyone this day and hour. The world, the flesh, and the devil constantly oppose the clean heart and the changed life of the child of God. If no line is drawn in the life of the child of God he becomes an easy prey to the dark side of life. For the child of God who realizes the power of a moral change from Christ and lives under the directive of the Holy Spirit, God provides him with a life of strength and victory. Through Christ, a believer is provided with everything needed to be an over comer in every area of this life. Steadfast and contented in Christ, the over comer will not step back across a line the Lord’s sanctification has drawn in his heart and mind.

· Heb 10:38-39… but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

· 2 Peter 3:17…beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.

A wealth of knowledge is learned from the experience of being an over comer. There is growth and confidence that comes through this blessed state of being. The New Testament teaches a life of victory through Christ… never defeat. Many rewards come from living a life with victory over sin and disobedience. Many problems stem from dodging this truth. Society can never teach victory over sin nor can religion. The opinions of mans intellect will never teach it because the natural man does not think like the Spirit of God. So…where is victory over sin taught? The Holy Spirit teaches this truth to the soul of a believer. New Testament records confirm the truth that other men lived it before us.

· Rom 8:37…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

· 2 Cor 2:14…thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ


The power that changes and strengthens man inwardly was experienced and written about by writers of the New Testament. As witnesses they wanted the whole world to share this same blessed experience. Their lives were in harmony with God concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ which they knew was the source of the changed heart and life. They tasted it, touched it, and experienced it. They wanted the whole world to have it. They learned from it. They grew in it and gave their lives for it.
No matter what is said or taught in the world today this same experience is offered anyone through the body of Christ. Nothing has changed since the early church except people. The condition of mans heart has never changed since the fall of Adam. The power of a living Christ is the still the same today; it’s the same Holy Spirit, and the same language of the Bible. So… is a line drawn between man and sin? The answer is, “Yes”.

· 2 Cor 6:17…Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord,

· Eph 5:8-12….For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth ;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.


Hubert Lindsey once told me, “A sanctified man should never apologize for living right and never compromise to living wrong.”

The verses used within context of this document are based on the language of the King James translation of the Holy Bible. Many modern versions of the Bible have changed the language concerning the operation of God in the heart of man to man’s attempt to progressively obtain salvation. This kind of language takes away from the instantaneous work of God and places emphasis on the progressive works of man. Words which relate to the operation of God in the heart and life of a believer like Sanctification, Justification, Redemption, Perfection, Grace,etc. are taken out of many modern translations

Monday, August 31, 2009

Does God draw a line between man and sin? (Pt.1)

This following document was originally written by Rick Roehm 10/25/05 for Steve Toft...a friend for 35 years from Williamsburg, Ohio.

The truth of the Bible and power that comes from the Gospel message deals specifically with two sides of the human family. One side is the negative side which consists of sin and darkness and relates to the heart and life of sinful man. The other side is the positive side consisting of holiness and light and relates to the heart and life of the child of God. As unusual as it may seem a child of God cannot live on both sides of life at the same time. The blessing of the new birth brings forth an initial separation from the negative side of life through love, purity, and the holiness of a living God imputed to the soul of a believer. Sanctification through the Spirit thus affects the way a believer thinks; changes his will and desire; and enlightens his understanding to Godly things.

· Acts 26:18…To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified

After the new birth is experienced a child of God makes decisions concerning which side of life he is to live on. The Holy Spirit enlightens the conscience to the fact that man cannot live unholy and holy at the same time. With a new consciousness to the Spirits presence a child of God realizes he cannot be disobedient and obedient to God at the same time. Nor can he be unrighteous and righteous at the same time. God gives the child of God a clean conscience and the ability to do right through a penitent heart and the forgiveness of sins. This is the greatest of God’s miracles. Inside this miracle is the moral change that comes when Christ is received into the human soul.

· Rom 10:10… For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness

Regardless of man’s opinion or tradition passed down from generation to generation, it is impossible to be faithful to God and to be unfaithful to him at the same time. The Bible teaches that Christians are obedient to God. Faith in Christ produces obedience to God… not disobedience. A faithful man does things pleasing in the eyes of God…not unpleasing.
An unfaithful man is not obedient to God nor does he do things pleasing in Gods sight. Sin, disobedience, and unfaithfulness to God are all various forms of violation to Divine law. If man does these things he is a violator. Without the power of God man is unable to stop these practices. Without the power of God man will violate Divine Law because of the nature of his being. Outside of power given from Christ man is powerless and without strength to obey God because of his inherited fallen nature.
Only through the redemptive power given from Christ is man able to be made right in the sight of God. God given righteousness enables a believer in Christ to quit wrongdoing and sinful practice. This Divine power is not a lighting bolt from heaven but simply a God given desire placed in the heart of man to live and be right, in the sight of God.

· Col 1:21-22…yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:

· Heb 13:21…Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ

The process of repentance from the heart allows God to help the sinner to break away from the negative side of life. Sorrow from within helps this individual to recognize the need to stay away from the old life. A union made with the Holy Spirit after the forgiveness of sins is received lays the line of separation in the mind and will of the believer. So… what keeps a believer from stepping back across the line? A God given desire to be right in the eyes of God keeps the believer from stepping back. Obedience mixed with the new desire proves a believer’s faithfulness to God. This new desire helps the child of God to grow closer to God and not further away. God consciousness and godly intentions from the heart come from this new desire. Through a relationship built on man’s faith and his dependence on the power of the Holy Spirit, God is able to keep a believer from falling.

· Jude 24…Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory

Under Mosaic Law before the dispensation of the Holy Spirit came Jesus himself encouraged all mankind to stop practicing sin. These were the words of Jesus to an adulterous woman…

· John 8:11…go, and sin no more.

In simple terms to sin no more, means not to do it anymore; to stop; or to quit. Holiness from God empowers the believer with strength to cease from sin. Through the calling of God a penitent sinner is given a holy heart by the regeneration of a new birth.

· 1 Peter 1:15-16…As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

· 1 Thess 4:7…For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.


Holiness thus becomes a manner of life acted upon through a believer’s realization of a God given moral change within the heart and soul. Obedience is the believer’s subjection to the call of God to live out the life of holiness.
This transformation is recorded numerous times in the Bible through various terms which are not common to the unbeliever. An unbeliever cannot recognize Biblical truth because he has never experienced the power of God. Truth from the Holy Scripture is confirmed only in the heart and life of a believer through the person of Christ.

· 1 John 3:14…We know that we have passed from death unto life

· Col 1:13…Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son

· 1 Peter 2:9…that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light