How to Obtain Life and Peace

By Pastor Ken Foreman

Text: Romans 8:1-6

In this chapter, Paul references the Holy Spirit nineteen times! This truth is a strong foundation you can build upon. "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." (John 8:32)

• Know the truth - Know what's right
• No condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus
• It's sin that leads to condemnation and death

Condemnation: to declare a person guilty and worthy of punishment.

• Through Jesus you don't have to be condemned

In Luke 18, both the Pharisee and the publican were praying.

• the Pharisee was "I'm all good!" [He despised the publican.]
• the publican was "Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner." [went home justified]

In Numbers 12, Miriam and Aaron rebelled.

• Moses' response was, "Heal her now, O Lord, I pray!"
• Walk After the Spirit - Do what's right!
• Make the right decisions and act upon them.
• Keep Your Thoughts in Check - Think what's right! (I Corinthians 10:5)
• The law was a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ, but it was not possible to obey the law in the flesh.
• Jesus died to set us free from the curse of the law (revealed sin).
• Make up your mind - I want more of Jesus!
• Make no provision for the flesh.
• Be Spiritually minded - "the Spirit is life" (verse 10)
• Justification - the accused is acquitted, declared righteous, free from the penalty

The Fruit of the Spirit

By Justin Jeffrey

Text: Galatians 5:16-26

We have choices...

1. Desire to please the flesh
2. Desire to have it both ways - please flesh and Spirit
3. Desire to please the Spirit - bear fruit

Whichever choice you're making begs the question...

• What are you doing to succeed in achieving your desire?

When a person goes all out to achieve their goal, (choice) they are willing to make sacrifices, burn the candle at both ends, do whatever it takes to attain that desire.

The fruit of the Spirt is; faith, love, joy, peace, gentleness, lonsuffering, temperance, meekness, and goodness. Note that they're called fruit for a reason!

Fruit is juicy, sweet, good for you, flavorful, refreshing, purgative, covered with skin, and contains seeds. (plant them!) If you just let them sit and don't eat fruit, it will spoil! What's more, when it comes to fruit; you want the real thing - not plastic, wooden, or styrofoam imitations.

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing." (John 15:5)

Editor's Note: Justin is our Youth Leader here at New Life. Multi-talented, he is a faithful laborer in so many ways. God has highly favored New Life in selecting Justin for His service.

The Forgotten Virtue

By Scott A. Phillips

I woke up early one recent morning at 5 a.m. with this thought running through my mind. I'd been toying with the idea of doing a supplement in our paper with a few articles that might spark some thought and conversations. I wrote this with my community in mind.

It's easy to see that many in my generation have been influenced by insidious temptations to ignore and delete passages of Scripture in the name of being more relevant and acceptable to our culture. But what does one do when the culture is hostile to Scripture?

Can Israel negotiate with Iran, when Iran's only solution is the eradication of it's "peace" partner?

How can the church sit and make peace with culture, when culture will only be still when the Scripture no longer speaks to its failings?

We can not sit at the table of compromise and drink coffee in the pursuit of acceptance, because while we become more relevant to our culture, we become less true to the very character of what it means to be a Bible-based Christian. On Facebook our real convictions are broadcast, not by what we say, but by what we do.

Dolly Parton was loved by our culture because she sang gospel songs so prettily while blatantly being the poster girl of a Biblical harlot. No, she's not relevant to our current culture, but she is relevant in that she is the epitome of what our world would like our Christian women to become. Sadly, in the growing cancer of compromise, some have become, and are becoming the Dolly Parton's of Christianity. Take a look at the daughters of compromise; singing pretty songs, all the while becoming another casualty in the war agaiust holiness and modesty.

God help me. God Help us.

 

Editorial Note: Bro. Scott Phillips pastors New Birth Pentecostal Church in Clinton, Mississippi. He is a prolific writer and a strong supporter of faithfulness to Bible truth. We salute you for taking a stand for righteousness. Righteousness exalts, but sin is a reproach.

 

 

What's New? Are You?

By Rufus Parker

 

Text: Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 - "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us." 

I often wonder why some people worry when others get something that they may think is new? Solomon says that there is nothing new under the sun. I guess that's why automobiles lose their value as soon as you drive them off the car lot. They are made by something that already has been. 

 

Paul tells us, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (II Corinthians 5:17) Does the Bible contradict itself? Absolutely not!

 

Solomon is referring to natural things, Paul is referring to Spirit things. Job asked the question, "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one." (Job 14:4). But Jesus said, "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." (John 15:3) Again, is this a contradiction? No! Job is speaking of the natural, Jesus is speaking of the spiritual. 

 

We know that everything that is made natural has already been because God created the heavens and the earth and all that therein is. But man isn't a natural thing, he is a living being and therefore he can be made new. The new birth process is to turn him from a living being into a spiritual being; from corruptible to incorruptible, from mortal to immortality. No one could have made this any clearer than the Lord Jesus Himself, when He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." (Luke 18:27)

 

Editor's Note: Rufus Parker, formerly UPCI missionary to Okinawa, Japan, is now retired and living in Wisconsin. Bro. Parker writes a daily internet blog/devotional and has authored several books.

Onward Christians

By Charles R. Grisham

 

Let we Christians take our stand,

As we journey to that land.

Let us labor, watch, and pray,

For there will be a brighter day.

 

Let our lives be as a light,

To show the way that leads to right,

Telling sinners the old, old story,

How they too, may live in glory.

 

Our life on earth is but a span,

To His great, almighty hand,

Let our deeds be acceptable to Christ,

That we might have eternal life.

 

When all is ended here below,

Will our lives be white as snow?

If we haven't earned a frown,

We may wear a shining crown.

 

 



Dealing with Difficulties

Editorial
By Marjorie Kinnee

Difficult situations... difficult people... such things are common to us all. In fact, it seems that life is fraught with difficulties of one kind or another. David faced a lot of difficulties throughout his life and his Psalms reflect many of them and his responses to them. So did Moses, and Paul, and Jesus. While each difficulty we face brings its own unique facets, there is a Biblical response that guarantees a positive outcome. Let's look carefully at Colossians 3:12 in the NIV...

"Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."

There you have it in a nutshell. Five words, five steps, five secrets, if you will, to dealing with all the difficulties life can throw your way! Let's break them down...

Compassion: a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortunes, accompanied by a strong desire to allieviate the suffering.

Kindness: the state or quality of being kind [kind: of a good, or benovolent nature; considerate, helpful].

Humility: the quality of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one's own importance, rank, etc.

Gentleness: kindly, amiable, moderate; not severe, rough, or violent.

Patience: bearing provocation, annoyance, misfortunes, or pain without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like; quiet steady perseverance; willing to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay.

Note: these are also numbered among the fruit of the Spirit. So they are available to everyone who believes and follows Christ.

Considering this particular verse and these definitions leads to a sure method of dealing with difficulties. Here are a few examples:

1. Jesus, when He faced Judas Iscariot.
2. Jesus, when He was on trial before the Sanhedrin.
3. David, in dealing with Saul.
4. Hannah, when her adversary provoked her sore.
5. Moses, when he dealt with Miriam and Aaron's rebellion.
6. Joseph's dealings with his brothers.
7. Isaac, in the conflict over digging wells.
8. Abraham, in dealing with Lot's herdsmen.

When difficulties come,  and they will... Remember these five helpful keys; Compassion, Kindness, Humility, Gentleness, and Patience. If you can overcome and be victorious over any and every difficulty. The one who, by yielding to the Holy Spirit, conquers his own spirit wins the war -- even when he seems to be losing the skirmish!