The Fruitbearer

 

JOHN 15:5

“I am The Vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." 

    What is a fruitbearer? A person who testifies about God's redeeming grace through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. If only one person receives Christ into their hearts through my actions, then I am a fruitbearer. It might not look like my little branches are heavy with fruit, but if that one person shares Jesus with another person, then that new person is added to my fruitfulness. And I want to be fruitful. Which means I'm not going to stop sharing the love of God in Christ with everyone. 

    Proverbs 11:31 tells us, "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise." I want to be a soulwinner for Jesus. I want to tell you that once I lived a selfish, self-centered life; living only for the moment and the thrill. Once I thought I was living the good life, but it was only a shadow life. For the good life is only available through Jesus reckoning on the cross, through the blood He shed for us: He atoned for our sins, that we who believe would be forgiven when we repented. And repentance is an absolute must. 

    When Jesus began to preach the gospel, His first words were, "Repent, and be baptized." (Matthew 4:17) That same message came to and through each of His disciples. For example Peter states in Acts 2:38 "Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in The Name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of The Holy Spirit." 

    What is this gospel message which we are compelled to share with everyone we interact with? Jesus Christ is God's only begotten Son, given to the world to save each person in it, if they would believe that He is Lord and follow in His ways. (John 3:16-18). Repentance is to make a conscious decision to deliberately stop living a sinful life and learn to live a holy life according to God's Word. 

    To be baptized in water is to make a public confession of the faith we are now professing; speaking aloud the Word of faith which is in us. (Romans 10:8-11). To be baptized in The Holy Spirit is to understand that without The Spirit living in us as well, it is impossible for us to live a righteous and holy life that we must endeavor to live after receiving Christ into our hearts.  We need both baptisms. 

    Even now, I urge you, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, please come to Jesus today. Your soul is in immortal danger, for the soul exists forever: some will exist in hell and after hell is destroyed the lost souls will exist in an eternal lake of fire from which there is no escape. Some souls will exist in heaven, in the eternal presence of God forever and ever, praising God and singing with the angels. But the decision must be made this side of eternity. There are no do-overs after we die. 

    COME TO THE ALTAR

CREATE IN ME A CLEAN HEART

    GIVE ME JESUS

WELCOME HOLY SPIRIT 

 

PSALM 119:105

Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet, and a Light unto my path. 

    John 1:1-4

In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God. The Same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was Life; and the Life was The Light of men.  

    John 8:12

Then spoke Jesus again to them, saying, "I Am The Light of the world: he that follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but will have The Light of Life." 

    Have you seen The Light? Are you a sinner saved by grace, or do you still walk in the darkness of your own ways, your own self-centeredness? To walk in The Light is to live out our daily lives in the full assurance and knowledge that we belong to Jesus Christ, Who purchased us with His blood on the cross and gave us new life in Him when He walked out of the grave. 

    The Word of God is Jesus Christ. There is no other word that can reveal the will of God to us but Jesus Christ. There is no other name that can save our souls from eternal damnation but Jesus Christ.

     To have The Light of Life--Jesus Christ--as one's personal Savior is to recognize sin for what it is: disobedience to God's Word, God's laws, God's precepts, God's Way and God's will. This is the first part of a repentant heart. 

    To have The Light of Life is to acknowledge with humble hearts our wrongdoings and confess them aloud to God, whether we are at the altar in our churches, sitting in our cars, kneeling at our bedsides: wherever we are when The Spirit tugs at our heartstrings revealing The Light of The Word to us, that's when and where we pray to The God who loves us and sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us.

    To have The Light of Life is to stop committing the sinful things and do the obedient things which God has prepared for us to do as our way of life. When He says to do a certain act or think a certain way and we don't, then that is sin. When He says not to do a certain thing or not say or think ungodly words or thoughts, then that, too, is sin. 

    To have The Light of Life is to forgive anyone who has wronged us and to go to anyone we have wronged and forgive them. For without forgiveness to each other and one another, we cannot be forgiven by God. 

    To have The Light of Life is know godly sorrow for our sins. It is seeking out God in His Word personally, if we are able to attain any part of The Bible for ourselves. It is to hear God's Word being preached, taking into our hearts and applying it to our lives through the power of God's Holy Spirit, Whom we all desperately need within us, leading us through God's Holy Word and growing us in God's kingdom.

    To have The Light of Life is to walk in newness of life. For our souls have been redeemed by God's grace: we are new creations, we have been born again: we are made new. And because we are new, we need to learn how to walk God's paths in God's Light: seeing clearly and understanding with clarity of thought; developing a heart that follows The Word of God with love and joy. 

    To have The Light of Life is to be a Philippians 4:8 thinker. It is learning to live Philippians 4:12, as well as many other verses which will guide us into living a changed heart and mind lifestyle. 

    No more do we have to walk in the darkness of this world. No more must we live like the rest of this old world lives. We have The Light of The World living in us through the power of God's Holy Spirit. And now we are the light of the world, because we bring The Light of Life to all who will hear us, when we speak the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. 

JESUS IS THE LIGHT - Carman

LIGHTS SHINE BRIGHT - TobyMac 

    

Statements of Faith - Grafted Into The Vine

 

JOHN 15:1-8

I am The True Vine, and My Father is The Husbandman (Vinedresser: worker of the soil, farmer). Every branch in Me that bears no fruit He takes away: and every branch that bears fruit, He purges (cleanses, prunes) it, that it may bear more fruit.

Now you are clean through The Word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can you, except you abide in Me. 

I am The Vine, you are the branches: he that abides in Me, and I in him, will bring forth much fruit: for without Me, you can do nothing. If a man does not abide in Me, he is cast forth as a branch, and withers; and men gather them,  and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. 

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you. Herein is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be My disciples. 

    My prayer after studying this out is, "Lord, make me more fruitful.", knowing full well that having a more fruitful life sets God's hands in motion to prune from my life that which is not fruit-bearing. I asked for this because I feel unfruitful. There are days I feel useless and discarded. I don't feel fruitful at all. Am I where God wants me to be so that He can use me efficiently and effectively?

    My prayer life is vital to my fruitfulness: it is the rain and the sun on my fields. My Bible study time is vital to my fruitfulness: it is the Seed that gets planted in my fields. My social life is vital to my fruitfulness: it is the companionship of working side by side in my fields. What fields are these? The fields which are ripe unto harvest: the fields of souls who are searching for something to satisfy their hunger and thirst for Truth. 

    I live in Christ. I am able to live in Him because He lives in me. How is this possible? By faith in His Name for my salvation. His Name is Savior, Redeemer, Reconciler. His Name is Faithful and True. His Name is Living Water and Fountain of Life. His Name is Bread of Life and Mana From Heaven. 

    He satisfies the hunger of my soul. He slakes the thirst of my soul. He saved my soul when He died on the cross. He gave my soul new life, when He conquered death and walked out of the grave. He leads me, He feeds me, He strengthens me. In Him I am found and in me He shines His Light and His Love all through me and out of me, that all may see that Christ is alive in me. I am renewed in Him and now, I am strong again. 

    I am being made more fruitful even as I write this. And it is good to be in The True Vine where The Father can work on me with His loving hands, removing dead weight and giving my branch more bounce to carry sweeter fruit. 

Friends, Not Servants

 

JOHN 15:15

No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you. 

    See the difference between being a servant and being a friend? A servant is obedient and does as instructed, but a friend knows why and does as he is instructed with joy and understanding. 

    Proverbs 17:17 tells us that a friend loves at all times. We know that when no one wants to be around us for the Truth we speak of God's Word, then it is not so much us they are avoiding, it is God in us. 

    Yet, David wrote in Psalm 2:11 that we are to "serve The Lord with fear and  rejoice with trembling." Is this contradictory? No. To serve The Lord with fear is to honor Him; it is to put God first in every aspect of our lives; it is to make no decision without consulting Him first. It is to seek the will of God, know and understand the will of God and to act upon this knowledge with such joy that we are overcome by the emotion of being in His presence. 

    It is the love of God for us that has caused us to put our faith in Him. It is the hand of friendship being extended towards us through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ that has caused us to come near to God, that we may hear Him speak more clearly. Both Isaiah (Isaiah 1:18) and James (4:8) inform us that God says we must come close to Him that He may come closer to us. Employees/servants do not do so. Friends, however, transcend the employer/employee relationship. 

   Isaiah reminds us in 1:19, 20 that it is our willingness to obey/follow The Lord that brings about this wonderful blessing of friendship. Yet, a warning is given in verse 20 that to ignore this magnificent gesture from God, of drawing close to Him, is to sign our own death warrant. 

    James (4:8) tells us that our words and our actions need to align with our hearts, and that, as Christians, our hearts must align with The Word of God. A person whose heart follows after the teachings of Christ wholeheartedly leaves little room for doubt and faithlessness. In Christ, we are His friends. Outside of Christ, we are His enemies. 

    I am a friend of God, for I am in Christ. Where are you?

I AM A FRIEND OF GOD - Israel Houghton 

GOD WITH US - Mercy Me

Prepositional Faith - Peace Through Christ

 

ACTS 10:36

He has sent this message to the people of Israel, proclaiming the gospel of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.

Isaiah 9:6

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid. 

2 Thessalonians 3:16

Now The Lord of Peace Himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all. 

    Without Christ there is no peace....of any kind whatsoever. There is the illusion of peace, or the delusion of peace. We live in a world that strives for freedoms, but at another's cost. This world imitates but does not deliver on true peace, for only Christ Jesus can give a person real lasting peace: peace of mind, peace in our hearts. 

    Inner peace does not come from within ourselves, nor does it exist outside of God's Word. "Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace," as the hymnist wrote, comes down from The Father above. 

    In The Word, as listed above, we read that not only is Jesus Peace, but He shares His peace with those who believe that He is God's only begotten Son, sent here by His Father to be our Redeemer: He would take the punishment intended for the sinners who disobeyed God's Word upon Himself. Why? Because of God's great love for the people who inhabit this world we live in. 

    It's Amazing Grace, isn't it? It's almost too wonderful for words, yet many a song has been written praising God for His lovingkindness towards us. Too many to number, for that would actually be impossible. Not all songs written for God were recorded through the ages. But God knows. 

    All those reckless thoughts that attack a person's mental stability through what we see and hear and feel have to go through the blood of Jesus Christ, when we come to the cross and believe that this Man is, indeed, the Promised Redeemer from God. And when we come out on the other side, our thinking has changed. For the blood has washed our hearts and our minds clean. Now we have Peace, the Peace Christ promised to give the people who believe Him and follow Him wherever He leads. We have His Peace within us now. 

    God is amazing. Only God can take The Words that He speaks and wrap them in flesh and bone and place It in a young girl's womb via the power of His Holy Spirit. Nobody in all of history has ever done that, nor will anyone ever be able to do so. This is an awesome feat! This is a God I can trust with my life and my soul, with my heart and my mind! This is peace. 

    Peace flows through me like a river meanders through the mountains. It covers every obstacle in my way, sometimes rushing down like a waterfall; at other times this peace narrows into streams which feed the ecosystems of life. And I am content. With Christ as my Shepherd, leading this sheep of His, what have I to fear? Nothing. I have Peace Like A River because Jesus is my Peace. 

    

 

Speak The Father's Word

     Want to hear something amazing?

John 8:28, 29

So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up The Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on My own, but speak exactly what The Father has taught Me. He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him.”  

    Jesus could only speak what His Father spoke to Him BECAUSE HE IS THE WORD OF GOD. In the general population, most of us cannot speak what another is thinking. (On a side note, my husband and I have been finishing each other's sentences since we were dating.) But Jesus being GOD'S WORD can only speak GOD'S WORD! How awesome is that to read and understand! 

    John 1:14 tells us this and we know it to be TRUE: "And The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of The only begotten of The Father,) full of grace and truth." 

    And here in Luke chapter one we see that God placed His Word inside Mary's womb. She would be the only ever to carry The Word in her womb; the rest of us carry Him in our hearts and minds! 

    Luke 1:31-35 

(31) And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and you shall call His Name JESUS. 

(32) He shall be great, and shall be called The Son of The Highest: and The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David:

(33) And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.

(34) Then said Mary to the angel, "How shall this be, since I know no man?"

(35) And the angel said to her, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon you, and the power of The Highest shall overshadow you: therefore, also, that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called The Son of God." 

    And being God's Word He was indeed never alone! How could The Word go anywhere without God? For God's Word is God! Amazing. Grace. 

    We who believe on The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ for our saving grace are living in Christ Who lives in God Who lives in His Word which lives in us! I'm so excited! Such love is mine! Such grace is mine! Such joy and wonder is mine! 

SO IN LOVE - Isla Vista Worship

ANOTHER IN THE FIRE - Hillsong United

JESUS MESSIAH - Chris Tomlin 

Statements of Faith - I Am A Fruitful Branch

 

JOHN 15:4

Abide in Me, and I in you. 

As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,

 unless it abides in the vine, neither can you,

 unless you abide in Me. 

    Abide: remain, stay, wait (I wait for, I stay in, I remain with)

    How are we fruitful branches in Christ? 

• Matthew 4:19 When we follow Christ, He teaches us how to become 'fishers of men', how to draw people to The Light and Love of God's gospel of salvation.
• Proverbs 11:30 & James 5:20 Be a soul winner in His kingdom. Tell your testimony: what Christ Jesus has done for you, how He saved you and continues to walk your life's journey with you. 
• 1 John 3:24 Keeping His commandments causes us to be fruitful branches, for by doing so, we remain in Him and He in us. 
• 1 John 4:15 & Romans 10:9 Speaking out loud that Jesus is The Son of God shows they that hear us speak such Truth that God is in us and we are in Him. 

    What is a Christian's fruit?

• Our disposition, our character, our attitude - We are to have, cultivate and exhibit the fruit of The Spirit - Galatians 5:22-23.
• Our life and conversation - Live a life of love - Ephesians 5:2
• Our intentions, motives - Live a life of faith in God - 1 Timothy 1:4
• Honor God, do good - Live a life that is worthy of God's call - 2 Thessalonians 1:11 and Ephesians 4:1
• Be an example of what we say we are - Live a life that is worthy of The Lord - Colossians 1:10

    And now we must consider: are we, indeed, fruitful branches in The Vine which is Christ? If we are, we must endeavor to continue to do so. And if you are not, what are you waiting for? You have received a personal invitation to be seated in Christ and He in you which requires a personal response from you. Come, come to Jesus Christ and be grafted into The Vine. Today is your day of salvation. 

PROOF OF YOUR LOVE - For King & Country 

BUILD MY LIFE - Pat Barrett and Cory Asbury 

LIVE FOR JESUS - Evie Tornquist

Statements of Faith - Worth Dying For

 

JOHN 3:16

For God so loved the world (you and I) that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Romans 5:8

But God commends (establishes) His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

    God thinks you and I are worth dying for. All He asks in return is that we live for Him.

    1 Peter 1:18-20

Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (revealed) in these last times for you. Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him; and so your faith and hope are in God.

    Romans 12:1

Therefore I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

    Romans 6:16

Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?

    Romans 10:13

For whosoever shall call upon The Name of The Lord shall be saved. 

    1 Corinthians 6:20, 21

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 

    Isaiah 44:22

I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like a mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. 

    Philippians 1:20

I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

     

    I, too, eagerly and with great expectations, hope that I will in no way be ashamed when I stand before God and He judges me for the life I have lived. Every day I pray that God will use me for His glory, to advance His kingdom in whatsoever way He chooses to do so. 

BUILD MY LIFE - Pat Barrett

THIS IS AMAZING GRACE - Phil Wickham

SPIRIT LEAD ME 

    

Statements of Faith - I Am Born Again

 

JOHN 3:5-7 

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and The Spirit.

That having been born of the flesh is flesh, and that having been born of The Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said to you, 'You must be born again'. 

John 1:12, 13

But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His Name, He gave the right to become children of God— children born not of blood, nor of the desire or will of man, but born of God. 

1 Peter 1:23

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

    When we are born of our parents, we are born in flesh, which has a corruptible nature already because of the initial sin which Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. Our bodies and our minds are prone to live sinful lives: disobedient, willful, self-satisfying, self-glorification, self-serving lives. In and of ourselves we cannot save ourselves: we need a Savior from God to save us from the inevitable punishment of our sinful selves. So God sent His only begotten Son JESUS to save us. 

    Think of ourselves as houses: our house is built on a faulty foundation. We base our ways of thinking on the perceptions of mankind. We believe certain tenets of wisdom to be truth and fact. For example, the theory of evolution is just a theory. But the truth of creation is factual and evident. We follow leaders expecting them to lead us into better lives, when in fact their lives are ineffectual for their hearts are not filled with the Love and Light and Wisdom of God. We study to know everything in our fields when we should be studying to know The God of Everything. 

    When we believe on The Name of The Son of God, JESUS, we begin the process of becoming born again. Salvation first; Holiness second. To be born again is to be born into the family of God by God's plan of salvation. As Paul writes to the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:23-25), "Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and The Wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength."

    Salvation through Jesus Christ is foolishness to those who seek a different way. But the Scriptures also tell us that those who refuse to hear God's Word and receive it will find other teachers to listen to and follow their paths. They have set themselves on the road to condemnation from God by refusing to listen to  God.

     Just as we are subject to the laws in our countries and must adhere to them or be found guilty of breaking such laws and face the courts for our errors of judgment, so, too, will those who break God's laws be in His courts to face Him for judgment. Unless the blood of JESUS is upon the once errant soul---said blood having washed away their sins---a person cannot see God and live. For in and of ourselves we are not holy and "without holiness no man can see God". Hebrews 12:14. 

    It is The Spirit of God Who places The Word of God in us and Who writes The Word of God on our hearts. It is The Spirit of God who draws us to God through the cross of Christ, where we see The One Who Saves bearing our sins and taking our punishment, that we might be in His family forever and ever. We are made clean by the washing of The Word on our souls: washing away the stain of sin and the blemish of iniquity and the blot of transgression. 

    It is The Word of God that demands our new faith be made public. Though Nicodemus came to Jesus secretly, hoping for a permanent place in Christ's kingdom, Jesus rebuked him for it. For anyone who comes to Jesus must come to Him openly and unafraid of what others may think about their actions in doing so. Anyone who chooses to follow Christ will seek Him out knowing their actions could cause them at the least to be scorned and mocked by their peers and families; at the worst to be jailed and killed. 

    Immersive water baptism is a wonderful thing to experience. Especially when you are surrounded by not only those who understand what you are doing, but also when people who  do not know see what you are doing. It is very public and a very powerful statement on what we believe. We are baptized in The Name of The Father, and The Son and The Holy Spirit. We are baptized into His Name. Matthew 28:18, 19. 

    To be born again is to choose the foolishness of God's Wisdom over the foolishness of this world. It is to seek after the things which are found in His Kingdom. It is to live a life which pleases God and not ourselves. It is to start over, to begin anew, a life in Christ which honors and glorifies God. It is to live in peace with they whom we interact with. It is to live a life faith and trust in God and His Christ through the power of God's Holy Spirit. 

STILL - Hillsong United

    

Blessed Be The Name of The Lord

 

JOHN 12:13
They took branches and went out to meet Him, shouting:
"Hosanna!" "Blessed is He Who comes in The Name of The Lord!" "Blessed is The King of Israel!"

Psalm 118:26
Blessed is He Who comes in The Name of The LORD. From the house of The LORD we bless you.

Psalm 72:17-19
His Name shall endure for ever: His Name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in Him: all nations shall call Him blessed. Blessed be The LORD God, The God of Israel, Who alone does marvelous deeds. And blessed be His glorious Name forever; may all the earth be filled with His glory. Amen and amen.

Revelation 7:9-10
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
And they cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

    Blessed be The Name of The Lord. Not a suggestion, nor a special request, but a command: a command to Bless His Name. More than just lip service, blessing God requires heart service: a heart that has chosen to be God's home by choosing Christ as Savior. When the command is obeyed, it is obeyed with joy and love. Irrepressible Joy: Joy that cannot be contained but must be shouted! Love that compels a person to testify of the wonderful things God has done for them. 

    How can we bless God? Psalm 68:26 tells us to kneel before God when we are in His congregations, whether we are in a church building, a home church, an outdoor gathering. Wherever God's people come together to worship and praise God and share His Word, then that is where we Bless God. 

    We bless God when we obey His Word. The first commandment in the OT is to put God first. If you say you put God first but don't obey Him in any other commandments, then the first commandment has already been broken. In the NT Jesus responds to the question of the greatest commandment with this reply, " ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’"

    We bless God when we love the people around us. They may not even be likeable but neither were we when we lived a life without God. Now that God lives in us, we learn to love like God: unconditionally, putting no requirements on anyone; fully, all encompassing, loving everyone we know and meet, whether or not they want to receive the love we have to offer. 

    We bless God when we are not offended and take no offense. This is a hard thing to do but The Word teaches us that to be like Jesus we must be like Jesus. He was silent when accused (Matthew 26:62, 63; Matthew 27:12; Isaiah 53:7).  He was honest and spoke Truth when confronted regarding His Authority to speak on the Scriptures. He is compassionate when faced with they who need healing, feeding and to be clothed, whether in the physical or the spiritual. 

    We bless God when we read and study and pray over and through and in His written Word. We want to know Him better so we ask Him to reveal Himself to us in His Word. 

    We bless God when we come to Him in prayer, bringing not only our own needs, but the needs of others. We bless God when we choose His companionship in prayer, wanting only to spend time with Him; choosing silent lips and a quiet heart and mind that we may hear Him with clarity when He speaks. 

    These are but a few of the ways we can bless God. What are other ways? 

GIVE ME JESUS - Fernando Ortega

BLESSED BE YOUR NAME

Names of Christ - Jesus Is Life

 

JOHN 11:25, 26

Jesus said to her, "I am The Resurrection and The Life: he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe?"

John 5:21

For just as The Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also The Son gives life to whom He will.

John 5:26

For as The Father has life in Himself, so also He has granted The Son to have life in Himself.

Colossians 3:4

When Christ, Who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

    Jesus is Life. Everything else is death. Every god in every nation will be broken and they who worship these idols, their statues and images, shall bow their knees in homage to The Lord God, Jehovah. Isaiah 45:23; Romans 14:11; Philippians 2:10. 

    We who believe in Jesus Christ choose to worship and serve our Savior God on this side of life's coin as well as the other side. There is coming a day when every eye shall see Him and know Who He is: for them it will be too late to commit. Revelation 1:7; Matthew 16:27. 

    Jesus is Life Eternal. In Him we live and move and have our being - Acts 17:28. His Word tells us here in John 11:26 that we live in Him...if we believe in Him. That means forever and ever without end. 

    Jesus is The Door, death is the last stepping stone before the believer's entrance into the eternal presence of God. John 10:7, 9. Though we know that God is with us now, then we shall see Him face to face and live. 2 Corinthians 3:18. 

    The question still remains: Do you believe?

INDIE FOLK WORSHIP 

    

I Am Christian's Memory

 

JOHN 14:26

But The Helper, The Holy Spirit, Whom The Father will send in My Name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

    Memories are funny things. Even in our memories we are all different. I may remember my name and forget yours. As our physical bodies age or succumb to various diseases, our memories are affected, too. 

    Faces, names, connections like family and friendships may eventually fade from our memories in this life. But The Word which is planted within us will never fade. We will never forget that we belong to Christ. We have The Helper, The Holy Spirit, reminding us who we are in Christ and Who Christ is in us. I am Christian's memory and The Word will never leave me.

    Even the gospel songs we love to sing may still linger on our lips. Psalm 77:6 "I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with my own heart: and my spirit made diligent search." I am Christian's memory and songs that glorify God and praise His Holy Name will always flow from within me. For The Holy Spirit is my Helper. He draws this flowing river of melodies and lyrics from the hidden places in my heart. 

    I am Christian's memory. I remember that God loves me so much He sent His Only Begotten Son to die for me. I remember that Jesus not only died to take my sins away forever, but that He defeated death, hell and the grave. 

    As He died on the cross, the sins of the whole world from the beginning of people until the last person gets saved were laid across His shoulders and He became sin. The weight of it crushed Him. But He stayed on the cross for us, for me. When He took our sins upon Himself, God could not be in His presence, for sin is unholiness and God's holiness had to separate itself from His Only Begotten Son. 

    After He died, His body was laid in the grave, the tomb. But only His body was there. His spirit and soul were in hell. Hell, where He overcame Satan in a battle we know little about. What we do know is that Satan, the devil, can be overcome by The Word and The Spirit, for that is how we overthrow him in this life we're living now. We know He holds the keys of death and hell (Revelation 1:18). 

    We know He overcame the grave because He walked out of it in His new body, His resurrected body was changed from what He looked like before He died. We know this because when Mary Magdalene encountered Him in the garden (John 20:14-16), she thought He was the gardener. [which, if you think about it, He is: He is the Master Gardener]. 

    I am Christian's memory. Because I live in Christ and He lives in me, I, too, will be changed when my body leaves the grave. But know this: my soul will not remain with my body. When I die here, I will take His hand there. As I breathe my last here, I will inhale the perfume of heaven and my soul will be at peace in the eternal presence of my Lord and Savior. I am Christian's memory and I will go with Christian when Christian dies. 

    All the bad memories, all the hard times, will pass from my memory permanently. For God has promised to wipe away all tears. For instance:

    Some time after my son Nick died, I had a dream. In this dream, as his car hit the pickup truck, Nick took hold of Jesus' hand which was extended to him and walked out of this life into his life eternal. He was not alone when he died; he was not afraid. The military chaplain who spoke at his funeral said that Nick was the "most Holy Spirit-filled young man he had ever met". What a testimony. This was the last time I cried. God put all my tears in one of His bottles (Psalm 56:8). 

    I am Christian's memory and I am filled with examples of the love of God, the merciful compassion of Christ, the guarded strength of The Holy Spirit. I may forget your name, your face, your connection to me. But I will never forget my God and my Savior. 

HOPE HAS A NAME - River Valley Worship

I Am Christian's Mouth

 

PSALM 34:8

O taste and see that The Lord is Good! Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!

    I am Christian's mouth. With my tongue I taste The Word of God, discovering both Its sweetness and bitterness. It is with my mouth, speaking what I believe in my heart, that I am no longer a sinner lost in sin but a saint saved by grace: Romans 10:10 "For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Hebrews 6:4 tells me my tongue has tasted of the heavenly Gift (John 4:10) while Ephesians 2:8 tells me that this heavenly Gift is Salvation through Jesus Christ. This is what Grace tastes like!

    My lips are clean now. Before I came to Christ I was a wretched sinner and my lips were very unclean. I recognized my need for spiritual cleanliness and The Lord touched my lips with His fire, burning away the filth that covered them, as He did for Isaiah -- Isaiah 6:5. Therefore, because my lips are now clean I am able to speak clearly The cleansing Word of God. 

    I am Christian's lips. My lips -- Proverbs 20:15 -- have knowledge. But not just any knowledge: the knowledge of The Word of God. Proverbs 3:13-35 describe both the blessings of Wisdom and the ruination of those who choose to be unwise. There is no greater knowledge than the knowledge of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ. In Him is wisdom and through Him is understanding. 

    My lips praise God -- Psalm 35:28. Psalm 71:23 confirms to me that my lips SHOUT for JOY! and the next verse brings me back to my tongue: "My tongue will indeed proclaim Your Righteousness all day long, for those who seek my harm are disgraced and confounded." Psalm 35:28 

    With my lips I kiss The Son -- Psalm 2:12. This means that I worship Him with everything that is within me. A kiss is more than two lips meeting, it is the signing of a contract between two people, as on the day they are wed. Though a kiss can also signal betrayal, as Judas did when Christ was arrested. But when I kiss The Son I am signaling my arrival in His presence. I am so filled with Joy to be near my Savior that I cannot contain myself and am compelled to sing His praise, declare my adoration for Him and throw myself at His feet in utter worship.

    I am Christian's mouth. And I am glorifying God with it. I sing His praises.

Psalm 109:30  give great thanks to The Lord

Psalm 89:1  make known His faithfulness

Psalm 66:17  His praise is on my tongue

Psalm 59:16 sing of His strength

Psalm 71:8 filled with His praise all day long

    Plus so many, many more waiting for you to search out in His Word for yourself, as I have and still do. I am Christian's mouth and I'm hungering and thirsting after The Lord to be filled with His goodness. 

THIS IS AMAZING GRACE - Phil Wickham 

TASTE & SEE - John Mark Pantana 

     

I Am Christian's Belly

 

JOHN 7:30

He that believes on Me, as The Scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

    Some versions of this verse render the word "belly" as heart, innermost being, deep within. But the belly is where we digest what we have been reading and hearing of The Word of God. I am Christian and in my belly are the deepest places of my faith where The Word gets rooted and grounded. 

    For according to Psalm 1:1-3 I am like a tree planted by the waters, whose roots are nourished by the river, causing them to expand and take hold of the foundation of The Word, The Rock. As a tree of righteousness, I spread out my branches for shade, comfort and seed. My soul prospers because I have filled the deep places in my belly with The Word of God. This happens when I study and pray over The Word as I go through It. 

    These rivers flow through me. Water that flows does not stagnate. Nor does it dry up and wither away. It is by The Power of God, The Spirit of God, that I am able to live in contentment and peace, regardless of who comes against me. For it is not I who is being fought against, but Christ within me. Jesus was hated when He preached the gospel in His time. And He warns His followers that whoever is faithful in following God's gospel plan of salvation that we, too, will suffer for our faith. But I have a river of life flowing through me that gives me strength to withstand against all the enemies of my soul. 

    I am Christian and in my belly the milk of The Word was first purchased by faith in The Name of Jesus Christ. As I grew in The Lord, the meat of The Word has been supplied to me. The closer we get to Jesus Christ the stronger our relationship grows. In Him I live and move and have my being. The song that keeps resounding in my thoughts is Jesus Have It All. And I wonder, "Did I give Him my all? Have I kept anything back?" Questions each of us must ask ourselves every day. I want Him to have every part of me. Including my deep within place. Every nook, every cranny. 

    And when He has prepared me, out of me flows the rivers of Life. Rivers of Hope. Rivers of Joy. Rivers of Peace. Rivers of the Gospel of Salvation through Jesus Christ. There is no other Name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12). Oh, what Joy to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus Christ is Lord of my life and Savior of my soul! 

    Come, taste these living waters which The Lord has prepared for you today. Come, quench your thirst and fill your own belly/heart/innermost being with His Word, His voice, His Spirit. Come, sweet is the honey and wine. But take care, sometimes the meat will be tough. It's okay. The Sword of The Lord cuts right through it. Jesus told His disciples that His meat was to do the will of His Father (John 4:34). This should be our meat too.

    In my belly is the remembrance of the last supper which Christ had with His disciples.  They broke apart the bread and ate it in remembrance of how His body was broken and torn for our sins. They drank of the cup, the drink from the vine, in remembrance of His blood which flowed from Calvary. That blood washes away our sins when we repent of them (confess aloud to God our sins and stop doing those things of which we have confessed and been forgiven for). 

    Come, eat and drink with me. The Spirit and the bride say,  Come. Let he who is thirsty, come. Revelation 22:17 "And The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is thirsty come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. 

    I am Christian and I'm calling you to come to the cross and see my Jesus. I'm calling you to walk with me and He. I'm calling you to the supper table. Come, take our hands, take up your cross and follow Jesus. It's the best hiking trip you'll ever take. 

    

    

I Am Christian's Soul - Part Two

 

    I am Christian's soul. My soul is comprised of my heart, my mind, my strength. These three things are so intertwined it is impossible to separate them. What and how I think takes place in my mind. Then my thoughts travel to my heart, where I may ponder them and consider my next action regarding my thoughts. How I put my thoughts into action comes from my attitude towards what I am thinking about. 

    My soul has a price, it has value. Because I have been purchased by the blood of The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, my soul belongs to Him. This redemptive process began when I believed on The Name of The Lord for my salvation. Now I am in the holiness stage where The Holy Spirit of God is making me holy, for without this holiness from God, I could not be with God. For He demands holiness from His people. 

    My 💙 is filled with the love of God, the agape kind of love, which is unconditional. No requirements are there to this love. When God loves us, He loves all of us. That's why He sent His Son, His Word, to us: that Jesus would Redeem us through His death and give us new life through His resurrection. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

    My 💙 contains my faith. My faith has come from hearing The Word of God in all its fulness and truth and applying it to my everyday way of life. When I waken, I thank Him for a new day and I praise Him for Who He Is. As I move through my day, He is with me by His Spirit, encouraging me in His Word and the music He provides to me.

    My 💙 is the seat of my emotions. I have known joy and I have known sorrow. I love, but I cannot hate. Compassion and mercy flow through me. I have both sympathy and empathy within me. A sympathetic heart commiserates with the unknown trials a person goes through. An empathetic heart, having gone through various trials, knows the value of the words spoken or unspoken in those given situations. 

    I am Christian and this is my heart. 

My 🤔 is sound and sober. Though a million thoughts may race through me at any given moment, the only thoughts that matter are the ones that stay. Memories live here briefly. Most remain in the heart. Some fade away with time. 

    Because I have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16), I am clear-minded and can see with clarity. No longer do I live in a rose-colored world, nor do I bury my head in the sand. I read and I watch. I am alert and aware of the events going on around me. But I am not afraid for God The Lord is with me. I live in anticipation of the soon and coming King, for I see prophecies being fulfilled before my eyes and I hear of great and mighty things happening not just in faraway places but right here up close and personal. 

    My 🤔 is focused on the job at hand, this field work which I have been given to do. Though some days I struggle, with The Lord so close to me, I am able to perform the task given. I never work alone. The Lord has given me many tasks in His Word. There are times when I can get more than one done at a time. Some of my tasks are woven into each other and are unbreakable. 

    His Word says to "seek first the kingdom of God", which means I need to know God first before I can go looking for His kingdom or even begin to increase His kingdom, advancing His cause across the regions. Knowing God:  Acts 17:24 "The God who made the world and everything in it is The Lord of heaven and earth, and does not live in temples made by hands." Know The Lord: Hebrews 8:11 "No longer will each one teach his neighbor or his brother, saying, 'Know The Lord,' because they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest."

    I am Christian and this is my mind.

    My strength, my attitude, is how I perceive that which is spoken to me and by me; it is how I process the things which I have heard and seen with my heart and my mind. I can live in despair and doubt or I can live in hope and faith. I choose to live in hope and faith. I choose to persevere and move forward regardless of the pain of movement or the knowledge that what lies ahead could be dangerous and life-threatening.

     My life does not belong to me, therefore nothing should stop me from pursuing the righteousness of Christ that I may obtain the crowns which He has for me; only to lay these crowns at His feet. For everything I have has been received from Him and it is only fit and due that I give it all back to Him. Attitude: Acts 20:24  "But I do not consider my life as something of value or dear to me, so that I may [with joy] finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify faithfully of the good news of God’s [precious, undeserved] grace [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life]."

    My strength, my attitude is my will: it is the "I want", the "I have to have it" and "I need" of a person's desire. I am Christian and I have surrendered my will to God's will. For I have learned, and am still learning, that Father knows best. Therefore, what I want is what God wants: that all people everywhere should be saved. Having surrendered my will to His has changed my prayer life. His strength is my joy and my salvation. 

    I am Christian's soul and I am constantly being attacked by Satan and the little darts he throws in my direction. My shield of faith must always be raised to block them. So I will stand firm on The Word of God and I will be His steadfast servant. For I have armed myself with The Word of God, The Love of God and The Hope of My Salvation. I am strong in The Lord and in the power of His might (Ephesians 6:10); I am fearless. Yet the enemies of my soul should live in fear of what Christ is doing through me and in me. 

    I am Christian's soul and I live in Christ Who lives in me. 

JESUS HAVE IT ALL - Jeremy Riddle
MAKE ROOM - Community Music

LIVING FOR JESUS 

The Lord Is Light

 

2 Peter 1:19

And we have the more certain prophetic word, to which you do well taking heed, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until this day shall have dawned and the morning star shall have arisen in your hearts,

2 Corinthians 4:6

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

John 1:14

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of The Only Begotten of The Father,) full of grace and truth.

    David writes in Psalm 27:1 that "The LORD is My Light and My Salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the Strength of My Life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Indeed, where Light shines there is no fear, there is no doubt, there is no one to be afraid of. For this Light is the Knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. And I love that face. By faith in my Savior I will see Him face to face one day. 

    This precious Knowledge we have been given is The Truth of God's Word and it sets us free from the entanglements of sin (John 8:32), releasing us to be joyful, content and rested. This Truth breaks chains, tears down walls of separation and division; it not only brings people into the family of God through the blood of Jesus Christ, but it splits families in two. 

    For where The Word is believed by one or two, it is come against by the many, yet we gain ground in the kingdom of God when we stand fast on His Word. To stand fast ON His Word is to trust Him fully, even when our situations look grim. To stand fast IN His Word is to have His Word enveloped around us, encompassing our every thought and move. We are saturated in the anointing of His precious Holy Spirit and God makes Himself known to us. 

    The LORD is My LIGHT. And My SALVATION. He SHINES in my heart and in my mind. He is The Strength of My Life. Without Him I would be nothing; I wouldn't even exist. He is my Breath for it is He Who gives me breath, gives me life, gives me everything. I am known by those who do not know me, for when they see me, they see JESUS. Sometimes even those who do know me, can just glance in my direction and say, 'She's been with The Lord.' 

    And when I see His Face, I will see His Light shine ever more brighter. In Him I am complete. In Him I am content. In Him I am the lighthouse out of which His LIGHT shines, to warn of the hidden dangers in the darkness of sin. 

    Can you see The Light? He is The Light of Christmas in the Christmas season. He is The Light of Salvation in the Resurrection. He is The Light of Life in the heart of every believer. Is this Light shining in your heart? Do others see Jesus in you? If you let only your light shine, the day will come when your light will be snuffed out: like a candle you will have shined briefly. But if you allow The Light of God, Jesus Christ, to shine in your heart and remove the darkness from within you, then your light becomes His Light and you will shine for Jesus evermore. 

    We sing This Little Light of Mine in Sunday School because we are aware that our lamps are small and frail. However, we also know that The Light that shines in us can spread to every heart who is seeking The Light. Then when our little lights unite, a great LIGHT shines. 

    I'm so glad His LIGHT shines in me and through me. Aren't you?

THRONE ROOM - Kim Walker-Smith

I AM THE LIGHTHOUSE 

SHINE JESUS SHINE - Vineyard Music