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Philippians 4:8
Message No. 0666 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca
When we surrender our lives to Christ, God injects in us a regenerated mind. He expects our minds to go back to what He created originally – a heart that fellowships with Him and longs after Him always. In 2 Corinthians chapter 5 verse 17, the Bible says:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Okay, all things are new, but do we have any roles in keeping them new? There are many doctrines out there about what a Christian should and should not be. Some believe that once you are born again you are free to do what you like. They quote Bible passages saying there is freedom in Christ, and you are no longer bound, which is lovely, and they also quote passages saying we are no longer under the law, which is also good. The problem is, they interpret freedom in ways that Christ never intended.
God raised up Paul by design, knowing that he would be very hardworking and very forthright in addressing heresies and the mixture of the desires of the flesh with people’s newfound faith in Christ. If Paul hadn’t emerged at the time he did, the solid teachings that taught Christians how to be Christians may have been lacking and that omission could have allowed people to define the faith in their own terms. God used Paul to write many letters to the churches of those days, to confront the works of the devil, who was busy engineering the destruction of the church.
Among the things Paul had to confront head-on was sexual immorality, with a special version that was not even heard among the heathen. In 1 Corinthians 5:1, Paul wrote:
It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife.
This means that even godless people were more moral than the church and some Christians thought that it was okay. Another vice that Paul confronted was lack of unity. In 1 Corinthians 3:3-4, he wrote:
For you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
In some instances, it was too much for Paul and he had to list out in clear terms the evil practices that were tolerated in the church and to condemn them sharply and unambiguously. Look at what he wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11:
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
In order to keep our regenerated minds and help us to live the life that we ought to live in Christ, Paul instructs that we focus our thoughts on the right things because, as the Bible says, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. In Philippians chapter 4 verses 8 and 9, Paul concluded his writing with the following:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
So, where is your heart and what are your thoughts? Because if we are not careful, the church will find itself back in the days of Paul when there was so much confusion regarding what was acceptable in the church and what was not. Our world today is probably back to the days of Lot already and the gradual degeneration of society certainly affects the church, since the church is made up of people from the society.
But the abominable practices that are being boldly acclaimed in our days don’t have to consume us. We don’t have to fall victims of the push from the society to have the church water down our beliefs by welcoming, with open arms, what God condemns in unequivocal terms. It’s time to put to practice whatever we have learned or received, or heard from Christ, and from Paul. It’s time to think about these things.
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PLEASE ACT NOW:
If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
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