Author Archive: Pastor Mark

Belong to You

I belong to You!

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These verses in chapter 119 cover the 9th through the 12th letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

Of course the primary theme is a focus upon the value and power of the word of God, His love and solicitous care of His Own and instruction to maintain our focus upon Him even in the face of adversity.

However, another theme seemed to surface in some of this psalmists musing which expressed not only an embracing of his humanity before His God, but a sense of belonging that took this notion even deeper and made it all the more tangible and endearing!

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Sin Mind Believer

Sin & the mind of the believer

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There is a vast difference between God’s children and the devil’s.

According to Jesus, when a child of the devil sins they are simply walking in agreement with their own spiritually dead nature. They WANT to do the will of their father the devil.

A child of God on the other hand has experienced a literal, spiritual rebirth.

They once were dead and now they are alive, they were darkness and now they are light in the Lord. Old things have passed away now EVERYTHING is of God. The seed of Jesus remains in them and so as John says, “They CANNOT sin, because they have been born of God”.

Contrary to what most commentators will tell you this does not mean they cannot sin as they once did (which is also true), but that from their new nature – BECAUSE of the seed of Christ within them – IF they sin, it is no longer coming from WHO THEY ARE as a reborn spirit but from their flesh and mind alone.

Galatians tells us that the flesh exercises strong desire against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. These are strongly opposing forces which makes it hard for a Christian to do what is right.

The decision to side with their flesh or with the influence of the Holy Spirit upon their spirit is made in the mind. THAT is why we are focused on the renewing of the mind in this series.

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Conform transform Metamorphoo

Don’t conform, Transform!

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Since bearing fruit unto the likness of Christ is the paramount thrust of the Gospel, we’ve turned our attention to the means by which this is accomplished.

Transformation begins by renewing the Mind. So we spent time in Romans 12:1-2 and James 1.

These two passages opent he door to our understanding of how transformation takes place in the life of a child of God to take ojn the likeness of Christ.

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Psalm 119

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things, revive me in Your way!

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This segment of Psalm 119 covers verses 25-64 which corresponds to the Hebrew letters Dalet – Khet.

Key points include the power of God’s words to renew our hearts, drawing them away from lowly and earthly things to heavenly things which possess real intrinsic value.

A few of the pictographs associated with these letters do fit well with the content of their individual sections, but not all.

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Fruit mind

It’s always been about the fruit!

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“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few”… a statement of Jesus most often quoted out of context as evangelistic.

In reality Jesus was talking about the lost sheep of the house of Israel. These people were already in covenant with God, but were wandering as sheep without a shepherd. The message of John the Baptist until the resurrection of Jesus was to prepare themselves and change their minds regarding the King and the Kingdom – because it was NEAR!

What was Jesus looking for in response to the message He and His disciples taught? Faith! Specifically faith in their Messiah! But they missed their opportunity.

Nowunder the New Covenant God has turned to the Gentiles as His living witnesses. The primary lesson being that regardless of the covenant, the harvest God is looking for is the fruit of faith and a changed life.

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