Part 3 .... The Sign of the CROSS.... in TRUTH+

  What Would JESUS , The TRUTH+,  Do ?
Message by Byron Miller, Wellspring Mennonite Church, Athens, TN.

Drawing by The ORDER of The GOOD SHEPHERD+

Think about the answer to the motto, or the words, "What Would Jesus Do ?" 

That motto is good, 

but I think 

often the answer 

would be 

more self-evident, 

be easier to discern, 

if GOD'S Kingdom was my consuming focus.

In other words, our selfish desires often bring us 

into compromising situations, 

into positions, 

that cause us to question 

what GOD really wants in a given situation.

SELF CLOUDS OUR MIND FROM TRUTH.

There is nothing that can cloud our mind more than

 allowing Self to be in control.

Do we really desire our will to be in subjection to any?  

Too often we do not want that; that is not our desire.  

The human-ness in us balks at that ; it does not want it.

 We can yield here, we can yield there, in different areas... as long as we can still be our own master.

But GOD'S strength comes only through submission. We can try many other things, many good things. 

But do we want GOD'S strength in our lives ?

 

Look at  Romans 6  ....

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  GOD forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?   Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into JESUS CHRIST were baptized into His+ death?

Therefore we are buried with Him+ by baptism into death: that like as CHRIST was raised up from the dead by the glory of the FATHER, even so we also should walk in newness of life.   For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His+ death, we shall be also in the likeness of His+ Resurrection:   Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him+ ...

I do not know that there were any survivors of crucifixion ,save one, CHRIST. 

HE+ died, but HE+ "survived" , later. 

Crucifixion is death.

...   that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.   For he that is dead is freed from sin.  

Now if we be dead with CHRIST, we believe that we shall also live with him:   Knowing that CHRIST being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him+. For in that HE+ died, HE+ died unto sin once: but in that HE+ liveth, HE+ liveth unto GOD.

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto GOD through JESUS CHRIST our LORD.

Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto GOD, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto GOD.

The call here is for Self to be

dead, 

buried,

crucified,

destroyed.

That is our Self, our will within.

Likewise reckon ye also yourselves 

to be dead indeed unto sin, 

but alive unto GOD    

through     

JESUS CHRIST our LORD.

What does it mean? How do I reckon ?

What exactly does that mean? 

Reckon means: account, credited as, account as dead, and to count in expectation, looking forward.

In exchange for our "death," these verses tell us 

we are planted, 

we are freed, 

alive, 

and 

... we are to be yielded. 

That is what HE+ wants for us, what HE+ will give us,  in exchange for our death. 

( Part 4 to be continued.) 

Dear Heavenly FATHER, 

From Whom all blessings flow, help me to be dead unto my Self ... in all aspects of my desires, my own will ... and alive only unto Thy Beloved SON+ JESUS CHRIST. 

O Holy FATHER, I call HIM+ "LORD,"   yet I do my own will so often. I neglect to submit my thoughts unto HIM+.  

I am careful to ask HIM+ to bless my plans... but I am forgetful to WAIT BEFORE HIM+ until I receive His+ approval  of those plans. 

Please help me to be regenerate in my mind, for the glory of Thy Holy SON+JESUS CHRIST, in Whose+ Name and by Whose+ strength I pray...  

Amen. 

Part 2.... The SIGN of the CROSS ... in the Inner Man

Drawing by The ORDER of the GOOD SHEPHERD+

Part  2 of Byron Miller's Message, Wellspring Mennonite Church,Athens, Tn

Who is in control ? 

Self will rationalize, it will deceive, it will twist facts. 

It will convince us that something is a "GOD-given right." 

How many times have we expressed that, or felt that, or heard that ? 

It is " a GOD-given right," we affirm .... 

in order for Self to retain that place in our heart.

As long as we look at things from our own perspective --- and not FROM GOD'S perspective --- that will be our mind-set.

Self on the Throne asks, "Will GOD punish me if I do that?" or "What is wrong with this ?" That is a pretty popular one: I am sure we have all heard that one and we have probably all said that, from time to time.

Well, What  is wrong with those sentiments, 

with those statements ?

The reality is, we should rather be saying, "Will this honor CHRIST, my Master ?  

" Am I the focus in my life ...or is CHRIST?

Instead, we say, "How will CHRIST enhance or make my life better ?"  --- or perhaps --- "How will CHRIST help me?"  

Now, not that HE+ will not, not that CHRIST does not, make our life better; yes, and we praise the LORD for that.

But... is "making my life easier or more comfortable" to be my focus, rather than building Christ's Kingdom?  

What can I do to honor my LORD and my GOD ? That should be my focus, our focus.

Too many times, though, we view the Christian life as, "What is it doing for me ? " rather than, "What can I do for The LORD ? "  How can I honor Him+ and build His+ Kingdom ?

In Philippians 2.... starting in verse 5

 Let this mind be in you, which was also in CHRIST JESUS:

Who+, being in the form of GOD, thought it not robbery to be equal with GOD: But made HIMSELF+ of no reputation, and took upon HIM+ the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, HE+ humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the CROSS.

While here on this earth, JESUS' ministry and His+ life-focus and everything that encompassed His+ Ministry here, was engulfed ...  was consumed ... with putting forward GOD'S kingdom.

 His+ focus was not on His+ own comforts. 

It was not all about "him," humanly-speaking. 

HE+ was not Self-centered, not even focused on His+ soon return to Heaven with all its glories and all its appeal. 

HE+ said to one would-be follower, "I do not even have a rock to lay My+ head on." And HE+ was the Creator of it all !

Now, can we get that mind-set, 

can we grasp how EMPTY of Self HE+ was ?

Oh Heavenly FATHER... 

How far I have strayed from the straight and narrow path, that for me to live is to empty my Self into Thy hands, unto Thy Will, for Thy good pleasure ! 

O LORD, help me not to be like those foolish maidens , so nonchalant about their coming LORD and Bridegroom.

Grant me the unction to sit quietly before THEE, to listen for Thy Word, to abide in stillness with THEE as my Beloved. 

Show me, O LORD, how to empty my Self and live unto CHRIST. 

How I long to see His+ Face ! 

Through the merits of Thy Beloved SON+, Our LORD and SAVIOR , JESUS the CHRIST, I pray. 

Amen

( To be continued to Part 3 )

xxx

The SIGN of the Cross .... brings LIFE in place of Death ! The Pascal LAMB+ Brought LIFE instead of Death. That is why we love HIM+ through our repentance and obedience. ~ ~ ~ Lenten Meditation (Please ignore airplane ).

The SIGN of the Cross ... Being Carried !

The PASCHA Preparation Season  

~ ~ ~ Commonly called Lenten Season ~ ~ ~

The SIGN of the CROSS... being carried !

The LORD, our RIGHTEOUSNESS

+  +  +

We have completed the season when most followers of Y'SHU+ the M'SHIKHA have forsaken their normal routines  and stopped --- at one point or another --- to remember His+ Incarnation, around the time of the Roman taxation of the Jews living under the rule of Rome in Israel  ... most likely after the time of the in-gathering of the fall harvest.

Whatever we choose to call it --- "Christmas" or "Advent" or The Incarnation+ Season --- , we simply remember the approximate time of His+ coming to earth, being born as a babe in a humble setting, and donning the human robe of flesh to become the SECOND ADAM+.

It pleased Our FATHER Who art in Heaven to deliver mankind from sin, death, the satan, Sheol, and the grave through Y'SHU+ the M'SHIKHA. 

Thus, HE+ became Incarnate as the SECOND ADAM+ to suffer human death ... but this human death was unlike any other: HE+ rose triumphant, bodily. 

Death had NO dominion over HIM+. Furthermore, neither did the satan because the wicked one could find NO UNRIGHTEOUSNESS in HIM+. Death, then , could not holdHIM+.

In addition to that wondrous fact, The Risen LORD was pleased to bring all the Righteous Dead out of Sheol withHIM+, taking captivity itself captive and moving it 

up... up... up ... 

out of the heart of the earth and into the Paradise of GOD (ALAHA ), which is in Heaven ... that Heaven in which no un-righteousness dwells.

According to Scripture, however , Our Incarnate LORD didsomething else for us when HE+ submitted to the Crucifixion ... something that some followers of Y'SHU+have missed !

Y'SHU+ the M'SHIKHA 

became the LAW INCARNATE+ 

... as precisely as HE+ had become The WORD+ Made Flesh, The Living MILTHA+ of ALAHA , as the Aramaic / Syriac states.

For, what IS the WORD+  .....

 but the LAW INCARNATE+ ? 

That WORD+ is the LIVING Word+ which became flesh and dwelt among man, full of Grace and Truth.

+  +  +

Yes, the LAW is dead. It does not give us LIFE, nor does The LAW of Moses helps us to obey it.

But wait... it still retains something precious for us. 

It retains GOD'S standard 

of RIGHT vs WRONG. 

Even though Our LORD fulfilled the LAW, HE+ did not change the standard of what GOD considers RIGHT and what GOD considers WRONG !

No, indeed, Our LORD JESUS CHRIST established the LAW.  

So, where did HE+ establish  it ? 

HE+ established the LAW in our hearts !

Let us pray: 

Forgive me LORD, for setting aside Thy+ Holy Word... The Word that was given to me for my perfection, for my understanding of RIGHT vs WRONG. 

Help me to understand where I sin against Thy+ Holiness. Help me to understand Thy+ Ways. 

I humble myself before Thy+ Holy Word, knowing I have fallen short of keeping it hallowed within my heart, that I might not transgress against THEE+. 

Show me Thy+ Standard as I read Thy+ LAW... and Thy+ Standard is JESUS. 

Through Whose+ Holy Name I pray... 

Amen. 

x

The SIGN of the CROSS

The Sign of the CROSS  Ash Wednesday  the beginning of PASCHA  The Preparation Season  commonly known as Lent  .

"The local church’s action is a witness of the 'New Evangelization' in which Pope Francis calls on Christians to proclaim peace in and for the world," says the pastor of St. Mark Catholic Church in Richmond, Kentucky.

From: Vision Vocation Network.org 

 Chritians are being persecuted

 in Iraq ( and elsewhere).

The  Christian sign is represented by the Arabic alphabet character for the letter “N.” 

The “N” stands for Nazarene and was first used by militants to identify property owned by Christians violently forced to leave Mosul, Iraq. Perhaps you have seen the symbol replacing friends Facebook profile pictures throughout the summer?

One of the more impressive signs of solidarity has come from St. Mark Catholic Church in Richmond, Kentucky, which has painted their West Main Street door with this Arabic symbol.

Father James Sichko, pastor of St. Mark, told the Richmond Register: “We are all Iraqi Christians. As Catholic Christians, the members of St. Mark stand together in defiance of genocide, of persecution, of hate and the slaughter of Christians anywhere.” 

Let these images and symbols continue to be a reminder ...

+

+

+

Now is My+ Soul troubled,

 and what shall I+ say, 

"FATHER, save ME+ from this hour?"

But for this cause came I+ unto this hour; 

FATHER, glorify Thy Name...

Meditation: 

   As we come face to face with the activities of those haters of CHRIST JESUS Our LORD, let us identify with our persecuted brothers and sisters.  

In  order to do that, we must FIRST identify with

 Our LORD and SAVIOR, Who+ was persecuted by the haters of GOD ... and Who+ still is. 

The haters of GOD, YHWH, the HOLY ONE of Israel, cannot "touch" Our LORD JESUS now, in the flesh. So, they are directed by demons to attack those who carry His+ Name.

During this PASCHA  season, let us bear the reproaches of them who reproached Our Lord, and suffer along with HIM+. 

Let us suffer along with our persecuted brethren across this dead and dying world. 

We will suffer  ...  if we stand for righteousness. 

Prepare your hearts to do so. 

     

Let us pray: 

O HOLY ONE+ of Israel,  we thank THEE+ for coming for "this" hour,  the hour of Thy+  Death. Help us to show our love for THEE+ by picking up our Cross, our "N" , and dying to Self for Thy+ Name's sake. 

Bless our efforts in this and keep us ever mindful of the dear ones who have already paid the price for following THEE+, and grant them sweet rest at Thy+ FATHER'S throne. 

In the Name of Our Suffering SAVIOR, The LORD JESUS CHRIST, we pray. 

Amen

John 12:26-28 ( Courtesy of Biblegateway.com)

²⁶ If any man serve ME+  let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

²⁷ Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour.

²⁸ Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.




*  The "mark" that looks like a dotted U on the door of the church is the Arabic letter that = N in English. It stands for "Nazarene" , which is what they call Christians in Arab lands.