Hello and God’s Richest Blessings to all!
Well, we have gone through another year. What a year it has been. There have been many changes and many interesting things that have happened, not all of them good. However, our Lord has kept us! Whatever came, he did not leave us. His word promises, Hebrews 13:5 … for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. We know from this promise, that he is going to be with us throughout the coming New Year! My prayer is that each one reading this would continue to believe by faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ. He word says in 1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Such amazing words! Who would you rather be kept by? There is no other power on heaven and earth that can even come close to His power. We have His Word saying that He will keep us! Through faith unto salvation! And this faith is given by God. Ephes. 2:8 says
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: No beloved, there is nothing we can bring of our own that will merit us anything. Everything has been done, the victory is won. Let us go into this New Year knowing and understanding that ... in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Romans 8:37 We must give all honor and glory to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Thank You Lord for watching over us again!
I pray that each of you will stay in His Word during the upcoming year, and lean entirely upon Him by Faith! I pray for your families, churches, congregations, loved ones, and especially for the masses that do not yet know Jesus. I pray that you would be able to minister in a way that they would be able to come to know and understand that If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (KJV)
Oh that many new souls could believe the saving Gospel of our Lord Jesus in this coming year. Oh that they could believe with all believers that as in Philip. 4:7 the promise is..
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
May this Peace be yours this New Year!
In His Service
John Ruotsala
Your Foreign Mission Administrator
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." Isaiah 55:1
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Blessed Christmas!
Dear Readers! Merry Christmas and God’s Richest Blessings to each of you! I am praying that God gives each of you a very joyous Christmas season, one in which you can focus on the awesome gift of Life that God has given us through the gift of His Son. Our message today will be by Pastor Orval Wirkkala. Please enjoy! In Christ! John Ruotsala
Shall we open the Gift? 12/23/08
Good Morning, dear family.KJV 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.KJV 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.In the the Christmas narrative accounts found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke there are four “fear nots!’
To Zacharias KJV Luke 1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
To Joseph KJV Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
To Mary KJV Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
To the shepherds on Christmas eve. KJV Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Let us look at one of these people to whom the messenger spoke the comforting words, “Fear not.” According to most theologians, Mary was around 13-16 years old when the message of the Lord came to her through the voice of the angel, Gabriel. In Luke’s gospel, chapter 1, verse 27 we meet Mary for the first time in the scriptures and in the book of Acts, chapter 1, verse 14 we read the last mention of her. Here are the two scripture verses:KJV Luke 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.KJV Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. A brief study of her life reveals to us that she was a girl of faith, in that she believed that which God had said. In her song of praise which begins in Luke 1:46, it is evident that she knew the scriptures and had memorized them. How do we know this? We may conclude this by careful examination of the words that she was given to speak by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, for the bulk of her song of praise of the Lord is taken from the Old Testament scriptures. Therefore, because she believed she spoke, speaking from the abundance of her heart, speaking that which was grounded upon the truths of the Holy Bible. As I prayerfully spent some time in the Word with the prayer in my heart to get to know Mary better than I had known her before, the Lord was gracious to me and through the scriptures enabled me to do so. And consequently, through her life and testimony, I was able to see that she knew and loved Him, Whom she was to bear into this world. She was a prepared vessel of the Lord through whom many would come to be blessed and that “ he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1:48)Through all this, she remained a humble child of God, recognizing that the Lord, who is mighty, had done to her great things, and holy is his name. (Luke 1:49)Have we not been able to call her blessed ourselves, because of the example of faith and trust that she modeled, in that she believed the message from the messenger, which was sent from the portals of Glory? Yes, we have come to understand the blessing of having been granted the favor of grace that was bestowed upon her. It is the same favor that was poured out into the life of Joni Erickson Tada, which she herself spoke of in a couple of seasons of her life. After her diving accident which paralyzed her from the neck down, leaving her with only the use of her arms and not her hands, she wished that she could die. When she realized that this was not a possibility, she spoke to the Lord: “Lord, if I cannot die, you are going to have to show me how to live!” At this point she begin to work toward living and a number of years later as she was speaking to a large crowd, these words were spoken by her: “I would rather be in the wheel chair, and to know Jesus Christ, than to be a normal healthy woman and not know Jesus Christ!” In between these two times of her life, she had become acqainted with a young man, through whom Christ and his saving grace was revealed to and experienced by her. Mary trusted God to fulfill in her life that which was humanly impossible and that which would require divine intervention in order to come to pass. Joni trusted God to fulfill in her life that which was humanly impossible, which required the divine intervention of the Holy Spirit to enable her to live a life that was a blessed life of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Can we not say, that Christ was born into her heart and that she is called blessed by all those who have come to understand what the real blessings of Christmas are. For it is in the receiving and the opening of the gift that God has provided that the blessing is experienced. It is not experienced without the opening of it. A gift is not a gift until it is opened. Just this morning I spoke with my daughter who is in Morales, Guatemala, where she will be spending Christmas with a family that invited her to be with them for Christmas. She told me: “When they receive a gift from the States, they do not wait until Christmas to open it, but they tear into it right away.” May we do the same with the gift that the Lord has provided, tearing away the outward wrappings so that we may be able to see Him!!!Merry Christmas!
Pastor Orval Wirkkala
Shall we open the Gift? 12/23/08
Good Morning, dear family.KJV 1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.KJV 2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.In the the Christmas narrative accounts found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke there are four “fear nots!’
To Zacharias KJV Luke 1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
To Joseph KJV Matthew 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
To Mary KJV Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
To the shepherds on Christmas eve. KJV Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Let us look at one of these people to whom the messenger spoke the comforting words, “Fear not.” According to most theologians, Mary was around 13-16 years old when the message of the Lord came to her through the voice of the angel, Gabriel. In Luke’s gospel, chapter 1, verse 27 we meet Mary for the first time in the scriptures and in the book of Acts, chapter 1, verse 14 we read the last mention of her. Here are the two scripture verses:KJV Luke 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.KJV Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. A brief study of her life reveals to us that she was a girl of faith, in that she believed that which God had said. In her song of praise which begins in Luke 1:46, it is evident that she knew the scriptures and had memorized them. How do we know this? We may conclude this by careful examination of the words that she was given to speak by the revelation of the Holy Spirit, for the bulk of her song of praise of the Lord is taken from the Old Testament scriptures. Therefore, because she believed she spoke, speaking from the abundance of her heart, speaking that which was grounded upon the truths of the Holy Bible. As I prayerfully spent some time in the Word with the prayer in my heart to get to know Mary better than I had known her before, the Lord was gracious to me and through the scriptures enabled me to do so. And consequently, through her life and testimony, I was able to see that she knew and loved Him, Whom she was to bear into this world. She was a prepared vessel of the Lord through whom many would come to be blessed and that “ he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1:48)Through all this, she remained a humble child of God, recognizing that the Lord, who is mighty, had done to her great things, and holy is his name. (Luke 1:49)Have we not been able to call her blessed ourselves, because of the example of faith and trust that she modeled, in that she believed the message from the messenger, which was sent from the portals of Glory? Yes, we have come to understand the blessing of having been granted the favor of grace that was bestowed upon her. It is the same favor that was poured out into the life of Joni Erickson Tada, which she herself spoke of in a couple of seasons of her life. After her diving accident which paralyzed her from the neck down, leaving her with only the use of her arms and not her hands, she wished that she could die. When she realized that this was not a possibility, she spoke to the Lord: “Lord, if I cannot die, you are going to have to show me how to live!” At this point she begin to work toward living and a number of years later as she was speaking to a large crowd, these words were spoken by her: “I would rather be in the wheel chair, and to know Jesus Christ, than to be a normal healthy woman and not know Jesus Christ!” In between these two times of her life, she had become acqainted with a young man, through whom Christ and his saving grace was revealed to and experienced by her. Mary trusted God to fulfill in her life that which was humanly impossible and that which would require divine intervention in order to come to pass. Joni trusted God to fulfill in her life that which was humanly impossible, which required the divine intervention of the Holy Spirit to enable her to live a life that was a blessed life of peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Can we not say, that Christ was born into her heart and that she is called blessed by all those who have come to understand what the real blessings of Christmas are. For it is in the receiving and the opening of the gift that God has provided that the blessing is experienced. It is not experienced without the opening of it. A gift is not a gift until it is opened. Just this morning I spoke with my daughter who is in Morales, Guatemala, where she will be spending Christmas with a family that invited her to be with them for Christmas. She told me: “When they receive a gift from the States, they do not wait until Christmas to open it, but they tear into it right away.” May we do the same with the gift that the Lord has provided, tearing away the outward wrappings so that we may be able to see Him!!!Merry Christmas!
Pastor Orval Wirkkala
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Greetings of God’s Blessed Peace!
Well, this week has been very interesting. Where I live in New Hampshire, USA, we got hit by a severe ice storm last Thursday night. This ice on the trees became so heavy that very many of them broke and fell on the power lines, causing very much damage. We have been in the dark every since this has happened. We are not used to living without electricity in the USA. However, it has been a blessed time as well. In a disaster such as this, people have helped one another with whatever need they have had. The communities have come together and the huge job that was placed before us by the storm is being completed quite quickly because so many are willing to help. It may still be possibly a week or so more before we get electricity back, but Lord willing all will be well!
This experience has shown us so many spiritual pictures. First of all, at this time of year, our trees are all without leaves. They are bare and quite unattractive. However, when covered by ice, they all became beautiful to look at. This to me is a picture of being covered by the Blood of Jesus. He is our total covering, so therefore, all of our unattractiveness due to sin is covered. When we believe by faith all of our sins forgiven in and by the Name and Shed Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are all covered. In Rev. 7:14 His word says,
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
What a blessed thought that all those who are believers are alike when covered by the Blood of Christ! All of these icy branches looked equally beautiful when the glorious light of the Sun of the day came and shone upon them. They were dazzlingly beautiful. This is how the Redeemed look to God in Heaven! When we are covered by Jesus’s Blood, he sees only that beauty and no longer looks upon our sins.
Also, the working together to get so much work done in our area, reminds me of how as Christians we must work together for the furtherance of HIS Gospel. This is HIS word that we need to spread. These are God’s children that we desire to feed, to help, and to comfort. All of us need each other both spiritually and naturally. Remember, we are all in this battle together. We need each other.
There are many more lessons learned from this big storm, but I will just share on more with you. That is, things can change very fast, and even when we least expect it. Last Thursday night, we had lights, heat, food, and all that we needed. Suddenly it was all taken away by natural event. Things can change very fast. Whatever condition we are in during this life, we can remember according to God’s word that it is temporary and it shall surely pass! But there is one thing that will never pass, God’s word says in
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. God’s word in eternal and we are so secure in this fact. If we stay in His Word and stick to His promises, we will be safe and secure in the storms in this life, and we will be safely on our way to eternal bliss and joy in Heaven above, where we will all be in one community together worshipping our Lord eternally!
In The Precious Name of Jesus
John Ruotsala
Your Foreign Mission Administrator.
Well, this week has been very interesting. Where I live in New Hampshire, USA, we got hit by a severe ice storm last Thursday night. This ice on the trees became so heavy that very many of them broke and fell on the power lines, causing very much damage. We have been in the dark every since this has happened. We are not used to living without electricity in the USA. However, it has been a blessed time as well. In a disaster such as this, people have helped one another with whatever need they have had. The communities have come together and the huge job that was placed before us by the storm is being completed quite quickly because so many are willing to help. It may still be possibly a week or so more before we get electricity back, but Lord willing all will be well!
This experience has shown us so many spiritual pictures. First of all, at this time of year, our trees are all without leaves. They are bare and quite unattractive. However, when covered by ice, they all became beautiful to look at. This to me is a picture of being covered by the Blood of Jesus. He is our total covering, so therefore, all of our unattractiveness due to sin is covered. When we believe by faith all of our sins forgiven in and by the Name and Shed Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are all covered. In Rev. 7:14 His word says,
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
What a blessed thought that all those who are believers are alike when covered by the Blood of Christ! All of these icy branches looked equally beautiful when the glorious light of the Sun of the day came and shone upon them. They were dazzlingly beautiful. This is how the Redeemed look to God in Heaven! When we are covered by Jesus’s Blood, he sees only that beauty and no longer looks upon our sins.
Also, the working together to get so much work done in our area, reminds me of how as Christians we must work together for the furtherance of HIS Gospel. This is HIS word that we need to spread. These are God’s children that we desire to feed, to help, and to comfort. All of us need each other both spiritually and naturally. Remember, we are all in this battle together. We need each other.
There are many more lessons learned from this big storm, but I will just share on more with you. That is, things can change very fast, and even when we least expect it. Last Thursday night, we had lights, heat, food, and all that we needed. Suddenly it was all taken away by natural event. Things can change very fast. Whatever condition we are in during this life, we can remember according to God’s word that it is temporary and it shall surely pass! But there is one thing that will never pass, God’s word says in
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. God’s word in eternal and we are so secure in this fact. If we stay in His Word and stick to His promises, we will be safe and secure in the storms in this life, and we will be safely on our way to eternal bliss and joy in Heaven above, where we will all be in one community together worshipping our Lord eternally!
In The Precious Name of Jesus
John Ruotsala
Your Foreign Mission Administrator.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
"Go ye into all the world..."
Hello Readers!
God’s Peace!
This week I have been very busy, since the Foreign Mission had their bi-annual meetings. These are over now, but now there is a lot of work to do to catch up on, as well as to act upon those decisions made at the meeting. There was one common thought that ran throughout the meeting. All of the Foreign Mission Board members have a common goal and desire. That is to be obedient to the words of our Lord when He said in Mark 16:15 - Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. This is state stated goal, desire and purpose of the Foreign Mission of the Apostolic Lutheran Church of America.
However, since the world is so large, and there is so little time, we realize that a few pastors cannot do all this preaching. In Romans 10:14 it says …… and how shall they hear without a preacher? The Foreign Mission is so grateful to our Lord that He has provided many preachers in their own lands, to share in this work. We desire to continue and expand the process of using qualified preachers with a true understanding of Living Faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, to help us spread this Gospel in the various countries.
The Foreign Mission holds regular pastors and church leader training seminars in many places. For instance, there will be these training sessions coming up within the next few months in India, Guatemala, Togo, and some other West African countries. Also in January 09 we will be having seminars in The Philippines. If you are interested, just ask me for exact dates, and I will provide them as soon as possible. Please dear reader, if you can attend these conferences and seminars, please do so.
I am sure it is your desire, as it is our desire, to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Truth and Purity. Let us not go forth on our own power, but go forth by the power given to us from God in Heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All of this Foreign Mission work is very expensive. However, this is the Lord’s work, and we are trying to be obedient to His call. Pray earnestly that our donations will increase in this very poor economy that we now have. Unfortunately it takes a lot of money to be able to do all these tasks, and right now we are very short on funds. So please PRAY for us in this regard also.
The battle for Souls rages on in this dark world. The devil wants to win, but we have nothing to fear if we are in Christ, for scripture tells us in Romans 8:39 (KJV)
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
May you be always found in His Love!
In Christ, John “Your Foreign Mission administrator.” jthree16@comcast.net www.themissionsite.com
God’s Peace!
This week I have been very busy, since the Foreign Mission had their bi-annual meetings. These are over now, but now there is a lot of work to do to catch up on, as well as to act upon those decisions made at the meeting. There was one common thought that ran throughout the meeting. All of the Foreign Mission Board members have a common goal and desire. That is to be obedient to the words of our Lord when He said in Mark 16:15 - Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. This is state stated goal, desire and purpose of the Foreign Mission of the Apostolic Lutheran Church of America.
However, since the world is so large, and there is so little time, we realize that a few pastors cannot do all this preaching. In Romans 10:14 it says …… and how shall they hear without a preacher? The Foreign Mission is so grateful to our Lord that He has provided many preachers in their own lands, to share in this work. We desire to continue and expand the process of using qualified preachers with a true understanding of Living Faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, to help us spread this Gospel in the various countries.
The Foreign Mission holds regular pastors and church leader training seminars in many places. For instance, there will be these training sessions coming up within the next few months in India, Guatemala, Togo, and some other West African countries. Also in January 09 we will be having seminars in The Philippines. If you are interested, just ask me for exact dates, and I will provide them as soon as possible. Please dear reader, if you can attend these conferences and seminars, please do so.
I am sure it is your desire, as it is our desire, to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Truth and Purity. Let us not go forth on our own power, but go forth by the power given to us from God in Heaven, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
All of this Foreign Mission work is very expensive. However, this is the Lord’s work, and we are trying to be obedient to His call. Pray earnestly that our donations will increase in this very poor economy that we now have. Unfortunately it takes a lot of money to be able to do all these tasks, and right now we are very short on funds. So please PRAY for us in this regard also.
The battle for Souls rages on in this dark world. The devil wants to win, but we have nothing to fear if we are in Christ, for scripture tells us in Romans 8:39 (KJV)
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
May you be always found in His Love!
In Christ, John “Your Foreign Mission administrator.” jthree16@comcast.net www.themissionsite.com
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Serving the Lord!
Hello Readers!
God’s Peace! As I sat down to write this article this week, I decided to check over some of the other articles given to me to include in this blog. I came across this one by Pastor Rod Johnson that I thought very fitting, as so many of you are faithfully in the service of the Lord in your own countries. I trust that you will be encouraged by the message and in your service in HIS KINGDOM! In Christ, John “Your Foreign Mission administrator.” Jthree16@comcast.net www.themissionsite.com
Serving the Lord!
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1-2
Our Christianity is expressed in love toward God as well as in love toward our neighbor. These working together are spiritual acts of worship because through them we are serving God. This should not to be considered as a heavy demand, but rather those done with a willing heart, mind and spirit in love. Christianity requires living it, not only believing and thinking about it, but Faith expressing itself in love and obedience to the Word of God with Jesus Christ being Lord of every area of our life.
The Apostle Paul in this chapter gives guidelines for living as a redeemed people in a fallen world. Therefore: As a result of the work of grace, having received the gift of faith, it is expected that we become living sacrifices because we possess a new life in the Holy Spirit. That we may be able to follow Jesus daily laying aside our own human desires This we endeavor to do out of gratitude that our sins have been forgiven through the Blood of the Cross of Jesus Christ. A living sacrifice of love without hypocrisy!
Our ‘reasonable service’, which is a spiritual act of worship, is not a mere ritual activity, BUT the involvement of heart, mind and will. NOT a pronouncement of a great spiritual dictate or command, BUT rather an encouragement to so live life as Jesus Christ directs us in “Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves”. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4
We are led to become a ‘transformed people by the renewing of the mind’, living to honor and obey the Lord Jesus. Being transformed is to exhibit a markedly changed nature; of thought and will relating to morality, God’s Word, our neighbor and our attitudes. Changed from: self-serving, selfish, greedy, lustful, vengeful, angry, sinners -- To: Those who are under the control of the Holy Spirit endeavoring to live by the Spirit in love to God and man. Why? Because He gave His Son to make this new live possible. Therefore, we should with joy give ourselves for His service.
The threefold enemy, the devil, the world and our flesh, constantly project the world’s immorality with its corruptive ways into our lives. Therefore, NOT conforming to this world's values must go deeper than the level of behavior and customs--it must also be firmly planted in our minds--"by the transforming of the mind." We recognize that it is possible to avoid many worldly customs and still be proud, covetous, selfish, stubborn, and arrogant. Only by the Holy Spirit’s renewal, can we be truly transformed. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:5
By so living, “…Ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” and that Jesus Christ is Lord because “The world can see we are Christians by our love.”
Serving the Lord together with you,
In Christ Jesus,
God’s Peace!
Pr. Rod
Please let me know how you are doing! I wish to pray for each servant that is the work of the Lord! Thanks, John
God’s Peace! As I sat down to write this article this week, I decided to check over some of the other articles given to me to include in this blog. I came across this one by Pastor Rod Johnson that I thought very fitting, as so many of you are faithfully in the service of the Lord in your own countries. I trust that you will be encouraged by the message and in your service in HIS KINGDOM! In Christ, John “Your Foreign Mission administrator.” Jthree16@comcast.net www.themissionsite.com
Serving the Lord!
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:1-2
Our Christianity is expressed in love toward God as well as in love toward our neighbor. These working together are spiritual acts of worship because through them we are serving God. This should not to be considered as a heavy demand, but rather those done with a willing heart, mind and spirit in love. Christianity requires living it, not only believing and thinking about it, but Faith expressing itself in love and obedience to the Word of God with Jesus Christ being Lord of every area of our life.
The Apostle Paul in this chapter gives guidelines for living as a redeemed people in a fallen world. Therefore: As a result of the work of grace, having received the gift of faith, it is expected that we become living sacrifices because we possess a new life in the Holy Spirit. That we may be able to follow Jesus daily laying aside our own human desires This we endeavor to do out of gratitude that our sins have been forgiven through the Blood of the Cross of Jesus Christ. A living sacrifice of love without hypocrisy!
Our ‘reasonable service’, which is a spiritual act of worship, is not a mere ritual activity, BUT the involvement of heart, mind and will. NOT a pronouncement of a great spiritual dictate or command, BUT rather an encouragement to so live life as Jesus Christ directs us in “Loving our neighbor as we love ourselves”. “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” Romans 6:4
We are led to become a ‘transformed people by the renewing of the mind’, living to honor and obey the Lord Jesus. Being transformed is to exhibit a markedly changed nature; of thought and will relating to morality, God’s Word, our neighbor and our attitudes. Changed from: self-serving, selfish, greedy, lustful, vengeful, angry, sinners -- To: Those who are under the control of the Holy Spirit endeavoring to live by the Spirit in love to God and man. Why? Because He gave His Son to make this new live possible. Therefore, we should with joy give ourselves for His service.
The threefold enemy, the devil, the world and our flesh, constantly project the world’s immorality with its corruptive ways into our lives. Therefore, NOT conforming to this world's values must go deeper than the level of behavior and customs--it must also be firmly planted in our minds--"by the transforming of the mind." We recognize that it is possible to avoid many worldly customs and still be proud, covetous, selfish, stubborn, and arrogant. Only by the Holy Spirit’s renewal, can we be truly transformed. “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:5
By so living, “…Ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” and that Jesus Christ is Lord because “The world can see we are Christians by our love.”
Serving the Lord together with you,
In Christ Jesus,
God’s Peace!
Pr. Rod
Please let me know how you are doing! I wish to pray for each servant that is the work of the Lord! Thanks, John
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