The Path of Coming to Maturity is SELF-CONTROL

The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT

Podcast Episode: The Fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT – SELF-CONTROL #1

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, AND SELF-CONTROL. There is no law against these things.” [Galatians 5:22-23 NLT]

We need to understand that love is the first characteristic of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is well placed at the head of the list, for it permeates all the rest of the attributes. Somehow, if we live a life of love, the other virtues will attend us all the days of our lives. Love is the key that unlocks the entire fruit basket of Galatians 5:22-23, as well as permeating in the LOVE Chapter of the book of 1 Corinthians 13 – New Testament – in the Bible.

In John 14:6-7 NLT says, “6 Jesus told him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me. 7 If you had really known Me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!”

In John 3:16-17 NLT says, “16 “For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him.”

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Love God, Love People, and Make Disciples,

Pastor/Chaplain Elias Aguilar Busuego Jr PhD DTM

Founding Pastor – Home Fellowship Churches – https://homefellowshipchurches.org

Chaplain – American Legion (AL) District 10 – Texas, AL Post 302 Hutto, TX, formerly at AL Post 447 Round Rock, TX

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David and Bathsheba

2 Samuel 11:1-5 NLT says, “1 In the spring of the year, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites. They destroyed the Ammonite army and laid siege to the city of Rabbah. However, David stayed behind in Jerusalem. 2 Late one afternoon, after his midday rest, David got out of bed and was walking on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking a bath. 3 He sent someone to find out who she was, and he was told, “She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” 4 Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her. She had just completed the purification rites after having her menstrual period. Then she returned home. 5 Later, when Bathsheba discovered that she was pregnant, she sent David a message, saying, “I’m pregnant.”

Winter is the rainy season in Israel, the time when crops are planted. Spring was a good time to go to war because the roads were dry, making travel easier for troop movements, supply wagons, and chariots. In Israel, wheat and barley were ready to be harvested in the spring. These crops were an important food source for traveling armies.

At the time when kings go forth to battle – having dealt with the Syrians who supported Ammon, Israel could now attend to Rabbah over the humiliating matter of the emissaries (2 Samuel 10:25). Among the ancient Near Eastern peoples the Assyrians were the most compulsive record-keepers: almost all of their wars were begun in the period April June, or spring. David sent Joab, and his servants . . . they destroyed the children of Ammon – It was not incumbent on David as king to lead the army: he had a superb general in Joab. It is plain in 2 Samuel 21:17 that David’s commanders were worried lest he be killed. For a discussion of the organization of the army (see 1 Chronicles 27:1).

If any army could not capture a walled city by frontal attack or by a ruse of some sort, a full-scale siege followed. The soldiers pitched camp, seized all the roads and watering places near the city, and waited until hunger and thirst overcame the inhabitants. En route to the campsite near Rabbah, the Israelites most certainly devastated everything in their path of advance, to prevent trouble behind their lines and also to provide themselves with more food and supplies (2 Kings 3:24, 25). The Assyrians and Egyptians used various siege equipment, including ramps, battering-rams, sapping and scaling ladders. The defenders responded with stones, arrows, firebrands, and boiling water or oil (2 Samuel 10:8).

David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house – The Hebrews, like other Near Easterners, arose at daybreak, and in the heat of the summer, at least (May October), took a nap or rest during the heat of the day. Palestinian houses were built with flat roofs. Toward the end of the day these rooftops were the coolest, freshest place to sit and relax (Judges 3:20). David’s palace has never been found by archaeologists, and even its location is unknown. Almost certainly, however, it was built on a high point in the Old City and looked down upon the houses of administrators, officers of his army, and other leading citizens. Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 587 B.C. and by the Romans in A.D. 70 and 135. Excavations at Ophel in the 1970s and 1980s have unearthed architectural remains from David and Solomon’s day, but it is impossible to determine at present if these remains were part of the palace (Shiloh).

A woman washing herself – lit. “Purifying herself,” probably following her menstrual period (Leviticus 15:19-24). Performing the ritual ablutions on the roof of her house has led some to regard Bathsheba’s actions as calculated so as to be noticed.

In the episode with Bathsheba, David allowed himself to fall deeper and deeper into sin. (1) David abandoned his purpose by staying home from war (2 Samuel 11:1). (2) He focused on his own desires (2 Samuel 11:2). (3) When temptation came, he looked into it instead of turning away from it (2 Samuel 11:3). (4) He sinned deliberately (2 Samuel 11:4). (5) He tried to cover up his sin by deceiving others (2 Samuel 11:6-15). (6) He committed murder to continue the cover-up (2 Samuel 11:15, 17). Eventually, David’s sin was exposed (2 Samuel 12:9) and punished (2 Samuel 12:10-14). (7) The consequences of David’s sin were far-reaching, affecting many others (2 Samuel 11:17; 12:11, 14, 15).

A king must not forget the obligation of his office. A time when “kings go off to war,” David didn’t. A true king does not despise the discipline of kings. His crown is forbearance; his scepter or sword of state, self-control.

David could have chosen to stop and turn from evil at any stage along the way. But once sin gets started, it is difficult to stop (James 1:14-15). The deeper the mess, the less we want to admit having caused it. It’s much easier to stop sliding down a hill when we are near the top than when we are halfway down. The best solution is to stop sin before it starts. Amen!

“Taking a load off” is how our comfort-loving society phrases it. But taking a load off leads to secondary indulgences that the king/president/prime minister allows himself while enjoying the castle/white house/palace comforts instead of living in the open field.

At ease morally, king David watches one of his soldier’s wives take a bath. And watching Bathsheba begets lusting, and lusting begets adultery, which results in a pregnancy, a murder and a huge cover-up operation that the king institutes to hide his sin and protect his reputation. When indulgence comes into our lives, self-control leaves by the back door. In David’s case, a great write of many psalms and praises to God is debased or humiliated, disgraced, or degraded to an indulgent adulterer.

Once we permit ourselves one sin and squelch or kill our inner remorse, that remorse loses its voice. We commit other sins, leading to a spiral of despair. The only hope we have is to make self-control the keeper of our inner lives. Our path to maturity in our Lord Jesus Christ is paved by self-control. It is God’s instrument, given by Him, to lead us to victory. Amen!

God Was Warning All His People

In Proverbs 5:15-20 NLT says, “15 Drink water from your own well – share your love only with your wife. 16 Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone? 17 You should reserve it for yourselves. Never share it with strangers. 18 Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. 19 She is a loving deer, a graceful doe.” Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love. 20 Why be captivated, my son, by an immoral woman,
or fondle the breasts of a promiscuous woman?”

Reading Proverbs Chapter 5 and Verses 3 – 8 described that this “immoral woman” is a prostitute. Proverbs includes many warnings against illicit sex for several reasons. First, a prostitute’s charm is used as an example of any temptation to do wrong or to leave the pursuit of wisdom. Second, sexual immorality of any kind was and still is extremely dangerous. It destroys family life. It erodes a person’s ability to love. It degrades human beings and turns them into objects. It can lead to disease. It can result in unwanted children. Third, sexual immorality is against God’s law.

Any person should be on guard against those who use flattery and smooth talk (lips that “are sweet as honey”) that would lead him or her into sin. The best advice is to take a detour and even avoid conversation with such people.

In Proverbs 5:15 – 20 warned us – “Drink water from your own well” is a picture of faithfulness in marriage. It means to enjoy the spouse God has given us. In desert lands, water is precious, and a well is a family’s most important possession.

In Old Testament times, it was considered a crime to steal water from someone else’s well, just as it was a crime to have intercourse with another man’s wife. In both cases, the offender is endangering the health and security of family.

In contrast to much of what we read, see, and hear today, this passage urges couples to look to each other for lifelong satisfaction and companionship. Many temptations entice husbands and wives to leave their spouses when marriage becomes dull and find excitement and pleasures elsewhere. But God designed marriage and sanctified it, and only within this covenant relationship can we find real love and fulfillment.

The purposes of God are for each of us to live consistently in love with Him. Loving God will result in sexual purity. And sexual purity makes us the kind of vessel God can use. In a day and age when sexual purity has been redefined as “loving consent” between two adults – any two adults – do we dare ask what the Bible has to say? Christians can ill-afford to live any other way.

This metaphor on fidelity in marriage is one of the most powerful in Scripture. It reminds us that in every marriage sexual fidelity is the hallmark of God’s blessing. To drink water from our own cistern means that we have agreed with God that we are willing to practice sexual self-control and that any suggestion of sexual infidelity injures not just our relationship with God but also with our fellow human beings as well. Yet in every age, the temptation to be unfaithful endures.

Indeed, we cannot live out God’s purpose for our lives while we indulge in immorality. God requires a clean vessel into which He can pour His purposes. Self-control allows us to hear God’s voice. Without this voice, we are depraved and incapable of holiness. Don’t let God’s best for you be wasted on the illusion of greener pastures somewhere else. Instead, rejoice with your spouse as you give yourselves to God and to each other. Amen!

God’s Testing of Job

In Job 23:10 NLT says, “But He knows where I am going. And when He tests me, I will come out as pure as gold.”

Job continued his questioning, saying that his suffering would be more bearable if only he knew why it was happening. If there was sin for which he could repent, he would! He knew about the wicked and the fact that they would be punished; he knew God could vindicate him if He so chose.

In all his examples of the wicked in the world, his overriding desire was for God to clear his name, prove his righteousness, and explain why he was chosen to receive all this calamity. Job tried to make his friends see that questions about God, life, and justice are not as simple as they assumed.

Job says that God has “tested” us so that we can “come forth as gold.” Trials do indeed refine us as if in a fire. One can imagine a clump of gold ore protesting in the foundry. The metallurgist would seem cruel as he heated the gold almost beyond endurance. But as the gold is smelted in the heat and the flame, it is purified into real, true metal without any flaws.

Yet, who is so mature that he or she welcomes the refining fire? Almost no one. The discipline of God hurts. Hebrews reminds us that God’s discipline is on our behalf. “God disciplines us for our good, which we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:10-11).

Almost every time we meet a great believer whose life has been schooled in holiness, that believer has passed through the furnaces of God. Our souls have wept, and our tears have purified our worldviews, our value systems, and our hearts. Then, tried and cleansed, we have moved freely into a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ that is more powerful than it was before our trials. We are at home in the presence and fellowship of God, for we are heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, more like Him that we could ever have dreamed possible. Amen!

Lord Jesus Christ Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy

In Mark 9:14-18, 28-29 NLT says, “14 When they returned to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd surrounding them, and some teachers of religious law were arguing with them. 15 When the crowd saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with awe, and they ran to greet Him. 16 “What is all this arguing about?” Jesus asked. 17 One of the men in the crowd spoke up and said, “Teacher, I brought my son so you could heal him. He is possessed by an evil spirit that won’t let him talk. 18 And whenever this spirit seizes him, it throws him violently to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So, I asked your disciples to cast out the evil spirit, but they couldn’t do it.”

28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with His disciples, they asked Him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?” 29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.”

The disciples in this passage are trying to climb Mount Everest while practicing their spiritual disciplines on an anthill. Our Lord Jesus Christ tells them that some exercises can only be achieved by those who have conditioned themselves to trust in God for their help. Only those who will allow the Lordship of God to rule in their lives will have access to the great power of God.

We are not told whether the disciples were annoyed that their easy-come-easy-go spirituality wouldn’t hold up when they were face-to-face with Satan. But their failure should speak clearly to us. The greatest achievements of the saints are always the outgrowth of total commitment.

The symptoms described by the father sound much like an epileptic convulsion, but the destructive intent of the demon described in Mark 9:22 reveals that this was more than mere epilepsy. Having heard of our Lord Jesus Christ’s power to cast out demons, the father had come to our Lord Jesus Christ, hoping for a cure for his son. Not being able to find our Lord Jesus Christ, he had asked the disciples to cast out the evil spirit, an appropriate request since the disciples had been given this power and had recently returned from a preaching tour where they had demonstrated that power (Mark 6:7, 13). The disciples couldn’t do it, however. This perplexed and upset them (our Lord Jesus Christ explained why in Mark 9:28-29). It also caused a commotion with the crowd and an argument with the Jewish leaders (Mark 9:14) who were seeking to discredit Jesus Christ.

What are the requirements that make for utter or complete discipline? Paul rehearses the rigors of such discipleship with Timothy: “Endure hardship with us like a good soldier Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3). A soldier or marines are one who has trained and prepared for battle. A soldier or a marine is familiar with weapons and ready to fight to the death. Does our spiritual walk make us look like boot camp recruits? Or do we find that our discipline has grown soft and ineffectual?

In Mark Chapter 9 Verses 28-29 described the disciples must have been very perplexed. They had cast out demons before (Mark 6:7, 13); why hadn’t this demon responded? Our Lord Jesus Christ pointed to their lack of faith. Perhaps the disciples had tried to drive out the demon with their own ability rather than God’s. If so, their hearts and minds were not in tune with God, so their words had no power. Their question revealed their error; they centered on themselves (“we”), not on Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ explained that this kind can be cast out only by prayer, and the disciples had not depended on God’s power through prayer. God’s power must be requested and relied upon in each instance. This presents a strong message to our present-day church: Arguing among ourselves disables (Mark 9:14); prayer enables. The disciples had been debating and not praying and fasting.

Prayer is the key that unlocks and reveals faith. Effective prayer needs both an attitude of complete dependence and the action of asking. Prayer demonstrates complete reliance on God. Thus, there is no substitute for prayer, especially in situations that seem impossible. Often the disciples would face difficult situations that could be resolved only through prayer and fasting. Their humiliation made this a painful lesson to learn.

To achieve the extraordinary in discipleship, our self-control must also be extraordinary. We can only have victory over Satan when we have triumphed over spiritual laziness in our lives. Our Lord Jesus Christ remarks that only those who resolve to keep their relationship with God strong can ever wage war effectively against Satan.

Those who want to achieve great things for God need to practice the great disciplines of spirituality. Our Lord Jesus Christ said that prayer and devotion to God are the real evidences of a robust inner faith. Self-control is the first step of spiritual discipline. We must practice and prepare ourselves for the coming battles. If we cannot control our appetites, we can hardly be expected to enter into spiritual combat that tries even the souls of those who pray and fast. Amen!

David True Confession

In Psalm 51:1-12 NLT says, “1 Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love.
Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. 2 Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. 3 For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. 4 Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just. 5 For I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. 6 But you desire honesty from the womb, teaching me wisdom even there. 7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. 8 Oh, give me back my joy again; you have broken me – now let me rejoice. 9 Don’t keep looking at my sins. Remove the stain of my guilt. 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. 11 Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.”

This psalm is an expose or depiction of the heart. It was written by a person who is not only desirous of forgiveness, but also hungry for a new lifestyle. Most people want to be forgiven, but many times their plea for forgiveness leaves them without the slightest desire to really become better people. Even as they seek cleansing, they fully expect to become dirty the next time. The plea for forgiveness and the desire to live a cleansed life together amount to holiness. Holiness has about it a preemptive desire for sinlessness. It is that “second step” of self-control. After self-control alone has failed, the sinner seeks primarily to be forgiven for sin, but holiness only results when the person seeks to stop doing the sin altogether.

Nothing is sweeter than worship when we meet God having been cleansed of all sin and when our desire for secret sins has been cleansed as well. Being forgiven brings open fellowship with God. This psalm is perhaps David’s greatest. More than any older, it deals with unconfessed sin and the cost such sin engenders in broken fellowship with God.

David in Psalm 51 realizes that his sin was never a private affair. “Against you, you only” are the four words of personal reformation that lead us into holy living. Personal reformation requires that we live in an attitude of open confession before God.

David was truly sorry for his adultery with Bathsheba and for murdering her husband to cover it up. He knew that his actions had hurt many people. But because David repented of those sins, God mercifully forgave him. No sin is too great to be forgiven! Do you feel that you could never come close to God because you have done something terrible? God can and will forgive you of any sin. While God forgives us, however, he does not always erase the natural consequences of our sin. David’s life and family were never the same as a result of what he had done (see 2 Samuel 12:1-23).

God has a simple formula for forgiveness and cleansing. It is found in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” If we do this, writes John, we will “walk in the light, as He is in the Light.” Then we will “have fellowship with one another” (v.7). David had to learn, as do we, that we couldn’t sin without fracturing our whole world of relationships.

So, our worship centers on our self-control. But then so does our entire world of relationships. Our self-control finds the energy to be consistent in its driving desire to bring pleasure to our Heavenly Father.  

This concludes our 1st Series of the “Fruit of the Holy Spirit – SELF-CONTROL

Prayer is important (Luke 18:1-8), but the attitude of prayer is vitally important. The people who had great self-confidence and scorned everyone were the Pharisees and other religious leaders who saw themselves as the only ones righteous enough to be acceptable to God. To these people, our Lord Jesus Christ told a story about two men who went to the Temple to pray. These two men were as different as could be: the one was a law-keeping and religious Pharisee, and the other was a dishonest tax collector.

This Pharisee’s actions and his prayer provide a picture of his life and occupation – he was a separatist, but his separatism and desire to remain clean before God had hardened into a lifestyle of self-righteousness. He stood by himself and prayed.

The words of this prayer, however, while probably true, were not prayed in the correct attitude of humility before God. He thanked God that he was not a sinner like everyone else. While the Pharisee was probably not like everyone else in a lot of ways, he erred in thinking that he was “not a sinner.” This Pharisee knew that he was far better than the tax collector he saw praying across the way. Tax collectors were not noted for their honesty, so this Pharisee compared himself favorably, telling God that he himself had never cheated or sinned or committed adultery. And, by the way, he also fasted twice a week and tithed from his income.

This Pharisee was confident of himself and his righteousness, while at the same time despising this other man, even though he, too, was in the Temple praying to the same God. The Pharisee did not welcome the tax collector who may have been seeking God; instead, the Pharisee gloated that he was so much more righteous.

The focus shifts to the tax collector who had come to the Temple and seems to have known full well the extent of his sin. He felt so low that he did not think he could even lift his eyes to heaven into God’s face; instead, he beat his chest (a sign of sorrow), praying for God to be merciful to him. He recognized himself as a sinner. He had been convicted of his sin and had come to the one place where he could find forgiveness. He had come to God, humbly recognizing that he did not deserve mercy.

Surprisingly enough, only the tax collector returned home justified before God. The word “justified” means God’s act of declaring people “not guilty” of sin. Only the tax collector recognized his sin; therefore, he was the only one God justified. The self-righteous Pharisee had said that he had no sin; therefore, there was nothing for God to justify for him. He returned home no different than when he had entered.

The principle is that no one has anything of value to bring to God in order to deserve salvation, mercy, justification, or even a second glance from God. The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored. Acceptance before God cannot be achieved by good deeds, piety, or any amount of self-proclaimed righteousness.

This passage illustrates why most of us would rather deal with an honest sinner than an ego-driven church member.

Those who focus on how they look to others are those whose religion is mostly performance. Those who know they are sinners, on the other hand, find their needs too great to imagine that they could achieve actor-status before God.

We must remember that our Lord Jesus Christ called the Pharisees hypocrites, and that word means “actor’s mask.” But gentleness is naked – stripped and vulnerable. It never argues that its face is pretty – only honest. So, the tax collector goes home justified because integrity has replaced egotism. Gentleness never appeals to people of power, but it learns worship in the simple acts of openness and integrity. Amen!

Please continue below for the Invitation to meet our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you all!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK!

Now, let’s talk about “Prayer and “Salvation”.

Prayer is the key that unlocks and reveals faith. Effective prayer needs both an attitude of complete dependence and the action of asking. Prayer demonstrates complete reliance on God. Thus, there is no substitute for prayer, especially in situations that seem impossible.

So, let our hearts and minds in tune with God, in the power of God, the Holy Spirit. Let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. We as Born-Again Christians have been tried and cleansed, we have moved freely into a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ that is more powerful than it was before our trials. We are at home in the presence and fellowship of God, for we are heirs with our Lord Jesus Christ, more like Him that we could ever have dreamed possible. So, let’s continuously and persistently pray for God’s perfect will be done. Amen!

The principle is that no one has anything of value to bring to God in order to deserve salvation, mercy, justification, or even a second glance from God. The proud will be humbled, but the humble will be honored. Acceptance before God cannot be achieved by good deeds, piety, or any amount of self-proclaimed righteousness.

Let’s never get over the effect of God’s saving transformation on people’s lives. People who were lost in sin, filled with anger and bitterness, give up their hatred and become approachable as we have studied and learned last time. That is, of course, why we minister to others. Those of us who minister are not people to whom (fruit of the Holy Spirit) love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control comes naturally. We are people who have been remodeled by grace. We thankfully leave our old natures far behind as we embrace the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, the first of the list > agape love of God, and in our treatment of others. Amen!

Sunday by Sunday as we come to worship, let me encourage our brothers – and sisters-in-Christ, and I want my readers and listeners to be both strong in the faith and sensitive to others’ needs. Because all, we as Born-Again Christian believers are strong in certain areas and weak in others. We constantly need to monitor the effects of our behavior on others.

In these SELF-CONTROL Series of Podcast, we will learn the following PURPOSES of this fruit of the HOLY SPIRIT:

• To know the path of coming to maturity
• To remember who we are in relationship with Christ
• To learn to say no to our appetites
• To receive freedom from permissiveness
• Learn to manage our moods
• To have a discipline life and mark of obedience

On every Podcast, I always have three (3) questions we can answer from only these two (2) Sources: The Bible and the Guidance of the Holy Spirit. The following are:

First is about our > Observation: What do these passages or Scriptures say to you?

Second is about our own > Interpretation: What do these passages or Scriptures mean to you?

Third is about how we can apply > Application: How do the meaning of these passages or Scriptures apply to you or to your situation?

If you are not sure that you are Born-Again Christian believer or you have relatives, loved ones, friends, neighbors, and people in your circle of influence, please take a look and/or guide them to one of our ministries, “An Invitation to Meet Our Lord Jesus Christ” at https://homefellowshipchurches.org/an-invitation-to-meet-our-lord-jesus-christ/

Let’s give an opportunity for the lost souls to experience on being Born-Again Christian as explained by our Lord Jesus Christ in the book of John 3 in the New Testament of the Bible.

It is as simple as A, B, & C > Admit, Believe, & Confess. All Born-Again Christian believers prayed this simple prayer, we called “Sinner’s Prayer”

“Father God, I come to you in the name of Jesus Christ. I acknowledge and admit that I am a sinner and I need a Savior. I believe and have faith in Jesus Christ who was born of Virgin Mary, died on the Cross for the penalty of my sins, and rose again that I may have the eternal life. I confess and declare Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord of my life. Please comfort, guide, and help me Holy Spirit to live and grow in my spiritual life according to Your Words, purpose, and perfect will of God, in my Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!”

If you prayed this, “Sinner’s Prayer” sincerely in your heart, you are Born-Again Christian believer. However, you are a spiritual baby who needs to grow up. (See 1 Peter 2:2). You need to find a church or fellowship to grow spiritually. We are glad to establish or bring the fellowship to your own home if it is safer by appointment.

Now, let me pray for all of you:

Father God, we come into your presence in our Lord Jesus Christ name, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ for Your agape love and forgiveness you have done on the Cross of Calvary, and continue to intercede for us in prayer. Thank you, Holy Spirit as our Helper and Comforter. Thank you for the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, courage and strength. We cling, yield, plug-in and tune-in to you Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s Words, obey them, receive Your divine revelation, know the Truth that sets us free, and apply them in our lives, in our Lord Jesus Christ name, Amen!”

Let’s praise and worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Give all thanks to God for all answered prayers.

Please send your > Praise Reports (answered prayers) and New Prayer Requests via email to: trinityblessings@homefellowshipchurches.org. God bless you all and our families!

A Message to be Blessed:

A Call to Repentance and Be Blessed

In Malachi 3:7-15 AMPC says, “7 Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “But you ask, ‘How can we return when we have never gone away?’ 8 “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. 9 You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. 10 Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it”, says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” [Malachi 2:2.] 11 “And I will rebuke the devourer (insects and plagues) for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruits before the time in the field,” says the Lord of hosts. 12 “And all nations shall call you happy and blessed, for you shall be a land of delight”, says the Lord of hosts.

If the people would obey God, giving as they should, God would flood His people with blessings. There would be an overabundance of God’s blessing if He was given what He requested.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse – See 2 Chronicles 31:11; cf. 1 Chronicles 26:20; Nehemiah 10:38; 13:5, 12. If the temple storehouses were empty, it was the people’s fault. God had already blessed them with enough to give a little back to Him.

Instead of destroying our crops (blessings), God would make them come in greater abundance than we had ever imagined possible (Amos 4:9; Haggai 2:19; Zechariah 8:12). The devourer – probably referring to locusts, though the word here is general in meaning (Baldwin). In the Near East, locust swarms are known for their ability to damage huge tracts of agricultural land (see note on Joel 1:4).

A delightsome land – All of the blessings promised to Jacob would come to pass if the people would obey God (Deuteronomy 33:29; Zechariah 8:13). Their land would be a delight to all who saw it (Daniel 8:9).

The problem in Malachi 3:7-12 was the people’s departure from God as reflected by their neglect of tithes and offerings. Two annual tithes were required according to Israelite law – one for the Levites (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:21), and one to be used in worship at the annual feasts in Jerusalem (Deuteronomy 14:22). A tithe was required every three years to provide for the needs of the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29). There is debate as to whether this tithe for the poor was in addition to or served as a substitute for the tithe used in worship.

The New Testament pattern for tithing is proportionate giving – a person is to give “in relation to what you have earned” (1 Corinthians 16:2). Certainly a tithe should be given proportionate to one’s wealth, but not all proportionate giving is a tithe.

The anticipation of blessing for obedience to God’s command to tithe was based on the Mosaic covenant, which promised blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience (Malachi 3:10; cf. Deuteronomy 28:15-68). Generally, God will meet the needs of His own people (Psalm 34:9-10; Philippians 4:19), but that is not an unconditional guarantee. There certainly were and are exceptions. Yet, where God chooses not to provide physically, He gives sufficient grace to go without (2 Corinthians 12:9).

The problem in Malachi 3:14-15 was that the people were guilty of arrogant words against God. They were saying, “There is no prophet who is serving God,” and “God is not concerned about justice.” God responded by showing that He did distinguish between the wicked and the righteous. The righteous would be blessed, and the wicked would be judged.

A Call to – Make A Difference – Generous Giving

In 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 NLT says, “1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in His kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. 3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. 5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. 6 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. 7 Since you excel in so many ways – in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us – I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. 8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. 9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. 10 Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. 11 Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. 12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. 13 Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. 14 Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. 15 As the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.”.

Paul, writing from Macedonia, hoped that news of the generosity of these churches would encourage the Corinthian believers and motivate them to solve their problems and unite in fellowship.

During his third missionary journey, Paul had collected money for the impoverished believers in Jerusalem. The churches in Macedonia – Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea – had given money even though they were poor, and they had sacrificially given more than Paul expected. Although they were poor themselves, they wanted to help. The amount we give is not as important as why and how we give. God does not want us to give grudgingly. Instead, He wants us to give as these churches did – out of dedication to our Lord Jesus Christ, love for fellow believers, the joy of helping those in need, as well as the fact that it was simply the good and right thing to do. How well does your giving measure up to the standards set by the Macedonian churches?

The Kingdom of God spreads through believers’ concern and eagerness to help others. Here we see several churches joining to help others beyond their own circle of friends and their own city. Let’s explore ways that we might link up with a ministry outside our city, either through your church/fellowship or through a Born-Again Christian organization such as Convoy of Hope – The Bridge Church -Hutto, Texas (My adopted local home church). By joining with other believers to do God’s work, we increase Christian unity and help the Kingdom grow. Amen!

The Corinthian believers excelled in everything – they had faith, gifted speakers, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love. Paul wanted them to also be leaders in giving. Giving is a natural response of love. Paul did not order the Corinthians to give, but he encouraged them to prove that their love was real. When we love someone, we want to give that person our time and attention and provide for his or her needs. If we refuse to help, our love is not as genuine as we say.

There is no evidence that our Lord Jesus Christ was any poorer than most first-century Palestinians; rather, our Lord Jesus Christ became poor by giving up His rights as God and becoming human. In His incarnation, God voluntarily became man – the person Jesus of Nazareth. As a man, our Lord Jesus Christ was subject to place, time, and other human limitations. He did not give up His eternal power when He became human, but He did set aside His glory and His rights (see Philippians 2:5-7). In response to the Father’s will, He limited His power and knowledge. Our Lord Jesus Christ became “poor” when He became human because He set aside so much. Yet by doing so, He made us “rich” because we received salvation and eternal life.
What made our Lord Jesus Christ’s humanity unique was His freedom from sin. In our Lord Jesus Christ, we can see every attribute of God’s character. The Incarnation is explained further in these Bible passages: John 1:1-14; Romans 1:2-5; Philippians 2:6-11; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 1:1-3.

The Christians in the Corinthian church had money, and apparently, they had planned to collect money for the Jerusalem church a year previously (see also 2 Corinthians 9:2). Paul challenges them to act on their plans.

Four principles of giving emerge here: (1) Our willingness to give enthusiastically is more important than the amount we give; (2) We should strive to fulfill our financial commitments; (3) If we give to others in need, they will, in turn, help us when we are in need; (4) We should give as a response to our Lord Jesus Christ, not for anything we can get out of it. How we give reflects our devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!