Showing posts with label holiness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiness. Show all posts

Tuesday 18 March 2014

Let us not forget it was God who chose us

Grace (Amos 5:14b, 15b; 1 Pet 1:15b)

We are reminded that it was God who chose us, and extends free and unconditional grace to us. He is pleased to do this willingly out of his great, undeserved love for us (Eph 2:4-10).
In return we have nothing to give him to express our thanks except lives that grow in holiness and reach out in love to share grace with others. We will continually fail but thankfully, it is the intent and the heart that he reads, not the result.
To be holy is firstly, and above all, a matter of who we are that flows into what we do. Our being initiates and colours our doing.


In the Grace of Your Love
In the Grace of Your Love (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Wednesday 8 May 2013

Purify my heart

 
 "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver;
he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.
Then the Lord Jehovah will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness..."
Malachi 3:3-4
 
'Purify my heart, let me be as gold
and precious silver.
Purify my heart, let me be as gold,
pure gold.

Refiner's fire, my heart's one desire
is to be holy, set apart for you, Lord.
I choose to be holy,
set apart for you, my master,
ready to do your will.

Purify my heart,
cleanse me from within and make me holy.
Purify my heart,
cleanse me from my sin, deep within.

Refiner's fire, my heart's one desire
is to be holy, set apart for you, Lord.
I choose to be holy,
set apart for you, my master,
ready to do your will'.

Brian Doerksen

 
Brian Doerksen
Brian Doerksen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Monday 18 February 2013

United people under Christ

Last week the worldcommunity saw that the one who claims to be the follower of the apostle Peter stepped down from his position on what many call the 'holy chair'.
English: Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter ...
English: Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino (1481-82) Fresco, 335 x 550 cm Cappella Sistina, Vatican. Ελληνικά: Λεπτομέρεια από την νωπογραφία του Πιέτρο Περουτζίνο, Ο Χριστός Παραδίδει τα Κλειδιά στον Πέτρο, 335 x 600 cm, Καπέλα Σιξτίνα, Πόλη του Βατικανού. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


The church community should be found on a good faith base and have clear and undeniable grounds with people who live according to community rules which are according to the Law of God. They should try to be living by the standard of the “One Body” of Christ. The Nazarene man who did not appoint one or the other above one another. Though perhaps many might think that the apostle Peter was chosen to be a leader, he certainly was not the leader of the church community at the time of the first years after Christ his death. All apostles had their particular duties but worked together and even where not afraid to criticise each other.

In the Acts of the apostles is given a very clear picture of the working of the first church as one united body in Christ. when you read the chapters you shall not find any decent reason to believe that the Pope is the real acceptable leader of the Church of God.
Could it also be that the church became subdivided into local churches but that along the way into history that church their members (of each local church) still make up the universal body of Christ? There is no one church that monopolizes the body of Christ.

History proves that contamination was brought in very soon after Jesus' death. Several apostles warned the followers of Christ to be careful and to look out for false teachings. People also had to be careful not to mingle with weak or sinful men, who would love to see them being diverted from the unworldy ideas of their religion.

Though we are never to judge or condemn others; we just have to politely “stand aside” from them!

When we look at the world we should consider that there are many people with different beliefs, but that there might be different opinions between the many persons that does not mean they would not be considered as being part of one and the same united people under Christ.

Some teach that if you are not part of this denomination or that denomination then you cannot be part of the body of Christ. There exist many denominations which believe people do have to belong to them, because otherwise they would be doomed into damnation or when people do not belong to their denomination they would not be able to enter the Kingdom of God. What most of those denomination forget is that before they came into being ther where also people who loved God as the Most High, and honoured Him at their best. Those people are also saved by Jesus his offer and got the right to enter the Kingdom of God. It is he, Jesus who shall decide who is able to enter the Kingdom of God and not one world church organisation or denomination who is going to decide that. God knows the heart of each person and He shall see if that person is worthy or not to enter the Kingdom. Jesus as the mediator shall be the person who can mediate for those who tried to do their best on earth and who followed one or another path according to a path laid in front of them by one or another denomination. but the people themselves shall have to carry the responsibility of their choice. They also shall not be able to blame their congregation or denomination for the choices they have made.
As part of the body of Christ we should be people working under the guidance of the Bible, to serve each other and the body, not taking into account language, ethnicity, gender, nationality etc. When we are unified with One Spirit in One Body that means we are unified under Gods Spirit to have and show  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and awareness for each other, treasuring the same hope of eternal life in Jesus Christ together with Jesus Christ in the Kingdom of his Father.

Every person has received the gifts to think and to have his mind working to find out certain things. Every person, in his or her life shall get opportunities to be able to be confronted with certain values, certain truths, certain ideas ... and shall be confronted with the possibility to make a certain choice.
The 1st English edition of The Kingdom of God ...
The 1st English edition of The Kingdom of God Is Within You. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)


It is up to us to think about our faith, about what we do want to believe and about what we do have to believe.

Every transition in a movement should be followed up and registered, looked at in function of the Will of God and the Biblical writings. They are given to us to help us to direct the right way. We should listen to the voice of God and follow the directions given in the Holy Scriptures. They should be the most important guide for our life and way of life.

The guidance from the Bible should give us insight in what the world offers, also on religious matters and on actions of faith.
We must remember that the ecclesia does not exist to keep the Truth pure as a theory (i.e., “The purer our ecclesia, the better!”). The Truth (as an abstract principle, or set of principles, communicated from God) cannot be anything but pure! It might sound strange that the ecclesia does exist to help impure men and women (with imperfect beliefs and impure ways) to move toward purity, even if their progress is slow… Some expect that the people who enter the ecclesia or church-community would be already very pure from their baptism, but that is not so. The baptism is only the starting point to the way of purity to the small gate to the Kingdom of God.

Out of love for each other each member of the ecclesia should help each other to grow and to make every day a step closer to that set-apartness or holiness of purity.

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Read also:
  1. Fellowship 101: A Short Course by George Booker – Class 5
    Those who believe the gospel and are baptised into Christ become ‘brethren in Christ’, without regard to nationality. They also become a part of the ‘one body’, with Christ as their head. God calls them His children, and they become partakers of His grace and love” (BASF 22).

  2. Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith
  3. Handbook to the Christadelphian Statement of Faith
  4. Reasons to come to gether
  5. Philippians 1 – 2
  6. Look for your Refuge by God
  7. A day without taking the symbols
  8. Breathing to teach
  9. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #1 Kings Faith
  10. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #2 Calling upon the Name of God
  11. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #1 Creator and His Prophets
  12. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #2 Instructions and Laws
  13. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #3 A voice to be taken Seriously
  14. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #4 Words in Scripture
  15. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #5 To meditate and Transform
  16. Trusting, Faith, calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #3 Voice of God #6 Words to feed and communicate
  17. Jehovah in the BASF
     


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Wednesday 3 March 2010

Honesty beginning of holiness

Walking in the light

To walk in light means for everything that we hide nothing for God. We tell Him everything, exactly such as it is. To those that or not sincere God does have aversion. God does not ask firstly that we are holy or perfect, but first of all to be honest. That is the beginning point of real sanctification, and from this source of honesty already the other originate. And if there is one thing for us all what we can do, then it is to decide to be honest. Confess for this reason your sins directly to God. Call sinful ideas no longer at beautiful names to excuse for them. We will never get to know victory over sin if we become not honest.

Dutch original / Nederlands origineel > Eerlijkheid begin van heiliging
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2013 update
Honest (soundtrack)
Honest (soundtrack) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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Thursday 3 December 2009

Holiness and expression of worship coming from inside

"... the beauty of holiness, the expression of worship, is something which breaks through from inside. It is centred in a heart filled with reverent fear, seeking to discover the will of God and to answer it in humble joy; a life trembling at His word and responsive to His command; walking in the way of God’s appointment, whatever it may be, like sheep content with the pasture which the shepherd has selected; a life of holiness unfolding the beauty which glorifies God.

The phrase occurs in Psalm 29:2, one more proof that worship is achieved by giving glory to God: “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” If we seek to do the first in the regular exercise of the life of faith, we shall thereby worship the great God in the daily experience of discipleship.

Psalm 115 reveals a great principle—that men become like the God they worship—false or true. The end of true worship is Godlikeness. This principle is at the root of a great New Testament word: “We shall be like him”. But one thing is essential—that the worship is true."

- Dennis Gillett
The Genius of Discipleship
Worship - Part 2
The Beauty of Holiness
Continue reading > Doctrine and Conduct Cause and Effect
+ Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord’s reputation!
+ Prayer: Blessed be the name of Jehovah

Dutch translation / Nederlandse vertaling > Schoonheid van heiligheid

worship
worship (Photo credit: vicki wolkins)

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Wednesday 25 November 2009

How we think shows through in how we act


"How we think shows through in how we act.
Attitudes are mirrors of the mind.
They reflect thinking."
- David J. Schwartz

A godly mind prizes honor above worldly good.
- Rembrandt

If we do not cling to riches, selfishness, or greed
 - then I believe we are getting closer to God.
- Daniel Ortega

"You were taught… to put off your old self ...
to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
and to put on the new self,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
Ephesians 4:22-24

Lord God, let me always hold the right thoughts
and keep my eyes on those things that are really valuable,
useful for me and keep my purity
in order to enter Your Kingdom.

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Hoe we denken schijnt door in hoe we handelen
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2013 update:
 
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