Anchor of Truth

When we first came to the Lord, our focus was on our need of deliverance from sin. But God did not redeem us just so that we could live a better life. Rather He redeemed us for His eternal purpose. Have we let God shift our focus? So often we just think about our needs and how God can meet those needs. When we think about it carefully, we may start to see how selfish we really are. As we mature God wants to shift that focus so that we are here on this earth for Him and His purpose. His promise is that as we seek His kingdom first (His sovereign rule) and partake of His righteous in Christ Jesus, then He will take care of our needs. Have we let that truth sink into our hearts to the point that it controls our thoughts and very core of our actions?

Today we share some encouragement in that direction that was recently given in a small home fellowship in preparation for remembering the Lord. Our prayer is that God will work in all of our hearts to deliver us from a life of self-centeredness into a Christ centered life for His purpose and glory. It cost God the death of Christ at Calvary to make this possible. May the Lord reveal afresh to all of us the greatness of His love and mercy that has been extended to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/
• Theme song "Will Your Anchor Hold" sung by J. Ashley Milne
• Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

What is our greatest enemy? Is it Satan? The World? Those who say they hate Christians? While these may bring us afflictions and trials from time to time, I don't think they are really our greatest enemy. I think our greatest enemy is ourselves separate from Christ. In order to see this, we must come back to Calvary and what Christ Jesus did on the cross. God judged the entire human race according to Adam at the cross and put it away from Him. It was infected with sin and beyond repair. Nothing in the old creation could be rescued, so God began a new race in Christ. This race would not fail because it is based on what God can do, not what man can do in himself. To enter into this new race we must be born again. In new birth we are joined with Christ and now all things are of God. To begin and continue in this new creation is God's answer to sin, death, and the limitations of man separate from Him.

• God judged Adam's race at the cross (Gal. 2:20,6:14, Rom 6:6)
• God began a new creation in Christ Jesus (Gal. 6:15)
• Now all things are of God (Gal. 5:16-21)
• To experience this we must be born into this new creation (John 3)
• We now must grow up into Him (Eph. 4:15, 2 Peter 3:18)
• We are called to walk in His life (Gal. 5:16)
• This walk is a walk of faith in His life (Col. 2:6)
• If we do not walk in faith in the new creation, what we are accord to Adam rules
  • Our natural reasoning rules (what we know from past experiences)
  • Our desires rule (flesh)
  • Our emotions rule
  • Our personality rules
  • The world rules us by its pressures
• The enemy appeals to what we are in ourselves ("be your own resource")
• God bids us acknowledge that apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5)
• This is a continual walk of faith in the life of God (Gal. 2:20)

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/
• Theme song "Will Your Anchor Hold" sung by J. Ashley Milne
• Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

There is a battle going on today and eternal issues are at stake. It is a battle for life and within that battle is a battle for truth. On a casual look, the real issues are often not seen for what they are. We dare not be complacent in this battle lest we be deceived and brought down to death. These are the words that came to me as I rose up this last Sunday morning. I share them with the prayer that they may be of encouragement to each one of us in what we are facing today.

"We are in a battle for truth. The devil is a liar and the father of lies. He questions God and leads others to question God. If we listen to his lies, we will be brought down to the dust, defeated, and die. If we abide in Christ and listen to Him we will rise up in victory and live with Him forever."

"The devil uses every means he can to deceive us. He appeals to logic, pride, and the desires of the flesh. His goal is that we will move separate from God and rely on our own strength. God wants us to move in union with Him and rely on His strength."

"Each one of us today is facing a critical, life changing decision. Will we believe God and take a step of faith in truth, or will we listen to the lies of the enemy. One leads to life, the other to death. The significance of the choice is critical. It does not seem so important, but the issue is one of life and death."

• When Jesus stood for truth at the Cross it cost Him His life but opened the door for us into His life
• We are brought into the life of God as we believe in Jesus (who is truth)
• As we abide in Christ and walk in truth, we experience the overcoming life of God in all things
• If we question God (listen to the lies of the devil), our relationship with God is deeply affected.
• If we do not repent, turn from our unbelief and disobedience, we are on a pathway then ends in death.
• A stand for truth must always be coupled with love (relationship)
• Jesus said that "He is the truth"
  • All truth leads us into union with Christ
  • To walk in truth we must walk in union with Christ
  • Truth cannot be known separate from Christ
  • The danger is that we will try to ascertain truth through human logic
• Jesus also said that "He is the Life"
  • Jesus came to give us life
  • God's life is experienced in union with Christ
  • Life overcomes death
  • Christ rose from the dead by the power of God's life
• We are called to abide in Christ
  • God is constantly revealing more of Christ to us
  • Every revelation requires a step of faith to experience and apprehend
  • The enemy appeals to the weakness of our flesh
  • Our responsibility is to live every day in constant dependence on God
• Living out of our own resources leads to defeat and death
• Living out of God and His resources by faith leads to victory and eternal life with God

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/
• Theme song "Will Your Anchor Hold" sung by J. Ashley Milne
• Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

What are the manifestations of the Spirit of God? We read about divine manifestations of God in the early church. Can we expect similar manifestations today? If so, what does God expect from us for Him to reveal Himself through us for His purpose and glory? In I Corinthians chapters 12-14 we read Paul's instruction to the Corinthian church regarding the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all. These manifestations are different from the fruit of the Spirit described in the letter to the Galatians. I believe the scriptures teach plainly that we need both the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit to be able to function as a spiritual person and a spiritual expression of the Body of Christ in this world as God intends to meet pressing needs.

Today we share ministry by Gordon Gentry on this subject given in 1998 in a home fellowship. He concentrates on the difference between intellectual belief and faith that is originated and completed by Jesus. His message is that we need all of the manifestations of the Spirit to be able to meet the many demands that come our way in the ordinary affairs of life. We share this ministry with the prayer that God will use it to encourage all of us to be more hungry for these manifestations leading into a greater experience of God and the riches of His grace. Jesus opened the door for us. Let us press in to all that God has provided that His purpose would be fully realized in our lives and our locality.

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/
• Theme song "Will Your Anchor Hold" sung by J. Ashley Milne
• Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

Prayer is one of the great mysteries in the working of God. It defies human logic, but it is at the center of our warfare against the enemy. When all else fails, prayer connects us to the throne of God and releases His power for His purpose and glory. There are many aspects to prayer. Basically, prayer is two-way communication with God. The prayer that is effective is prayer that is initiated in our hearts by the Holy Spirit as He knows the mind of God and intercedes for us according to the will of God. His intercession is not only for us (we are the object of His intercession) but He intercedes through us (we are the vehicle through which He intercedes). Thus we become an integral part of this work of God. But this is not only a personal matter; it is also the ministry of the church as a whole.

Today we share some ministry on this subject by Harry Foster taken from a small booklet entitled The Essence of all Prayer ("That I May Know Him"). Harry labored with T. Austin-Sparks, and this was published in 1947. May the Lord enlarge our vision of our responsibility before God in corporate intercession in the church for His purpose and glory.

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/
• Theme song "Will Your Anchor Hold" sung by J. Ashley Milne
• Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians that we are to speak the truth one to another in love and that this is a very important key in growing up into Christ. What does this mean in practical terms? How do we do this without compromise and without breaking relationships? Right relationships are critical in the working of God, right relationship with God, and right relationships with others. To avoid conflicts, we often choose to be silent on important issues where God is not silent. Then sometimes we get stirred up on a particular issue and speak out in such a way that the main result is broken relationships which are very difficult to mend. Is there an answer to this dilemma?

• Relationship with God is the foundation
  • We maintain the unity that God has made (Eph. 4:1-6)
  • Our unity is in God's life
• To maintain our relationship with God we must walk in truth
  • Jesus is Truth
  • The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (John 16:12-15)
  • We are called to walk in truth (express truth) (I John 3:18, 2 & 3 John)
• We are also called to walk in love
  • Love is the very nature of God
  • Love is expressed in a Godly care for others
  • Love is selfless (does not consider self)
  • Love is expressed in action (deeds of righteousness)
• If we hold truth separate from love it kills (2 Cor. 3:6)
• If we seek to love separate from truth we will compromise (Luke 18:18-23)
  • We cannot be afraid of losing the relationship by standing in truth
  • We must know God is directing us to address critical truth in His time and way
• If we hold truth in love God is there to sustain and reveal light to walk in (I John 1:7)
• How do we love Jesus?
  • Keep his commandments (John 14:15, 15:10)
  • Serve others (John 13:14)
  • Feed my sheep (John 21:15-17)
• It is not possible to love God without loving others (I John)
• Love is most fully expressed in the context of God's structure in close relationships
  • In the natural family
  • In the spiritual family
• The power for love is
  • The indwelling God (the Holy Spirit)
  • A crucified life (dead to self-interests)
  • An active relationship of abiding in Christ
• Love is the final test of all things (it does not pass away—I Cor. 13, John 17)

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/
• Theme song "Will Your Anchor Hold" sung by J. Ashley Milne
• Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

When we come to God we choose to submit to Christ Jesus as our Lord. He gives the Holy Spirit to dwell within us to enable this to be true. Is our choice taken away from us at that point, or do we still have a choice to do the will of God in all things? Often times we do not realize our great responsibility in what God is doing in our time. We rejoice that we have been delivered from sin and brought into the family of God. That is a wonderful beginning and it is accomplished by a mighty working of God's grace. But do we understand that from that point on we still have a choice, and our progress and usefulness to God depends on us making a conscience choice to do His will?

Today we share some ministry by Gordon Gentry on this subject. It was given in a small home Bible study about 1997. Our prayer is that we would all see clearly our responsibility to choose to do the will of God as He reveals that will to us, for it is in our obedience that God is pleased and the very love and nature of God is revealed in our community for His glory.

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/
• Theme song "Will Your Anchor Hold" sung by J. Ashley Milne
• Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

On the day of Pentecost we are told that Christ was exalted to the right hand of God, received the promise of the Spirit, and then poured out the Spirit for all who will come to Jesus and receive. Have we realized the greatness of God's provision? Are we walking in that provision? I think most of us are very familiar with the many scriptures that speak of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God's answer to every question and every need we have is His Spirit. Who are the sons of God? Those who are led by the Spirit. How can we have victory over sin? By the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. How can we understand the scriptures? The Holy Spirit will teach us. How can we know truth? The Spirit will guide us into all truth. How can we know the power of God to do His will? The Holy Spirit will come upon us. How can the things of Jesus be real to us? The Holy Spirit will take of the things of Jesus and make them ours. The Holy Spirit is God, and has been given to abide in us to bring us into fellowship with the Father and the Son. Jesus did not leave us alone but sent "another" advocate just like Him to bring us into everything that God has for us.

Today we share some ministry by Gordon Gentry given in a home fellowship in 1998 entitled "God's Answer, His Spirit." I pray that all of us will be greatly encouraged in God's provision, leading to a fuller experience of the riches of God by His indwelling Spirit for the purpose and glory of God.

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/
• Theme song "Will Your Anchor Hold" sung by J. Ashley Milne
• Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

On the day of Pentecost we are told that Christ was exalted to the right hand of God, received the promise of the Spirit, and then poured out the Spirit for all who will come to Jesus and receive. Have we realized the greatness of God's provision? Are we walking in that provision? I think most of us are very familiar with the many scriptures that speak of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. God's answer to every question and every need we have is His Spirit. Who are the sons of God? Those who are led by the Spirit. How can we have victory over sin? By the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. How can we understand the scriptures? The Holy Spirit will teach us. How can we know truth? The Spirit will guide us into all truth. How can we know the power of God to do His will? The Holy Spirit will come upon us. How can the things of Jesus be real to us? The Holy Spirit will take of the things of Jesus and make them ours. The Holy Spirit is God, and has been given to abide in us to bring us into fellowship with the Father and the Son. Jesus did not leave us alone but sent "another" advocate just like Him to bring us into everything that God has for us.

Today we share some ministry by Gordon Gentry given in a home fellowship in 1998 entitled "God's Answer, His Spirit." I pray that all of us will be greatly encouraged in God's provision, leading to a fuller experience of the riches of God by His indwelling Spirit for the purpose and glory of God.

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/
• Theme song "Will Your Anchor Hold" sung by J. Ashley Milne
• Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]

Episode 113 Body, Soul, and Spirit

The scriptures tell us that we were made in the image of God for God. Paul also prayed that we may be sanctified completely that our spirit, soul, and body may be preserved blameless at his coming. How does this happen? Is this happening to us? The Psalmist says that man is fearfully and wonderfully made. Man is a complicated being and not easy to understand or explain. But there is teaching in the scriptures that can give us some understanding of how we are made and what God is doing to bring us back from the effects of sin that we may enter fully into fellowship with Him both now and into eternity. God is conforming us to the image of Christ and preparing us to be wedded to Him for all eternity. As we mature we can understand more of how this is taking place that we may cooperate fully with the Holy Spirit who is working in us both to will and do for His good pleasure.

• The makeup of man
  • Body (the physical part of man that is seen)
  • Soul (the inner man—mind, desires, emotions)
  • Spirit (intuition, conscience, communion)
  • The whole man is to be sanctified (I Thess. 5:23)
• The Body
  • Made for the Lord (I Cor. 6:13)
  • Is how the life of God is expressed (Heb. 10:5-10)
  • Has been affected by sin (Rom. 8:13)
• The Soul
  • Is the seat of "I" or who I am (including our spirit)
  • Is eternal (Matt. 10:28)
  • Is renewed through obedience ( 2 Peter 1:5-11)
  • The mind is renewed by taking every thought captive to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)
  • Our desires and emotions must not control (Gal. 5:24)
• Our Spirit
  • Is seen as distinct from the soul (Heb. 4:12, I Thess. 5:23, I Cor. 14:4)
  • Is made alive by new birth (John 3:6, Rom. 6:4)
  • Is the faculty by which we "know" God (I Cor. 2:11-12)
  • The place of communion with God (I Cor. 6:17)
  • Is the seat of worship (John 4:23)
• Sanctification
  • Initiated by God (the Holy Spirit, (preparing the Bride, I Cor. 6:11, Eph. 5:25-27)
  • All based on Calvary and God's grace (I Cor. 1:30, I Peter 1:2)
  • Begins in our spirit (life from God, John 5:40)
  • Works out in the inner man as we are conformed to Christ (Gal. 4:19)
  • Expressed through the body in deeds of righteousness (I John 2:28-3:9)

A good reference for further study on the makeup of man

http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/what_is_man.html

• Additional resources at http://www.ntchurchsource.com/
• Theme song "Will Your Anchor Hold" sung by J. Ashley Milne
• Comments and questions welcome. Email [email protected]