Luke 14:23

Posted on February 18, 2012 by frank.alexander

And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.

This verse is found at the end of  a parable Christ had spoken. In the parable, the lord of the house had made ready a great supper and had sent his servant to bring back those who were bidden to come. However, one by one, they all made excuses on why they could not come. The lord of the house then sent his servant back out to bring in all he could, so his house would be filled.

The teaching from this parable is the fact that God has made everything ready, and desires that His house would be filled. We as Christians, are God’s servants. God has given us the command to go out and tell people the great news of Jesus Christ. and how He has paid the price for us and we are all invited to partake of His goodness.

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Luke 10:20

Posted on January 29, 2012 by frank.alexander

Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

Christ had sent out seventy of His disciples (Luke 10:1) to preach the word; and He gave them power to heal the sick. In verse seventeen, we see the seventy return to Jesus rejoicing that they were even able to cast out devils. In our verse today, we see that Jesus tells them that it wasn’t about what they were able to do that they should be rejoicing about, but rather the very fact that they themselves were saved.

Joy comes from salvation. We all need to realize that we don’t deserve God’s love, (but He loves us anyways) and that Jesus died for our sins on the cross. And it’s when we ask God to forgive us and to give us the gift of eternal life that we can have true joy.

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John 15:11

Posted on January 22, 2012 by frank.alexander

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

To be full of joy is something we would all probably like and many people search for. Here in this verse, we see just how we can be full of joy. Joy is found in our Saviour, Jesus Christ. In the first ten verses in this passage, Christ uses the word or a form of the word “abide” nine different times. Christ was teaching His disciples and us the importance of abiding in Him. For it is when we abide with Christ that we can have true joy.

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Psalm 126:6

Posted on January 17, 2012 by frank.alexander

He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

 When our own hearts are broken with grief over the sin of this world and how it is sending man to hell, we are best fit to be used of God to break the hardened hearts of man. Someone once said, “Winners of souls are first weepers for souls.” May our hearts become so stirred that we weep over the sins of others. May we go bearing the precious seed (the Word of God) to this lost and dying world. But does it, or will it prosper, you may ask? Yes! For the Lord has written that he shall doubtless come again with rejoicing. The tears that are wept in grief, the Lord will turn into rejoicing.

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Philippians 3:14

Posted on January 12, 2012 by frank.alexander

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

“Pressing toward the mark” is the theme for our church (New Heights Baptist Church) here in 2012. As a church, we strive to press toward the mark in many different areas, all of which will bring us closer to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The ultimate goal or “mark”, is Jesus Christ Himself. To become more and more like Christ each and every day ought to be what every Christian desires.

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Philippians 3:13

Posted on January 10, 2012 by frank.alexander

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

There are a couple of things I would like to take note of from this verse. First of all, none of us have arrived to a perfect state of holiness. The Bible teaches us in Romans 3:10 that, “There is none righteous, no not one.” and again in Romans 3:23 that, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” None of us are perfect, so we can all say like the apostle Paul here said, “I count not myself to have apprehended.”

Secondly, there are some things in which we all could forget and put behind us. One of those things would be who we are and where we may have come from. The apostle Paul, in verses 5 and 6, tells us a little about himself. He mentions that if anyone had something to trust in, due to who they were, it was him. However, in verse 7, he makes this statement, “But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.” The apostle Paul knew he had nothing to really boast about, and that it wasn’t about who he was, or where he had come from that would bring him into fellowship with God. It is only through Jesus Christ and his death on the cross for our sins that can bring salvation and bring man into fellowship with God. Most people are not as privileged as Paul was. Not everyone has a great home, a great education, or a lot of money. But it is these things in which we can forget and put behind us, because God is not limited to who we are and where we have come from. God can use you!

Lastly, like Paul, we can all be “reaching forth unto those things which are before.” With the new year now here, we have a new start in which we can strive to become more like Christ. May this be the one thing in which we do, become more like Jesus Christ in the year 2012.

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Luke 4:1

Posted on December 18, 2011 by frank.alexander

And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

We see here that Christ was filled with the Holy Ghost, and that the Holy Ghost also led Him. As we learned from our memory verse in John 16:13, the Holy Ghost is a guide. He will lead us as we allow Him to work in us. Peter in Acts 8 is a great example of this, as the Holy Ghost led Peter to the Ethiopian eunuch, and he was able to share Christ with him and see him saved. Another great example would be the countless missionaries who have left the comforts of their homes, as the Holy Ghost led them to go to foreign lands to preach Christ.

We may note in this verse that Jesus was “full” of the Holy Ghost. As a true believer in Christ, we have the Holy Ghost living within us. However, the Bible warns us in 1 Thessalonians 5:19 to, “Quench not the Spirit.” If we desire to be led by the Holy Ghost then we need be careful to not throw the water of this sinful worlds doings on our life and the Holy Ghost’s leading.

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Acts 10:38

Posted on December 11, 2011 by frank.alexander

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

We find in this verse the truth of Jesus being anointed with the Holy Ghost. As Christ took upon Himself the form of flesh and became man, God anointed (consecrated, set apart) Christ with the Holy Ghost. Christ attests to this in His reply to the Pharisees in regard to the miracles He performed in Matthew 12. In verse 28, Christ says, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.” The Pharisees had accused Jesus of casting out devils by Beelzebub the prince of the devils, and Christ let them know that it was the through the power of the Holy Ghost that He did this.

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John 14:16

Posted on November 27, 2011 by frank.alexander

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

Here in this verse we can see the promise of the Holy Spirit (Comforter) given to the disciples, and inevitably to all true believers in Christ. The giver of the Holy Spirit is said to be the Father. God, who gave us His Son to be our Saviour, gives us His Spirit to be our Comforter. Christ is said to be the One Who sends the Comforter, (John 15:26) as He is the One who makes intercession for Him. Christ calls the Holy Spirit “another Comforter,” as Christ had brought comfort to the disciples but was about to leave them. As he was about to be crucified for our sins, He sent the Holy Spirit, Who would bring them comfort and give them direction just as Christ had done. Concerning the Holy Spirit, Christ adds the fact that He will abide with them for ever; not just for a few years like Christ had done, but for the rest of their lives.

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John 16:13

Posted on November 20, 2011 by frank.alexander

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

The Holy Spirit here is called, “the Spirit of truth”. This explains Who He is, for He is the true Spirit of God, and the dictator of the Scriptures of truth (John 17:17, 2 Peter 1:21). We can also see one of the works of the Holy Spirit here, in that He guides. We understand that it was the Holy Spirit that guided in the writing of Scripture, and the Holy Spirit guides still today. As a guide, the Holy Spirit goes before, leads the way, removes obstructions, opens the understanding, makes things plain and clear, teaches to profit, and leads in the way men should go, without turning to the right hand or left, which, without such a guide, men would be apt to do.

 

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