Purge out the old leaven

1 Cor 5:6Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:

We are unleavened. We have been purified. We have been cleansed, and there is no sin in us. But still, we are exposed to sin all the time, and it will always try to attach itself to us. Heb 12 tells us to lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily beset us. So easily the sin tries to come back in and destroy the lump. Why am I suddenly so agitated? Where is this bitterness and jealousy coming from? Why am I feeling this lust? It’s the sin that so easily beset us. Walking through this filthy world, being exposed to all its sin and immorality, we are sometimes affected by it. What must we do? Purge out. Repent. Pray, and get close to God. Take up our cross and die dayli. That’s the only way to keep it away from us.

Our Father

Matt 6:9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

My dad was a prayerful man. He was up 4:15 everyday, and prayed before going to work. I was privileged to spend some of these times with him. Always when he prayed, he started with these words: Heavenly Father…..
That is how Jesus taught us to pray. To start with: “Our Father, which art in heaven”. I am glad I can come to him as a son. I am glad that I can call him my father. And the reason I can call him my father is because I believe in his name.
John 1:12 says: “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name”
No wonder Jesus said: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name… The very reason why he became your father was because you believed in his name. Do not forget that. Bless his name. Hallowed be his name. Lift up his name.

I believe his name is Wonder. I believe his name is Counselor. I believe his name is Mighty God. I believe his name is Everlasting Father. I believe his name is Prince of Peace. I believe his name is Immanuel, meaning GOD WITH US. Why do I believe this? Because he is my Father.

Perfect in Christ 2

Phil 3:13Brethren, 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,

In between Pauls statement in v 12 Where he says that he is not perfect, and v 15 where he says that he is perfect, we find this verse. The key to be perfect lies in this verse. Forgetting the things behind and REACH forth unto the things which are before. Don’t ever sit down and accept your condition, or the state your in. Reach forward. Forget yesterday. There is something new coming. A new day. A new level. A new ministry. A new challenge. We are meant to grow. And as long as we grow we are perfect. As long as we do not stagnate, and settle down in our imperfection. Do not look back. Look forward. You are in a perfection process.

Perfect in Christ

Phil 3:12Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

15Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.

16Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.

It seems contradictory that Paul says in v 12 he is not perfect, and so in v 15 says he is perfect? How can you be “not perfect” and “perfect” at the same time? The key lies in v 16. Whereto we have already attained. We may not have attained the goal yet. We may not have crossed the finished line. But whereto we have already attained. Or, as far as we have come, we are perfect.
Its like a two year old. He may not drive a car. He may not understand mathematics. He may not speak four languages. But is he perfect? Yes, as far as he has come, he is perfect. He is perfect for a two year old.
We may not have reached all of our potential in Christ. We may not have grown into the ministry he has intended for us yet. But we are perfect as far as we have come.

Call upon him when he is near

Is 55;6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.

This verse tells us two things. When we can seek him, and when we can call upon him. To know when we can seek him, we have to answer when he can be found. The answer is easy: always!! There’s not a time when you can’t seek after him. When he is near on the other hand is something else. This is of course how we experience it. There are times when God is more near than other times. There are times when you feel his presence more than other times. The blind man could not see Jesus, but when he knew he was near, he called out for him. And it resulted in his healing.

Even though we know God is everywhere, and can be found at any time, it is important to take advantage of the times when you feel he is near. The bible says where two or three are gathered in his name, he is in their midst. I usually tell our church that it wont help us anything to know he is in are midst, if we don’t take advantage of that. Call upon him !!! Get his attention !! Touch him with faith !! And you will too experience POWER will go out from him

Fish on the right side !!

John 21:5Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?”

They answered Him, “No.”

6And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some

Why would Jesus tell them to fish on the right side? What does that mean?

In Ezekiel 47, we read about the river flowing from the altar. The Bible says it was flowing from the right side of the altar, went out through the right side of the gate…. And wherever it was flowing there was a multitude of fish. Jesus was only reminding them that the multitudes of fish is on the right side !!!  There is a multitude of fish there because it came from the right side of the altar.

If we want multitudes of souls, we must fish where the river that flows from the altar is. The altar represents prayer. The altar represents holiness. The altar represents repentance.  There MUST be a connection between evangelism and prayer.  Without an altar, we will come back like the disciples… With no fish.

Jesus askes us today, have you got no fish? If the answer is no he says, try one more time. But this time, do it with prayer. This time, do it with Holiness. This time, preach and practice true repentance.