Compelled By The Love Of Jesus Christ

For if we are beside ourselves,

it is for God; or if we are of sound mind,

it is for you.  For the love of Christ compels us,

because we judge thus: that if One died for all,

then all died; and he kept that died for all,

that those who live should live no longer

for themselves, but for Him who died

for them and rose again.

2 Corinthians 5: 13 -- 15

            Paul is not putting forth self--commendation, for their own sakes, when he was speaking about their fidelity and diligence, he was giving an answer to those who suspected him and were speaking against him.  This argument was to answer his accuser who made vain boasting and glorified themselves in appearances.  All that Paul had done and was doing was for them and for them to come to the truth and knowledge of Jesus Christ's who had died for their sins.  It was this love of Christ that him and should be driving them and was his and theirs, foundation enabling him and them to teach to the Gospel and to answer any accusers.The English word used "compels" does not give the actual sense of the Greek word: συνέχει: this word speaks and as it is understood by the Greeks and should be by us that the love of God should confine you, and should stop your ears so that you are not hearing that which is in contradiction to God's Word so that you become a believer of that contradiction.  This word is for you to exercise a constraining of any influences on you that is in any contradiction to God's Word.  You are to be affected with a fear, to have a mental constriction and can be hard pressed by urgency of circumstances, most circumstances that once again would drive you away from being an Authentic Christian.  Why?  Because Jesus Christ died for all, that is His death paid for sin, that has condemned the world.  And then, by His death and His payment to exercise justice as needed by God you should now no longer live for yourselves bought for Him who died for you.  As with the Corinthian Christians that required Paul to address certain exercises within that church and was occurring even in other churches, and even incurring in many churches today is that there is a need for people to satisfy themselves.  This they do by the exercises of certain rituals that are not to be found in the Bible but make them feel holy as though by doing so somehow God will be more pleased with them.  Return to the Bible for guidance not just the New Testament, the Bible.  One such example is David and his battle against the Philistines where he had a great victory.  David was thirsty and had asked for a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem.  Now this well was in the camp of the Philistines by three mighty men broke through the camp and drew some water and took it and brought it to King David.  Now here's where it gets interesting, David was thirsty, was he not (2 Samuel 23: 15)?  Yes!  Here is what David did: "so if that the three mighty men broke into the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David.  Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD" (2 Samuel 23:16).  The love of God constrains us and compels us not to be influenced by those things which are not Scriptural and yet many churches today have influenced many people to exercise a type of faith in rituals: i.e.; laying down on gravestones as somehow this has some effect for the dead or for themselves as though they're doing something for God, or running through tunnels of fire or simply falling over swooning and as being slain by the Spirit.  Or running around trying to heal everyone, almost as though they are in a treasure hunt game.  This is like water drawn from the enemy's camp and as David knew this he would not drink it but poured it out to the LORD.  What has been your water from the well of Bethlehem?  Was it love, or some friendship, or a spiritual blessing?  If you take to satisfy yourself that you're doing so at the peril of your own soul for you cannot if you're doing this for yourself pour it out before the Lord.  You can never sanctify to God that with which you long to satisfy yourself.  Self-satisfaction because of a blessing from God done only to satisfy yourself you will become corrupted.  You must pour it out, you must sacrifice it, and to do with it what your common sense may say to you is an absurd waste: it is not!  We are to be compelled, constrained, by the love of our Lord Jesus Christ and to pour out unto the Lord even our natural love or spiritual blessing.  How can one do this?  By the determination of your mind.  We must pour out unto the Lord everything then these things pour out into rivers of living water.  Until I do pour these things out before the Lord, they endanger those I love as well as myself because they will turn to lust.  We can become lustful towards things which are not sordid and vile.  This love, this love of God, our love for the Lord Jesus Christ, has to get its transfiguration point by our pouring out everything unto the Lord.  If you are always taking blessing to yourself and never learn to pour out everything, other people do not grow in the Lord through you.  We are to be the ones proclaiming living water, and that is the Gospel of Jesus Christ for we are His ambassadors.  Are you being compelled, are you becoming determined, are you allowing the love of Jesus Christ to be all in all in you because He died for you once, and rose again and sits at the right hand of God the father making eternal interests section for you even though you are sinful, and at times must pay the consequences of your sins, your sins have been paid for, so then why not live according to this truth?

Some trust in chariots, and

            some in horses;

but we will remember the

            name of the LORD

our God.

                        Psalm 20:7

Become an Authentic Christian

Richard L. Crumb

Becoming A Living Sacrament Of Service

Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord,

we persuade men; but we are well known to God,

and I also trust are well-known in your consciences.

For we do not commend ourselves begin to you,

but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf,

that you may have an answer for those who boast

in appearance and not in the heart.

For if we are beside ourselves,

it is for God; or if we are of sound mind,

it is for you.

2 Corinthians 5: 11 -- 13

            The terror of the Lord is that all men will stand before the judgment seat of Christ and be judged according to what they have done. even what they have said or thought; some to everlasting life and some thrown into the Lake of Gehenna, the Lake of Fire.  I do not know what is meant for the survivors of this judgment placed upon the believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and how what has been done in this life affects their eternal life.  What I do know is what we have been instructed to do in this life and that instruction is not a simple request, it is a command.  In the military, to not do that which you were commanded to do could cause you to be thrown into the brig (a Navy term for jail).  So why do we think that God would create us any different?  Why do we think that we will all be treated the same no matter what we have said or done?  There is terror!  But as Paul mentioned he was well-known by God: are you well-known by God by your sacrament of sacrifice?  Are you well-known by others due to your sacrament of sacrifice?  Do people boast about you and how that you are humble and the sight of God and are willing to sacrifice yourself for the sake of others a sacrament that Christians are commanded to do?  Paul also mentions that you must have an answer for those who boast and only do so in appearance and not by the truth of God's Word and do not have the hearts of Christ: "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 8 -- 38).  The use of living waters is an analogy from the Word of God, the truth, and it can be said that the truth enlivens or gives life to the hearer.  I quote this verse quite often so that we do not forget it: "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with weakness and fear" (1 Peter 3: 15).  It is the heart, the seat of emotion, that can even override the will of man’ mind, from which actions find their foundation.  It is very telling that Jesus did not say to us that you will receive the blessings of the fullness of God, no, rather that out of that person who believes upon the Lord Jesus Christ that which you receive from Him will flow from you.  We live in a world in which self-realization is being taught as the way a person should strive to realize.  Our Lord's teaching is always anti-self-realization.  God does not have the purpose to develop a as a man wishes he was developed to be according to the culture of this world.  No!  God's purpose is to make man exactly like Himself and that the man who was developed like Himself will have the characteristic of the Son of God and by this characteristic your character pours out your sacrament of sacrifice to God.  This may require that God by His chastisement  removes from us that which we think is our sweetness, our approval that is not in line with His word.  How often we measure ourselves by worldly success, but spiritually we can only measure our success by that which God pours through us, and we can't even measure that.  The Bible is not a book of stories as in a story book, rather those narratives that the Holy Spirit inspired to be written are to teach us and one such narrative is when Mary put forth her acts of devotion by breaking a box of precious ointment and pouring it on Jesus’ head.  Jesus even mentions that wherever the gospel is preached this act by Mary would also be included to teach us.  As Jesus Christ was overjoyed by her act of devotion is also overjoyed when He sees you doing what Mary did, and that is not to be so worried about the economy of things, rather being abandoned to Him.  I find in some churches and in some schools are teaching that a person must go to and fro attempting to pray for people for their healing and in other things, trying to do miraculous things, and yet, the gospel is not preached and many do not even carry a Bible with them.  They are self-satisfied thinking that they are pleasing to the Lord.  As St. Augustine wrote in his document of doctrines, we are not objects of enjoyment to God in and of itself, rather God uses us and then this is for our own advantage.  This requires that faith, hope, and love, and graces are essentially necessary for anyone to be able to understand and explain rightly the Holy Scriptures.  It is time now to break the life that many of us are attempting to live thinking that what you are doing is in harmony with the scriptures of God but are not, and to cease craving for satisfaction, and to spill out this sacrament of sacrifice.  Our Lord is asking who of us will do it for Him?  Paul wrote: "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, then those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again" (2 Corinthians 5: 14 -- 15).

Then the Angel of the LORD

            admonished Joshua, saying,

"Thus says the LORD of hosts:

            ‘if you will walk in My ways,

and if you will keep My command,

            then you shall also judge My house,

and likewise have charge of My courts;

            I will give you places to walk

among those who stand here.

                        Zechariah 2: 6 -- 7

Stand today as a sacrament of service

Richard L. Crumb

Manifesting The Holiness Of God

We are confident, yes, well pleased

rather to be absent from the body

and to be present with the Lord.

Therefore we make it our aim,

whether present or absent,

to be well pleasing to Him.

For we must all appear before

the judgment seat of Christ,

then each one may receive the things

done in the body, according to what

he has done, whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5: 8 -- 10

(See Revelation 20: 11 -- 15)

            First question that needs to be answered is very important: "Are you confident that if you are absent from the body will be present with the Lord?"  Second question: "Are you making it your aim to be well pleasing to Him?"  Peter writes in his first epistle: "because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy" (1 Peter 1:16; Leviticus 11: 44 -- 45).  The Greek once again tells us more than the English for the Greek word is an imperative, a command that is a direction for you to do something and in this case, commanded to be holy.  If you are to be well pleasing to Him then one must start with themselves and that is to become holy.  Your confidence in God and your need to become holy is for you to continually to think about and to restate to yourself what is the purpose for your life.  Today, so many churches, and the culture of this world, teach that for you to find happiness is for you to have good health, and success and this is to be your desired end.  This is not true with God for your destined end is not happiness, nor health, but holiness.  Does this come as a surprise to you?  Television, movies, even advice from others is for you to be successful, and if so you will find happiness.  How often I see families in the church more concerned about the success of their children in this world and seemed to casually teach the Bible or casually talk about God, but never impress upon their children that their desire and destined end is to be holy and pleasing to God.  We have in this world far too many affinities (If you are not familiar with this word then let me give you a good definition for it: a natural liking for something or an attraction for something could be a person, or anything that what you are attracted too).  Our affinity is to be Jesus Christan and our desire to have confidence based upon Him and not to have confidence based upon the temporary things of this world.  For this to occur it may require God to atrophy those affinities.  We are not just required and should not be the case that we are trying to be pleasing to God because there is a day of judgment in which all people will have to appear before the judgment seat of Christ.  That judgment day is coming whether you are pleasing to God or not!  In this life, the one thing that matters is this: "whether a man will accept that God Who will make him holy.  Jesus Christ said that we should deny ourselves whether it be family members or friends or anything so that at all costs a man must be rightly related to God.

            Third question: "Do you believe that you need to be holy?"  Fourth question: "Do you believe that God can come into you and make you holy?"  I found this to be true and unfortunately recently; when the preaching convinces you that you are unholy; you resent that preaching.  I find in many churches that there is this "sloppy agape."  I read on the face book comments where many, soft easy devotional type of writings are that Jesus is more of your friend rather than your, God.  Most of the devotional writings are nice and may lead a person to read the Bible and to think upon God but often the God that they are seeking is not the God that desire and requires you and has commanded you to be holy.  When the gospel is actually taught and preached often there is an awakening to the fact that you are unholy; but it also awakens an intense craving.  God has one purpose and that purpose was His purpose from the creation of mankind and this is for people to be holy and the production of saints.  These types of devotionals that are soft spoken, easy to accept, maybe even just a tickling of the ears, is excepted because people are looking for blessings.  Quit looking!  God is not an eternal blessing machine for men, He's not to be treated like some vending machine, He did not come to earth and die on the cross to save men out of pity.  God came to earth incarnate to save men because He created man to be holy.  The cross whereby the atonement had been established and the justice of God satisfied means that God can put you back into perfect union with Himself.  You cannot become holy by your works or anything that you do for only holiness can come when God applies His Holiness to you.  Holiness means unsullied walking with the feet, unsullied talking with the tongue, unsullied thinking with the mind and every detail of your life is under scrutiny of God.  Now, holiness is not only what God gives to you, but, what you manifest, that is, that which God has given to you.

All Your works shall praise

            You, O LORD,

and Your saints shall bless You.

            They shall speak of the glory

of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power.

            To make known to the sons of men

His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of

            His kingdom.  Your kingdom is an

everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion

            endures throughout all generations.

                                    Psalm 145: 10 -- 13

Manifest the holiness of God in you

           

Richard L. Crumb