Setting Our Minds

Bless those who persecute you;

bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice,

and weep with those who weep.

Be of the same mind toward

one another. Do not set your mind

on high things, but associate with

the humble. Do not be wise in you

own opinion.

Repay no one evil for evil. Have

regard for good things in the sight

of all men.

Romans 12: 14–17

            The Greek word translated, “bless,” is not the same word Jesus used on the Sermon on the Mount, for the Greek word; εύλογέω, means to speak well, or to praise, to make happy, and is used to bless someone who is, as the Greek word, διώκοντας, means, the one who are pursuing you, those who may be desiring to acquire you, those who are malignity pursuing you to persecute you, and Paul makes this one thing clear, we are not to curse them, and we are to speak good words to them. That is not to say that we condone evil, or simply acquiesce to be persecuted, no, rather we are to speak well of them so as not to put ourselves in an unnecessary predicament. I will write more on this when I write on Romans 13, a place in the Bible that definitely has different opinions by Christians. Are we to rejoice with our persecutors? No! We rejoice with those who rejoice, and we weep with those who are weeping. Why? Because we are to care for our brothers and sisters, and we are to be the light of the world, and this light is spread abroad to all, even to non-Christians. Here is a problem, I have it, and you may too. Setting our minds on high things, for when we do this we lose sight of the humble and leave them alone to deal with life alone. Or, we become wise in our own opinions, those opinions that are not Scriptural. When we allow ourselves to not put on the whole armor of God, to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable to God then we are one step away to repay evil with evil. We are to set our eyes on things above and to do good towards all men, especially those who are God’s children. This is a time when many Churches hang banners that say peace and good will to all men, but for many this is only a good saying and not practiced in their lives. I pray that this is not true of you and me. We, as Christians have the obligation to live as Christians: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceable with all men” (Romans 12:18). Paul once again lays the responsibility for our action, our words upon us; “as much as depends on you,” Therefore you decide how much to say and do. So how are we to act? Paul writes: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ (Deuteronomy 32:35), says the Lord. Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him, if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head’ (Proverbs 25:21–22). Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:18–21). Easy to say, or write, but hard to put into practice, and without effort it will never be anything more than a hardship. That is, if you do it for reasons other than you are doing what Jesus Christ did, and by doing so, out of your faith in Jesus Christ come works, a time that you being formed into the image of Jesus Christ. It is by the grace of God, that fact that Jesus Christ is God and that all things owe their being to His will and power and by Him all things are ordered and move. Furthermore, especially at this time of the year when we set aside time to celebrate His coming to earth to pay the debt owed to Him by Himself. We ought to be driven to do what we have just discussed; that is, to present ourselves acceptable to God, and this we do when we act in brotherly love, to our family of God, and extending to those who are not of the family of God. This great mystery of God, that the Word of God became man appearing in our midst, and due to this fact we adore Him, and love Him, and are devoted to Him. This growth in us may be slower for some and faster for others, but in all cases, we are to be growing closer and closer to Him. The world may scorn Him, as they often due at this time of year, even supplanting the word “Christmas,” with “Xmas,” and even attempting to make laws to stop saying “Merry Christmas,” or to have scenes of the birth of Jesus Christ displayed in public. We know that the evil ones will do evil, but we will not be moved to take action against them, any action outside of the law. We will bless them, say good things to them and by doing so: “you will heap coals of fire on his head.’” Don’t get caught up in the evil things, rather get caught up in the good, that which we celebrate, the coming as promised the Messiah, the one who redeems, the one who died for His children. This is a time of joy and we ought to be joyful, no matte what comes, no matter what attempts to take away this joy. We live, not for temporal things, rather we live for that which is eternal.

            I will not begin Romans Chapter 13 until after Christmas. This will be important to write about, as there is much division over what Paul wrote, and I do not want to take away from the joy of celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Thus says the LORD, the King

            Of Israel, and his Redeemer,

The LORD of hosts; ‘I am the First

            And I am the Last; besides Me

There is no God.

                                    Isaiah 44:6

Live for Your Savior

Richard L. Crumb

Rejoicing In The Gift Of God

Be kindly affectionate to one another

with brotherly love, in honor giving

preference to one another, not

lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit,

serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope,

patient in tribulation, continuing

steadfastly in prayer; distributing

to the needs of the saints,

given to hospitality.

Romans 12:10–13

           

            Paul is writing under inspiration very important words for all the children of God to apply in their lives: “brotherly love” and this to the “saints,” as this holds the first priority. From this love towards our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ the world benefits. The Apostle John writes: “We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death” (1John 3:14). It is not enough to say we love if that love is not exercised, if not, then one is speaking falsely: “By this we know love, because He laid down His life fro us. And we also ought to la down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1John 3:16–18). Both Paul and John agree, Christians are to love one another in deed and truth, and where there is need to distribute what is needed to the needy. This implies that a person is looking to see if there is a need, not sitting back apathetically hoping needs met. At this time of the year, a time of celebration and the giving of gifts so often becomes focused upon family and some friends and there is nothing wrong with that in the first place, but in the second place this celebration makes cause to forget there are others who will not be able to celebrate and are in need. I am not speaking of the ungodly, I am speaking about those who worship with us and are our brothers and sisters. So often at this time Christians spend much money, even going to the point of buying costly things that are temporary, and overspending making a rise in their indebtedness to some credit card company, and they do this so that they will look good to those they are giving gifts. The greatest gift a person can give is what God gave to His children: His Son Jesus Christ. Are you of God? Did God give to you the Holy Spirit to indwell you? Are you becoming sanctified, more, and more, formed into the image of Jesus Christ? Do you profess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh? Is this what Christmas is all about for you? I just wrote about Romans 12:1 where we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice for God. So, how is that being exercised in your life? For you only, or for just your family? Or, is the love of Jesus Christ having it way with you in all you do and say? “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1John 3:7–8). The gift of God is eternal life through His Son: “In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1John 3:9). The “us” is not the world. John is speaking to Christians and to you if you are a Christian: “Beloved, if God so love us, we also ought to love one another” (1John 3:11). I write this so that we do not become so consumed with the holiday that we forget that we are not celebrating a holiday: NO! We are setting aside time to celebrate that God came to earth and became incarnate to die for sin and that God, the Father, applies that propitiation for sin to you who are a child of God, chosen by Him, enabled by Him, drawn to Him, all by the grace of God. John writes: “We love Him because he first loved us. If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we hove from Him: that he who loves Gog must love his brother also” (1John 4:20–21). The Greek word, “μισή” translated liar has this meaning: malicious and unjustifiable feelings towards others, whether towards the innocent or by mutual animosity, and is one who speaks falsely, and by this type of feelings and speaking is making himself a liar.

            God has commanded us that we love one another: and I ask you and me; are we following that command? “Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1John 5:1–4).  What a joyous time of the year: how can we make it joyful to others? Not just our family: also, to our extended family, our brothers, and sisters in Jesus Christ. Make this a special time for yourselves and for others, God blesses those who keep His commandments. Happiness is to be spread far and wide, and as possible we are the ones sowing this love and joy. Praise God for this is not burdensome, no, it is a joy.

He brought me to the

            Banqueting house,

And his banner over me

            Was love.

                        Song of Solomon 2:4

Receive today the gift of God

Richard L. Crumb

Grace The Gift Of God

For as we have many members in one body,

but all the members do not have the same

function, so we, being many, are one

body in Christ, and individually members

of one another.

Romans 12:4–5

            How much clearer can God reveal to us that we are “one body” and that individually are members of one another? It is therefore, by our being “one body” that we have a responsibility to one another as we also take responsibility for any of the members of our physical body. Individually each member has a gift(s) and that gift(s) may differ to one another, and yet any gift we have is a gift given to us by the grace of God: “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry6, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation, he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:6–8). So many “Christians” today are running to and fro attempting to somehow snatch a gift from God. They attend such schools as that here in Redding by Bethel Church, School of Supernatural, attending so as somehow God would use them in a supernatural way. Yes, we must be diligent in our loyalty to God and allow Him to impart to us a gift, and yet that Gift that God gives, given only by His will and in His time. Many Christians are so impatient and so desiring of things by God that in the least make God to be a vending machine, hoping that if they do just enough good then God will impart to them a gift, maybe even a supernatural gift. Our Lord and Savior often dethroned by such enthusiasm, even the world does not dethrone our Lord in such a manner. Christians are looking for some blessing and even Jesus Christ made nothing more than a Worker among workers, and this is supposed to be some form of loyalty and worship. It is not! Those gifts that God gives by His grace is not that we do work for God, rather it is out of our loyalty to Him that He can do His work through us; what we put in, God puts out through us. Therefore, it is important that what we put in is actually the truth and not some man–made doctrine. Just as said in the computer world: Garbage in; garbage out. Did not God use His Son to fulfill His purpose? Yes! God wants to use us as well, why do you think you, as a Christian are here on earth? If we are going to heaven, then why does God wait to take us there? Could not God, when we convert to Him, just take us, then, and eliminate all the problems and trials that come upon us? No! God has a plan and purpose and we are part, and parcel of that plan and purpose. We are His arms and legs to take the Gospel, not some doctrine about healing, or speaking in some gibberish language that no one understands, no, we are to be about the same work as Jesus, and that work is to tell about a person need for salvation. Until a person comes to recognize they are a sinner and in need of a Savior, they will not convert To Jesus Christ. Oh, they may decide to follow Jesus, but when the trials come, they will be as what Jesus spoke of when He said that some seed; will be sown on shallow ground and when trials come, they will be rooted out of the ground. Christians are to be faithful in every circumstance in life and if we do not believe that God engineers all circumstances to fulfill His purpose then our belief in God is shallow and our loyalty is shallow. To be loyal to God is to follow what He as revealed to us in His word, and what God has revealed is that He is in charge of all that happens for He is omniscient, to believe that God is engineering all things for His purpose is where the test of our loyalty comes. We also, by God's grace, believe that the Word of the Father is Himself divine, that all things that are owe their being to His will and power, and that it is through Him that the Father gives order to creation, by Him that all things are moved, and through Him that they receive their being. Now in dealing with these matters, it is necessary first to recall the previous words said. You must understand why it is that the Word of the Father, so great and so high, manifest in bodily form. He has not assumed a body as proper to His own nature, far from it, for as the Word He is without body. He manifested in a human body for this reason only, out of the love and goodness of His Father, for the salvation of us men. There is God’s purpose for us to have gift(s), and that purpose is for the salvation of men, those who have been given the gift of faith, (Ephesians 2:8), who are the called ones, the ones enabled by God, and we are to use those grace given gifts to aid people to be enabled. Who are the called ones? Do not know! Just use your gift to bring to your world the Gospel, this is what is needed, not anything else. We do not attempt to trick people to come to Christ, or to have them come because Jesus heals. Yes, Jesus healed, and we have accounts of His healing some people even the raising of the dead. Those accounts of Jesus healing had a purpose, to demonstrate His divinity, that He was God incarnate. For us used in some manner by God we must present our bodies a living sacrifice as chapter 12 began: “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9).

            We are individually members of the body of Jesus Christ, and yet we are the body of Jesus Christ. Therefore we are to live what we are: the body of Jesus Christ upon this earth at this present time to do His will, and forever we will be the body of Jesus Christ in all times and ages for God’s children live eternally.

 Also I heard the voice of the LORD,

            Saying: ‘Whom shall I send,

And who will go for Us?’

            Then I said, “Here am I!

Send me.”

                                    Isaiah 6:8

Declare the Glory of God

Richard L. Crumb