Newness

Romans 6:4 - Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 

I had the privilege of working at our church Saturday. We are undergoing a bit of remodeling and renovation. We're revitalizing the interior and exterior of the church.  One team was outside gardening. Did I say some? OMG, the lifeless looking gardens have come alive because of the work and enthusiasm of several people. It's not just 'cause it's spring either. I sense in my spirit it's the precursor to something else. There was also another team painting a back hallway. What a delight. What a satisfying feeling at day's end. Can't wait for the next project.

In prayer yesterday morning at church it was as if I sensed that as we are changing the look of both the inside and outside of the physical church, we are changing the atmosphere within! Not that the physical changes will do this, but spiritually, we may see a new thing. I sensed the Lord was letting me know that this was His sanctuary, His house and He was pleased with what is happening.

A newness has begun at Victory International. We have gone from two to one service and what joy we felt as we entered the prayer room early that morning prior to the day's activities. I believe it followed us into the sanctuary. It was delightful. 

We, too, can live in that same joy, despite what seem like setbacks, and receive a newness within ourselves when we have taken the step to receive Christ into our lives. An outward and inward transformation takes place. Our hearts are changed and our outward appearance can have that peaceful, content look. 

In fact, when we have received this wonderful gift God has given us we can call ourselves the Temple of God, where God dwells.  2Corinthians 6:16 - For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people."  

The Holy Spirit of God does this transforming work. It has nothing to do with our ability to change. It just comes with the "receiving Christ" territory. It's a lifelong process...we will never fully arrive until Jesus comes back. Our spiritual house, however, is revitalized. The dark, dinginess of our old selves makes way for brightness and newness. Here are a few examples of the promises of change that take place:

Psalm 40:3 - He has put a new song in my mouth--praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD.

Ezekiel 36:26 - I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Revelation 2:17 - '"...To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it."' 

Isaiah 43:19 - Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. 

A new thing. I love it! A newness in Christ. I love it! At the end of our lives and when Jesus returns and Heaven is at last revealed to us as our final home, there are more promises:

Isaiah 65:17 - "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind."  

2Peter3:13 - Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 

Revelation 21:5 - Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." 

Yes, even today He makes things new if we give Him a chance. I know many people would not change their lives as they have been. On the other hand there are many who, if they had the chance, would change a lot. I'm both...I see my previous faults, sins, insecurities and realize I was like that because I didn't know any better. I followed the crowd. I follow a different crowd now and am thankful that those days of mine have been forgive of me. I AM a new creation in Christ. Anyone can be if they so desire. Look at all these promises as the proverbial carrot being dangled before you...it's your choice to make.

2Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Newness

Matthew 5:17 - "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill."

We have the Old Testament and the New. God covenanted with the Old Testament peoples. When things didn't work quite according to His plan He brought Christ. A new covenant was formed. In Christ all things are made new. A new testament that brought a  new testimony.

I'm amazed, as so often I am, that the people of the time of Moses, of the Exodus, of the time of release from captivity and a time of seeing God's miracles right before them, of His provision each day, didn't get it. It amazes me that even today sometimes we don't get it. 

Everything we have we owe to God. He has given us life. We are here for such a time as this, like Esther was for her people. We were born for these days. Perhaps it's like a test...will we choose to believe in God or not; will we choose Him or the world? This is an exciting time for those who see what is happening in this world. We are privileged to be discerners of the truth, despite the bitterness of it. We see these things because we also were made new. We see that in Christ we know the glorious ending that the world sees as possible disaster. I relish His return...

If you are reading this, you know that God has given you a physical life, but we are asked to partake of a better, newer life, in and through Christ. Jesus calls us to a new life and if we are willing to receive that life, there is a whole new world, which I've mentioned before. I seem to always end up on the same topic...being in Christ. Is there anything else of importance?

When we receive Christ we have that new life. The religious leaders during Jesus' day couldn't handle this new stuff. Aren't we a people who don't like change?? We can be so settled in the way things are. Like those in the days of Moses, they questioned His authority even though they were amazed (see, others were amazed, too) that without formal training like they had, He knew so much and spoke with a wisdom they could only dream about...how with all the training they had they could not speak with this same authority. Who was this Man? What power did He have?

They as much as admitted this in Mark 1:22,27 and 2:7: And they were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, "What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him." "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 

It was why they longed to kill Him. They didn't see Him as the Son of God. He was a threat to their ritualistic way of (Old Testament) life and the control they had over others. Some of our churches today attempt to do the same. They only are qualified to speak on behalf of God instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to speak God's Word through them. He, in some way today, is still a threat to them and their power. It was also why Christ came to earth, to die, not at the hands of these men, but because of our sins. Those men then couldn't kill Him because He chose to die. As He was a New Testament for mankind, we would become new, through Him. He and only He would be able to forgive us of our sins.

Who are we to think we are better or smarter than the Lord? Who is any man? Who is any minister in any denomination? It's all about Jesus. He is God and He is the only Way, Truth and Life. No one goes to the Father except by Him. He is the new way of life. In Christ we are made new.

Revelation 21 is a perfect example of all the things Christ promises us once we have received Him. It's not only for the future, it's for now. Although we might still go through difficult days on earth, as some can relate, underneath it all there should be an interesting and powerful sense of peace. Why? We do not fear what man can do to us nor do we fear death because Christ has conquered everything! Please read the link to the chapter. It is so very wonderful and can be an encouragement.

It's like our life before Christ is our Old Testament. We strive to do good to please God, if we believe He exists. We live according to our own desires when God wants nothing more than for us to worship Him that He might be our God. He tells us this is what He wants to do: [I want to do] a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? [I want to make] a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:19). Do you see? He wants to do a new thing. He wants to do... He wants... He... 

But we don't get it. We want to believe it's all about us and what we can do. Then one day we meet Jesus face to face and our world changes, hopefully. Our hearts are made new and along with that God's Spirit shows us and guides us into all things new: Ezekiel 36:26 - I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you... The world is different and new. We see a glimpse of heaven on earth because Christ now lives with us. We realize it's not about us, but about a Father in Heaven who gave His only Son to die for us.

In the Old Testament the people worshiped and sacrificed at the Temple. In the New, with and in Christ, we ARE the temple because Christ resides in us. We can sacrifice and worship anywhere, even within our own heart. If none of this makes sense, you need Jesus...to show you these things...you are still in the world and He wants to take you out of the old world and bring you into His new world that He might reside in you.

Christ was in the beginning and is now. He created the earth and all things in it. He created you, that you might receive Him. He will also be at the end of the world. And if you are in Christ, He will take you to His new home. His glory will be the Light that shines in this new world and new home. And if we are with Him then we will see His glory! 

Without Christ none of this can happen, either now or in the last days. If you aren't sure what this all means, ask Him to show you. Ask Him to reveal Himself to you. If you are sincere in your heart He will do just that. He will give you a peace you've never experienced. He will also frustrate you when you see others who do not share in this new life. You will wonder why others don't choose to believe in Him, who don't choose to have their name written in Christ's, the Lamb's, Book of Life.

Revelation 21:27 - But there shall by no means enter it [the New Jerusalem; the new world] anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only 

I Am New

2Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

I heard a song the other day called I Am New by Jason Gray. Yesterday I wrote about what some would say is a holier-than-thou attitude toward Christians...those who lay claim to having a relationship with Christ. In Christ we are new creations and we are in relationship with the Almighty God. The old man is gone and the new, in Christ, now lives. It does not make us perfect. Sadly, those who don't understand relationship over religion think we think we are better. We are not. I am not. There are some who do think this way, but they ought not to. It's all about understanding this relationship concept. On one hand it's difficult to understand, on the other it's so easy.

Lord, let ears hear, eyes see and minds be open to this concept.

I was of the same opinion once before I knew about this relationship thing with Christ. In fact, it wasn't until some time later that I understood I was in relationship with Him...and not until a time after that did I realize there's a difference between relationship and religion. Knowing Christ is not a Lutheran thing or a Catholic thing or a Baptist thing. It's a personal thing. I heard this one time: I know you call yourself a Christian, but I am a Roman Catholic. That does not make them any better than me either. Relationship, not religion. 

The title Christian has lost some significance as the years have gone on. It is about as watered down as the Church watering down the Word of God, not upholding God's standards like it used to...so as not to offend. Oh, Jesus is SO an offense... There's no getting around it. The Old Testament religious and political leaders took so much offense to Him they were part of a group determined to put Him to death. But let me add here, it was not any one group who ultimately killed Him...we are all guilty of that. Jesus came for the very purpose of dying. You can't kill someone whose purpose in life was to die for the sins of the world, including the religious and political leaders. Jesus came to this earth for that very purpose. 

Jesus came...not religion. I'd venture to say He hates religion. Religion is laws and rituals that cannot be upheld no matter how hard one tries; relationship bypasses that and deals directly with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We still need to adhere to the laws of the Commandments but it's our relationship in Christ that sets us free from condemnation and sin. The relationship, the acceptance of Christ, receiving Him into our lives is what makes us new.

So, Jesus is an offense. His truth is an offense. And part of that truth is we are not truly Christians until we have a personal relationship with Him. It's not knowing who He is and living as we always have. In the end one who only knows who Jesus is will realize they missed something somewhere in their life. They will realize they missed that relationship with Christ.

My whole view today on what a Christian is goes much deeper than just knowing Christ existed. It's knowing Him intimately. Anyone can do this. No one religion (including Judaism) has the corner on the Christ market. He came for all people, all races, all faiths. A Christian is one who knows that he knows that he knows Christ and is a follower. It's about putting trust and faith in what Jesus Christ did for us. It's not about our works but about His work done on the cross. 

What were the lyrics to that song (in case you didn't listen or didn't listen all the way through) that tell us the truth of who we are when we receive Christ? 

Forgiven, beloved, hidden in Christ.

Made in the image of the Giver of Life.

Righteous and holy, reborn and remade.

Accepted and worthy, is our new name.

You can look these words up in a Bible and find definitive words that tells us that in Christ we are these things. There is nothing holier-than-thou about this. It's the truth. We still cannot live perfect lives. We will fail others and other will fail us. The Church will fail too. But unless one questions their own religion and the teachings of their church, if a relationship with Christ is not considered because it is not part of the teaching of a church, they are missing the mark. In the Bible the phrase to miss the mark is the definition of the Greek word for sin. So that means there are many churches that are missing the mark in their teachings. I know this is a hard word.  

It's not about how good we think we are and all our good works. We cannot work our way to God and we cannot work our way to relationship with Christ. We receive Him. It's all about Jesus and no one else...no one. We go to Jesus and Jesus alone. HE is the one who intercedes on our behalf to the Father. No one else can do this. Jesus is the one who died on the cross...no one else. We need to realize this and accept this concept, so we can be made new, through Christ and Christ alone. No one else can make us all the things, and so many more, this song has shown us.

Listen to what the Bible has to say. Do you believe the Word of God is the truth? Do you believe Jesus can do this today? He is able...and so much more. It is that relationship with Christ that makes these statements true.

For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him...But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God... And he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. (Colossians 2:9-10, John 1:12, 1Corinthians 6:17)