notes from lisa...

Being transformed into the image of Christ Jesus is not a light thing--it is major. It took much to make it happen, and it takes much to keep it transforming and renewing day to day--but we aren't the ones doing it. We benefit, but we get no credit for it. It is "the love of Christ" that "controls and urges and impels us, because we are of the opinion and conviction that [if] One died for all, then all died; And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake". [2 Corinthians 14, 15, AMP] Why are we so proud and boastful? All we have to offer is nothing . Paul (with all of his education and religious training--and it was the best there was; elite, reserved for the cream of the crop) called all of that human effort and outward stuff that impresses people, but not God, DUNG. We don't think like Paul--or like G...

Faith & forgiveness go hand in hand. When Jesus taught forgiveness, the subject of faith came up more than once. [see Mark 11:22-26] Forgiveness is probably the most difficult act we do, as humans--it is a God-like trait to be forgiving. It is supernatural to forgive those who have offended us. Remember, among Jesus' last words on the cross--"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do". It's a God thing. There have even been times when God didn't forgive, and He was justified in not forgiving; in fact God is justified in not forgiving any person past or present. Thankfully, His mercy overrides His justice in our behalf. He destroyed the world by a flood--saving only Noah and his family--He didn't forgive, then. He destroyed 24,000 of the children of Israel in a smiting plague [Numbers 25] because "they played the harlot" and joined themselves unto the daughters of Moab, and were enticed into idolatry--He didn't forgi...

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." [Romans 5:8] We love Him because He loved us first . If He hadn't loved us first, we would have no ability to love Him or anyone else--we wouldn't even have the desire to. I think, sometimes we forget--or at least, take for granted just how much we needed a Savior. It was a dire situation! He was the answer to a prayer that He had to place in us--we didn't even recognize our need to seek Him, until He made us aware (by the Law) of our transgression. Without the Law, we knew no sin--we didn't even get the fact that we were submerged in the muck and mire of sin, without a chance, until the Law came to teach us--to be our "schoolmaster" [Galatians 3:24] until Jesus came in the fulness of time to justify us, by faith! We were doomed, and didn't even know it. God, then gave a promise to Abraham that He would save His people--and, even ...

Reading Psalm 119:26-32 (and Psalm 121:7,8 " The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore." ) should demolish any vestige of pride and haughtiness that clings to our hearts. If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side, we would have been swallowed up by men (Psalm 124:1-3) and by this world, too. It is only because God has been "there" all of the time that we could cry out to Him, in our extreme need and find solace, in the midst of this world's chaos. It is only having His New Law--the Covenant of Grace engraved upon our hearts that we can receive and grasp this "foolishness" of preaching, and be saved by that which confounds the wise of this world. We understand His precepts, not by memorization or rehearsal, but by grace, through faith--which worketh by love (Galatians 5:6). His precept...

I had to smile a little when I read this portion of Scripture (" That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition]. [We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy, Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light." [Colossians 1:10-12, AMP])--there are times when it seems like I (maybe you can relate, too) wish I had an "S" o...

There's an old Black-American congregational song that goes something like this: "You don't have to slay the lamb anymore; You don't have to put no more blood on the door. Jesus has taken the place of the lamb; He Is the great I AM!" For a long time, God settled . His holiness demanded something to atone for the sin of man. Because of His great mercy toward us, He was willing to make a temporary provision through the Mosaic Covenant. There had to be some blood; so beginning with the blood on the doorposts before the children of Israel departed from Egypt, blood was shed to protect them from the penalty of death. Only because the blood was over the door, did the death angel know to pass over the firstborn in the house. Once they reached the wilderness of Sinai and camped there, at the mount God gave them laws to live by. They were never meant to be permanent--because the promise came without the Law--prior to the Law, through Abraham. The ...

Most of us, have the misguided assumption that we have plenty of time. I turn 50 this year--it's amusing, I guess; but I can't even believe it! I really can remember graduating from high school, and what I did that day and those days after, like it was yesterday. Seriously, like where did the time go??? All of the babies in my life are adults, now--the ones I held in my arms and fed are now towering over Auntie--wow!!! Still, as we see time passing, mankind doesn't seem to get the fact that time will not be on our side forever. God is standing in the midst of eternity waiting for His Bride--and He wants to bring all of us home, but He won't bring a reluctant bride. He won't plead forever. He has done everything for us--rescued us from the snare of the adversary time after time (if we're honest, not just Judah and Israel, but all of us, have been unfaithful).  He gave us His Son--and grace, but we are so "bewitched", just like the churc...

The crowd in Acts, the 3rd chapter are a lot like us, today. They loved the sensational--they did the same thing to the apostles that they did to Jesus. They followed them for the miracles. They went after Jesus often for the fishes and the loaves--because He fed them, or to see something amazing. Now, Jesus is no longer walking the earth, in the flesh. His disciples are now walking in His footsteps, empowered to do "greater works"-- in quantity , that is. Jesus' ministry only lasted three years. Miracles just happened-- as they should when the Holy Ghost is present, but they are a means to an end, other than to (simply) heal and deliver the individual. That's good, but not the main purpose. Jesus told us that miracles are to raise the level of faith of those who behold them--so that they "might believe on Him". Miracles should lead mankind to believe on Jesus ; belief in Jesus will convict and draw man to salvation. Miracles are the attr...

  Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind). And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you. THEREFORE BE imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father].   And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance. [Ephesians 4:31,32;5:1,2]   ...

The Psalmist hints here of a Law that is written not simply on tablets of stone--but within a heart of flesh. Although David lived in the days of the Mosaic Law when animal sacrifices were made continually for the sin of mankind, it seems he had a glimpse of the grace that was to come through his own lineage. The Mosaic Law, as given to Israel contained over 600 different points. Israel was expected to know these laws and to rehearse them and teach them to their children generation to generation, while they waited for the Promise that God covenanted with Abraham. The Law however had limitations--it made them aware of their sinfulness, but it had no provision to keep them from that sin. So, the sacrifices were many--and continual. Even those who sacrificed, had to sacrifice for themselves, being imperfect also. Jesus came to reward us with grace. His earthly ministry was all about grace--just as His death was. Even the miracles were about salvation--there weren't a...

Luke wrote maybe the most important letter recorded in the New Testament, to his good friend Theophilus. Luke was sharing his experience about his (and the other remaining disciples) final moments with the Master--and His instructions to them leading to the New Birth and an explosive world-changing ministry. Luke shared the intimate details--he knew it was important for Theophilus (and us, too) to know exactly the words that Jesus used in His final earthly instructions. He told them what to do, where to go and what to say. He even told them how long they should wait and what the sign would be that they were now prepared to carry out the mission. Every detail that Jesus gave the disciples was important. You see, Jesus knew them--as He knows all of us. Until God prepares us, we are doubtless, unfaithful, unskilled, timid and unremarkable just like they were. In fact, if you read Matthew's account in chapter 28, you will see that verse 17 says that "some (not j...

I'm sure some of the non-Jewish early Christians thought the Jews who had not accepted Jesus, didn't deserve Him--at least those who had persecuted Him. Maybe it wasn't admitted or spoken, but sometimes we all have those nagging feelings, like Jonah, that someone isn't deserving of God's grace. Well, none of us are--and from the standpoint of God, we all look the same, Jew, Gentile, Black, White, Brown, Yellow, Red, it just doesn't make any difference. Until God see's the blood of Jesus applied to our souls in redemption, we're all exactly the same--no distinction, just wretched and in need of salvation. None of us, has a reason to feel superior--or inferior, then. Since, we're all the same before Jesus (that is without hope, separate from the presence of God--all of us); and after we come to know Him, He see's our different personality's, but none of us is better than the next. As, the Word tells us, we have different roles in t...

" He was guilty of no sin, neither was deceit (guile) ever found on His lips.    When He was reviled and insulted, He did not revile or offer insult in return; [when] He was abused and suffered, He made no threats [of vengeance]; but he trusted [Himself and everything] to Him Who judges fairly. He personally bore our sins in His [own] body on the tree [as on an altar and offered Himself on it], that we might die (cease to exist) to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like [so many] sheep, but now you have come back to the Shepherd and Guardian (the Bishop) of your souls." [1Peter 2:22-25] Amplified Bible Have you ever gone into a store and perused the clearance rack--the products that "must go!" Sometimes, you might wonder how could they put a price tag on those items--just t...

I often wonder how many souls we have devastated with the fallacious teaching of the prosperity Gospel. The message that promises unsuspecting, desperate seekers that coming to Jesus “in faith” guarantees that they can have whatever they desire. It’s such a danger. It destroys faith. Countless souls are wounded—even destroyed for eternity, because they believed it with every fiber of their being, but when it didn’t happen felt God didn’t love them or felt their faith was deficient; not as good as those around them. Many have come into our churches looking for the Answer, and we supplied them with counterfeit answers that seemed as if all of their earthly problems would melt away, if they would follow the steps. When the gimmick didn’t work for them, they left through the revolving door. We wondered why they left. In some churches, they were never missed, because there are so many, someone else slipped right into their place. We seem to think that it’s okay if one or two leav...