Jesus Fellowship: Taken up in glory. 10/23/15

Day 295

Today's song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtzCD_8KbjI

No copyright infringement intended.

1 Timothy 3

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/dramatized/niv/1Tim.3

Qualifications for Overseers

3 The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. 2 Therefore an overseer[a] must be above reproach, the husband of one wife,[b] sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, 3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? 6 He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.

Qualifications for Deacons

8 Deacons likewise must be dignified, not double-tongued,[c] not addicted to much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain. 9 They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let them also be tested first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless. 11 Their wives likewise must[d] be dignified, not slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons each be the husband of one wife, managing their children and their own households well. 13 For those who serve well as deacons gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

The Mystery of Godliness

14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. 16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He[e] was manifested in the flesh,

vindicated[f] by the Spirit,[g]

seen by angels,

proclaimed among the nations,

believed on in the world,

taken up in glory.

Supplied Life Devotional by Bill Freeman

Not two condemnations October 23rd

“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.” ROMANS 8:3
The content of the law of the Spirit is marvelous. The reason I am not condemned over sin in the flesh is that God already condemned it in His Son. There are not two condemnations — one laid to His charge and then another laid to mine. In Romans 8:1 there is no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus, because sin in the flesh was condemned in Him. God condemned sin in the flesh. The judgment for sin was upon Christ. It is not upon us. The debt cannot be paid twice. The debt is paid only once. Christ paid the debt. I am not going to pay it again. I am simply going to be on the receiving end and be filled with joy that the debt has been paid.

So watch how you react to paying debts in your inner life. When you are condemned, if you feel like you owe something to your good flesh, if you feel obligated to it, that is a clue that you are in the wrong realm. For many years we may have been stuck in this realm, feeling obligated, relating to our religious flesh in this way. We may not have related to ourselves in the realm of the Spirit. Notice, we are talking about realms here. There are two different realms — two different sets of feelings, two different mind-sets, two different ways of relating and interacting. Paul gives us a good description of these two realms in Romans 7 and 8. The question is not how to rid myself of condemnation, but to ask, What realm do I live in — the flesh or the Spirit?

Pray Until Something Happens (PUSH)

Anna, Ariana, Ariel, Georgie, Wes, and Zoe.