As humans we have a purpose in life on this planet, and it is well defined by our Creator in Scripture and in the way God has made us.  When the Apostle Paul writes to the church at Colosse, there was a different kind of teaching going on that threatened the very existence of the church.  The people of that church were being taught that Jesus was not God, but “just one of many gods” once again idolatry was making it’s way into the church.  Paul brings all of this into focus with his letter to the Colossians.  In Colossians 1:16, Paul writes through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him.” (NASB)

As culture continues to work it’s way through the church, and send forth it’s own ideas about man’s purpose in life, we Christians must remain grounded in Scripture and always be aware that we are “not of this world” (John 17:14-16).  Culture may demand of us many things, but we are to resist the temptations and glitter, and instead zero in on bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to whomever we meet.

Today many people are asking, “Why am I here? “What is my purpose in life?” These questions will lead many to false teachings, and dead end roads.  Pride is the main cause for the rejection of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Many people cannot give up the control that they have on themselves and others.  They can’t bring themselves to understand that there is a God, who sent His Son, Jesus to die for us, so that we may be washed clean of our sins against God.  They just don’t think they need a Savior, and that’s O.K. because we were all there once ourselves, until the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit took over our lives and we were reborn into new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17).

When culture attacks, it is not attacking us, it is attacking Christ.  We will do well to remember that.

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“Seeking the aid of the Holy Spirit, let us aim at perfection. Let every day see some sin crucified, some battle fought, some good done, some victory won; let every fall be followed by a rise, and every step gained become, not a resting-place, but a new starting-point for further and higher progress.” 

Guthrie

My Brothers,

We have become aware that some of you have attended this ministry of God’s on Friday evenings, and we have not seen you for a while.  As servants of Jesus Christ we are concerned for His people and you are on our hearts.  Sometimes we (all of us) believe that we are alone in our struggles and bondage.  We feel as though we will not be accepted because of our struggles.  This is a lie from the enemy.

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” 

Romans 8:1

We are praying for each one of you as we walk through the struggle together.  Standing strong in the strength and power of Jesus Christ.

“The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned” 

Psalm 34:22

We humbly ask God to re-invite you to Victory In Christ meetings as we continue on through these summer months.  In the hope of Christ Jesus, we will have redemption and forgiveness.

“We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him
in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 

1st John 3:19-21

If any one is in need, please contact us through the email address victoryinchrist@zarephath.org

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We have seen that our Lord is totally aware of our addictions and how our story is told in the Bible.  God is not unaware of our slavery to the lusts of the flesh and our desire to fill that need outside of His will.

Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked,
Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,
For You are my hope;
O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth

Psalm 71:4-5

He has given us the freedom and hope of total fulfillment of His Spirit.  By the blood of Christ Jesus we are unchained from the bondage of our sin, all of our sins, past, present, and future.

By His promise of eternity all our hope comes from Him.  When this world falls short of our desires (as it always will!) Christ Jesus always fills our yearning hearts and souls.

“For I have come looking for adventure, and adventure I have found, since I first set my foot on Your Holy Ground” Robin Mark (Billy Spence)

God is our creator and has predestined us for His purpose that furthers His will and His Kingdom.  As we journey through this life we will walk to our eternal purpose and lay up our treasure in Heaven.  For God is the light of His people.  When He shines darkness flees.  He has brought Jesus to show us what is true and loving, the right way to live, and the purpose we were created for: for God Himself.

My brothers, God has made the sun to shine light in this world and brought His SON to set us FREE!

“Arise, shine; for your light has come,
And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
“For behold, darkness will cover the earth
And deep darkness the peoples;
But the LORD will rise upon you
And His glory will appear upon you.
“Nations will come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
“Lift up your eyes round about and see;
They all gather together, they come to you.
Your sons will come from afar,
And your daughters will be carried in the arms.
“Then you will see and be radiant,
And your heart will thrill and rejoice;
Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you,
The wealth of the nations will come to you.

Isaiah 60:1-5

We have been praying to keep this ministry going through the summer.  God has put this upon our hearts to continue, and we will.

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Last week we saw how our sliding back can give us wisdom and develop a strong reliance on God. Even when people, possessions, circumstance, and relying on the world offers nothing. The thought of the gift from our Lord of eternal freedom, through salvation, keeps us from turning into that liquor store parking lot, that dime bag, or that porn site. Nothing that we possess of this world can keep us from going back to our addictions, other then the promise of Jesus and that He is always with us. He tells us that we are welcome at His table, and we will have supper with Him forever.This is our hope when all around us the walls are falling in. The worst case scenario has begun, and we were not prepared for this! Only through Jesus Christ can we come out of this battle unscathed and renewed. Our Hope ,our faith, and our light, is the strong warm comforting love of Christ Jesus.

‘Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
‘He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Revelation 3:20-21

Hope is essential when we are totally at our end. We must always remember how God saved us from ourselves, and the sin we were enslaved to. Experiencing everything human, trials, and temptations, persecution and suffering; He withstood all of these by relying on His Father and the scripture. The fall to temptation and sin started with Adam, and continued on down through the people of Israel, with grumbling, complaining, and idol worship. We all fall to the same temptations, and the same despair. Only WE have HOPE, CHRIST JESUS! The better Adam, the one who beat all the temptations so that we may have eternal life.

Therefore what benefit were you then deriving from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the outcome of those things is death.
But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:21-23

The enemy places hopelessness and despair in our path as we walk on this earth. Depression and addiction go together, one pleases the other. We cannot stumble upon these blocks as we walk towards our eternal home awaiting us. Ultimately all our hope lies with the promise of eternal life. When everything around us turns dark and lonely, reach for the light switch and bring the light of Christ back in to your life.

The people who walk in darkness
Will see a great light;
Those who live in a dark land,
The light will shine on them.
You shall multiply the nation,
You shall increase their gladness;
They will be glad in Your presence
As with the gladness of harvest,
As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.

Isaiah 9:2-3

All of our addictions, pain, and suffering are found in the scripture. Our story, each one of us, has a counterpart in the Bible. Our adulterer/lusting man is found in King David, as he throws everything away for Bathsheba. Our alcoholic/drug abuser man is found in Proverbs, as the woman called folly. Our idol worshiping man is found in the Nation Israel as they turn from God who created life to worshiping things that were created. All of our addictions are not new. They have been done time and time again. Our hope and our relief rest in the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, Jesus Christ.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.
Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,
to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever.
Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21

My brothers don’t let your spirit be troubled. Be strong and stay in the Word. Read section 10 for Friday. May God Bless each and every one of you.

In Christ,

jeffrey

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Last week we focused on the “Fear of the Lord” which made us cry out :

“Fearing you God, is like a priceless treasure, enriching our values, desires, and moral obligations, Father, it changes our very souls!”

This week our entire focus is on our Redeemer, our Savior, our only hope when all is lost, Jesus Christ.

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” Romans 8:1 NLT

Jesus is our Redeemer bringing a new covenant between God and Man. The old covenant is washed away. No longer are we to wallow in our sin.

“Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and on smooth paths where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s father and Ephraim is my oldest child” Jeremiah 31:9 NLT

Our sin condemned us to death. We had no hope of ever being released from the chains of the hell, which we richly deserved. Our lives were surrounded by darkness, with no anticipation of spending eternity with God. Only by His death and suffering on that cross, was the world’s sins, OUR SINS, OUR SHAME, OUR GUILT, taken from us.

“who being in the form of God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even death of the cross.” Philippians 2:6-8 NKJV

From eternity past, Christ knew our fall would come. We were cursed with the sin of Adam, down through the generations sin, shame, and guilt has come from father to son. The better Adam, Jesus, the one who passed the test, who defeated the grave, is the only one that can break our chains.

“And to the man He said, “Since you have listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return” Genesis 3:17-19 NLT

In Christ Jesus we are free from this curse, and in Him we find Hope and Freedom. Looking forward to seeing all of you this Friday God Willing, to break our chains.

“Therefore God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11 NLT

In the Love of Christ, Jeffrey

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