Growth Let's Look At Ourselves

[Rollo Tamasi]

We often overlook our own shortcomings because we are too busy looking at others.
It doesn't hurt to look at what the foundations of our faith are and where we stand .
I'd like you to take a little time with me and discuss it.
As I teach you, I teach myself.

I've found 6 foundations of our faith.
1. Repentance from dead works.
2. Faith in God.
3. Instruction about baptisms.
4. The laying on of hands.
5. The resurrection of the dead.
6. Eternal judgment.

I will speak of the first one.

1. Repentance from dead works.
We cannot make up for sins by doing what we consider good works.
If we don't really change, then we are watering a dead plant.
Nothing changes.
Any good works we do must be a response in faith to God.
That brings about change.
An example of a dead work is being caught in sin, saying a repentance of that sin, then going back and sinning again.
That does not bring about change.

What does bring about change?
By walking in the Holy Spirit.
If we spend a daily life of looking for God, reading his Holy Word, and seeking him in prayer, we will be walking in his Holy Spirit.
And we will change in such a way that we are pleasing to God.

I call on you today to join me in prayer for each other and that we will do the good works that reflect our faith and are truly pleasing to God.
Amen.

Researched from Messianic Good News

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

2. Faith in God
We please God by believing in him, trusting in his promises, and depending on what he has done for us and will do for us.
Our belief in Jesus lead us to our new life.
To believe in Jesus is the "good work" that God requires - John 6:29;
Faith works - what we do the Word and promises of God, are not dead works.
They flow directly from the new life we receive in Jesus, which is faith in God.
No one has received life unless he has received the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, as a response to our belief.
Proverbs 3:5; "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding".

 

[GodsGrace]

1. CHANGING

Changing is a life-long process .
We are a work in progress .
Some changes happen immediately, some changes take longer and some changes are not even noticeable to others .

When we become born again from on high we are justified by God. Justification is a work accomplished only by God and by Him alone with no help from us. We are made just, or righteous by His action of Love for the creature He created and has returned His love. Righteous means Right With God.

Once we are justified, we work toward our Sanctification . this indeed is a work. But we are not left alone to accomplish it. Just as Jesus told his Apostles to wait for the Holy Spirit before preaching to the world so that they might receive power, so we too receive the Holy Spirit to walk by our side and be our paraclete.

Sanctification is a two way street - it requires our cooperation . God works within our spirit, which will affect our soul , and we respond by wishing to please God. This is a lifelong process and ends with the third and final step , Glorification, when we receive our glorified bodies.

Wondering

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

Thank you wondering for sharing.
I hope others will share.

 

[th1b.taylor]

Justification is an amazing process. I walked away from Porky's with my guitar and equipment on 1/1/'90 because I had been overcome with the Holy Spirit and all I could see was corruption where I had, previously, seen pleasure. To This day I will not go into Porky's, Little Moe's, nor any other joint. That and my persistent need for alcohol and drugs were two of the instant changes in my life that I noticed.

When I arrived home that morning I poicked up my KJV Bible and it fell open in my hand to Isa. 53 and I read it and knew it was speaking, prophetically of Jesus, for the first time ever. And when I got up the next morning I wanted Sunday to hurry up so I could begin to learn to Worship God and to begin learning who He is. Everything looked different thaqn it ever had before. The grass, the trees, the bushes, everything was beautiful. If one is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, justified, there is no way they do not know it.

The restraints on most ¿Christian web sites? about this teaching, I feel, will receive it's just reward in Heaven. In Church, in my cllass of eleven men there were three indwelt with the Spirit and the other eight were gone in a few short weeks to another class in another Church.

There are none safe that do not have the life changing indwelling of the Spirit and teaching that truth is forbidden almost everywhere because it is divisive. And in truth, it is, it separates out a peculiar people, the people that have submitted their will to the will of the Most High God.

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

3. Instruction about baptisms.
There are according to many people that there are seven baptisms.
Some will say even more.
But there is one that directly has to do with the foundation of our faith.
That's the believers' baptism.

We become part of the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit when we get saved.
This is a separate event then water baptism.
Christ's death, burial, and resurrection is what saves us and guarantees our resurrection.

Believer's baptism is the water baptism to show how we identify with Jesus and to show the world an internal repentance and spiritual rebirth.
It is done as a step of obedience, not to earn salvation, but as a way to show the world our commitment to Jesus.

When one is water baptized, a wonderful feeling should overcome them, with the Holy Spirit filling their very being in a special way the believer can identify with.
The foundation of your faith is strengthened.
You now feel compelled to serve God in a mighty way.

This is the believer's baptism.

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

I am not going to be able to continue on this thread at this time.
I hope someone else will pick up on it and then others will join in.
May it edify all that participate.
And may God always bless you richly.
Rollo Tamasi.

 

[ezra]

Baptism of fire ==the refiners fire like silver the dross has to be removed.. like gold refined .every day is a type of fiery trial . as the crabb family sings he will take you through the fire . seems like past 2 months i have fought at least 4 spirit battles at once. our life is tested every day....our work are tested by fire wood hay stubble will perish. gold silver precious stone all comes through the fire. which represents us.

 

[GodsGrace]

2. FAITH IN GOD

So much could be said about faith in God.

Rollo posted Proverbs 3:4-5 in post no. 2. It says to trust in the Lord with all our heart. Why should we trust in the Lord?
What is faith?

The NIV says that faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.
Our faith is not based on what we could see and is perceived by our senses, but is based by something we cannot see - the Word of God and how it is the truth. This Word is what renders life worth living. We sometimes wonder what the purpose of life is. There is no purpose other than to do the will of God, whatever that may be in our lives, and to give us an opportunity while here on earth to make the decision to be with God at the end of our life.

So what we hope for could be our rewards right here on earth. Peace, joy, an abundant life.
John 10:10 Jesus came to bring a life more abundant, and this is something we can hope for.
We can also hope for an eternal life with God at the end of our earthly walk.
John 14:1-4

But do we trust in the Lord? He died and resurrected so that we may trust also everything else He said. If we believe in the resurrection, then we can also trust Him and have faith in Him. Faith is believing in a person or in a teaching. With Jesus the two are inseparable. Jesus IS what He teaches. In John 2:11 Jesus revealed His glory and His apostles put their faith in Him.

1 Corinthians 2:5 says that our faith is to rest on God's power, which has been demonstrated by miracles and the good works of God in our lives.

So we can have faith in God and trust God, who has shown Himself to be worthy of our trust and faith through His Son, Jesus the Christ.

Wondering

 

[ezra]

2. FAITH IN GOD

So much could be said about faith in God.

Rollo posted Proverbs 3:4-5 in post no. 2. It says to trust in the Lord with all our heart. Why should we trust in the Lord?
What is faith?

The NIV says that faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.
Our faith is not based on what we could see and is perceived by our senses, but is based by something we cannot see - the Word of God and how it is the truth. This Word is what renders life worth living. We sometimes wonder what the purpose of life is. There is no purpose other than to do the will of God, whatever that may be in our lives, and to give us an opportunity while here on earth to make the decision to be with God at the end of our life.

So what we hope for could be our rewards right here on earth. Peace, joy, an abundant life.
John 10:10 Jesus came to bring a life more abundant, and this is something we can hope for.
We can also hope for an eternal life with God at the end of our earthly walk.
John 14:1-4

But do we trust in the Lord? He died and resurrected so that we may trust also everything else He said. If we believe in the resurrection, then we can also trust Him and have faith in Him. Faith is believing in a person or in a teaching. With Jesus the two are inseparable. Jesus IS what He teaches. In John 2:11 Jesus revealed His glory and His apostles put their faith in Him.

1 Corinthians 2:5 says that our faith is to rest on God's power, which has been demonstrated by miracles and the good works of God in our lives.

So we can have faith in God and trust God, who has shown Himself to be worthy of our trust and faith through His Son, Jesus the Christ.

Wondering

Faith is A BIG WORD.. we trust in something we can not see . we trust him to save us. but do we trust him well enough for all our problems ?
1 Peter 5:7King James Version (KJV)
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

New Living Translation
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. how easy is it?

 

[GodsGrace]

Faith is A BIG WORD.. we trust in something we can not see . we trust him to save us. but do we trust him well enough for all our problems ?
1 Peter 5:7King James Version (KJV)
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

New Living Translation
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. how easy is it?

Hi Ezra,
You bring up a good point. Everything is easy to say, but do we really believe it?
I find myself giving all my cares and worries to God but I also feel like I have to work on my problems.
Jesus said God takes care of the flowers and the birds and knows the number of hairs on our head.

Mathew 6:25-34 The Cure For Anxiety
These verses tell us not to worry about what we wear or what we will eat and to not worry for tomorrow because today has enough problems of its own. I like to say that Jesus was the best psychiatrist of all. Jesus didn't say not to do for ourselves, but to not WORRY about it. Worrying gets us nowhere.

Jesus said in the above to seek first the Kingdom of God and THEN all the rest will be given to you. But God doesn't just hand it over to us - I like to say that we are God's hands and feet. We must move in faith and in a manner agreeable to God and do what we must to live out this life.

At the same time, we should realize that God should come first in our lives so that everything else could fall into place. Without Him, everything is not in its right order and we're more inclined to make many mistakes.
Proverbs 3:5-6

This is my understanding of the point you make.

Wondering

 

[th1b.taylor]

Hi Ezra,
You bring up a good point. Everything is easy to say, but do we really believe it?
I find myself giving all my cares and worries to God but I also feel like I have to work on my problems.
Jesus said God takes care of the flowers and the birds and knows the number of hairs on our head.

Mathew 6:25-34 The Cure For Anxiety
These verses tell us not to worry about what we wear or what we will eat and to not worry for tomorrow because today has enough problems of its own. I like to say that Jesus was the best psychiatrist of all. Jesus didn't say not to do for ourselves, but to not WORRY about it. Worrying gets us nowhere.

Jesus said in the above to seek first the Kingdom of God and THEN all the rest will be given to you. But God doesn't just hand it over to us - I like to say that we are God's hands and feet. We must move in faith and in a manner agreeable to God and do what we must to live out this life.

At the same time, we should realize that God should come first in our lives so that everything else could fall into place. Without Him, everything is not in its right order and we're more inclined to make many mistakes.
Proverbs 3:5-6

This is my understanding of the point you make.

Wondering

Hi W,
Everything you said!

 

[ezra]

Hi Ezra,
You bring up a good point. Everything is easy to say, but do we really believe it?
I find myself giving all my cares and worries to God but I also feel like I have to work on my problems.
Jesus said God takes care of the flowers and the birds and knows the number of hairs on our head.

Mathew 6:25-34 The Cure For Anxiety
These verses tell us not to worry about what we wear or what we will eat and to not worry for tomorrow because today has enough problems of its own. I like to say that Jesus was the best psychiatrist of all. Jesus didn't say not to do for ourselves, but to not WORRY about it. Worrying gets us nowhere.

Jesus said in the above to seek first the Kingdom of God and THEN all the rest will be given to you. But God doesn't just hand it over to us - I like to say that we are God's hands and feet. We must move in faith and in a manner agreeable to God and do what we must to live out this life.

At the same time, we should realize that God should come first in our lives so that everything else could fall into place. Without Him, everything is not in its right order and we're more inclined to make many mistakes.
Proverbs 3:5-6

This is my understanding of the point you make.

Wondering

no disagreement .in my ministry i appeal to the congregation to be open and honest in their prayers. for instances i sure don't understand this Lord. i am trying by faith to trust in you to make a way. but not to sure how well i am doing. i just ask for your help. in mark 9 we find a man who told Jesus i Believe (after Jesus said if you can Believe all things are possible to him who does.) then he said help my unbelief . if we had perfect faith i doubt we would even pray. i have heard some say don't question God . times i question him it helps me. this is where the trying of our faith comes in. JOB said when he is through trying me i will come forth like Gold. lets face it this world we live in is a tribulation. i was fixing get a new roof put on guy shot me a good price i got the material. he has vanished will not return my calls. i borrowed x amount $$$ for this. i got my find a different roofer which will probably cost more than i borrowed. time to rase the slate start all over again. ask the Lord make a way.. then the wait... some how in due time he makes a way

 

[th1b.taylor]

no disagreement .in my ministry i appeal to the congregation to be open and honest in their prayers. for instances i sure don't understand this Lord. i am trying by faith to trust in you to make a way. but not to sure how well i am doing. i just ask for your help. in mark 9 we find a man who told Jesus i Believe (after Jesus said if you can Believe all things are possible to him who does.) then he said help my unbelief . if we had perfect faith i doubt we would even pray. i have heard some say don't question God . times i question him it helps me. this is where the trying of our faith comes in. JOB said when he is through trying me i will come forth like Gold. lets face it this world we live in is a tribulation. i was fixing get a new roof put on guy shot me a good price i got the material. he has vanished will not return my calls. i borrowed x amount $$$ for this. i got my find a different roofer which will probably cost more than i borrowed. time to rase the slate start all over again. ask the Lord make a way.. then the wait... some how in due time he makes a way

Such good advise! It is just like my last heart attack. I went to the Emergency Room because mother elephant would not get off of my chest and her nursing baby would not stop jumping on my arm. In 98 I had two stints installed and the ER Doctor said it was time for two, maybe three more and I refused.

He almost yelled at me, "Why?" And I told him I went to the ER to get something for the temporary pain and that God will either punch my ticket and take me home or He will fix the damage, this time. He just stood there looking at me!

They kept me for two days, monitoring me on the EKG every four hours and when I left the attending Nurse, looking at my chart told me she had never seen a case where there was no action taken and the heart patient leave with their heart functioning so well.

I have been ready to go Home since the day I was saved and because I have believed in my Jesus and the work He completed on the cross and He did not think I was sane. It took a lot of study and time for me to reach this level of faith but know it is futile to even think to disagree with our God and I, just, will not think to do so.

 

[GodsGrace]

no disagreement .in my ministry i appeal to the congregation to be open and honest in their prayers. for instances i sure don't understand this Lord. i am trying by faith to trust in you to make a way. but not to sure how well i am doing. i just ask for your help. in mark 9 we find a man who told Jesus i Believe (after Jesus said if you can Believe all things are possible to him who does.) then he said help my unbelief . if we had perfect faith i doubt we would even pray. i have heard some say don't question God . times i question him it helps me. this is where the trying of our faith comes in. JOB said when he is through trying me i will come forth like Gold. lets face it this world we live in is a tribulation. i was fixing get a new roof put on guy shot me a good price i got the material. he has vanished will not return my calls. i borrowed x amount $$$ for this. i got my find a different roofer which will probably cost more than i borrowed. time to rase the slate start all over again. ask the Lord make a way.. then the wait... some how in due time he makes a way

Just a couple of comments - I couldn't agree more.

Don't Question God:
There are some who truly don't. I know a few persons like this. They seem to be able to accept everything without questioning God at all. They are also very humble. I find, instead, a little bit of Sarah in most persons. God might promise something, but in the meantime they like to try something on their own. I believe it's because we're impatient and like quick answers more than not having faith. Also, we do have to do our part. For instance, God is not going to give us a new job unless we apply for it and do everything we need to for eligibility.
I don't believe we should feel guilty for not having "enough faith" and waiting it out.

Job said, "when He is through trying me, I will come forth as God."
Trying us, tribulations, corrections, call it what you will. We will have crosses to bear during our lifetime.
If we accept what befalls us, carry our cross to the best of our ability, and thank God for what we have that is good, we will come through as gold. Why? Because it truly is a type of test. Many face a trial and abandon God. If we can go through the trial and not abandon Him, it means we have true faith, true love, and we will most surely hold fast until the end when we will be in His presence.

Wondering

 

[ezra]

Just a couple of comments - I couldn't agree more.

Don't Question God:
There are some who truly don't. I know a few persons like this. They seem to be able to accept everything without questioning God at all. They are also very humble. I find, instead, a little bit of Sarah in most persons. God might promise something, but in the meantime they like to try something on their own. I believe it's because we're impatient and like quick answers more than not having faith. Also, we do have to do our part. For instance, God is not going to give us a new job unless we apply for it and do everything we need to for eligibility.
I don't believe we should feel guilty for not having "enough faith" and waiting it out.

Job said, "when He is through trying me, I will come forth as God."
Trying us, tribulations, corrections, call it what you will. We will have crosses to bear during our lifetime.
If we accept what befalls us, carry our cross to the best of our ability, and thank God for what we have that is good, we will come through as gold. Why? Because it truly is a type of test. Many face a trial and abandon God. If we can go through the trial and not abandon Him, it means we have true faith, true love, and we will most surely hold fast until the end when we will be in His presence.

Wondering

amen isiah 40:31 is hard scripture for me to practice . i can wait upon the Lord for the right message most of the time.. but in trials i dont do so good, glad he grades on grace amen.. love the old song he's still working on me to make me what i ought to be .the old potters wheel can be rough in the process

 

[Douglas Summers]

We often overlook our own shortcomings because we are too busy looking at others.
It doesn't hurt to look at what the foundations of our faith are and where we stand .

Hi Rollo, As a born again believer, the Spirit of Christ has always been a mirror to see my self and my Adamic nature and God's undeserving grace and eternal security. But I find few to fellowship with at times, as I share and teach the things that the Lord has enlightened me in because of (what seems to be their pride of knowledge) and not joy of their salvation. I have been misunderstood many times because of the lack of believers foundation in a Spiritual walk and obedience to the will of God and have taken it upon themselves as overseers of other believers, influenced by their Adamic nature. And as I'am humbled by the grace of God, the Lord tells me not to let that keep me from being bold in the faith of my calling and election. Their is never a day or moment that I'am not in fellowship with the lord, He rules my life....He is my life as he is to all of His sons.

Christ in me
Douglas Summers

 

[GodsGrace]

Such good advise! It is just like my last heart attack. I went to the Emergency Room because mother elephant would not get off of my chest and her nursing baby would not stop jumping on my arm. In 98 I had two stints installed and the ER Doctor said it was time for two, maybe three more and I refused.

He almost yelled at me, "Why?" And I told him I went to the ER to get something for the temporary pain and that God will either punch my ticket and take me home or He will fix the damage, this time. He just stood there looking at me!

They kept me for two days, monitoring me on the EKG every four hours and when I left the attending Nurse, looking at my chart told me she had never seen a case where there was no action taken and the heart patient leave with their heart functioning so well.

I have been ready to go Home since the day I was saved and because I have believed in my Jesus and the work He completed on the cross and He did not think I was sane. It took a lot of study and time for me to reach this level of faith but know it is futile to even think to disagree with our God and I, just, will not think to do so.

Hi Bill,
Sometimes the Lord speaks to us in a very strong way so that there can be not doubt.
What a great testimony for the workers in the hospital.
I like very much what you say about going home. We all need to realize that this is not our permanent home and we should all be looking forward to going to our true home where our spirit is in agreement with the Holy Spirit.

Wondering

 

[GodsGrace]

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EVERYONE

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

4. The laying on of hands.
Prayer is a wonderful thing.
God hears our prayers.
It is how we draw close to him.
It is good talking to our maker.

He puts us together, encourages us to be together, wants us to support each other, keep each other in prayer.
When the needs grow strong, he wants us there for each other.
The laying on of hands.
First of all, we can pray for each other with the laying on of hands, anointing one another with Holy Oil.
Don't wait for some person in a church organization with the title "elder" to pray over you.
As a mature Christian, you can intercede in prayer for healing of all types.
As we pray for each other with the laying on of hands, our faith grows stronger and we can be healed.
God wants this.
He gives this to us.
He says so in the Bible.

Another way of looking at laying on of hands is caring for one another when we are sick.
It is common to care for our own family.
But then there is the church family.
Many people have physical needs that the church should meet if necessary.
People have either no family or families that just refuse to help.
People have no money to pay for help.
This is where we, the church should step up and help others.
Drive them to the doctor, help them with a shower or bath, clean their clothes, cook their meals.
Do we need to be asked to help?
How much love of God has he given us to help one another.
Imagine if we had to wait in line for God to help us.
Great is thy faithfulness if we were to all volunteer to do "something".

The great part of doing "something" is that it feels good and instills the desire to do more.
You do something for someone, you lay hands on them and pray for them, and you go home feeling really good.

This is a foundation of our faith that needs constant reminder to one another as people's needs are always there.

Let's look at ourselves and see how well we can please God today.