Food for the Body


June 01, 2004	Volume 4, Number 3
“Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..” “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 2 Corinthians 1:10	*30 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE GLORY THAT WILL REST ON THE LAST DAY'S CHURCH* 26. ONLY GOD WILL GET THE GLORY *Acts 12:23 "An angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God."* God is jealous for the glory. He wants ALL of it. 27. COMMISSIONED THROUGH FASTING AND PRAYER *Acts 13:2 "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said 'Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'"* People will be commissioned into their callings and destinies through fasting and prayer. 28. THERE WILL BE THE OPERATION OF GREAT AUTHORITY FOR DELIVERANCE *Acts 16:18 "'I command you in the name of Jesus to come out of her.' And he came out that very hour."* Not only will the Church heal the sick and see mighty miracles, but we will also move in deliverance seeing the oppressed set free from demonic power. 29. UNUSUAL MIRACLES *Acts 19:11-12 "Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul."* There will be UNUSUAL MIRACLES that God works through His servants. Even prayer clothes will carry the tangible anointing of the Holy Spirit. 30. HOLINESS AND PURITY WILL MARK THE CHURCH *Acts 5:4-5 "Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things."* *Eph. 5:27 "That He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish."* The light that was in the early Church shined so brightly that, at the first sign of darkness, light snuffed it out. Remember, with great power and authority comes great responsibility. The greater the glory and power God gives us, the purer we must be to hold that power. God has given us the book of Acts as the standard for the operation of the supernatural in the Church. In a way, we are still writing the book of Acts as we move in the power of the Spirit and perform the works Christ has called us to do. The glory on the Last Day's Church, which is being Revealed, will be even greater than that on the early church. There are still greater works God has called us to do to see all the nations brought into His Kingdom and come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Let's lay hold of the fullness of the Spirit by faith, step out and walk on the water! May God's glory fill your life with increasing power as you seek after Him. This is the last part of the article.
E-mail: jeffmccartney@comcast.net We’re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com


June 02, 2004	Volume 4, Number 4
“Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..” “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 2 Corinthians 1:10	The Body Of Christ You and I are the body of Christ. Fitly joined together, we make up a network of veins, arteries, bones, tissues, organs, nerves, skin, muscle, etc, etc, etc. To say that we are complex is vastly an understatement. We are vast and complex! But why would we not be? We are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the eternal God. Now, how does God make a temple for Him to dwell in and express Himself in? Well, it has to be complex. But just one body by itself is complex enough. However, God likens us to a body of many body members. A singular body in which each member needs each other and no member is excluded. That is the body God likens us to. He does this by gifting each and every one of us differently and not gifting any one person with all of the gifts. Therefore, you and I need each other in a very real way if we are to really show Jesus in His fullness to the hungry world. Are you blessed? So am I. Are you hurting? So am I. Are you hungry? So am I. Are you poor? So am I. Are you rich? So am I. You and I as a body are no longer lone stars or lone losers. We are one body, and as such, we are a part of everyone. So I am very glad when you are very blessed, and I am very sad when you are not. That means when one of us is weak and we are strong we have to go to that brother and or sister in a spirit of meekness and humility preferring our brother or sister above us lowering ourselves that we may in the spirit of meekness and humility bring that weak brother or sister up! And you know we cannot do this in the flesh, but we have to do it in the Spirit. Therefore, let us clothe ourselves in humility and meekness and always see each other better that we may bless each other in love, and we are all together brought up into maturity not leaving anyone behind and with great forbearing encourage one another in love so that we are all filled to the great measure of God in all the fullness of the Love of the Father knitted and united and holy with no fetters bringing us into that place of great love. Oh, may we see the vision of a united body of Love. Pray for the weaker member. That is our weakness lest we have to pluck out the right eye God forbid. Lest we have to cast our arm from us God forbid. Love is more powerful and covers a multitude of sins. We love first and only if we have to, we then reluctantly do the other to save the rest of the body. We are one body and members one of another. Let us love one another with fervent love until we truly represent the God who is love!
E-mail: jeffmccartney@comcast.net We’re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com	Note: This newsletter is distributed free of charge to the body of Christ. May the Lord be blessed as we seek to obey him in all things.


June 03, 2004	Volume 4, Number 5
“Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..” “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 2 Corinthians 1:10	You are The Body Of Christ You are the Body Of Christ. What does that mean? What does it mean to your body that your body is the body of you? What that means is that you are in charge of your body. That means that positionally your body owns everything you own. Everything that pertains to you pertains to your body. If you own a boat so does your body. If you own a house so does your body. If you go into a restaurant so does your body. The interesting thing about your body is that it has to go wherever you desire it to go. You cannot decide to go into a restaurant or on a boat without your body going with you. So it is with you as a part of the Body of Christ. The key here is that the head is Christ. Therefore, wherever Christ wants you to go, you must go. There are verses in the scripture where it states that if we are Christ’s disciples we must deny ourselves, take up the cross, and follow him. As it is with our natural bodies so it is with the Body Of Christ. Now, take a look at your natural body. You tell your hand to type, and it types. You tell your hand to eat, and your feet take you to the buffet. Your feet may not want to walk there, but your desire for food will make your feet obey you. And do your feet complain when you tell them to walk a mile to get food? You bet. Your feet still go because you need food. So just as your own natural body is a servant of you so is the Body of Christ the servant of Christ and will take Christ wherever He wants to go. You may wonder where I am going with this article. Basically, to be in the Body of Christ, you must be the servant of Christ, and you must also be made a servant to the Body of Christ by the will of Christ. Just like in your natural body your feet may itch, be hot, be tired, be sore, and yet, they will obey you as long as you want them to or until they give out. Such is the Body Of Christ. Every part of the Body Of Christ is a servant of Christ and obedient to Christ individually. When you are a servant of Christ individually, Christ can and will tell you when and how to serve everyone else in the Body Of Christ. Just like in your body. You may be in a hurry in your natural body to get to work. Your natural body may tell you it has to go to the bathroom. Your head makes the decision whether you can hold it in until you get to work or not so you will be on time. When your head makes the decision your body parts are signaled to commit to do the job of holding it in until you get there. The muscles and everything else in the body work as a team until you reach your destination. Did those body parts want to do that? No. However, they were in obedience to your head, and your head decided if those body parts could handle the task, and then, you committed your body to do it. Such it is with Christ and His body. In Christ’s body, Christ calls the shots! You and I must decide to commit to doing whatever Christ wants you to do at the time. Sometimes, it is just a scratch using the arm, hand, and finger. Other times, the entire body gets involved like climbing a ladder. Are you and I listening to the head to get His word for each moment? It is not always easy. You may not want to do the task at hand. However, as a member of the Body Of Christ, you must do it.
E-mail: jeffmccartney@comcast.net We’re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com


June 04, 2004	Volume 4, Number 6
“Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..” “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 2 Corinthians 1:10	KNOWING GOD'S WILL We must be sure we are following God's will in all things. Only God knows what is best for us. Only He knows what will work and what will not work. And only God knows the future. Therefore, only by following God's guidance can we be sure of success. AUTHORITY: The question of who is in authority must be answered first. Many churches use the pyramid type organization, where the senior minister is at the top with assistant ministers under him and a board of elders or deacons under them. The work is done through various programs, such as a calling program, music program, youth program, Sunday school program, sports programs, etc. These programs do not obtain the results God expects of us, because they do not change people into the likeness of Christ. At one time I attempted to draw an organization chart with Christ at the head of the assembly and gave up in frustration. How do you draw a chart of the human body? You can make one chart of the blood system, another of the respiratory system, another of the digestive system, but when you put them all together on the same chart there is so much information that it is difficult to make sense of it. The same is true when drawing a chart of the New Testament assembly. Christ works directly with each member, and He also works through the assembly leaders. God uses all of them working together in various ways, methods, and techniques. How God does His work is so complicated that it is beyond our understanding. Our part is to be under the authority of Christ and under the authority of those He has put over us. Then, we can perform the ministry He gives us. We do not need to go looking for a ministry, for if we allow God to make us usable, He will use us. "Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20,21. KNOWING GOD'S WILL: Much of God's will is revealed to us in the Bible, yet there are people who know the Bible but do not understand God's will for their lives or ministry. Others claim the Holy Spirit guides them but the fruit they produce is not the fruit of the Holy Spirit. How can we be sure that we are not like them? How can we avoid the mistakes we see others make? The answer is not simple for God works in many ways to perform His work. A study of those Jesus healed reveal that each healing was different. A study of the conversions in the New Testament reveals that the people became Christians in different ways. No two circumstances happened in exactly the same way. The way God calls one person into a ministry and the way he calls another may be in entirely different ways and for different types of work. GOD GUIDES US THROUGH: God's Word: The Bible is God's road map for you. It will take you where God wants you to go if you are willing to study it and allow God to give you wisdom to understand His ways. "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord." James 1:5-7. "For the word of God is living, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart." Hebrews 4:12. Dedication: We cannot learn God's will until we completely dedicate ourselves to God. This includes our body, soul, spirit, time, possessions and family. It means giving up the desire to do our own thing. The more we dedicate ourselves to God the greater will be our ability to know and understand God's will. "Therefore I urge you, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service. Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:1,2. Finances: God will provide the funds for any ministry He calls us to. At times God guides us by providing or withholding funds for a work we are doing. If God has not provided funds then we are either on the wrong track, or going ahead of God, or He is testing our faith. An assembly must never go into debt, sell items to raise money, beg for money, or use gimmicks to acquire money. How can God guide us if we use these methods to fund our work? Whenever a Christian ministry or assembly begs for money, that ministry is not in God's will. Often God will not reveal His future plans to us, for if He did we are likely to run ahead of Him, trying to do His work with our own energy and wisdom. Therefore, it is usually impossible to budget for future expenses of the assembly. By faith we know that God will provide. The result is that the assembly does not need a budget committee because there is no budget to plan for. God knows the future so He knows what funds will be needed. And an assembly of tithing members will have no financial problems. (See 2 Corinthians 9:6-15) A Vision: Sometimes God will give us a special vision of a ministry He wants accomplished. If God gives you a vision, you must expect the death of that vision, that is events happen that make it seem impossible to accomplish that special ministry. But in God's time He will perform the vision through you in ways beyond your greatest expectations. When the vision is dead and you see no way it can be accomplished you must not doubt, for God will keep His promise if we are faithful. Abraham and the birth of Isaac is our example. The Holy Spirit: To know God's will we must know His Word and be listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We have the Holy Spirit living in us, who communicates with our spirit. If our fleshly nature is controlling our life, we will have difficulty hearing the communication between our spirit and the Holy Spirit. When our spirit is in control of our life, we will hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will prompt you through reading the Bible, through the authorities He has put over you, through fervent prayer, and through direct communication. "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk you in it; when you turn to the right hand, and when you turn to the left." Isaiah 30:21. Extreme care must be used in hearing the voice of the Holy Spirit, for Satan can also put thoughts in your head. The difference is that Satan always misuses God's Word, while the Holy Spirit always agrees with it. Often God's direction is one step at a time. He will direct you to take the first step, but only after you take that step will He direct you for the next step. As you go one step at a time you will then find the direction God is guiding you. "A man's heart plans his course, but Yahweh directs his steps." Proverbs 16:9. *To be continued in the next Newsletter.* know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us." 1 John 3:21-24. Asking In God's Will: "This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him." 1 John 5:14,15. Praying In the Name of Jesus: "Whatever you will ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you will ask anything in my name, I will do it." John 14:13,14. Circumstances: At times God will bring people into our lives whom we are to help. This may consist of offering friendship, spiritual counsel, encouragement, or meeting their physical needs. We must follow God's leading and the prompting of the Holy Spirit in deciding whom to help. We must be willing to help those whom God brings across our paths. The goole. Yet we are commanded to not help or associate with those who call themselves Christian but do not live a Christ like life style. These are listed in 1 Corinthians 5:11, Romans 16:17,18; and 2 Timothy 3:1-5. "He also said to the one who had invited him, 'When you make a dinner or a supper, don't call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back. But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind; and you will be blessed, because they don't have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.'" Luke 14:12-14. The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from Yahweh. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But Yahweh weighs the motives. Commit your deeds to Yahweh, And your plans shall succeed. Yahweh has made everything for its own end -- Yes, even the wicked for the day of evil. Proverbs 16:1-4
E-mail: jeffmccartney@comcast.net We’re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com


June 05, 2004	Volume 4, Number 7
“Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..” “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 2 Corinthians 1:10	KNOWING GOD’S WILL *Continued and concluded from last issue.* Prayer: Prayer is how we communicate with God, while God's Word is His chief communication with us. For an assembly to be successful its members must become effective in prayer. Successful prayer depends upon: Prayer of Faith: "Jesus answering said to them, "Have faith in God. For most assuredly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and doesn't doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them." Mark 11:22-24. Pray With Proper Motive: "You ask, and don't receive, because you ask amiss, so that you may spend it for your pleasures." James 4:3. Prayer of Obedience: "Beloved, if our hearts don't condemn us, we have boldness toward God; and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded. He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us." 1 John 3:21-24. Asking In God's Will: "This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him." 1 John 5:14,15. Praying In the Name of Jesus: "Whatever you will ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you will ask anything in my name, I will do it." John 14:13,14. Circumstances: At times God will bring people into our lives whom we are to help. This may consist of offering friendship, spiritual counsel, encouragement, or meeting their physical needs. We must follow God's leading and the prompting of the Holy Spirit in deciding whom to help. We must be willing to help those whom God brings across our paths. The good Samaritan is our example. Yet we are commanded to not help or associate with those who call themselves Christian but do not live a Christ like life style. These are listed in 1 Corinthians 5:11, Romans 16:17,18; and 2 Timothy 3:1-5. "He also said to the one who had invited him, 'When you make a dinner or a supper, don't call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back. But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind; and you will be blessed, because they don't have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.'" Luke 14:12-14. The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from Yahweh. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But Yahweh weighs the motives. Commit your deeds to Yahweh, And your plans shall succeed. Yahweh has made everything for its own end -- Yes, even the wicked for the day of evil. Proverbs 16:1-4
E-mail: jeffmccartney@comcast.net We’re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com


June 05, 2004	Volume 4, Number 7
“Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..” “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 2 Corinthians 1:10	KNOWING GOD’S WILL *Continued and concluded from last issue.* Prayer: Prayer is how we communicate with God, while God's Word is His chief communication with us. For an assembly to be successful its members must become effective in prayer. Successful prayer depends upon: Prayer of Faith: "Jesus answering said to them, "Have faith in God. For most assuredly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and doesn't doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them." Mark 11:22-24. Pray With Proper Motive: "You ask, and don't receive, because you ask amiss, so that you may spend it for your pleasures." James 4:3. Prayer of Obedience: "Beloved, if our hearts don't condemn us, we have boldness toward God; and whatever we ask, we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight. This is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he commanded. He who keeps his commandments remains in him, and he in him. By this we know that he remains in us, by the Spirit which he gave us." 1 John 3:21-24. Asking In God's Will: "This is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him." 1 John 5:14,15. Praying In the Name of Jesus: "Whatever you will ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you will ask anything in my name, I will do it." John 14:13,14. Circumstances: At times God will bring people into our lives whom we are to help. This may consist of offering friendship, spiritual counsel, encouragement, or meeting their physical needs. We must follow God's leading and the prompting of the Holy Spirit in deciding whom to help. We must be willing to help those whom God brings across our paths. The good Samaritan is our example. Yet we are commanded to not help or associate with those who call themselves Christian but do not live a Christ like life style. These are listed in 1 Corinthians 5:11, Romans 16:17,18; and 2 Timothy 3:1-5. "He also said to the one who had invited him, 'When you make a dinner or a supper, don't call your friends, nor your brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might also return the favor, and pay you back. But when you make a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind; and you will be blessed, because they don't have the resources to repay you. For you will be repaid in the resurrection of the righteous.'" Luke 14:12-14. The plans of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from Yahweh. All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; But Yahweh weighs the motives. Commit your deeds to Yahweh, And your plans shall succeed. Yahweh has made everything for its own end -- Yes, even the wicked for the day of evil. Proverbs 16:1-4 Submit Articles To The Body Of Christ Newsletter! The Body Of Christ News is a newsletter for The Body Of Christ by The Body Of Christ. The Lord may give you a word, an exhortation, an admonition, a teaching that the Lord would like you to share in this format. Just let me know what you want shared with the rest of The Body Of Christ.
E-mail: jeffmccartney@comcast.net We’re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com	Note: This newsletter is distributed free of charge to the body of Christ. May the Lord be blessed as we seek to obey him in all things.


June 6, 2004	Volume 5, Number 1
“Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..” “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 2 Corinthians 1:10	The Father Knows Our Needs Before We Ask Him The Father knows our needs before we ask Him. As such we need to come to such a place of dependency upon Him that as the need arises we just ask Him. For some of us this is rather easy and natural. For others of us independence has been a way of life. We have worked for everything we have and as such can pull ourselves or have pulled ourselves up by our own bootstraps. Well if you were brought up in poor circumstances you will have an easier time accepting what I have to say here. You are now being called and commanded to rely totally upon God for every need you may have. The need may be something that you know you have the money in the bank for. However there is no need to have a bank account when God is in charge of your every need. When the need arises take no thought of whether you can afford it. That is to worship money. You rather should not be afraid to ask the Lord to meet your need. If the Lord does not meet your need perhaps maybe it was more of a want than a need. Looking at Jesus life we do not see a needy savior. Although we do hear Him state of Himself that he had no place to lay His head. Yet He could ask the Father anything and the Father would do it for Him. Do you believe this? That is what the word says! Brethren we are coming into a time of great distress such as the world has never seen before. The rich at that time will be the poor of this time. The rich of this time will be the poor of that time. So if you have been poor all your life you know that it has been easy just to ask God and rely upon Him for everything because you have had no other choice. You have been chosen to be rich in faith and being rich in faith is what we all are going to need in the times ahead. It is time for us who have had the goods of the world to start now and ask God for every need. That means “Lord I thank you for my life today. I thank you for my daily bread (physical and spiritual) today. I thank you for taking care of my family (spiritually and physically). I trust in you Father that you care about me and know what I have need of before I ask. Father I seek first your Kingdom and your righteousness (not a righteousness of my self) and know apart from you I can do nothing (with you I can do all things according to your will in Christ Jesus). Now I walk in your reality and do not rely upon myself but totally on you. My brethren, freedom will come as soon as we rely totally upon Him and no longer upon self. Those of you who already do this know the peace and freedom of a total reliance upon God. I do not say that I have achieved that yet myself but the Lord is showing me. As Paul said “forgetting those things which are behind, I press towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” This righteousness we seek is not of ourselves. First we need to loose our reliance upon money. God is a jealous God and it is time to leave the Money God in the dust where he belongs. The Father knows our needs. Let’s worship Him and He will meet every one of them. In Jesus name amen!
E-mail: jeffmccartney@comcast.net We’re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com


June 07, 2004	Volume 5, Number 2
“Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..” “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 2 Corinthians 1:10	Faith Works by Agape Love God has said that without faith it is impossible to please Him. We must first believe God exists and then come to Him for salvation. The belief that God exists is driven by faith. God gave Jesus as our Redeemer. God gave Jesus to mankind out of Agape love. When Jesus died on the cross, part of God died. Jesus took upon Himself our sin and penalty. We must believe that Jesus satisfied the legal requirements and paid the full price for each one of us. We must receive this truth and act upon it. Jesus was not left dead in hell, but He arose and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father. The Word says that we are seated with Jesus in heavenly places. We must believe this truth and act accordingly. God loves each one of us more than words can express. Each of Jesus’ motives was rooted in Agape love. His life is an example of how we are to treat each other, speak to each other, settle disputes, follow the law. There is only one commandment for the imploded believer. This commandment is to love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, mind and spirit and love your neighbor as yourself. We believers are to show preference to each other. We are to give, share, encourage, correct, teach, feed, bless, help and support our brethren. We are to love the brethren just like Jesus loves us.
E-mail: dgpadgett@earthlink.net We’re on the Web! www.thebodyofchrist.com	Note: This newsletter is distributed free of charge to the body of Christ. May the Lord be blessed as we seek to obey him in all things.

Christ

	The Body of Christ News
June 8, 2004	Volume 5, Number 3
“Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..” “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 2 Corinthians 1:10	What Kind Of Fruit Do You Have In Your Basket? Gal. 5:22-23: *“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,* *longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”* Galatians 5:22-23 is talking about the fruit of our re-born spirit, which is filled with God’s nature. Before we were born again our heart (spirit) was filled with corruption, but after we were born again the fruit of the spirit was part of the regenerated spirit (heart) All of the fruit of the spirit is in us, but some are not developed fully and we are not walking in them. You might ask how do I walk in all of them? The answer you must practice them. Here is an example: You are running late but you must stop at the grocery store. You get in the check out line however, the line is not moving fast as you would like. If you find your patience getting short, start praising God and thanking Him that you have patience, even if your patience is being tested to the limit. You could go even a step further; you could let the person that is in the line behind you with just one item go ahead of you. Wow!!! The more you practice patience, the more natural it becomes. · Love: agape Webster’s dictionary definition for love: Universal, spiritual love, overwhelming compassion and understanding; Affection without criticism or limitation. Love agape from the Strong’s Concordance: 26. agape, ag-ah'- pay; from G25; love, i.e. affection or benevolence; spec. (plur.) a love-feast:--(feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love. · Joy: Webster’s Dictionary definition for joy. A strong feeling of great happiness, delight, a state or source of contentment or satisfaction; anything, which makes one delighted or happy. Joy from Strong’s Concordance 5479. chara, khar-ah'; from G5463; cheerfulness, i.e. calm delight:--gladness, X greatly, (X be exceeding) joy (-ful, -fully, -fulness, -ous). · Peace: Webster’s dictionary definition for peace A state of mental or physical tranquility; calm, serenity; the absence of war; the state of harmony between people. Peace from the Strong’s Concordance: 1515. eirene, i-ray'-nay; prob. from a prim. verb eiro (to join); peace (lit. or fig.); by impl. prosperity:--one, peace, quietness, rest, + set at one again. · Longsuffering: Webster’s dictionary definition for longsuffering. There was none Longsuffering from Strong’s Concordance 3115. makrothumia, mak-roth-oo-mee'-ah; from the same as G3116; longanimity, i.e. (obj.) forbearance or (subj.) fortitude:--longsuffering, patience. · Gentleness: Webster’s dictionary definition of Gentle: Not harsh, severe, rough or loud; easily handled or managed; not sudden or steep. Gentleness from Strong’s Concordance 5544. chrestotes, khray-stot'-ace; from G5543; usefulness, i.e. mor. excellence (in character or demeanor):--gentleness, good (-ness), kindness. · Goodness: Webster’s dictionary definition of Goodness The state or quality of being good Goodness from Strong’s Concordance 5544. chrestotes, khray-stot'-ace; from G5543; usefulness, i.e. mor. excellence (in character or demeanor):--gentleness, good (-ness), kindness. · Faith: Webster’s dictionary definition of Faith A belief in the value, truth, or trustworthiness of someone or something; belief and trust in God; a system of religious beliefs Faith from Strong’s Concordance 4102. pistis, pis'-tis; from G3982; persuasion, i.e. credence; mor. conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), espec. reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstr. constancy in such profession; by extens. the system of religious (Gospel) truth itself:--assurance, belief, believe, faith, fidelity. · Meekness: Webster’s dictionary definition of meekness Showing patience and a gentle disposition Meekness from Strong’s Concordance 4236. praiotes, prah-ot'-ace; from G4235; gentleness; by impl. humility:--meekness. · Temperance: Webster’s dictionary definition of temperance Moderation; restraint Temperance from Strong’s Concordance 1466. egkrateia, eng-krat'-i-ah; from G1468; self-control (espec. continence):--temperance. Now that you have all the definitions of the fruit of the spirit, how does your basket look? Is it full and running over, or is some of your fruit still a little green? I believe that when we love the Father with all of our heart, soul, body and mind and love one another as He loves us, all nine fruits will overflow in our lives. Remember Love never fails. Always examine the fruit in your basket. If you see a spot on any of the fruit make sure you wash it (with the Word), which will remove the spot and keep it fresh and full of vitamins. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you which one or ones you need to work on and receive the grace to do it. You can do all things through Christ, which strengthens you. Take these things to the Father and ask Him to reveal the Truth to you. AMEN! Part 2 of What Kind Of Fruit Do You Have In Your Basket will be available next time. Submit Articles To The Body Of Christ News! *The Body Of Christ News* is a newsletter for The Body Of Christ by The Body Of Christ. The Lord may give you a word, an exhortation, an admonition, a teaching that the Lord would like you to share. Email what the Lord gives you and it will be distributed to the rest of The Body Of Christ. These articles will soon be available on-line.
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Christ

The Body of Christ News

June 9, 2004

Volume 5, Number 4

“Christ is the author and finisher of our faith..”

“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.” 1 Corinthians 12:7

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” 2 Corinthians 1:10

What Kind Of Fruit Do You Have In Your Basket? (Part 2)

Food for the Body

June, 2004

KNOWING GOD'S WILL

Faith Works by Agape Love