Building A Sure Foundation For Christian Growth

Comment

Comment by Pastor Bob B on July 16, 2010 at 11:57am

Comment by Pastor Bob B on July 16, 2010 at 5:46am

Brother Gombach your message is something we all need to hear. A friend sent me a note yesterday that fits so well with what you shared.

Nora Linda CorreiaJuly 15, 2010 at 11:09am

The cornerstone
Everyone who falls upon this stone shall be broken; but if the stone falls upon the person, it shall crush and grind into powder.
Falling upon the stone
The verse is from Luke 20:18 and Matthew 21:44. Jesus declares himself to be the stone the Jewish leadership rejected but even though they rejected Him, He will be the person by whom will be their judge. It's poetically sad in a way. The leadership of the nation had an opportunity to usher a fantastic blessing for the nation; an opportunity to usher in the Kingdom of God where the lion would lay down with the lamb. The nation could be fruitful above anybody imagination and at peace in the world but instead they were looking at their own power and prestige grab. They hated the Romans but they were trying to appease so they could rule their kingdom. Instead, in the end, the rulers suffered an eternal date with the lake of fire of God's judgment and ruin for the nation of Israel. "By whose's authority do you speak?" "Neither will I tell you if you don't answer my question."

Falling on the rock
We shall be broken. We are earthen vessels; cracked and poured out. We are broken but still usable as the master's stones. He assembles us back together for the master's use. In every house there are pots that the master of the house uses; some for honorable use; our dishes and pots for eating and drinking. Others are used for washing our dirty floor. Paul refers to this imagery in the master's house. He tells us to desire to be an honorable vessel; fit for the master's use. What does it take? Be broken, so he can fit us back together according to His good pleasure.
What does it mean to fall on the rock? If you fall on the rock, it will hurt, but it's solid and unmovable. You will not sink; it's secure. You will not sink as with quicksand and drown. The chief cornerstone is a standard by which the building is raised by. It's a plum line, a "constitution" to go by, and to be a light to the those around us. The standard of grace and rule of law our values by which we stake our life and eternity upon. Jesus is the chief stone by which the church stands upon. Every believer in Christ builds upon this foundation by our desires or plans which in the end will be fruitless. But if we build unto our lives His desires and His fruit we will gain. He is no fool to keep what he can't keep and to gain what he cannot lose. The echo of the quote from Jim Elliot still holds true. If we are trying to hold on the things of the earth; like power and prestige and the latest and greatest gadget; it will be fade in the end. Look at the local junk yard, it all was new at one time. Our dreams have a way of fading away. Our things fade and break down. Our bodies fade from the energy of youth and break down. We are like grass; we spring up in the spring but we age and die. Our dreams fade and die. Our power turn into ashes.
Falling on the rock
We gain by falling on the rock. We gain reward by letting Him break us and mold us to be what He wants. He will win in the end anyway. I rather let Him lead rather than try to fight Him.

Comment by R. Evan-Gombach on July 16, 2010 at 1:49am

It may be....but so many who are aware of forgiveness are not aware of the deeper Christian experience that the Scripture also promises and the blessings and fulness that our Lord says we will have if we die to our "self" and our own wisdom and expectation and be raised up with Him in living experience. Conversion is but the beginning of a death to "self" process. Therefore, the Lord says, "He who does not take up his Cross and follow me is not worthy to be My disciple." The Cross is an instrument of death....therefore...no death no resurrection...no cross...no crown. But what the Lord brings up in resurrection far exceeds what I see the idea of what Christians in our day think salvation is by merely being forgiven. That is but the beginning. People get confused when they think that is an end. It is but it is also a beginning. Christ is the first and the last, and when Christians rest on the beginning only they live a life of failure and defeat. Like we see going on around us everywhere! People working for God in the flesh, preaching with their flesh and in their own wisdom, and being caught in strong besetting sins. It takes a deepr experience of the Cross than a true conversion experience to set God's peopl free from what we see going on in what is called the church of our day. And we have false teachers standing up there who are called leaders or pastors or whatever who are false leading God's children into deeper Babylonian captivity by keeping them back from the deeper Christian experience,

Comment by Pastor. C S SIMON on July 16, 2010 at 1:01am

It may be that such persons are unaware of the efficacy of Christ;s work, but the foundation of their forgiveness is the sacrifice of Christ on the cross alone, and our assurance is the promise of salvation in the Word of God. Isn't that sufficient?

Comment by R. Evan-Gombach on June 7, 2010 at 9:43pm

And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power. 1 Corinthians 2.4.



The least amount of self-reliance will unquestionably take away our reliance on the Holy spirit. Only people who have been crucified know and are willing to know how to depend on the Spirit of God and His power. Paul, for instance, has himself been crucified with Christ; hence, when he works, he exhibits fully the spirit of the cross without any self-dependence. Because he uses the way of the cross to proclaim the Saviour of the cross, the Holy Spirit and His power support Paul’s testimony. May we say with our brother Paul: “Our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit” (1 Thess. 1.5). For though we may speak movingly, what is the use if the Holy Spirit is not working behind our words?

Comment by R. Evan-Gombach on June 7, 2010 at 9:40pm

The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:6).

If you want to know the mind of the Spirit about anything, you will know it by quickening, by Life in that direction. If you want to know what the Spirit is against, you will know it because there is death in that direction in your spirit, you have no Life, you say, in that direction. All right, that means you know the Lord, you know the Spirit, you know what it is to move on the basis of the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ. The Father governed Him by that law. He governs us by exactly the same law when we are joined to the Lord, one spirit. Guidance, direction, is a matter of Life in the Spirit, Life by the Spirit. The Lord Jesus had His life ordered, governed, conducted, arranged in every detail by the quickening Spirit; the Spirit of Life in Christ.

This it is, again, that provides the contrast. These Jews came along and said: Here is the Scripture, and the Scripture says, You ought not to do certain things, and You are doing them; You are all wrong because the Scripture says this! When Christ so acted was He violating the Scripture? Or was He giving God's meaning to the Scripture? When God gave that law, did He not have a fuller meaning than what men see just on the surface? Was there not a spiritual interpretation? Was it not pointing on to something, which when it came was to supersede - I do not mean break but transcend - simply because higher, fuller, deeper meaning was reached? Christ is God's Sabbath. It is in Christ that God comes to rest in all His works; His new creation. But they said, You must abide by the letter! We put it in that way to show the difference between taking the letter and having the Holy Spirit's illumination of the letter. Life and the letter are often contrasted in the Word. The letter killeth, the Spirit maketh alive.

Comment by R. Evan-Gombach on June 6, 2010 at 9:00pm

If it is not Christ in us leading the people, we are misleading the people. Each one must hold fast the Head, and receive from the inward anointing what is of the Lord and what is not. The Lord said, " My sheep know my voice, and an imposter they will not follow." When we use our flesh to present a truth to someone, we do more damage than good. But the witness of the Spirit is Life and Peace. If we have bitter envying and strife in our hearts, we should glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descends not from above, but is earthly, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit rest and remain upon you!

Yours in this Quest and Testimony,
R. Evan Gombach

Comment by rosary flasius on June 5, 2010 at 8:40am

He Who is of God hears God's Words; (JOHN 8:47) dear brothers and sisters read bible every day

Comment by CESAR HUSMILLO on May 17, 2010 at 11:52am

Amen, Amen. All glory and honor to God.

Comment by Sharon Theresa Theil on May 17, 2010 at 11:43am

R. Evan-Gombach,

Bravo!!! I agree 100%!

Your Sister-in-Christ,

Sharon.

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