Category: The Faithful Mind

Romans 12:1-2 NIV
¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  ²  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

The logistics of faith prioritizes love, and how this is to be expressed to others (Galatians 5 – “faith expressing itself through love”). We decide and prepare ahead of time to love; this is an invitation we have as we respond to what we have received from Jesus (John 21 – “Feed my sheep”). The faithful mind removes all other options ahead of time that do not accord with our faith-filled and Spirit-directed evaluation.

Let’s pray for our small groups and churches, that we may follow in obedience to this pattern –so that our minds are renewed, so that we grow in the faithful mind God has given us, and so that it overflows to others around us.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your great love for us. Thank you that we can evaluate our lives in the mind of Christ and live each day in your mercies and grace. There is nothing better than to be with you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Christ Is Enough” by Hillsong Worship (click here)

-LB

Let’s read aloud together the following passage:

Romans 6:11-13 NIV
¹¹  In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.  ¹²  Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.  ¹³  Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness.

“As we reckon and evaluate our lives in ‘amen’ with how God evaluates us in Christ, Paul commands us – Therefore, do not let sin reign! Do not offer any part of yourself as an instrument of sin! This language of reigning, obedience and instruments [more literally translated, ‘weapons’], are language of battle or warfare. Instead, we are to offer ourselves to God literally, ‘as from death living,’ and every ‘piece’ of yourself as a weapon of righteousness. Every piece of our lives is to be a weapon, an instrument in God’s hands. Even more specifically in our context – as a weapon or instrument of faith! The faithful mind sees the whole of one’s life in terms of purpose for God.” [Excerpt from Pastor Nate’s Sunday Message]

Prayer: Lord, I offer all my strength, my thoughts, my energy, my time to you today, as my worship. May it be a pleasing offering to you, that you would use for your glory and purpose. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “The Praise Is Yours” by Matt Redman (click here).

-LB

Let’s read aloud together the following passage:

Romans 4:23-25 NIV
²³  The words “it was credited to him” were written not for him alone,  ²⁴  but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.  ²⁵  He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

“The logistics of faith begins with the righteousness that God has credited to us because we believe and trust God who raised Jesus from the dead. He will give us righteousness that is not our own, and will look at us, and evaluate us – who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. God credited Abraham righteous because of his faith, his ‘Yes’ and ‘amen’ at each step, through the ups and downs, facing the facts of his life – Abraham trusted in the promise given to him by God.” [Excerpt from Pastor Nate’s Sunday message]

“‘But we have the mind of Christ’ (1 Cor. 2:16). Here the regenerate mind or mind of the Christian is described in terms of a correct understanding of the things and plans of God. It is a worldview in synchronization with God’s will.” [Philip Towner, The Mind of Christ]

Prayer: Lord, I confess that you are trustworthy and true. Today, I face the facts of my present experience not based on my own evaluation, but instead, based on your promises for me. I trust that what you say is true. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship and cry out to the Lord to this song “I Need You More” by (click here).

-LB

 

Let’s read aloud together the following passage two times:

Romans 6:8-11 NIV
⁸  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.  ⁹  For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. ¹⁰  The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. ¹¹  In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

“The faithful mind evaluates one’s identity in Jesus Christ according to how God our Father evaluates/reckons/credits us in Jesus. Jesus sees us as dead to sin. We are dead to sin and are to work through everything in our lives according to this truth. As the NIDNTTE entry for the term for reckoning – ‘logizomai’ – puts it so well, ‘When the mind is so conquered [by liberation in Christ], it grasps God’s purpose and action in the cross and is glad to acknowledge itself as conquered. Once we realize we are conquered, is there any other way of reasoning and evaluating our lives?’” – [Excerpt from Pastor Nate’s Sunday message]

Prayer:  Lord, I am dead to sin and alive to God because of what Jesus Christ has done for me. I praise you Lord for you have set me free. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s declare “I am dead to sin” as we worship to “Because of Jesus” by Charity Gayle (click here).

-LB

Let’s read aloud together the following passages:

Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Romans 6:11 ESV
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

We are surrounded by many examples of faithful Christians who have gone before us, after whom we can pattern our lives. But our ultimate pattern has been set by the perfecter of faith – our Lord Jesus! Let’s consider (note that this verb is related to the verb “consider” in Romans 6:11), then, Jesus, who is the pioneer and perfecter of faith, that we are to pattern our faith on. When we consider our lives in view of following Jesus’ pattern, our minds are renewed, and we will not grow weary and lose heart.

Prayer: Lord, I want to fix my eyes on Jesus! Help me to pattern my life so that I can run with perseverance this race marked out for me. Renew my mind and fill me with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Let’s worship to the song “Cornerstone” by Hillsong (click here).

-LB