Mentoring Minutes

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel.  Isaiah 7:14

Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel, which translated means, God with us.   Matthew 1:23

And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.  Luke 2:7

Love and Lordship (L&L) in Focus…May we have the faith, humility and courage of Mary and Joseph to be obedient to The Lord in all things no matter how the outcomes may appear, what others may say, or what it may cost.

First of all, if you’ve followed me and this ministry for very long you know that I’m a CHRISTmas freak…I love it all…Santa, Grinch, Charlie Brown, Scrooge, 34^th Street, all of it!  You know why…because I choose to take every part of it and allow it to point me to Christ!  That’s why I share with you that CHRISTmas is CHRIST!

NOTE: If you don’t already have a set Bible Study for this Advent/CHRISTmas season please consider using the Scriptures and talking points in this post as a good place to begin.

He is much more than a Baby in a Manger, but it began there and there would be no HOPE without that First CHRISTmas when He came in the flesh, in the form of a helpless human baby! So let’s look at all The CHRIST of CHRISTmas is…

He is much more than a Baby in a Manger, which would have meant nothing without that First CHRISTmas when He came in the flesh, in the form of a helpless human baby! So let’s look at all that Jesus, The CHRIST of CHRISTmas is…

1) Christ is the Eternal God, King of kings, Lord of lords, the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists!

As we look at Christ let’s begin with His Eternal existence as God, the Son (Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-3; 8:58; Colossians 1:17; 1 John 1:1; Hebrews 7:3; 13:8 to name a few)!  He is, always has been and, always will be the King of Heaven and earth, King of Kings and Lord of Lords (1 Timothy 6:15-16; Revelation 17:14; 19:16), the very Creator of the universe who holds all things together (Colossians 1:15-17).  In order for us to understand all that He did in coming to earth we need to remember and know Who He has always been and what He gave up (Philippians 2:3-8).

2) Christ is Immanuel…God With Us!  He gave up all the glories and lifestyle of heaven, even His Divine nature as God to become a man in the very form of a helpless human baby in a manger as Immanuel…God With Us (Isaiah 7:14; 9:2-7; Matthew 1:18-25; John 1:14; Luke 1 & 2).  He was fully God and fully man and it is not only crucial in our salvation but in our faith that we are of His Spirit (1 John 4:1-4).  The writer of Hebrews tells us that in becoming flesh and man, He became the perfect High Priest and perfect Lamb, the sacrifice for our sins and to bring us into a relationship with Himself as God, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Hebrews 5:1-10; 9:11-14; 10:11-18)!  Had He never come in the flesh…as us…we would still have to offer imperfect and continual sacrifices!  In coming to us as the Babe of CHRISTmas, Immanuel made the way for forgiveness of sins and for us to enter into both His Presence and a relationship with Him!  Remember that without CHRISTmas there would be no Cross and no Easter Resurrection…no Hope!  Praise The Lord…He came!

3) Christ lived as a boy and a man… He grew in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52) yet disrespected as the son of a blue-collar tradesman (Matthew 13:54-56).  He traveled as a homeless itinerant preacher and teacher (Matthew 8:19-20; Luke 9:57-58) and was rejected by the spiritual leaders and people of His day (Luke 11:14-15; John 10:31-38; Matthew 26:65-66; Mark 14:63-65).  He experienced everything that we as human beings experienced with regard to pain, temptation and ridicule and yet was without sin (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-15) and able to help us in all our struggles and temptations.

4) Christ became us so He could become sin for us, and suffer and die a humiliating criminal’s death on a Cross, which was actually meant for us (2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-8; Romans 5:8). He gave up heaven, was born as a human, lived in poverty and homeless, became sin and died so that I could be set free and become righteousness through Him (John 14:6; Roman 3:21-23; 5:17; 6:23; Galatians 5:1)! Without the Cross, His Incarnation would mean nothing and we would be lost.  But Praise The Lord for His indescribable Gift coming to us at CHRISTmas!

5) Christ rose again as a Victor of sin, death and hell and by grace through faith has given me that same victory in Him (Hebrews 2:9-10; 14-15; Colossians 2:9-15; 1 Corinthians 15:53-56; Romans 6:4; 8:1-5).  Christ has become all things in that He was, is and always will be fully God and came as fully man, existing as both fully God and man so He could overcome the flesh, sin, death and hell for the sake of all those who believe in Him (John 3:16)!  Without Easter and the Resurrection, CHRISTmas and Good Friday would mean nothing. Our Hope is in Him and His Resurrection to give us new life!  We are victorious in Christ! 

6) Christ will return again as conquering King of all the nations (Revelation 12:10-11; 15:3-4; 17:14; 19:16) and claim all of His own who believe in and Him and walk by faith in obedience to Him (Matthew 19:28; 1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Timothy 2:12; 1 John 5:4)!  Because He came, lived, died and rose again…because heaven was temporarily emptied of His presence and the Manger, Cross and Tomb are all empty, we who believe in Him will reign in His Kingdom with Him!  The CHRIST of CHRISTmas was not just a Babe in a Manger.  He is the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe. He was Immanuel…God With Us, God in the flesh…God and Man.  He suffered an excruciating death in humility and rejection…all for us.  He rose from the dead as the First fruits of all those who would follow Him in resurrection life (1 Corinthians 15:20).  And He will return again as the conquering King for all those who have chosen to make Him Savior and Lord!  This is the Christ of CHRISTmas! 

Let us worship this Babe in the manger for all that He is…Creator, Sustainer, Immanuel, The Suffering Servant, The Risen Son of God and Son of Man, the returning Conquering King and our Savior and Lord! 

Do you know Him?  Let me encourage you to listen to SM Lockridge’s “That’s My King” and remember that He’s The Babe in the Manger that we love and adore…and so much more!  And thank God that He gave His Indescribable Gift (1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Corinthians 9:15)! 

I pray this new CHRISTmas song helps you enjoy all that CHRIST brings as we end 2024…”Behold Him” by Francesca Battestelli… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulGqyckf-oI

Make it a great Advent/CHRISTmas season with family and loved ones in Christ!

Food for Thought…Do you know The Babe Who became flesh to be your Savior?  The Suffering Servant as your Lord?  The One Who laid down His life for you as your Friend?  The itinerary homeless teacher as your Master?  The falsely accused and wrongly condemned criminal as your conquering King?  Do you know Him?

Love in Action Items –

1) Ask The Lord to show you what it meant for Him to leave all the Glory of Heaven to become human?

2) Ask Him to show you this CHRISTmas what it meant for Him to live and suffer as we do in our humanity?

3) Ask Him to show you what it meant to die in your place?

4) Ask Him what it is like to live with Him as Savior and Lord?

5) Ask Him what it will be like to reign with Him in Truth and Love?

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, as we celebrate CHRISTmas let me know The Babe in the manger as Creator and Sustainer of my life and all that exists.  Let me know Him as Friend.  Let me know Him as the King of kings and Lord of lords.  Let me know Him as my Savior and my Lord.  In His Precious Name I pray.  Amen.

“Love one another…”  (1 John 3:11; 3:23; 4:7; 4:11-12; 2 John 1:5)

Love and Lordship in Focus…I’ve asked this question many times, and it is the title of a classic rock-and-roll song, “What’s Love Got To Do With It?” Maybe it’s a question we should be asking in our Christian relationships, our churches and in our discipling of others to make more disciples of Jesus Christ. In a word the answer is, “EVERYTHING!”

However, we must consider what we mean by love and more importantly, what God means when He talks of love…because He is Love. We then must determine whether we are loving as He has defined, taught and modeled for us in Christ and His Word…or if we are using the word and living it out in a way that  appeals to us but is far from love. 

We are going to wrap up the “one anothers” of God’s Word that I pray have helped us to grasp and live out more fully God’s love in and through us to love others. I think you’ll find it interesting that the final six “one anothers” in Scripture are found in the letters of the Beloved Apostle, John, and they all reinforce and encourage us in the all-encompassing “one another.”

In 1 John 3:11; 3:23; 4:7; 4:11, 12 and in 2 John 1:5, we find “the one whom Jesus loved” reminding us over and over again to “love one another.”

How profound that The Holy Spirit through John and guiding those who gathered and canonized the Scriptures would close out all the “one anothers” with multiple reminders of the greatest commands…love God with all you are so you can know and love who you are in Christ because the way others will know us is by our love for “one another.”

How have you been doing (or are doing) when it comes to loving others? Spouse? Family? Church family? Friends? Coworkers? Enemies? All of these we are commanded in some way or another to love and none better than our repeated commands of today to “love one another.”

I pray that you know Him and His Love and that you are spending time with Him daily to know and love Him more fully, allow Him to show you who you are so you can truly love yourself…and then we can “love one another” in a way that the world will want to know Him…Love Himself!

My desire today is simple, in line with God’s Words and commands…help me…you, us…die to our self (selfish desires of our flesh, our natural man) so that we can live in Christ. In so doing help us to love You with all our being…body, mind, soul and spirit…and worship You alone; help us to listen and learn from You, Your Word and Spirit so we can love who we are in Christ and let this overflow in our love for all others to point them to Him.

As we conclude this “one another” series with the command in this episode remember that all of these are predicated on the Biblical reality that we are only able to truly love because God first loved us. We then can only grow in this love as we learn to and mature in our love for Him and as He reveals more and more of who we are in Christ so we can be fully confident and content in who we are recreated to be in Christ, i.e., loving ourselves. Now we are able to love others…apply all the “one anothers” because of Christ and His Holy Spirit abiding in us and empowering us with His love to do so.

Food for Thought…Love is such a loaded word not only in our day and time but throughout history. Never has it been so easy to peddle “love” as it has been in our digital and otherwise easily connected world. And yet we are farther apart than maybe anytime in history because we have failed to keep and practice God’s perfect concept of Love…because He alone is love. Let’s return to His Word of Truth and love according to His Love and watch it change our lives and those around us as we “one another” others in His perfect Love…Christ and The Holy Spirit in us.

Love in Action…

1. Spend time with God and in His Word, prayer and listening every day…begin with the Scriptures in this message.
2. Ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
3. Take a virtual trip back through this “One Another” series and consider all the ways that God has clearly called us to love one another. Consider your strengths and weaknesses when it comes to how you are loving others in each of these ways.
4. Based on what you determine in the previous step, pray and ask The Lord to show you where He would like for you to better love others…and then follow through!  

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com.

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus…Heavenly Father, forgive us for thinking that we can live and love according to our desires, standards and definitions rather than Your Truth and how Christ modeled it for us. Help us to live in Your Love and see it changes our lives and relationships as well as those that we share it with.  In Jesus Name. Amen.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”  2 Corinthians 5:17

Love and Lordship in Focus…Perhaps the greatest identity we have in Christ is that He makes us completely new in Him. The old person and selfish flesh no longer have to rule over us as we choose Christ and His Holy Spirit in us by faith. Are you choosing to live as a new creation in Christ…or still living in the flesh?

As we celebrate Thanksgiving and look forward to CHRISTmas, because of Christ and who we are in Him we have everything to be thankful for. Stay with me here as we wrap up our series on our identity in Christ and I pray you are not only thankful but are becoming more confident and content in who you are in Him…and loving the new self He has recreated you to be in His Kingdom!

Because I am a believer and follower (disciple) of Jesus Christ, I am a personal witness to Him in and through my life (Acts 1:8).

In Christ I have been given the power (the Greek word for power that is given to all true believers is “dunamis” where we get our word, “dynamite”…now that’s powerful) of The Holy Spirit in me to shine The Light of His Truth and Love (these are inseparable) to the world.

My life should reflect in every way that He is my Lord and His Truth and Love comes through me in every motive, thought, decision, action and relationship. In this way I am a testimony of His Love and Authority for others to see in every situation I engage or encounter…in your home, across the street or around the world!

God has chosen to partner with us in Truth and Love to show the world Who He Is. The way we think, choose, act and relate every moment of every day reveals whose Lord of our life and reflects, positively or negatively, on what others see of Jesus in us.

How awesome is it that God chose us, you and me, to be a testimony of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world! Do you realize your identity in Him?

What is your witness of Jesus Christ? Savior only and you live the way you like otherwise…not possible according to Scripture. Do others know He is Lord of your life…spouse, children, family, church, coworkers, acquaintances, even enemies?

Is your life a living witness of His grace, mercy, Truth and Love in and through you so others might know Him as Savior and Lord?

Think about this…because God values you and me so greatly as His temple, His workmanship, a personal witness of Christ, chosen and appointed to bear His Kingdom and Spirit fruit…and so much more, He has called and equipped us to be salt and light in this world (Matthew 5:13-14)!

This is one of the very first proclamations that Jesus made in His public ministry in what we have come to know as The Sermon on the Mount. If you doubt it think of what those who heard Him said at the end of that message…”they were amazed because He spoke as one who had great authority” (Matthew 7:28-29).

Salt sharpens, enlivens and preserves. Light illuminates, clarifies and exposes. In some cases we like salt and light…and in others we don’t. However, in both cases God has a great and perfect purpose for us to be both salt and light to a sin-ridden, lost and dying world. Sin must be exposed, Truth must be revealed and we are His witnesses to graciously make Him known.

Don’t let your salt lose its saltiness and be good for nothing but the manure pile. Don’t let your light…His Light in you be dimmed and extinguished. He has a great purpose for you in His Kingdom!

Are you salt and light to those around you? Do they see Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life and the only way to The Father (John 14:6) through your life and mine?

As we conclude our 2nd series on fulfilling the Greatest Commands (Mark 12:29-31). The 1st series was the Names of God that began on Oct 18 and ran through that latter part of January with nearly 70 or so names to encourage us to know and love Him more and with all our being and to worship Him alone (1st and Greatest Command).

This 2nd series has been on our identity in Christ and through His Word He has shown us very plainly and graciously that we are fully accepted, totally secure and of great value and significance to God in Christ and by His Holy Spirit in and through us!

As we wrap up all of this comes together in this final assurance of our great value to Him…He has reconciled us to Himself (we have an intimate, personal relationship with Him) in Christ and He has given us this same ministry of reconciliation to share with others (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). Think about it…God has made you a brand-new creation in Christ and has entrusted you with the Gospel of Christ so that you can minister to and help others be reconciled to Him just as you are in Christ.

You are made righteous in Christ and are recreated to help reconcile others to this same new creation and righteousness in Him! Whatever else He entrusts to us in terms of time, wealth, abilities, etc., the greatest thing that He can trust us with is the eternal souls of men and women so that we can point them to the reconciled relationship they can have individually and we can have collectively as Christ’s Body, The Church, with God in Christ! How absolutely awesome is that?

You and I have EVERYTHING to be thankful for in Christ…and because of Christ! Are you living a life of gratitude that reflects the new creation that He has made you to be in Him for God’s Kingdom and Glory?

Food for Thought…A few questions to reflect on our Identity in Christ… How are you doing with this great trust that God has given to you as a new creation in Christ? Do you know and are you sharing Christ, the Great Reconciler, with others so they can be in an intimate, loving, personal relationship with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?  Are you thankful? How does it show?

Love in Action –

1. Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
2. Journal what you’ve learned about your identity in Christ in this post. 
3. Write down what it means for you to be a witness to Christ, salt and light of His Truth and Love.  
4. Take time to meditate on who you are as a new creation in Christ. Give Him thanks in all things because of all that He’s done for you.

If you have not accepted Him as Savior and Lord, find someone to talk to find out more.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns and we’ll walk through them together in The Lord and His Spirit.

Contact us at loveandlordship@gmail.com to find out more about how you can know God the Father, Christ His Son and The Holy Spirit.

End of Article

Love and Lordship Prayer Focus Heavenly Father, to think that You would not only save and reconcile us to an intimate relationship with You by grace through faith in Christ but that You entrust us with this ministry of reconciliation to help others know Him as Savior and Lord and be reconciled to You as well! That’s amazing and thank You for making me a part of this. May I be found trustworthy with this ministry that You have entrusted to me (and to all) who believe in and walk by faith as a new person in Christ. In His Name. Amen.