“You are dead to sin and alive to God!”
 Born again! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!” (2Cor 5:17) My prayer over you:(For extra credit, pray this aloud over someone. LOL!) (Rom 6:1) Should you keep on sinning so that God can show you more and more of His wonderful grace? (vs.2) Of course not! Since you have died to sin, how can you continue to live in it? (vs.3) Or have you forgotten that when you were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, you joined Him in His death? (vs.4) For you died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now you also may live a new life. (vs.5) Since you have been united with Him in His death, you will also be raised to life as He was. (vs.6) You know that your old sinful self was crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in your life. You are no longer a slave to sin. (vs.7) For when you died with Christ you were set free from the power of sin. (vs.8) And since you died with Christ, you know you will also live with Him. (vs.9) You are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over Him. (vs.10) When He died, He died once to break the power of sin. But now that He lives, He lives for the glory of God. (vs.11) So you also should consider yourself to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. (vs.12) Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. (vs.13) Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourself completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. (vs.14) Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace. (vs.15) Since God’s grace has set you free from the law, does that mean you can go on sinning? Of course not! (vs.16) Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. (vs.17) Thank God! Once you were a slave of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching you have been given. (vs.18) Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living. (vs.19) Because of the weakness of your human nature, the illustration of slavery is to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourself be a slave to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourself to be a slave to righteous living so that you will become holy. (vs.20) When you were a slave to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. (vs.21) And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. (vs.22) But now you are free from the power of sin and have become a slave of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. (vs.23) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. In Jesus’ name, amen! |
 To this day, it still amazes me that this woman is with me. I definitely don’t deserve her love and attentions. I greet her every morning with, “Good morning, beautiful,” because she is… inside and out. Father-God, thank You for the bride You gave me? She’s perfect. In closing…Saints, indeed we continue to covet your prayers. They are vital. They are necessary. And God hears and answers! I gotta tell you, I am so proud of the men and women here, and their rapid growth and maturity. These men and women are being discipled, they are faithful, and they are engaged! They are bearing much Kingdom fruit each day with people they encounter. The outreaches and ministries we conduct are not for the faint-hearted. You cannot stay weak around us! You will be offended, you will be challenged, you will be tested, you will be provoked, and you will be pricked. But you will grow! (If you’re on Okinawa and looking to be tested, challenged, and prepared, then come check us out.) Finally, being full-time missionaries in Japan is overwhelming and quite expensive. However, we can use your help. Please consider partnering with us through your monetary gifts and contributions. Donations can be made online at Christians In Action. Or, you can mail contributions to the address listed below. I declare that you go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to all the creation! (Mk 16:15) Contributions can be sent to: Please ensure Acct #426 is annotated on your contribution so the funds can be allocated correctly. |
— Our Mission & Vision —“Gather Sheep & Convert Goats!”“Catch, Clean, & Release!” |