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Deliberate Christianity

Some of my notes from this morning's message (2011/05)

Romans 12 (Amplified Bible)

  1. I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.
  2. Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

It's amazing how many times this sort of phrase (or implication) "DECISIVE DEDICATION" appears in scripture. 

2 Peter 1:10 says, " Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall". Serving God is not something that just happens but rather (if I have responded to His call on my life) it is something that I deliberately decide to do and engage in; just as an apple tree bears apples, I will want to serve the Lord. Like Daniel (Daniel 1:8), I too will "purpose" to put Him first and submit my life to His will.

Proverbs 3 vs 5-6: Once again, I need to trust in Him. How? With ALL. Furthermore, I need to "acknowledge Him" and "lean not on my own understanding." The Word is packed with many verbs i.e. DOING word. Yes, I know that I'm saved by Him and His grace alone but does the fruit (i.e. what I naturally DO on a daily basis) bear testimony to, or confirm that my name is written down in glory?

THE TEXT OF THE AMPLIFIED BIBLE

  • Parentheses ( ) signify additional phases of meaning included in the original word, phrase, or clause of the original language.
  • Brackets [ ] contained justified clarifying words o comments not actually expressed in the immediate original text, as well as definitions of Greek names.
  • Italics point out:
    • Certain familiar passages now recognized as not adequately supported by the original manuscripts.  This is the primary use of italics in the New Testament, so that, upon encountering italics, the reader is alerted to a matter of textual readings.  Often these will be accompanied by a footnote. 
    • Conjunctions such as “and,” “or,” and the like, not in the original text, but used to connect additional English words indicated in the same original word.  In this use, the reader, upon encountering a conjunction in italics, is alerted to the addition of an amplified word or phrase. 
    • Words which are not found in the original Greek but implied by it
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