Christ Our Life

Why Sion Citizens Succeed

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

Hebrews 12:17-22, “For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.  For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more: (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart: And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:) But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.”

From Sinai to Sion. Sion citizens succeed because they move on from Sinai. What helps us transition from law to

grace, from works to worship, from struggle to success, and from burden to blessing? It is simply moving ahead. Sion is another name for the city of Jerusalem. You cannot get to Sion without first going to Sinai. You must understand and establish God’s holiness before you move on. Sinai educated us in God’s laws. It is there that we learn the vital importance of both personal and corporate worship. Once that is done, what is next? Your focus needs to be on developing a dynamic personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Sion – A Place of Faith. Sion citizens succeed because they exercise their faith. Out of all the perhaps two or three million Israelites, only two adult men got in to the country where Sion is, Joshua and Caleb. Moses sent twelve men in to spy out the land. Ten of them came back saying that, while the land was blessed with abundant crops, the inhabitants were too strong to defeat. Only Joshua and Caleb trusted in God and believed that He would give them the victory. As a result of their lack of faith, the entire generation perished in the wilderness without ever reaching Sion. When the forty years of wandering were over, God brought them back to the border and placed another test in front of them. By the way, before you get to Sion, you can count on it that God will put impossibility in your path just as He did to them.

Sion – A Place of Sacrifice. Sion citizens succeed because they sacrifice. Sion has great historical significance. It was a place where God’s people came to offer sacrifices unto Him. Sion is where Abraham took his son Isaac, and they built and altar. There, Isaac lay on the altar; and Abraham willing to sacrifice his son, but God sent a ram, which was a picture of Jesus Christ. Sion is where David bought the threshing floor of Araunah to offer a sacrifice to God after he sinned by numbering the people. He said, “Neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24) Most importantly, Sion is the place where the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, was crucified. One of the reasons you continue to grow spiritually after arriving in Sion is that it is a place of making sacrifice unto God. If you want to be a citizen of God in the city of Sion, then you must be prepared to make sacrifices. There is no way you will ever endure the adversity unless you are a sacrificial giver. Sacrifice involves so much more than just money. We ought to tithe; we ought to give offerings unto the Lord, but we ought to live our lives sacrificially for God. It is only when we are willing to sacrifice that we maximize our potential for spiritual development and growth.

Sion – A Place Called Home. Sion citizens succeed because they make Sion their home. Verse twenty- two says, “But ye are come unto mount Sion”. That phrase in the language of the Bible is very precise. It is not talking about coming for visit; it is talking about moving in to a permanent residence. The idea is to decide that you are going to live in the presence of God. If you read John 15, you will see Jesus talking about abiding in Him. That is what this verse means. Coming to Sion means that we are living in the presence of Jesus. After a long day at work, I look forward to going home. That is a place of refuge for me. Roseann and I love each other, and so we want to spend time together. We often forget that while those of us who are saved have an eternal future waiting for us in Heaven, we also have the obligation and opportunity to live in Sion – “the heavenly Jerusalem” right now. Do not live in isolation from God. Do not view Him as being distant and unapproachable as the people did at Sinai. Jesus has opened the way into His presence through His blood. That means you and I can have the same kind of dynamic relationship with God here on earth that we will enjoy in Heaven. By the grace of God, we can live in Sion and be successful citizens in His country.

The Wise Work Hard

The Wise Avoid Negative Conflict

The Cost of Dropping Out of the Race

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

Hebrews 12:14-17, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”

The race of discipleship is a race that is difficult.  Do I need to convince you that the race is hard?  I am sure you did not need me to tell you that!  We have been looked at the reasons God places us in this race and the work He prepares for us.  Now, I want to give you a caution – the story of what happens when we decide to drop out of course.  Yes, it is hard.  Yes, it is difficult.  Yes, it hurts. But, we have to stay in the race. The costs of dropping out are just too high.

Change of Goals. First, when we drop out, our goals change. Verse fourteen tells us to “follow peace”.  This is a very strong word.  In fact, in our New Testament it is most frequently translated as “persecute” because the idea of the word is to pursue with such determination that nothing can stop you from reaching the goal.  Why was it important for Esau to follow peace?  Esau was in a difficult family situation.  His parents, Isaac and Rebekah, had to wait twenty years before they had children; and when they did, they had twins.  Before they were born, God said that the elder would serve the younger.  Esau was born first, which meant that according to God’s plan, he would have to serve Jacob.  If that were not enough, there was another area of contention.  Isaac loved Esau, and Rebekah loved Jacob.  It is dangerous for parents to show favoritism among their children, but that was the case in Esau’s home.

Change of Insight.  Second, when we drop out, our insights change.  Verse fourteen also says “without which, no man shall see the Lord”.  When it talks about seeing God here, it is not talking about salvation.  Hebrews is written to people who are already saved.  It is talking about our vision of God; if you go back to verse two it says, “Looking unto Jesus”.  What we lose is the ability to see God in the midst of our adversity.  As long as Peter looked at Jesus, he stayed on top of the water.  When he focused on the storm and the waves, he started to sink.  A place of adversity without Jesus is the loneliest place imaginable.  We start looking around and ask, “Why is this happening to me? I don’t understand.”  That is where we end up when we quit – blinded by the side of the track.

Change of Values.  Third, when we drop out, our values change.  The things that used to be important to us when we were right with God are suddenly not important anymore.  Verse fifteen says, “Lest there be any fornicator…”  The word “fornicator” is the Greek word pornos, from which we get the word pornography.  The root meaning of the word is “to put up for sale”.  When we quit the race, our values change so much that we are even willing to sell our purity and pollute our personal lives.  Where once you wanted to be pure and holy from a heart of integrity, now you want to gratify your desires.  If you love God properly, you would rather die than displease Him.  Once you drop out, your values change.  The things that once mattered before no longer matter to you.

Change of Future.  Before you get back on course though, you are going to have to go back to the Master and beg for His forgiveness and candidly, transparently admit your sin.  Let me tell you what that process is going to look like.  He is going to test your sincerity and commitment by having you go back to people who were impacted by your quitting and make things right with them.  You may say that it is impossible; and it is impossible in your own strength.  But, if you do not fail of the grace of God, the grace of God will never fail you. He will help you make things right.

A WORD ON EVANGELISM

by: Frankie Lucenti

Do you make it your goal to obey God?  Do you wake up in the morning with a passion to follow God’s commands?  If you fall like I do and you haven’t made it a personal goal to follow the commands of God you can start today.  Did you share Jesus Christ with someone last week, yesterday, or today?  God commands us to go out into the world and share the gospel five times in scripture. Read these verses and allow the word of God speak to your heart. 

1.       Matthew 28:18-20

2.       Mark 16:15-18

3.       Luke 24:46-48

4.       John 20:21

5.       Acts 1:8

Don’t live your life in fear of speaking to people about Christ.   Galatians 2:20 says we are crucified with Christ.  He gave everything for us, so now we give everything to Christ.  When we accept Christ we are forever pleasing to God in His eyes because of Christ, but like Paul we are to live our lives to please God.  “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him” (2 Corinthians 5:9).  We surrender to the work of God.  God does not gift only certain people to be great soul-winners, it is a command to all of us together.  Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” In John 3 Christ spoke to Nicodemus, a man who was Jewish. In John chapter 4 He spoke to a Samaritan Woman who in the custom Jews were not seen with, also in John chapter 8 He spoke with an adulterous woman, and in chapter 9 with a blind man.

·         Everywhere 

·         Everyday

·         Everybody

I know we can feel scared and tell ourselves there’s no way we can speak to people we don’t know, but it’s not true.  “Only those whose risk going too far can find out how far one can go.”  I challenge you to push yourself today and speak to friends and family members about your faith because with Christ your fears can be crushed. In times you do fail, don’t quit.  When it gets hard you hold on, because you will never reach the goal if you don’t keep moving forward, so fail forward.  "And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”(Mark 10:26) So what is the first step we take? We follow Jesus. "And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”(Matthew 4:19)

Our purpose for soul winning is not to establish more members in our church, our purpose is simply to keep lost people out of hell and to follow to the command He gave us.  It is always Christ who saves, never us.  Without Faith all of this is impossible. Believe that you can do this, believe that Christ can work through you to point the lost to Christ. 

Jesus Is Coming Soon

by: Rev. Leon Aguilera

Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3). I recently heard a man tell that he and his family were watching their college alma mater play another team in a championship game. It was a real tense time as the family watched their team get trounced on in the first quarter, then the first half. In the third quarter momentum was found by their team and by the fourth quarter there was a complete turnaround and their team won. A few weeks later this dad was watching a re-run on one of the sports channels and he said he was completely relaxed, even when the opposition was leading by two goals and extra points. He tried to stay awake, but finally turned off the television and whispered to his wife, “We can go to sleep because we know how this turns out.” There is so much happening today that is enough to frighten the average person. We who are Christians and have studied the Bible know how this is going to turn out. So we can obey what Jesus said to do when He said, “Let not your heart be troubled….” Let me give you a very basic outline as to why I believe Jesus is coming soon and what we can do in light of this knowledge.

1. I believe Jesus is coming soon because He said He would return.

Jesus said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:3).  We are to look with anticipation to the return of the Lord. Jesus said, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28). The return of the Lord is closer than we think.

2. I believe Jesus is coming because of the attitude and atmosphere of the world in which we now live.

The many skeptics who mock the return of the Lord do not realize that their attitude toward the coming of the Lord was prophesied and actually becomes a sign of the times that Christ’s return is near. Peter prophesied, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (II Peter 3:3,4).

God’s Word says, “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” (II Timothy 3:1). As we read II Timothy 3:2-7, we see the times spoken of match perfectly this present world in which we live.

3. I believe Jesus is coming soon because of the proven accuracy of Bible prophecy.

Let’s begin with the promise of the Lord’s return as given in the Bible: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thessalonians 4:16, 17).

How can I believe this promise of our Lord’s return will come to pass? Let me give you something that is beyond human explanation. God said through the prophet Daniel, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself…” (Daniel 9:25,26a).  Here Daniel prophesies that from the time the decree by King Cyrus would be given to rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem until Christ would enter Jerusalem to die would be sixty-nine sets of seven years.  This would be four hundred and eighty three years or 173,880 days. Using the Jewish number of days in the year (360 days), we see a marvelous prophecy.  From the decree made by the king on March 5, 444 BC until March 30, 33 AD, which was the day that Christ rode into Jerusalem, is exactly 173,880 days.

If we can trust the Bible’s accuracy for Christ’s first coming; we can trust the Word of God for His second coming..

4. I believe Jesus is coming soon because of the alignment of the nations just before the Lord returns.

When we read the prophecy of Ezekiel 38: 1-6 and see the names of the countries mentioned, Magog (Russia), Persia (modern Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan), Ethiopia, Libya, Gomer, and all his bands (many authorities say this speaks of Germany and surrounding neighbors), and Togarmah (Turkey).  According to Bible prophecy these nations will form an alliance and come against Israel.  Before the re-establishment of Israel as a nation in 1948, many of these areas of the world had little to do with each other.  Now when we open the Scriptures it is like reading present day news.  These countries coming against Israel will happen soon before the Lord returns. We must be near!

The Bible says, “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness” (II Peter 3:11).  In light of the Lord’s return, how then shall we live?  C.S. Lewis said, “It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have become so ineffective in this one.”  Joseph Stowell wrote, “When we begin to believe the reality of the other side, we start behaving differently on this side.”

A. Be Patient; Don’t Panic

“Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:8).  The word “stablish” is the Greek word “sterizo" meaning “to set fast, i.e. [literally] to turn resolutely in a certain direction.”

B. Be Devoted; Not Detoured

The Bible says, “And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (I John 3:3). It is so easy to become so pre-occupied with this present world that we begin to acclimate rather than stand out as lights in the darkness to show a contrast of lifestyles. It is only when we live like Christ that we will effectively influence others to embrace Him.

C. Be Soul-Conscious; Not Self-Conscious

Paul said, “…I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (I Corinthians 9:22). This is not the time to “hole-up” and wait for Jesus to return; more than ever we need to obey the admonition of Jesus: “…Occupy till I come” (Luke 19:13).

D. Be Fearless; Not Fearful

In the comic strip “Peanuts” Snoopy was writing a book and he began, “It was a dark and stormy night….” Lucy said, “Silly dog, don’t you know that every good story starts with “Once upon a time?”  So then Snoopy begins, “Once upon a time, it was a dark and stormy night.”  No matter what, Snoopy could not get past the dark and stormy night.  In the same manner, many are fearful and afraid to face the future. For the Christian and observer of Bible prophecy we see past the dark and stormy night into the “happily ever after.”  If we take these Bible verses seriously, how can we not only be optimistic, but fearless?  “Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand” (II Thessalonians 2:1,2).  “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do” (I Thessalonians 5:9-11). “Wherefore comfort one another with these words” (I Thessalonians 4:18).