In this blog, I provide encouragement and biblical teaching on seeking the Lord with all your heart, loving Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and living a life of holiness, righteousness, and truth.
As the Scripture says:
'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (Jer 29:13)
And "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. "For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Mat 7:13-14)
Some of the topics covered include seeking the Lord, prayer, worship, tithing, inquiring of the Lord, hearing His voice, obedience, grace, godly attire and adornment, sanctification, consecration, backsliding, repentance, brokenness, suffering, humility, the fear of the Lord, the role of the commandments for the disciple of Christ, and the conditions of the New Covenant. I hope this will be an edifying and encouraging experience for you that will help you to grow in your walk with the Lord.
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you
repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible
says?
“Jesus
came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time
is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in
the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and
believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.
He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as
well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who
multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
Our gift of these articles by Len Lacroix is made possible in part by your gracious support of the ministry.
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"Give,
and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken
together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the
measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38
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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.
He was
based
in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as
helping leaders to be more effective at
making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the
ultimate goal of
planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United
States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org. Partner with us online by giving to DMI.
Did you know that I have over thirty blogs containing over one thousand posts? You can find all that content on Writing for the Master. But the latest content will always be shown on my monthly e-magazine, the Old News That's Still Fresh. That's how I make you aware of new content that I've posted on one of my blogs. And there is typically a new edition published on the first of each month, unless I haven't posted anything new. But in case you've missed any past editions, you can find links to all my editions of the Old News That's Still Fresh at this link.
In the Old Testament, Moses was commanded to take the hyssop branch, dip it in the blood of the animal that was sacrificed to God, and use it to sprinkle the blood.
For example at Passover, he was instructed by God to "Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe..." (Exodus 12:22)
Moses also commanded the the priests to sprinkle blood for the cleansing of lepers and houses, as part of cleansing rituals using the hyssop plant, as well as scarlet yarn and cedar wood (Leviticus 14:4-6, 49-51).
Likewise the apostle in Hebrews 9:19-21 references Moses using hyssop, water, and blood to sprinkle the book and the entire tabernacle, emphasizing its role in ritual purification. In every instance, it was a sprinkling of the blood that was used, which is a small thinly distributed amount.
I would like to ask you how much of Jesus blood do you think is necessary to wash a man's sins away and save his soul or to protect a believer from harm, such as when we plead the blood of Jesus.
Just One Drop
I am certain that the blood of Jesus is so powerful -- infinitely powerful -- that just one little drop of His blood is all it takes. That's enough to wash away a person's sins and to apply to anyone when pleading the blood over them or oneself.
This truth emphasizes the infinite, superabundant power of Christ's sacrifice to redeem all humanity from sin. Many theologians, notably St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), suggest a single drop was sufficient to save the entire world, making it a symbol of absolute, total salvation.
Derek Prince taught this, too. He said, "There is more power in one drop of the blood of Jesus than in the whole kingdom of satan." He quoted Leviticus 17:11:"For the life of the flesh is in the blood and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls." And he said, "It is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. So the life of God is in the blood of Jesus. God’s own life, the life of the Creator. Our human minds have no way to calculate the potential of that statement."
Here is Derek Prince's sermon on this subject, called "There's Infinite Power in One Drop of The Blood of Jesus". The link here starts the message right at the part where he made certain key points, but the whole sermon is worth listening to. It's very instructional, including about the Lord's Supper (Communion).
Scriptures About the Blood
The blood of Jesus purifies us from all sin, when we walk in the light as He is in the light. We have been justified by His blood, and our Lord Jesus has freed us from our sins by His blood. Here are some verses that say so.
"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin." (1 Jn 1:7)
"Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him!" (Rom 5:9)
"To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood..." (Rev 1:5b).
That word "freed" means "loosed"; it comes from the Greek word luo, meaning "break, destroy, dissolve, loose, melt, put off."
"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." (Heb 9:22)
Songs About One Drop of Blood
Many song lyrics have this theme like the following excerpts from some songs:
Excerpt #1
One drop of blood
Fell to the scales
It covered my transgressions
And all the times I failed
The enemy was mighty
He came in like a flood
He was defeated by one drop of blood
Excerpt #2
One drop of blood, oh yes!
One drop of blood
He can save your soul
With one drop of blood
On the Cross He died
For our sins, He gave His Life
And with one red drop
You can be made pure white
One drop of blood will cover all your sins
Clean up your heart and give you peace within
Excerpt #3 - One Drop of the Blood (Hymn by William Augustine Ogden 1841-1897) Link to full lyrics.
One drop of the blood,
From Calvary's brow,
Will cleanse me within,
And free me from sin,
And make my soul e'en whiter than snow.
Excerpt #4 - One Drop of Jesus' Blood by Kent Phalen, Sandy Bloemer, & Scott Nelson.
One drop of Jesus' blood
All my sins were gone
Though they were as scarlet
He cleansed me from them all.
The holy crimson flow
Covered me that day.
One drop of Jesus' blood
Washed all my sins away.
Excerpt #5 - There's Power in the Blood, by Lewis E Jones (1899), full lyrics here.
There is power, power, wonder-working power
in the blood of the Lamb;
there is power, power, wonder-working power
in the precious blood of the Lamb.
Closing Words
In closing, I hope that this message today has encouraged you, edified you, and helped you to really grasp the infinite power of Jesus' blood. I trust that now you will have a whole new perspective on this marvelous truth, which will impact your life, as well as the lives of countless others that you share this with or minister to.
Attribution notice: Scripture take from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.
Do You Want to Know Him? If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says? “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
In my recent article called "Does Being Saved Make All Your Troubles Disappear?" I wrote about the fact that the Lord does not make all our troubles go away when we come to Christ. But He does give us the grace and strength to face each day, to endure our trials, and to be of good cheer in the midst of them.
Today I'd like to share with you a very special Swedish hymn written in 1865 by Lina Sandell-Berg, which is one of my favorite hymns. She wrote it at age 26, several years after witnessing her father, Pastor Jonas Sandell, drown in a tragic boating accident in 1858. The hymn was written during a period of deep personal grief, serving as a testament to her reliance on God's strength and presence, taking life one day at a time just as our Lord Jesus taught us to do. Despite her tragedy, she found comfort in her faith in Christ, composing this lovely hymn that reflects a deep, personal assurance of God's care in the midst of trials.
In The Lord's Church today, we sang this hymn together, as we often have so many times before. Here is the video recording of it with the view outside our window earlier in the morning at sunrise. My son Christopher is playing the keyboard, as he usually does during our worship service.
Lyrics:
Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.
Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the Promised Land.
Closing Words
Are you going through deep trials or experiencing personal tragedy at this time? Let me assure you that Jesus cares and He would like to help you through it. Just call upon His name today and ask Him for His presence, grace, and strength to get through it, and ask Him to hold your hand. I can assure you that He will do it. Then trust in Him, take it one day at a time, and don't worry about tomorrow.
Do You Want to Know Him? If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says? “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
Today I'd like to share with you the blessings of being in Christ. But before I do, I'd like to explain what it means to be in Christ, and what it does not mean.
What it Does Not Mean
Let begin with what it does not mean to be in Christ.
It does not mean being in a church, in a religion, or in a denomination. It does not mean doing your acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them. It does not mean being like the hypocrites and like the Pharisees. It does not mean merely believing in Jesus, but not holding to His teaching or putting His words into practice. It does not mean serving two masters. It does not mean having a mere form of godliness but denying its power (Mt 5:20; 6:1, 5a; 7:21; 2 Tim 3:5).
What it Does Mean
Now that we've established what it doesn't mean to be in Christ, let me explain what it does mean.
Jesus said, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” (Joh 14:20)
Allow me to list several things that are meant by the expression "in Christ":
It is to be in Christ such that your entire life is found in Him.
It is to be in deep, personal relationship with Christ (Jn 10:14, 27; 14:23; 15:15; 1 Cor 1:9).
It is to abide in Christ and He in you (Jn 15:4).
It is to live and move and have your being in Him (Ac 17:28; Col 2:6).
It is dwelling continually in His presence.
It is to have total and complete union with Him (Jn 17:23; Rom 6:5).
It is to have perfect oneness and intimacy with Him (Eph 5:31-32).
It is to be His possession and belong to Him (Jn 17:6; 1 Pe 2:9; Is 43:1).
It is to make Him your all in all (Col 3:11).
It is to live your life for Him and not for yourself (2 Cor 5:15).
It is to live by faith in Christ (Gal 2:20).
It is to live in true reality (Col 2:17).
It is to be alive to God (Rom 6:11).
It is to be hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3).
Benefits of Being in Christ
Having established clearly what the Bible means when it uses the expression "in Christ", now I'd like to deepen your understanding of every good thing we have in Christ (Phm 1:6). Here are some of the countless blessings that includes:
Receiving eternal life - “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:23; cf., 1Co 15:22; 2Ti 1:1)
Experiencing salvation with eternal glory – “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” (2Ti 2:10; cf., 1Pe 5:10; 2Th 1:12)
Receiving forgiveness – “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” (Eph 4:32)
Being redeemed – “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.” (Eph 1:7)
Being free from condemnation – “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Rom 8:1)
Never being separated from the love of God – “neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:39)
Being part of His Body, belonging to all the other members – “so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” (Rom 12:5)
Being one with His Body – “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28)
Having God’s grace freely bestowed on you and being accepted by God as one of His sons (Eph 1:6, NASB; 1Co 1:4; 2Ti 1:9)
Sanctification – “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; their Lord and ours:” (1Co 1:2)
Being chosen to be holy and blameless - “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love” (Eph 1:4, 11)
Being God’s holy people – “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:” (Php 1:1)
Being a child of God – “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith,” (Gal 3:26)
Being part of a new family – “Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel.” (1Co 4:15)
Being included – “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,” (Eph 1:13)
Being brought near to God – “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” (Eph 2:13)
Being seated in heavenly realms - And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, (Eph 2:6)
Having the assurance of all God’s promises – “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God.” (2Co 1:20)
Receiving the answers to your prayers - "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (Joh 15:7, NASB)
Having the veil removed - “But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.” (2Co 3:14; Mat. 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45)
Having freedom – “This matter arose because some false believers had infiltrated our ranks to spy on the freedom we have in Christ Jesus and to make us slaves.” (Gal 2:4)
Able to approach God with freedom and confidence – “In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.” (Eph 3:12)
To speak before God – “Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.” (2Co 2:17)
Being made to stand firm – “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,” (2Co 1:21)
Always being led into God’s triumph – “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” (2Co 2:14)
Being a new creation – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2Co 5:17)
Being reconciled to God – “that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2Co 5:19)
Having the righteousness of God - “and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ; the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” (Php 3:9)
Being the righteousness of God - “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2Co 5:21)
Being circumcised in heart – “In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ,” (Col 2:11)
Experiencing God’s kindness to us – “in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 2:7)
Being created as God’s handiwork to do good works – “For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10)
Sharing in the promise given to Abraham – “This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.” (Eph 3:6)
Being called heavenward – “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Php 3:14)
Having your heart and mind guarded – “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Php 4:7)
Experiencing peace – “Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.” (1Pe 5:14)
Having all your needs met – “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” (Php 4:19)
Being enriched in every way - “For in him you have been enriched in every way; with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge;” (1Co 1:5)
Blessed with every spiritual blessing – “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Eph 1:3)
Having completeness and perfection – “He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” (Col 1:28)
Experiencing God’s fullness – “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.” (Col 2:9-10)
Being built into God’s dwelling – “And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Eph 2:22)
Being able to rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances – “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1Th 5:16-18; cf., Php 4:4)
Being strong – "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power." (Eph 6:10) and “You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” (2Ti 2:1)
Being able to stand firm - "For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord." (1Th 3:8)
Being held together – “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Col 1:17)
Closing Words
In closing, it should be abundantly clear to anyone reading this article what the Scripture means by being in Christ, and what it does not mean. I've also given you a long list of 47 benefits of being in Christ, which is by no means a complete list. In light of all these benefits, it's difficult to see why anyone would not want to be in Christ. There is no downside to it! All the money in the world could not buy all these benefits, and yet they are freely given to all who repent of their sins and put their faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior. If you have not yet done so, I hope you won't wait another day. Now is the time of God's favor. Now is the day of salvation. You may not have tomorrow.
I hope that in some supernatural way, this has also encouraged my fellow believers in the Lord to be of good cheer, considering all the many benefits of being in Christ. May it build your faith in the Lord and cause you to experience spiritual growth today as you apply God's Word to your life.
Attribution notice: Scripture take from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. Image may be subject to copyright, used per the Fair Use Act for educational and commentary purposes only.
Do You Want to Know Him? If you want to know Jesus, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Him. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says? “Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.
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