Living in Liberty

A Ministry of Bryce Lowance

Elder Bryce Lowrance

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Walk in Love

2 January 2014

Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. - Ephesians 5:1-5

The first thing we do in our game of following the leader is to walk in love just like our Leader, Jesus, walked in love.

We exist not for personal pleasure or popularity but for the glory of God. Our focus everyday should be on giving God the glory to His Name. The way we do this is to love Him and serve Him in everything we do. Jesus taught that the greatest love there is personal sacrifice for the benefit of another person:

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:13

But how do lay down our lives for a God Who is eternal. How can we die for Him?

Jesus, later in His ministry, described to us exactly how we do this:

And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one ofthe leastofthese my brethren, ye have done it unto me. - Matthew 25:40

We love God by loving others. We serve God by serving others. Its that simple.

Paul then instructs on behaviors we should avoid as Christians. The sins listed in verses 3 through 5 have at least two common characteristics. They promote the ideas of personal pleasure or personal glory. These ideas work against the principle of loving others. Our focus must be on others.

These behaviors don't follow the rules of the game. If we stray off into these paths, we are playing a game that the wicked like to play. So basically, Paul is asking, "If you can follow Jesus and have joy like playing a game as a child, why would you ever want to stop and act like those who are not heirs of Christ?"

Always remember how to define joy.

J - Jesus
O - Others
Y - Yourself

In using this acronym, you need only focus on the J and the O. When you follow Jesus by blessing others, God takes care of the you better than you ever could.

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Tags: all-in, discipleship, newyear, redeem

Welcome

Brentwood Hills Primitive Baptist Church is a community of believers working together to transform our lives to the image of Jesus Christ. We believe it is our duty and privilege to live the gospel of the doctrines of grace in such a way as to edify the families within our church and other children of God in our community. Through regular worship based on strong Biblical principles, fellowship, admonishment, and outreach, we glory in the grace of the sovereign God working in our lives thereby showing the Spirit of God in the world.

Brentwood Hills was organized in 1906 in Fort Worth, Texas as Laodicea Primitive Baptist Church. You can find much of the history of the church, as well as other churches here: Primitive Baptist History Database

We identify ourselves as an old-line Primitive Baptist church. If you read our Articles of Faith, you’ll see that we hold to such doctrines as the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. We recognize the King James Version (KJV) as the only English translation worthy of being called the Bible. We believe in salvation solely by the grace of a sovereign God. We believe that Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, came to the earth to do the will of His Father, which was to deliver from the sentence of death all those the Father gave Him before the world began. We believe that Jesus fully satisfied the Father by atoning for all the sins of all His people. In time, we believe the Holy Spirit comes to each person that belongs to Jesus and regenerates them. Then (and only then) can anyone have faith, which is a fruit of the Spirit, by which you are able to believe the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. Whether or not you ever hear the gospel, or believe it if you did hear it, or obey it if you did believe it, rest assured that Jesus will remain forever faithful to you because, if He died for you, He will never deny that you belong to Him.

We believe that everyone for whom Christ died will without fail be raised again from the dead to a glorified life. Even if we are alive when He returns to raise the dead, we shall be changed to a glorified life. All the Redeemed will meet the Lord in the air. Then He will take us to Heaven and there we shall forever be with the Lord. The wicked will be raised at the same time as the righteous, but the wicked shall go away into everlasting punishment along with Satan and his angels. Until that glorious day when Christ returns to raise the dead, He has provided a place for His people to find rest for their souls. This place is the Church. Jesus Christ set-up His church on this earth before His death on the Cross. The church is there for those of His people who have come to believe that God saved them by His Son, Jesus Christ. To believe that Christ “paid it all” gives believers the strongest motivation to serve Him. Once enlightened to this glorious truth, then the child of God should feel an obligation to become and remain an active member of the His church. To serve the Lord in His church makes for one of the great blessings to experience this side of Heaven. It fulfills you to serve in His church and it gives your life purpose and meaning.