PASTOR DARRYL BAKER

Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us keep paying attention to one another, in order to spur each other on to love and good deeds,
25 not neglecting our own congregational meetings, as some have made a practice of doing, but, rather, encouraging each other.
And let us do this all the more as you see the Day approaching.

As we look to what is happening in Israel, and what we see going on throughout the world, we can clearly see the “Day” approaching. This Day is referring to the return of Jesus Christ. We as believers are not to neglect our coming together as a body with our pastor, and with the body of believers we are to be a part of. Notice we are to do this all the more, not less as we see this Day drawing near. What is often overlooked in these verses is the purpose of us not neglecting coming together in God’s house.

Many who do go to God’s house are doing so only thinking about what they can get for themselves. But that is clearly not what our focus is to be on. Verse 24 tells us we are to “pay attention” to one another, in order to spur each other on in love and good deeds. Then in verse 25 we are told to encourage one another as we come together to worship our God. Imagine how different the body of Christ would be if we lived out these two verses every time we come to church, joining together more not less.

When believers make the choice to not neglect gathering as a church, and we focus our attention on each other, the church will not only experience the love of God, they will become united as one. Unity not only makes the body stronger, but more powerful as well. In 1 Corinthians 14:3 we are told that we can all proclaim words of exhortation, edification, and comfort to men. Make the choice to not neglect going to God’s house, and to focus on encouraging others every time you go. The whole body of Christ will benefit and will have a greater impact on the world around us.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Hebrews 11:1
Faith assures us of things we expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot see.

Have you ever heard the term “blind faith”? There are some who think faith is blind in the sense that we have to sit back, do nothing, and just believe somehow God will make everything right, and therefore I just need to walk in blind faith. But faith is far from blind. In fact, the above scripture clearly states that faith convinces us of the existence of things that are not yet seen by the natural eye. If they exist there is a way to see those things. You do so with the eye of faith.

We know faith is based on one thing — what God has said. When God told Abraham he was a father of a multitude he was told to look at the stars of heaven and the sand beneath his feet, and in doing so he could see with the eye of faith what God had said He had already made him, a father of a many nations. Romans 4:19 tells us that he was not weak in faith, not considering (looking at) his natural body, but instead focusing on what God had said was already his.

Today we have God’s Word that we can look to and therefore see with our own eyes what God has said we already have based on what Jesus has done for us. We then focus on what we can see, the Word of God, and then like Abraham and God, we begin to call those things which do not yet exist in the natural as though they did (Rom. 4:17), for what God has said is the evidence of what already exists. With faith in our God through relationship with Him we base our faith on what He has said, convinced in our heart that it is already so.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Proverbs 19:21
Many are the plans in the mind of a man,
but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.

One of the most important keys to life is in finding God’s purpose, what is His ultimate plan for our life, for when we do, and if we then follow that plan, we will see God accomplish with our lives what He wants in and through us. What gets in the way of that god-given purpose is the many plans or ideas of what we want to do. Man’s plans will not fully accomplish what God wants to see happen through us.

I remember when I first started my walk with God. I was chasing a dream that I thought was a good plan for my life, and I believed God would use me to reach others through my rodeo career. God did use me during that time in many ways, but I had never taken the time to really seek God for His ultimate purpose in my life. God used other godly leaders around me to begin to lead me into the plan of God. Becoming a pastor was one of the last things I would have ever chosen to do.

God’s plan for my life became clear as I got connected with the pastor and the church body God had for me. I began to grow spiritually, and I began to serve in my church. My focus turned away from me to God. When this happened I began to see and hear in my spirit what God had intended for my life. Get your focus off of you and on God. Find your pastor and become a part of that church body. In giving yourself completely to Jesus, the plans He has for your life will become clear, and you can know God’s plan for your life that will prevail.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Proverbs 18:24
Some “friends” pretend to be friends, but a true friend sticks closer than a brother.

I remember growing up with my brother how close we were. My mom used to tell people that when we were younger you almost never saw us somewhere without the other one being right there with you. We see in the verse above that there is a true friend who sticks even closer than a brother. What friends we have in the natural we must choose carefully, for as scripture teaches choosing the wrong friends can lead you the wrong way. So we should learn to not neglect the opportunity of the One who wants to be our very best friend.

In John 15:15, Jesus told His disciples that He no longer called them servants, but friends. Jesus is that friend who we can always count on. Let me share with you two key attributes that make Him the best friend you could ever have. In Hebrews 13:5 we find the first of these two things about Jesus. It states that He will never leave you nor forsake you. That means He will always be there for you, because He is for you. As a true friend, He will watch out for you for His focus is to be a help to you, and therefore you know you can depend on His help whenever you need it.

Secondly right after this in Hebrews 13:8, it tells us that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Because He is love He never changes. He will always treat you the same no matter what. When you need encouragement, He will encourage you, but when you need correction, He will correct you because true love cares about you. Don’t neglect the relationship of a true friend in Jesus, because He will always be there for you, and will never leave you nor forsake you.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

1 Corinthians 12:18
God has meticulously put this body together; He placed each part in the exact place to perform the exact function He wanted.

Have you ever worked on putting a puzzle together. If you have there was probably a time or two that you had a piece of that puzzle that you really thought would fit in a certain place, and when trying to put it there it even seemed to work, but yet you could tell it just didn’t quite fit. The more you looked at it and worked on it you eventually realized it was close, but not an exact fit. At some point you then found where that piece fit perfectly.

The local church body of Christ is like that puzzle. When you finally find where you are to fit with the right church, you find the very place where God wants you to be so that the picture He wanted is complete. Imagine if every believer was connected with the local church where He wants them. If we allow Him to put us in the very place where we belong, it is there we help bring His complete work to pass. Often because people look for only what “they want” in a church home, they sorta fit but not completely the way God intended.

You sadly also have many in the body of Christ who simply don’t become a part of a local body thinking they don’t need to do so, but they are not only missing out on the complete picture, so is that church. How do we find where God wants us to be. Jesus tells us in the following verse.

John 10:4 – When all the sheep have been gathered, he walks on ahead of them; and they follow him because they know his voice.

Jesus taught here that you get connected to the shepherd of that flock. When you initially hear them preach your spirit man knows this is your shepherd. Once you find that shepherd don’t allow the enemy to take you out of your place where God put you. If you are somewhere that you have not found that connection with a shepherd, go and find them. In doing so you help complete the picture God has for you and for that body.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Matthew 2:1-2
1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea when Herod was king. After Jesus’ birth wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem.
2 They asked, “Where is the one who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star rising and have come to worship him.”

The wise men who came to worship Jesus had known of the prophecy in Numbers 24:17, that a Star would appear and lead them to this King of the Jews. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, they asked where He was to be born. Herod called the chief priests and scribes together to find out, for they were experts of the Old Testament scriptures, and would therefore know where His birthplace would be. They told Herod He was to be born in Bethlehem.

You would think those priests and scribes hearing from the wise men that the King, the Messiah had been born, would have wanted to go and see the One for whom they had waited for. But they did not go to see if this was the Messiah, and they showed little to no interest in finding out. Why? Because they were more interested in knowing about Him, rather than knowing Him. Sad to say many believers today are content with just knowing about Him and not really making the effort to know Him personally. They are to busy with other things.

The wise men were different. When they got to Bethlehem and found the King of kings, they worshiped Him and gave offerings unto Him. The word worship means to adore, and to bow down in reverence to one who is superior. Don’t forget why He came. It was so we could get to know Him and our Heavenly Father, not just to know about Him. Make knowing Him your priority in life, for those who are wise still seek Him today.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Genesis 1:26
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Here we see a picture of man in his original state of creation. When Adam sinned he lost that position of dominion, and he lost the image of God. But when Jesus came and died for all mankind, for all who have been born again, they have been restored to the original image and likeness of God. As the above verse states God made man in His image and in His likeness. These two words reveal a lot about who we now are and why we are here. They do not mean the same thing.

The word image means we resemble God, His very nature as a moral spirit being, which has been imparted to us. Your spirit man, the real you, is as holy as God Himself. Your spirit man is as perfect as God Himself. Your new spirit came from God, and therefore is a part of Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17 tells us that when we are joined to the Lord (born again) we become one spirit with Him.

The second word likeness means to represent God’s authority in stewarding creation. In other words we are to live every day knowing we represent God on this planet, and we have His authority to carry out His plan, to take dominion for God’s kingdom. So these two words refer to His nature (image), and His purpose (likeness). To walk in this new nature and purpose of life, we look to the Word of God, primarily the New Testament and we see a reflection of this new image. The more we see it the more we become transformed on the outside to this new man within (2 Cor. 3:18). Look in God’s mirror everyday and see the new you.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Hebrews 5:13-14
13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

One of the most important truths in the life of a believer is to fully understand the gift of righteousness, which means you have been made right with God, and therefore have rights as a child of God. Anyone who teaches that a believer is not righteous is not teaching you the Truth of God’s Word. A vital key to understanding this truth is found in the above verses of scripture. If you live on the milk of the Word only, you will lack understanding of this powerful truth.

The milk of the Word is needed in our life, and in fact we are told as a newborn baby would desire milk, so we are to desire the pure milk of God’s Word (1 Peter 2:2). The milk of the Word is sitting under the teaching of the Word of God. But for us to take the milk and see it become solid food, we must become a doer of what it says we now have and can do as a new creation in Christ.

Notice in verse 14 above solid food belongs to those who through practice of God’s Word mature as a believer, dominated by their spirit man. When this happens you will walk in a clear understanding of what is good and what is evil, knowing the deceptive lies of satan. So, make sure you have a pastor teaching you the pure milk of God’s Word, revealing who you now are in Christ, and act upon that Word, putting those truths into practice in your life. As you do, you will clearly see the lies of the enemy and can walk in the freedom you have already been given.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Hebrews 10:23
We must continue to hold firmly to our declaration of faith. The one who made the promise is faithful.

Many still do not understand the power of their words. They do not realize for example when they say things like my arthritis, my cancer, my diabetes, etc; it is the same as a package being delivered to your front door and you sign for the package, accepting it as yours. Once you do the devil has the right to leave it with you. For faith to work you must believe in your heart what God has said, and you must then speak in line with His Word, holding fast to your confession of faith.

It is vital that when faith is released through our words to stay in faith. That is what this verse in Hebrews is telling us. We must hold fast to our declaration of faith. You must say what God has said. Every promise God has given to us through Christ Jesus He has said is already yours. You must, like God, call those things that be not as if they are already so. Faith believes it receives when you pray, and therefore you declare you already have what you have asked of God.

You never stop declaring what God’s Word says. Your confession does not change. When God gave Abram a promise to be a father of a multitude He changed his name to Abraham, which means father of a multitude. Abraham never went back to calling himself Abram after that. He kept saying what God had said, and he became exactly what God and he had said. Faith will not work unless you hold fast your confession, saying the same thing God says about you.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Titus 3:4-5
4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,

The fourth work of redemption that Christ has completed within the heart of every believer is the work of regeneration. Regeneration is the new birth, the rebirth of the human spirit. When someone puts their faith in Christ and calls upon Him for salvation with repentance, there is a rebirthing of a new spirit man within them. The washing away of the old man and the renewing of the Holy Spirit coming to live within us takes place.

In this area of a believer’s life, the devil tries to convince us that we are who we used to be, we cannot change. He tries to get us to fall for this lie so that we continue to live by the old nature’s habits and ways to keep us in bondage to that old nature. But once the spirit on the inside becomes new, we can now as scripture teaches us, walk in newness of life. Anything about our old outward behavior and way of living can change.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence.

You can change anything about your life for you are not who you used to be. A new way of living has come for the believer. We should not continue in our old ways but begin to walk in the footsteps of our Savior. Romans 12:1-2 tells us how. We are to present our bodies unto Him as a living sacrifice, and we are transformed by renewing our minds to the new man on the inside. We are no longer who we used to be! Because of regeneration, we can live a whole new way of life.

Partner with us in sharing the gospel around the world: http://www.cffgive.com
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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas