"It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing; the words I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. John 6:63 NAS

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Watchman Nee stated in “The Spiritual Man”. “If believers would habitually maintain the attitude of the flesh being crucified Satan could have no chance; for the flesh is Satan’s workshop.”

"For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, “ Romans 6:5 NKJ

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What does this verse really mean. Watchman Nee had a great word picture to explain it in the“Normal Christian Life”

Now with resurrection the figure is different because something new is introduced. I am "baptized into his death", but I do not enter in quite the same way into His resurrection, for, Praise the Lord! His resurrection enters into me, imparting to me a new life. In the death of the Lord the emphasis is solely upon `I in Christ'. With the resurrection, while the same thing is true, there is now a new emphasis upon `Christ in me'. How is it possible for Christ to communicate His resurrection life to me? How do I receive this new life? Paul suggests, I think, a very good illustration with these very same words: "united with him". For the word `united' (A.V. `planted together') may carry in the Greek the sense of ‘grafted’ and it gives us a very beautiful picture of the life of Christ which is imparted to us through resurrection.

In Fukien I once visited a man who owned an orchard of long-ien trees. He had three or four acres of land and about three hundred fruit trees. I inquired if his trees had been grafted or if they were of the original native stock. `Do you think', he replied, `that I would waste my land growing ungrafted trees? What value could I ever expect from the old stock?

So I asked him to explain the process of grafting, which he gladly did. `When a tree has grown to a certain height', he said, `I lop off the top and graft on to it.' Pointing to a special tree he asked, `Do you see that tree? I call it the father tree, because all the grafts for the other trees are taken from that one. If the other trees were just left to follow the course of nature, their fruit would be only about the size of a raspberry, and would consist mainly of thick skin and seeds. This tree, from which the grafts for all the others are taken, bears a luscious fruit the size of a plum, with very thin skin and a tiny seed; and of course all the grafted trees bear fruit like it.' `How does it happen?' I asked. `I simply take a little of the nature of the one tree and transfer it to the other', he explained. `I make a cleavage in the poor tree and insert a slip from the good one. Then I bind it up and leave it to grow.' `But how can it grow?' I asked. `I don't know', he said, `but it does grow.'

Then he showed me a tree bearing miserably poor fruit from the old stock below the graft, and rich juicy fruit from the new stock above the graft. `I have left the old shoots with their useless fruit on them to show the difference', he said. `From it you can understand the value of grafting. You can appreciate, can you not, why I grow only grafted trees?'

How can one tree bear the fruit of another? How can a poor tree bear good fruit? Only by grafting. Only by our implanting into it the life of a good tree. But if a man can graft a branch of one tree into another, cannot God take of the life of His Son and, so to speak, graft it into us?

"knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin“ - - -Romans 6:6 NKJ

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We need to do more “knowing” and less trying when it comes to our own spiritual well being. It is good to pray that we have the power to understand and to know, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. The scripture tells us to pray "deliver us from evil", to "know Him" to "acknowledge our weakness" rather than to pray for more strength to overcome sin. It is all Jesus Christ and only through His Holy Spirit that we have life and life abundantantly. Watchman Nee stated in the“Normal Christian Life”

"How do you know your sins are forgiven?..It comes from the Lord Himself. Of course the fact of forgiveness of sins is in the Bible, but for the written Word of God to become a living Word from God to you He had to give you "a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" (Eph. 1:17).

So our first step is to seek from God a knowledge that comes by revelation -- a revelation, that is to say, not of ourselves but of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the Cross. When Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, entered into the normal Christian life it was thus that he did so. You remember how he tells of his long-standing problem of how to live `in Christ', how to draw the sap out of the Vine into himself. For he knew that he must have the life of Christ flowing out through him and yet felt that he had not got it, and he saw clearly enough that his need was to be found in Christ. `I knew', he said, writing to his sister from Chinkiang in 1869, `that if only I could abide in Christ, all would be well, but I could not.'

The more he tried to get in the more he found himself slipping out, so to speak, until one day light dawned, revelation came and he saw.
`Here, I feel, is the secret: not asking how I am to get sap out of the Vine into myself, but remembering that Jesus is the Vine -- the root, stem, branches, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruit, all indeed.'

Then, in words of a friend that had helped him:`I have not got to make myself a branch. The Lord Jesus tells me I am a branch. I am part of Him and I have just to believe it and act upon it. I have seen it long enough in the Bible, but I believe it now as a living reality.' It was as though something which had indeed been true all the time had now suddenly become true in a new way to him personally, and he writes to his sister again:

`I do not know how far I may be able to make myself intelligible about it, for there is nothing new or strange or wonderful -- and yet, all is new! In a word, "whereas once I was blind, now I see"....I am dead and buried with Christ -- aye, and risen too and ascended....God reckons me so, and tells me to reckon myself so. He knows best....Oh, the joy of seeing this truth -- I do pray that the eyes of your understanding may be enlightened, that you may know and enjoy the riches freely given us in Christ.'

I remember one day in Shanghai I was talking with a brother who was very exercised concerning his spiritual state. He said, `So many are living beautiful, saintly lives. I am ashamed of myself. I call myself a Christian and yet when I compare myself with others I feel I am not one at all. I want to know this crucified life, this resurrection life, but I do not know it and see no way of getting there.' Another brother was with us, and the two of us had been talking for two hours or so, trying to get the man to see that he could not have anything apart from Christ, but without success.

The brother who was worried about his spiritual state said, `the best thing a man can do is to pray.' `But if God has already given you everything, what do you need to pray for?' we asked. `He hasn't', the man replied, `for I am still losing my temper, still failing constantly; so I must pray more.' `Well', we said, `do you get what you pray for?' `I am sorry to say that I do not get anything', he replied. We tried to point out that, just as he had done nothing for his justification, so he need do nothing for his sanctification.

Just then a third brother, much used of the Lord, came in and joined us. There was a thermos flask on the table, and this brother picked it up and said, `What is this?' `A thermos flask.' `Well, you just imagine for a moment that this thermos flask can pray, and that it starts praying something like this: "Lord, I want very much to be a thermos flask. Wilt Thou make me to be a thermos flask? Lord, give me grace to become a thermos flask. Do please make me one!" What will you say?' `I do not think even a thermos flask would be so silly,' our friend replied. `It would be nonsense to pray like that; it is a thermos flask!' Then my brother said, `You are doing the same thing. God in times past has already included you in Christ. When He died, you died; when He lived, you lived. Now today you cannot say, "I want to die; I want to be crucified; I want to have resurrection life." The Lord simply looks at you and says, "You are dead! You have new life!" All your praying is just as absurd as that of the thermos flask. You do not need to pray to the Lord for anything; you merely need your eyes opened to see that He has done it all.'

That is the point. We need not work to die, we need not wait to die, we are dead. We only need to recognize what the Lord has already done and to praise Him for it. Light dawned for that man. With tears in his eyes he said, `Lord, I praise Thee that Thou hast already included me in Christ. All that is His is mine!' Revelation had come and faith had something to lay hold of; and if you could have met that brother later on, what a change you would have found!

For the mind of the flesh is death; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace: Romans 8:6 KJV
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The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. The flesh brings death, the Spirit is life and peace. Watchman Nee stated in the “The Spiritual Man” .”

“A worker must observe carefully which part of his labor the Holy Spirit anoints. Then he will be able to cooperate with Him and operate within the current of His power. The worker’s duty is to discern the current of the Spirit and to follow it. A task should be discontinued if it is no longer enjoys God’s anointing, is out of His current, and creates a sluggish languid feeling.”…

And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster cruse of ointment of spikenard very costly; and she brake the cruse, and poured it over his head ... Jesus said ... Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her. (Mark 14:3,6,9)
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What lesson does the Lord want us to learn from this example, so important that it would end up in 3 of the Gospels. Watchmen Nee stated in “The Normal Christian Life”

"But there were some that had indignation among themselves, saying, To what purpose hath this waste of the ointment been made? For this ointment might have been sold for above three hundred pence and given to the poor. And they murmured against her" (Mark 14:4,5). These words bring us to what I believe the Lord would have us consider finally together, namely, that which is signified by the little word "waste".

What is waste? Waste means, among other things, giving more than is necessary. If a shilling will do and you give a point, it is a waste. If two ounces will do and you give a kilogram, it is a waste. If three days will suffice to finish a task well enough and you lavish five days or a week on it, it is a waste. Waste means that you give something too much for something too little. If someone is receiving more than he is considered to be worth, then that is waste.

But remember, we are dealing here with something which the Lord said had to go out with the Gospel, wherever that Gospel should be carried. Why? Because He intends that the preaching of the Gospel should issue in something along the very lines of the action of Mary here, namely, that people should come to Him and waste themselves on Him. This is the result that He is seeking."

I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day. I Timothy 1:3 NAS
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To have a clear conscience is of great benefit to our spiritual walk. Watchman Nee stated in The Spiritual Man… “ This is the secret of Paul’s life. The conscience he refers to is not that of an unregenerated person but of a Holy Spirit-filled conscience. Bold in approaching God and perfect in his communion with Him, the Apostle’s regenerated conscience give him no reproach. He does everything according to it. Never does he do anything that his conscience objects to, nor does he ever permit one item to remain in his life which it condemns. He is therefore bold before God and man. We lose our confidence when our conscience is murky. The Apostle always took pains to have a clear conscience toward God and toward men (Acts 24:16), for if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and we receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what pleases Him( I John 3:21-22)”

For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me, but to do that which is good is not.."
– Romans 7:18 KJV
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No good is in our flesh. Watchmen Nee felt that many workers of the gospel were good at sharing about Christ’s blood covering our sins, past present and future; however they were not very good at sharing the full implication of the cross and denying our flesh. He stated in The Spiritual Man “ We are never asked in the Bible to be crucified for sin, that is true. It does exhort us, however, to take up the cross for denying self. The Lord Jesus instructs us many times to deny ourselves and take up the cross and follow Him. The explanation for this is that the Lord Jesus deals with our sins and with ourselves very differently. To wholly conquer sin the believer needs but a moment; to deny the self he needs and entire lifetime. Only on the cross did Jesus bear our sins, yet throughout His life the Lord denied Himself. The same must be true of us.”

”In the same way , count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:11
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”I have been coming to the realization that in the past I have tried to overcome sin in my own power. Thinking if I pray enough, fast enough, do this or that I could “beat” sin and the power of the devil. These methods did not work, because I was trying to do it through my own strength. Through doing a Bible study and reading Watchman Nee’s book “Sit, Walk, Stand” I have come to see that I will keep failing until I make Christ my only hope. Watchman Nee stated “Have you ever tried to save a drowning man? The trouble is that his fear prevents him trusting himself to you. When that is so, there are just two ways of going about it. Either you must knock him unconscious and then drag him to the shore, or else you must leave him to struggle and shout until his strength gives way before you go to his rescue. If you try to save him while he has any strength left, he will clutch at you in his terror and drag you under, and both he and you will be lost. God is waiting for your store of strength to be utterly exhausted before He can deliver you. Once you have ceased to struggle, He will do everything. God is waiting for you to despair ”

"21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.."– Matthew 7:21-23
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Watchmen Nee stated in his book “Spiritual Authority” that we can do things that appear like there for God but their really to make ourselves look good. That is the why God should be feared, He can judge the thoughts and intents of our heart(Hebrews 4:12). I have been thinking about how easy in America it is to do things that appear like there for Christ but they are not. God cares more about our heart and whether we submit to His authority and will. "Not our will but yours be done Lord Jesus."

"I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
– Revelation 3:15-16 KJV
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There is a grat article in World Net Daily dealing with the above verse and why the American Church needs revival. Why are Christians losing America? What are some things that we can do to bring and keep revival in our own lives? What can we do to keep our flesh crucified with Christ? Watchman Nee seemed to have a continual Revival in his life and a very personal walk with Christ. Watchmen Nee “realized that he had been crucified with Christ, that it was no longer he that lived, but Christ Who lived in him. He also realized that in order to experience the death of Christ in a subjective way, he needed to bear the cross. Although he had been crucified with Christ in fact, he also had to remain in Christ's crucifixion in his experience. He learned that to remain in Christ's crucifixion was to bear the cross by refusing to allow the old man or the flesh to leave the cross. He realized that in order for him to have such an experience, God must sovereignly arrange his environment, making it a practical cross for him to bear. This is exactly what God did throughout Watchman Nee's life.” see Watchman Nee “Revelation and Living”

"Remember how the Psalmist described children? He said that they were a heritage from the Lord, and that every man should be happy who had his quiver fill of them. And what is a quiver full of but arrows? And what are arrows for but to shoot? So with the strong arms of prayer draw the bowstring back and let the arrows fly---all of them, straight at the Enemy's hosts" Jim Elliot
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The above quote from Jim Elliot is taken from a letter he sent to his parents explaining why he was going on a missionary trip that would later cost him his life. I have been reading more about some of the heroes of the faith. They were men and women who loved the Lord with all their heart, body, mind, soul and strength. Men such as Jim Elliot, Wachmen Nee, Corrie Ten Boom, John Bunyan, and John Knox. I am praying that I could be more like that and less like the worldly American I have so become.

Mark 12:29-31

“29 Jesus replied, "The most important commandment is this: 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30 And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.' 31 The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

The Battle of Culloden, Scotland 1746
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The Battle of Culloden was a brutal slaughter of the Scottish Highlanders by the English Duke of Cumberland in 1746. After defeating the Scottish Bonnie Prince Charles, the English Duke slaughtered the wounded in a most brutal manner see Events after the battle . After the battle the English took away the right of the Scottish to have bagpipes, to wear their tartans, to own arms, to be able to ordain their own Pastors. Basically they tried to take away the entire Scottish identity. This brutal battle and its aftermath led many Scottish Highlanders to flee to what would soon become the United States. Some of these Scottish Highlanders settled in an area that looked like their homeland, Eastern Tennessee. 128 of these men of Scottish descent would turn the course of the Revolutionary war at the Battle of Kings Mountain, South Carolina, in 1780. They became known as the Over the Mountain Men. By 1780 the British controlled almost all the southern states. The Over the Mountain men joined about 870 of their fellow Patriots to fight 1000 British Loyalist at the Battle of Kings Mountain. These 128 Over the Mountain men took their 2 Scottish Fighting Pastors with them and it was reported that they could kill a turkey at 400 yards with their long rifles. This was a major reasons the Patriots won this battle, even though the British Loyalists had the high ground. An interesting side note is not one of the Over the Mountain men lost his life in this battle while about 228 British Loyalists lost their lives. The British General Clinton felt this was the turning point of the Revolutionary war.

There is some spiritual significance that can be gained from these two battles. First off the Scottish people lost all their identity and the things that helped make them Scottish. We need to lose all of our worldly identity and be crucified with Christ. I personally have been going through my own personal battle of Culloden against sin in my life. Christ is showing me that I need to throw off the sin that so easily entangles me. I need Him and Him only as the center of my life. He needs to be my first thought when I wake up in the morning and the last thought when I lay my head down to sleep at night. Hopefully the Battle of Kings Mountain will take place soon in my life, where Jesus Christ is truly King over every area of my life, and a revival hits me my family and friends like the Patriotic victories that followed the Historic "Battle of Kings Mountain".

" Battles are sometimes won by generals; wars are nearly always won by sergeants and privates.” -F.E. Adcock
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The above quote made me think about why Jesus picked who He did to be His disciples. They seemed to fit the mold of some of the best "grunts" that ever faught for the United States Military, Smedley Butler, Audie Murphy, and Alvin C. York. Common men with uncommon courage and the heart of a servant. Is it better to desire to be an armchair General or a Grunt? "But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Matthew 23:11"

"“Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man.” -George S. Patton
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Patton was probably not a Chritian in the orthodox sense of the word. Even so, the way he fought physical battles in WWII is probably the way the church should fight spiritual battles; always on the offensive. I have been thinking about Patton’s quote about fortifications. It often feels safe inside the Church building/ fortification; however the real Church is out there in the fields. Our brothers and sisters in Christ in China meet in farm fields, peoples homes, wherever people gather. I have read of Pastors there who spend days walking sharing the Gospel from one community to another with no sleep or place to lay their heads. They have seen much revival by not getting comfortable in a big church building or erecting a monument to themselves.

"The BIBLE is the rock on which our Republic rests."
Andrew Jackson
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I have been pondering the recent abductions of all these American Kids. Why has this been hapening more. Could it be because of the Liberalistic Church's that have destoyed moral discipline and encouraged pernicious forms of sexual vice, drugs, and pornography. They have said the Bible is not really the word of God and not the ROCK on which our Republic was built. The Lord has been showing me that it is time to for me to clean up my own life, so that I can influence others for Him.

Matthew 5:16

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men”

"Moral courage is the most valuable and
usually the most absent characteristic in men."
George S. Patton
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We do not think it strange for a soldier to give up his life for his country, or for an Olympic athlete to exert himself incredibly in order to win a medal. The world esteems a business man like Bill Gates who gives it his all, to be successful. Is not Jesus Christ worthy of our all, more than any of these other causes.

"To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift."
Steve Prefontaine
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The Spiritual Battle We Face
We are in a Spiritual Battle far worse than any physical battle ever fought on the face of the earth and we need to prepare for it. There are many spiritual things we can learn from the best physical fighting force on the planet, the Navy Seals. When the seals face trouble they head for the water, when Christians face trouble we should head for the word of God. Seals work in small teams; Christians should never work alone and have a buddy/disciple. The Navy Seal only takes orders from the Commander in Chief (the President). Christians should take their orders from Jesus Christ and His Word. The Navy Seal is a humble warrior, sometimes the only person who knows the incredible things they do is the President. For some Christian's, the only person who will know what we do for God's Kingdom is Jesus Christ our Lord. This spiritual battle we face is listed in Ephesians 6:10-19.

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,”

Since I did not know any HTML code before starting this Blog last Friday, I am researching some other pages and getting tips. So posting may be light.

Ephesians 3:14-19
When I think of the wisdom and scope of God's plan, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you mighty inner strength through his Holy Spirit. And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God

The Power of Prayer

Mark 11:17
And He taught saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but you have made it a den of thieves.

I just got back from our Church and the Men's prayer meeting. God loves to hear from His children so much, that He answers our humble prayers in a mighty way. Our Church here in Tennessee, has not had a head pastor for about 7 months. We have a 69 year old retired pastor who is always at prayer meeting and now leads our Sunday Service. This past Sunday he spoke about the Samaritan women who had 5 husbands and was living with a man that was not her husband(John 4). She came to see Jesus as the true Messiah. It was a simple presentation of the Gospel, not with fancy words of wisdom. After he finished presenting the gospel, about 20 people gave their life to the Lord. Please pray that these new Christians would grow like the seed planted in the good soil and that God would continue to bless Pastor Shelton and our Church. May God bless you, your family and your local Church.