Monthly Message
May, 2025
In our ministry of reconciliation and encouragement, we endeavour to convey to you that God the Father has a special place in his heart for you. In this personal relationship with you, he desires to teach you his ways and his will and purpose. The focus of our ministry is to instruct that Jesus Christ is your teacher through the power of the Holy Spirit and what he writes upon your heart will bear witness to the prophecy of scripture. To still the madness of the despairing voices in the world is not an easy task, but can be achieved by keeping our hearts and minds stayed upon the Lord. When you and you alone, know that God teaches you and causes you to humbly walk in obedience to his voice, it brings great contentment to your heart. The obedience of faith goes against the grain of this world’s desires and if it wasn’t for the faithfulness of Jesus to his Word none of us would be able to stand. Not only will Jesus teach you the will of God, he will sustain you, encourage you, sanctify you and bring you into glory. He is the true and just one and justifies those that come to him through faith.
May 2025 Message
Jesus is the Light of Life who came from heaven to reveal the true character of Godand save sinners and destroy the work of the devil.
Genesis 1: 1-41 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light, 4 God saw the light was good and separated the light from the darkness.
2 Corinthians 4: 1-61 Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
Dear friends,
Through these commanding texts we understand that true gospel preaching is centred wholly and centrally on Jesus Christ as Lord. Jesus is and must be the reason for all preaching and intention, to bring the truth of the purpose of creation and the destiny of mankind. If doubt is cast over the truth or purpose of Jesus Christ as Sovereign Lord, a veil is cast over the minds of those that are perishing by the god of darkness of this world. God our heavenly Father is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth and believe. Many are perishing because the god of this world and this age blinds the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God. God has chosen the foolishness of preaching the gospel of Christ to confound the wisdom of the wise.
I Corinthians 1: 18-2518 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” 20 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
Even though the gospel is preached and some men believe and allow the word of Christ to gain strength in their lives, they are then taken captive again by the lies and deceptive temptations of the evil one.
How can this be when we know that Christ is the power of God unto salvation?
Jesus has taken captivity captive.
The gospel of Mark 4: 14-20 explains that there is still an active enemy who opposed the lordship of Jesus Christ and his Sonship authority. This enemy is our enemy too, and he opposes everything that is godly and frustrates the establishment of the truth in the hearts of men. If he opposed the Master, he will oppose the servant also. Why does he so vehemently deceive, lie and fight against the truth? Because once a believer has accepted that they are reconciled to God through the cross of Christ and trusts the Word and the Spirit to conform them to the image of the Son of God, his power to deceive is broken.
Mark 4: 14-2014 The farmer sows the word. 15 Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. 16 Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. 17 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. 20 Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times what was sown.”
In this parable the correlation to the seed and the Word is undeniable.
What is the Word? What is the seed?The Word is Jesus Christ! The seed is Christ Jesus!
If we depart from Jesus Christ as the living Word, we depart from the living gospel and we allow the veil of darkness to cast a shadow over our hearts and minds.
To depart from our first love is to depart from the love of the truth.
To regain the experience of this first love for Jesus we have to retreat again to the cross where we first saw the light and repent and confess our blindness and then truly put our trust in the living Word.
God the Father is seeking those that will worship him in spirit and in truth and put no trust in the flesh.
To live in the flesh is not a sin, but to live after the flesh is death.
We were called into spiritual glory while we were deep in the sins of mortal flesh. To live in the body of flesh is not sin, it is God’s plan for us (first in the natural then in the spiritual) because this is where we are taught of God to deny the temptations of the evil one and fully trust the leading of the Holy Spirit. Though living in sinful flesh, we can overcome its demands through Christ who strengthens us. Through the grace given us by faith in Christ, we can live a life of love while in our mortal bodies. Eternal power is given to overcome temporal power.
It is possible to forsake every other power and authority and give all the power, strength and glory to the one true living God. It is by grace we are saved; it is a gift of God least any man should boast. His grace is sufficient for us. When we come to the end of ourselves, the power of God makes up for our limitations.
As we said before “it is not a sin to live in the flesh but it is a sin to live after the flesh”.- Through the grace of God, we overcome the enemy by faith.- By the grace of God, we are born anew.- By the grace of God, the morning star arises in our hearts- By the grace of God, we are new creations in Christ Jesus.- By the grace of God, our names will not be blotted out of the book of life.- By the grace of God, we will eat from the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God.- By the grace of God, we perform acts of God that glorify our Father who is in heaven.
Going back to our opening texts of Genesis 1: 1-4 and 2 Corinthians 4: 1-6. We understand that the Godhead out of nothing created and then divided the light from the darkness. It was by his Word he created the natural universe.
Since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. They forgot God and went their own way and their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. God the Father sent them judges, holy men and prophets, but they still rebelled against the truth. They persecuted and killed the holy ones, and built white washed tombs to the prophets that they killed. God gave them a law that was to lead them to Christ, but the enemy distorted the interpretation of the law. Now the law which was holy and good was intended to be an instrument and an instruction for life, only brought death and condemnation.
To atone for breaking the law, thousands upon thousands of animals were offered up in sacrifice to atone for the sins of men. These ritualistic sacrifices could not cleanse the heart and the consciousness of guilt remained. Associated with these blood sacrifices were ritualistic washings and protocols that added more burdens to the people. Feasts and laws were added to remind people to come to worship and give honour to God. As the scripture says “without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin”. Yet after many washings, many animal sacrifices, many rituals, men were still not free.
So in the fullness of time, God the Father sent his only begotten Son into the world to bring the truth of his presence and character to a fallen creation. There is only one Christ – there is only one Son – there is only one Lord – there is only one Saviour – there is only one Redeemer. Jesus is uniquely the only begotten Son of God. There is no need for another, Jesus fulfils every need concerning the knowledge of God. This presence and character of God in a bodily form was the Lord Jesus Christ. The rulers of the world so entrenched in self-pride and self-righteousness and trusting in their own superiority who were blinded in their own conceit and envy, judged and crucified the Lord of glory – the Lord of light.
They proclaimed “we have a law and by this law he must die”.Is this the spirit in the world today?Is this the spirit in your heart today?Is your dedication to the law stronger than your love and faith for Jesus?
Mercy always overrides judgement.
The Lord of glory vicariously bore the penalty for all the sins of men, but God in his mercy to us and to them, raised Jesus the Christ out from among the dead and made him Lord of both the living and the dead. Now through faith in his atoning work we are made free men.
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Galatians 5: 1.
The law of the Old Covenant no longer holds the power of life and death over men.
The law cannot give you life and the law cannot condemn you.
God the Father has instituted a new covenant ratified in the blood of Jesus, heralding a new priesthood with better promises and a new law of forgiveness and mercy along with a new way of worship out of a grateful heart.
The new law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus was given to set us free from the law of sin and death. If any man be in Christ he is a new creation, the former things have passed away and behold all things are made new again.
This does not make us less responsible as fleshly creatures; in fact, it raises the bar.
The righteousness of the law is fulfilled by faith in Christ. We can now come to the throne of grace with confidence, we can now receive mercy and find grace to help when we break the law of love. We can ask forgiveness and it will be granted when we confess our failure to love and we will be granted mercy.
2 Corinthians chapter four, tells us that the creative power and Godhead of the light that created in Genesis 1, now had an image and a face. The invisible God who had been hidden behind clouds of darkness and blinding light which no man could approach and live, was now revealed in the face of Jesus Christ. This same Jesus was the same Jesus that created the natural world. What was being revealed was a new and living way to come to God in worship. The character of the Creator God was fully revealed in Christ the Redeemer. We can now come to the living God and not die, but come to a holy and awesome God through Jesus and live.
The Lord Jesus Christ was revealed as the perfect divine image and those that chose to follow him would not walk in darkness, but would walk in the light of life. They would receive the crown of life – this crown is the gift of eternal life. The fear of death would be overcome by the gift of eternal life and this life is in the Son. This is the gospel that must be preached in full purity not a mixture of scholarly wisdom, or the philosophers wisdom and not the wisdom of the intelligentsia. Now through the wisdom of humility in accepting the truth of Jesus Christ we begin the journey of transformation. We are changed from glory unto glory even by the Spirit of the Lord. We are now pilgrims that walk through the straight gate and walk the narrow path that leads to life. We are not alone – we walk with an unseen Master who is more real than any pope, bishop, pastor, elder or any other leader of the blind. “I will never leave you nor forsake you” says the Lord.
The apostle Paul who said “I am the least of the apostles”, also said “I am the least of all the saints” and proclaimed he came “in fear and weakness with much trembling” to the Corinthians and preached nothing but Christ crucified, the power of God, so that the Corinthians would not live by men’s wisdom, but live by the power of God. Herein lies the mark of a man sent by God.
When the gospel of Christ crucified (the power of God) is replaced by other things and mixed with rules and regulations, the power of the Spirit of God to transform believers into sons of God is nullified.
The praises of men and the crooked institutions of this world cannot transform the heart. Only the Son of God’s death and resurrection when believed on in the heart has the power to transform from darkness to light. Men in their wisdom both secular and religious use natural methods to make the outer of the cup clean, but a ravenous wolf remains lurking inside. The nature of the wolf covets the power and the glory that belongs to Christ. This wolf in sheep’s clothing builds a corrupt false kingdom where the dictates of Satan through the hearts of deceived men build institutions of control. These institutions may have longevity but they are not eternal. From these false conceptions comes a slippery slope that always leads to superiority and disunity. Christ is the only one who can reconcile us to God and bring us into the unity of the Spirit. Every so-called Christian denomination has a history of splits, division and disunity.
The kingdom of God has never had a division because the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, Jesus was the Christ and the Holy Spirit manifests the Spirit of Christ in the hearts of men.
The only claim a true believer has to righteousness is the righteousness of Christ through faith. Though the believer is in the flesh, he does not war after the flesh. The true believer knows the battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers and wickedness in high places. He must learn from Jesus how to let the light of Christ shine into the darkness and overcome it. We are not called to save the world; we are called to save blinded people out from the world. We will never achieve this by judging them. We must speak the truth in love and tell them of the glory of Jesus Christ and his eternal kingdom. He that has ears will hear. We must go into the world and preach the gospel of Christ and the kingdom of God.
What was the “world” in Jesus’ day? It was the world of deceived religious leaders who allowed envy and jealousy to hold the people back from embracing the kingdom of God. Jesus’ dying words were “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”. God in his mercy and grace sent the disciples back to the same people who had crucified Jesus, to proclaim what they had done to the Prince of Life, the Lord of Glory. Not every Pharisee, not every religious leader held to their rigid unholy beliefs; some repented and turned to Christ. Therefore, we must pray for all men no matter how we perceive them so that the Holy Spirit can have free course to open the most hardened heart.
\No matter what your stronghold is, are you willing to lay it down so that the King of glory may flood your soul with his goodness and truth?
The first principles of Christ are repentance from dead works and faith toward God. Hebrews 6: 1.
What are dead works? Dead works are works born of the flesh that are peddled through “will worship” and human endeavour. They are works that always appear in the seen realm and have an appearance of godliness, but deny the power of God. These dead works are upheld by the demon of mammon, empirical authority, superiority, force and not by the Spirit of Christ and will eventually fall. Like all kingdoms of this world they rise, fall and disintegrate. Tragically this trap and snare has been offered and accepted as the way of Christ since Calvary. Jesus was offered all the kingdoms of this world and their glory in a moment of time, but chose the lowly path of the cross to become the door to God’s kingdom. God promises those that humble themselves and take the path of the cross will enter through this door and be exalted in due time. This new creation adores and worships God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and him only.
What is faith toward God? Faith toward God is trusting in what God says is true and holy. Faith in Christ Jesus is the only way of righteousness and his atoning sacrifice is enough to cleanse your heart and conscience from sin and self-pride.
Now we come to the power of God. What is the power of God? Is it miraculous signs? Is it the wisdom of the world?
No, the power of God is to walk in the light as Jesus walked in the light and to let his humble gentle power transform the human heart. This is the Spirit of Christ at work. Though your sins as scarlet be you shall be white as snow.
Only the Holy Spirit can manifest the humility and meekness of the Spirit of Christ in a sinner’s breast.
Romans 8: 8-9Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
The kingdom we enter by the new birth, is a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy. A kingdom where Jesus Christ is Lord and every other ruler is a usurper. Jesus fills us with his Holy Spirit who teaches us the way of life and in our humility we give all praise to him.
To love the world and its power through mammon and to use its principles, is not the love of the Father.
The true believer puts no trust in the arm of the flesh. The true believer lays down the temporal life and loses it, then by the grace of God he finds eternal life.
What a gift of God that enables a repentant sinner to bring forth the life of Christ!
The true believer loves all men as his neighbour and fulfils his obligations unto God not by compulsion, but by duty in love.
The goal of our faith is love out of a pure heart, even to love our enemies.
The true believer endures hardship to allow the truth of the gospel to be proclaimed.
This kingdom cannot be observed or seen – this kingdom of Christ is revealed by the Holy Spirit. This kingdom is not over there – it is not over here.This kingdom is within you and it grows in conjunction with the salvation of your soul. It is the kingdom of peace. It is not a kingdom of works to gain salvation or fame – it is a kingdom of good works that God foreordained we should walk in.The belief of the truth that is in Jesus, are the works of God.The kingdom of God is truth in the inward parts, without hypocrisy or fear.
The true believer – casts down imaginations and everything that exalts itself above the knowledge of God – and brings every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.
May the God of the living and the dead be praised.
Let us in full assurance of faith repent of our blindness and seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, then ask for wisdom, then knock and it will be opened unto us. God said “if you seek me I will be found of you”.
The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God is not a message built upon the fantasies and illusions of naturally minded men. It is far greater than that, it surpasses all natural wisdom and through the power of Christ and the obedience of faith and the hope of eternal life, the evidence of the invisible God becomes the reality to the seeking soul.
May God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ bless you and lead you in the paths of righteousness for his own name’s sake.
Bill and Sue
(Servants and friends of Christ and his body, the new Jerusalem that comes out of heaven from God).
If you would like to make a reply or contact us, please email: info@churchbuiltoflivingstones.com
We have written this because Jesus taught us this way. In the past the teachings of men with other motives and intentions other than to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, who were steeped in denominational dead works robbed us of the life of Christ and burdened us with elemental rules and regulations. What Christ had freed us from we once again became entangled in the yoke of bondage. We praise God that for freedom Christ set us free.
This is not a freedom to do as we will,
but it is a freedom to serve Christ without breaking the royal law of love.
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