PASTOR DARRYL BAKER

Philippians 3:8-9
8 And more so, I now realize that all I gained and thought was important was nothing but yesterday’s garbage compared to knowing the Anointed Jesus my Lord. For Him I have thrown everything aside, it’s nothing but a pile of waste, so that I may gain Him.
9 When it counts, I want to be found belonging to Him, not clinging to my own righteousness based on law, but actively relying on the faithfulness of the Anointed One. This is true righteousness, supplied by God, acquired by faith.

In verse 9 the phrase “be found belonging to Him” means to have an intimate relationship with Jesus, to be one with Him. When we put our faith in Jesus, we should no longer strive to obtain things, or human status, we have obtained all we need in Christ Jesus our Lord. Our sole worth in life should now only be found in Him and nothing else, and like the apostle Paul, we should count all things as loss and focus on knowing Jesus. Paul knew something about pursuing the wrong things in life.

From an early age Paul thought what he was pursuing in life was the right thing. Raised in a culture where knowing and keeping what had become a man-made religion, as the Jews had added many of their own laws to what God had given them, this was considered a life to be envied. It was a deceiving way to live life thinking if you could live up to the standards that man had made, you could become righteous and know God. Paul upon meeting Jesus on the Damascus Road found out that he had placed his value in life on the wrong thing.

Many believers still do so today. They may value their possessions, money, or their status in life as something to chase after. Paul found out all such things including man-made religion were as rubbish compared to knowing Jesus, for they cannot give you what really matters in life, being found in Him. It comes from faith in Christ, and a daily pursuit of knowing Jesus. All other things will simply leave you empty. But knowing Him personally and pursuing Him will fill your life to the full, to overflowing.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Hebrews 13:17
Obey your spiritual leaders and submit to them [continually recognizing their authority over you], for they are constantly keeping watch over your souls and guarding your spiritual welfare, as men who will have to render an account [of their trust]. [Do your part to] let them do this with gladness and not with sighing and groaning, for that would not be profitable to you [either].

One of the most important things in your walk with God is biblical submission to godly leadership. When we choose to submit to spiritual leadership in our life, it becomes profitable to us. Not doing so means we will not fully experience all that God desires to bless us with (that would not be profitable to you). The first key thing in doing so is to know that we are connected with a godly leader He has provided for us.

The way we know we have the right spiritual leader comes from the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our spirit man we have found that leader. We must not make this choice based on our mind or our flesh. We must know in our hearts (our spirit man) this is the right person. You will have this witness when you first hear them preach. Jesus said in John 10:4 you will know their voice. When you connect with the right leader you will also have the witness of the scriptures that they teach sound doctrine, not their own opinion. They don’t tickle your ears; they speak the Truth.

Once you have found that leader you must realize you are not submitting to that person, but the gift Jesus gave them to teach you the Word of God. To submit to that gift means when you are taught the Word, you become a doer of that Word, and James says you will be blessed. In submitting to the gift of that spiritual leader, you are submitting to Jesus. Choosing to not do what you are taught will only hurt your life, for you are rejecting the Lord Himself who is that Word of God (John 1:14), and that would not be profitable for you.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

By Jesus becoming sin for us we have become the righteousness of God, we now have right standing with Him. This right standing is what gives you the right to all that Jesus Christ has purchased for you. Many times I have asked people when sharing the Word of God to raise their hand if they were working on becoming right with God. Hands always go up when you ask this question.

I would then tell them they are trying to do something that is impossible, for if you could make yourself right with God, you would not have needed Jesus to come and give you His righteousness. This is what hinders many people from receiving what God has for them because they don’t think they are right with God. But if you are born again, you are as right with God as Jesus Himself.

He became sin so that we could become righteous. He became what we were, so that we could become what He is, children of the Most High God. Once born again, we are as right with God as we will ever be, for our spirit man has been made new. You do not earn or prove to God by your own actions that you deserve what God has promised is yours through Christ, you receive it by faith because of your right standing with God which He has already given to you.

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Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

2 Corinthians 1:20
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.

Everything we have been promised through Jesus Christ is available to us. Many people today think God only heals or blesses certain people as if He shows favoritism toward some, but that is not what scripture reveals. In Acts 10:34 the bible reveals that He does not show special favor to anyone. If you have ever had questions concerning any of God’s promises, wondering if they are available for you, the answer is yes.

Every promise we have in Christ is available. We must give our “Amen” to receive it. The word amen means, so be it unto me. This is a statement of faith. You see, God is no respecter of persons, but He is a respecter of faith. To walk by faith you have to see the promises of God as a present day reality, for faith is present tense. Hebrews 11:1 declares, “Now faith is…”. You have to act upon the evidence of God’s promise, His Word. God’s Word is the evidence you base your faith on.

Many believers are not walking in bible faith. Many put what they say they are believing God for off into the future. For example, when someone says they are believing for God to heal them that is future tense, and that is not faith. The bible says you were healed. When you give your amen to what God has promised, you see it as already done, for God Himself calls those things which do not exist in the natural as though they did. Go to God’s Word and meditate on His promises until they become real to you. Once they do, you can give your amen to His promises and receive what He has already provided for you.

http://www.cffchurch.com
http://www.pastorbaker.blog
Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

When man sinned in the garden his relationship with the Father was broken. He could not have intimate fellowship with God because of the sin nature that was now separating him from the Father. But that is why Jesus hung on a cross and bore our sin, and the punishment our sin deserved. In doing so He provided the way for that old sin nature to be removed, and for us to receive a new spirit within so God the Father and man could once again be restored to have intimate fellowship.

Jesus tells us in John 17:3 that eternal life is to know the Father, not just know about Him, but to know Him intimately. That was the primary reason Jesus came. Eternal life does not mean to exist forever, for all will do so, but those who know Christ will not face separation from the Father. Once we have been born again we have received eternal life, the opportunity to know Him intimately. We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven nor should we, for He wants us to get to know Him now.

James tells us when we draw near to Him, He draws near to us. We can do so through His Word, through prayer, and by coming to His house and worshipping Him, being equipped to go out and work together with Him. So don’t put off getting to know your heavenly Father. Take the time to draw near to Him every day. You will find that your life will be so much better if you do. Your heavenly Father awaits. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you.

http://www.cffchurch.com
http://www.pastorbaker.blog
Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The very existence of our life is found in Jesus Christ. Because of Him we have life. Jesus is the Word that became flesh; therefore, He and the Word are one. To truly live we must allow His Word to do its work in us. In these verses we are told that through scripture we may be throughly equipped for every good work (what God has planned for us).

These four things revealed in 2 Timothy are how we through the complete working of God’s Word experience what He has planned for us. We must continually receive sound doctrinal teaching from the Word of God. False doctrine is the result of man’s opinion, taking scripture out of context. So, make sure you are receiving sound doctrine. As we are taught the Word of God reproof will come, which means a revealing of areas in our life where change is needed. This reproof will reveal where we are not thinking in line with our new nature.

Correction will follow which is God revealing to us how to correct our thinking to line up with who we now are in Christ. As we correct our thinking, we are instructed in righteousness, revealing our new nature, and how to live the life we have been chosen to live, which brings us into a deeper relationship with Him. Letting the Word do its work in your life is how you become complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

http://www.cffchurch.com
http://www.pastorbaker.blog
Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Philemon 1:6
…that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.

Once you are born again you have within you all that is good, because you have the very presence of God Himself residing in your spirit. To become effective in sharing your faith, acknowledge how good your God is. Don’t magnify the devil by focusing on and talking about what you may be facing in the natural, magnify the goodness of God within you by acknowledging all you have in Christ Jesus, and what He has done for you.

This is what walking by faith and not by sight is all about. When you walk by faith you do not look at what is seen or revealed to the senses, but instead at the things which are not seen (what is not yet revealed in the natural realm) but found in the promises of God’s Word. We do not deny the natural realm; we just don’t magnify and focus our attention on it by talking about and confessing the problems.

Instead focus on the goodness of God by looking to God’s Word and magnifying and confessing the Word of God over your life. Faith is unmoved by what it sees, unaffected by what it feels, for it is only focused on what God has said. That is true faith, and that is how you will change your circumstances and share your faith with others as you acknowledge every good thing you have in Christ Jesus.

http://www.cffchurch.com
http://www.pastorbaker.blog
Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Colossians 2:6-7
6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

Want to know how to abound in faith, seeing your faith in God becoming stronger? The apostle Paul tells how in the above verse. He refers to two things here that will make our faith (our trust in God) abound. The first key is to be rooted and built up in your relationship with Jesus. Make getting to know Jesus a priority in your life. This is what reading the Word and developing a prayer life is all about. The better you get to know Him, the stronger your faith (your trust) in Him becomes.

The second key is to live a life of thanksgiving, being grateful for who God is and for what He has done for you through the sacrifice of His Son. When we give thanks to God we magnify Him. In Romans 4:20 it says Abraham’s faith grew strong as he gave glory to God. Giving glory to God means to magnify and exalt God. Psalm 69:30 says we magnify God with thanksgiving.

For example, the children of Israel who came out of Egypt continually complained about their circumstances on the way to the promise land God had awaiting them. They never entered into that promise. They were lacking in their trust with God. This was the result of focusing on themselves and not God. So, make your relationship with Him a daily priority, and stop focusing on you and start thanking God everyday as scripture says for His goodness, and your faith can abound.

http://www.cffchurch.com
http://www.pastorbaker.blog
Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Acts 27:10-11, 21
10 “Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss…”
11 Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.
21 Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.

In Acts 27 a centurion was taking the apostle Paul to appeal his case before Caesar. After having now been placed on a second ship on their journey, they came to a harbor near Lasea. Paul warns them they should proceed no further for if they do as he stated in the above verse, it will end with disaster and much loss. Paul perceived this in his spirit by the Holy Spirit. But the helmsman persuaded the centurion to go on.

As they continue it first appears Paul may have been wrong as the first part of their trip goes well. But then a massive storm hits, and disaster has struck just as Paul had said. Paul tells them they should have listened to him and not incurred this disaster and loss. This still happens today. Spiritual leaders called by God to watch over their flocks who are doing as Paul told Timothy, teaching the whole counsel of God, try to warn their people of decisions in their life that will bring disaster and loss.

Sadly, just as in Paul’s situation, people listen to the voice of others instead of the Word of God they are being taught through gifted leaders. They listen to counsel from friends, family, or others who are not called by God to lead them. At first it seems they have made the right decision, but the end result is never good. Find the leadership God has called you to and heed the Word of God they teach you. Doing so can save you from much harm in your life down the road.

http://www.cffchurch.com
http://www.pastorbaker.blog
Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas

Acts 11:26b – And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

The first time the word Christian is used in scripture is here in Acts chapter 11. What exactly is a Christian then according to the Word of God? The definition here for the word “Christians” in the above verse is defined in the original language as one who follows after and adheres to the ways of Christ. Here in Acts 11 the disciples were called Christians because they were doing what Jesus had done.

What does it take to become a true Christian according to God’s Word? First of all, we need to recognize we have been bought with a price, and we are now to glorify God in our body and in our spirit because they are now His (1 Corinthians 6:20). In other words, stop living for the old you, and start living in line with the new creation you have become. A major key to doing this is focusing your life on getting to know the One you are to follow. Take time to have daily fellowship through the Word of God with Jesus.

Not only is it important to get to know the One we are to follow after, but we also need to renew our mind to this new creation that we have now become on the inside. As Romans 12:2 tell us, it is through this renewal of how we see ourselves that will cause an outward transformation to be a Christ follower. So, a true Christian is much more than just being born again, and it is the greatest way to live your life, walking in the footsteps of the One who gave us this new life to live, Jesus.

http://www.cffchurch.com
http://www.pastorbaker.blog
Christian Faith Fellowship – Ponder Texas