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Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
Pastor to Pastor

Living for Jesus

But you have to die first. And every day.

Columbanus (22)

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2.20

The Christian life requires that we die to ourselves, to all our old ways of thinking, living, relating to others, hoping, desiring, working, relaxing, and all the rest. We are to be crucified with Christ, Who, in His crucifixion, carried our sins away. When we are thus crucified with Him, we die to our sinfulness and sinful ways as well.

Alas, for since we continue as sinners after being forgiven and saved, we must learn to die daily. That is, every day we must listen as the Spirit searches us for any lingering presence or practice of our old lives (Ps. 139.23, 24), and we must put away all such things so that we may discipline ourselves, soul and body to live for Jesus (Eph. 4.17-24).

Columbanus, that great Irish missionary and scholar, was clear about this in Sermon X of his series for those who were coming to join his community: “Thus let us live to Him Who while He dies for us is life; and let us die to ourselves that we may live to Christ; for we cannot live to Him unless first we die to ourselves, that is, to our wills. Let us be Christ’s and not our own; for we are not our own, for we are bought at a great price, and truly a great one, when the Lord is given for a slave, a King for a servant, and God for man.”

Living to Christ means that we live for His Kingdom, by His Word, in His Spirit, for His glory, and within His walk (1 Jn. 2.1-6). We seek the lost as He did (Lk. 19.10). We lay down our lives for the sheep (Jn. 10.15). We deny ourselves and take up the form of a servant to meet the needs of His flock (Phil. 2.5-11). We devote ourselves to building His Church (Matt. 16.18). We seek only the Father’s glory (Ps. 115.1), and none of our own. We proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom and pray daily, “Nevertheless, not my will, but Yours, O God, be done.”

It seems that many believers hold the view that Jesus lives so that He might live for us, to meet our every need and calm all our doubts and fears. Of course, this is true, but not as an end in itself. He lives for us so that, dying to our old ways and notions, we might live for Him, looking to Him by faith, drawing daily on His mercy and grace, and seeking His Kingdom and righteousness in all we do, “for we are not our own, for we are bought at a great price, and truly a great one, when the Lord is given for a slave, a King for a servant, and God for man.”

Resources for Shepherds
What does it mean to live for Jesus? Paul put it in terms of pressing on the know Him, fixing our gaze on Him, learning Him, and being transformed into His image. Our book, To Know Him, is a homily in verse from Philippians 3.7-11, and it details more of what is involved in living for Jesus. Learn more about this book and order your free copy by clicking here.

Men, why should you join us to pray for revival? Because revival is the great need of our churches today. Why this is so and what it means to be revived are the subject matter of our book, Revived? Learn more and order a free copy of this book by clicking here. Then, plan to join us each Tuesday morning at 10:00 Eastern for 30 minutes of seeking the Lord for revival. We pray with men from around the country and other countries as well, using a psalm to guide us and joining our voices to seek the Lord for revival. Just write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and I’ll add you to the Zoom mailing list.

Men, our course, “Shepherding God’s Flock,” offers a detailed look at what Jesus taught about the work of shepherding. It’s an ideal refresher for every shepherd and can be an excellent training tool for elders and other church leaders. Watch this brief videoto find our more. Then, if you wish to enroll, first register with The Ailbe Seminary (top right of home page) and then enroll in the course. If you’d like a Reader to work with you through it, just let us know. We’ll be in touch as soon as you have enrolled to see how we can help you get this most out of this free study experience.

From the Celtic Revival
Our present Crosfigell series (Tuesdays and Thursdays) is considering a remarkable Christian worldview statement by an anonymous 7th-century Celtic scholar. Here’s an excerpt from a recent installment:

Therefore He is good without qualification, great without measure, eternal without [limit of] time, pre-eminent without position. Since He has no [fixed] place, He is imparted to all His creatures and embraces all His creation. No creature holds Him, no intelligence comprehends Him.

  - The Book of the Order of Creatures I.2[1]

And yet, we know Him! He holds us in His hands! He is with us always, and He has seated us with Him in heavenly places! What a good and great God and Savior we serve!

Subscribe to Crosfigell today (click here to update your subscriptions, be sure you click each one you want, including Pastor to Pastor) and follow us through our study of this remarkable document.

Check out our Celtic Legacy podcast and the other resources available on our dedicated Celtic Revival home page.

You can also download a free copy in PDF of our book, The Celtic Revival: A Brief Introduction, by clicking here.

T. M. Moore.

Considering Membership in The Fellowship of Ailbe

We pray that God will bring to our Fellowship men who are committed to realizing more of the presence, promise, and power of His Kingdom. If you’d like to learn more about becoming a Brother in The Fellowship of Ailbe,
click here to watch a brief video. If you’d like to talk about Membership, write to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and I’ll send you some additional information.

Please pray that God will move many of those we serve through this ministry to share with us financially in its support. If the Lord moves you to give, you can use the
Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal or Anedot, or you can send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 103 Reynolds Lane, West Grove, PA 19390.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

 

[1] Davies, p. 1

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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