For the month of June, I read through the Bible, specifically the New Testament, on the topic of discipleship and making disciples. I knew we were commanded to make disciples (Matthew 28:19), but I will be honest and say I never knew how much the Bible talked about disciples and discipleship. For example, the entire Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7 is all about discipleship and what the lives of Jesus disciples must look like. All of the first letter of John is about discipleship, and it is written to help disciples feel assurance in their lives of their salvation in God, the disciple-maker. So today I wanted to share a few of the things I learned and was reminded of this past month from the Bible on the topic of discipleship.
True discipleship and disciples will face persecution and rejection from the world.
Discipleship is about taking the yoke of Jesus. A true disciple is one who is in union and partnership with the Savior and works right along beside Him.
Without the Holy Spirit and His work in the life of the person, discipleship does not take place. The Spirit of God is the key to the whole thing. He makes the disciples heart alive and then works in them from that moment on.
True discipleship requires death to self. As Bonhoeffer says, "When Christ calls a man, he bids him, come and die". This means that they renounce all for Christ.
Death to self also means that the true disciple has made a radical change. The old is gone and the new has come. Discipleship is a radically different and new life in union with Christ.
A true disciple holds to the Words of Life. Discipleship is about the Bible, both using it and holding to it for life. The true disciple comes under the Bible and gives the Bible the highest place possible in their life.
A true disciple will always remain on the vine. When one becomes a disciple of Jesus, the not only are grafted to the vine, but they become one with Christ, so that everywhere they go, Christ goes with them.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Sin and the Believer
Romans 8:1
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus".
My last few posts have been written on the topic of sin. During these posts I have answered a few questions that have been asked about sin and in greater detail sin and the believer. One of the questions that I was asked was about the believers sin and God dealing with their sin in a different way. Today I want to expand upon the answer to that question in an entire post.
We are all sinners. As I said a few posts ago, all humans are born into a sinful world, with a sin nature, that desires to sin and self-gratify, ala bent in on one's self. When we surrender ourselves to God and call Him, Lord, we still have this sin nature, or as Paul calls it the flesh, but we also now, as believers, have the Holy Spirit inside us (God Himself) and have the ability to now do good, please God, and kill sin in the body. But the tough reality is, even as believers we still sin and as Paul says it, "we still do what we do not want to do" (Romans 7;15). So the question is, yes we now have Jesus as Lord of our life, but we still sin and in fact sin a lot, so what happens when we sin. There are 2 things we must consider when we ask this question.
First, when a believer in Jesus, someone who is in union with Christ, sins, their legal standing before God goes unchanged. I spoke much on this in my post last Thursday. This simply means, as the verse above states, once we are in union with Christ, the judgement or condemnation for that sin is already paid for by Jesus Himself on the Cross. Or so say it in more theological terms, once we are justified (declared righteous) becasue our sin payment was paid for, we can never be unjustified again. The Bible is very clear that once a person is justified they will always be justified (i.e. Romans 8:30). The Bible also teaches very clearly that once we are a child of God, we can never lose our status as a child of God. Once we are adopted into the family of God, becasue we are unified with Jesus, we can never lose that status or adoption. So the first thing to be clarified is that when a believer sins, this does not change their eternal fate, remove their salvation, or place them once more under God's wrath. Once saved, always saved. Once justified, always justified. Once adopted, always adopted. And this means that we, as a believer, will never again face the wrath or judgement of God.
Second, this truth about no longer facing the judgement of God, does not mean that sin in the life of a believer has no impact. When a believer sins, the fellowship with God is disrupted and the life of the believer is damaged. Ephesians 4:30 talks about grieving the Spirit of God in us. Hebrews 12 is a notice from God, that He disciplines those whom He loves and calls children. So sin in the life of a believer has serious consequences. We are told numerous places, very explicitly in 1 Peter 2:11, to wage war against sin in our bodies. So even though the sin a believer commits will not place them under the condemnation of God, they still must take sin serious becasue it damages the glory of God and damages the life of the believer. This is why repentance is so vital and the first fruit of a Christian. A believer not only repents of their previous life at the moment of their conversion, but they then must repent daily and even hourly as they see and recognize sin in their body. Repentance then brings us back into fellowship with God and heals the damage done in life. So when a believer sins, they must repent, if they are truly a believer to begin with. Repentance shows faith and once more gives God the glory He demands and deserves and brings the sin disruption of fellowship, back into right fellowship again.
That is what sin in the life of a believer is like; not condemnation, but a life of repentance and a continuous pursuit and war to stay in a right fellowship with God.
"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus".
My last few posts have been written on the topic of sin. During these posts I have answered a few questions that have been asked about sin and in greater detail sin and the believer. One of the questions that I was asked was about the believers sin and God dealing with their sin in a different way. Today I want to expand upon the answer to that question in an entire post.
We are all sinners. As I said a few posts ago, all humans are born into a sinful world, with a sin nature, that desires to sin and self-gratify, ala bent in on one's self. When we surrender ourselves to God and call Him, Lord, we still have this sin nature, or as Paul calls it the flesh, but we also now, as believers, have the Holy Spirit inside us (God Himself) and have the ability to now do good, please God, and kill sin in the body. But the tough reality is, even as believers we still sin and as Paul says it, "we still do what we do not want to do" (Romans 7;15). So the question is, yes we now have Jesus as Lord of our life, but we still sin and in fact sin a lot, so what happens when we sin. There are 2 things we must consider when we ask this question.
First, when a believer in Jesus, someone who is in union with Christ, sins, their legal standing before God goes unchanged. I spoke much on this in my post last Thursday. This simply means, as the verse above states, once we are in union with Christ, the judgement or condemnation for that sin is already paid for by Jesus Himself on the Cross. Or so say it in more theological terms, once we are justified (declared righteous) becasue our sin payment was paid for, we can never be unjustified again. The Bible is very clear that once a person is justified they will always be justified (i.e. Romans 8:30). The Bible also teaches very clearly that once we are a child of God, we can never lose our status as a child of God. Once we are adopted into the family of God, becasue we are unified with Jesus, we can never lose that status or adoption. So the first thing to be clarified is that when a believer sins, this does not change their eternal fate, remove their salvation, or place them once more under God's wrath. Once saved, always saved. Once justified, always justified. Once adopted, always adopted. And this means that we, as a believer, will never again face the wrath or judgement of God.
Second, this truth about no longer facing the judgement of God, does not mean that sin in the life of a believer has no impact. When a believer sins, the fellowship with God is disrupted and the life of the believer is damaged. Ephesians 4:30 talks about grieving the Spirit of God in us. Hebrews 12 is a notice from God, that He disciplines those whom He loves and calls children. So sin in the life of a believer has serious consequences. We are told numerous places, very explicitly in 1 Peter 2:11, to wage war against sin in our bodies. So even though the sin a believer commits will not place them under the condemnation of God, they still must take sin serious becasue it damages the glory of God and damages the life of the believer. This is why repentance is so vital and the first fruit of a Christian. A believer not only repents of their previous life at the moment of their conversion, but they then must repent daily and even hourly as they see and recognize sin in their body. Repentance then brings us back into fellowship with God and heals the damage done in life. So when a believer sins, they must repent, if they are truly a believer to begin with. Repentance shows faith and once more gives God the glory He demands and deserves and brings the sin disruption of fellowship, back into right fellowship again.
That is what sin in the life of a believer is like; not condemnation, but a life of repentance and a continuous pursuit and war to stay in a right fellowship with God.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Radical Corruption
Romans 8:8
"Those in the flesh cannot please God".
Ephesians 2:1-2
You were dead through your trespasses and sins in which you once walked".
So my last few post have revolved around sin. This series of post sprang out off the thought that becasue of God's grace, human beings are not as sinful as they could be. I then answered some questions on sin and God's forgiveness and, yesterday, I wrote about the fact we are born in sin and are born in a state of condemnation and a lack of ability to chose God. Today I want to think through the theological truth of total depravity or as I have come to understand it clearer, radical corruption.
The truth or thought behind the idea of radical corruption states, "since we are born condemned and in a state of sin, this sin has made the whole human fallen or all of the human corrupt in their entire being". Simply put, this means that every single part of every single person has been impacted by sin and has made every single part of every single human fallen. That means our bodies have been impacted and have sin as part of them. This means our mind, our thinking, has sin impacting it. This also mean that our soul/spirit or the immaterial parts of our being have been totally impacted and effect by sin. Our desires, wants, affections, will, and core, have been corrupted by sin. Sin has reached our inner core and has encompassed all that we are. This is why Paul can say in Romans 3 (which I quoted yesterday), that no one can please God, no one seeks after God, and no one can do any good before God. Radical corruption teaches that the Bible is very clear in that sin and the death that sin has brought as totally encompassed the entire person and made every single part of them fallen.
But let me also be very clear here. This truth of radical corruption or total depravity, is not utter depravity. Utter depravity would mean that we are all as sinful as we possibly could be. We know by our own lives that this is not the case. No matter how much we have sinned, we all agree that we are able to think of worse sins that we could and can commit, but do not. Even some of the greatest sinners in the world could have been worse sinner, for example Hitler never murder his mother. So radical corruption then is not total or complete corruption in the sense that we could not be any worse.
And this truth, that we are not utter depravity is an example then of God's grace. We could be utter depraved. We could be completely corrupt. Each human being, and in fact every human being, could be as sinful as they possibly could be. But becasue of God's grace in the lives of all of those who do not seek Him, they are not as sinful as they could be. But the reality of the situation is, if God would remove that grace from their lives, they would be in more serious trouble than they already are. For example, think of Pharaoh from Exodus. As the story unfolds, Pharaoh's hard is hardened and it in the end leads to bad choices and loss and physical death. The story said the God hardened Pharaoh's heart. This is an example of God removing His grace from the life of Pharaoh, and all of a sudden, he becomes a lot more sinful and corrupt than he was before. This is a very clear example of the grace of God, even in the lives of those who reject and do not seek Him. And this truth should lead us to be more grateful for God's grace in the world, even His grace outside of salvation.
So why is the doctrine of radical corruption important for us to know, study, and think about? This doctrine first should produce gratitude in our lives as we, His children, come to realize that God made a way through this radical corruption and placed in us that desire for Him and the ability that follows, to want and have Him as our Lord and Savior. This doctrine should also produce hope in us. We should have hope becasue if God can make a way through our radical corruption, then there is nothing that can stand in His way. Hope in God means that God is sitting on the throne of our life.
And finally this doctrine should produce contagious joy in our lives. We should have joy that despite all we are, as corrupt beings in our self-seeking, God still desires a relationships with us and makes a way to have that relationship with us, where we can once more glorify Him.
"Those in the flesh cannot please God".
Ephesians 2:1-2
You were dead through your trespasses and sins in which you once walked".
So my last few post have revolved around sin. This series of post sprang out off the thought that becasue of God's grace, human beings are not as sinful as they could be. I then answered some questions on sin and God's forgiveness and, yesterday, I wrote about the fact we are born in sin and are born in a state of condemnation and a lack of ability to chose God. Today I want to think through the theological truth of total depravity or as I have come to understand it clearer, radical corruption.
The truth or thought behind the idea of radical corruption states, "since we are born condemned and in a state of sin, this sin has made the whole human fallen or all of the human corrupt in their entire being". Simply put, this means that every single part of every single person has been impacted by sin and has made every single part of every single human fallen. That means our bodies have been impacted and have sin as part of them. This means our mind, our thinking, has sin impacting it. This also mean that our soul/spirit or the immaterial parts of our being have been totally impacted and effect by sin. Our desires, wants, affections, will, and core, have been corrupted by sin. Sin has reached our inner core and has encompassed all that we are. This is why Paul can say in Romans 3 (which I quoted yesterday), that no one can please God, no one seeks after God, and no one can do any good before God. Radical corruption teaches that the Bible is very clear in that sin and the death that sin has brought as totally encompassed the entire person and made every single part of them fallen.
But let me also be very clear here. This truth of radical corruption or total depravity, is not utter depravity. Utter depravity would mean that we are all as sinful as we possibly could be. We know by our own lives that this is not the case. No matter how much we have sinned, we all agree that we are able to think of worse sins that we could and can commit, but do not. Even some of the greatest sinners in the world could have been worse sinner, for example Hitler never murder his mother. So radical corruption then is not total or complete corruption in the sense that we could not be any worse.
And this truth, that we are not utter depravity is an example then of God's grace. We could be utter depraved. We could be completely corrupt. Each human being, and in fact every human being, could be as sinful as they possibly could be. But becasue of God's grace in the lives of all of those who do not seek Him, they are not as sinful as they could be. But the reality of the situation is, if God would remove that grace from their lives, they would be in more serious trouble than they already are. For example, think of Pharaoh from Exodus. As the story unfolds, Pharaoh's hard is hardened and it in the end leads to bad choices and loss and physical death. The story said the God hardened Pharaoh's heart. This is an example of God removing His grace from the life of Pharaoh, and all of a sudden, he becomes a lot more sinful and corrupt than he was before. This is a very clear example of the grace of God, even in the lives of those who reject and do not seek Him. And this truth should lead us to be more grateful for God's grace in the world, even His grace outside of salvation.
So why is the doctrine of radical corruption important for us to know, study, and think about? This doctrine first should produce gratitude in our lives as we, His children, come to realize that God made a way through this radical corruption and placed in us that desire for Him and the ability that follows, to want and have Him as our Lord and Savior. This doctrine should also produce hope in us. We should have hope becasue if God can make a way through our radical corruption, then there is nothing that can stand in His way. Hope in God means that God is sitting on the throne of our life.
And finally this doctrine should produce contagious joy in our lives. We should have joy that despite all we are, as corrupt beings in our self-seeking, God still desires a relationships with us and makes a way to have that relationship with us, where we can once more glorify Him.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Inherited sin
Romans 5:18-19
"Then as one man's trespass (sin) led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous."
Last week I wrote a few posts on the topic of sin. Those post sprang out of the thought that becasue of God's grace in the lives of His creation, humans are most times not as sinful as they possibly could be. Those posts last week and the great questions that came out of them has led me to explore in more detail some of the doctrine of sin. Tomorrow I want to write through the truth of total depravity or radical corruption. Today I want to write through the truth of original sin or inherited sin.
Simple put, we are born in sin. Now this definitely means when we are physically born, we are born into a sinful world. But when the spiritual truth of being born into sin is stated, it is pointing to the Biblical truth that when someone is born physically, they are born with a sin nature or born under the guilt of sin. As the verse stated above shows, when every single human is born, they are born with the sin of Adam not only as part of their nature, but they are born into the state of being guilty of sin. Because of Adam''s sin, every single human after was born already condemned to eternal death and condemnation. This also points to the truth that every single human is also born with a sin nature and a bent to sin, thanks to Adam's original sin done in the Garden of Eden. David in Psalms 51 points to this reality, when he says that he was conceived or brought forth in sin or iniquity. David understood that from the every beginning of his life, he was a sinner who was not only condemned to sin but also was bent to sin. Not only does David record this fact, but earlier in the chapter 5 of Romans Paul makes it clear when he states, "sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all men becasue of all men sinned". This verse could not be any more explicit in the fact that becasue of Adam's sin, all men are born sinners, with a sin nature that leads to condemnation and death, and becasue they are born with a sin nature they have a bent to sin, a desire to sin, and a self-gratification nature. And this truth that we are born in sin with a sin nature and desire to sin and condemnation already placed on us, has 2 more important truths we must consider.
1) Because of our sinful condemned nature we totally lack any spiritual good before God. This truth is scattered all over the Bible. Jeremiah 17:9 points to the truth that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it". Paul adds to Jeremiah in numerous places. Ephesians 4:18 states, "darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God becasue of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart." Also Romans 7:18, "I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, my flesh". And finally Titus 1:15, "to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure, their very minds and consciences are corrupted". This tells us that any good appeared done, before Christ, is not really good at all but something else all together. Yes we might look morally good and "help the old lady across the street", but without God we can do not good and have no spiritual good to stand on before God.
2)Because of our sinful condemned nature, that is imputed upon us (we are made sinful), we can never desire or want God. Since we are born into a sinful state that is already condemned, we need God to do the work in us, in order to get God. Simply put, we need God to work in us first in order to be saved and chose God. Or to say it another way, becasue of our sinful born state, we will never chose God. Both Paul and Jesus make this very clear. First, Jesus states, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last" (John 15:16). Paul adds to this in Romans 3, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one". And the interesting thing with Paul is that in making his point, of never choosing God on our own, points and quotes David in the Psalms. So becasue we are born in sin, with a sinful condemned nature, that is totally opposite and against God, we will never in our own chose God. God must first act and work in us to fix the problem.
So the doctrine of inherited sin is deep. Not only does it show from the Bible that we are born with a sin nature that is already condemned, but it points the the reality that without God, we are all destined for death. This is a doctrine though, as Christians, that should bring us great comfort, hope and encouragement. We as Christians now desire God and can also do good before God. We can be comforted that we are no longer under the condemnation of God becasue He worked first in us to fix the problem and gave us the desire for Him. We can have hope in that as Jesus said, He chose us to bear fruit that will last. And we can have great encouragement knowing that even when we were born in sin, God chose to work in our lives to get past that nature and call us to be one of His children and removed that deadly condemned sin nature and gave us the ability to do good before Him. And all of this then should motivate us to go and tell others their need and Jesus solution.
Sin is real. Condemnation is scary. Being born in sin, with a sin nature that will never chose God, feels hopeless. But we have a Savior who chose us, solved the sin and condemnation problem, and sustains us even now in bearing much fruit for Him. That should bring us hope, courage, and gratitude. And that is why we need to know and cherish this doctrine of inherited sin.
"Then as one man's trespass (sin) led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous."
Last week I wrote a few posts on the topic of sin. Those post sprang out of the thought that becasue of God's grace in the lives of His creation, humans are most times not as sinful as they possibly could be. Those posts last week and the great questions that came out of them has led me to explore in more detail some of the doctrine of sin. Tomorrow I want to write through the truth of total depravity or radical corruption. Today I want to write through the truth of original sin or inherited sin.
Simple put, we are born in sin. Now this definitely means when we are physically born, we are born into a sinful world. But when the spiritual truth of being born into sin is stated, it is pointing to the Biblical truth that when someone is born physically, they are born with a sin nature or born under the guilt of sin. As the verse stated above shows, when every single human is born, they are born with the sin of Adam not only as part of their nature, but they are born into the state of being guilty of sin. Because of Adam''s sin, every single human after was born already condemned to eternal death and condemnation. This also points to the truth that every single human is also born with a sin nature and a bent to sin, thanks to Adam's original sin done in the Garden of Eden. David in Psalms 51 points to this reality, when he says that he was conceived or brought forth in sin or iniquity. David understood that from the every beginning of his life, he was a sinner who was not only condemned to sin but also was bent to sin. Not only does David record this fact, but earlier in the chapter 5 of Romans Paul makes it clear when he states, "sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all men becasue of all men sinned". This verse could not be any more explicit in the fact that becasue of Adam's sin, all men are born sinners, with a sin nature that leads to condemnation and death, and becasue they are born with a sin nature they have a bent to sin, a desire to sin, and a self-gratification nature. And this truth that we are born in sin with a sin nature and desire to sin and condemnation already placed on us, has 2 more important truths we must consider.
1) Because of our sinful condemned nature we totally lack any spiritual good before God. This truth is scattered all over the Bible. Jeremiah 17:9 points to the truth that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt; who can understand it". Paul adds to Jeremiah in numerous places. Ephesians 4:18 states, "darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God becasue of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart." Also Romans 7:18, "I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, my flesh". And finally Titus 1:15, "to the corrupt and unbelieving nothing is pure, their very minds and consciences are corrupted". This tells us that any good appeared done, before Christ, is not really good at all but something else all together. Yes we might look morally good and "help the old lady across the street", but without God we can do not good and have no spiritual good to stand on before God.
2)Because of our sinful condemned nature, that is imputed upon us (we are made sinful), we can never desire or want God. Since we are born into a sinful state that is already condemned, we need God to do the work in us, in order to get God. Simply put, we need God to work in us first in order to be saved and chose God. Or to say it another way, becasue of our sinful born state, we will never chose God. Both Paul and Jesus make this very clear. First, Jesus states, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last" (John 15:16). Paul adds to this in Romans 3, "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one". And the interesting thing with Paul is that in making his point, of never choosing God on our own, points and quotes David in the Psalms. So becasue we are born in sin, with a sinful condemned nature, that is totally opposite and against God, we will never in our own chose God. God must first act and work in us to fix the problem.
So the doctrine of inherited sin is deep. Not only does it show from the Bible that we are born with a sin nature that is already condemned, but it points the the reality that without God, we are all destined for death. This is a doctrine though, as Christians, that should bring us great comfort, hope and encouragement. We as Christians now desire God and can also do good before God. We can be comforted that we are no longer under the condemnation of God becasue He worked first in us to fix the problem and gave us the desire for Him. We can have hope in that as Jesus said, He chose us to bear fruit that will last. And we can have great encouragement knowing that even when we were born in sin, God chose to work in our lives to get past that nature and call us to be one of His children and removed that deadly condemned sin nature and gave us the ability to do good before Him. And all of this then should motivate us to go and tell others their need and Jesus solution.
Sin is real. Condemnation is scary. Being born in sin, with a sin nature that will never chose God, feels hopeless. But we have a Savior who chose us, solved the sin and condemnation problem, and sustains us even now in bearing much fruit for Him. That should bring us hope, courage, and gratitude. And that is why we need to know and cherish this doctrine of inherited sin.
Tuesday, June 21, 2016
When it Rains
I am sitting right now in my chair watching it rain really hard as a summer storm passes through. Watching the rain has me thinking of the phrase most of us should know, "when it rains, it pours". When we use this line, most times we are not referring to the actual rain outside, but the negative circumstances that have arisen in our life. And we use this line when it seems to us, that it is one bad circumstance after another, piling up in our lives, to the point that we feel we can no longer handle our life with all the suffering that is taken place.
The sad reality is that every time we really use this line we are just missing the point, not understand what is happening, or are so lost we no longer realize what good is anymore. "When it rains, it pours", is actually a great analogy for God's grace and blessing in our lives. See, God is more gracious than we could ever imagine or every see. This next sentence as I write it, is an act of grace from God. The fact you are reading this is a grace from God. The next breath we take is an act of grace from God. Not being more sinful than we really are, is an act of grace from God (more on this tomorrow). The next step, hug, kiss, smile, or grey hair is an act of grace and a blessing from God. If God was not gracious to us, we would all be in hell right now receiving the just punishment for the sin we commit. But we are not, even those who do not believe, in this way experience the grace of God. So when God is giving us grace it is really like a rain storm pouring on us.
Now, let me ask this. Do we have a house? Do we have our health? Do we have children? Do we have friends? Do we have a job? Do we have hobbies we enjoy or sports teams we like? These are all blessings from God. Even the loud rain storm right now is a blessing from God. So not only is God's grace like a rain storm on us, so is His blessings to us.
But the problem is that one single broken moment or pain, consumes our focus and we feel like life is pouring on us. I guarantee if we take our eye off the pain or suffering in life and see the grace and blessing from God, we will see the true downpour of life. In truth the suffering is a drop compared to the downpour of God's grace and blessing to us. So next time you hear some one say, "when it rains, it pours", you should ask them to explain all of God's grace and blessing they see.
The sad reality is that every time we really use this line we are just missing the point, not understand what is happening, or are so lost we no longer realize what good is anymore. "When it rains, it pours", is actually a great analogy for God's grace and blessing in our lives. See, God is more gracious than we could ever imagine or every see. This next sentence as I write it, is an act of grace from God. The fact you are reading this is a grace from God. The next breath we take is an act of grace from God. Not being more sinful than we really are, is an act of grace from God (more on this tomorrow). The next step, hug, kiss, smile, or grey hair is an act of grace and a blessing from God. If God was not gracious to us, we would all be in hell right now receiving the just punishment for the sin we commit. But we are not, even those who do not believe, in this way experience the grace of God. So when God is giving us grace it is really like a rain storm pouring on us.
Now, let me ask this. Do we have a house? Do we have our health? Do we have children? Do we have friends? Do we have a job? Do we have hobbies we enjoy or sports teams we like? These are all blessings from God. Even the loud rain storm right now is a blessing from God. So not only is God's grace like a rain storm on us, so is His blessings to us.
But the problem is that one single broken moment or pain, consumes our focus and we feel like life is pouring on us. I guarantee if we take our eye off the pain or suffering in life and see the grace and blessing from God, we will see the true downpour of life. In truth the suffering is a drop compared to the downpour of God's grace and blessing to us. So next time you hear some one say, "when it rains, it pours", you should ask them to explain all of God's grace and blessing they see.
Wednesday, June 15, 2016
A good friend
I have been studying Exodus, specifically the law portion this week. When we think of the Law from Exodus or the Law of God to His people, most times it is the 10 Commandments that pop in our mind. I wrote a few days ago about the fact, God wrote the 10 Commandments on the stone tablets as a show of His moral regulations since sin had turned our hearts to stone.
This picture and reality point to the truth that, in its full weight, the law condemns us. As Paul points out to Timothy in his first letter to him, only a righteous man can stand justified before God. And the only way to be a righteous man who is justified before God is to be a person who has kept the law of God perfectly. This means that every time we break the law, it condemns us as unrighteous and cast out from the presence of God. And if we are truthful with ourselves, we break many of the 10 Commandments daily. This is simply called sin. So the law of God stands as our condemnation and as the most visible sign that we as sinful humans have a need. Without the law of God before us, we would have no real clue that we have a need or even what that need is.
But becasue of the law of God, we know our need and we know also where to turn for our need. As I said the only person that can stand before God is the one who has kept His law perfectly. Jesus kept the law perfectly. And when Jesus then stood in our place, God transferred our law breaking unto Him and Jesus perfect righteousness onto us. Thanks to Jesus and His perfect life and substitutionary death, we can now stand before God as righteous and justified.
So after Christ, what is the law to us now? Since Jesus kept the law perfectly for us and God imputed that onto us, the law no longer is our condemnation. This means that after Christ now, the law has become our friend. First the law is our friend becasue it continually points to Jesus and His work for us. The second reason the law is our friend is that it now tells us how we can live to please God. After Christ, we all have a desire now to delight in God and find our only joy in our relationship with Him. This means that we now live life bent on pleasing God and finding our joy in His will. The law tells us what God's will is and how we can live to please God, obeying it. We still need Jesus daily and we still break the law of God daily, but it no longer condemns us but should lead us to repentance, which is another way it is our friend. The law of God should be grasped fondly and meditated on daily becasue it is now a good friend who leads us in a life of holiness towards God.
This picture and reality point to the truth that, in its full weight, the law condemns us. As Paul points out to Timothy in his first letter to him, only a righteous man can stand justified before God. And the only way to be a righteous man who is justified before God is to be a person who has kept the law of God perfectly. This means that every time we break the law, it condemns us as unrighteous and cast out from the presence of God. And if we are truthful with ourselves, we break many of the 10 Commandments daily. This is simply called sin. So the law of God stands as our condemnation and as the most visible sign that we as sinful humans have a need. Without the law of God before us, we would have no real clue that we have a need or even what that need is.
But becasue of the law of God, we know our need and we know also where to turn for our need. As I said the only person that can stand before God is the one who has kept His law perfectly. Jesus kept the law perfectly. And when Jesus then stood in our place, God transferred our law breaking unto Him and Jesus perfect righteousness onto us. Thanks to Jesus and His perfect life and substitutionary death, we can now stand before God as righteous and justified.
So after Christ, what is the law to us now? Since Jesus kept the law perfectly for us and God imputed that onto us, the law no longer is our condemnation. This means that after Christ now, the law has become our friend. First the law is our friend becasue it continually points to Jesus and His work for us. The second reason the law is our friend is that it now tells us how we can live to please God. After Christ, we all have a desire now to delight in God and find our only joy in our relationship with Him. This means that we now live life bent on pleasing God and finding our joy in His will. The law tells us what God's will is and how we can live to please God, obeying it. We still need Jesus daily and we still break the law of God daily, but it no longer condemns us but should lead us to repentance, which is another way it is our friend. The law of God should be grasped fondly and meditated on daily becasue it is now a good friend who leads us in a life of holiness towards God.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Thankful Results
Colossians 2:6-7 "So then, just as you received Jesus Christ as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness".
So I have often wondered, in a somewhat sinful way, how can I recognize a thankful person? How do I know if someone is thankful for what they have or not? As I ponder these questions, I think the real question that I am asking is, what is the result of thanksgiving in a person's life?
I think there are many ways a thankful person can reveal himself or herself to others. But I would like to focus on 2 important ways that a lover of Jesus will show others they are thankful in their heart.
The first result that thankfulness brings into the life of a person is joy. Someone who is truly thankful for blessings from God, whether it is people or stuff, is the person finding great joy in what they have. If I am truly a joyful person, even if I have very little, I am thankful for it and find joy in every circumstance or gift given. A thankful person realizes that God is the great giver of gifts, starting with His Son, and they will find joy in everything that their Heavenly Father and loving Lord does and gives. Joy in a thankful person will emulate everywhere if they are thankful.
The second result of a person being thankful is generosity flowing from them. A person who truly is thankful for what they do have wants to share those gifts and blessing with others. They want to share with others next to them that might not have as much blessing and gifts A thankful person is also always looking to pour into others around them and shower them with the great blessings and gifts they have been given and ultimately share the thankful spirit with them. The flow of a generous spirit is always started at the fountain of thankfulness.
Both of theses results are also a great way to check the thankfulness level in our hearts. If we are struggling in the joy factor and are not feeling generous to others maybe we should start to be more thankful deep from within and let that thankfulness flow out for others to see in our joy and generosity.
So I have often wondered, in a somewhat sinful way, how can I recognize a thankful person? How do I know if someone is thankful for what they have or not? As I ponder these questions, I think the real question that I am asking is, what is the result of thanksgiving in a person's life?
I think there are many ways a thankful person can reveal himself or herself to others. But I would like to focus on 2 important ways that a lover of Jesus will show others they are thankful in their heart.
The first result that thankfulness brings into the life of a person is joy. Someone who is truly thankful for blessings from God, whether it is people or stuff, is the person finding great joy in what they have. If I am truly a joyful person, even if I have very little, I am thankful for it and find joy in every circumstance or gift given. A thankful person realizes that God is the great giver of gifts, starting with His Son, and they will find joy in everything that their Heavenly Father and loving Lord does and gives. Joy in a thankful person will emulate everywhere if they are thankful.
The second result of a person being thankful is generosity flowing from them. A person who truly is thankful for what they do have wants to share those gifts and blessing with others. They want to share with others next to them that might not have as much blessing and gifts A thankful person is also always looking to pour into others around them and shower them with the great blessings and gifts they have been given and ultimately share the thankful spirit with them. The flow of a generous spirit is always started at the fountain of thankfulness.
Both of theses results are also a great way to check the thankfulness level in our hearts. If we are struggling in the joy factor and are not feeling generous to others maybe we should start to be more thankful deep from within and let that thankfulness flow out for others to see in our joy and generosity.
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Luke, and Timothy
I have said it many times, but it needs to be said all the more. Our faith in Jesus is not individualistic. Yes, we are a single soul that was saved by the single death of Jesus. But after that single moment, everything else about our relationship with Jesus is community. We were reconciled through Jesus into a relationship with Jesus and also His Father and the Holy Spirit. When we were saved we were also reconciled into a faith community with other people who all have a relationship with the Trinity. The Bible, God's Word to His children, was written to a community, every time. In fact, even the process of disciple-making and discipleship is a community event where we are connected with others all walking towards Jesus and reaching the lost. So understanding that our faith is community bound means that we will need a variety of people in our lives. Let me explain the different types and kinds of people we need in our Christian life of community by illustrating it though the names in the title.
Paul-Every single person that claims faith in Jesus needs a mature believer in their life. Sometimes we can call them mentors, other times we can call them our elders. But in order to walk the life of faith, we all need someone who has walked longer with Jesus, knows the Scriptures better than we do, and has experienced more of the life of a disciple than we have. This person can impart wisdom, challenge us in our sin, and instruct us in the way of faith. Without a person like this, without a Paul, we will become prideful, arrogant, and begin to think we know it all when it comes to faith. For me this is men like Pastor Rich Hurlbert and other mentors in my life.
Barnabas- This man was an encouragement and risk taker for the kingdom. And every Christian needs someone that can come along beside them and encourage them in a job well done. They also need someone who will at times take a risk for them and be willing to step out in faith with them. Without this type of person in our Christian life, we will become depressed easier, discouraged more, and be less effective in the work of the kingdom. For me this has been my best friend, Seth.
Silas-This is the type of a person who does the hard work of ministry with us. This is the person who willingly gets their hands dirty, partnering with us in the work of the kingdom and the spread of the Gospel. Like I said in the beginning, our faith is community. So not having this type of person in our lives either means we are not in community with other believers or else we are in a very poor church body. Without this person, we will become burned out easily and accomplish far less for God. For me this is my fellow Elders in the church I Pastor.
Luke-This type of person cares for our soul. In a metaphorical sense this is a person who doctors our spiritual heart beat. This type of person knows us well becasue they spend time with us. They know when we are weak and when we are strong. They can see a sickness crop up in us and can give us the proper medicine when we need to get healthy. This type of person is our spiritual doctor. Without this type of person in our life, we can fall victim to our own flesh and sin way to much. And without this person in our life we can walk off the deep end of the faith real quick. For me, this person has been and will always be my wife.
Timothy-Not only do we need someone pouring their lives into us, but we also need to be pouring our lives into someone else. As a great man once said, "Every person needs a mentor and every person needs to mentor someone else". To be a disciple is to make a disciple. That means we all need someone in our lives that we are helping grow and mature in their faith and maybe even someone who we are leading into the faith of Jesus. Without this type of person, our faith comes into serious question. Without these people in our lives, we must ask if we are truly a disciple to begin with. For me this has been a variety of people in my life and currently is a young man in our youth group at church.
Do you have these 5 types of people in your life? If yes, thank God for His good gift. If no, then find them today and get your faith back in full community.
Paul-Every single person that claims faith in Jesus needs a mature believer in their life. Sometimes we can call them mentors, other times we can call them our elders. But in order to walk the life of faith, we all need someone who has walked longer with Jesus, knows the Scriptures better than we do, and has experienced more of the life of a disciple than we have. This person can impart wisdom, challenge us in our sin, and instruct us in the way of faith. Without a person like this, without a Paul, we will become prideful, arrogant, and begin to think we know it all when it comes to faith. For me this is men like Pastor Rich Hurlbert and other mentors in my life.
Barnabas- This man was an encouragement and risk taker for the kingdom. And every Christian needs someone that can come along beside them and encourage them in a job well done. They also need someone who will at times take a risk for them and be willing to step out in faith with them. Without this type of person in our Christian life, we will become depressed easier, discouraged more, and be less effective in the work of the kingdom. For me this has been my best friend, Seth.
Silas-This is the type of a person who does the hard work of ministry with us. This is the person who willingly gets their hands dirty, partnering with us in the work of the kingdom and the spread of the Gospel. Like I said in the beginning, our faith is community. So not having this type of person in our lives either means we are not in community with other believers or else we are in a very poor church body. Without this person, we will become burned out easily and accomplish far less for God. For me this is my fellow Elders in the church I Pastor.
Luke-This type of person cares for our soul. In a metaphorical sense this is a person who doctors our spiritual heart beat. This type of person knows us well becasue they spend time with us. They know when we are weak and when we are strong. They can see a sickness crop up in us and can give us the proper medicine when we need to get healthy. This type of person is our spiritual doctor. Without this type of person in our life, we can fall victim to our own flesh and sin way to much. And without this person in our life we can walk off the deep end of the faith real quick. For me, this person has been and will always be my wife.
Timothy-Not only do we need someone pouring their lives into us, but we also need to be pouring our lives into someone else. As a great man once said, "Every person needs a mentor and every person needs to mentor someone else". To be a disciple is to make a disciple. That means we all need someone in our lives that we are helping grow and mature in their faith and maybe even someone who we are leading into the faith of Jesus. Without this type of person, our faith comes into serious question. Without these people in our lives, we must ask if we are truly a disciple to begin with. For me this has been a variety of people in my life and currently is a young man in our youth group at church.
Do you have these 5 types of people in your life? If yes, thank God for His good gift. If no, then find them today and get your faith back in full community.
Friday, June 3, 2016
Quotable Friday
Matthew 5:8 "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God".
"A pure heart doesn't look upon people as mere objects for personal gratification but as what they really are-bearers of God's image".
"A pure heart doesn't look upon truth as an object for personal manipulation but, as it is in fact, a reflection of God's character".
Greg Hollifield
"A pure heart doesn't look upon people as mere objects for personal gratification but as what they really are-bearers of God's image".
"A pure heart doesn't look upon truth as an object for personal manipulation but, as it is in fact, a reflection of God's character".
Greg Hollifield
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