What I Deserve

"Even though I am a sinner and deserving of death and hell, this shall nonetheless be my consolation and my victory that my Lord Jesus lives and has risen so that He, in the end, might rescue me from sin, death, and hell."

Martin Luther

Saved From What?

In Christianity, we often use the word "saved."  But many of us in the Church have allowed the real meaning of that word to change to fit better in a culture that doesn't like to face the truth.  But, it is absolutely essential that the Church takes back the word "saved" from post-modernity because ALL OF OUR LIVES DEPEND ON IT!  It is literally a life or death situation.

The truth of the matter is that every person needs to be saved.  But from what?  We need to be saved from our sin.  We need to be saved from the punishment of our sin.  We need to be saved from God's wrath on ALL OF US because of our sin.

At the greatest possible cost to human beings, the Church has allowed the meaning of the word to change to something that is more socially and culturally acceptable.  We prefer to be saved from a void we are missing in our hearts.  It is common place to hear the words similar to "you have a God-sized hole in your heart that you need to let Jesus fill."  For certain, Jesus Christ can and will fill the void in our lives.  But, that is NOT why we need to be saved.

Just yesterday, I heard the truth put this way:

It is not "Oh Lord, I am empty, please fill me."  Instead the truth is "Oh Lord, I am an offense to You, please rescue me!"

Jesus Christ was beaten with whip of nine tails.  At the end of each tail was tied small bits of sharp bone or glass.  When the whip wrapped around Jesus' body, the bone stuck deep in His flesh and was ripped away as the huge, strong, professional Roman soldier drew back for another lash.  All in all, there were 39 of those lashes.  He was deserted by friends, mocked, spat upon, beard plucked, hit, smacked, struck, 2 inch thorns pressed into his brow, crucified and forsaken by His Father.

Jesus did not endure it so He could fill a void in our hearts.  He endured it so that we would not have to.  He endured it so that we could be SAVED from the same punishment (from the penalty of our sin and from the punishment from God).

HIS way will save us.  The culture's way will make us feel good for just a short season before our destruction.

The Bible says that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus will be saved.  (Acts 3:19, Luke 24:47, Mark 1:15, Luke 13:3-5, Acts 17:30, 2 Corinthians 7:10, 2 Peter 3:9, 1 Timothy 1:15, Acts 26:20, Romans 6:23).

The Church MUST get this right.  For it is the essence of the Gospel and Christianity.

 

Can You DO the Fruit of the Spirit?

If you have been a Christian for any length of time, you have heard many messages on the Fruit of the Spirit.  You know the list...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Today's tough question is "can you DO the fruit of the Spirit?"  Let's take a look at Galatians 5:16-24 for some clues:  

5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 

5:17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. 

5:18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. 

5:19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, 

5:20  idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, 

5:21  envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 

5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 

5:23  gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 

5:24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

A couple of points to think about:

First, the fruit of the Spirit is the Holy Spirit's fruit.  The Holy Spirit's very nature is made up of these things.  

Second, The fruit is not the Christian's fruit.  Paul does not call it "the fruit of the Christian."  

Third, the Christian's flesh does some stuff - but Paul calls them "deeds" (v19) instead of fruit. Deeds are things we do.  In fact, our flesh desires to do these bad deeds.

In versus 16 and 18, Paul gives us the keys.  If we walk by the Spirit:  1.  we will not do the evil deeds of our flesh and 2. the Holy Spirit will manifest His fruit in our lives.  Paul clarifies further by implying in versus 18 and 23, that if we trust in our own selves and try to live by the law, the result will be the deeds of our flesh.  

The point Paul makes is "trust God" in your life instead of taking it upon yourself to "do the law."  Haven't we learned by now that we are not good at doing the law?  If we could do it, wouldn't Jesus' sacrifice have been in vain?

So, the answer to the question is "no," you cannot do the Fruit of the Spirit.  But, by trusting God, His Spirit will display those fruits in your life.  Walk in the Spirit (v16).  Let Him lead you (v18).

Make sense?

Hound of Heaven - Still Pursuing Today

Francis Thompson (1859-1907) wrote this poem that is, frankly, very difficult to understand but well worth giving it a shot.  Thompson was addicted to opium and alcohol and the poem spoke of God the Father's pursuit of him (with deliberate and unperturbed pace).  

Wherever and however quickly Thompson fled, God was the same distance behind him - never overtaking him but always there the moment Thompson quit running to things he thought would satisfy him.

Isn't it exactly the same for all of us?  Our Father never, ever stops pursuing us with what John Wesley called prevenient grace.  I'm glad He didn't stop pursuing me - like a Hound in pursuit of prey - with a persevering focus that nothing can distract.

Click here for a version that helps define some of the words of the poem.

If you are interested in re-writing the poem to fit with the postmodern pursuits of man (e.g. greed, sex, power, money, drugs, escapism, etc.), shoot me an E-mail with your results and I might publish them on this site.   

Gay - Why Does It Matter?

I've noticed some Jesus followers who are confused about standing against homosexuality. The subject causes many of us to cringe because we fear the "intolerant" label. In particular, the pro-homosexuality argument based around civil rights has become a popular one that many Christians find it difficult to argue against.

It is vital for us to remember that God's commands to us are always connected to His love for us. In the case of homosexuality, this statement could not be more true. But, I rarely hear the anti-homosexuality argument put forth with this in mind.

Homosexuality is an extremely destructive lifestyle. God knows this. Because of His unfathomable love for us, He warns and commands us to forsake it and turn to Him. What God knows and His reasons for hating this sin are borne out by the facts. As Christ-followers, we must be diligent and consistent at presenting these facts to the lost world and to Christians engaged in this lifestyle.

Studies have repeatedly shown that the average life expectancy of men and women engaged in the homosexual lifestyle is more than 20-30 years less than heterosexuals. On top of dying at unbelievably early ages, homosexuals often suffer horribly in the time leading up to their death.

Sometimes it seems like the only ones who speak out against this sin proclaim their hatred for gays and lesbians. Hatred is not what is needed. The redeeming love of Jesus Christ is all that is needed. First, to ensure an everlasting peace for all who trust Him - homosexuals included. Second, to help the people caught in the darkness of this sin to move into the light.

Without Jesus, many will suffer. We must love by explaining the specific consequences of this sin (and all sin). We must present Jesus Christ as a way out. The risk of appearing intolerant is one we'll just have to take.

Christian Terms in a Post-Christian Culture

There is a not-so-obvious disconnect between those who have grown up in the Church and the culture at-large.  That disconnect revolves around our language - the terms we use and the meaning behind those terms.  Most Christians, as part of our everyday vocabulary, use words that we assume are universally understood.  But, I have found that most everyone else has no idea what we're talking about.  

That has not always been so.  It used to be that when a "Christian word" was used, even lost people would have a sense of what the word means.  But, it was also true that the larger culture was radically influenced by Christianity.  So, "Christian words" were the culture's words.  No more.  

Now, I'm not talking about words like sanctification or propitiation.  True, the lost world doesn't have clue what these words mean.  But, neither do many Christians.  I'm talking about the little, common words that are the most basic and essential words in the Christian's vocabulary.  

I'm talking about words like sin and grace and faith.  We use these words all the time without ever wondering if the lost world has a clue what the words mean.  Even worse, the lost world can often have a false understanding about what their meaning.

So, if we really want lost people to know the truth, we have to explain what we mean when we use words like sin, grace, faith, hell, repent, etc.  We must remain extraordinarily careful not to remove these words from our vocabulary.  For, they are the very words of life to the dying. However, they are useless and even harmful if we don't ensure that their meaning is clear.

Make sense?

 

Great Question - Why do you.....?

“If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against fleshly indulgence.”  

(Col 2:20-23 NAS95S)

Well, what's your answer?  Making rules to live by doesn't work.  If it did, then Jesus' sacrifice was pointless.  It seems like a wise thing to do.  But, in reality, it does nothing to keep you from sin and in a close relationship with your Father.  So, again, what's you answer?

God's Will

I like what this guy says about God's will.  He is Monte Wolverton and he writes for the Plain Truth Ministries (PTM) website.  Interestingly, PTM was once a cult-like group that repented and turned from its false teaching to embrace the real Truth.  I would add that the "third path" Wolverton talks about is walked with the understanding that God our Father is always walking with us - through all the good and through all the fires.  ALWAYS. 

Christians, like all human beings, have free will. Our lives are the cumulative result of our decisions, some good and some poor -- some wise, some unwise -- some where we have invited Jesus to be part of our decisions -- others where we have, sadly, asked him to stay out! Additionally, our lives are shaped by decisions that other people make, as well as time, chance and factors that are out of our control, such as the ups and downs of the economy, weather, etc. We can ask God to intervene, and often he does. Of course we thank God for our blessings and our friendships.We give him the credit and glory whenever good things happen to us, since he is the one who has given us our free will, resources and abilities. But we do not know specifically how he orchestrates events or how or whether he brings people into our lives. 

Walking quickly but aprehensively down one path are those Christians who believe that everything depends on what they do. They may think they are being obedient to God, yet it may well be what they call obedience is actually a compulsion to control and micromanage their own lives, a compulsion with often extends itself into the lives of others. They believe God's acceptance of them is based on their performance, and as a result they agonize over every decision, worry about whether they have made the right decisions, and live in either false confidence or guilt and fear because of what they have or have not done. You don't have to be a theologian to see that this is not at all compatible with the gospel of Jesus Christ -- which brings freedom from fear and anxiety.

Wandering blissfully down another path are those who think that all events in the word are continually being orchestrated by God -- for their ultimate personal benefit! So, when they reach a fork in the trail -- when it's time to make a difficult decision -- such people find themselves paralyzed, waiting for God to make the decision for them. In actuality, God is telling them -- "Look, I've given you a mind -- and I'm living in you through the Holy Spirit, and I've given you myriad other resources. Now be brave -- get busy and decide!" But, as the lyrics of the old Rush song "Freewill" go, "If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice" -- a choice to abandon your God-given responsibility and to let circumstances make your decisions for you. This isn't the gospel either.

There's a third path -- the path of mature Christians. They know there may be obstacles ahead, but they still stride down their path with confidence. They do the best they can with what they have -- but they also realize there are things they cannot do. First of all, they know they can't save themselves spiritually through any of their own efforts -- they let God take care of that entirely. They also know that, even though they may diligently work, think and make choices (which they should) in planning and charting a course in matters of career, family, finance, health, education, relationships, etc., -- there will still be times when they come to the end of their rope and find themselves out of options -- when they must rely solely on God to offer solutions.

Courage for Right Now

Encouragement gives you COURAGE. Here's some courage from the Word.

May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good work and word. - 2 Thes 2:10

Legalism versus The Life

This is a must listen audio.  It's a long clip but something that is absolutely worth while. Okay, I'm begging you to listen to it. 

Question 1:  What do you think?  Question 2:  Were you surprised that this man would deliver this message?  

Couldn't Then - Can't Now

The requirement for salvation is the same requirement for living as a Christian.   

In Galatians 1 & 2, Paul admonishes Galatian Christians and some of his own close friends to stop falling back into living by the law.  He calls this action "another gospel."  The point is clear.  A Christian cannot live by the law now any more than he could back before he trusted Jesus.  

But, that is exactly what we try to do.  We start believing that our own works gain us favor and better standing with God.  Not true at all.  Not true then and not true now.

Sure enough, God calls us to do things.  By trusting Him, we'll be able to.  We've got to get back to where we were when it was just us and Jesus - forsaking all else.  Because, just like Paul said, 

For through the law I have died to the law, that I might live to God.....

Galatians 2:19

Be & Trust

Be Sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your brothers in the world. Now the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little. 1 Peter 5:8-10

Notice what Peter did not say. He did not say "do." Through temptation and tragedy the most evil of all will approach you. He'll either whisper lies in your ear or he'll try to destroy you by whispering lies in the ears of others. It will happen many, many times tomorrow...and the next day...and the next.

Stand firm in your belief and trust in God and wait it out. That is the answer. That is always the answer. Our tendency is to either give up or flee to religion thinking that doing more good stuff will save us. It will not.

One day the believer will no longer have to endure it. For now, until that day, we just have to be aware of Evil's scheme's, trust God and wait.

I'm tired of all this. But, that is the cost for the Christ-follower. And, just like Peter suggested, it helps to know that my brothers and sisters are enduring it too.