GloriousTruth

The LORD My SHEPHERD; Psalm 23, Part 2

2009-10-30T18:27:00.002-05:00

Contrary to popular thinking, to be a shepherd in King David's time was NOT an upwardly mobile position. It was scraping the bottom of the job barrell. It often, like in David's case, fell to the youngest, who had no seniority with which to argue or bump another brother from a better job.

To be a shepherd demanded that you be present 24/7 with the sheep, protecting, providing, and guiding the ornery, dumb, stinky, flock. It was an unending task, day and night, summer and winter, fair weather and foul. One biblical record of this is found in Jacob's complaint about his shepherding life to his father-in-law Laban in Genesis 31:40:

"This was my situation: the heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. It was like this for the 26 years I was in your household."

Without such a faithful, ever-present, ever-watching shepherd, life for a sheep could be torturous or...very, very short. WHO WOULD CHOOSE TO BE A SHEPHERD?

YHWH, the LORD, has!

"He tends his flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young" Isaiah 40:11.

As astounding as it is to consider, the MOST HIGH has taken on the MOST LOWLY of all jobs: to shepherd you and me...to protect us in our weakness, to provide for us in our inability, to guide us in our lostness.

"You stoop down to make me great" Psalm 18:35 (NIV). What a glorious, merciful Shepherd. YHWH has stooped to make us great in that Great Shepherd of the sheep, the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 13:20). Next we will look at this great, stooping Shepherd in John 10.

But for now...worship the Shepherd, sheep. Worship the Almighty who has stooped to save, to care for...you and me.

Shepherd Confidence: Psalm 23, Part 1

2009-10-29T20:15:00.004-05:00

Who doesn't love Psalm 23? Of course, some of our love and appreciation for this Shepherd's Psalm can be lost by our long familiarity with it. Next to John 3:16, perhaps more folks can quote parts of these scriptures than any other. But, oh, what richness begs to be mined from these simple words!

Think about the first verse: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want."

"I shall not want..." could sound like words from either a "pie in the sky" victim of religious naivete or a self-confident fool. How can David, now King of Israel and former shepherd of his family's sheep, make such a claim? How can a sane man make a statement like this about a future he neither KNOWS nor CONTROLS? There is only one reason such a claim can be sanely made...

"The LORD is my shepherd." The only confidence that is proper for a sheep is SHEPHERD CONFIDENCE. Since sheep are weak, defenseless, dense, and easily led astray, they of all livestock are most desperately in need of a shepherd. All that is supplied for a sheep's well-being must come from OUTSIDE himself...from ANOTHER...from a SHEPHERD. And for a sheep to say, "I shall not want," i.e. I will always have everything that I need...he must be looking away from his sorry self to a faithful shepherd.

Now we know why David is so confident...the LORD is his shepherd. LORD (all caps) is that great OT name Jehovah or YHWH. This name occurs over 6500 times in the OT Scriptures. One might be tempted to think that with such overwhelming occurrrence the LORD WANTS us to know what that name means. And indeed He does.

YHWH is that name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush so that He could be identified to Israel. "I am that I am." YHWH tells us that God is:

Unchanging: He is who He was and who He was He will be. There is no change, diminishing, or weakening of His nature. Who He has revealed Himself to be He still is...fully, infinitely.
Self-Sufficient: the LORD is in need of no one outside of Himself. He needs no love, no service, no help of any kind at any time from anyone. In other words, He is the SOURCE of all, the overflowing fountain of life and love and grace and mercy.
The Covenant Maker and Keeper: It is YHWH who has made solemn promises to His people for their good and everlasting happiness. He is the One whose "steadfast love endures forever" (Psalm 100:5 and many etcs). He keeps His promises...period.

If THIS LORD is one's shepherd, the confident claim is fitting...even a necessary corollary...that "I shall not want." IF the Lord is my shepherd, I am unbelieving NOT to make such a claim. And such a statement is infinitely SAFE and SURE when a sheep with such a shepherd makes it.

DO YOU, WILL YOU have everything that you need? Who is your Shepherd? Where does your confidence lie sheep?

Jesus Sightings - 2

2009-07-24T16:18:00.003-05:00

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

"In the beginning" is a phrase that points to eternity at the point of creation. It points to the ETERNITY of the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. He who was and is the eternal revelatory Word never began to exist. He was there in the eternal state BEFORE creation.

Consider the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ, before He became man, was the ETERNAL Word. He had no beginning. In Himself is EXISTENCE. No source outside of Himself caused His being. No source outside of Himself is necessary for His CONTINUED existence. Life, Existence, Being are inherent to WHO He is.

This means that our Lord cannot become weak, cannot change, cannot fail to keep His exceeding great and precious promises, can NEVER become other than He has always been in His divine nature. Who He was is Who He is and Who He will be.

But the Word was not alone..."the Word was with God." Surely this points to the Trinity of God...the Father, Son, and Spirit. Though the universe was uncreated and only existed in the mind of God, there was fellowship and love and communication between the eternal Word and God the Father and Spirit. Who could begin to think about what that Divine Triune interaction was like? No misunderstanding, no needs for clarification, no friction, no discouragement, no anger, no selfishness...it is a glorious thing to realize that our communication in heaven with one another and with Christ and God will resemble that eternal fellowship.

All of this, of course, points to the fact that "...the Word was God." How else could he be eternal and uncreated? How else could He share fellowship with the Father and Spirit? The eternal Word, the Son, who also became our Lord Jesus Christ...IS GOD. And what glory is it to KNOW that Jesus, my Lord, He who indwells me by the Spirit, He who gave Himself up for me...is GOD!

What mind-boggling condescension!

Jesus Sightings - 1

2009-07-23T20:18:00.002-05:00

The Bible is about Jesus Christ. He himself said this:

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
(Luke 24:27)

However, I have found over the years that when I go to the Scriptures, I often...most often...nearly ALWAYS...go to the Scriptures NOT to SEEK Jesus, not to SEE Jesus, but for some personal encouragement, some answer to a question or problem, or for MATERIAL for a talk or sermon. Lord of the Scriptures, forgive me.

By the grace of God, I am beginning to go to the written WORD to see the LIVING WORD, Jesus. It is ALL about Him and as a Christian I AM ALL ABOUT HIM. The Scriptures are for "beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord" so that we can be "transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory to another" 2 Corinthians 3:17,18.

How LITTLE of His glory I really know. I want to know HIM more. I want to know His PERSON and His LOVE and His GLORY...MORE! This is what eternal life is about - John 17:3. The ONLY place to see Him clearly and faithfully is in the written Word...so here I go...

For the next while, Lord willing, I will be looking for Jesus in the GOSPEL of JOHN. I pray that these "Jesus Sightings" will be a means of grace in His sovereign hands to show Himself to me...to us.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1

Why is Jesus called the "Word"? Words are communication. Words are the outward expression of what is inside. Words are the audible expression of the TRUE PERSON or BEING. Words are SELF REVELATION. Jesus is God's self-revelation in its ultimate and final form..."He has made Him known" v.18. "In these last days He has spoken to us by His Son..." Hebrews 1:2. That Jesus is the WORD tells us that God WANTS to reveal Himself to us and that a primary purpose of the incarnation of Jesus was to reveal the Father.

It is glorious to know that God wants to be known. He is not hiding from us. He has come in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ so that in terms we can understand...HUMAN LIFE IN THIS WORLD...we might see Him and know Him. Jesus coming as the WORD is the Father's invitation for us all to KNOW Him. He WANTS to be known. He has put REVELATION of Himself on the "bottom shelf," so to speak, in Jesus. He is accessible. John says in his epistle (1:3) that he is making known what he has "seen and heard." God is within reach in the Lord Jesus Christ.

That there are "Jesus Sightings" at all is a glory and grace from God too high to fathom in a million devotional meditations...but there are an abundance of them that all the books in the world could not contain (John 21:25) simply BECAUSE God wants to be known and JESUS is the WORD who reveals Him.

Children and Fathers (Parents) from Ephesians 6 - Part 1

2009-07-21T19:48:00.002-05:00

The Apostle Paul continues his teaching on how life IN CHRIST is to be lived with a section in 6:1-4 for children and fathers.

Roman fathers had absolute control by law over their children. They could treat them as slaves, they could sell them, they could have them put to death. At a child's birth a father would decide whether he wanted the child to live or die. A child in Roman society NEVER "came of age" but was under his father's authority until the father died.

In the context of this sometimes tyrannical social structure Paul gives the command that children are to "...Obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right" 6:1.

Note first of all that Paul addresses children DIRECTLY. This tells us:

There were children PRESENT in the congregation. Entire families worshipped together.
Children were expected to LISTEN when the Word of God through the Apostle was read.
Children were expected to UNDERSTAND what was being said. We can underestimate what children are capable of learning. There is no need to dumb down or kiddie-size the Word of God for children to benefit. Remember, the Spirit of God is at work in children, too. He can teach them. The Kingdom belongs to such as these!
Children were treated as RESPONSIBLE for their hearing and obeying of the Word of God.

The basic command to children here is "OBEY." This means they were to LISTEN to their parents and DO WHAT THEY SAY. It is a SIMPLE command, but not simplistic.

Parents have a God-given authority. God channels His goodness into the lives of children through their parents. Apart from the whole consideration of HOW the parent actually parents, God has commanded children to respond in obedience to His authority through their parents. Children are not to obey ALL ADULTS as their authorities, but their OWN PARENTS.

When a child listens to his parents, he listens to God. When a child obeys his parents, he obeys God. And when a child obeys his parents, he is shaping WHO HE WILL BE as an adult. As a rule a child who learns to listen and obey his parents will have a good relationship with authorities in his life as an adult: bosses, police, government officials, church leaders, etc. But the child who does NOT learn to listen to and obey his parents will most often grow up butting heads with other authorities. Worse yet, the child who rejects his parents' authority will often reject the authority of God, at least IF and UNTIL God in mercy brings them to repentance and saving faith.

Listen to Proverbs:

"Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future" 19:20.

"Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom,, instruction, and understanding. The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him" 23:22-24.

Husbands and Wives from Ephesians 5 - Part 5

2009-07-20T09:31:00.002-05:00

What does it mean for a husband to love his wife "as his own body" Ephesians 5:28?

It means for the husband to NOURISH his wife, v.29. This word "nourish" is a word that has the idea of nurturing and bringing up gently. It means the husband will not be HARSH with his wife, either in his words or in his actions. It means he will treat her with the utmost care, seeing that she needs special attention and protection. It means he will seek to provide his wife what she needs in body, spirit, mind, and emotions. He will treat her as a young plant, needing food, water, sunlight and protection from adverse elements.
It means for the husband to CHERISH his wife, v.29. This word has to do with treating warmly, affectionately...holding your wife as DEAR...to treat in a manner to encourage growth. Our wife is NOT a man nor is she another one of "the guys." She is a woman. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:7: "...Live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life..."
It means to see your relationship with your wife as WE and not ME and YOU. In Christ, husband and wife as a UNIT, a UNITY, the TWO have become ONE flesh, v.31. We are to view ALL of life from the vantage point of US. It now becomes OUR decisions, OUR purchases, OUR children, OUR church, OUR money, OUR commitments. This means the husband will not make a decision for the family and then ramrod it through by announcing, with no input or discussion, what he has decided. Nor will he ask his wife's opinion as an empty courtesy when he has already made up his mind. He will KNOW that God has given to him a helper who has wisdom and insight that COMPLETES what is needed for decisions and guidance.

"He who loves his wife loves himself" v.28. When we are joined together as husband and wife we can NO LONGER live as a single or self-sufficient person. There is something that happens to me and her that makes the two of us a WE. What happens to her affects ME deeply. What happens to me affects HER deeply: body, soul, spirit. Therefore, when I love and cherish and protect and nourish my wife I am indeed loving myself. What benefits her benefits me. If she is joyful, encouraged, and hopeful...I will be.

Husbands and Wives from Ephesians 5 - Part 4

2009-07-19T07:21:00.002-05:00

Husbands, we are to love our wives as Christ loved the church. That love was and continues to be SACRIFICIAL.

That love is also SANCTIFYING. The Apostle Paul writes, "...Christ...gave himself up for her (the church) that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish" Ephesians 5:25-27.

To SANCTIFY means to SET APART from one thing to another. Christ died that we, the church, would be separated from sin and the world to belong exclusively to HIM. Our love for our wives is to win the hearts of our wives so that they love us EXCLUSIVELY.

Christ sanctifies us to Himself more and more through HIS WORD. As husbands, we are to win the heart of our wives to ourselves through OUR WORDS and HIS WORDS.

Our words have a powerful impact on our marriage relationship. Words of anger and irritation and belittlement have a divisive, separating effect. Our wife will generally feel and act as close to (or as far away from) us as our words allow her to be.

On the other hand, words of encouragement and affirmation and hope and commitment DRAW our wife to us and create oneness and intimacy.

"I love you...I will always love you."
"You are becoming more beautiful with each passing day."
"You are such an excellent manager of our home."
"I love the way you connect with the children when they are discouraged."

But we are also to love our wives with HIS WORDS. We have responsibility for helping along and nurturing the SPIRITUAL GROWTH of our wife. We are to be before the Lord receiving fresh bread from heaven each morning so that we can pass it on to our wife. Of course, she has her own responsibility for her spiritual relationship with the Lord, but we are to SHEPHERD her towards HIM and HIS truth.

Does she need encouragement? The WORD of God has it.

Does she need correction? The WORD of God has it.

Does she need hope? The WORD of God has it.

Does she need to be taught some area of God's truth? The WORD of God has it.

But we must be in the WORD to fetch it for our wives. WE must be growing and learning from God through His Word first, and then we can be good shepherds of our wives.

Husbands and Wives from Ephesians 5 - Part 3

2009-07-18T18:16:00.002-05:00

The basic command for husbands in Ephesians 5 is "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her..." 5:25.

This tells us that our love for our wives is to be SACRIFICIAL, like Christ's for us.

Giving "himself up for her" refers to Christ's crucifixion. His love was a TOTAL, HOLDING NOTHING BACK kind of love.

James M. Boice writes of a story from the Greek histories:

"...The wife of one of the generals of Cyrus, the ruler of Persia, was accused of treachery and was condemned to die. At first her husband did not know what was taking place. But as soon as he heard about it he rushed to the palace and burst into the throne room. He threw himself on the floor before the king and cried out, 'Oh, my Lord Cyrus, take my life instead of hers. Let me die in her place.'
"Cyrus, who by all historical accounts was a noble and extremely sensitive man, was touched by this offer. He said, 'Love like that must not be spoiled by death.' Then he gave the husband and wife back to each other and let the wife go free."
"As they walked away happily the husband said to his wife, 'Did you notice how kindly the king looked at us when he gave you the pardon?' The wife replied, 'I had no eyes for the king. I saw only the man who was willing to die in my place.'" Ephesians, p.200

This wonderful story illustrates how the SACRIFICIAL LOVE of Christ wins the heart of the church and how that same kind of love will win the hearts of our wives.

Jesus said, "Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend" John 15:13.

Of course, men, we are not called on too often to go to a cross for our wives or to throw ourselves down before the king to offer ourselves in their condemned place. The SACRIFICIAL LOVE we are called on to make is a day by day, moment by moment, situation by situation love that DIES TO OUR OWN PLANS and COMFORT for the good of our wife.

While we steadfastly insist that we are willing to DIE for our wife, she may be wondering if we are willing to LIVE for her. Will we fold the laundry? Will we take up the slack after arriving home from work? Will we listen to her as she shares the details of her day? Will we share with her the details of OUR day? Are we willing to talk for another 15 minutes when our inner alarm says "BEDTIME!"?

How often in the past week have you asked yourself, "What will serve my wife at this moment?"

It is a HIGH and HOLY love that we are called to show our wives. It is a love which follows Jesus to the cross...daily.

But this kind of love will make it a JOY for our wives to SUBMIT to our leadership and will give her eyes ONLY FOR US.

Husbands and Wives from Ephesians 5 - Part 2

2009-07-17T14:54:00.002-05:00

Christian marriage means that those who have convenanted together are IN CHRIST. God has chosen them to be in His Son and so to have all the spiritual blessings needed to know and please HIM and one's spouse in marriage.

Being in Christ, according to Paul's letter to the Ephesians, includes the following benefits that flow into the marriage relationship:

We are made part of the ONE BODY OF CHRIST (Ephesians 2:12ff). We are no longer "lone ranger" sinners. We are members of the church and as members of the church we are to become OTHER-minded and OTHER-centered. Life in the church is to be a life where we learn to live with humility, gentleness, and patience...4:2...towards others. It is a life where we learn to use our gifts and talents for THE GOOD OF OTHERS...4:12-16. All of this other-centeredness is the perfect preparation for the deeper and more intimate relationship of marriage.
We are indwelt by the HOLY SPIRIT (1:13,14; 3:16; 5:18). The Spirit fills us and we are to be filled with the Spirit, be under His control, so that we can KNOW CHRIST's LOVE, so that we can properly build up one another (5:19), and so that we can SUBMIT to one another in the way that fulfills Christ's will (5:21). We are IN CHRIST and the Holy Spirit is CHRIST IN US.

So, brothers and sisters who are in a Christian marriage, rejoice that you can submit to your own husband and love your own wife IN CHRIST as a part of the OTHER-CENTERED BODY OF CHRIST and INDWELT by the SPIRIT OF CHRIST. You DO NOT NEED more than God in Christ has already supplied for your marriage.

Husbands and Wives from Ephesians 5 - Part 1

2009-07-16T16:12:00.003-05:00

The most detailed passage in the Bible on God's design for marriage is found in Ephesians 5:22-33. Three verses address the wife (22-24). Eight verses address the husband (25-32). One summary verse addresses both (33).

ALL of these verses are set in the context of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. This has great consequence. It means that all that is taught BEFORE this passage to husbands and wives has a direct bearing on how the passage is to be understood and how it can be obeyed.

And so, while wives are struggling with SUBMISSION and husbands are struggling with LOVE, they (we!) need to be reminded that the letter doesn't START there! It starts with GOD and CHRIST and what God has done for us IN CHRIST. Of course, Paul reminds us of this throughout this passage as he teaches, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, AS TO THE LORD" (v.22) and, "Husbands, love your wives, AS CHRIST LOVED THE CHURCH" (v.25).

Before we look at any details or talk about practical HOW TOs in regard to submission or love, we need to go back and be reminded WHY it is possible for us to obey these commands. Today we'll briefly consider the fact that we are IN CHRIST.

Ephesians 5 talks about marriage IN CHRIST. It looks at God's will for wives and husbands in CHRISTIAN marriage. The difference between a secular marriage and a Christian marriage is not just that in a Christian marriage Christians are married. In a Christian marriage the husband and wife are IN CHRIST. They have been blessed with every spritiual blessing in the heavenly places IN CHRIST (1:3). When they were dead in trespasses and sins they were made alive by God's mercy and grace IN CHRIST (2:1-5). They are God's creations, created IN CHRIST JESUS for good works (2:10). They have been made members of the same ONE family of God, the body of Christ, the church through the CROSS OF CHRIST (2:11-22). They are God's children, they have God's inheritance, God's hope, God's power, God's Spirit, and know God's love IN CHRIST. And all of this makes them NEW CREATIONS IN CHRIST. Christian husbands and wives DO NOT face marriage day by day and the commands to love and submit with the limited resources of an ordinary sinner. All they will ever need to submit and love has been supplied to them IN CHRIST. They are joined to Christ, they are part of Christ, and therefore all that Christ is and has and has done is made available to them for marriage.

Before you think about WHAT you are to do, remember and believe WHOSE YOU ARE, WHO YOU ARE, and WHAT YOU HAVE...IN CHRIST.

Loving Jesus by Being WITH Jesus

2009-07-15T08:44:00.002-05:00

Luke records for us a little "in house" encounter of Jesus in 10:38-42. Jesus was a couple of miles from Jerusalem and visited the home of Martha and Mary (and Lazarus). BOTH of these women loved Jesus and Jesus loved them. The immediate context before this home visit was Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, shared with an expert in the law who wanted to "save face" before others by asking Jesus "who then is my neighbor?" Jesus then told this true to life story, making the point that loving our neighbor means to help and serve those with needs around us.

But what does it mean to love GOD with all of our heart? What does it mean to love Jesus? Perhaps Luke includes this story or Martha and Mary to illustrate the first part of the Great Commandment.

Realize that when Jesus showed up at Martha's home, He had at least the 12 inner circle disciples in tow. This means there are at least 26 extra feet to wash and 13 extra plates to set. Martha, being a good and conscientious Jewish hostess, has some WORK to do! She apparently gladly welcomes Jesus into her home...and then gets to it. She knew what a privilege it was to have Jesus present as guest and knew what she wanted to do to show Him how much she valued His presence.

Mary, Martha's sister, shows her love for Jesus in a different way. Breaking the mold for Jewish women with a Rabbi present, she CHOOSES to sit at Jesus' feet and listen to Him, just like one of the 12, just like she is His disciple herself. Jesus breaks the Rabbi and religious leader mold by WELCOMING HER and treating her like she IS a disciple, though she is a woman.

Martha is not happy with this scenario. She is busting her gut to serve Jesus and His disciples and Mary is sitting there enjoying the Lord LIKE THERE IS NOTHING TO DO IN THE KITCHEN! So, like the take charge gal she is, Martha comes to Jesus...but NOT to listen and NOT to sit at His feet. "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me" v.40.

Whoa! "...Do you not care...?"! It is easy to think the Lord doesn't care when you are busting YOUR guts to do good and others are just "enjoying the Lord." "Why is Mary just sitting there like there is nothing to do?!" But...WASN'T Mary doing something?

What Martha was doing WAS important. And it wasn't WHAT she was doing that Jesus highlights in His response... "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary." 41,42. Martha sought to show her love by the EXTENT to which she was making preparations. She wanted to put out the BEST spread possible. No simple one or two course meal at Martha's! She wanted Jesus to KNOW how much she valued His presence in her home. Now...WHY can't Mary see this and seek to show the same kind of love?

Because, as Jesus says, "Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her" v.42. Mary chose to BE WITH JESUS and to LISTEN TO JESUS. Her heart was to be with Him, to be near Him. Her food was to take in the bread of life from the Bread of Life. In the immediate determination of values that Mary made, perhaps without conscious deliberation, as Jesus entered their home, she CHOSE to get as close and stay as close as she could to the Master.

This is not really a tale of the worker versus the contemplative. It is rather a tale of HOW JESUS WANTS TO BE LOVED by us. He wants us to work. He saved us to do good works - Ephesians 2:10. But the works are not to replace or crowd out our BEING WITH HIM and LISTENING TO HIM as a loving disciple. Work CAN be a poor replacement for relationship. Work CAN be a poor replacement for PRESENCE. Work CAN say, "I love you, but I'm afraid to be close to You."

How do YOU love Jesus? There is no magic formula for how much time we are to spend with Jesus or how that time is to be spent. But there are several musts:

We MUST spend time with Jesus listening to Him through His WORD. That is the ONLY place where His voice comes through loud and clear without error every time.
We MUST spend time with Jesus talking to Him in prayer. He listens. He wants two-way relationship.
We MUST spend time with Jesus in CHURCH. That is where we sit at His feet together with other loving, listening disciples. This is where it is confirmed that it is really Jesus we are spending time with and not a Jesus of my own making who is saying things that are not in line with reality.
Our WORK for Jesus, and there MUST be work in the life of a loving disciple, will be a work of fruitful love when it follows and is empowered by being with Jesus in the Word and Prayer FIRST of all. Work FOR Jesus pleases Him when it flows out of BEING WITH Jesus.

What a privilege to have Jesus Christ, Lord and Maker of the universe, seeking fellowship with the likes of us daily. Let us find, let us MAKE, let us like Mary CHOOSE to sit at His feet and listen as He speaks just as powerfully and personally today through His inerrant Word.

Lessons from Vacation

2009-07-14T13:12:00.003-05:00

A few things I learned while on vacation:

I am NOT in Heaven yet! When you travel nearly 5,000 miles and sleep in 10-12 different places you tend to feel like a displaced alien. I am. Though I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED our VACATION, I really looked forward to getting home, where my office is and my garage is and my sock drawer is and my church family is. This longing for permanence, I realized, was a faint whisper of my soul's longing to be with Jesus in Heaven forever. God has destined us for a PLACE and a PURPOSE and a PERSON that is PERMANENT. Bring it on!
I am a WRETCH with DIVINE RESOURCES. I left for vacation with the prayer that God would use me to serve and bless those I was with: family, friends, and sovereign encounters. I am not sure I was out of the driveway at home before I was struggling with the selfish flesh. I got perturbed with my wife, my girls, the truck drivers on I-80 (and I-90, I-94, I-39, I-70...), the too-steep hills of western PA, the too-long dipper for ice-cream at Penn Alps restaraunt, and the fact that my family didn't share my love for a loud fan at night. And that's only the "I'm not as bad a you think" list! But a glorious reality burst into my consciouness over and over during those days: "I am NOT who I used to be. I am in Christ Jesus. He is my Lord and Savior and Strength and Provider who lives in me by His Spirit. I can say "No!" to my selfish, irritated, critical spirit and "Yes!" to Christ and the Spirit and love." Wow! It IS true: "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation" 2 Corinthians 5:17.
My FATHER in Heaven is LAVISH. I know from the Scriptures that He has lavished grace on us through Christ, Ephesians 1:7-8, and that is AWESOME. But as we travelled from MN to PA to NJ to MD to DC to VA to NC and from mountains to ocean and from stormy to cloudless days, I saw my Father's lavishness over and over and over. Waterfalls. Raging rivers. Berry bushes heavy with fruit. Deer frolicking at dusk. A full moon rising over the mountains. Corn with tassels over my head. Valleys lush and green with crops and trees and grasses. Peacocks guarding the barn door of a remote farm. God could have made this world gray and fruitless and blossomless. But He has made it FULL of color and smells and shapes and sounds and panoramas that fill the mind and heart with wonder...at HIM. What a lavishness...for YOU and ME to enjoy...and to turn to WORSHIP.
My times are in HIS HANDS. My oldest daughter and I were having a great time bobbing the waves at Va Beach. We had been in the water for about an hour. Suddenly, a wave passed by and we were TWICE as FAR from the beach as we had been a moment earlier! We were caught in a rip tide...my first. I was soon in water too deep to touch the bottom and keep my nose above the surface. We could both swim, but we are both "dead weight" type swimmers and we tire quickly. There was a quick realization that we were in trouble and we struggled to swim towards shore. We only seemed to be moving backwards. We talked to each other. I tried to keep Briana from panicking. What do you do in times like this? "Lord, help!" That was about it. He DID help. After a few moments a couple of waves came in that pushed us JUST far enough for me to touch bottom and have the footing to push my daughter forward until we both were safe. Exhausted we trudged onto the beach, THANKED GOD, and enjoyed the sand for awhile.

These are FOUR lessons I learned or re-learned or futher-learned during this vacation. All of life is God's glorious classroom. And, man, does He teach!

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 60 (How Change Begins and Continues - 3)

2009-06-14T06:07:00.002-05:00

"...And to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:24

Our old self, the person we were and the life we lived before Christ, was PUT OFF when we turned from our sin to trust in Christ. But there was not just a putting off, there was also, of necessity, a PUTTING ON - of a NEW SELF - created after GOD'S likeness. This "put on" is also an aorist, "put on once for all." We ARE NOT who we were anymore. We ARE new creations in Christ.

Conversion involves both the intentional putting off of the old and the putting on of the new, the turning away from sin and the turning to Christ. God's transforming power through the gospel and the Spirit makes this possible...and a permanent reality. If conversion is ONLY my choice, then my choice might change. I know how fickle I am...at my BEST moments. But when I understand that MY choice is the result of GOD'S choice of me from eternity past (Ephesians 1:4), I gain the confidence and ASSURANCE of a salvation, a putting off and putting on, that WILL NOT, CANNOT be reversed.

In other words, I am not just a new person because I CHOSE to be a new person. I am a new person PRIMARILY because God has transformed me by sovereign, divine power. I am not new when the toggle switch of my choice is YES towards Christ today, but am back to being the old me when I toggle back over to NO. God has given me a NEW switch in my will. My life as a whole is YES to Christ. Oh, there are certainly struggles with "no's", but not settled, direction-of-my-will-and- life no's. I have put off the old and put on the new.

Is this your mindset in life? Is this the gospel you heard and believed in? Has God really done what He promised in your life through the perfect life, sufficient death, and victorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ? If you have turned to trust the mighty Christ as your Lord and Savior, then YOU ARE NOT WHO YOU WERE. YOU ARE A NEW CREATION IN CHRIST! That is the fact of your identity.

Understanding this and standing on this makes all the difference in your WALK. If you are trying to be someone that you don't believe you are...you will flounder and wilt in the face of temptation. But if you KNOW who you are, you are equipped to trust Christ in every circumstance to empower you to be that new creation, created in the image of God.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 59 (How Change Begins and Continues - 2)

2009-06-13T12:49:00.003-05:00

"...Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires..." Ephesians 4:22

When we become Christians, what is the deal with the old life? The deal is... PUT IT OFF. "Put off" in v.22 above is an aorist..."PUT IT OFF ONCE FOR ALL..." The proper tense for the habits of our life before Christ is PAST! Now, this is NOT the full story, but it IS the indispensable BEGINNING point. If we were taught the biblical gospel of Christ we were taught that we were rebels, dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-2) and alienated from God's life. This condition demanded REPENTANCE towards God and away from sin (Acts 20:21). There is NO teaching of the true gospel that states or intimates that we can continue in our sins and rebellion while seeking to trust Christ. TRUST (faith) cannot exist apart from TURNING (repentance). We are saved FROM sin TO a new life...in CHRIST.

However, if for one moment we think that in ourselves we can TURN from our sin by sheer willpower, we are gravely and miserably mistaken. We MUST repent, we are COMMANDED to repent (Acts 17:30), but this repentance unto life is a GIFT from God (Acts 11:18). God, through the preaching of the gospel and the work of the Spirit grants a deep conviction of sin...MY sin...MY sin that DAMNS...and along with it a passion to confess my sin and turn from my sin...now and and to the end of my life. Along with this desire to turn from our sin God grants a new heart that is BENT towards God and righteousness.

The new life starts with a decisive separation from the old life. Again, this desire to put away the old life and the decision to put away the old life are GIFTS from God, evidenced by our CHOICE to repent and obey.

If we are truly born again, we ARE NOT who we were, by God's divine work and our divinely-enabled choice.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 58 (How Change Begins and Continues - 1)

2009-06-12T11:01:00.002-05:00

"But that is not how you learned Christ - assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus..." Ephesians 4:20,21

Living the new life in Christ not only requires that we NO LONGER live like pagans alienated from God, but it also requires that we REMEMBER the glorious gospel we were taught and what happened to us through that gospel. The health and strength and growth of our Christian life is utterly dependent on how we hold to and stand on our beginnings...our foundation.

In Ephesians 4:20,21 the Apostle Paul makes it crystal clear that our foundation is...CHRIST. Learning the gospel is learning about CHRIST. Being discipled as a Christian is being taught as a disciple of CHRIST. Jesus is the TRUTH and the TRUTH is in JESUS. There is NO escape from the futile, darkened thinking and greedy pursuit of sensuality that WAS our life except through the Savior, CHRIST.

It is a central fact of Christian growth that our growth does NOT come PRIMARILY from focusing on ourselves or focusing on lists of behaviors or learning propositional truths or spiritual "secrets" but through LEARNING ABOUT CHRIST. We must learn and continue to learn WHO Christ is and WHAT Christ has done and WHAT Christ continues to do on the behalf of lost and calloused sinners like ourselves. What a glorious SAVIOR is ours. What a sovereign LORD is our Lord.

ALL of Scripture is about Christ. The OT tells us He is coming and what He will do and then the NT tells us He has come, what He has accomplished, and HOW we are to KNOW HIM and FOLLOW HIM.

Jesus Christ is the supreme and singular object of saving and sanctifying faith (Galatians 2:20). We can easily get stuck taking the spiritual temperature of our faith instead of gazing upon and learning of FAITH'S OBJECT, CHRIST. Only as we look to Him can our faith gain strength and grow.

Regardless of our need or challenge from sin or Satan, CHRIST is the answer. Every problem in the church has one answer...HER HEAD, CHRIST! The future has one ultimate goal and purpose...CHRIST: returning and judging and setting up His eternal Kingdom.

HE is where we start and HE is how we continue and HE is where we will end. Do you KNOW Christ? Did you spend time worshiping Him today? Are you living and breathing dependence on Him as you go through your day?

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 57 (Who I was Before Christ)

2009-06-11T14:27:00.002-05:00

"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity." Ephesians 4:17-19

The Word of God is clear: we MUST NO LONGER live our lives as we did BEFORE we came to know Christ. We were not all equally pagan, but we were all pagan. What characterized our lives before Christ?

FUTILITY of MIND: Futility means useless or worthless. This is how we thought before Christ. We had no ability to reason with a God-centered sanity. We valued what was ultimately worthless: pleasure, stuff, personal glory. We were spiritual investors in Florida swampland.
Darkened in our Understanding: We were without the light of the glorious gospel in the face of Christ. HE who is the GREAT FACT of life was missing from all of our reasoning. We were living our lives in the dark. We could neither see where we were really headed nor where we SHOULD be heading.
ALIENATED from the LIFE of God because of the ignorance that was in us: Unless we can SEE God and His Kingdom, we remain outside of His life...dwelling in death (Ephesians 2:1). We can NEVER see the King or the Kingdom unless we are BORN AGAIN (John 3:3). The spiritual ignorance that held us captive also held us in death.
DUE TO THEIR HARDNESS of HEART: But we were not VICTIMS. We lived in useless, darkened, dead thinking because WE WANTED TO LIVE THERE. We COULD NOT see because we WOULD NOT see. This is the great insanity of those dead in sin: they go on choosing to live in death and darkness. We say "NO!" to God and His light. We reject the light of conscience and creation and Scriptural revelation. We PUSH the truth of God away and what is left is darkness and hardness.
They have become CALLOUS: a calloused heart is a deadened conscience. A deadened conscience is one that no longer feels what it should. Right and Wrong do not register differently in his mind. A Calloused heart no longer feels the things the heart was created to feel: appreciation for goodness and kindness, abhorrence of evil and injustice, guilt when doing wrong. A calloused heart brings on the doldrums of the soul.
They have GIVEN themselves up to SENSUALITY, GREEDY to practice every kind of IMPURITY: If the heart can no longer feel what it was created to feel, it looks for feeling elsewhere. Nothing brings rushes of substitute feeling like SEX. So the pagan truth-rejecter turns to physical pleasure...or pain. It is yet one more useless, darkened attempt to fill the emptiness that alienation from God creates.

This is the resume of the lost. It was OUR resume...BEFORE CHRIST. And we are told plainly that we MUST NO LONGER LIVE THIS WAY. Since we have been given life in Christ, we are NOT those whose minds are darkened, who hearts are hard, who push truth out to the periphery of our lives. We no longer make our goals pleasure and stuff and glory. JESUS CHRIST has rescued us from that futile life. We are BORN AGAIN and we can see the King and the Kingdom. As we were GREEDY for sensuality, now let us be PASSIONATE for our Christ.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 56 (Which Am I: Old or New?)

2009-06-10T07:59:00.002-05:00

Andre is a fictional character. He is a 9-year old street kid in Odessa, Ukraine who is living the dream. He was living a nightmare...the nightmare of daily begging for food, of ducking into the shadows when a police officer hit the radar, of wearing the same stinking, dirty clothes 24/7, and of keeping house in and around the underground steam pipes that wound throughout the city.

One day as Andre was doing his street kid survival thing, a long, shiny stretch limo pulled alongside the curb where Andre was begging. A deeply tinted window rolled down and a kindly looking man motioned for the kid to come over. Andre had heard of such invitations. Some friends of friends had disappeared after getting into such cars. But there was something different about this man. His words were not slick and polished. Andre could see he was not alone. Next to him sat a woman and next to her a girl...a clean, happy looking girl.

"My name is Mr. Koshenko. This is my wife, Irene, and this is my daughter, Anastasia. What is your name, son?" "Andre." "Andre, we have been looking for someone just like you. We can see that you are probably on your own, begging and doing whatever you must to stay alive. Are we correct?" "Yes." "Andre, we want you to become part of our family. I want to be your father, Irene wants to be your mother, and Anastasia wants you to be her brother."

At this point Andre takes a step back from the window, half expecting the door of the limo to open and a strong arm to grab him and force him into the back seat. He has been stupid enough to fall for such tricks before. Not this time. No way. But...there IS something different about this man...

"Andre, I know my words may seem like a cruel deception. But we ARE serious. We want you to leave your life on the street and come to live with us in our home...as a family. We will take care of all the paperwork with the authorities. We will provide for all you need. You will have new clothes, plenty of food, you will be safe, you will have our name...Andre Koshenko...and we will love you like you were born into our home."

"Will you come with us?"

The best stories about a new life Andre had ever heard, dreamy stories from his friends around the steam pipes late at night, could not begin to rival the stunning invitation he was hearing as he stood, mouth agape, on the cobblestones of this dingy Odessa street. Could it be true? Was someone preparing to rouse him to consciousness after a long night's sleep by the pipes? WHY would a fine looking family like this choose him...? No...it HAD to be a trap. They would kidnap him and sell him as a slave for the diamond mines! But as Andre reasoned back and forth, looking for mental footing in his swirling mind, he could not escape the dead earnestness of the family's eyes. Were those tears streaming down their cheeks? THEY REALLY MEAN IT! There was no escaping the love and compassion emanating from this kind, wealthy, and strange family.

What kind of power overcame Andre that afternoon to cause him to hazard all he knew and "trusted" in to put himself into the hands of the Koshenkos was to remain a mystery for some time. But one thing was for sure...from the moment he responded to Anatoliy's (Mr. Koshenko) invitation, life was never the same. He DID receive beautiful new clothes. He did eat to his stomach's content...and beyond. He did live in a home (above ground!) with his own room. His name was changed to Andre Koshenko. And best of all, he was a son and a brother...to people who WANTED him in their family. This castaway of a boy was now the new found treasure of the Koshenko family.

Funny thing though...some evenings at supper Andre would sit down to a bountiful meal only to notice that there was enough for everyone to have a full plate, but NOT enough for everyone to have seconds. And so, with the seconds in mind, Andre would eat like an old street buddy was waiting to snatch his food and head for the sea. Dad Anatoliy would then ask, "Andre, why are you eating so fast? It is bad for your digestion!" Embarrassed and not exactly knowing why, Andre would shrug his shoulders between fork-fulls of food. Dad and mom would pursue the issue, however. Eventually Andre would realize that it was his old street kid instincts that caused him to doubt that there would be another plentiful meal past the present one. So...cram it down while you can! At such times, and in the beginning weeks and months there were MANY such times, Andre's parents would assure him once again that he was indeed THEIR son and that all their wealth was now his. They had plenty and therefore HE had plenty. They confirmed their love to him and encouraged him to eat and speak and dress and think more and more like a Koshenko. He was NO LONGER Andre the destitute street kid, he was now - and would always be - Andre Koshenko, son of Anatoliy and Irene, and brother of Anastasia.

Brothers and sisters, this is a brief parable of our life in Christ. Who could believe at first hearing, the astounding invitation from the Father to come in from the streets of the world and the destitute life of sin and rebellion we knew, to become His sons and daughters? Who could believe that all this was offered to us simply because of the LOVE of the Father through the sacrifice of the Son? But by the irresistible grace of God the Spirit used the Father's gospel words of invitation to overcome all our doubts and fears and draw us to a willing YES to His family offer. Who could have imagined the riches that the Father would shower on us in Christ? And who has not STRUGGLED, day by day and week by week and year by year with the old ways of lost rebel sinner thinking and acting and speaking that was us BEFORE Christ. How often we grab for pleasure or stuff or glory because the remnants of the old life still exert their ugly heads. But how wonderful that the Father gently speaks to us through the Word to remind us that we are NOT WHO WE WERE. We ARE new creatures in Christ.

We will, the Lord willing, look at this process of putting off the old and putting on the new in Ephesians 4:17-32 in the days ahead.

For now, revel in the new life that is yours from the Father in the Son. Live up to who you are in Christ!

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 55 (Unity through Diversity - 10)

2009-06-09T06:52:00.002-05:00

HOW can our serving one another always be effective for the building up of the church?

"...Speaking the TRUTH in LOVE, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the Head, into Christ..." Ephesians 4:15

In this little phrase is captured the heart of all godly ministry in the church. Note:

We DO need to SPEAK to one another. Communication is necessary. Words are our most powerful and precise means of communicating. The great challenge is always WHAT KIND of words will I use? What is the environment of my heart as I say them?
We are to speak words of TRUTH. Does what I say accurately reflect "the faith" that we stand on, of which Christ is the cornerstone? Even our casual statements are reflections of what we believe. I once had a wise, experienced pastor share with me, after hearing me pray, that he knew what I believed and where I was spiritually after listening to me pray. I wasn't in a good place at that time and he could hear it as I tried to sound spiritual in my petitions. Am I HONEST with my brothers? Do others know I do not dwell in as rarefied a spiritual atmosphere as they think? Do I try to maintain the image, or do I share my needs, believing that I need the body of Christ? Am I willing to admonish my brother or offer correction as well as commend and encourage him? We need to KNOW TRUTH and BE TRUTHFUL in our relationships with one another. TRUTH is reality...God's reality. How desperately we need each other to reflect that reality when we are drifting in the personal fog of emotions or reeling from a disappointment or struggling with anger and bitterness. Sharing TRUTH helps us snap back into God's reality and His life and blessing. It calls us back from unbelief to faith.
We are to speak the truth always in LOVE. Love makes truth palatable. I am willing to hear hard things from someone who is sharing them for my good. If I know you care, I will care to hear what you know. As well, LOVE will say what needs to be said, even if it crashes the party of self-delusion that is going on in our brother or sister's mind. If all my "loving" communication consists of pats on the back, I am probably guilty of man-pleasing because of fear. There are times that we all need to hear truth that grabs us by the collar and pulls us near, where we can feel the warm breath of our passionate brother, and tells us, in the name of God, to stand up and be a man. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself, throw yourself on God!" Of course, there are times when we are just plain beaten down by life and the struggle with the flesh and we need someone to come alongside us and let us know we are not alone...that Christ is with us and so are they.

Truth in love. This is the way to serve one another so that our brothers and sisters can receive what we are trying to give. We are most often TRUTH heavy or LOVE heavy. Truth without love is hard to take because it comes like words on a stone tablet that is about to come down on my skull. Love without truth has no lifting, strengthening, reinforcing, hope-giving power. But speaking the truth in love is the perfect balance of help that comes in a way that can be embraced.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 54 (Unity through Diversity - 9)

2009-06-08T06:54:00.002-05:00

The GOAL of our gifted mutual ministry to one another is not only MATURITY, but the STABILITY of the church. Of course, they go together. Mature believers are very stable because they are grounded in "the faith" and because they KNOW Christ, the unchanging One, intimately.

"...So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes." Ephesians 4:14

Maturity is marked by increasing stability. Stability is characterized by a freedom from the influence of the shifting waves and winds of popular doctrine. There ARE men and women out there who claim to teach God's Word when it is really their latest effort to gather a crowd or publish another book. There are cunning, crafty, deceitful impostors out there. From those who find guarantees for physical healing and material wealth in every verse of the Bible to those who paint vivid, detailed pictures of the end times and post-rapture scenarios to those who endue their application of Scripture with equal authority TO Scripture, there have always been and will be to the end - teachers who seek followers and who gather the "children" of the church in their wake.

I remember being tossed around quite a bit as a new believer by a group who claimed to have special insights and prophecies from the Lord. They were recording these prophecies in a book so that the Lord's message could go out to His people as the end times unfolded. I did not have enough solid understanding of "the faith" from the Scriptures to take a doctrinal stand. The gentleman who uttered most of these prophecies was to be a great end times leader as the Lord's plan unfolded...but he died before any of it happened. It STILL hasn't happened. Why? It was NOT from the Lord.

Since that time I have learned, BY GOD'S GRACE, and by the ministry of gifted members of the body, that stability is found in, and only in, the Word of God. HIS WORD will not pass away (Matthew 24:35). His Word is truth (John 17:17). His Word is SUFFICIENT for all He calls us to believe and to do (2 Timothy 3:16,17). BUT, that Word must be understood rightly and handled carefully and confirmed by others who respect and handle it so.

ONLY by gaining a progressively broad and deep understanding of the Word of God can we form a GRID for discernment of what is true and false. Only by a strong systematic understanding of all the Bible teaches can we detect nuances of change that can have devastating impact down the road. And ONLY as the members of the body relate to one another is a truthful and truth-based way can we develop this strong grid of "the faith" so that we mature from childhood and gain a firm foothold in the truth.

If your brother is wrong in his understanding of God's truth, help him get it right! Do it in love and gentleness, but don't leave him in the dark or the shadows!

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 53 (Unity through Diversity - 8)

2009-06-07T15:54:00.002-05:00

What are the great GOALS of every member ministry in the church? We are told in Ephesians 4:13-14:

"...Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes."

The GOALS of every member ministry in the church are MATURITY and STABILITY.

MATURITY:

"Until we all attain to the unity of the faith..." "The faith" usually speaks of the OBJECTIVE beliefs of Christianity. What we believe is absolutely important to the health and unity of the body of Christ. We must share a belief in WHO our God is: Father, Son, and Spirit. We must share a belief in HOW we are saved: by God's grace, through Christ's perfect life and sufficient death, through faith alone. We must share a belief in what it means to be a Christian and to be a part of the body of Christ. We must share a belief that the Bible is the very Word of God, inspired and inerrant. And our ministry to one another must in part be to take EVERY MEMBER of the body towards understanding and sharing these foundational beliefs of "the faith." We cannot live and serve together unless we all attain unity in "the faith." All teaching from pulpit to coffee shop to foyer on Sundays is an aid to the entire body growing in the unity of the faith...as long as the teaching is biblical and Christ-centered.
"And of the knowledge of the Son of God..." Our ministry to one another is to help us know Jesus Christ better. "Knowledge" or "knowing" is a word that speaks of deep, personal, intimate knowledge of Christ. It is not enough for ANY member of the church to know Christ second-hand or to know ABOUT Christ or only to relate to Christ on Sundays. It is the goal of every member ministry that EVERY member know Christ more and more deeply and personally. This happens as we share our lives with one another. What is Christ doing in you? What is He teaching you in the Scriptures? What have you learned about HIM recently. As we share these things with one another and inquire about these things in each other's lives, we remind each other that THIS is what it is all about: knowing Jesus Christ. We SPUR one another on in the pursuit of Christ. One passionate brother for Christ can set quite a few fires in the hearts of others.
"To mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." This is true maturity: to be like Christ. How much like Christ? To the stature of His FULLNESS! To share His full-orbed character: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, faithfulness, self-control (Galatians 5:22,23). Our measure for maturity is NOT one another...ultimately. Certainly we can be spurred on to love by seeing a mature measure of it in another brother. But no one is the PERFECT LOVER like Jesus. No one has PERFECT joy like Christ. We choose pastors and elders based on their character (1Tim 3; Tit 1), but ultimately we are NOT trying to mature our church to be like the pastor. Jesus is the standard because He was PERFECT man and because He is the one we will be like forever in heaven. In the church we are aiming at the ULTIMATE goal. And the way towards that goal is the mutual ministry of every member. Live out love and joy and peace, point to Jesus as the source of love and joy and peace, challenge one another to show love and joy and peace, give one another HOPE that growing in love and joy and peace like Jesus is possible by the indwelling Spirit...do all these things as you serve one another...and we will move towards our goal of HIS maturity.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 52 (Unity through Diversity - 7)

2009-06-06T07:07:00.002-05:00

A wonderful OT picture of each member of the church being gifted and equipped for service is in the crafting and construction of the TABERNACLE (Exodus 31, etc.).

The tabernacle was to be the place of God's personal dwelling amongst His people. Over the ark and between the cherubim in the holy of holies was the shekinah glory of God. The tabernacle was to be constructed VERY specifically, according to God's instructions, so that He could be seen as who He is and worshipped in His required way.

Every part of the tabernacle had its divinely designed purpose: the color of the materials, the type of materials, the position of the furniture from outside to innermost, the dimensions of the rooms, what could be seen and what remained hidden, etc.

To craft each part of the tabernacle, God chose and anointed 2 men: Bezalel and Oholiab. Moses records that God "...called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work in every craft" (Exodus 31:2-5).

Bezalel and Oholiab and the other craftsmen they taught were like evangelists and pastor/teachers that equip the saints so that each one will be fitted to fulfill his or her purpose in God's living tabernacle, the church.

When EVERY saint is using his or her grace gifts, equipped by the equipping gifts that God has given the church, to serve God by serving His people...the church GROWS, the church is UNIFIED, and the church becomes the place God visibly dwells through the loving service of His people...with the result that He is WORSHIPED.

What a glorious plan...what a glorious church...what a glorious place each of us has as a living stone (1Peter 2:5) in the NT Tabernacle/Temple of the living God.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 51 (Unity through Diversity - 6)

2009-06-05T07:08:00.002-05:00

WHO is to do the work of ministry in the local church?

"...To equip the SAINTS for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ" Ephesians 4:12.

Evangelists and pastor/teachers are to EQUIP believers to do the ministry. The "Ministry" sounds like an exalted, specialty vocation. And it IS. But "ministry" is the Greek word "diakonia," from which we get "deacon." Its basic and usual meaning is just plain ole exalted SERVICE. It is the picture of Jesus putting on His apron and washing the disciples dirty feet.

When folks have introduced me as their "minister" I know they mean their vocational pastor/teacher/elder. But it is really a wrong designation. I am called and paid to equip, THEY are called to minister...to serve the body with their grace gifts. And this calling to minister to the body of Christ is NO SMALL CALLING. It is the high calling of EVERY SAINT, EVERY BELIEVER.

Like Jesus, we are called to put on the apron and grab the basin and wash feet. When we serve even the least...ESPECIALLY the least, we are yoked to our MASTER and are laboring together with Him.

We are CALLED to serve.
We are GIFTED to serve.
We are to be EQUIPPED to serve.
Our service is NEEDED.
We are NEEDY of the service of others.

Your church is healthy or sickly dependent on how faithfully the saints SERVE with their grace gifts. Are YOU using yours? Are you looking for others to equip in using theirs?

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 50 (Unity through Diversity - 5)

2009-06-04T06:25:00.002-05:00

In addition to the EQUIPPING gifts of Apostles and Prophets, the victorious Christ also gave EVANGELISTS and PASTOR/TEACHERS to refit the church for ministry.

EVANGELISTS are gifted with the divine ability to share the gospel and win others to Christ. But that is not all. Evangelists are also gifted to EQUIP others to evangelize. We can see this in the Billy Graham Association's evangelism training institutes, which have been around for a LONG time. Bill Bright and Campus Crusade is another prominent example of gifted evangelists and an entire worldwide training structure. A friend of mine, Ed Lacey, is also a fruitful evangelist in local churches around the world who trains others in biblical evangelism and provides materials for evangelism. We need MORE evangelists to be equipping everyday believers to fulfill this ministry.

Evangelists range in variety from the mass evangelism of a Franklin Graham or a Luis Palau to the one-on-one evangelism of those gifted in your local church. BOTH are needed and have a crucial place in church ministry. Both have gifts that are just as divine in their origin and operation. I would love to see more one-on-one type of evangelists to see their mission as coming along side other believers for training.

PASTOR-TEACHER is one two-sided gift. These are the men who shepherd local churches around the world, feeding believers through their faithful and systematic public and private teaching of the Word. Their shepherding and teaching is not just to feed, however. There is always to be an EQUIPPING flavor to their ministry. Pastor/Teachers are always looking for ways to prepare and fit their people for using their gifts.

In addition to evangelists and pastor/teachers being gifted to equip others for ministry, EVERY gifted believer can have some equipping impact on other believers. Others will have the same or similar gifts as you. You can share with them what you have learned. You can take them with you when you serve. You can give them constructive criticism as you observe them serve. You can give them opportunities to serve. You can encourage them. You can give them a good book that is helpful for training.

Some great venues for EQUIPPING in the local church:

Sunday morning CORPORATE WORSHIP: it takes place here as the Word is preached, as worship is lead, as prayer is offered, as greeters greet, as ushers ush, etc. WHENEVER we serve other believers, there is an element of example and training that happens. So...whatever service you offer, do it with excellence for Christ and the body.
Sunday School (we call it Life Training): These classes can be intentionally equipping in such areas as evangelism, teaching, leadership, counseling, etc.
Home Groups: these more intimate settings are perfect for giving folks opportunities to serve and use their gifts in ways that are not available on Sunday mornings. Give opportunities to teach, to share a devotional, to organize an outing, to lead a training on discipleship, to provide refreshments, to welcome the group as they arrive, etc.
One-on-one meetings: when men meet or women meet face to face for very specific purposes, IRON DOES SHARPEN IRON (Proverbs 27:17). Who could YOU be meeting with to help them in their growth in the use of their gifts for serving?
Retreats: these times for men, women, youth, etc. to get away can be great, intensive training times and should be used for this purpose.
Conferences: we send out folks to teaching, worship, and leadership conferences to further equip them for service. The fruit from these times has been noticeable.
ETC.: ANY time that we spend together as believers, especially older with younger and more experienced with less can be used to equip others for ministry.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 49 (Unity through Diversity - 4)

2009-06-03T06:10:00.002-05:00

The grace gifts that the Apostle Paul focuses on in Ephesians 4:11,12 are gifts given to the church for its EQUIPPING.

"And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry..."

Here we have 4 gifts that are specifically for the equipping of the saints for their work of ministry. EQUIP was used of refitting a ship or setting a broken bone. The idea seems to be that of getting something to a place where it can be useful again...where it can fulfill its intended purpose.

APOSTLES and PROPHETS were the two foundational gifts for the church. In Ephesians 2:20 we are told that the church is, "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone..." The apostles included the 12 and a few others such as Paul and Silas. Men such as Agabus (Acts 11:27), Barnabas and Simeon (Acts 13:1?) are specifically called PROPHETS in the NT. These two groups of men were used to give us the inspired Scriptures of the New Testament (in large part) and to pioneer the birth and early growth and maturity of the church. The foundation they gave to us is centered in every way on Christ.

Are there still APOSTLES, men who pioneer the birth and growth of the church on the rock of Scriptural revelation? NOT like those first apostles! The 12 and the few others named in the NT had a special call and authority from Christ Himself that was indeed foundational (Matthew 16:18,19). Are there gifts today that have a real apostolic function? We think there are, at least in terms of church planting, overseeing groups of churches, and taking the authoritative Word of Christ into pioneering situations.

Are there still PROPHETS today, men who speak the Word of God in an authoritative manner, sometimes a fresh revelation that focuses on God's will for particular churches and situations? NOT like the NT prophets! However, we do believe there are those men gifted to speak the ALREADY GIVEN and final Word of God to the church in a way that gives Christ's message in an authoritative way for particular situations and times. There is much discussion today about the GIFT of prophecy and even the ROLE of a prophet. These discussions seem to hinge on the issue of AUTHORITY. How do words of "prophecy" fit in with Scriptural revelation?

Whatever we believe regarding the continuity or discontinuity of apostles and prophets, we need to note that they WERE given to EQUIP the church for its service. And they were to equip the church with the WORD of CHRIST...HE alone is the cornerstone on which all rests and rises.

Tomorrow...EVANGELISTS and PASTORS and TEACHERS as EQUIPPERS.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 48 (Unity through Diversity - 3)

2009-06-02T06:33:00.003-05:00

Once you have discovered what your grace gifts are for serving in the body of Christ, HOW do you DEVELOP those gifts so that you can use them most effectively and fruitfully? Here are some suggestions:

Be open to being TRAINED BY OTHERS. There will probably be others in your church gifted with the same gift as you. Ask them to help you learn to use your gift more effectively. Watch them as they serve. Go with them when they serve. Have lunch with them and ask lots of questions. Ask them to work with you on a regular basis.

Who can you think of at present that has the same or a similar gift to yours?
Do you admire the excellence with which one of these serves? Who?
Would you ask them to help you learn to use YOUR gift more effectively?

DIG INTO THE WORD. A few examples:
i. If you have a gift of teaching, it is the BIBLE that you will be teaching. Learn it! Study it. Read it constantly. Learn how to communicate it to others.
ii. If you have a gift of encouragement, it is the BIBLE that you will use to encourage others. Do the same as above with the gift of teaching. Be sure to memorize lots of Scriptures that give hope and help for different needs.
iii. If your gift is leading, you need to know the BIBLE so that it is clear WHERE and HOW God would have you lead your home group or study or church. Study great leaders like Moses, David, Paul, and of course, JESUS!
iv. If your gift is faith, you will need to know the PROMISES OF GOD IN THE BIBLE to hold onto as you are persisting to trust God for a particular need. Faith finds its strength in the promises of the Word of God.

If you have identified a gift or gifts that God has given you, HOW can you develop them by using the Scriptures?

GROW in GRACE. As you grow in maturity, loving and trusting and obeying God, your character will develop in holiness and this personal holiness will cause your service using your gift to be even more effective.

Have you noticed a different impact when someone teaches who doesn’t really seem to care for his audience versus when someone teaches and obviously loves the audience?

TAKE OPPORTUNITIES TO SERVE.
i. The best way to develop a gift is by using it! Look for opportunities. Don’t just wait to be asked. Keep your eyes open for opportunities.

EVALUATE YOUR SERVICE.
ii. Stop to prayerfully evaluate your service after you serve. What could you have done better? How were your motives? What did you learn that will help you next time? What comments were made, whether positive or negative? What can you learn from them?

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 47 (Unity through Diversity - 2)

2009-06-01T07:32:00.002-05:00

How strong and unified our churches are when each member knows and uses the gifts for serving that Christ has given them. But HOW do believers DISCOVER what these gifts are?

Here are a few ways to discover one's grace gifts for serving the body of Christ:

SERVE. These gifts are gifts FOR service. When we serve, our gifts eventually show themselves because certain areas of our service are more noticeably effective and helpful to others. We don't need to know our gifts before we serve. Rather, it is IN serving that they are revealed and confirmed.
LISTEN. As we serve others they will be blessed and helped by our spiritual grace gifts. As other believers are helped they will be grateful to GOD and to US. When you hear that you have been especially helpful in a certain area of ministry REPEATEDLY, you are very likely hearing confirmation of a grace gift.
ASK. Ask your pastors and elders if they have observed or heard indications of grace gifts through your service. These men are serving where they are because they have maturity and wisdom and their confirmation is especially important and encouraging.
PRAY. Ask the Lord to make you aware of your grace gifts through your service in the church. Ask so that you can give more of your time to this area of service and so that you can seek further equipping in this area of service. But don't be afraid to ASK, because "you have not because you don't ask" James 4:2b.
DESIRE. Normally the grace gifts we have been given will agree with the desires we have for ministry. For example: those with a teaching gift desire to teach and are especially drawn to other teachers' ministry. Those with gifts of mercy or helps DESIRE to be of help and see situations where help is needed (often when others DON'T see the need), and so on. WHAT do you have a real desire to DO in the church? What do you get excited and passionate about doing? This will normally be an indication of a grace gift.
STUDY. Look into the Scriptures at the grace gifts listed in places like 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. Also, take advantage of one of many gift inventories available (you can look on the Internet and find numerous good inventories). These inventories are not "inspired" but they can be helpful in indicating grace gifts.

We WILL be accountable for the stewardship of our grace gifts in serving the body of Christ. KNOWING what those gifts are helps us to know where MORE of our focus should be in serving and in being equipped.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 46 (Unity through Diversity - 1)

2009-05-31T17:27:00.002-05:00

Wow. It's great when churches are experiencing the unity of the Spirit and the glue of harmony is holding things tightly together. Folks are treating one another like Jesus would and are focusing on their oneness in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is NOT to be taken for granted, because it does NOT exist everywhere. Where it DOES exist, there is great glory to God and to the Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus.

In Ephesians 4:7-16, the Apostle Paul teaches us more about the unity of the one family of God. Here he teaches us that the unity of the body is ALSO dependent on our DIVERSITY. Specifically, this diversity has to do with our GIFTEDNESS. There is a rich diversity in the body of Christ in regards to our Christ and Spirit given gifts for serving one another.

WHO is responsible for giving these gifts?

In this passage Paul emphasizes CHRIST as the victorious giver of all the gifts of the body.

"But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (In saying, 'He ascended,' what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? he who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.'"

Note that our gifts are gifts of GRACE. Grace is, of course, God's opposite-of-what-is-deserved favor. His rich provision for WHATEVER He calls us to. Grace takes many forms. When we say that our gifts for serving are GRACE GIFTS we are saying:

They are from God. He is the source of them all.
They are undeserved. We can never look (sanely) at our gifts or giftedness and think highly of ourselves. HE is the giver and the effect is HIS POWER at work. This gift and its effect is to HIS glory.
Their effective operation is dependent on our dependence on CHRIST, the GIVER.

Think of the diversity of gifts in YOUR church. There are those with gifts of teaching, of serving, of organizing, of leading, of showing mercy, of encouraging, of evangelizing, and many others. And then take any one of these gifts and ponder how many different ways that gift can be used to serve. For example, take the gift of SERVING or HELPS. One person serves older folks with passion. Another serves with abilities of carpentry. Another loves to serve with the little ones. Yet another loves to help the pastors with secretarial skills. What endless diversity!

Note also that grace gifts are given to EACH ONE OF US. No believer is without these gifts of grace from Christ. NO ONE is without this grace. We are all therefore divinely equipped to serve the church. Christ makes sure of that.

These gifts are also according to Christ's MEASURE. That is, CHRIST is the one who decides not only who gets what gifts but also to what extent that giftedness is given. So one person is an evangelist who wins folks one at a time once in a while. Another evangelist wins groups of people almost weekly. Who's the better or more blessed evangelist? BOTH are equally blessed in that BOTH are given grace gifts of different measures from the same CHRIST for the same purpose of making disciples. It's NOT, "I'm more blessed than the one with a "lesser" gift." But rather, "We have ALL been given what we did not deserve, divine abilities to serve the King in His Church."

Christ had authority to give this diversity of grace gifts because He DESCENDED to earth and was incarnated as MAN (who lived a perfect life for sinners), because He OFFERED Himself on the cross (as the perfect sacrifice for sinners' sin), and because He then was RESURRECTED and ASCENDED back to the Father (as the Victorious Eternal Son and Perfect Man). In that resurrection and ascension Christ overcame all His foes: sin, death, Satan, and therefore had the gifts of a conqueror's spoil to pour out on His church.

What are YOUR grace gifts for serving Christ in His church? Are you joyously using them?

Though they are freely given grace gifts from our Conquering Lord, we are ACCOUNTABLE for their use. We are stewards. Christ has given these gifts NOT for us primarily, but for the church. We will stand before our King in judgment for faithfulness one day. We will. I WANT to hear a good report from my Lord.

Next time, "HOW do we DISCOVER our grace gifts?"

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 45 (Focusing on our Oneness)

2009-05-30T13:49:00.002-05:00

We are able to maintain the unity of the church by treating one another with humility, patience, gentleness, etc. JUST LIKE JESUS WOULD. But the Apostle Paul also gives another great means to unity in Ephesians 4 in vv.4-6. In these verses he mentions a 7-fold oneness (a PERFECT oneness!) that we all share as believers:

"There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

We do indeed have many differences. But what we have in common in Christ is FAR GREATER. What differs about us is primarily TEMPORARY and will end when this age ends. But the foundation of oneness we share is ETERNAL and INFINITE: the Trinity of God; Father, Son, Spirit. WHICH will we focus on as we fellowship and serve together and work through difficulties together? To focus on our different tastes in worship music is to run the danger of destroying unity. To focus on the fact that our worship is to glorify our ONE GOD: Father, Son, and Spirit...that maintains unity.

You and I have the same LORD. He is Lord of all...period. We share ONE FAITH that focuses on HIM and on His truth. We are baptized in the name of the Trinity as followers of this one Lord.

We are indwelt by ONE SPIRIT. He is our life. He is HOLY and fills us to love one another. He has made us all members of this ONE BODY.

Our Father is the ONE TRUE GOD. He has called us to ONE HOPE: sharing all eternity with Him in His house. Man, oh man, oh man, oh man! This ONE FATHER is OVER ALL as Sovereign Lord. He is THROUGH ALL as the One working in all things. He is IN ALL as the sustaining life of all.

How many times have you heard a parent say (or have YOU said) to their children, "Come on, get along, you are in the same family!" Come on, brothers and sisters! We share the same Father, Lord, and life-giving Spirit. The INFINITE GOD lives in us and has chosen us to be part of His glorious forever-family. Let's get along!

This triune God who has called us to walk as fellow members of this family also ENABLES us to live towards one another as Christ would and to live and love based on the great oneness we share in Himself. We CAN walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called.

Let's focus on our INFINITE foundation of oneness and let this oneness move us through difficulties with one another to maintain the oneness of the body of Christ.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 44 (Treating One Another Like Christ Would-2)

2009-05-29T07:21:00.003-05:00

We will certainly maintain the unity of our church fellowship if we relate to one another with "all humility" and with "gentleness." Jesus ALWAYS related to others this way AND this same Jesus is IN US in the person of the Holy Spirit. That means He is present at all times to empower us to be progressively more humble and gentle.

But the Apostle Paul goes further in Ephesians 4:2. He also teaches that we should relate to one another with PATIENCE, with FORBEARANCE, and with LOVE.

PATIENCE is RESTRAINT in relationship to others. It is HANGING IN THERE with difficult people. Of course ALL OF US are difficult people to someone at sometime! Patient people are not EASILY OFFENDED. Their "offend-o-meter" is not tweaked to extreme sensitivity. Rather, they understand that we are all IN PROCESS, being made like Jesus, but NOT THERE yet. Think of the patience of Jesus in hanging in there with the 12! What a motley crew. The boisterous Peter. The passionate James and John. The pilfering Judas. The show-me-before-I-believe Thomas. Think of Jesus' patience with YOU!
BEARING with ONE ANOTHER is mutual tolerance, putting up with each other. It is closely related to patience. It is in the name of unity in Christ putting up with differences in convictions about raising kids, music selection, spending free time, sermons, etc.
LOVE. It all comes down to this. We are humble and gentle and patient and forbearing because we LOVE one another. Love is primarily a CHOICE and not an emotion. It SHOULD affect the emotions, but it should not start there...be birthed from there. Love seeks, even sacrificially, the good of my brother. It WILL NOT give up or give in or take off. It will keep on keeping on with whatever you and the community of Christ needs. It is an umbrella attribute of our Father and it comes to us and grows in us by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5; Galatians 5:22). Jesus' loved to the CROSS...and beyond.

Our churches will always be able to maintain the unity of the Spirit with the glue of harmony if we treat one another like Jesus...with "all humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love."

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 43 (Treating One Another Like Christ Would)

2009-05-28T06:49:00.002-05:00

In Ephesians 4, the Apostle Paul challenges us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling to be God's one, united church. He exhorts us to be EAGER to maintain the unity of the church through pursuing peace in our relationships. How are we to live this way?

"...With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love..." v.2

These 5 character qualities are the very character of CHRIST. We see them everywhere in the gospels and the rest of the NT as Jesus interacts with His disciples, with His enemies, and with the lost. Surely if we treat one another as Jesus would, with Jesus' character, we'll have no problem maintaining unity and harmony in our church!

"With all HUMILITY" - To be HUMBLE is to consider ourselves SMALL. It is to have a correct estimation of ourselves. At the same time, humility is to consider OTHERS of GREAT WORTH and VALUE and therefore to SERVE them. This was Jesus' attitude in His INCARNATION. "...Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a SERVANT..." Philippians 2:6,7. THAT is Jesus-type humility, and earlier the Apostle writes, "Have THIS MIND among yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus" Philippians 2:5. The only way to be truly humble in attitude and actions towards others is to KNOW that God is your Father, that you are His child, and that He is providing all you truly need and causing all things to work together for your good. See this in the life of Jesus in John 13:3ff.
"and GENTLENESS" - Gentleness and Meekness are synonyms. Gentleness is "power under control." To be gentle is NOT to be weak. Rather, it is to use one's power (physical and other) for the GOOD of others. Is to use one's strength to LIFT UP, not to PUT DOWN. Think of a big, burly dad gently holding his baby daughter or playing with her or wrestling with her. Power under control. Think also of Jesus, being blasphemed, beaten, and crucified but not utterly vaporizing His enemies with one command to thousands of angelic warriors. Rather, Jesus said, "Father, forgive them." Jesus loved His enemies.

We'll continue to look at these Jesus' qualities tomorrow, the Lord willing. But for now, it is a good thing and perhaps a difficult thing to ask ourselves,

Am I BIG and others SMALL? Do I look for others to serve me without moving toward them to serve first? Do I wear an apron as I look for others' feet to wash or do I scan the horizon for folks who are wearing aprons so I can get in their line?
Am I truly GENTLE? Am I like James and John, ready to call down fire from heaven on my enemies, those liberal elitists that are taking over...hmmmm. Or, like Jesus, am I ready to ask the Father to forgive those who deserve the opposite, JUST LIKE I DID...AND DO?

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 42 (The Pursuit of Peace)

2009-05-26T06:47:00.002-05:00

God has created the church with an inherent, organic unity through the Holy Spirit. We ARE one...by nature. GOD creates this unity and we are to MAINTAIN it. But HOW?

The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 4:3 that we are to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the church by PEACE. We are to be "...eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." PEACE is HARMONY in relationships. To be at peace with one another means we are getting along, being careful not to allow anything to come between us and dealing with anything that does quickly and thoroughly.

This is no small thing! Ideally the church is to filled with folks from many different backgrounds with different interests, different financial status', different cultural upbringings, etc. As we fellowship together with our still sin-influenced hearts, the desire to "have it my way" or the ease which we misunderstand or misjudge one another causes many mild to serious "rubs." RUBS can produce rawness in relationships if they are not covered by love or revealed and reconciled in love. But as we have seen, our calling to live as the one body of Christ is a call to deal with these "rubs" so that harmony can be restored.

Paul calls this peace a BOND. BOND speaks of what "binds together." We might say it is the SUPER GLUE of the body of Christ. Just as the parts of our bodies MUST remain intimately united and connected and interdependent for us to live and operate effectively, so we must pursue the glue of harmony with one another in order that the body of Christ, OUR CHURCHES, will remain united and robust with the Spirit's life.

The GLUE OF PEACE is something Paul says we must be EAGER to maintain. EAGER means to be diligent, earnest, to make every effort for. I remember a professor who paraphrased this word as "bust the gut." We must bust our guts to stay at peace with one another. This convicts and sobers me. When I think of how cavalier I have been about problems in my relationships and how easy it has been in the church to walk away from a brother's friendship when the RUB became too coarse, I shudder. I have...we have...made it too easy to bailout when interpersonal problems raise their ugly heads.

Perhaps there is someone you need...I need...to go back to and by faith bust the gut to purse the glue of peace.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 41 (A Unity that Already Exists)

2009-05-25T06:18:00.005-05:00

In Ephesians we hear God calling us to live up to the calling of being His one family, the body of Christ. In 4:3 we are told, as members of this body, that we should be "...eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." It is important to note here that the UNITY of the church ALREADY EXISTS. We are not called to CREATE unity, but to MAINTAIN unity. WHO DID create that unity?

Perhaps the most important verse in the NT in this regard is 1 Corinthians 12:13...

"For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and all were made to drink of one Spirit."

When we repented of our sin and trusted in Christ, His Holy Spirit BAPTIZED us (placed us into, made us a part) of the body of Christ. Like the blood that unites all the parts of our body together with life-giving oxygen and food, so the Spirit of God ORGANICALLY unites all believers into ONE BODY. He is our life. Our unity, therefore, is because of something far greater than all human efforts to "visualize" or make peace. Our unity is the result of the sovereign work of the Spirit. Our "badge" of membership is the Holy Spirit.

Unity therefore, is something INHERENT to the church. We are called to understand this and then to live in such a way as to maintain it. I have heard it said in certain divisive situations in churches that "We failed to create any unity." This is a misunderstanding that works against unity. When there is DIS-unity, then we must first teach the unity that ALREADY EXISTS in Christ's true church. Then we must seek to restore this unity to RELATIONSHIPS by reconciliation, and then to give ourselves to what this text teaches will MAINTAIN that unity (we'll look at these things in the coming days).

God is VERY SERIOUS about the unity of the church. When there is disunity, we have not failed to create unity, rather we have DESTROYED unity. And the warnings against destroying the church's unity are sobering. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, who were dividing the church into cliques that followed certain teachers, "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple" 1 Corinthians 3:16,17.

This is no idle threat. To see this we only need to look at Paul's words to this same church in chapter 11:30: folks were causing a fracturing within the church over how they ate the Lord's Supper. Because of this some were ill and some had died.

The church is precious to God. It was purchased with His own blood (Acts 20:28). In order for it to survive as a body, it must have an organic unity that allows all the parts to operate and support one another AND to remain attached to the HEAD.

"Oh, awesome Lord, grant us a love for our brothers and a desire to maintain the unity You have sovereignly built into your church. Then we will know your pleasure and blessing and share your joy."

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 40 (NT Style Motivation)

2009-05-24T18:46:00.002-05:00

How does Christ motivate His people to obedience?

There is a world of difference between angrily exhorting people to be what they are NOT and CALLING folks to be what they ARE.

For example, a pastor could say to the congregation, "God commands us to be His witnesses. We are doing a poor job at sharing the gospel. Why aren't you witnessing more? When will you start being more faithful to evangelize?" On the other hand, he could say, "Jesus said that we ARE salt of the earth and the light of the world. Let's realize that and be who we are! Let's step up to the plate as we interact with folks this week. Let's be the influences that Christ and His Spirit have made us."

Which would motivate you more? I had a wise professor who once said, "You cannot coerce spirituality." You can't badger or berate or verbally or emotionally abuse believers into Spirit-filled obedience to Jesus Christ. Trying to beat folks into obedience ONLY produces legalistic, man-centered and self-dependent religion. There is no joy, no power, no glory to Christ.

However, I would say that New Testament motivation is the second kind. NT motivation is to CALL US TO BE WHAT WE ARE. It calls us to LIVE UP to what God has done for us and in us in Christ. This is the kind of motivation we find in Ephesians. THIS IS WHO YOU ARE IN CHRIST, Chapters 1-3, and then LIVE IT OUT!, Chapters 4-6.

There is DEATH to FAITH and EFFORT when we think we have to become something that we are not and to become so by our own power. There is LIFE and POWER for obedience when we begin to understand WHO WE ARE in our Lord Jesus Christ and what HE PROVIDES for obedience.

Focus today on what your Lord has done and who you are in Him. Believe that you ARE chosen, predestined, redeemed, indwelt by the Spirit, secure, and forever a part of God's glorious inheritance. Believe His unfathomable love for you in Christ. Believe it. Breathe deeply of the fresh and invigorating air of grace. Let the daily and eternal hope of His calling birth in you a fresh faith and a springy obedience...with joy.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 39 (Learning to Live with Others)

2009-05-23T08:32:00.003-05:00

God has called us to a public, corporate life in the Church, the Body of Christ. WE are God's family and there are NO healthy LONERS in that body. When we bow the knee to Christ as Lord and Savior we not only get Jesus, we also get His body. We BECOME part of His body. We CANNOT thrive spiritually without the other parts of the body and they cannot thrive without us. We are linked organically and our life depends utterly on Christ, and secondarily on each other.

But some of us DO NOT come into this new life with a background of knowing how to love and live and communicate with others. All of us have to LEARN to live with each other in an understanding way and with a service mentality, but SOME of us come into the Body of Christ so far back that it is a long, painful process learning to live with and for others.

An example of this came to my attention recently during a lunch conversation with some other area pastors. One pastor was a Vietnam vet and before Christ was a loner with a capital "L." He was SO MUCH of a loner that when he married his wife, for the first two weeks he said "Good morning" to her in the morning and then "Goodnight" at bedtime...nothing else. After two weeks of this "nothing-in-between" life as a newlywed, she asked him if something was wrong. He wondered what she meant. She shared with him that he spoke to her in the morning and at night and nothing else. What was wrong? Believe it or not, he was puzzled as to WHY she thought something was wrong. Why did he not speak to her during the rest of the day? "I didn't have anything to say." Learning to live and communicate with a wife (and others!) has been a long, painful process for this brother. But do you know what? God has brought this brother and his wife many miles of growth from those silent days as newlyweds. Today he communicates very well and is deeply loved by the people of his church. Wow.

Some of us are the same. We came into Christ as loners, our lives and our tongues all tied up within ourselves. But our calling is outward. We DO NOT have to become extroverts or the life of the fellowship. But we DO have to learn to open up to others and to seek out others. We are called to the corporate, other-centered life of the church. And God WILL SEE TO IT that we grow towards this body-life life. He IS currently doing that in all of us. Let us cooperate. Let us CRY to Him to keep doing His good work in us.

And if you seem to have started MILES BEHIND in this corporate life of open communication...don't worry, God is THE expert at freeing us from ourselves to the truly FREE life of loving others.

An old saying, "The world's smallest package is a man tied up within himself."

In Christ: Know It, Live It: 38 (Our Calling)

2009-05-22T07:32:00.002-05:00

"...Walk worthy of the calling to which you have been called" Ephesians 4:1

What is this CALLING? To find out, of course, we must consider the preceding context of Ephesians 1-3. What the Apostle Paul has previously written is that by God's grace in Christ He has made us alive and blessed us with every spiritual blessing AS HIS ONE FAMILY and BODY in Christ. The people of God are no longer Jew and Gentile or outsiders and insiders but rather the ONE redeemed people of God (see 1:22,23; 2:11-22; 3:6-10).

THEREFORE, we are to walk or live our lives together AS THIS ONE BODY, this ONE FAMILY. God has called us to a clear and unmistakably CORPORATE life. Our calling is US, not ME or even a smaller nuclear-family WE. God's calling for our lives is about OTHERS. But not just ALL or ANY others, but the OTHERS of the Body of Christ. This does NOT mean, of course, that we have no calling involving those outside of the Body of Christ. The GREAT COMMISSION and GREAT COMMANDMENT make it clear the WORLD is on God's heart and should be on ours. But closest to God's heart is His chosen, redeemed inheritance...you and me, those of us who are IN CHRIST.

It is a great exercise to take some time and THINK about the implications of this calling. We will explore what Paul says in Ephesians 4-6 about walking worthy of this CORPORATE calling. But why not take some time to think what it means that THE CHURCH is at the CENTER of your calling as a child of God.

The IMPORTANCE of living worthy of this calling is emphasized by Paul in a couple of interesting ways:

He gives his command or exhortation in v.1 prefaced with "I therefore, a PRISONER for the Lord..." He has previously mentioned his prisoner status in 3:1. Why introduce his command to walk worthy with this statement? It would seem that Paul is emphasizing the fact that the gospel of God choosing men and women from Jews and Gentiles to be His ONE inheritance and church IS SO CENTRAL and IMPORTANT that Paul has been willing to risk his life for it. He is SUFFERING for this ONE BODY (3:13). "Listen to me! I have given my life for this. This is at the HEART of God's program. I am suffering imprisonment and facing DEATH for this grand truth. YOU ALSO should live your lives for this body, the CHURCH." I remember in 1976 attending a huge Jesus Rally in N.C. that lasted a long weekend. One of the most well-known speakers that weekend was Corrie Tenboom (now deceased) of The Hiding Place fame. We all knew that Miss Tenboom had suffered tremendously in Nazi internment and risked her life to hide Jews from Hitlers genocide. With such a resume of suffering, we ALL listened to what she had to say with silence and respect and great focus. It seems Paul is appealing here in Ephesians 4:1 to his prisoner for Christ status to emphasize the importance of his words - "Listen to this prisoner..."
A second thing Paul does here is to use the word "urge." "I therefore...URGE you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling..." This word is translated in some translations as "I BEG of you..." It might have the force of a platoon leader giving final instructions to a private who is being sent out on a dangerous mission. He takes the man by the shoulders and pulls him close and looks him right in the eyes and speaks to him with a passion that has to be listened to with every bit of focus in the private's being. In other words, Paul is saying, THIS IS IMPORTANT. THIS IS CENTRAL. DON'T MISS IT. IT IS YOUR CALLING IN LIFE. LIVE UP TO IT.

Brothers and sisters, we have been called by God to live a Church-conscious, Church-building, Church-loving, for-the-Church-sacrificing life. Let us not take this calling lightly. Paul will tell us more specifically HOW to do this in the verses following.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 37 (The MOTIVE for the Worthy Walk)

2009-05-21T07:50:00.004-05:00

Ephesians 3:20-21 is the immediately preceding context for 4:1, where the Apostle Paul exhorts us to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which we have been called." These closing words of Paul's magnificent prayer of 3:14-21 tell us:

That there is exceedingly abundant POWER for walking the worthy walk that God has called us to. Once again we see here that what God calls us to He equips and empowers us for. Hallelujah. See yesterday's blog for more.
Secondly, this immediate context from Paul's prayer tells us the MOTIVE we are to have for walking the worthy walk. What is this motive? We are to live our lives so that to HIM will be "...glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations..." 3:21. The ultimate motive for all we do is THE GLORY OF GOD (see 1 Corinthians 10:31). We can think we are living for God's fame and for Christ's fame when it is OUR FAME we are living for. We can think we are living for God's fame and glory when we are just trying to MAKE SURE we have a place in heaven when we die. We can be committed to discipleship so that we LOOK LIKE a disciple to others. There is a high value placed on commitment in the church, and well there should be. But it is easy, with our still sin-marred hearts, to conform to the church's expectations instead of Christ's. WHO AM I LIVING FOR? Does the love and grace of my Father move me to LIFESTYLE LOVE in return? Is my life a continual "THANK YOU, LORD!" and "WHAT A GREAT GOD IS MY GOD!"?

When we are motivated by the desire that God would be seen as great instead of ourselves we are more and more set free to the joyful and bold obedience that DOES indeed lead to Christ receiving glory in the church.

I once heard of a prayer that a former president of my college prayed, "Lord, give me a heart at leisure from itself." I have never forgotten that prayer and have never stopped praying it for myself and others. A heart at leisure from itself: from concern about what others think, from concern about itself, BECAUSE it knows the Father has taken care of my past, present, and future in Christ.

Lord, give us a heart at leisure from itself and passionately taken up with Christ. Sola Deo Gloria.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 36 (Power and Motivation for the Worthy Walk)

2009-05-20T07:12:00.004-05:00

As the Apostle Paul begins to focus on DOING and LIVING OUT the doctrine of "In Christ" in chapters 1-3 of Ephesians, we must not miss the immediate context of "walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called" in 4:1. When he writes "walk" of course, he is referring to our LIFESTYLE. 2:1 tells us that our lifestyle BEFORE Christ was "trespasses and sins." 2:10 tells us that because of the astounding grace of God in Christ we are His masterpieces created "for good works." What are these good works? What is this new lifestyle in Christ? It is the SAME lifestyle that he refers to as the "worthy walk" in 4:1.

But before we think about this worthy walk, let's think about the 2 verses immediately preceding 4:1. Any particular verse or verses, of course, can and often do have an important bearing on what comes both BEFORE and AFTER them. In this case 3:20-21 is VERY IMPORTANT when considering the worthy walk of 4:1 and following. That is, 3:20-21 tell us both HOW we can walk this worthy walk and WHY we should walk this worthy walk.

HOW can we walk this worthy walk, this new lifestyle in Christ to which we have been called? Here's how: Through "...Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think according to the power at work within us..." (20). We have not been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ only to KNOW that and then TRY to live the Christian life on our own! We have this great standing as God's sons and daughters in Christ, we were made alive when we were spiritually dead in Christ, we are God's new creations in Christ...AND we are to walk worthy of God's calling BY and IN Christ and BY and IN God's power. How much power is available for this worthy walk? Far more abundant than all you can ask or think. I can think of what seem to me to be some BIG prayers for power: overcoming anger, agitation with my kids, being pure in thoughts and with the look of my eyes, loving those very unlike me and who hold different convictions, doing all I do with joy and for the glory of God, being minded in every contact with the lost to speak and act for their eternal good, etc. But God ASSURES me that not only can He do MORE than this, HE can do FAR more. And not only FAR more, but FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY. Well then, I suppose God is going to do a new thing and bring into my life some experience that will raise me up to the penthouse of spiritual power? NO! This far more abundant power is "according to the power at work within us." That is, brothers and sisters, the HOLY SPIRIT who is NOW within us is the power through WHOM God means to do the far more abundantly... And note, He IS at work within us. It is not that He WILL begin that amazing work of power at some future date; He IS NOW doing that work. One of our great problems CAN be that we look for too many lightning flashes in God's work in our lives. However, the TYPICAL way that God works is to do His deep, radical changes in us OVER TIME and GRADUALLY. So, we wake up one morning and find out we are more patient, more loving, having more compassionate reactions to unlikable folks, etc. But this "sudden change" is really the result of a long process over time. All gradual change has periods when that change becomes visible. However, the change did not begin WHEN we noticed, but was happening regularly over a lengthy period. We need to leave off LOOKING so much for the sudden change and instead BELIEVE that God is doing in us FAR MORE ABUNDANTLY through His Spirit that transformation which makes us more and more worthy walkers.

We will continue, the Lord willing, with these thoughts tomorrow.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 35 (Know, Love, Do - 2)

2009-05-19T07:56:00.003-05:00

We are meant to live a balanced life of KNOWING DOCTRINE and DOING DOCTRINE: knowing the truth and obeying the truth, doctrine and devotion. But HOW does doctrine become God-pleasing, joyful doing? How do we experience the life of following Jesus that He said is "...easy...and light" (Matthew 11:30)?

Jonathan Edwards used a picture to explain this process. He used the analogy of wood and a fireplace. If wood is doctrine, what is the spark, the fire, that causes the wood (doctrine) to be set ablaze so that it is useful for giving off warmth, light, and being used for cooking, etc.? That is, what turns doctrine into something active and useful...into passionate obedience? The answer, according to Edwards, is the work of the Holy Spirit igniting the heart with LOVE for the WORD OF GOD, for GOD through the WORD.

The Spirit of God takes the Word of God and makes it exceedingly precious to our hearts. So precious that we cry out like the Psalmist, "Oh, how I love Your law. It is my meditation all the day" Psalm 119:97. When doctrine is set ablaze by the Spirit like this, obedience is the NECESSARY expression of the love for God and His truth that fills our hearts. But how does the Spirit set on fire biblical truth in our hearts? I would mention 2 things:

Note the words of the Pslamist in the verse above..."...It is MY MEDITATION all the day." It is as we think deeply and often on the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit does this igniting work in our hearts. To meditate is to CHEW MENTALLY on the Scriptures, interacting with God over His Word with questions and praise and thanks and hard mental effort. "Father, what does this mean? Father, thank You for....! Father, help me to follow Paul's train of thought here. Father, how do I put this into practice in MY marriage? Father, HOW could it be that you would love me like this?" and so on.
This meditation and soul-supping on the Word must be with the intention of OBEYING what our Father says. The way to joyful, soul-blazing love for the Word of God is NOT to wait to OBEY until there is this passion for God and His truth, but to OBEY because it is the right thing and because it is the CHANNEL through which the Spirit brings ignition.

Meditate deeply, interacting with God over His Word throughout the day, and interact with a desire to obey, and ASK the Spirit of God to ignite your heart for the Word and the God of the Word, and HE WILL be faithful to set the wood of doctrine on fire in the hearth of your heart so that your obedience is the expression of genuine joy.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 34 (Know, LOVE, Do)

2009-05-18T06:09:00.002-05:00

At Chapter 4 verse 1 of Ephesians there is a distinct change in emphasis in the Apostle Paul's writing. In the first three chapters he has been focused on DOCTRINE - on KNOWING certain facts about what God has done for believers by grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. At 4:1, however, the emphasis shifts to DOING - on living out the implications of the truth of chapters 1-3.

If it came down to choosing one over the other, would you choose KNOWING or DOING? The same kind of question might be asked of passengers on an airline flight, preparing for take off..."Good morning, folks, this is your captain speaking. Before we take off this morning we'd like to take an informal poll...Would you prefer the LEFT wing or the RIGHT wing to remain on the aircraft for your flight today?" Of course the only sane answer would be BOTH! The same saneness is demanded to a hypothetical question regarding KNOWING or DOING? BOTH!

To change the metaphor slightly, if we only KNOW but do not put that knowing into DOING, we would be like a jet that never leaves the runway...sitting as monument to hypocrisy. On the other hand, if we try to be DOING the Christian life without also KNOWING the WHAT, WHY and WHO of it, we will eventually spiral out of control into a fiery moral crash.

Another picture of this might found in the building of a house. Suppose a work crew showed up at the building site of your new home, supplied with fresh, accurate, beautifully packaged BLUE PRINTS and then promptly sat down for the entire work day only to read and mull over the prints? You'd be incensed. What are the blue prints for?! They are to guide BUILDING! On the other hand, suppose a crew shows up to the work site with NO blue prints but each worker with a different idea of what the house ought to look like and how to go about building it? They have no idea what you, the owner, wants...they are just zealous to build and want to get on with it. THAT might end up a very interesting house, but not one you'd want to live in and certainly not one that would match YOUR PLANS.

God created us to KNOW the truth and to LIVE OUT the truth. That fact is reflected strongly in letters like Ephesians, where DOCTRINE is carefully laid out as a FOUNDATION for DOING. The only BALANCED Christian life is one with BOTH WINGS, Knowing and Doing, an equal part of every day life. The BALANCED Christian life is one where the Blue Prints of the Word are constantly consulted so that there can be BUILDING of a life that is pleasing to God...and useful.

As you read the Scriptures in your devotions or as you listened to a sermon from the Word yesterday (Sunday), did you listen not only to KNOW what God had to say, but also to be equipped to DO what He says? Has there been APPLICATION of the Word? Wow, I am SO OFTEN guilty of listening without the intention of DOING. Lord, have mercy on me and make me more and more the man James speaks of in James 1:25:

"But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing."

10 Scriptural Reasons You Can Change - 10

2009-05-16T20:53:00.002-05:00

Reason why God says you can CHANGE #10:

"The Glory of God"

God is passionate that His glory be known. God's glory is the majestic shining forth of His greatness. His person is infinite in perfection and His works are perfect in their purpose and results. God has sovereignly chosen that all His plans and works will accomplish the ultimate shining forth of His greatness throughout eternity.

God chose us to be holy and blameless before Him and to be adopted as His children through Christ "to the praise of His glorious grace" Ephesians 1:6.

Our sanctification or progressive CHANGE into the likeness of the Lord Jesus Christ is ultimately for the purpose of displaying God's GLORY. Our CHANGE shows how GREAT God's GRACE is. Our CHANGE shows how great God's PATIENCE is. Our CHANGE shows how great God's SOVEREIGNTY is. Our CHANGE shows how great God's CHARACTER is. God WILL have His greatness known and a great part of that display is OUR CHANGE into the likeness of His Son.

THEREFORE, we can take heart and hope and gain confidence that we both CAN and WILL CHANGE to be like Jesus, regardless of our past, present, or future, because that change is ultimately for the display of God's GLORY.

May we all continue to CHANGE daily for the Glory of our Great God.

10 Scriptural Reasons You Can Change - 9

2009-05-15T08:05:00.002-05:00

Reason why God says you can CHANGE #9:

"Hope"

The PROMISES God has given us for CHANGE give a buoyant HOPE that keeps us pressing into change when we would otherwise give up. The moment we begin to focus on ourselves and either our slowness to change and constant failure OR our occasional successes OR our supposed part in our spiritual success, we are on the slippery slope towards discouragement and despair. Our HOPE must be in our never-changing, always-changing-us God.

Talk about PROMISES!:

"...He who began a good work in you WILL BRING IT TO COMPLETION at the day of Christ Jesus" Philippians 1:6
"...Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who IS AT WORK IN YOU, both to will and to work for His good pleasure" Philippians 2:12,13
"Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, He who calls you is faithful; HE WILL SURELY DO IT" 1 Thessalonians 5:23,24

If you are STANDING on the PROMISES you will also be MOVING TOWARDS CHANGE.

The HOPE of our DESTINY also produces energy and godly motivation for change. BECAUSE we are safe in His hands, we can focus NOT on trying to hold onto a shaky salvation but rather on living out that salvation in ever greater maturity. No one steps out in faith to grow in new ways when they FEAR that God may not be with them. But He is...HE IS! "I will NEVER leave you, and I will NEVER forsake you" Hebrews 13:5. "No one can snatch (you) out of the Father's hand" John 10:29.

The story is told that when the Golden Gate Bridge was being built a significant number of men were falling to their deaths during work. The effect of this lack of safety was an increasing slow down in work production. That slow down did not change UNTIL someone came up with the idea of installing large SAFETY NETS beneath the structure. If a workman fell, he would fall INTO the net, not to his death. Needless to say, work sped up rapidly. Why? They could do the risky work IN SAFETY.

Brothers and sisters, GROWTH and CHANGE is RISKY. It takes FAITH. It takes leaning forward into new and often scary territory. But we can take steps of faith directly INTO CHANGE with confidence because our sovereign, omnipotent God is our safety net. In seeking to change, I increase the likelihood of failure in my life. REFUSE to change, and life becomes nothing but failure.

We can move boldly in the direction of change and growth because of the HOPE of God's PROMISES and our secure DESTINY.

10 Scriptural Reasons You Can Change - 8

2009-05-14T16:58:00.003-05:00

Reason why God says we can CHANGE #8:

"God has given us a CHANGE PROCESS for TRANSFORMATION."

" You were taught in (Christ), as the truth is in Jesus, to PUT OFF your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life, and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to PUT ON the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness." Ephesians 4:21-24

Even with all the glorious helps God has given us for CHANGE we STILL need to understand His basic PROCESS for change. We do not change by CHANCE, nor do we change without real INTENTION to change. What is this process for change?

The attitudes, actions, and speech of our FORMER LIFE are to be PUT OFF. In other places Scripture calls this "putting to death the deeds of our flesh" (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5). We HAVE DIED with Christ (Galatians 2:20; Romans 6:6) in that the PENALTY of sin has been paid and the POWER of sin to rule us has been broken. But there remains sin at work as a force in our lives and HABITS remaining from our life before Christ. We are told that these must be PUT OFF, put out of our lives, and amputated from our lifestyle. And so, as vv.25-32 of Ephesians 4 illustrates, we are to stop lying, to be angry without sinning, to steal no more, and not to let any rotten words come out of our mouths. However, PUTTING OFF alone is NOT enough. If you put something sinful out of your life without REPLACING IT, it won't stay away long!
And so, between PUTTING OFF and PUTTING ON there needs to be a RENEWING OF OUR MINDS that takes place (v.23). We must be learning of God's new and holy ways. We must be learning what our Father and His Son are like and therefore what being like Him requires in daily living. By meditation in the Word of God and by the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit our minds are RENEWED by God's truth (John 17:17; 2 Corinthians 3:17,18) so that we think more and more naturally God's thoughts after Him. We begin to know His will in more and more areas and situations of life. What a glorious day it is when instead of responding to an insult in anger and insult we immediately turn in trust to God to be our Shield and we let HIM take revenge. What a day it is when instead of wishing harm on our enemy we have compassionate thoughts and pray for his salvation. How do these days come? NOT by trying to live by some external list but by INTERNALIZING the Word of God, allowing it to RICHLY DWELL within us, and therefore allowing the Spirit of God to transform our very souls, the core of our being, our MINDS!
This renewing of the mind, then, makes possible not only the PUTTING OFF of the habits and sin of our former life, but the PUTTING ON of new, godly habits of life. And so, as Paul again illustrates in vv.25-32, we don't lie but we tell the truth, we don't sin in our anger but take our anger to God and respond in self control, compassion, and kindness, we don't steal but instead give generously, and we don't speak garbage but instead speak gracious truth in love! And these kinds of godly habits more and more flow out of an increasingly godly heart and mind.

This PROCESS of CHANGE is God's good gift to us. It is for the beginner and for the mature saint equally. The old must be PUT OFF before we can PUT ON the new. And our very soul and mind must be transformed as well as our speech and actions.

Let us be clear on this PROCESS and daily PUT OFF, BE RENEWED, and PUT ON the new life that is ours in Christ.

10 Scriptural Reasons You Can Change - 7

2009-05-13T07:04:00.002-05:00

Reason why God says you can CHANGE #7:

"God has given us the BLANK CHECK of PRAYER."

"Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives and he who seeks finds and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" Matthew 7:7,8

If being BORN AGAIN, being indwelt by the Holy Spirit, having Christ intercede for us in Heaven, having God sovereignly control all things for our transformation into Christ's likeness, having the Bible to teach us and renew us, and being part of the community of the being made new, the Church, WASN'T ENOUGH to effect real and lasting change in our lives REGARDLESS of our past, present, or future...

God has given us the breath-taking promise that IF WE ASK, He, the sovereign, all powerful Lord of the universe, WILL ANSWER! What a CHANGE AGENT is PRAYER! We cannot change ourselves...but we CAN pray. We cannot change others, but we CAN pray. We cannot overcome memories from the past that we just can't seem to put away, but we CAN pray. We cannot rise up in hope and joy each day in such an uncertain world that SEEMS to be controlled by those who do not share our worldview...God's worldview...but we CAN pray.

And when we DO pray...God promises to answer...and HE CAN do all the things we cannot and He can do them exceedingly abundantly above ALL that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20,21).

What are YOU praying for in regards to your spiritual GROWTH? How are you praying for your spouse and children to CHANGE?

As we pray, there are some important points to be reminded of:

KEEP ON praying. This is the tense of the ask, seek, knock in Matthew 7. How soon we give up! Make up your mind that you will ask God to change your life daily and you will not stop. This shows you are serious and that you really DO believe He means what He promises. MANY of our unanswered prayers are simply prayers that we stopped praying.
Pray ACCORDING TO GOD'S WILL. 1 John 5:14. If you want a REAL encouragement to keep praying, dig into the Word of God and see what God wants you to pray and then KNOW that He ALWAYS answers the prayer that agrees with His will. God WILL answer: "Lord, give me a heart of love and compassion for my neighbors" because it is His will expressed in Mark 12:31. God WILL answer "Lord, fill me with your Spirit as I serve my brothers and sisters in corporate worship today" because it is His will expressed in Luke 11:13 and 1 Corinthians 12:7. Will God answer "Lord, make this LOTTO card be a winner!"? Better look long and hard into the Word for that one!
TAKE care of SIN in your life before you expect answered prayer. David is very clear on this in Psalm 66:18, "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." This prayer-hindering sin may include: selfish motives (James 4:3); a broken relationship with my brother (Matthew 5:23,24); not praying according to God's will (1 John 5:14); unforgiveness (Matthew 6:14,15); or loving the world (1 John 2:15-17; James 4:4). It is a good thing to evaluate my heart and to ask the Lord to show me any sin that may be a ceiling to my prayers.
ASK OTHERS to PRAY along with you (Colossians 4:2-4). How powerful is united prayer...wow!

When I was in college, one day I came back to my dorm room between classes and while there I got down on my knees, and with no one around, began to verbally pour out my heart to the Lord in prayer. It was probably a pretty passionate time and it lasted for a while. After I finished praying, I eventually started to leave the room...BUT...for some reason I went back to my stand up closet and opened it before I left. To my GREAT surprise and consternation (?), my roommate was sitting there on the closet floor looking like...well, like he SHOULD have looked. He had heard me coming into the room and wanted to hide and scare the pants off me. What better place than the closet? The only problem was, I started to pray before the right SCARE moment presented itself. Poor Bill. He had to sit there for quite a while and didn't dare make things worse by interrupting my prayer time. After that time, BILL KNEW a lot about my prayer life! He knew the kinds of things I prayed for...HOW I prayed, etc.

Brothers and sisters...if someone were to be able to look into your prayer closet without your knowing it, WHAT WOULD THEY HEAR? Would they hear you taking advantage of God's astounding promises to answer the prayers of His people for CHANGE?

May it more and more be so for us as we ask, seek, and knock to the One who CAN.

10 Scriptural Reasons You Can Change - 6

2009-05-12T07:26:00.002-05:00

Reason God says you can CHANGE #6:

"God has put us into the CHURCH, the FAMILY of the CHANGING."

We don't change alone. Besides the ceaseless activity of the Trinity for our change, we are part of the most dynamically changing family on earth - the CHURCH. Consider:

"To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good" 1 Corinthians 12:7
"...Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love" Ephesians 4:15-16
"...Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near" Hebrews 10:24-25
"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another" Proverbs 27:17

Just as our Father in Heaven is determined to make us like Jesus, so we should be with one another. When you are about to meet with another brother or sister for lunch or coffee, do you ask the Lord to help you help THEM to grow? We have the ability to help our brother grow through the indwelling Spirit and His gifts and through the Word dwelling richly within us.

I shudder to think where I would be if it were not for the encouragement, rebuke, correction, wise counsel, and empathetic love of brothers and sisters throughout the years of my Christian journey. A sister who confessed her bitterness towards me that was provoked by my joking about her husband; a public school teacher who encouraged me as a teacher of the Word one summer; a brother who was willing to speak the truth in love about my self-absorption in conversation with others; a fellow elder who shared that he felt I did not really love the sheep in our church; a brother who corrected my false thinking about a certain relationship with a woman who became my wife (!); a professor who gave me strong encouragement to pursue pastoral ministry; a believing wife who mirrors to me my impatience with my precious daughters; a brother who greatly challenges me by his passion for the lost...these and hundreds and hundreds of others have been CHANGE AGENTS in the hands of the Head of the Church in my life.

How about you? Who has God used to change you? Who has God used YOU to change?

Let us PRAY that God will make us more than ever change agents in the lives of our brothers and sisters and that He will graciously do the same through them for us...How we NEED them...How they NEED us. We are both NEEDED and NEEDY.

10 Scriptural Reasons You Can Change - 5

2009-05-11T06:21:00.005-05:00

Reason God says we can change #5:

"We have the change agent of the Word of God."

The Bible is no ordinary book. It was written by men who were guided to the very choice of individual words in their writing so that the end result is that it is in its entirety the very WORD OF GOD (2 Peter 1:19-21). Since it is the Word of God, it is ALIVE and POWERFUL (Hebrews 4:12,13). This Word is like a sharp sword that pierces to the very core of our being and REVEALS to us what we are really like. I may think I do not need to change in certain areas of my life, but the Word holds up the mirror of God's REALITY to my mind and shows me that I have an embarrassingly dirty moral face.

The Word of God is PROFITABLE in every way for change (2 Timothy 3:16,17). It is profitable for TEACHING, REPROVING, CORRECTING, and TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. Another way of thinking about this is the analogy of a PATH. The WORD of God shows us the path (Teaching). It teaches us how to walk in God's way in our finances, parenting, witnessing, church life, and more. It also shows us when we have SKEWED from the path (REPROOF). I remember well a morning when I was reading in Proverbs and encountered a verse about "honest scales." I was immediately convicted that I was compromising in an area of our family finances and had to repent. I was thankful (eventually!) that the Word shined its light on my wayward ways. The Word of God is also God's CHANGE AGENT in that is shows us how to GET BACK ON the path (CORRECTION). If I find that a significant part of my moral dirtiness is the way I use my tongue to belittle others, the Word shows me how to use my tongue to BUILD others up: what to say, how to say it, when to say it, why to say it (Ephesians 4:29; Proverbs 15:1; Colossians 4:6; 1 Corinthians 10:31). God's Word also instructs me, once I have seen my sin and corrected my path, how to STAY MORE FAITHFULLY on the Path (INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS). How do I discipline myself for the purpose of godliness? The Bible is my spiritual fitness manual (1 Timothy 4:7ff).

The Bible is able to build me up (Acts 20:32), to daily restore my soul (Psalm 19:7), to supply everything I need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), and to give wisdom and joy (Psalm 19:7,8).

The Bible presents to me the inspired picture of the One whom God is changing me to be like. As I gaze long and deeply on the Lord Jesus as He is presented in the Scriptures, I am being transformed into His likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18).

And so...with this inspired CHANGE AGENT available to me at all times, I TAKE HOPE that even the most deeply entrenched habits from my old life can change as I...

READ the Bible regularly,
MEDITATE on the Bible regularly,
OBEY the Bible regularly.

This book not only describes and defines the CHANGE that God wants in my life, it CHANGES me with divine power because it is the VERY WORD OF GOD.

10 Scriptural Reasons You Can Change - 4

2009-05-10T14:39:00.004-05:00

Reason why God says you can change - #4:

"The Sovereign Control of God"

"And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" Romans 8:28

The following verse, of course, teaches us that the GOOD which God is sovereignly controlling all things for is that we might "be conformed to the image of His Son" Romans 8:29. Being made like Jesus is the constant and ultimate goal of all things in our life. How is it that ALL things work for our becoming like Jesus? Behind every move of the planet, behind every germ that flies through the air towards our nostrils, behind every car on the road next to us, behind every lost job and new job, behind family trials and family blessings, behind today's sermon and tomorrow's devotional reading, behind "chance" happenings and behind the most detailed of planning...there is our Father in Heaven CAUSING all things to be transformed into transforming events in our lives.

God uses all things at all times in all ways as CHANGE AGENTS in our lives. It is IMPOSSIBLE for us not to continue changing and growing into the likeness of Christ with the sovereign God at the helm of the universe.

On one level, the question, "Why is this happening" is ALWAYS answered "to make me like Jesus Christ." Why is God so determined to make me like His Son? HE alone is the perfect man, the sinless man...the One who lived His entire life in submission to the Father. He alone is the man who lived the life of perfect reflection of God. Only like Jesus can I be fitted for heaven...my eternity.

Life is BEING MADE LIKE JESUS 101. That class no believer can audit or skip or exempt. The sovereign Lord is the instructor and his assistants are many: good, bad, devils, angels, people, the physical universe, etc.

May God grant us grace to be good students and to trust our Great Instructor in all his glorious and sovereign methods of CHANGE.

10 Scriptural Reasons You Can Change - 3

2009-05-09T07:03:00.001-05:00

Reason why God says we can change #3:

"The Presence of Christ in Heaven for US."

What is Jesus Christ doing at this time? Hebrews 7:25 tells us:

"...He always lives to make intercession for [us]"

In agreement with that statement, Paul writes in Romans 8:34:

"Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died - more than that, who was raised - who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us."

Not only did Jesus LIVE a perfect life to be put on our account; not only did Jesus DIE a sufficient death to pay the full and final payment for our guilt and sin; not only did Jesus RISE again from the grave overcoming death and guaranteeing our resurrection; Jesus LIVES at the present time in the true temple in Heaven offering never-ceasing prayers for us. He is continuing His ministry as our GREAT HIGH PRIEST.

What is Jesus praying for?

Most certainly what he prayed for Peter in Luke 22:32: "...I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail..."

Most certainly our Great High Priest is praying what He prayed on the night He was betrayed, recorded for us in John 17:

"Keep them in Your name...that they may be one..." v.11
"Keep them from the evil one" v.15
"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth" v.17

What Jesus is praying for you and me right now and all the right nows until He returns for us is that God His Father will continue to keep us GROWING and CHANGING and WALKING WITH HIM as we trust in Him, obey Him, and are protected from the devil. How do we know we can CHANGE, even now?

He always lives to make intercession for us...for US! And this PRIEST'S prayers cannot go unheard or unanswered.

10 Scriptural Reasons You Can Change - 2

2009-05-08T06:40:00.002-05:00

In one sense, CHANGE is the name of the Christian life. We are always being transformed into the likeness of Christ...and we NEVER reach that full likeness in the here and now. God is engaged in conforming us to His Son's image...a conforming that began when we were BORN AGAIN, born from above, made alive with the very life of God. What an encouragement to know that we are NO LONGER who we were when we were enslaved to sin and the world and Satan. Isn't it because we still see ourselves as the person we were BEFORE Christ that we don't believe we can change?

Reason why God says we can change #2:

"We are indwelt by the Spirit of God."

The Holy Spirit is God the Spirit, the third member (we might say) of the Trinity. He is fully God. And...wonder of wonders, He comes to live in us to apply the work of salvation and CHANGE that the Father planned and the Son accomplished in eternity past.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of CHANGE,
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord, WHO IS THE SPIRIT." 2 Corinthians 3:18

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of CHARACTER,
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..." Galatians 5:22,23

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of MOTIVATION and POWER,
"And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." Ezekiel 36:26,27

Not only has God given you His life in your spirit (Born Again), He has also come to LIVE IN YOUR SOUL. This new life that is ours is brought to us and given to us and maintained in us by the HOLY SPIRIT. As God dwelt above the cherubim in the tabernacle in the wilderness in the holy of holies of that holy tent, the Spirit of God dwells in our hearts...our very bodies are temples of the Spirit in this age...1 Corinthians 6:19. This is astounding...but Scripture assures us it is so.

Therefore, WE CAN CHANGE, no matter our past, present, or future, because the Spirit of God is the present, transforming, SOVEREIGN Spirit. He is in control of all things and works them for our good.

We must be careful, then, NOT to grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) by our sin and unbelief. We are utterly dependent on Him every moment of every day for godly change.

10 Scriptural Reasons YOU CAN CHANGE - 1

2009-05-07T07:39:00.006-05:00

Is change possible for everyone? Can we become more and more like Jesus no matter what our background, no matter what our present circumstances, no matter what our age? Can an "old dog" who is a believer really learn "new tricks"? Can deep, long-entrenched habits of thinking, acting, and responding be overcome and replaced by godliness? Or, as Jeremiah wrote, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots?" Jeremiah 13:23.

The immediate answer is, "NO!" That is, NO, if we are asking, "Can I change deep, long-entrenched habits in my life and replace them with godly habits BY MY OWN STRENGTH and BY MY OWN STRATEGY (or with the latest self-help best seller)?"

But if we are asking, "Does GOD have a way, does He make PROMISES that people like me can truly, lastingly change in a God-ward direction?" Then the answer is a resounding, biblical, tried-and-proven-by-believing-saints in all ages, YES!"

For the next 10 days or so, Lord willing, I want to look at ONE REASON a day why this kind of deep, lasting, godly change is possible and promised.

Reason Why God says we can change #1:

Because we are BORN AGAIN.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it isn't. Often we DO NOT fully understand or keep understanding that being born again is the most life transforming, heart-changing, destiny-altering experience of human existence. Jesus said to Nicodemus, "You must be born again" John 3:7. Being born again is to be raised from spiritual death to spiritual life (Ephesians 2:4-9). It is to be given the very life of GOD himself! It is to be given a heart of flesh (softness and willingness towards God) that has a new bent towards God and is moved and empowered to obey God by the power of the now indwelling Holy Spirit (Ezekiel 36:26,27).

If you are born again by the Spirit of God YOU ARE NOT WHO YOU USED TO BE. "If any man be in Christ (born again) he is a NEW CREATION, the old things have passed away. Behold, all things are new" 2 Corinthians 5:17. You are:

A NEW PERSON, with
A NEW POWER, and
A NEW MASTER, who
GIVES NEW DESIRES, and who
NEVER STOPS HIS WORK IN US.

Your ability in Christ and by the Spirit to grow and change and to overcome enslaving habits of the past is JUST AS GREAT AS ANY BELIEVER WHO HAS EVER LIVED. Why? Because you are BORN AGAIN. There are no lesser or great-ers here. We are on the level (but elevated) ground of those with the very life of God.

Radical life change towards godliness can only happen when there is the most radical of all changes in the HEART. "You must be born again."

Are you? If you are not sure, read on...

To be born again and to be given God's life requires you understand:

-God created the world and created us to live under His good rule.

-mankind, beginning with the first man and extending all the way to us, has REJECTED God's rightful rule.

-God’s rightful response to man’s rejection of His rule is JUDGMENT and DEATH.

-God is JUST, but also MERCIFUL and LOVING. In His mercy He has given His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer judgment as a sinless substitute for those who have rejected God’s rule in their life.

-God commands all people to TURN from their rejection of His rule and TRUST Jesus Christ as their RESCUER and MASTER. To the humble person turning and trusting His GIFT is eternal life.

If you have not TURNED from your own way and your own saving devices and your own religion and your own idols of pleasure and possessions and reputation, DO IT TODAY! TURN to Christ, and TRUST in His saving sacrifice for rebel idol-worshipers like yourself. He DELIGHTS to forgive and rescue idol-worshipers and make them His own. He loves to make lost people BORN AGAIN.

If you would like more information on this being BORN AGAIN drop me a line at fbcstcloud@gmail.com or appointmentwithoutsin@gmail.com

10 Guidelines for Biblical Communication - 10

2009-05-06T10:40:00.003-05:00

A TENTH guideline for Biblical Communication:

Deal with problems between you and others quickly. Matthew 5:23ff

We've touched on this previously, but I list it as a separate guideline because it is SO important and we fail SO often to address problems WHEN we should. Why would we WAIT or DELAY to address our problems with our brother?

We hope they will go away on their own. They will NOT. We speak and act our way into problems and we must speak and act our way out of them.
We are waiting for the "ideal" time to go to our brother. Perhaps this ideal time is when emotions have died down (which certainly has some wisdom) or when our brother no longer seems angry or upset at us. However, the "ideal" time to go to our brother is ASAP (As Soon As Possible). Even if our brother or sister seems to have forgotten what happened, the truth is they have probably just BURIED it. And a BURIED problem is like PLANTING a toxic plant in the soil of our heart. It WILL bear fruit...cancerous fruit...bitter fruit. And the end will be a MORE DIFFICULT relationship to reconcile.
We might also be waiting for our brother or sister TO COME TO US. Perhaps we are just plain cowardly, the fear of man holding us in spiritual paralysis. Whether we are the offender or the offended, we are commanded to go. It is a matter of obedience to Christ's command, even if no other godly motive moves us. What if our brother is also waiting for us to come to him? There will be no reconciliation, only growing bitterness and distance.
We are waiting to think of just the right way to do it and just the right thing to say. We SHOULD carefully consider before we go to our brother WHAT we will say and HOW we will say it. But the question usually is: AM I REALLY praying about this, consistently and earnestly so that I can receive wisdom and go as soon as possible?
We think that our brother or sister will not be receptive to our efforts to reconcile. Perhaps this comes from their past track record or perhaps we are not believing the best about them as well as not believing in the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit. NEVER fail to obey because of the POSSIBLE response of the other person. It is always right to do right. And the Lord is the Lord of the hearts of all men, especially my brother's heart.

In this area of going to a brother or sister we have offended, we must KNOW OUR HEARTS. We tend to be swayed by the fear of man. We tend to rationalize and compromise our way out of hard obedience. Weak excuses become massive REASONS for disobeying Christ. We must know ourselves. Christ gives this self knowledge through His Word (and through spouses!).

A few guidelines before you QUICKLY go:

PRAY for wisdom to know what to say and how to say it.
Pray for the Lord of Peace to bring peace and reconciliation between you and your brother.
PRAY for a pure heart...not defensive...not bent on "winning"...aware of personal "logs" in your own eyes...with LOVE for your brother.
ASK one or two trusted brothers or sisters to PRAY FOR YOU. Giving only what info is necessary, ask them to intercede for you as you go, and for your brother as you are received. Ask them to pray for reconciliation.
Formulate what you will say, focusing on YOUR part in the problem first.
Contact your brother or sister and ask them WHEN you could get together to talk about what has happened. This lets them know you are serious about reconciliation. Do it humbly so that opening the door to you is easier.
BE CONFIDENT that you are doing what is pleasing to Christ and that His Spirit will help you with your attitude, words, non-verbals, and actions.

May our Lord bring a revival of reconciliation to His church...starting with you and me.

10 Guidelines for Biblical Communication - 9

2009-05-05T06:36:00.002-05:00

A NINTH guideline for Biblical Communication:

"Believe the best about others. Hope the best for them. Trust God for this kind of anti-critical love and God-centered hope."

"Love...is ever ready to believe the best of every person" I Corinthians 13:7 (Amplified Bible)

Why is this a guideline for biblical communication? Because if we truly believe the best about every person in our life is will UTTERLY TRANSFORM the way we speak to them! How often our offense at a brother is birthed in the context of a heart that EXPECTS the WORST from them. Do we really want our brothers to fail? Do we want them to want US to fail?

HOW can we honestly believe the best about our brothers? By trusting that OUR GOD is THEIR GOD and that He is a God who NEVER GIVES UP on us or them. God is at work transforming the hearts of His people. The God who commands us to believe the best of our brother is at work giving us hearts that can do just that! The Holy Spirit who indwells us and our brother is the Spirit of LOVE...love that believes the best.

No one on this earth has absolutely PURE motives. However, the children of God are constantly being transformed into the image of the ONE who was PURE in every word and thought throughout His holy life on earth (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18). If God is doing this in us and in our brothers then it is a reasonable thing to believe the best of them.

One reason we often take offense and expect the worst is that we think we know the HEARTS of others. We reason that a person's motives were clear when they said or did a certain thing. But once again...we ONLY CAN KNOW what we SEE or HEAR. We DO NOT know the motives of others. There is ONE heart-knower, and He is not US! Therefore, knowing that a certain word or phrase or action can have a hundred possible motives behind it...good and bad...it is a safer and wiser and more humble thing to BELIEVE THE BEST.

We also tend, like the culture we live in, to believe the worst of those we do not have affinity with or that we are not close to or just plain for whatever reason DON'T LIKE.

If you tend to be quickly critical of your brothers and to believe the WORST of them, what can you do to change?

Remind yourself what kind of sinner you are and what an arrogant thing it is to assume God's position and judge my brother.
Remind yourself that you do not know the heart of your brother. Never have, never will.
Remind yourself that the Lord of hearts who is at work in you by grace is also at work in your brother producing genuine Christ likeness...from the heart outward.
PRAY to God to give you a daily filling of the HOLY SPIRIT of "believing all things" love. He delights to answer that prayer: Luke 11:13. Pray this especially if you are going to be around brothers that you naturally have a difficult time with.
By a believing act of the will, CHOOSE to believe the best. Talk to yourself: "Self, this is my brother (or sister). They are part of the same body of Christ as I am. They have the same sanctifying Lord that I do. He is at work in them. I am commanded to love them...and I DO. I WILL believe that what they say and do is meant to honor the Lord."
Be THANKFUL for your brother. Thankfulness is transforming. It is difficult to find reasons to be thankful for someone and to be suspicious and accusatory of them at the same time.
In conversations with others, YOU be the one to speak positively about a brother and to put the best interpretation on what someone has said or done.

Of course, clearly sinful words or actions do not need to be interpreted at a heart level. Sinful words (profanity, angry abuse) are sinful. Sinful actions (stealing, adultery, hitting in anger) are sinful. If we hear or witness these kinds of things from our brother, our responsibility is to go to them and confront them and challenge them to repent...in love.

But our problem is more often taking offense because we have not believed the best of our brother. May our Lord transform us into those whose first reaction FROM THE HEART is to believe the best of our brothers and sisters.

10 Guidelines for Biblical Communication - 8

2009-05-04T09:59:00.002-05:00

An EIGHTH guideline for Biblical Communication:

"If someone having a problem with another brother comes to you before they go to that brother, encourage and urge them to go to their brother right away and to talk over the problem with them FIRST."

You can help a brother who has come to you first by PRAYING with them for courage and humility and wisdom as they go to their brother. Let them lovingly know that for them to share details with you would very possibly be gossip. Encourage them that Christ will be with them because He loves His body and He loves peace. You might also give some general advice regarding how to approach a brother with the problem.

Of course, there may be times when sharing SOME details will be necessary for you to help someone. They may need help to identify just what the offense was biblically or they may need help with how to approach their brother. This can be done WITHOUT sharing the identity of a brother and without sharing UNNECESSARY DETAILS about what has happened. A general rule in talking to someone about their conflict with a third party is: focus on the person present and not the person absent.

NEVER allow someone to vent their anger or spew their bitterness towards a brother in your presence.

You might also volunteer your help if the reconciling process is not going well and BOTH this brother and the other brother are open to your mediation.

Other exceptional situations might be a child going to an adult or an abused person going to their abuser or a male going to seek reconciliation with a non-family member female. In such cases there may well be need for someone to go with a brother from the first contact. In such a case, we must be earnestly dependent on the Holy Spirit for a spirit of impartiality and grace and wisdom and peace-making.

10 Guidelines to Biblical Communication - 7

2009-05-03T07:42:00.007-05:00

A SEVENTH guideline for Biblical Communication:

"Refuse to listen to information you have no business knowing about a problem between others and don't give information to people who are not immediately involved with a problem. To give information to those outside the loop of a problem often equals GOSSIP and gossip is a serious sin before the Lord and to the body of Christ: Proverbs 11:13; 16:28; 18:8; 26:20."

John MacArthur comments that a gossip is someone who "peddles scandal." It is one who speaks words deliberately intended to harm rather than merely unguarded speech.

This is one of the most difficult of all sins of the tongue to tame! For some of us the temptation to gossip begins as we listen to gossip from others and do nothing to stop it. Speaking up to question whether certain information should be shared runs counter to the FEAR of MAN (Proverbs 29:25). We ARE a curious culture and we want to know every juicy bit of information that is available. There is often a secret delight in the failure of others. Our tendency to sinfully compare ourselves with others is satisfied through gossip.

If you are not directly responsible or involved in the problem someone is facing or the sin they have fallen to or its solution, DO NOT listen to details about the situation. Most often a general "John needs special prayer at this time" is sufficient to elicit prayer from those who are not hungry for the morsels of gossip. If a brother wants to know more, tell him you are not at liberty to share more.

If you do not know whether a brother is OK with you sharing information about his problem or need...ASK HIM. You may need to ask him exactly WHAT he is comfortable with you sharing with others. If you are not sure what to share, ERR on the side of less details and more general information. As we are careful about what we share and what we listen to, we will protect our brother's rightful privacy, prevent gossip, and protect our brothers and sisters from the temptation to gossip.

10 Guidelines for Biblical Communication - 6

2009-05-02T07:56:00.002-05:00

A SIXTH guideline for biblical communication:

"Keep pursuing reconciliation with your brother or sister, no matter how far you have to go in the process: Matthew 18:15-20. Problems don't "die" or fade away. They must be tackled and solved. And...by the grace of God, they CAN be!"

No one has ever said (with a reasonable amount of sanity) that this process is pleasant or easy. However, the fruit it yields is very sweet...my brother or sister's unhindered fellowship.

I have too often gone ONCE to an offended or offending brother and then reasoned, "I've done my job. It they choose not to respond, it's THEIR problem now. That's it. The ball is in their court." What that attitude revealed, however, was that I did not really LOVE my brother. I was only concerned with "checking off the box" of my duty, not with reconciliation.

It may be necessary to go to our brother or contact our brother a number of different times in a number of different ways before we go to the next step in pursuing reconciliation. We should go in private as long as it seems our brother is open and there is further need for communication and clarification BEFORE we ask another couple of brothers to go with us. Once it is reasonably clear that our brother does not intend on submitting to God and His Word, we should proceed to apply more pressure on his heart by bringing other caring brothers with us. This all assumes, of course, that our brother will meet with us. He may flatly refuse to meet with us or speak with us. If that is the case, other means of communication may be tried.

The very fact that Jesus tells us to go to the next step, if necessary, shows His seriousness about pursuing reconciliation with our brother. Even if you have to eventually treat him as a pagan, we are to do it in pursuit of his repentance and return to Christ and His body.

In all of this, heart-felt, crying-to-God PRAYER is to offered on behalf of our brother. A great passage of Scripture to use to guide us as we go and as we pray is 2 Timothy 2:24-26.

May God give us such love that we move into conflict as often as it takes for our brother's sake so that he may be released from the snare of the devil to once again serve the Lord from the heart.

10 Guidelines for Biblical Communication - 5

2009-04-30T06:43:00.004-05:00

A FIFTH guideline for Biblical communication:

"If you hear of a conflict between two believers, don't react emotionally or take sides. Rather, remember that there are always TWO sides to each situation. Pray for reconciliation between your brothers and peace and unity within the church." See Proverbs 18:17 and Colossians 3:15.

There ARE always TWO sides to every conflict. Not only do we seldom know or hear both, but even if we do, we hear PART of the stories. It is very difficult not to take sides if one side is our spouse or child or close friend. In those cases, we already have an emotional investment in one side.

WISDOM is knowing that there are two sides and that we are likely to believe and feel for the FIRST to present his/her case to us. We need to KNOW this, even if the first is close to us and even if their case seems so clear and "case closed." HOW OFTEN I have heard the first side's convincing case and then heard the other side only to be even MORE affected and convinced. The truth is each side is likely to see things only as it has affected them. We tend to share through the grid of our own interests.

It will be loving and helpful to us in our own conflicts and to others in theirs to ask certain questions that will help us to consider "the rest of the story":

Do I want the real truth to be known in this conflict?
Am I willing to see that I was in the wrong?
Have I realized that there IS more than one way to view what has happened?
Am I concerned for my brother or sister's best interest, or only mine?
Am I willing to be questioned by a third party to help bring reconciliation?
Am I still reacting emotionally, or have I "cooled down" enough to think clearly?
Have I been praying for God's will to be done and for Him to receive glory through this?
Have I been searching the Scriptures so that they can shine their light on my heart's motives and my actions and speech and act as judge?
Have I asked for help from someone who will love both sides and consider the case for both sides?
Have I realized that much more is at stake in my conflict than that I be proven right? There is another brother's life. There is the health of the body of Christ. There is God's reputation.

If we are not one of the parties involved in a conflict between believers, God has called us to PRAY for true and lasting reconciliation between them. If we are brought into a conflict, God has called us to CONSIDER both sides as we help bring a solution. A few humbly and well-placed questions can help a brother come to his senses and realize the bigger picture.

May we be peace makers in our conflicts and as we are sovereignly brought into the conflicts of others.

10 Guidelines for Biblical Communication - 4

2009-04-29T07:01:00.002-05:00

A FOURTH Biblical Guideline for Communication:

"If you find that YOU HAVE OFFENDED your brother or sister, go to them in privacy, humbly seeking to be reconciled."

Matthew 5:23-24: "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift."

This guideline differs from #3 in that HERE the one who goes is the ONE WHO OFFENDED. That is, if I am aware or become aware that I have offended my brother, I must go to them and NOT WAIT FOR THEM TO COME TO ME. I have often had this line of thinking..."Well, they are acting towards me like something is wrong. I wonder if I did something? Well, if I did, they'll come to me and then I will know for sure and make it right. I don't want to create an issue if there is not one!"

God is SO concerned with right, reconciled relationships between His children that whether we OFFENDED or WERE OFFENDED, HE COMMANDS us to go to our brother. Ideally, if there has been an offense and both parties realize it, they will MEET SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE coming to see each other to make things right! The point is, we are to be so concerned with maintaining relationships of peace and love with one another that we'll do WHATEVER IS NECESSARY to make and keep them right.

Often the offended party will not come. Perhaps they are afraid (maybe we are not very approachable!). Perhaps they think the matter too trivial (even though they can't COVER it with love). Perhaps they want to enjoy being angry (risking the heart cancer of bitterness). Or, perhaps they are overwhelmed with life and just haven't had the opportunity. WHATEVER the reason, if we are aware or are made aware of our offense, we are to love our brother enough to DROP ALL ELSE and go to them.

In the Matthew passage above, the one in the ACT OF WORSHIP is to drop the worship and go to be reconciled to his brother first. WHY? Because, as the old saying goes,

"Walls UP, Roof ON,
Walls DOWN, Roof GONE."

That is, if something is between my brother and me (Walls UP) then there WILL be something between God and me (Roof ON). But if I work to be reconciled (Walls DOWN), then the barrier between the Father and me will be gone (Roof GONE).

My relationship with my brother has a DIRECT affect on my relationship with God. Wow.

I remember one time many years ago (I am now old enough to have "many years ago" in my life!), a friend who professed to be a believer came to our church one evening (I was a relatively new believer) to do some special music for worship. He came that night and sang with a young, pretty gal. I had a very difficult time listening to anything that was being sung or said by my friend. What I knew from being his next door neighbor was that he was separated from his wife and had a lot of unrepentant guilt in that separation. How was God going to use him when he was grieving the Spirit in his relationship with his wife? Walls UP, Roof ON.

Is there anyone that comes to mind that perhaps you have offended? If there a relationship with a brother or sister that cooled for some unknown reason? Is there someone you need to stop your worship and go to?

When you go:

Go HUMBLY. Not, "What's your problem?" Not, "Why didn't you come to me with this?" But, "Is there something I have said or done that has offended you?"
NEVER think or say, "I didn't do it on purpose!" If our brother or sister is hurt, they are hurt. My girls have said that after they inadvertently smacked their sister. "I didn't mean it!" I asked them, "Did you hurt them?" YES. "Did the fact that you didn't mean to make it hurt less?" NO. "You need to ask them to forgive you for hurting them."
When you realize what you have done...how you have hurt or offended your brother...ASK FORGIVENESS in specific words. "I hurt you when I made that comment about you. It was wrong of me. Would you please forgive me?"
When they have forgiven you (IT IS their responsibility to do so, when asked - Luke 17:3), thank them for doing so. It may also be helpful to ask how you could have spoken or acted differently or how you could avoid a similar offense the next time.
Go and finish your worship! Rejoice in a ROOF DOWN relationship with the Father.

10 Basic Guidelines for Biblical Communication - 3

2009-04-28T05:40:00.003-05:00

A THIRD biblical guideline for Communication:

"If your brother or sister offends you (sins against you), go to them in privacy and share with them the offense, seeking in your communication NOT to win or be proven right, but to be RECONCILED to your brother." Matthew 18:15-20

Sinning and being sinned against is a fact of life on this side of heaven. Praise God for His continuing forgiveness and cleansing in Christ (1 John 1:9)! Often when we sin someone else is affected directly. We have all been the offended and harmed by another's sin. The "hit" may come from an enemy of the gospel or it may come from the deepest love in our life. Though being sinned against is painful and can easily turn us inward, licking our wounds and feeling sorry for ourselves and even plotting revenge or desiring a return of pain on their head, Jesus taught that we are rather to TURN TOWARDS OUR OFFENDING BROTHER OR SISTER, not to return evil for evil, but to SEEK THEIR WELFARE and the MENDING OF OUR RELATIONSHIP.

How easy to respond wrongly in fear and cowardice and hate to the offense of another. How easy to refuse to go to our offending brother because the pain of the offense is ruling our choices. What is at stake when one Christian sins against another is the very unity and health and testimony of the Church, the Body of Christ. What is at stake is the SOUL CONDITION of my brother...and MY SOUL. Who can guess the vast number of festering wounds that exist in the hearts of so many members of the Church worldwide.

LOVE will head towards the one who has sinned against me. LOVE will choose, with agreeing emotions or not, to act and SPEAK for the good of my offender. LOVE will say to our heart, "This is my sister in Christ, I will forgive her as God in Christ has forgiven me." And so LOVE will GO TO my brother who has sinned against me and COMMUNICATE for RECONCILIATION. Such communication will include:

Asking yourself: "Is this a REAL offense? Is it something that was merely an unintentional omission? Am I being too sensitive?" If you can cover it over with love, do it. If the offense is clear and you can't overlook it, then GO to your brother.
Speaking in privacy. We will not broadcast our hurt to publicize our brother's sin and thus harm his reputation.
It will STEER CLEAR of camping on "how much pain I have been suffering" (I want you to feel bad for how bad you have made ME feel!). Though there is a place for that admission, the focus of our conversation should first of all be to SHOW OUR BROTHER WHAT HIS OFFENSE IS. "When you said that I felt that it belittled me in front of our friends." We need to make sure there is a REAL offense and not one we are conjuring in our imagination. NEVER accuse someone of a sinful ATTITUDE. We do not know other's hearts. We DO KNOW what we hear and see from their words and actions.
We must REFUSE to argue our case until we are proven right, but rather state it as clearly and simply as possible.
We should PRAY that God will give us wise and "hear-able" words and give our brother ears to hear and receive what we say and a repentant heart as needed.
We should communicate our desire for our relationship to be healed and reconciled and for our sister to be reconciled to Christ.
We should think long and hard about OUR PART in what happened. Did we INVITE or PROVOKE the offense? Did we REACT in an OFFENDING way to what was done or said? It may be that our repentance FIRST will open a wide door for our brother responding in like kind.
We should be ready to lovingly PERSIST in seeking reconciliation with our offending brother. Going to them ONCE may not be enough. Perhaps there is the need to go a second or third time, as long as our brother is still open to discuss the issue.
If and when our sister realizes her sin, confesses and asks our forgiveness, we are to GRANT IT IMMEDIATELY and FULLY, as it has been granted us by God (Ephesians 4:32).
DON'T WAIT TOO LONG to go to your offending brother. The offense won't just go away and your relationship CANNOT be healed without dealing directly with the offense.

Oh, may our reconciling God increase our love for one another so that NO OFFENSE will remain unaddressed, unconfessed, and unforgiven and no relationship in the Body will remain unreconciled.

10 Basic Guidelines for Biblical Communication - 2

2009-04-27T14:03:00.002-05:00

A SECOND Guideline for Biblical Communication: "Say only what builds others up."

Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."

This verse is SO clear, isn't it? HOW MUCH corrupting talk can come out of my mouth and my speech still please the Lord? NONE! Ouch! "Corrupting" is a word that was used to describe rotten fish or fruit. Can my words actually have the effect of causing ROT or CORRUPTION in another person's life? Yes. For example: if I slander someone to the person I am speaking with, I can easily cause heart-rot in them if they choose to listen to what I am saying and allow it to affect their attitude towards the slandered person. This happens all too commonly in the church. I have been guilty of this too many times, from both sides. Or, if I repeat a joke that is "off-color" I can cause corruption of heart in my friend by causing past wickedness to pop up in their thoughts. Complaining, gossip, angry words, lying, etc. can cause the same rot in those around me.

A great antidote to words that corrupt is to focus on speaking ONLY words that do the opposite: BUILD UP. Words that are good for building up are words that help my brother or sister GROW IN CHRIST. They are words that cause them to think on the GREATNESS of CHRIST. They are words that hold out the TRUTH of SCRIPTURE. They are words that remind others that GOD IS FAITHFUL. They are words that honor and commend and are thankful. They are words, as the verse says, that "fit the occasion."

It will pretty much always be true that corrupting words flow out of SELFISH motives. But BUILDING UP words flow out of OTHER-CENTERED motivation. To speak words that build up necessitates speaking words that fit the situation my brother or sister OR LOST neighbor is facing. To know what fits the occasion requires that I care enough about my brother or friend to ask questions about what is happening in their life and to LISTEN to their reply (including the "non-verbals" that say so much without sound). It is ASTOUNDING how little true, caring listening goes on in our world. It was said of C.S. Lewis that when you were with him he had a way of making you feel that you were the only person on earth - so carefully and caringly did he listen and respond.

We need to ask ourselves: "When I am in conversations, do I do all the talking? Do I really listen to others? Do I ask questions about THEM? Do I care to hear them or only to be heard? WHOSE WORLD am I focusing on? Am I looking for their needs to be exposed and praying for wisdom to give a BUILDING UP word from the Scriptures to help them?"

Of course, our words have real building up power when they reflect the truth of Scripture. In Acts 20:32, the Apostle Paul spoke of "the word of His grace, which is able to build you up..." The more I know and understand the Word of God, the more I can speak words that truly build others up, whether the SANCTIFICATION of believers or towards the SALVATION of unbelievers.

May God grant us to be more dependently and intentionally communicators of BUILDING UP words for the good of our brothers, and may NO words that cause HEART-ROT come out of our mouths.

10 Basic Guidelines for Biblical Communication -1

2009-04-26T05:49:00.003-05:00

James tells us that the tongue is the final frontier of sanctification. That is, "if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body" James 3:2.

The problem we have with our tongue is that it is the direct outlet for our heart. If it is in our hearts, sooner or later in one way or another it will find its way out through our speech. Even though our gracious God has given us new hearts, the reality is that there is what the old theologians called "remaining sin" still resident within us. And there is no place where the remaining sin within shows itself more than in our speech. And so, the Bible tells us to "put off" what remains that is part of our OLD life, the before-Christ life, and "put on" what is characteristic of our NEW risen life with Christ.

And so, in its always "profitable" way (2 Timothy 3:16,17), God's Word gives us guidelines for the taming of the tongue, the changing of our hearts. I will list 10 of these guidelines, beginning with the first one today:

10 Basic Biblical Guidelines for Biblical Communication

1. Speak the truth in love. Ephesians 4:15
It seems the basic problem we have in our speech is either to deceive or to be harsh. We don't want to be seen as we are and we want to be seen as more than we are. We "tweak" the truth so that we can be satisfied we are close enough not to be accused of lying. We hide the truth to disadvantage the other person. Untrue or insincere words are the fig leaves we still wear in our relationships that are evidence there is separation between us. We are afraid of each other. We fear rejection. We fear the judges will give us a mediocre 6.5 for our performance in life. And so we seek to manipulate one another with words that are crafted with evil genius to control the thinking of those around us. "Don't see me as I see me...see me as I WANT you to see me." And in this manipulative thought-shaping we leave the truth far behind and the distance between us intact.

How refreshing and healing, on the other hand is godly communication. Confession of sin. Honest, non-adjusted admitting of wrong. Rebuke when it is needed. Commendation and honoring when it is due. Being who we are before those with whom we live without embellishment.

Only THE TRUTH, the Living Word Jesus and His Written Word the Bible, can set us free to speak truly to one another. This is one of many places where the PRACTICALITY of grace and God's choice of us in Christ can be seen. If indeed we are the BELOVED of God, what have we to fear from one another? If the HOLY GOD knows all our failures and weakness and remaining sin in FULL RELIEF, and STILL cherishes us as children and RECEIVES us as Christ himself, WHY do we need to hide from one another? We don't...but we still do...until and as these truths sink deeper within our souls. Truly the truth of His grace to us in Christ sets us free to be true to one another.

May His love for you set you freer today to speak the truth to those around you.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 33 (Walking in Good Works)

2009-04-25T06:30:00.002-05:00

"...Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" Ephesians 2:10

God's saving grace does not produce SPECTATORS, but WORKERS. These works are the product and evidence of God's new life within us, the very life of Christ. We DO NOT work our way to life, life works its way THROUGH US. As the Apostle says in another place, "By the grace of God I am what I am" 1 Corinthians 15:10. Paul worked harder than any other apostle, but his hard work, he says, "...was not I, but the grace of God that is with me" 1 Corinthians 15:10.

The Bible's teaching is clear: SAVING GRACE PRODUCES GOOD WORKS. It is not the WORKER who is saved because he works, but the SAVED who WORKS because he is saved. This is why the great BIRTHMARK of our salvation is our OBEDIENCE to Christ, 1 John 5:2.

We do not all work the same works or work with the same energy but we ALL do GOOD WORKS. GOOD describes works which are godly and beneficial to others and glorifying to God. They are works that are not only OUTWARDLY good but are done with a godly INWARD motivation.

These good works are in utter CONTRAST to how we used to live. Remember Ephesians 2:1,2: we were dead in the TRESPASSES and SINS in which we once WALKED. WALKED refers to our lifestyle. Before Christ our lifestyle was all about slavery and service to sin. Now that grace has transformed us, we are to WALK in GOOD WORKS. Our NEW lifestyle is doing the good that God planned for us from eternity.

When I awake in the morning and ask myself, "What should I do today?" One sure answer must be, "Good!" I must do good because of GRACE. I must do good because this is GOD'S PLAN. My day, no matter what it holds, will be FILLED with opportunities to do good to and for others. This might be intercessory prayer, this might be cleaning the house, this might be doing the bills, this might be studying for Sunday School, this might be preparing a meal. But it is important for us to understand these GOOD WORKS in the context of this Ephesians' letter: Chapters 4-6 are all about the good works God has created us for and planned for us in Christ. They include such things as: living in unity with other believers in the body of Christ, being pure, telling the truth, saying only what will build someone up, being kind and forgiving, submitting in humility to others, loving my wife and children, working hard for my employer, etc.

And those kinds of GOOD WORKS can fill a whole life of days.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 32 (Not BY Works, but FOR Works)

2009-04-24T05:56:00.003-05:00

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" Ephesians 2:10.

Though our great salvation is a free gift from God and involves NO MERITORIOUS WORK from us, this great salvation IS a salvation FOR WORKS. That is, we are NOT saved BY works, but FOR works. This fact we must NEVER lose sight of or put in the wrong order.

RELIGION is works FOR salvation. CHRISTIANITY is works resulting FROM salvation. One sees works as the CAUSE, the other sees works as the RESULT. One is LEGALISM, the other is GRACE. One burdens the doer with the impossible, the other lives out Jesus' glorious words, "...My yoke is easy, and My burden is light" Matthew 11:30. One deceives, the other delivers.

Note from this critical verse:

We are GOD's WORKMANSHIP: The masterpiece we are becoming is God's work, not our own. We are works of GRACE, from start to finish. Our very purpose is to be a display of His handiwork. I have a friend who is an excellent craftsman and furniture maker. His workmanship draws nothing but admiration from me. But when I look at a cabinet he has made, I do not for a moment think that the cabinet made itself. The exquisite workmanship clearly and eloquently advertises the work of a MASTER CRAFTSMAN. "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven" Matthew 5:16. When someone understands the utter helplessness and hopelessness of humans apart from Christ, ALL GODLINESS of LIFE GLORIFIES GOD.
God CREATED us in Christ Jesus: He did not reform or rebuild. When I was a little guy, my parents sent me and my siblings to Vacation Bible School for 2 weeks in the summer. During one VBS, the guys' big project was to build a birdhouse. For the life of me I could not nail a single nail in straight. By the end of the 2 weeks my birdhouse was hopeless. Problem: the final night we had a parent's night where they could view our projects. I was NOT looking forward to my dad seeing the mess that was supposed to be my birdhouse. Surely he would think some vandals had gotten ahold of it and beaten it to death with a crowbar. HOWEVER, when we arrived at my class, my birdhouse was...NORMAL! I was so proud...ah, RELIEVED! Seems that my compassionate leader had taken the thing apart that day and rebuilt it so that it would resemble a real birdhouse by the time my dad would lay eyes on it. GOD did NOT do this with us. We were MORE than messes. We were DEAD. There was no life in us to revive. There was no raw spiritual material in us to rearrange. God CREATED us in Christ Jesus. Created means he made out of nothing. Where there was NO life, He gave life. We were afterwards what we were not before. It was GOD's doing.
God created us IN CHRIST JESUS: never tire of this phrase "in Christ Jesus." The life God gave us is Christ's life, through the Spirit. "...I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me" Galatians 2:20. We HAVE nothing, we ARE nothing APART from Christ. He is our life.

We'll pick up here tomorrow, the Lord willing. Let us live out what He has graciously created in us today so that those around us will ask, "Who's the CRAFTSMAN responsible for THIS work of art?"

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 31 (Saved by Grace)

2009-04-23T06:27:00.002-05:00

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" Ephesians 2:8-9.

Why are these 2 verses some of the most precious in the entire Bible to believers?

They tell us that our salvation is by God's GRACE. We get the OPPOSITE of what we deserved because God is the God who punished His Son for our sin: Jesus getting what WE deserved...WRATH, and we getting what JESUS deserved...life and blessing and favor (2 Corinthians 5:21).
They tell us that we HAVE BEEN SAVED. "It is finished" was our Savior's cry after He drank to the dregs the cup of God's wrath. The RESCUE has been affected. We ARE saved from sin and death and hell and Satan and hopelessness and alienation. Our eternal future is not uncertain or up for grabs NOR is it dependent on some future action or decision of ours. HE HAS DONE IT...we are saved by GRACE.
They tell us that OUR PART in this salvation is FAITH. Faith is NOT a WORK in the sense that it merits or deserves anything from us. Faith is merely the RECEIVING of what is offered freely. There is required no moving towards God in dogged determination nor is there any swimming of oceans of religious requirements nor is there reliance on any earthly family ties or blessing from priests or pastors or bishops required for this salvation. We can only humbly receive it as the NEEDY ones from the WEALTHY and GRACIOUS ONE. Only hands EMPTY of self effort can receive this gift.
These verses tell us that this salvation by Grace through Faith is a GIFT OF GOD, NOT OF WORKS. This has already been referred to...but this additional thought is important: even the ability to open empty hands as a beggar to receive our gracious God's gift is a GIFT from Him. Remember: we were DEAD spiritually, with no life to make movement towards God, even RECEIVING effort.
These verses tell us there is no room for BOASTING in ourselves in this great, gracious salvation. There is only room for BOASTING in God: 1 Corinthians 1:31.

May today be spent in "I don't care who hears or knows" and "I want everyone to hear and know" boasting in our Great God who has saved us by PURE SOVEREIGN GRACE.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 30 (Risen, Seated)

2009-04-22T07:58:00.002-05:00

God made us alive with Christ..."and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" Ephesians 2:6.

When God made us alive together with Christ He gave us a CERTAIN KIND of LIFE. It is a RAISED UP and SEATED life.

RAISED UP here refers to Christ's ASCENSION to heaven and SEATED refers to Christ's being seated at the Father's right hand, the position of ultimate power and authority and favor.

NEVER lose sight of the little phrase "with Him," occurring twice in this verse. The "Him" of course is Christ. Once again the Apostle Paul emphasizes our UNION with Christ and its results. Christ ascended FOR US and He is seated by the Father FOR US. His victory over death and hell and sin is OUR victory. That is, we share in Christ's victory and it's results because the Father has united us to Him by the Spirit. Hallelujah!

But we are NOT in heaven yet, even though we ARE raised and seated with Christ in heaven. We are on earth. Oh, HOW we are on earth!

How then, do we share in His victorious resurrection, ascension, and session (being seated in power and authority and favor) at the Father's right hand?

We are now, in Christ, the partakers of a HEAVENLY LIFE. The Spirit of God has given us a new heart with a new BENT towards God and the things of God. These "things of God" are things like an appetite for the WORD of God, a love for the PEOPLE of God, a desire to be and do what is righteous, a desire for FELLOWSHIP with God and Christ, a compassion for the LOST, etc. The VALUES of Heaven are now our values...at least in measure...an INCREASING measure. NOW we pray "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10). NOW we "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). NOW we say NO to sin and YES to Christ (see Colossians 3). NOW we engage in spiritual warfare and STAND (Ephesians 6:10ff). We have a NEW RULER with NEW POWER. We are truly tasting and experiencing and living out SOMETHING of Heaven here on earth.

Why? Because Jesus ascended to heaven and there was seated at the Father's right hand FOR US. We are there IN HIM. It is a DONE DEAL. We could not be MORE raised and seated than we are. We could not be MORE in the place to receive the power and authority and favor of heaven than RIGHT WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW...IN CHRIST.

DON'T MOVE! If you are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, you are EXACTLY where you need to be. However, DO MOVE towards Christ every moment of every day to receive the life of heaven that you need to live out His kingdom in your little sphere today.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 29 (Who IS this God who makes dead rebels alive?)

2009-04-21T06:43:00.003-05:00

God made us ALIVE with Christ even when we were DEAD in our trespasses (Ephesians 2:4-5). God gave us His life WHEN we were rejecting it. God gave us His life WHEN we were shaking our puny, helpless rebel fists in His Almighty face. God gave us His life AS we were pursuing the world and Satan and hell at breakneck speed.

WHY? What kind of God would do this?

The Apostle Paul tells us.

He is "rich in mercy." MERCY is NOT giving us what we deserve: judgment. Mercy is a desire to rescue someone from misery. That God is merciful tells us that He is CONCERNED for sinners in their dead slavery. God FEELS for the wretched condition of those without His life and hope. We WERE under God's WRATH in our sin. His settled and unchanging opposition to sin was against us. But God was not unfeeling towards our plight. And He was not just somewhat merciful, He was RICH, abundant, in mercy. There is a vast and infinite storehouse of rescuing mercy in the heart of God. And we were the recipients of that mercy when He made us alive at the very time we were spiritually dead.
He has a "great love with which He has loved us." Love is sacrificing for another's good. God's MERCY caused Him to move toward us in our misery and God's LOVE caused Him to DO WHATEVER IT TOOK TO RESCUE US FROM OUR MISERY. "For God so loved the world that He GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3:16. What it COST God to rescue us rebels from our rebellion was HIS OWN LIFE. But God is great in sacrificial love...and He paid it. God purchased us, the Church, with His OWN BLOOD (Acts 20:28).
This God is a God who saves by "grace." JUSTICE is getting what we deserve. MERCY is NOT getting what we deserve. GRACE is getting the OPPOSITE of what we deserve. Life instead of death, heaven instead of hell, love instead of wrath, sonship instead of eternal alienation, forgiveness instead of eternal punishment, peace instead of war, meaning instead of meaninglessness, a future and a hope instead of despair. GRACE always flows down from above, because ONLY GOD could sovereignly plan and implement a plan that would allow Him to justify guilty sinners and condemn His sinless Son. "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound..."!

Once again, it should be clear that our salvation, this gift of life when we were dead, is ALL OF GOD. Why? Because He is Rich in Mercy, Great in Love, and the Sole Giver of Amazing Grace.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 28 (But GOD!)

2009-04-20T06:15:00.003-05:00

There was a radical pivot point in the life of every one of us who has bowed the knees of our hearts to the saving lordship of Jesus Christ. We shared the same biography BEFORE Christ: we were spiritually DEAD, we were SLAVES to sin, and we were facing certain judgment under the wrath of God (Ephesians 2:1-2).

Then came the the glorious and blessed intervention of God. HE is the pivot point of our biography so that there is an AFTER.

Ephesians 2:4 introduces this radical change from death to life and from slavery to son ship and from hell to heaven with the most wonderful phrase in all of the Bible: "But God..."

We would STILL be laying in our spiritual coffin, alienated from God and His life, helpless and hopeless..."But God..."

We would STILL be shackled by sin and pulled ever deeper into sin and destruction by the world and Satan..."But God..."

We would STILL be hovering precariously over the dreadful dark and consuming flames of hell and God's unquenchable wrath..."But God..."

"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ..." Ephesians 2:4-5

We were dead, enslaved, facing judgment...BUT GOD...made us ALIVE.

WHEN did God make us alive? "...Even when we were dead in our trespasses..." Not when anything had changed God ward. Not when we decided we had had enough of the world and Satan. Not when we decided to become a "seeker." Not when the long latent virtue that was buried in our hearts found its way to the surface. But it was WHEN we were dead that God made us alive.

What does this teach us?

OUR SALVATION IS ALL OF GOD.

"But God..."

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 27 (Me, B.C. - 3)

2009-04-19T15:24:00.003-05:00

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience..." Ephesians 1:1-2

Before Christ our LIFESTYLE was one of SLAVERY TO SIN. This slavery showed itself as we followed, like a chained man, the course of this world. The COURSE OF THIS WORLD or world of opposition to God is described in 1 John 2:15-17 as pursuing pleasure, seeking stuff, and building our reputation. But what we are told in the above verses is that there was another power BEHIND, IN, and WORKING THROUGH the world. This power, of course, is PERSONAL. It is Satan (see John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 12:9). Look at how Satan is described here:

Satan is a PRINCE: he is a ruler. He rules over other evil and wicked forces (Revelation 12:9; Ephesians 6:12). HE is not alone in His manipulation of the world system. He rules over the "power of the air." The "air" is where evil spirits were thought to abide...and indeed they do. And Satan and his minions are POWERFUL. Here we have the picture of a highly organized system of evil RULED by a mighty PRINCE. It seems it is Satan's great and effective tactic to HIDE HIMSELF behind the often prettily packaged bait of this world system so that, e.g., from behind lust he is pulling the chains of tens of millions shackled by pornography.
Satan is also described as the "spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience." Satan is NOW AT WORK. He is busy. He is strategic. He is influencing our lost family and friends and neighbors TOWARDS DISOBEDIENCE. He is taking advantage of the spiritually dead state of the lost to pull their chain AWAY from GOD and towards hell. This is why it is so important to see the lost around us as SLAVES not only of their sin and this world, but of SATAN himself. Satan pulls our neighbors' heart chains in a way that they are oblivious to. They still think they are free when they are in reality the devil's pawns. However, though Satan pulls the chain, they also willingly follow. They are willing slaves.

A few thoughts to close:

Our ENEMY is real. He is powerful. He is wily. He is not working alone. He aims to pull the chains of the lost away from God and towards disobedience. He wants company in hell.
This scenario is TRUE of every lost person...no matter how nice they are. They ARE slaves to sin and they are following a world system that is ruled by the master strategist of wickedness and they are marching after the pied piper of lust, stuff, and reputation towards a godless hell.
WE who own Christ are NO LONGER bound by a willing slavery to Satan or this world system. We are FREE to say "NO" to sin and satan and "YES" to our Lord Jesus. And we have that freedom so that we will wage war with our former master in seeking to win the souls of his present pawns. LET US PRAY for one another that we will not use our freedom to seek a "SANCTIFIED" system of pleasure and stuff and reputation. Let us PRAY that we will count it all RUBBISH in order to gain Christ and follow Him into the fray of a world over which HE has ultimate authority and has commissioned us to win and disciple.
The ENEMY won't like it...but then, WHO CARES? JESUS RULES.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 26 (Me, B.C. - 2)

2009-04-18T07:13:00.004-05:00

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world..." Ephesians 2:1,2

Our biography BEFORE Christ could be described in 3 ways: We were DEAD, We were SLAVES, and We were UNDER WRATH. Here we have the trinity of helpless hopelessness that described our life before the Savior. We have already considered what it meant to be SPIRITUALLY DEAD. What did it mean to be SLAVES to SIN?

There has always been discussion and debate in the church regarding whether or not people are FREE, and if so, what does "FREE" mean? The Bible teaches that man IS FREE to do what his heart is bent by nature to do...SIN. But he is NOT FREE to truly and by nature turn away from sin and to pursue God (see Romans 3:10-12; 8:5-9). In another sense, man is NOT FREE, even in his sinning. He sins because his sin bent nature is being pushed and pulled by 3 primary influences: the WORLD, the DEVIL, and the FLESH. Before Christ every man is a SLAVE to sin. We do not all sin in the same ways or to the same extent or with the same passion or suffering the same consequences. But we all sin from natures that are CORRUPT in the sense that sin AFFECTS all we do and think and say.

Let's consider what Paul says in v.2 about this slavery. Not only did our spiritual DEADNESS demonstrate itself by a lifestyle of TRESPASSES and SINS, but we committed those trespasses and sins as we FOLLOWED the "course of this world." That is, there was an influence drawing us, dragging us towards sin, an influence that we FOLLOWED, like a handcuffed man being dragged onward by a chain hooked to a wench. ONE WENCH pulling our chain was THE WORLD. What is the WORLD and what is the "course of this world"?

WORLD does NOT speak of this physical planet. Here it speaks of a SYSTEM, a way of thinking, feeling, acting, valuing, and speaking that is opposed to God. Perhaps no clearer passage can be found that defines this system than 1 John 2:15-17:

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. "

Here the WORLD is opposed to GOD and all that the world is about originates in it and not in God. The WORLD is about: seeking PLEASURE, getting STUFF, and building a REPUTATION. And these things, John writes, are PASSING AWAY. That is, THEY WON'T LAST. Pursuing them is ULTIMATE LOSS...period.

However, it was this world system of seeking pleasure, getting stuff, and building a reputation that used to pull the chain of our slavery before Christ. We STILL struggle with these things, to be sure. But they no long DOMINATE our lives nor do they have "chain pulling" power over us (see Romans 6!).

I used to live for the next cheeseburger, the next king sized Snickers bar. I used to live for the next stylish piece of clothing or cool shoes that I could buy and then have the look that would draw the looks. I wanted so desperately as a high schooler to break records in track and field with the ultimate goal of being somebody in everybody else's eyes. WHY? I was BORN SPIRITUALLY DEAD and I lived that deadness out as I disregarded and rebelled against God's laws in order to PURSUE the WORLD'S AGENDA. Pleasure, stuff, reputation...that was my life. And...it was YOURS too, BEFORE CHRIST.

Let us PRAISE HIM that now we do have bonifide FREEDOM in the Spirit to love the Father and others and to live self-controlled, contented, God and other-centered lives. What a transformation by grace.

Birthday Thanks to a Gracious God

2009-04-17T06:33:00.004-05:00

Today I am 55 years old. That makes me eligible for SENIOR discounts at a fair number of restaurants and it gives me a number that "sounds" old enough for respect. But this day is not for celebrating what I might GET, but to GIVE thanks to my God for 55 linear years of mercy and grace in space and time.

I give HIM THANKS for my mom and dad who in love came together about 55 years and 9 months ago and from that union God allowed conception.

I give HIM THANKS for sparing me from death in the womb when a car hit my mom as she was carrying me and yet we were both spared from permanent harm.

I give HIM THANKS that my parents did not ABORT me because I was another mouth to feed and another whiny baby to absorb their waking moments and an added pressure on my dad to earn enough from his meager living to support us all.

I give HIM THANKS that my parents, though they did NOT go to church themselves, religiously took us to Sunday School year after year and providentially to a Sunday School where we could hear about Jesus.

I give HIM THANKS for a heart; the blood-pumping wonder machine, that has now beat in my chest approximately TWO and a THIRD BILLION times and shows no significant signs of wearing out.

I give HIM THANKS for giving me a sensitive heart and mind to sin and judgment and heaven and hell while still a boy.

I give HIM THANKS for drawing my oldest sister to Christ as the Jesus Movement of the 70's was waning. God used late night conversations about Christianity and the Bible and salvation to ready my heart for His irresistible call that came in late 1972.

I give HIM THANKS for an in-your-face gospel booklet entitled "Will the World End in 1972?" that was left on a small table in the back of the church where I was sitting one Sunday morning. I was so far back that only the termites were further away from the preaching that morning. I do not remember what Pastor Joiner was preaching, but I picked up the booklet and read and was absorbed by stories and Scriptures about Heaven and Hell and hard-hearted rejecters of the gospel. As I read I was becoming strangely HOT UNDER THE COLLAR, literally! I believe the biblical term is "conviction." It was not long before that conviction and those conversations with my sister and sermons I DID listen to and fears about death and the simple Word of God led, in God's mercy, to my conversion on Christmas Eve, 1972.

I give HIM THANKS for Mr Harold Davenport, who took me under his wing and made me his partner for hospital visits, always accompanied with opportunities to share the gospel and leave literature for folks to read (he was the fellow who had left the booklet on the table at church mentioned earlier).

I give HIM THANKS for people along the way who encouraged me in service to Christ and opened doors of opportunities for me to do so: Gilbert Page, Ricky James, Dean Shaffer, and many others.

I give HIM THANKS for churches I have served vocationally: South Norfolk Christian, Clear Lake Bible, Quail Valley Community, Piedmont Community, and Fellowship Bible Church. In each of these places there have been saints who put up with my sin and weaknesses and have encouraged me with assurances that my labor was not in vain in the Lord.

I give HIM THANKS for my life partner, my wife, who has been a means of grace in my life like no other human being. She, more than any other, knows me. She knows what is real and what is only words. She has weathered the storms and doldrums of marriage to a sinner saved by grace. She has loved me enough to admonish me for my sin and then to point me to a Savior who transforms sinners. I have experienced the highs and lows of life with my precious spouse...and it just keeps getting BETTER!

I give HIM THANKS for my daughters. To witness the miracle of a genuine human being moving from a watery cradle to the harsh lights and sounds and DRYNESS of extra-womb life is an evidence of the handiwork of the Almighty like no other. To be forced to learn what the cry of an infant means, to be on call 24/7, to have the weight of concern for the health and safety and soul of a little person is also a mighty means of grace. I have loved being a dad to girls. It has made me much more fully human and developed the image of One who created me in me. And I have loved parenting with my wife - a tag-team affair that has caused us to be on our knees both in repentance and in cries for wisdom and the filling of the Holy Spirit.

I give Him THANKS for HIMSELF! What a God is my Father. How faithful, how loving-kind, how forgiving, how wise. I am thankful for my Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for my sins, the Just for the unjust, to bring me to God. I am thankful for the Holy Spirit, who daily imparts the very life of Christ into my soul as enablement for all things.

I am, on this 55th birthday, THANKFUL to my God for all things.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 25 (Me, B.C.)

2009-04-16T06:41:00.003-05:00

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see. (John Newton)

John Newton was that truly wretched sea-captain and slave trader whose sin took him to such a depth of depravity that he ended up a destitute slave himself before God mercifully saved him by Amazing Grace.

He said of himself: "I was capable of anything, I had not the least fear of God before my eyes, nor (so far as I remember) the least sensibility of conscience." He wrote for his last will and testament: "I commit my soul to my gracious God and Savior, who mercifully spared and preserved me, when I was an apostate, a blasphemer, and an infidel, and delivered me from the state of misery on the coast of Africa into which my obstinate wickedness had plunged me; and who has been pleased to admit me (though most unworthy) to preach His glorious gospel."

Was Newton alone in his wretched condition before God? Did it take a MORE amazing grace to save him out of his sin than it did to save you and me? Can WE sing Amazing Grace with as much passion and fervor as our good brother John?

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked..." Ephesians 2:1,2a. In this opening line of Ephesians 2 the Apostle Paul reminds us of the SPIRITUAL BIOGRAPHY of ALL of us BEFORE CHRIST. We were SPRITUALLY DEAD.

What does this mean?

To be SPIRITUALLY DEAD means that we have NO spiritual life. It means there is nothing of the life of God in us. It means we are separated from God. There is no relationship or receptivity between us and God. NONE. There is NO ability or interest in moving towards God. To be spiritually dead means that we are HELPLESS and HOPELESS. See Ephesians 2:12 and 4:18.
To be SPIRITUALLY DEAD does NOT mean: that we are WELL but ignorant and just need more information, i.e. the Gospel. It does NOT mean that we are SICK and need a vitamin shot of truth or grace to push us over the top and to enable us to make a weak but real motion towards God from the heart. It does NOT mean that we are MOSTLY DEAD, but with just enough spiritual ability to slide the coffin lid over and croak a cry for mercy to God. DEAD means DEAD.

How did this deadness DEMONSTRATE itself? We were dead "in our trespasses and sins..." The idea here seems to be that our spiritual deadness showed itself in our REBELLION against God's commands (trespasses) and our general FALLING SHORT of God's standards (sins). If God said "DON'T" we did. If God said "Do" we didn't. Theologians call these sins of COMMISSION and OMMISSION. NOTE: we did not BECOME spiritually dead because we sinned, we sinned because we were spiritually dead. The root produced the fruit. The nature produced the lifestyle. An apple tree bears apples BECAUSE it is an apple tree by nature and NOT vice versa.

NOTE ALSO: This rebellion and falling short was not an OCCASIONAL "mistake" or "lapse." It was our LIFESTYLE. "...In which you once walked." "Walk" is a word that indicates not moving one foot in front of the other but the way we live, LIFESTYLE. Rebellion and sin was our lifestyle before Christ. It was our lifestyle because we were spiritually DEAD.

You, me, John Newton, Grandma, our 1st grade teachers, Mother Teresa, Billy Graham...we ALL share the same spiritual biography from birth...DEAD in trespasses and sins.

And...all of us who have entered into new life in Christ can sing with our long departed brother, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like ME..."

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 24 (Power Beyond Measure)

2009-04-15T07:17:00.003-05:00

"...And what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe..." Ephesians 1:19

You and I can WANT to obey God and please Him in our passionate pursuit of holiness, but without POWER to do so...join the long line of "tried that but it didn't work" folks who line the highways and byways of short-lived, embittered religionists.

God wants us to know Him. The Apostle Paul prays for God to give us His revealing, illuminating Spirit to open the eyes of our hearts to who our God is. God wants us to know that HE does not command and then withhold what is needed to obey. God wants us to know that HE is the God who does NOT keep His power to Himself, but shares it with His family. And He does not just share trickles of His power with His blood-bought sons and daughters, He POURS IT OUT abundantly. It is not only a GREAT power, but it is an IMMEASURABLY GREAT power with which our Father works in us and around us.

We have human measurements for power. For example, we measure ELECTRIC power by watts, kilowatts, megawatts, gigawatts, and terawatts (1 trillion watts). The single reactor nulear plant in Monticello, MN can produce enough electric power each year to power approximately 471,000 homes. But this is a PHYSICAL measurement of power. A gigawatt of power will not give me the slightest ability to resist temptation or to be kind to an arrogant person. Electric, nuclear, solar or any other physical measurement of power is the WRONG CATEGORY for this discussion.

This immeasurably great power of God toward us is SPIRITUAL POWER. And since human power categories and measurements are useless here, Paul mentions 3 ways that God's spiritual power has been demonstrated in history and in Christ.

RESURRECTION POWER: "...according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead..." vv.19-20. God gives life to the dead...He raises the dead to life. This is ULTIMATE POWER. The power that raised Christ to life over death and hell and sin is the SAME POWER that is available to you and me when we face temptation or wake up with a bad taste for personal disicpline in our mouth or experience unexpected suffering. In other words, the power that God makes constantly available to us to live life is FAR BEYOND WHAT COULD EVER BE NEEDED. So much for "I can't."
ASCENSION POWER and RULING POWER: "...and seated Him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named..." vv.20,21. Christ was not only raised from the dead, He was raised from EARTH to HEAVEN. And He was raised to a place at the Father's right hand where ALL AUTHORITY is exercised. All the hellish powers that are exercised in the unseen realms and through evil, wicked, elitist rulers on earth are UNDER THE FEET OF CHRIST. This is where the Father seated Him and this same power over powers and this power over the gravity of this present world is the power that our Father offers to us for the using every moment of every day of this life.

Do you know God as the God of IMMEASURABLY GREAT POWER TOWARDS YOU? May the Spirit open our eyes increasingly to know Him in this way.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 23 (God's Glorious Treasure: You and Me)

2009-04-14T06:04:00.004-05:00

"...That you may know...what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints..." Ephesians 1:18

Paul prays that the saints may know God more deeply as the God who has made them His eternal inheritance. This inheritance is GLORIOUS. It is GREAT, it shines with the GLORY OF GOD'S GRACE. It was His choice to make us His treasure. See Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6-8. It had nothing to do with us in terms of merit or worthiness or desirable beauty...there was NONE. But God awaits the day, under His sovereign timing, when He will get what He has assigned as His own portion for all eternity...you and me.

I frankly would have chosen something or someone better. But this choice of inheritance displays HIS GLORY, NOT OURS. It will put on display throughout the endless ages of eternity the gracious, merciful nature of our God to redeem the hopeless and give them a place in His house. It is ALL about HIM. We will not spend billions and billions of years wondering at the TREASURE, but at the TREASURING God! It will all be to "show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus" (2:7).

In John 5 Jesus went to the Pool of Bethesda, a place that was like a cross between an outdoor nursing home and an open hospital ward...with no doctors or nurses. This was a place where invalids - blind, lame, and paralyzed folks lay hoping for the water of the pool to be stirred by an angel (?) so that the first person in the water could experience divine healing. That day Jesus healed ONE MAN, a man who had been an invalid for 38 years and had little to no hope that he would ever experience the gracious healing of the pool. Jesus simply said, "Get up, take up your bed, and walk" (v.8). At once the man did! WHY did Jesus, who was full of compassion, heal only this one man? WHY did Jesus, on the day of YOUR SALVATION, walk into the graveyard of humanity that was all around you and speak to you, like to this hopeless, helpless invalid, and raise you from the dead to new life? Why did He choose YOU that day to become His fellow heir of the Father's riches in glory? Why did He not also choose all of those around you? The ANSWER IS IN HIM! Mysterious, overflowing, sovereign grace is the answer. From spiritual graveyard to heavenly treasure. Who EVER had a greater rags to riches tale than YOU and ME?

God can be to us a Policeman, watching our every move for infractions. God can be to us a Nagging Mom, relentless in correction in the pursuit of perfection. God can be to us a Distant Judge, touching us only with the letter of a compassion-less law. God can be to us a Cold Neighbor, only seen as He goes about His necessary duties but with never a smile or personal acknowledgment. OR God can be seen as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who in mercy and love and grace that dwarfs the oceans came to us while we were dead in our transgressions and made us alive together with Christ and raised us up to be HIS ETERNAL TREASURE.

"O Spirit of God, do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Open our eyes to see the TREASURING GOD who is our Father and open our hearts to love and worship Him more fully forever. Amen"

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 22 (The God Who Has Called Us to Hope)

2009-04-13T05:43:00.005-05:00

"...Having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you many know what is the hope to which He has called you..." Ephesians 1:18

The Apostle Paul's great prayer for the Ephesian saints (and us!) in the first chapter of that letter centers around the request that they might KNOW Him better (v.17). But what does it mean to know Him better but to know WHAT HE IS LIKE and WHAT HE DESIRES and DELIGHTS TO DO? In Paul's prayer, there are 3 things He asks God to illumine the hearts of the saints to. The first of these is "to know the HOPE to which He has called you" v.18.

Note:

CALL refers to an INVITATION. The word is used in the NT of an invitation to God's Kingdom and its privileges. Who in their right mind, apart from Scriptural revelation, could envision the Sovereign God who rules the universe in infinite holiness issuing THEM an invitation to be part of His blessed Kingdom? But He has done it. God has issued Kingdom invitations to His ENEMIES! And not after long observation to determine their suitableness for His Kingdom; God has sovereignly (and irresistibly) issued invitations to His Kingdom to rebels who were actively and passionately REJECTING His Kingdom...to subjects of Satan. Such is our King and such is His glorious invitation.
The particular Kingdom invitation God has issued to us in Paul's prayer is the invitation to HOPE. Again, this is God-founded, biblical HOPE...CONFIDENT EXPECTATION that God will come through and that our future holds ultimate GOOD. In Ephesians 2:12 Paul writes that before Christ we "had no hope and were without God in the world." The expectation we had before Christ was of fearful judgment, lonely dark torment, and a life here without ultimate meaning or purpose. DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE DAYS? Perhaps like me you lived to drown out thoughts of the future because they were so dark and empty and foreboding. Satan calls to destruction and despair. His is the downward call to the convulsive wretching of a ever-dying soul. We were all at one time headed down that hellish hallway. BUT GOD...
This particular HOPE that we have been called to is nothing less than HEAVEN and eternal life with the Father and the Son. It is final possessing of our promised inheritance (Ephesians 1:5,11,14). God will get us and we will get God. What grace has done for us is stranger than fiction. But there is no fiction here. How precious are thoughts of Heaven to you? Does the HOPE of HEAVEN have motivating and drawing power on your soul? The power of heavenly expectation is dependent on the depth of our KNOWLEDGE of God now. If HE is not precious to me, if HE is not my increasing joy, if HE is not what I want more than anyone or anything else then Heaven will not be a joyful, empowering HOPE (1 John 3:1,2).

One primary way to deepen my joy in God and my HOPE of Heaven is to meditate on the fact that my Father in Heaven is the God who has INVITED me to share HEAVEN with Him, through Christ, for all eternity. This is what Paul prays here. That we may know God more deeply as the God who has called us to HOPE, and what that hope is. It is astonishing. HE is astonishing. May God grant us today the help of the Holy Spirit to SEE God as the God who has invited us to share all eternity with Him, when we deserve Hell, and all because He is the gracious God.

HE is the RESURRECTION!

2009-04-12T07:14:00.006-05:00

"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me will live, even though he dies, and he who lives and believes in Me will never die." John 11:25,26

I think the main truth that has stood out to me in the MANY past Easters of my life is this: "Jesus has risen from the grave and He is alive! Therefore He is WITH ME, helping me. He will never leave me." THAT, however, is NOT the main point of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It IS true, and it is a precious truth. But it is more ME centered than Christ-centered.

WHY is Jesus' resurrection so important? There could be many reasons listed, but the GRAND reason His resurrection is important is that it demonstrated HE IS THE RESURRECTION. Not just the One who was resurrected and not just the One who resurrects, but the RESURRECTION itself! Jesus is LORD over the resurrection and He is JUDGE of the resurrection.

"God...has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead." Acts 17:30,31

Being resurrected and exalted as Lord of the resurrection, Jesus POURED OUT RESURRECTION LIFE on His church: Acts 2. He sent the Spirit to bring resurrection life into His people. This is RESURRECTION NOW: spiritually. He will complete the RESURRECTION THEN of His people at the last day when He raises up our decayed bodies and gives us glorious, made-for-heaven and eternity bodies: 1 Corinthians 15.

Therefore, since Jesus is Lord and Judge of the Resurrection and is THE RESURRECTION Himself and has given us NOW resurrection life in our souls: how are we to live this resurrection life on earth in ways that will glorify Him who is the Resurrection and in ways that look forward to our final, bodily resurrection?

Here are 4 ways:

We are to live HOLY LIVES, victorious over sin. See Romans 6:5-13. We have been raised with Christ and therefore the ruling power of sin in our lives is BROKEN. We can say NO to sin and YES to our Resurrected Lord.
We can face the future with UNSHAKABLE CERTAINTY. See 1 Peter 1:3-5. Our future in Heaven with the Father and Son is absolutely guaranteed because Jesus is Lord of the Resurrection, of the last days, of the final judgment. When life is full of disappointment and even suffering, we can authentically say, "This is NOT my home. Heaven is. I am on my journey there. I will live while I am here by Christ's resurrection power, but I will not forget that THIS IS NOT HEAVEN. The absence of tears and evil and temptation and aches and pains and failure and sin IS NOT FOR THIS LIFE. But it WILL BE for Heaven. And HEAVEN IS MY HOME. And my RESURRECTED LORD WILL take me there."
We are to give ourselves to RADICAL SERVICE TO CHRIST. See 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 5:9,10. Because Jesus is the Resurrection there will be REWARD for our service to Him. That investment of our lives in faithful stewardship will reap rewards ALL OUT OF PROPORTION to what we have done. AND...those rewards will last forever. There will be no taxes, no recession, no inflation. If your bank were to guarantee you that for every $1 you invested you would received a return of $1,000,000.00, how would that affect your savings strategy? You'd watch every dime closely and invest every dollar you didn't use for absolute necessities! You'd be a fool not to. The NT gives us a similar guarantee, but the return is even greater. Our labor is NOT IN VAIN in the Lord. It will reap reward. See Luke 6:35; 1 Corinthians 3:14.
We are to WAGE WAR FOR LOST SOULS. See Daniel 12:2,3. There WILL be a resurrection of the wicked and the righteous. Jesus will be LORD over that resurrection and He will be JUDGE over that resurrection. Those apart from Christ will be resurrected to shame and everlasting contempt. But there will be some who are WISE, who TURN many to righteousness, and who will shine like stars in Heaven. Don't you want to be one of those WISE EVANGELISTS who is resurrected to life and has the joy and REWARD of seeing many in Heaven because God used your stammering words and "weak" prayers to bring MANY to righteousness? May God give us ALL that kind of wisdom.

Jesus IS the RESURRECTION and the LIFE. And because of that we have resurrection life NOW and can live for HEAVEN in our personal pursuit of holiness, our facing the future with unshakable HOPE, our tireless labor, and our evangelism. This WILL glorify Him now and it will store up rewards that we will enjoy FOREVER in our Heavenly inheritance. HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 21 (Knowing Through the Word)

2009-04-11T06:52:00.003-05:00

Paul prays in Ephesians 1:17 that God would give the Ephesian believers (and us!) "...the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him." We have written previously about the Holy Spirit as the One who gives revelation of God. He teaches us and shows us what we could never know apart from His ministry. He opens blind eyes to SEE CHRIST and the GOSPEL.

It is important when we speak of the Holy Spirit's work of revelation (or ILLUMINATION, once we are believers and know Christ) to remind ourselves that He does His revealing work THROUGH THE SCRIPTURES. So...we can PRAY for Him to open our eyes to know Christ and to know our spiritual blessings in Christ, but if we do not ALSO devote ourselves to reading and meditating in the Scriptures, we do not put ourselves in the PLACE OF REVELATION.

If I am a beggar and do not put myself in a place where people with money pass by, I won't receive much financial compassion. I can and should and MUST cry to the Spirit to make me know my Savior, but if I do not put myself regularly WHERE THE SPIRIT GIVES REVELATION, my prayer has no environment for being answered.

Of course this means that not only should I regularly read and meditate on the Scriptures, but also:

I should read and meditate in portions of the Scriptures that most specifically focus on the object of my prayers. For example, if I want to see Christ more clearly, I can go to Colossians 1 or the Gospels or the book of Revelation. Of course Christ is revealed in ALL of Scripture (Luke 24:27), but some portions focus more specifically on His attributes or deity or passion. If I am asking for insight into God's will re: finances, there are weighty passages in Proverbs or 2 Corinthians 8 and 9.
I should also regularly put myself under the PREACHING and TEACHING of the Scriptures. How MANY times the Spirit has opened my eyes to some needed truth as I sat and listened to a brother open the Word. This is why "...He gave some...pastors and teachers" Ephesians 4:11. If God has planted you in a local church body ( and I PRAY HE has!) then it is important to trust that HE will feed you, His sheep, THROUGH the shepherds in YOUR CHURCH.
Another wonderful place for the Holy Spirit's revealing/illumining ministry to reach us is in books written by godly, scholarly, devotional-hearted saints. I have loved reading the Puritans (though at times the conviction was painful) or Martyn Lloyd-Jones or J.C. Ryle or present day authors such as John Piper or Iain Murray.
Today there are wonderful and FREE sites for downloading biblical, Christ-centered sermons and teaching onto MP3 players. www. biblicaltraining.org features Bible-college and Seminary levels courses in most subjects (like preaching, OT Survey, NT Survey, Systematic Theology, etc.) at no cost. DesiringGod.org offers many hundreds of messages by John Piper and others, including some MP4 video sermons. Many larger churches offer downloads of their pastor's sermons. Use these to SUPPLEMENT your church's teaching, not to REPLACE it!
MEMORIZING the Word is critically important as it allows you to MEDITATE on a portion of Scripture that you are learning from or studying. I have been meditating on Colossians 3 lately and from past study and meditation have memorized much of it. It is a valuable thing when asking the Spirit to teach you to have a critical passage in memory so that you can mentally "chew" on it during spare moments during the day.

Fellow beggars, let us park ourselves everyday in the Word where the Spirit will meet us and "turn on the lights" of our souls to SEE JESUS.

How the Lamb Has Conquered

2009-04-10T09:01:00.004-05:00

After the SLAIN but LIVING LAMB takes the scroll from the One on the throne in Revelation 5, there erupts from Heaven to the far corners of the universe a praise service such as has never been seen or heard before.

It begins with the cherubim and the mysterious 24 elders. From a prostrate position (Revelation 5:8) and with golden harps (the instruments of praise) and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints (are these the long, patient prayers for God to bring His justice and finish His redemptive plan and bring all things to their promised end?) they sing a new song:

NEW SONG is a song that is sung to celebrate a divine act of blessing and deliverance. What act of deliverance does this song celebrate?
WORTHY ARE YOU to take the scroll: again, WHY? HOW has He become worthy? How has He conquered?

Here's HOW the Lamb has CONQUERED:

FOR YOU WERE SLAIN. The Cross is the Sovereign God's weapon for conquering death and hell and sin and Satan. The crucifixion of God very God the Son, the violent spilling of His own life blood is the STRATEGIC PLAN for utter and complete and eternal victory.
AND BY YOUR BLOOD you RANSOMED people for God. The Cross conquered because on it the price was paid to RANSOM us for God. The price of our infinite guilt against the INFINITE ONE was nothing less than HIS own INFINITELY VALUABLE LIFE. The Lamb slain was the price paid. On the cross HE "disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame..." Colossians 2:15. Now we are not only forgiven but we also BELONG to God. We are His possession. We are not our own, we have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).
FROM EVERY TRIBE AND LANGUAGE AND PEOPLE AND NATION: The victory is utter and complete because from EVERY people group on earth men have been ransomed to God. ALL are represented. Not one is lacking. Satan succeeded in destroying NO people group on earth. Sin could not keep every individual in any remote jungle tribe from the sovereign, saving power of the CROSS. The heavenly choir will be complete with tenors in Swahili and bass singers in the language of Taliabo and sopranos from Kazakhstan and altos from the Eskimos.
And YOU HAVE MADE THEM A KINGDOM AND PRIESTS TO OUR GOD: Rebels have been won to willing submission to the King of Heaven by the Cross. Multiplied millions of men and women who lived life utterly committed to serving their lusts now joyfully and with deepest soul satisfaction serve God as His priests. The CONQUERING of the CROSS goes to the deepest recesses of the human heart. Full redemption.
AND THEY SHALL REIGN ON EARTH: We will reign with King Jesus. The reign that was man's created purpose will be restored. How? The SLAIN LAMB on the CROSS.

Let us join the cherubim and elders in prostrate praise.

The Lion Has Conquered as the Lamb

2009-04-09T06:30:00.003-05:00

The glorious picture of Jesus as the Lamb of God in the New Testament is found primarily in the book of Revelation. As the aged Apostle John is given the visions recorded there he sees symbolic pictures of what is happening and will happen in Heaven.

The picture of all pictures in Revelation is of the Lamb. Of all the pictures of the Lamb, chapter 5 is most amazing and graphic. But it does not open with the Lamb...it opens with the LION! John sees the exalted God on His throne with a SCROLL in His right hand. This is the scroll that will be progressively opened throughout Revelation. It is the scroll that contains God's plan for the finalizing of human history - to bring history to an end - with judgment for the wicked and eternal salvation for God's people. But NO ONE is found worthy to open the scroll. John begins to weep loudly. The suffering, hopeful people of God, including John here in exile on Patmos, have been praying and longing for this time of God's justice and reward. No one is worthy to open the scroll and put the final, decisive movements of God's glorious plan into motion?

But stop weeping, John. The LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH (see Genesis 49:9,10)...has CONQUERED. HE is worthy to open the scroll (v.5). This LION is none other than the promised MESSIAH, the long-awaited conquering King of God's people. And WHAT/WHO does John see? NOT a conquering LION, the King of beasts, the VICTORIOUS GENERAL of the Hosts of the Lord, but "...a Lamb standing as though it had been slain" v.6. A LAMB! But not just ANY Lamb, this Lamb is "standing as though it had been slain." Here is the RESURRECTION and CRUCIFIXION of the Lamb, Jesus, in one phrase. He WAS slain, but now He stands, because He rose from the grave and ascended to the Father.

And note:

"...with SEVEN HORNS": Horns represent POWER. SEVEN is the number used to indicate fullness or perfection. This Lamb is ALL POWERFUL, OMNIPOTENT! This Lamb is God very God! He is no common member of the weakest and most vulnerable of livestock, this Lamb is DIVINE. HE could die because He was indeed a Lamb (a man who could be sacrificed for men). His death could have INFINITE worth because this Lamb is God.
"...with SEVEN EYES": Eyes represent KNOWLEDGE. This Lamb is also ALL-KNOWING, OMNISCIENT! Not a dumb sheep, but He who possesses infinite awareness of all things in one comprehensive knowing.

This slain but standing, all-powerful, all-knowing Lamb goes to the One on the throne and takes the scroll...and the most amazing scene of cosmic worship ever recorded commences. We will look more at the increasing intensity of this worship and its content tomorrow, but for now let us note this one, great truth portrayed in the Lion/Lamb in these verses:

The LION is worthy and has conquered BECAUSE He is also the LAMB! It was the DEATH of Christ that totally destroyed the legions of wickedness, death, and hell. The greatest display of POWER that the universe has ever witnessed was THE CROSS. Let us praise and worship our WORTHY Lion/Lamb today as He who has conquered for eternity on our behalf.

I can't wait to look at the rest of Revelation 5!

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 20 (The Spirit of Revelation and Relationship)

2009-04-08T06:35:00.004-05:00

"I keep asking that...God...may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know Him better" Ephesians 1:17 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul's prayer for the Ephesian saints begins with a request to God to give them THE HOLY SPIRIT. The ESV translates this "a spirit of wisdom and revelation." Which is it, capital "S" or a little "s"? There are no capitals in the Greek. The determination regarding "Spirit" or "spirit" has to be made from the context or from the teaching of Scripture taken all together.

We know that believers are graciously given the Holy Spirit at conversion (Ephesians 1:13; Romans 8:9) to INDWELL them. So Paul could NOT be asking for the Spirit to be given to indwell the Ephesian saints. But the Scriptures DO speak of the Spirit being given for special tasks (e.g. Acts 4:8; 4:31) and Jesus did teach His disciples that the Father would give the Holy Spirit to those (those CHILDREN of His) who ask (Luke 11:13). In this sense, being "given" the Holy Spirit would mean to be given His HELP, to RECEIVE HIS MINISTRY.

The Holy Spirit is the One whose ministry is to TEACH believers and to make them KNOW TRUTH (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 John 2:27). HE it is who opens our eyes to see God as the One who calls us to hope, makes us His inheritance, and works in and for us with immeasurable power (Ephesians 1:18-19). And so...Paul constantly asks for God to give the "Spirit of WISDOM and REVELATION" to the saints.

Note:

REVELATION: means to make known what could not otherwise be known. What is revealed in this sense could never be known by human investigation. A picture of this would be a pot cooking on the stove with the lid on. You wonder what is in the pot, but you will never know UNTIL the lid is taken off. The Holy Spirit TAKES THE LID OFF so that we may see and know WHO God is, WHAT He has done for us in Christ, HOW much He loves us, and HOW to reciprocate. If the Holy Spirit does not "take the lid off" for us, we will NEVER know these things. This is why if we GRIEVE the Holy Spirit by our sin, all of a sudden we stop SEEING like we used to. The Word of God becomes dry and new insights stop. Even what we DO know shrivels. We are absolutely dependent on the Holy Spirit to KNOW God. We must, as Paul did, for ourselves and others...keep asking for the Spirit to be given us to minister His revealing and teaching in our lives through the Word.
WISDOM: Wisdom deals with PRACTICAL knowing. Without REVELATION, we cannot know God truly. Without WISDOM we do not know HOW to respond to our knowledge of God. That is, how is knowing God supposed to affect my life? How do I respond to Him? How do I live out a relationship to Him?
KNOWING HIM: This word for KNOW deals with DEEP, CLEAR, FULL, INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE. This knowing is personal and relational knowing. It is knowing UP CLOSE. It is glorious to know that this kind of knowing is not only POSSIBLE for us, but PROMISED to us, if we seek to know Him and have the Spirit's help. God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ and the FIRST and FOREMOST of them is knowing HIM!

Nothing is more important than personally, intimately, life-changingly knowing our Father and His Son. This has been provided for through the redeeming death of the Son and the indwelling, revealing presence of the Holy Spirit. And so, as the prophet wrote:

"Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth." Hosea 6:3

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 19 (Our Greatest Prayer: To Know Him)

2009-04-07T12:57:00.003-05:00

"I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better." Ephesians 1:17

Prayer is not a magic activity. Prayer is not powerful nor answered simply BECAUSE we ask. Prayer is to be wise and insightful and ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD (1 John 5:14). WHAT we ask is very important in relation to our prayers being answered.

This glorious prayer of the Apostle Paul's in Ephesians 1:17-19 is FIRST of all a prayer that believers may KNOW GOD BETTER. It is NOT primarily that they will know more ABOUT God nor that they will know more about His BLESSINGS, but that they will know HIM AS THE BLESSER.

Note the first two things Paul says about this God:

He is "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ." This phrase seems to note the SUBMISSION of the Son to the Father, doing the will of the Father in all things, especially our salvation. This phrase also seems to highlight the Father's role in planning our salvation and sending the Son to secure these spiritual blessings cataloged in 1:3-14.
He is also, "the glorious Father." GLORIOUS means GREAT...VISIBLY, MAJESTICALLY GREAT. God's glory is His greatness shining forth for others to see. God is the Father whose greatness sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. His great and glorious LOVE CHOSE hell-bound sinners like you and me to be heaven-dwelling sons for all eternity. The Father is so great that ANYTHING we ask according to His will...will be done. The potential or raw material for what we ask does NOT need to be present for God to answer prayer. He is the God who CREATES out of NOTHING (see Romans 4:17). He is also the gracious Father who delights to answer, especially to glorify His name (Psalm 50:15).

The more we KNOW this God of our Lord Jesus Christ, this glorious Father...the greater, more full of faith, more consistent, and more ANSWERED will our prayers be. A great answer to pitiful prayer lives is a clearer, greater KNOWLEDGE of God.

When I really KNOW and BELIEVE that my Father is ready to answer, able to answer, wanting to answer...I will pray. So let us pray, pray, pray, pray, and...pray that He would open our eyes to KNOW HIM BETTER as the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, who sent Him to save us and the glorious Father, who gives good things to those who ask.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 18 (Not Satisfied)

2009-04-06T06:44:00.003-05:00

"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers..." Ephesians 1:16

The Apostle Paul has heard of the faith and love of the Ephesian saints...they ARE true believers. He is THANKFUL for that. What glory! These who should have been blasted by God's just wrath have been blessed from eternity by God's gracious choice of them to be His very own children. It is such a glorious truth that Paul CAN'T STOP giving thanks for them. He is thankful for God's choice of them and their faith in Christ and their love for all the saints.

I hope you are still finding a never ceasing thanks in your heart to God for His saving you. I hope that you are regularly thankful for your FAITH in Christ, because it is the GIFT of God (Ephesians 2:9). I pray that God has given you a living faith that extends out to others, that is BIGGER all the time in terms of whom it embraces. And I pray that you are thankful to God for every time He empowers you to love someone else instead of yourself. What a divine miracle.

May God's grace enable us to NEVER GET OVER what He has done for us in Christ.

But this great salvation is NOT THE END OF IT. There's more. In Christ there is ALWAYS MORE.

Not only does Paul give thanks to God for the Ephesians' faith and love, He also keeps remembering them in PRAYER. He PRAYS for them to KEEP ON GROWING in faith and love. He is thankful that they KNOW God...HE now prays (vv.17-19) that they would KNOW HIM MORE!

Paul is NOT SATISFIED with the glory of their salvation and the clear evidence of it. He wants MORE for them. He wants them to KNOW God more deeply as the God who has called them to HOPE, who has made them His INHERITANCE, and who works in them and on their behalf with IMMEASURABLY GREAT POWER (prayer of vv.17-19).

Let us NOT be satisfied, either. Let us not neglect to be thankful always for our great salvation. But let us CRY out to God daily for MORE, the MORE He has promised us and purchased for us in Christ. Let's PRAY for everyone on our prayer list who knows Christ to keep progressing towards knowing Him more clearly and deeply.

We will look at this great prayer in the days ahead, Lord willing.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 17 (Praying for Believers and Unbelievers)

2009-04-05T21:36:00.003-05:00

"For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers..."
Ephesians 1:15-16

The well known prayer of Paul's that follows the above verses is a prayer to be prayed for Christians only. It is NOT for unbelievers. The Apostle has REASONS for praying the prayer in verses 17-19 for the Ephesian church. His reasons, detailed in the above verses are:

He has heard of their FAITH in the Lord Jesus. Apparently the Ephesian believers had a testimony that reached beyond Ephesus. Perhaps an associate of Paul's brought the report. Even though Paul had spent 3 years with the Ephesian church, it had been several years since he had been there and there were doubtless many new believers in the church. Add to this the possibility that this letter was to go to other churches in that part of Asia and it is clear why Paul refers to his HEARING of their faith as though it was news to him. They had faith in Christ. This is surely the most basic definition of what a Christian is. Paul heard, to the relief and joy of his heart, that the members of the church were still holding to Christ as Lord.
He had also heard of their LOVE for all the saints. Saving faith has an effect in the believing one. Faith shows itself, it WORKS through LOVE (Galatians 5:6). Faith shows its reality in a transformed heart that gives for the good of others. But this love was not just for SOME of the saints, it was for ALL the saints. Love from a saved heart is increasingly BIG, reaching out beyond affinities, beyond financial status, beyond race, education, circle of friends, age, Bible knowledge, application of Scripture, etc. It more and more embraces ALL the saints. Jesus said that even pagans love those who love them. But how about those folks who hold no promise to give us a return for our investment of time and energy? Do we love them? The Ephesians did.

And so, having heard of this real faith demonstrated in a BIG love, Paul PRAYS for them as BELIEVERS. He prays a prayer that can only be effectively prayed for God's people.

Paul did NOT pray for unbelievers in this way. A short, passionate example of how he did is found in Romans 10:1. Here he prays for unsaved Israel, "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." Unsaved individuals should not be prayed for to know God better or to better understand the riches of their blessing in Christ. They have none. They are without God and without hope in the world (Ephesians 2:12). They need prayer for things such as:

That the god of this world will be able to blind them to the gospel no more...2 Corinthians 4:4
That the Spirit of God will convict them of sin, righteousness, and judgment...John 16:8
That they will have opportunity for a clear hearing of the gospel...Ephesians 1:13
That God will open their heart to the gospel when they hear it...Acts 16:14

The point of all this is that we are to pray with understanding, wisdom, and REASON for our family, friends, and work associates. If there is evidence that they are believers, pray for them the prayers of Scripture such as the one here in Ephesians 1. Do they profess and show real faith in Christ the Lord? Is there evidence of Spirit-produced love in their life? Do they have an appetite for the Bible and the fellowship of other believers? Then PRAY with confidence for their further growth in Christ and in the Word of God. But if they show no evidence of being a believer, don't pray for God to bless them, pray for them to be saved and to be delivered from sin and hell. Pray for them to hear the gospel. Pray for their eyes to be opened to Christ the Rescuer.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 16 (The Down Payment)

2009-04-04T19:22:00.004-05:00

"...the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance, until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory." Ephesians 1:13,14

Not only is the Holy Spirit the SEAL of our salvation, marking us as God's own and securing the safety of our journey from the cross to Heaven, He is also God's GUARANTEE. What does this mean?

The word for GUARANTEE here means an earnest, or down payment. It was very much like what many of us did when we purchased our homes. We paid a part of the price as a first part of the full price. It was our promise that the rest would be coming, as well.
The Holy Spirit in us is God's down payment OF OUR INHERITANCE, that is, our inheritance of God Himself, and Christ, and Heaven. The first part of our final inheritance in heaven with God and Christ has been given to us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. HE has brought into our lives the LIFE of Heaven. We are experiencing NOW the Life of God and Christ and Heaven...in a measure. We know God, we fellowship with God, we are being made to be like Christ, we know Spirit-enabled worship, we experience multi-cultural fellowship with Christ's body, we battle victoriously against Satan...and more.
But there's MORE TO COME! The best of the Spirit-filled life at this time is only a taste, a PART of what is to come when we receive our full inheritance. YET it is a REAL taste! Think of it...no matter how good and sweet and precious and pure and liberating our worship or fellowship is now, it is only a TASTE of what is to come. Bring it on, Lord!
And though this life the Spirit has brought is just the down payment, it is a GUARANTEE that the rest is coming. Count on it! The Spirit in us is GOD's PROMISE that the full inheritance will be ours. We WILL see His face. We WILL have His name written on us. We WILL enjoy pleasures at His right hand forever (Psalm 16:11). There will be NO MORE crying or pain. We WILL worship WITHOUT impure motives, fear of man, distracted minds, or diminished passion. Bring it on, Lord!
This God the Guarantee will continue WITH US, indwelling us, UNTIL we "acquire possession of it" v.14.

Life here during our earthly journey is PRIMARILY ABOUT HEAVEN. We are being schooled for eternity. God is shaping us in the gym of this life for the next. Is it not because we still have so little understanding of this that life here and now yields so little joy and heaven lacks motivating passion? We have a destiny, brothers and sisters. It is not a $300,000.00 home or a six digit job or an ideal retirement...it is HEAVEN. IF you and I do not get all the taste of heaven we can now by pursuing Jesus passionately by the Spirit...WHAT will we miss in HEAVEN? The Scriptures are clear that how we live NOW will have a determination on how we enjoy and experience Heaven.

Think about it. And...let us also remember that the Spirit GUARANTEE is doing all this for "...the praise of HIS glory."

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 15 (Sealed for Final Delivery!)

2009-04-03T17:12:00.003-05:00

"In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory" Ephesians 1:13-14.

In vv.13-14 of Ephesians 1 we see the salvation ministry of the Holy Spirit. He is our SEAL from God. In Paul's day, an important document might be sent from one individual to another. Before the document was taken on its way, the sender would roll it up, drip hot wax on the closing edge of the document, and then stamp his SEAL into the wax. This seal was to accomplish several things:

provide a mark of OWNERSHIP
provide a mark of AUTHENTICITY
provide SECURITY for the document, so that it would not be tampered with

God the Holy Spirit is God the Father's SEAL in the life of all His redeemed children. The Spirit MARKS us out as God's own. See Romans 8:9. His fruit, gifts, and other ministries identify us as the regenerated of God. The real thing...AUTHENTIC. The Holy Spirit also SECURES us in God the Father's love and power from salvation to Heaven.

Think of this: if you had a very precious item that you wanted to transport to a distant place, you could send it UPS or FedEx and it would probably arrive safely and intact. However, no one values your "precious" like you do and no one would take as good care of it as you. Therefore, an even BETTER way to secure the safety of your precious item would BE TO TAKE IT THERE YOURSELF! This, friend, is what God is doing for us, His precious, blood-bought inheritance. He has come to INDWELL us in the person of God the Holy Spirit so that He HIMSELF can take us from salvation to Heaven! And with omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence overseeing the route...WE ARE SECURE whatever the enemy of our souls, the world, or our own flesh raises up to stop us. We WILL be safely delivered to Heaven. The unchanging God and His Spirit guarantee it.

I WILL see you there.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 14 (ACCORDING TO, Not OUT OF)

2009-04-02T06:30:00.004-05:00

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which He lavished upon us..." Ephesians 1:7,8

How GREAT is God's forgiveness toward us though the ransom payment of Christ's own blood?

Consider these two additional phrases the Apostle Paul uses:

1. "...According to the riches of His grace..." v.7. Note:

"according to" is different from "out of": John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) was possibly the richest man to ever live (apart from Solomon!). His estimated wealth, when converted to 2007 dollars, was 318.3 BILLION dollars! He made his money in kerosene and oil, and was a great philanthropist, giving away tens of millions of dollars. As Rockefeller grew older, he developed the habit of giving DIMES to children on the street. The dime was welcome, I am sure, especially coming from Rockefeller, but it was not going to rescue anyone from poverty, let alone make them rich. A billionaire giving someone a dime is to give "out of" his wealth.

Suppose, on the other hand, Rockefeller approached an orphaned street urchin one day and announced to him that he wanted to make the boy his son and to give him the legal and actual rights to all his multiplied billions, right down to the last DIME?! This would be a picture of giving "according to" or "in measure with" his wealth. Not a restricted or minimal portion, but a gracious and lavish pouring out...a sharing of ALL.
God our Father has given us forgiveness "according to" the riches of His grace. We have not received a DIME's worth of forgiveness, covering some of our sin or most of our sin or the least abominable of our sins...we have received a CENTILLION, CENTILLION worth of forgiveness. What is a CENTILLION? It is a "1" followed by 303 ZEROES! Yet even this number is a poor illustration as it has an end, a limit. God's forgiveness of us through the blood of Christ has NO forgiving limit. All our past, present, and future sins are forgiven. All our past, present, and future sins are FORGOTTEN (Jeremiah 31:34). All our past, present, and future sins are CLEANSED (1 John 1:9). That sin of ours which no one knows about...in the past...too painful to recall to mind...it is forgiven ACCORDING TO the riches of His grace. That sin whose CONSEQUENCES have lingered and will be present until Christ returns...it is forgiven ACCORDING TO the riches of His grace.

2. "...which He lavished upon us." v.8a

"Lavished" means: more than enough, excess. Whatever it took to forgive all my sin, all your sin, and all the sin of the multiplied millions of redeemed throughout the ages was MORE THAN provided for through the blood of Christ and the riches of God's grace. This forgiveness will never fail to cover any sin unto eternity.

Therefore:

Let us rest in the SECURITY of God's forgiveness, ACCORDING TO the riches of His grace.
Let us REFUSE to live one moment more under the guilt of fully forgiven sin.
Let us REFUSE to PUNISH ourselves for past, present, or future sin, knowing that only the infinite payment of Christ's blood COULD and HAS paid for it. Penance is mockery of Christ's redemption.
Let us REFUSE to listen to Satan's lie that our past sin has relegated us to the corner of God's dining room and that only the crumbs of grace are available to us.
Let us COME boldly, confidently, regularly into the very presence of our Father, breathing the fresh air of His "according to" forgiveness, worshipping with a heart set free at the same time as we request His gracious supply for today's demands.

There has been a DIVINE BAILOUT for morally bankrupt, spiritually dead folks like you and me, facing a debt we could never begin to pay. This bailout is offered freely and lavishly by God's grace and Christ's blood and pays our debt so fully that WE CAN NEVER ACCRUE additional debt.

Have you accepted this bailout offer? If you have, are you living in it?

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 13 (Forgiven!)

2009-04-01T06:58:00.004-05:00

"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace..." Ephesians 1:7

Forgiveness in our day, like too many other lofty and glorious words, has lost its heart-stopping, mind-blowing impact.

The very life blood of the eternal Son become also man was paid as the ransom price for our redemption from sin's penalty and power. What came to us with the payment of this price? FORGIVENESS! Forgiveness comes from a verb meaning, "to send away." It also has the idea of "loosing someone from what binds him."

A wonderful Old Testament picture of this took place on the high Day of Atonement...see Leviticus 16:15-22. On that day the high priest would take 2 goats for a sin offering. He would slay the first goat for the uncleanness and sins of Israel. He would then take some of its blood into the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle and sprinkle the blood over and in front of the mercy seat. Afterwards, some of the blood of this same goat would be sprinkled on the altar of burnt offering outside the Tabernacle. Next, the high priest would take the remaining live goat and put his hands on its head, confessing over it the "iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins" Leviticus 16:21. After the sins were confessed on the goat it was taken away into the wilderness to a distant place from which it will never return, signifying the permanent removal of Israel's sin.

Note:

Both goats are pictures of Jesus! The first goat is killed as a substitute, taking the punishment (death) of the people. The innocent suffering death for the guilty. Its blood is sprinkled on and in front of the MERCY SEAT. Over the mercy seat dwelt God in his holiness and Shekinah glory. In the mercy seat was the law of God that Israel had broken and transgressed. How could the holy God look down at His holy law the people had broken and not punish them? ONLY when SOMEONE ELSE was punished for them. A blameless sacrifice suffering for the blameworthy. Hallelujah for our blameless substitute Savior! The second goat, which remained alive, had the sins of the people confessed on his head, symbolizing that the sins were being laid on him and he would "carry" them in the sense of being a sin bearer. He was taken into the wilderness from which place he would never return, symbolizing the permanent removal of the people's sins. NEVER would the people awake one morning to heart the sound of that goat's bleating. Jesus carried our sins outside the city of Jerusalem to a hill on which He was crucified as the final, ultimate Sin-Bearer, the SCAPEGOAT for our sin, all our sin, past-present-future sin, forever. Hallelujah for our Sin-Bearing Savior!
The Mercy Seat is also a picture of Jesus. HE is the place where mercy can be offered, where a propitiation of blood can turn away the just wrath of God against us as law-breakers. He TURNS ASIDE God's wrath from us. Hallelujah!

How far has our Mercy Seat, Scapegoat Savior taken our sin away?

"As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us" Psalm 103:12.

"...He will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea" Micah 7:19.

With such complete and permanent forgiveness, let us approach God with bold confidence through the blood of Christ, knowing that we do not come before Him with lingering sin, partially forgiven sin, the fragrance of sin, the guilt of sin, the memory of sin (See Jeremiah 31:34!), the threat of wrath for sin, or distance created by sin. We come FORGIVEN!

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 12 (Redeemed, How I Love to Proclaim It!)

2009-03-31T06:21:00.012-05:00

"In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace..." Ephesians 1:7

When I was a boy I remember my mom saving green and gold stamps that she received from grocery stores for her purchases. S&H Green Stamps and Gold Bond Stamps were that extra "perk" the stores hoped would bring in faithful, repeat customers. Are you old enough to remember them? I can see mom dutifully licking the stamps and putting them row by row into the savings books. Occasionally, when she had saved enough stamps, we'd make our way down to the "Redemption Center" where you could surrender your stamp-filled books to "redeem" the prize of your choice: a toaster, some glassware, or perhaps some cookware.

In this case, to "redeem" meant to "pay the price" of savings books of stamps to "purchase" the desired prize.

In Ephesians 1:7, "redemption" means "to pay a price to set the captive free." In NT times, the Roman Empire had a large population of slaves. The market where these slaves were sold was apparently a familiar place to Romans citizens. There a slave would be marketed and the "master" who desired to purchase the slave would pay the asking price to "redeem" him into his possession.

In CHRIST we have redemption. His very own life, taken away by unjust violence in the will of God, was the price paid to set us free from slavery to sin. The blood of Christ was the price for our freedom from sin's condemning penalty and controlling power. AND IT HAS BEEN PAID. We HAVE redemption through His blood.

WHAT a price! The life blood of the eternal Son of God/Son of Man. Did you happen to see THE PASSION of CHRIST movie? In spite of numerous non-biblical elements, it DID portray effectively the suffering of our Lord. Why did He suffer like a gutter-level criminal? "For Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a RANSOM for many" Mark 10:45. RANSOM is the technical name for the PAYMENT that redeems a slave. Christ's suffering was the suffering of the RANSOM payment for the sin of mankind.

Note:

This payment could NOT have been more precious or costly. Any life is precious in the sight of God, especially human life, man made in the image of God. THIS human life was the Son of Man, Jesus Christ, who not only was man but was a PERFECT man. "He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth" 1 Peter 2:22. This was the Lamb of God without spot or blemish. And not only was He perfect, spotless man, He was the God/Man. There was DIVINE value to His life. In Acts 20:28 Paul speaks of "the church of God, which he obtained with HIS OWN BLOOD." Therefore, the value of this ransom payment was as infinite as the ONE who offered it up.
This payment was FULL and FINAL. Just before Jesus breathed His last on the cross He uttered "It is finished!" John 19:30. This had the meaning of, "It is paid in full." With such a costly and infinitely valuable payment, even the debt of sin incurred by multiplied millions against the infinitely holy God was paid.
A ransom payment was paid to free a slave FROM his present master to belong to another master. By Christ's blood we are freed from sin and Satan TO BELONG TO GOD. We are not our own masters. "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. TRUE FREEDOM is to be a love slave of the Father who has ransomed us at the price of His Son's blood. Slavery to God is pure and undiluted joy.

Do you ever wonder if God loves you, if He is aware of your situation, if He cares? Wonder no longer. Look to the cross, where the PRICE of your REDEMPTION was paid, the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST..."according to the riches of [the Father's] grace" Ephesians 1:7. If that objective, historical demonstration of love is not enough to assure you and I of the Father's undying love, then nothing will ever do so. LOOK TO THE CROSS!

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 11 (Destined to Be Family)

2009-03-30T06:10:00.005-05:00

"In love He predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will..." Ephesians 1:4,5

As we think about the glorious and spiritual blessings that God has blessed us with in Christ, we move on to PREDESTINATION. One of the most unfortunate battles that has raged in the church over the centuries surrounds this word (and the last...ELECTION!). Why?

A deep jealousy for the exaltation of man in his salvation. Because of the man-centeredness that sin brings to the human heart, man wants to retain some myth of control over his ultimate destiny. We do not naturally want God to be in control of our salvation any more than we want Him to be in control over our daily life. We would be lord, at any cost. But Jonah's cry is the heart of all biblical salvation theology: "Salvation belongs to the Lord" Jonah 2:9.
A misunderstanding of what PREDESTINATION by God is all about. So often the mental images that come with the mention of predestination are things like: "It's not fair. If God predestined some for heaven just because He wanted to, then it means He predestined the rest of mankind to hell, just because He wanted to. Therefore, those not predestined have no choice. They are locked into unbelief and hell. Where is the fairness in that?" What this kind of "reasonable" and "rational" thinking does is to turn a doctrine Scripture intends to bring great glory to God into something that impugns His holiness. The Bible would have us see that ALL have sinned... willingly, rebelliously, and culpably (that is, with FULL responsibility for their sin) and therefore ALL justly and FAIRLY deserve hell. However, in rich and unfathomable mercy God has chosen some (and a very "large" some, at that) to be rescued from their deserved place in hell, by sheer grace, to a place in His family in heaven forever. He is infinitely JUST, so why not give all their just reward...hell? Because He is also infinitely MERCIFUL, and delights from the overflow of His nature to choose for some a destiny that is infinitely opposite to what they FAIRLY deserve.

Predestination means that God, in free, sovereign grace, has chosen a destiny for us believers, through His Son...the destiny of SONS. Predestine means to appoint ahead of time to a position. This position for us is to have the full inheritance and rights of natural born children, even though we were ADOPTED.

It is well attested that in the Roman world of Paul's day, when a man adopted a son he was LEGALLY giving that son the name, privileges, and possessions of a natural born son. An adopted son was not a 2nd class, back of the bus, bottom of the list child. He was being given EVERYTHING that belonged to His father. THIS is the destiny God has chosen for us...from eternity...to eternity. We are NOW the children of God (1 John 3:1) and enjoy the first tastes of all that is our Father's. But there is MORE to come. "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"-- 1 Corinthians 2:9.

Brothers and sisters, we "are joint heirs with Christ" Romans 8:17. Him with whom we share this full-family status purchased it for us through His perfect life and redemptive suffering.

Think of this, as well. God did not hesitantly choose this destiny for us. It was His GOOD PLEASURE...He did it in love. "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." Luke 12:32

Therefore, let us BELIEVE this is our destiny. Let us see ourselves as the Father does, full fledged sons and daughters through the SON. Let us go to our Father with "boldness and...confidence" Ephesians 3:12. When we go to God with our needs, we are asking for what is ALREADY OURS. The Father was pleased to choose this destiny for us, the destiny of those who are joyfully given all the Father is and has.

And let us PRAISE Him. He predestined us to adoption..."to the PRAISE of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved" Ephesians 1:6

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 10 (Chosen to be Holy)

2009-03-29T15:32:00.003-05:00

"Even as He chose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him." Ephesians 1:4

Look at what the Apostle Paul says God has chosen us in His sovereign, eternal grace to be: HOLY and BLAMELESS.

Note:

Holy = moral purity. God IS Holy. God is innately and infinitely and eternally Holy. His is a native holiness, not a derived holiness. He has commanded that His people will be like Him: Leviticus 19:2: "You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy." He has chosen us to be pure in every way: thoughts, actions, attitudes.
Blameless = freedom from guilt. A wonderful picture of this are the unblemished sacrifices of the OT. The animal to be offered could not be deformed in any way. Jesus was the final, blameless sacrifice. God has chosen us to stand before Him and for there to be nothing in us that would be blameworthy because we have fallen short of His glory.
Now...has God chosen us for a PRESENT holiness and blamelessness, or for a FUTURE holiness and blamelessness? Probably BOTH, and more! We have been clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ NOW. We are holy and blameless before the Father as we are clothed in the merit of His Son. This is our STANDING (Romans 3:22). God is also working in us a PROGRESSIVE holiness and blamelessness day by day - taking us toward the goal of being conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18; 1 Thessalonians 3:13). Then, we are headed towards a full and eternal HOLINESS and BLAMELESSNESS when Christ returns (1 John 3:2). This will be our actual standing, character, and walk in Heaven. God has CHOSEN us for this.

Now consider: if God has CHOSEN us to be holy and blameless before Him, He WILL make it happen. In fact, He IS making it happen! All that is happening in my life has AT LEAST this goal: to make me, shape me, into a holy person. The Father is orchestrating the entirety of our lives as a "holiness mold." And HE WILL NOT FAIL. NO ONE the Father has chosen will fail to stand before Him holy and blameless some day. The pain, the disappointments, the joys, the long seasons where perseverance is needed...all for holiness. Consider also that holiness leads to happiness. Therefore, while God is working to make you holy, He is also working to make you happy. Our Father WILL NOT be satisfied with anything less than holiness in our lives. HE WILL SUCCEED IN OUR LIVES. Therefore: let's cooperate with Him! Take the view, the TRUE view, that God is working in and through all that is happening to you to make you holy and happy. When the going is rough, bow before Him in humble worship and accept the loving work of His hand. Obey when you don't feel like it. Keep doing right when a nice piece of retribution would feel good. Turn to Him in the dry time instead of the fridge or the Internet or the mall.

The story is told of Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, that one day during practice he caught one of his players cheating during drills. He yelled out his name, and rebuked him on the spot, "If you'll cheat in practice, you'll cheat during a game. And if you'll cheat during a game, you'll cheat in life. AND I WON'T HAVE IT!"

Brothers and sisters, God has chosen us to be holy. He WON'T HAVE us being anything less. He IS making us holy. Count on it. Look for it. Cooperate with it. Thank Him for it.

In Christ: Know It, Live It - 9 (Chosen Choosers)

2009-03-27T08:19:00.004-05:00

"...Even as He chose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him." Ephesians 1:4

The wonderful biblical doctrine of ELECTION is taught so plainly in this verse. Election means that God has chosen some, by His mysterious and marvellous grace, from eternity past, to be redeemed from sin and destruction to Himself.

Here are some glorious elements in this CHOICE of God:

God choses people to salvation IN CHRIST. Once again we see all that God has for His people comes to them IN CHRIST. Christ is the eternal Son who became also man...Christ lived a sinless life in obedience to the Father...Christ sacrificed Himself upon the cross, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God (1Peter 3:18)...Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, overcoming sin and death and hell ALL ON OUR BEHALF! Hallelujah! The Father could NOT choose anyone apart from His Son. However, in the Son, by the Son's merit, the Father chooses all that His love and grace delight and will to choose.
This choice of the Father is BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. I.e. before creation, before matter and time and space, i.e. in ETERNITY. God's choice of us in Christ is an ETERNAL choice...a choice with no beginning (in time) and which can have no ending or expiration. Before Adam's sin, the Father chose us. Before His promise to bless the whole earth through Abraham's seed, the Father chose us. Before the eternal Son became also man, the Father chose us. Before we were born, before we exhibited a life of sin and rebellion, before we heard the gospel and responded...the Father chose us in Christ. What this means, of course, is that God's choice of us, His election, is based SOLEY UPON GOD's WILL and DELIGHT and LOVE and MERCY and GRACE and NOT upon anything we would be or do or think nor upon any association we would have with any person or family or church. God chose us because He chose us (see Deuteronomy 7:6-8 for the OT picture of this). The CAUSE of the choice is IN GOD, not in US. Again, HALLELUJAH! to our graciously choosing God. For had His choice been based on us, we would yet be lost and facing His eternal wrath and judgment.

Friends, we are God's because of FREE GRACE. God's choice of us is the CAUSE of our choice of Him. We are CHOSEN CHOOSERS. And that gives us NO ROOM to boast in ourselves. "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." 1Corinthians 1:31.