I have noticed as of late that some people, who are aware of my convictions, are apologizing to me when they realize they have used profanity around me. This has happened in the past as well, but for some reason I have noticed it a lot lately. It's not that I mind that my presence and the knowledge of my convictions causes people to adjust their habits. I am glad for that. My thought is that, I am not the one they should apologize or repent toward. Now, before I go any further let me clarify that if I know a person not to be a professing Christian then I fully appreciate their consideration. However, some who adjust their behavior or apologize in my presence are professing Christians. Even more concerning is that there are those who use profanity rather casually at times who don't even seem to mind who is around when they do it. Anyhow, that's another post.
So here is my question, and one we should all consistently remain aware of. Do you practice vertical repentance or horizontal repentance?
In 2 Samuel 12:13, after having stolen the wife of one of his best men, getting her pregnant, and having him killed, David has been confronted by Nathan the prophet. David's response, "I have sinned against the Lord". Not, gee Nathan, I'm sorry that upsets you or I hope I didn't offend you Nathan.
Repentance means to turn from your sin and run toward God. In today's society, even professing Christians often have a tendency to have more sorrow for their sins toward those humans they have offended with their sin(horizontal) rather than sorrow toward Jesus for the same sin's that also were committed against God(Vertical). It's ok to apologize to people you have sinned against but repentance must be vertical.
If your sorrow and repentance is directed at God it will be much more likely to stick than if you direct it horizontally toward those whom you have offended. You may feel the temptation to debate or even blow off those who strive to hold you accountable if they are the primary ones who are recognizing your sin and making mention of it. However, if God is the primary target of your repentance then there is no valid argument to be made. You cannot argue with the word of God if you are interested in growing in your relationship with God. Jesus prayed that God the Father would sanctify us in the truth for God's word is truth(John 17:17).
In Luke 6:45 Jesus says, "The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks". Changed hearts bring changed actions. Those who are in Christ are a new creation The old has passed away behold all things have been made new.(2 Corinthians 5:17)
IF you are in Christ, that should be your hearts desire.
So, do you practice horizontal or vertical repentance? And, is it sincere? If you have placed your trust in Jesus and confessed Him as Lord of your life then remember the price he paid for your sins and let that be your primary accountability.
If you have never accepted Christ as Lord and Savior then there is no time like the present. It is not a get out of jail free card for hell. It is a be redeemed and live for the eternal goal that God intended at creation, to glorify God and enjoy him forever, for free card.
Except, it is not free. God in His perfect holiness cannot tolerate sin. In fact Psalms 5:4-6 says that God hates evildoers. He hates sin and because sin is a part of sinners he hates sinners and he must destroy them. That is the way in which God's justice and wrath must manifest themselves in order to defend His holiness.
And yet God also wants to defend the glory that He created us to enjoy and appreciate to begin with. All through the Old Testament God is showing his love for his people by giving them second chance after second chance. The ultimate second chance came in His son Jesus Christ whom HE sent. Jesus came to become the object of God's wrath so that we as God's creation could have eternal life through HIM. He paid the price by becoming the punishment for our sins and erasing the guilt of our sins. Selfless love from a glorious creator. We all deserve to be destroyed because of our sin. Christ lived the perfectly sinless life that we could not live and died the death that we deserved to die.
You can have this eternal relationship with the loving heavenly Father and Creator of the Universe. All you have to do is confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe with your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved(Romans 10:9-13) That's it. Believe and, as discussed before, repent from your sins.
Repentance is a continual process that will last the rest of your earthly life. However, if your belief is not merely intellectual ascent but it is true submission to His Lordship, then it will fuel genuine VERTICAL repentance and you will be grateful for the desire to do it.
SO PRACTICE VERTICAL REPENTANCE TODAY!
Love in Christ,
Josh
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Monday, June 10, 2013
A message of hope and encouragement
In this world of uncertainty it is so easy to loose sight of Jesus. It is so easy to begin to look at our circumstances and begin worrying about job stability, health care, etc. I have to confess that lately things have been shaking me up at work. Financial struggles for the company, a new boss, lot's of changes happening quickly are all things that have been causing turmoil and worry among myself and my coworkers. Sadly I and other brothers and sisters in the faith have found ourselves shaken, allowing ourselves to get caught up in gossip and negativity, and loosing sight of who it is that we serve, what is commanded of us, and what is promised to us. I say this not to criticize but simply to be transparent because I know many Christians are facing trials and need to be encouraged.
One coworker had a little package of mustard seeds that she is keeping with her as a reminder that we only need a little faith to effect great change. It is also a reminder that we, as Christians, are to be a light in the world. We are supposed to rise above in our attitudes and behavior. Sometimes we apply the idea of mustard seed faith to ideas that seem to require big faith and forget that, this same mustard seed faith is often required for our day to day faith walk. Her package of seeds was a good reminder to me and a confirmation of what the Holy Spirit had already been convicting me about.
So who do we serve? We serve the Living God! The one who spoke creation into existence. There is nothing He cannot do. If we are faithful He will see us through. If we lack faith we need but pray and He will increase our faith. He is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End. And while He is God and we are not, He does not allow for that to be an excuse for worry, lack of faith, or disobedience. No, God's word commands us to be Holy and strive for perfection(1 Peter 1:14-16, Matthew 5:48). Scripture states that we have been given the tools by which to accomplish this task(2 Peter 1:3-8).
What are some commands from our King regarding our concerns and challenges in life?
Philippians 4:4-7 says this, "Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
In Philippians 4:8-9, Paul goes on to say, "Finally, brothers, whatever is pure, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
You see Paul is telling us that we are to rejoice in every circumstance, always representing gentleness which is a fruit of the Spirit(Galatians 5:22-23). We are not to be anxious but to simply bring our requests and concerns before God and trust Him with them. Then what? Then we can have peace. What else brings the presence of the God of peace. Right thinking and obedience to biblical teaching. These are actions we must take but that we are not alone in undertaking. You see in Philippians 2:12-13 scripture states that we are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to work according to His good purpose." His grace under-girds our actions.
I'm sorry. I must go a little further because this really all ties together. God's word is so good and Philippians speaks so much to growing in righteousness and walking it out. We love to quote Philippians 4:13 which says that, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Unfortunately we often miss the context in which it is quoted. The context is the previous vs. 12 and the end of vs. 11, which states, "for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
1 Timothy 6:6-8 says that, "Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that.
So much of our approach to life and the way we handle our circumstances comes from the way we approach our circumstances and the way in which we wrongly prioritize what is really important. Then we sit and worry about what is going to happen instead of trusting God when He gives us promises like this:
Matthew 6:25-33, which states, and I paraphrase, that we should not worry about tomorrow because each day has enough worry of it's own. That if God is concerned about the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and takes care of them, He will most certainly take care of us. What are we to do? "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things will be given to you as well."
Hebrews 13:5 says, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, never will I leave you nor forsake you". The last part of this scripture is actually a NT quote of the OT scripture from Deuteronomy 3:16. See, even the NT authors thought scripture reference was important to make their point :-)
Last but not least in Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I don't think it gets much clearer than that. Yokes were used to connect two oxen or horses together so that they shared the load. When you yoke up with Jesus, He will carry the weight with you. Often times carrying more of it than you could possibly bear thus making your load easier and lighter.
Now, I have quoted a lot of scripture here because it is authoritative, God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work(2 Timothy 3:16) God's word is truth. Jesus said in John 8:31, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
So let the truth of these scriptures set you free. Meditate on them. Memorize them. Hold to their teachings. Apply them to your life that through your obedience you may find peace, rest, and joy. One preacher I heard recently said that, in order to really experience joy, you have to always have at least one eye on heaven. We must always remember that as believers we are not of this world. We live for a world to come. So no matter what may come in this life, if we are living for the next one, it has a tendency to help us scale back the dramatic ride that our emotions like to take us on. If you are living this way then Joy, not happiness, but Joy can be found in the worst of circumstances. Happiness is a surface level event. Joy comes from the well of living water that is available when you have Christ abiding in you and you abide in Him.
This blog post is for me as well and I will be going back and reading it and allowing the word of God to minister to me as well. We are in this thing together. Please pray for me as I pray for you and let's trust and obey our Heavenly Father and Savior King together in Jesus Name.
Amen
Love in Christ,
Josh
One coworker had a little package of mustard seeds that she is keeping with her as a reminder that we only need a little faith to effect great change. It is also a reminder that we, as Christians, are to be a light in the world. We are supposed to rise above in our attitudes and behavior. Sometimes we apply the idea of mustard seed faith to ideas that seem to require big faith and forget that, this same mustard seed faith is often required for our day to day faith walk. Her package of seeds was a good reminder to me and a confirmation of what the Holy Spirit had already been convicting me about.
So who do we serve? We serve the Living God! The one who spoke creation into existence. There is nothing He cannot do. If we are faithful He will see us through. If we lack faith we need but pray and He will increase our faith. He is the Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End. And while He is God and we are not, He does not allow for that to be an excuse for worry, lack of faith, or disobedience. No, God's word commands us to be Holy and strive for perfection(1 Peter 1:14-16, Matthew 5:48). Scripture states that we have been given the tools by which to accomplish this task(2 Peter 1:3-8).
What are some commands from our King regarding our concerns and challenges in life?
Philippians 4:4-7 says this, "Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
In Philippians 4:8-9, Paul goes on to say, "Finally, brothers, whatever is pure, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me, put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."
You see Paul is telling us that we are to rejoice in every circumstance, always representing gentleness which is a fruit of the Spirit(Galatians 5:22-23). We are not to be anxious but to simply bring our requests and concerns before God and trust Him with them. Then what? Then we can have peace. What else brings the presence of the God of peace. Right thinking and obedience to biblical teaching. These are actions we must take but that we are not alone in undertaking. You see in Philippians 2:12-13 scripture states that we are to "work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to work according to His good purpose." His grace under-girds our actions.
I'm sorry. I must go a little further because this really all ties together. God's word is so good and Philippians speaks so much to growing in righteousness and walking it out. We love to quote Philippians 4:13 which says that, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Unfortunately we often miss the context in which it is quoted. The context is the previous vs. 12 and the end of vs. 11, which states, "for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
1 Timothy 6:6-8 says that, "Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing we will be content with that.
So much of our approach to life and the way we handle our circumstances comes from the way we approach our circumstances and the way in which we wrongly prioritize what is really important. Then we sit and worry about what is going to happen instead of trusting God when He gives us promises like this:
Matthew 6:25-33, which states, and I paraphrase, that we should not worry about tomorrow because each day has enough worry of it's own. That if God is concerned about the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and takes care of them, He will most certainly take care of us. What are we to do? "Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things will be given to you as well."
Hebrews 13:5 says, "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, never will I leave you nor forsake you". The last part of this scripture is actually a NT quote of the OT scripture from Deuteronomy 3:16. See, even the NT authors thought scripture reference was important to make their point :-)
Last but not least in Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says, "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I don't think it gets much clearer than that. Yokes were used to connect two oxen or horses together so that they shared the load. When you yoke up with Jesus, He will carry the weight with you. Often times carrying more of it than you could possibly bear thus making your load easier and lighter.
Now, I have quoted a lot of scripture here because it is authoritative, God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work(2 Timothy 3:16) God's word is truth. Jesus said in John 8:31, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."
So let the truth of these scriptures set you free. Meditate on them. Memorize them. Hold to their teachings. Apply them to your life that through your obedience you may find peace, rest, and joy. One preacher I heard recently said that, in order to really experience joy, you have to always have at least one eye on heaven. We must always remember that as believers we are not of this world. We live for a world to come. So no matter what may come in this life, if we are living for the next one, it has a tendency to help us scale back the dramatic ride that our emotions like to take us on. If you are living this way then Joy, not happiness, but Joy can be found in the worst of circumstances. Happiness is a surface level event. Joy comes from the well of living water that is available when you have Christ abiding in you and you abide in Him.
This blog post is for me as well and I will be going back and reading it and allowing the word of God to minister to me as well. We are in this thing together. Please pray for me as I pray for you and let's trust and obey our Heavenly Father and Savior King together in Jesus Name.
Amen
Love in Christ,
Josh
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Relationship vs. Religion (Part 3)
Hello again. Welcome back to Part 3 of this amazing post regarding the difference in practicing religion and having a relationship with Jesus. If you have not read parts 1&2 please do, as each section builds on the next. I call this post amazing not as a boast but because it is ministering to me as a reminder of what an awesome God I serve, how much He loves me, and how badly I need Him, even as I write this.
The closing statement in part 2 is that, according to John 1:12, if you believe in the name of Jesus you are then considered children of God. We must clarify however, that to believe is not merely intellectual ascent. The bible says that even the demons believe and tremble at the name of Jesus(James 2:19). Lordship is the issue here. If you have placed your faith in Christ then you have become one of His disciples. Much is required of Christ's disciples. Jesus said of His disciples in John 15:16, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last." Jesus makes it clear in John 14 and 15 and the bible makes it clear all through the New Testament that to love God and to say you have faith in God, will be represented by repentance from sin and a selfless submission to His Lordship. Your salvation and relationship with the Father will be evidenced by the fruit of obedience to His word. Discipleship will cost you and will be evidenced by self-sacrificial action and a love for God above all others (James 2:14-26, Luke 14:25-23). It is put most appropriately I think, considering the title of this post, by James. James 1:19-27 which ends with this verse, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world".
I would like to ensure that I am clear. First, that you cannot earn salvation. Christ's death on the cross is what saves you. The obedience I speak of is the fruit of your relationship not the root. Second, the sacrificial requirements of salvation and lordship when properly understood and genuinely experienced are not regrettable sacrifices. When you understand the price that Christ paid for your sins, your desire to grow in these things will not be accompanied by a sense of regret for things lost but by a joy for things gained. Namely, freedom from eternal death and a freedom from bondage to sin, into eternal life that begins at the point of justification. While faith toward obedience in all things builds gradually, your desire to grow in obedience should begin immediately. This is not something you have to conjure up. Your relationship will create a driving desire to repent from sin that will create separation between you and your Heavenly Father. It will also create a driving desire to obey, not based on religious obligation but motivated by love for your Heavenly Father.
So I am going to now presume that I am speaking to someone who has believed on Christ and is interested in pleasing the Father through obedience. This is why you need relationship. You must always remember that you have no power in and of yourself to satisfy God's expectations. Salvation is a lifelong process. It begins with justification in which you are made right before God. This, in essence, happens only because at the cross, God placed your sins on Jesus and at the point of justification places Christ's righteousness on you. At this point you will go to heaven. The Salvation process continues with sanctification in which you are transformed from glory to glory by power made effective through prayer and the reading of His word(2 Corinthians 3:18). This is evidenced by a perseverance in obedience and faith until you are glorified. It ends with glorification in which you end your journey on earth and begin the rest of eternity in heaven with Jesus enjoying a glorified body and a nature that is no longer inclined toward sin.
I have mentioned repentance several times. Just in case someone is not familiar with that word, repentance means in it's most raw definition, "to turn form your sins". A more accurate application of that definition is "to turn and run from your sins and move in hot pursuit toward God". This is key. We must not try to live with one foot in the world and one foot in heaven. God not only demands but, intimately desires our whole heart.
In Matthew 19:26 Jesus said, "With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible". In John 14:16 Jesus promises that after he leaves He will send another comforter who will be with us always. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says, just before he ascends to heaven, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth".
So you see, God in this beautiful relationship in which He is Father, Savior, and Lord has sent His Spirit to empower us to do all that he asks. In multiple letters from the Apostle Paul, he instructs the church to "live a life worthy of the gospel." He makes clear how he understands that will happen in Philippians 2:12-13 in which he says, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." You work hard outwardly as Christ is working through the Holy Spirit inwardly to accomplish the purposes for which you were created. 2 Peter 1:3-4 states that, "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire". 2 Peter 1:5-8 goes on to state how this works itself out in our actions. These are two passages of scripture, among many, that very aptly sum up what God has done and how it should be evidenced in our lives. They would be well worth memorizing.
Hopefully we have established why it is important to understand the difference in religion and relationship. Religion, not as an organization, but when it teaches a works based righteousness, gets you nowhere. It cannot justify you before God and you cannot please God with it. It is either built on a lie, requires too much of the wrong things or requires too little of the right things. Relationship with your Heavenly Father is a glorious eternal proposition that requires everything of you and provides everything necessary to accomplish what is required.
So as Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16 of all believers, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." In Matthew 28:18-20, known as the Great Commission, Jesus gives his number one command and purpose for His making of His twelve disciples as well as every disciple after that. He says, "All authority on Heaven and Earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you, even to the end of the age".
God would simply take us away to heaven at the point of justification if he did not intend for us to grow in the likeness of Christ here on Earth(Ephesians 4:1-16). If the Holy Spirit has confirmed in your spirit that you are a child of God (Romans 8:14-16) then you are also a disciple of Christ and commanded to be a disciple maker. The praise of the Father and the exalting of the name of Jesus is the ultimate purpose for our existence. As one great American pastor John Piper says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him". So let us be satisfied in the glorifying of our Heavenly Father and the exaltation of His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us express our love for Him and satisfaction in Him, by delighting ourselves in the Lord and and striving to obey His commands by the power of His grace. Let us revel in the relationship that we have with Almighty God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who loves us so much.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
Love in Christ,
Josh
The closing statement in part 2 is that, according to John 1:12, if you believe in the name of Jesus you are then considered children of God. We must clarify however, that to believe is not merely intellectual ascent. The bible says that even the demons believe and tremble at the name of Jesus(James 2:19). Lordship is the issue here. If you have placed your faith in Christ then you have become one of His disciples. Much is required of Christ's disciples. Jesus said of His disciples in John 15:16, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit--fruit that will last." Jesus makes it clear in John 14 and 15 and the bible makes it clear all through the New Testament that to love God and to say you have faith in God, will be represented by repentance from sin and a selfless submission to His Lordship. Your salvation and relationship with the Father will be evidenced by the fruit of obedience to His word. Discipleship will cost you and will be evidenced by self-sacrificial action and a love for God above all others (James 2:14-26, Luke 14:25-23). It is put most appropriately I think, considering the title of this post, by James. James 1:19-27 which ends with this verse, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world".
I would like to ensure that I am clear. First, that you cannot earn salvation. Christ's death on the cross is what saves you. The obedience I speak of is the fruit of your relationship not the root. Second, the sacrificial requirements of salvation and lordship when properly understood and genuinely experienced are not regrettable sacrifices. When you understand the price that Christ paid for your sins, your desire to grow in these things will not be accompanied by a sense of regret for things lost but by a joy for things gained. Namely, freedom from eternal death and a freedom from bondage to sin, into eternal life that begins at the point of justification. While faith toward obedience in all things builds gradually, your desire to grow in obedience should begin immediately. This is not something you have to conjure up. Your relationship will create a driving desire to repent from sin that will create separation between you and your Heavenly Father. It will also create a driving desire to obey, not based on religious obligation but motivated by love for your Heavenly Father.
So I am going to now presume that I am speaking to someone who has believed on Christ and is interested in pleasing the Father through obedience. This is why you need relationship. You must always remember that you have no power in and of yourself to satisfy God's expectations. Salvation is a lifelong process. It begins with justification in which you are made right before God. This, in essence, happens only because at the cross, God placed your sins on Jesus and at the point of justification places Christ's righteousness on you. At this point you will go to heaven. The Salvation process continues with sanctification in which you are transformed from glory to glory by power made effective through prayer and the reading of His word(2 Corinthians 3:18). This is evidenced by a perseverance in obedience and faith until you are glorified. It ends with glorification in which you end your journey on earth and begin the rest of eternity in heaven with Jesus enjoying a glorified body and a nature that is no longer inclined toward sin.
I have mentioned repentance several times. Just in case someone is not familiar with that word, repentance means in it's most raw definition, "to turn form your sins". A more accurate application of that definition is "to turn and run from your sins and move in hot pursuit toward God". This is key. We must not try to live with one foot in the world and one foot in heaven. God not only demands but, intimately desires our whole heart.
In Matthew 19:26 Jesus said, "With man this is impossible but with God all things are possible". In John 14:16 Jesus promises that after he leaves He will send another comforter who will be with us always. In Acts 1:8 Jesus says, just before he ascends to heaven, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth".
So you see, God in this beautiful relationship in which He is Father, Savior, and Lord has sent His Spirit to empower us to do all that he asks. In multiple letters from the Apostle Paul, he instructs the church to "live a life worthy of the gospel." He makes clear how he understands that will happen in Philippians 2:12-13 in which he says, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." You work hard outwardly as Christ is working through the Holy Spirit inwardly to accomplish the purposes for which you were created. 2 Peter 1:3-4 states that, "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire". 2 Peter 1:5-8 goes on to state how this works itself out in our actions. These are two passages of scripture, among many, that very aptly sum up what God has done and how it should be evidenced in our lives. They would be well worth memorizing.
Hopefully we have established why it is important to understand the difference in religion and relationship. Religion, not as an organization, but when it teaches a works based righteousness, gets you nowhere. It cannot justify you before God and you cannot please God with it. It is either built on a lie, requires too much of the wrong things or requires too little of the right things. Relationship with your Heavenly Father is a glorious eternal proposition that requires everything of you and provides everything necessary to accomplish what is required.
So as Jesus said in Matthew 5:14-16 of all believers, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." In Matthew 28:18-20, known as the Great Commission, Jesus gives his number one command and purpose for His making of His twelve disciples as well as every disciple after that. He says, "All authority on Heaven and Earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold I am with you, even to the end of the age".
God would simply take us away to heaven at the point of justification if he did not intend for us to grow in the likeness of Christ here on Earth(Ephesians 4:1-16). If the Holy Spirit has confirmed in your spirit that you are a child of God (Romans 8:14-16) then you are also a disciple of Christ and commanded to be a disciple maker. The praise of the Father and the exalting of the name of Jesus is the ultimate purpose for our existence. As one great American pastor John Piper says, "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him". So let us be satisfied in the glorifying of our Heavenly Father and the exaltation of His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us express our love for Him and satisfaction in Him, by delighting ourselves in the Lord and and striving to obey His commands by the power of His grace. Let us revel in the relationship that we have with Almighty God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who loves us so much.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
Love in Christ,
Josh
Friday, May 3, 2013
Relationship vs. Religion (Part 2)
Welcome back! If you have not read Part one of this I hope you will because this second part is intended to be contrasted against parts of it and a continuation of other parts. This will be part two of what has become a three part post in order to cover everything and still maintain a respectable length.
The only form of Christianity that is true to the bible is one that stems from a relationship with Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a.k.a. the Trinity are most clearly depicted in the gospel of Matthew 3:16-17 at the baptism of Jesus. To my knowledge, at this point there is not a scripture that outright says on it's own that the trinity is God in three persons however, a study on the relationship between these three persons biblically, makes it clear that it is so. I hope to do such a study as a blog post at some point.
For now just know that there is a God whom, in His holiness, must hate sin and sinners because they are rebellious against Him (Psalm 5:4-6). He must destroy them to be just. Sin stands in direct opposition to all that God is and we are guilty of it. Yet this God is also a Heavenly Father who chose to send His son to die and take on our punishment, representing all of our sin from beginning to end. Jesus is the satisfaction of God's necessary wrath toward sin and sinners. After God's Son died, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us and lead us into all righteousness through faith in Jesus. If the first statement made you mad then the second should make you glad.
This God who spoke creation into being wants a relationship with you. Let me be clear, God is all sufficient. He does not need us in the same way that we need each other. He is able to be perfectly satisfied within Himself. He wants a relationship with you because He loves you. We were all created for one purpose, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We are to reflect His glory. We were created in His image, not out of any need that He had, but for His benefit that we would glorify Him. Yet it was for our benefit as well, that we might know Him and enjoy His creation.(Genesis 1:26-31) In order for the relationship to be fully appreciated we need some background, so stay with me. Let's break down the synopsis from the previous paragraph and take a quick journey through the bible regarding our sin and God's grace to save us from that sin.
Creation had perfect communion with God until the day that mankind broke covenant with God. We placed our importance, and lust for knowledge and power, over obedience to God. We, in our rebellion, allowed sin into the world forever fracturing the perfect and "very good" world that God had created. From that moment on we have been slaves to sin, separated from perfect communion with God, and deserving of His wrath toward our sin. (Genesis 3) Coinciding with our separation from God was the beginnings of imperfection in creation. Creation began to grown in the form of mankind's acts of evil toward one another, natural disasters, death, disease, suffering etc. Every evil and imperfect thing that happens in this world is a result of sin. We, and this world, are broken.
The only way to have our sins forgiven was to kill a lamb and sacrifice it before God on an altar as an atonement or payment for them. This is how it was done for hundreds of years. But it was not enough. You see, God is perfectly just and infinitely holy. In order for His wrath to be satisfied, His justice upheld, and his glory to be made known eternally, a greater price needed to be paid. In order for mankind to have access to eternity with Him beyond the grave, someone had to take their place in receiving God's judgement on sin.
You might ask, "What about those who died before Christ came?" Good question. That is answered by Romans 3:21-25. The primary verse being vs.25 which states, that God showed forth His righteousness in His divine forbearance by passing over the previous sins of the Old Testament saints.
Enter Jesus. Most aptly and infamously stated in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life." Our Creators' greatest act of love for His creation is that, because He knew we would never be able to live the perfect sinless life that He requires, He sent His Son to do it for us. Jesus, God's Word made flesh (John 1:14), came to earth, lived sinlessly, taught and served selflessly, and then died graciously. (Romans 5:8) This salvation was provided, based in no part on our own merit. It was bought for us by Christ's blood on the cross and was planned and made possible by God's grace to lead us to a holy life before time began. (2 Timothy 1:9)(Ephesians 2:8-9)
Many think that His gruesome beatings and death on the cross were the great price that He paid. Of course Jesus suffered physically. I in no way want to minimize that. The bible references the physical suffering of Jesu in a number of different places. Most notably, Isaiah 53. As I mentioned before, Christ's blood shed on the cross is directly associated with the atonement for our sins. It is an important feature to stand in awe and reverence of. The challenge comes in that, when it is discussed, many times, His physical suffering is the focal point of what Christ did for us on that cross. However, that is not it. Many martyrs have suffered just as horrendously in the flesh as Jesus did on the day of His death. Their death however, did not pay the price for our sins.
What justifies us before God is not the physical, but the spiritual suffering that Jesus experienced. He drank the cup that He knew would be so agonizing to drink that He asked the Father if it could pass from Him. (Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42) This cup contained God's wrath toward every sin and consequently every sinner from creation to Christ's return. (Jeremiah 25:15; Revelation 14:10) Many suffered God's wrath in partial measure in the old covenant because of their disobedience and many will again suffer God's wrath, in full measure, at the end of days. However, the most wonderful news is that Jesus's righteousness has been placed on those who have believed in him. In return, the sin of those whom believe, was placed on Christ and God's wrath poured out on it. Jesus drank the full cup of God's fury towards our sins. He took the punishment and became the propitiation or payment for our sin toward Almighty God that satisfied His wrath. That is how justification comes about. Those who believe this and, by His grace, work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Phillipians 2:12-13), following Jesus as both Lord and Savior, they will inherit eternal life.
All of this is necessary to understand in order to appreciate a relationship with Almighty God. You will not fully appreciate the sacrifice paid unless you understand your guilt before a Holy God. But, when God draws your heart (John 6:44). When you realize that you are not your own but that you were bought with a price and that the very Spirit of God lives within you, (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) you no longer desire to please your sinful nature. Your desires for the things of this world will drift away and be replaced by a hunger to please your Heavenly Father. Don't misunderstand, you will still sin however, you will be running from sin rather than toward it. John 1:12-13 states, "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God".
If you have believed on Him as Lord and Savior, you are a child of God.
Please continue with me as I will soon be posting part 3 of this incredible journey into what it means to have relationship with God as His child and to be enabled to serve him faithfully by His grace. I have greatly enjoyed the journey that I am on as I write this and I hope that you are being fed as well. Whether you are learning for the first time or are being reminded afresh of who God is and what He has done for us, to meditate on His word, think on who He is, and show our love for Him through our obedience is the greatest privilege that we have. See ya soon.
Love in Christ,
Josh
The only form of Christianity that is true to the bible is one that stems from a relationship with Almighty God, Maker of heaven and earth. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a.k.a. the Trinity are most clearly depicted in the gospel of Matthew 3:16-17 at the baptism of Jesus. To my knowledge, at this point there is not a scripture that outright says on it's own that the trinity is God in three persons however, a study on the relationship between these three persons biblically, makes it clear that it is so. I hope to do such a study as a blog post at some point.
For now just know that there is a God whom, in His holiness, must hate sin and sinners because they are rebellious against Him (Psalm 5:4-6). He must destroy them to be just. Sin stands in direct opposition to all that God is and we are guilty of it. Yet this God is also a Heavenly Father who chose to send His son to die and take on our punishment, representing all of our sin from beginning to end. Jesus is the satisfaction of God's necessary wrath toward sin and sinners. After God's Son died, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort us and lead us into all righteousness through faith in Jesus. If the first statement made you mad then the second should make you glad.
This God who spoke creation into being wants a relationship with you. Let me be clear, God is all sufficient. He does not need us in the same way that we need each other. He is able to be perfectly satisfied within Himself. He wants a relationship with you because He loves you. We were all created for one purpose, to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We are to reflect His glory. We were created in His image, not out of any need that He had, but for His benefit that we would glorify Him. Yet it was for our benefit as well, that we might know Him and enjoy His creation.(Genesis 1:26-31) In order for the relationship to be fully appreciated we need some background, so stay with me. Let's break down the synopsis from the previous paragraph and take a quick journey through the bible regarding our sin and God's grace to save us from that sin.
Creation had perfect communion with God until the day that mankind broke covenant with God. We placed our importance, and lust for knowledge and power, over obedience to God. We, in our rebellion, allowed sin into the world forever fracturing the perfect and "very good" world that God had created. From that moment on we have been slaves to sin, separated from perfect communion with God, and deserving of His wrath toward our sin. (Genesis 3) Coinciding with our separation from God was the beginnings of imperfection in creation. Creation began to grown in the form of mankind's acts of evil toward one another, natural disasters, death, disease, suffering etc. Every evil and imperfect thing that happens in this world is a result of sin. We, and this world, are broken.
The only way to have our sins forgiven was to kill a lamb and sacrifice it before God on an altar as an atonement or payment for them. This is how it was done for hundreds of years. But it was not enough. You see, God is perfectly just and infinitely holy. In order for His wrath to be satisfied, His justice upheld, and his glory to be made known eternally, a greater price needed to be paid. In order for mankind to have access to eternity with Him beyond the grave, someone had to take their place in receiving God's judgement on sin.
You might ask, "What about those who died before Christ came?" Good question. That is answered by Romans 3:21-25. The primary verse being vs.25 which states, that God showed forth His righteousness in His divine forbearance by passing over the previous sins of the Old Testament saints.
Enter Jesus. Most aptly and infamously stated in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life." Our Creators' greatest act of love for His creation is that, because He knew we would never be able to live the perfect sinless life that He requires, He sent His Son to do it for us. Jesus, God's Word made flesh (John 1:14), came to earth, lived sinlessly, taught and served selflessly, and then died graciously. (Romans 5:8) This salvation was provided, based in no part on our own merit. It was bought for us by Christ's blood on the cross and was planned and made possible by God's grace to lead us to a holy life before time began. (2 Timothy 1:9)(Ephesians 2:8-9)
Many think that His gruesome beatings and death on the cross were the great price that He paid. Of course Jesus suffered physically. I in no way want to minimize that. The bible references the physical suffering of Jesu in a number of different places. Most notably, Isaiah 53. As I mentioned before, Christ's blood shed on the cross is directly associated with the atonement for our sins. It is an important feature to stand in awe and reverence of. The challenge comes in that, when it is discussed, many times, His physical suffering is the focal point of what Christ did for us on that cross. However, that is not it. Many martyrs have suffered just as horrendously in the flesh as Jesus did on the day of His death. Their death however, did not pay the price for our sins.
What justifies us before God is not the physical, but the spiritual suffering that Jesus experienced. He drank the cup that He knew would be so agonizing to drink that He asked the Father if it could pass from Him. (Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42) This cup contained God's wrath toward every sin and consequently every sinner from creation to Christ's return. (Jeremiah 25:15; Revelation 14:10) Many suffered God's wrath in partial measure in the old covenant because of their disobedience and many will again suffer God's wrath, in full measure, at the end of days. However, the most wonderful news is that Jesus's righteousness has been placed on those who have believed in him. In return, the sin of those whom believe, was placed on Christ and God's wrath poured out on it. Jesus drank the full cup of God's fury towards our sins. He took the punishment and became the propitiation or payment for our sin toward Almighty God that satisfied His wrath. That is how justification comes about. Those who believe this and, by His grace, work out their salvation with fear and trembling (Phillipians 2:12-13), following Jesus as both Lord and Savior, they will inherit eternal life.
All of this is necessary to understand in order to appreciate a relationship with Almighty God. You will not fully appreciate the sacrifice paid unless you understand your guilt before a Holy God. But, when God draws your heart (John 6:44). When you realize that you are not your own but that you were bought with a price and that the very Spirit of God lives within you, (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) you no longer desire to please your sinful nature. Your desires for the things of this world will drift away and be replaced by a hunger to please your Heavenly Father. Don't misunderstand, you will still sin however, you will be running from sin rather than toward it. John 1:12-13 states, "Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God--children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God".
If you have believed on Him as Lord and Savior, you are a child of God.
Please continue with me as I will soon be posting part 3 of this incredible journey into what it means to have relationship with God as His child and to be enabled to serve him faithfully by His grace. I have greatly enjoyed the journey that I am on as I write this and I hope that you are being fed as well. Whether you are learning for the first time or are being reminded afresh of who God is and what He has done for us, to meditate on His word, think on who He is, and show our love for Him through our obedience is the greatest privilege that we have. See ya soon.
Love in Christ,
Josh
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Religion vs. Relationship (Part 1)
Many people balk at the idea of religion. They don't like it's connotation because it is the only way that they are familiar with the functionality of living life with God in mind much less with God at the center. Typically they are rejecting perceived hypocrisy or the perception that religion is just a bunch of rules to live by that cramp their style. Usually when I hear people say "I believe in God but I don't like religion" I respond with the idea that Christianity is about relationship and often, it is as if they have never heard that idea before. That says something at least about the way it is being lived out and presented by Christians today, if not how it is being preached sometimes. I would like to clarify my thoughts on the matter for anyone who may have similar thoughts. I believe you are missing out on a grand thing and I don't want you to. There is nothing sweeter or more exciting than living in relationship with Jesus. That is why I write this.
So, what do we mean when we speak of religion? Some people think of organized religion in general, no matter the belief system, i.e. Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism Mormons Jehovah's Witness, etc. Others, primarily Christians, talk about religion in regards to what makes you right with God, style of worship, structure of service, what you wear, what you eat or drink, what you do, how you think, etc. Still other Christians talk about religion in regards to what you have a right to be free from in Christ and how that relates to being right with God. Typically the last two take you too far in one direction or the other. Either they are legalistic in their efforts to be righteous or they have a distorted view of God's grace and in what ways it makes you free. Then there is relationship. Only one view effectively teaches a biblical approach to a relationship with God from which everything else that leads to holiness is derived.
Of the six faith concepts that I listed in the first list of religions, Islam, Buddhism, Mormons and Jehovah's Witness all have extra-biblical ideas of who their god or "higher power" is and what makes him a part of your life. Islam and Buddhism not only do not have Christ as central in their beliefs but they also do not believe he was the Son of God, fully God and fully man, or that he died and rose again. Mormonism and Jehovah's Witness, while claiming to be Christian sects, both have extra ideas of what makes you right with God and gets you into heaven. Ideas that are outside of the idea that the price Jesus paid on the cross is the only thing that can make us righteous before a holy God in our dreadfully sinful state. That is an oversimplification but it is sufficient to say that they should be considered cults and not Christian at all.
I have heard leaders in Roman Catholicism and Protestantism both elude, if not outright state, that God's mercy is wide and you don't need a definite, consciously aware, fruit bearing relationship with Jesus in order to have eternal life. That somehow people of all religious backgrounds, ignorant of the authority of Jesus as "the only name by which man may be saved" (Acts 4:12), will be reconciled to God in the end. This is unbiblical and heretical. It is a dangerous statement for the souls of those leaders. While Roman Catholicism is predominantly works based, meaning that there are things you must do in order to be right before God, i.e. the cross plus some other religious work, unfortunately it will depend on whom you talk to in Protestantism as to whether you hear statements that suggest what you do plays a role in your salvation outside of the finished work of the cross.
Now, among Christians there are two prevailing thoughts regarding religiosity. One is that your holiness and maybe your salvation is tied to what you do, wear, eat, drink, etc. Sometimes it is even based on whether you exhibit certain spiritual gifts or not. In this you find extreme, man-made, law driven, lifestyles and practices that are generally entirely unbiblical.
On the other hand you find an anti-religiosity process in which the idea of freedom in Christ causes people to rebel against being held accountable for sin in their life. Some will even understand "freedom in Christ" to mean you can do whatever you want and Jesus will forgive you and you will go to heaven because you "believe". Sometimes, in it's most extreme cases, it is the "big sins" like sexual immorality, stealing, things of that nature that have become permissible. More often however, it is the little sins like use of profanity, coarse joking, gossip, bitterness, jealousy or challenging what they watch or listen to on TV that raises eyebrows and causes people to become offended when challenged.. Even though these things are clearly challenged biblically in scriptures such as Ephesians 4:29-32 and 5:4 or Philippians 4:8. Generally these "little sin" people are the truly religious people who go to church and maybe even are involved somehow that are blind to their "little sins" and have forgotten that we are supposed to hold each other accountable for anything that is unworthy of representing the gospel of Jesus Christ appropriately. Their pride rears it's ugly head and they think themselves above such things. Most of the time I think they are not even aware that they are deceived in this thought process. I know this because I used to be one of them. I had lot's of religion but very little relationship. However, you could not have convinced me of that at the time.
In the interest of some form of brevity I am going to break this up into two posts. I will do a part 2, maybe even a part 3 regarding the most accurate and biblical understanding of Christianity which is a relationship with Jesus in which you are responsible for much and yet can do nothing because of your sin except that the Holy Spirit enables you to do it. We will discuss what it means to have a relationship with a holy, just, and jealous God and yet, a God who is also loving in a way we could never be, full of grace and mercy, and willing to extend that grace and mercy to us in order that we may know more of Him and be known by Him (Galatians 4:9, 1 Corinthians 8:3). It is a beautiful and most exciting depiction of the God of the universe that loved us enough to send His Son to die for us.
I pray you will stay tuned and continue reading. Because, relationship with this God has got it all over any kind of religiosity that man can create or rebel against. It is freeing and wonderful. It has much to do with your efforts and yet, it has NOTHING to do with your ability to do anything.
See ya soon.
Love in Christ,
Josh
So, what do we mean when we speak of religion? Some people think of organized religion in general, no matter the belief system, i.e. Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism Mormons Jehovah's Witness, etc. Others, primarily Christians, talk about religion in regards to what makes you right with God, style of worship, structure of service, what you wear, what you eat or drink, what you do, how you think, etc. Still other Christians talk about religion in regards to what you have a right to be free from in Christ and how that relates to being right with God. Typically the last two take you too far in one direction or the other. Either they are legalistic in their efforts to be righteous or they have a distorted view of God's grace and in what ways it makes you free. Then there is relationship. Only one view effectively teaches a biblical approach to a relationship with God from which everything else that leads to holiness is derived.
Of the six faith concepts that I listed in the first list of religions, Islam, Buddhism, Mormons and Jehovah's Witness all have extra-biblical ideas of who their god or "higher power" is and what makes him a part of your life. Islam and Buddhism not only do not have Christ as central in their beliefs but they also do not believe he was the Son of God, fully God and fully man, or that he died and rose again. Mormonism and Jehovah's Witness, while claiming to be Christian sects, both have extra ideas of what makes you right with God and gets you into heaven. Ideas that are outside of the idea that the price Jesus paid on the cross is the only thing that can make us righteous before a holy God in our dreadfully sinful state. That is an oversimplification but it is sufficient to say that they should be considered cults and not Christian at all.
I have heard leaders in Roman Catholicism and Protestantism both elude, if not outright state, that God's mercy is wide and you don't need a definite, consciously aware, fruit bearing relationship with Jesus in order to have eternal life. That somehow people of all religious backgrounds, ignorant of the authority of Jesus as "the only name by which man may be saved" (Acts 4:12), will be reconciled to God in the end. This is unbiblical and heretical. It is a dangerous statement for the souls of those leaders. While Roman Catholicism is predominantly works based, meaning that there are things you must do in order to be right before God, i.e. the cross plus some other religious work, unfortunately it will depend on whom you talk to in Protestantism as to whether you hear statements that suggest what you do plays a role in your salvation outside of the finished work of the cross.
Now, among Christians there are two prevailing thoughts regarding religiosity. One is that your holiness and maybe your salvation is tied to what you do, wear, eat, drink, etc. Sometimes it is even based on whether you exhibit certain spiritual gifts or not. In this you find extreme, man-made, law driven, lifestyles and practices that are generally entirely unbiblical.
On the other hand you find an anti-religiosity process in which the idea of freedom in Christ causes people to rebel against being held accountable for sin in their life. Some will even understand "freedom in Christ" to mean you can do whatever you want and Jesus will forgive you and you will go to heaven because you "believe". Sometimes, in it's most extreme cases, it is the "big sins" like sexual immorality, stealing, things of that nature that have become permissible. More often however, it is the little sins like use of profanity, coarse joking, gossip, bitterness, jealousy or challenging what they watch or listen to on TV that raises eyebrows and causes people to become offended when challenged.. Even though these things are clearly challenged biblically in scriptures such as Ephesians 4:29-32 and 5:4 or Philippians 4:8. Generally these "little sin" people are the truly religious people who go to church and maybe even are involved somehow that are blind to their "little sins" and have forgotten that we are supposed to hold each other accountable for anything that is unworthy of representing the gospel of Jesus Christ appropriately. Their pride rears it's ugly head and they think themselves above such things. Most of the time I think they are not even aware that they are deceived in this thought process. I know this because I used to be one of them. I had lot's of religion but very little relationship. However, you could not have convinced me of that at the time.
In the interest of some form of brevity I am going to break this up into two posts. I will do a part 2, maybe even a part 3 regarding the most accurate and biblical understanding of Christianity which is a relationship with Jesus in which you are responsible for much and yet can do nothing because of your sin except that the Holy Spirit enables you to do it. We will discuss what it means to have a relationship with a holy, just, and jealous God and yet, a God who is also loving in a way we could never be, full of grace and mercy, and willing to extend that grace and mercy to us in order that we may know more of Him and be known by Him (Galatians 4:9, 1 Corinthians 8:3). It is a beautiful and most exciting depiction of the God of the universe that loved us enough to send His Son to die for us.
I pray you will stay tuned and continue reading. Because, relationship with this God has got it all over any kind of religiosity that man can create or rebel against. It is freeing and wonderful. It has much to do with your efforts and yet, it has NOTHING to do with your ability to do anything.
See ya soon.
Love in Christ,
Josh
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Why I blog (for new and seasoned readers)
Hello Everyone,
I am writing this post as a jumping off point because what used to be a pretty regular blog became sporadic for several months courtesy of some challenges I was facing. Some of those have resolved themselves. I will be blogging much more regularly from now, Lord willing. I wanted to say again, Thank you to all who have been supportive of me in the writing of this blog. It is your encouragement that keeps me going at times.
Along the journey of this blog it has been suggested by some that I make my posts more brief. That they would be easier to read and perhaps gain more readers if they were shorter. I was given examples of devotionals that people receive via email. I did not mind this at all. I am always open to feedback. The challenge was that this blog has developed more as a sort of mini-sermon concept rather than a daily devotional concept and that is ok with me. I never started it with the idea of popularity or broad success as a goal. Mostly it was a means by which to get what was in my head and heart regarding different issues surrounding Christianity out in some format. That is still the goal but I am going to aim for a goal of shortening my posts, not by removing material, but rather by doing it in stages. Sort of the same idea as a sermon series in a church setting. Hopefully, I can say what I want to say and create a more digestible length at the same time. I can't say they will all if any be like a brief devotional but at least if it isn't all coming at once it will not be so intimidating and potentially a turn-off. I do, after all, want to draw people into thought and growth through brevity rather than run them off with length.
So why do I do this. First, know that I do this all for God's glory, not for my own. At times it may seem I am fussing, being super preachy, maybe even harsh. I try to temper this with love and personal perspective. I am always including myself as a part of the audience as I am not perfect or holy but I am striving for these attributes as commanded by God's word. Whatever your perception may be please know this. I love you! I don't know some of you personally, but I feel a burden for people to know the love that God has for them and thus I love you as Christ loves you. Sometimes Jesus was soft and other times very direct and no nonsense. You will see both here. I want people to understand the full character of God from his wrath, jealousy, and justice to his mercy, grace, and self-sacrificing love. I want people to know that it is not enough just to say they believe or pray a prayer. Their lives must reflect their belief and their surrender to Christ's lordship through the visible fruit of obedience. I want people to understand the fullness of what Christ did for them and what is expected of them. To understand the free grace that is available to them and at the same time to understand the cost of discipleship.
It is a wonderful and exciting thing to be a Christ-follower. If you are a Christian I want to inspire you to growth and a pursuit of holiness in your relationship with Christ and by God's grace to create in you a hunger for making disciples as Jesus commissioned every true believer to do. Jesus is infinitely worthy of all honor, praise, and glory in every aspect of our lives. Thus you will not only find encouragements toward obedience but challenges regarding dominating areas of disobedience in Christian culture today that I feel we all should keep a close watch on in our own lives.
If you are not a Christian, or maybe you think you are but your life does not really reflect that, I pray that God will use my words to create a sense of urgency through an understanding of your sin, guilt, and condemnation without Christ. I also pray that God will use my words to move you into a place of belief in the sacrifice and the price that was paid for your sins. That you would understand that Jesus took your place of punishment for sin so that you would no longer have to be condemned and feel guilty. That you would be so grateful for what God has done for you that you would be motivated to obedience not out of a sense of duty or obligation, because you can never repay this gift. Rather that you would be motivated by love for your Savior King.
If these are not accomplishable goals through this blog then it is all for nothing. My words are empty and my time is wasted. However, since scripture says that God's word will not come back to him void, but that it will accomplish that for which it was purposed (Isaiah 55:11), I believe that these goals are accomplishable. I believe that God will use this blog to change hearts and inspire growth. Some have already expressed to me the impact that it has made on them. That it was uncomfortable at times but good for their hearts. I pray it is so for you.
Please pray for me as I strive to be faithful in this. I will be praying for you that you will either come to a saving knowledge of the grace of the Lord Jesus or that, if you are already a believer that you will be set ablaze as a selfless representative of the grace of the Lord Jesus to others. He is MIGHTY to save.
In the words of the prayer offered in Colossians 1:9-14, "Asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
In Jesus name.
Josh
Friday, March 15, 2013
Duck Dynasty, A Confession
I have a confession to make to the readers of this blog. I always strive to be real and honest about my imperfections and that I am on the same journey that I encourage everyone who reads this be on. God has shown me a flaw in my heart, the extent of which I was not aware.
I am guilty of judgement. It was a judgement based in ignorance. It wasn't a judgement in the sense of assuming someone's eternal damnation. It really wasn't even a judgement of actions. No it was a judgement assuming their worth or the lack there of. It wasn't that I walked around thinking about it all the time. I just kind of made up my mind after just a little exposure to the show and decided it was going to be garbage.
I confess that I have not seen Duck Dynasty. Only clips and previews. Just enough to get the impression that it was a bunch of ignorant redneck, backwoods folks acting a fool. Part of this is because, while they are not all "rednecks" or "backwoods" most people on reality TV these days do act ignorantly and foolishly. You would think they had no descent raisin the way they show their tail and act like idiots for all the world to see. The fact is I have seen enough of many of these shows to know that there is in most cases zero recognizable fruit of a relationship with Jesus. Occasionally there is a glimmer of hope but for the most part, it is a hopeless display of the very behavior that Jesus and Paul both condemned as unworthy of entry to the kingdom of God. I had not seen this show in it's entirety at any point however, so I just thought it was yet another waste of airtime. I heard folks that I respect talk about liking the show and thought, wow! How in the world can they like something like that.
I confess this was blind, ignorant judgement on my part. Then God corrected me. I cannot speak to the quality of the material in the show because as I said, I have not seen an episode in it's entirety. However, in the last week I have seen interviews with Father(Phil) and Son(Jase) professing boldly their undaunted, faith in and love for Jesus Christ. I was blown away. I thought, WOW! If only the majority of the Christian community, myself included at times would live their faith out loud as well as these guys do.
I am ashamed of my initial stance and grateful for the eye opening that my faithful, patient, loving, Heavenly Father brought me regarding this. I am so thankful that He has provided an open door for this family to show this country what it means to be true followers of Jesus, bold and unashamed.
I know this is not my typical post but I just had to give a testimony to my flaws and God's faithfulness in hopes that it will be used to help someone else who may have been doing the same thing. In fact, we as Christians are in danger of doing this every day. Judging a book by it's cover with our own self-righteous presumptions about who someone is based on the way they look, an accent, or what they do for a living. What is most concerning is that, as with many sins, we do not realize it is happening.
Lord, you are faithful. Please continue to transform my heart and mind, opening my eyes to the hearts of people around me and YOUR heart for them. Help me to see people and love people the way you do. Either as faithful children who are striving to serve you just as I am or as lost sheep in need of a shepherd. In any case, may I get to know them before deciding who they are and assuming their flaws. In Jesus name, Amen.
None of us are above this mistake. Guard your hearts and make this your prayer today.
Josh
I am guilty of judgement. It was a judgement based in ignorance. It wasn't a judgement in the sense of assuming someone's eternal damnation. It really wasn't even a judgement of actions. No it was a judgement assuming their worth or the lack there of. It wasn't that I walked around thinking about it all the time. I just kind of made up my mind after just a little exposure to the show and decided it was going to be garbage.
I confess that I have not seen Duck Dynasty. Only clips and previews. Just enough to get the impression that it was a bunch of ignorant redneck, backwoods folks acting a fool. Part of this is because, while they are not all "rednecks" or "backwoods" most people on reality TV these days do act ignorantly and foolishly. You would think they had no descent raisin the way they show their tail and act like idiots for all the world to see. The fact is I have seen enough of many of these shows to know that there is in most cases zero recognizable fruit of a relationship with Jesus. Occasionally there is a glimmer of hope but for the most part, it is a hopeless display of the very behavior that Jesus and Paul both condemned as unworthy of entry to the kingdom of God. I had not seen this show in it's entirety at any point however, so I just thought it was yet another waste of airtime. I heard folks that I respect talk about liking the show and thought, wow! How in the world can they like something like that.
I confess this was blind, ignorant judgement on my part. Then God corrected me. I cannot speak to the quality of the material in the show because as I said, I have not seen an episode in it's entirety. However, in the last week I have seen interviews with Father(Phil) and Son(Jase) professing boldly their undaunted, faith in and love for Jesus Christ. I was blown away. I thought, WOW! If only the majority of the Christian community, myself included at times would live their faith out loud as well as these guys do.
I am ashamed of my initial stance and grateful for the eye opening that my faithful, patient, loving, Heavenly Father brought me regarding this. I am so thankful that He has provided an open door for this family to show this country what it means to be true followers of Jesus, bold and unashamed.
I know this is not my typical post but I just had to give a testimony to my flaws and God's faithfulness in hopes that it will be used to help someone else who may have been doing the same thing. In fact, we as Christians are in danger of doing this every day. Judging a book by it's cover with our own self-righteous presumptions about who someone is based on the way they look, an accent, or what they do for a living. What is most concerning is that, as with many sins, we do not realize it is happening.
Lord, you are faithful. Please continue to transform my heart and mind, opening my eyes to the hearts of people around me and YOUR heart for them. Help me to see people and love people the way you do. Either as faithful children who are striving to serve you just as I am or as lost sheep in need of a shepherd. In any case, may I get to know them before deciding who they are and assuming their flaws. In Jesus name, Amen.
None of us are above this mistake. Guard your hearts and make this your prayer today.
Josh
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Abortion and the pro-choice heart condition
In the wake of the recent anniversary of Roe vs. Wade I have been stirred horrifically regarding the subject of Abortion. I want to make clear from the beginning, the intent of this post, is not to bash over the head those whom have had abortions. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), I certainly have my share of past mistakes, though none of them have scarred me in the way that an abortion emotionally scars mothers and fathers of aborted babies. The fact is that many women whom have abortions regret it after the fact, even if they are not saved. There is something about having a living, breathing human being ripped out of you that leaves you never the same after that. Not only does it kill the baby but it destroys a part of the mothers life and much less often thought about, many fathers lives as they spend the rest of their lives trying to live with the guilt and grief that is attached to the decision to abort. They are all victims of the system. I may speak encouragingly to those whom have had abortions in another post. In the meantime, www.saveone.org is the website for a post-abortion recovery organization that could also prove helpful to you. If you are reading this and are intersted in more info regarding the misunderstandings or outright deceit regarding the abortion industry check out the 20 minute video, To Save a Life@ http://youtu.be/MNJmpQSbFeE or buy Blood Money Film@ www.bloodmoneyfilm.com. There are a lot of resources and information at the latter website. You can also check out a mind blowing 33 minute set of interviews with people on the street who ignorantly think they are pro-choice, many of whom's minds are changed by the end of the video. You can find it at www.180movie.com or there is a tool at the top of my blog page that will actually play the video for you right there.
My desire for now is to speak with those who are pro-choice. Those who would like to stand in favor of abortions while professing Christ as Savior and Lord. I would dare to say it can't be done. If you are justifying blatant sin in the face of biblical teaching then the most likely fact is that your heart is hard toward the things of God and you have no relationship with Him. I do not write this to condemn you for as Jesus said in John 3:18, "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." Belief is not intellectual ascent. It is submission to His Lordship and obeying His commands. John 15-24 speaks repeatedly to the fact that those who truly love Jesus will obey Him and keep His commandments. So, if you are not doing this you are already condemned.
One of the Ten Commandments is "THOU SHALT NOT MURDER!" (Exodus 20:13)
Jesus said in Matthew 5:21-22, "You have heard it was said to those of old, You shall not murder and whoever murders will be liable to judgement. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement". The Apostle John expounds on this in the letter of 1 John 3:15 by saying, "Everyone that hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." If Almighty God himself says that anger towards your brother is as murder in order to drive home the seriousness of the offense, then how severely do you think He feels about the actual taking of life. Whether you are talking about an innocent adult, a guilty, murderous rapist, or an innocent, unwanted, unborn child; if this person is bringing anger, hate, guilt, or resentment into someone's life, are those not equally dire offenses in the eyes of God. Now take those feelings one step futher and actually take the life of that person and imagine the wrath of God directed toward that.
Many have tried to justify this vicious act by arguing over the time table at which a fetus becomes a person. It is a ridiculous argument. Possibly the youngest surviving premature baby ever was born in November of 2010 at 21 weeks weighing just one pound. That baby is now thriving. The obscene irony is that if the doctor had intentionally killed that baby he would have gone to prison. In fact, a doctor is on trial now for doing that very thing in an abortion clinic. However, if that baby had been in the womb at 21 weeks and unwanted by the mother she would have been completely justified in aborting it. It is a terrifically horendous travesty that our hearts will allow us to differentiate between the two. Only an unregenerate aka. non-Christian heart could maintain the ability to ignore this truth. I know this because God cannot stomach that thought process. In fact, He hates it.
While no man can truly know the heart of another in relation to Jesus Christ and only God is the judge as to their eternal outcome, Jesus himself makes it very clear that the fruit of our Christian walk will be representative of our relationship with Him. (Matthew 7:13-27) You cannot claim to know and be known by the God of the universe, Creator of all things, and support the destruction of what God's word says He made and formed. (Psalms 119:73) In fact, Psalms 139:13-16 says this about Gods creation of us.
"For you formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them."
God inspired the writer to use words and phrases like, "knitted me together", "fearfully and wonderfully made", "and intricately woven" in this scripture. These words do not indicate the carefree, emotinally uninvested efforts of some factory manufacturer on an assembly line. NO! These are the words of our Creator who took delicate care to lovingly mold us into exactly who he wanted us to be. The means by which we are conceived, who we are born to, and where we are born are no accident. Our personality, termperament, cognitive ability, and physical make up and ability are no mistake. Our God made us exactly how he intented us to be, to accomplish the purpose for which we were created.
How dare we think we have the right to destroy that!
This is the same God who said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." (Matthew 18:14) Anyone who thinks that abortion and this God of the Bible go hand in hand are decieving themselves and have much reason to be concerned about their eternity.
On a website called, www.abortion.procon.org This pro abortion idea was stated. Motherhood must never be a punishment for having sexual intercourse. President Barack Obama said in a Mar. 29, 2008 campaign speech in Johnston, Pennsylvania, "I have two daughters... I'm going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."
This man, our President, claims to be a Christian and yet, rather than thinking of a baby as a consequence for which responsibility should be taken, he thinks of it as a burdensome punishment that no one should have to endure courtesy of their own moral irresponsibility. That is heinous and it angers me. But he is not alone. Thousands if not millions of people in America and around the world think just as selfishly and just as sinfully. And their eternal life is in danger.
I wonder statistically, how many pro-choice advocates have ever actually had an abortion. The evidence that I have seen and you will to if you watch the above referenced videos is that there is absolutely nothing beneficial to the mother. In fact, if they don't die, the overwhelming majority wish they had never done it. The impression is that the mother is as much a victim of the system and a victim of the peer/family pressure of others as the baby is. She is scared, confused, and very rarely has an advocate telling her both sides of the story. Although I have seen testimonies of those whom have been talked out of abortions by those who have had them. They do seem to be the rarity. Probably because news of that is not a great selling point for an abortion clinic.
I could go on and on but the primary issue is this. The moral decline of this nation and this world are spiraling out of control at break neck speed. We, the true believers must continue to stand against the lies of the enemy. Not only those directed toward us but those directed at sinners or believers caught up in a huge mistake. Listen to me! If you stand on the side of murder of the born or the unborn, whether in word or deed, in an unrepentant stance then you will not inherit the kingdom. You will not go to heaven. The bible says that God hates all evildoers and that He must and will pour out His wrath on all sinners at the judgement. (Psalms 5:4-6) That is why Jesus had to die. In order for God to be just and loving, someone had to pay the price for our sins and that is what Jesus did. He took our place so that God's wrath could be satisfied and we could still have a shot at eternity with Him.
This is bigger than being pro-choice or whether or not you have had an abortion before. This is about the fact that we are all sinners and we all deserve to go to hell. Not because of any one sin. That first sin that we ever consciously committed in our life, once fully understanding right from wrong, seperated us from God for all eternity. Unless we are born again and begin living for God instead of for ourselves we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. I pray that if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior that the Holy Spirit will convict your heart about that and you will cry out to God to save you. GOD LOVES YOU! That is why he sent Jesus. Make no mistake, you cannot earn salvation. It is a free gift. Romans 3:24 says that we have been "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 5:8 says that, "God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."
If you already feel that tug at your heart to believe on Christ and begin walking in obedience then it is time. Pray to God. Tell him of your need for Him. Thank Him for saving you. If it is real, you will know because your heart will be changed. Not only should you no longer be ok with abortion but your desires will begin changing away from the desires for the things of the world and toward the things of God. Repentance means turning away from sin and running towards God. You will not ever attain perfection but you should always, by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit be striving for perfection. (Philippians 2:12-13) You cannot merit salvation by doing this however, salvation bears the fruit of obedience to God's Lordship as evidence of salvation. Fruit that is not motivated by obligation, but by love for your Heavenly Father. Begin reading the Bible and attending a solid Bible teaching church. Your life will never be the same. If you have given your life to Jesus and you are struggling with the guilt of a past abortion, you need to know that there is freedom from guilt and healing from the pain available in this new relationship with Jesus. As you begin praying and reading your bible God will show you this and He will set you free and fill you with joy and peace. This is the Good News of the Gospel!
Love in Christ,
Joshua Newton
My desire for now is to speak with those who are pro-choice. Those who would like to stand in favor of abortions while professing Christ as Savior and Lord. I would dare to say it can't be done. If you are justifying blatant sin in the face of biblical teaching then the most likely fact is that your heart is hard toward the things of God and you have no relationship with Him. I do not write this to condemn you for as Jesus said in John 3:18, "Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." Belief is not intellectual ascent. It is submission to His Lordship and obeying His commands. John 15-24 speaks repeatedly to the fact that those who truly love Jesus will obey Him and keep His commandments. So, if you are not doing this you are already condemned.
One of the Ten Commandments is "THOU SHALT NOT MURDER!" (Exodus 20:13)
Jesus said in Matthew 5:21-22, "You have heard it was said to those of old, You shall not murder and whoever murders will be liable to judgement. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement". The Apostle John expounds on this in the letter of 1 John 3:15 by saying, "Everyone that hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." If Almighty God himself says that anger towards your brother is as murder in order to drive home the seriousness of the offense, then how severely do you think He feels about the actual taking of life. Whether you are talking about an innocent adult, a guilty, murderous rapist, or an innocent, unwanted, unborn child; if this person is bringing anger, hate, guilt, or resentment into someone's life, are those not equally dire offenses in the eyes of God. Now take those feelings one step futher and actually take the life of that person and imagine the wrath of God directed toward that.
Many have tried to justify this vicious act by arguing over the time table at which a fetus becomes a person. It is a ridiculous argument. Possibly the youngest surviving premature baby ever was born in November of 2010 at 21 weeks weighing just one pound. That baby is now thriving. The obscene irony is that if the doctor had intentionally killed that baby he would have gone to prison. In fact, a doctor is on trial now for doing that very thing in an abortion clinic. However, if that baby had been in the womb at 21 weeks and unwanted by the mother she would have been completely justified in aborting it. It is a terrifically horendous travesty that our hearts will allow us to differentiate between the two. Only an unregenerate aka. non-Christian heart could maintain the ability to ignore this truth. I know this because God cannot stomach that thought process. In fact, He hates it.
While no man can truly know the heart of another in relation to Jesus Christ and only God is the judge as to their eternal outcome, Jesus himself makes it very clear that the fruit of our Christian walk will be representative of our relationship with Him. (Matthew 7:13-27) You cannot claim to know and be known by the God of the universe, Creator of all things, and support the destruction of what God's word says He made and formed. (Psalms 119:73) In fact, Psalms 139:13-16 says this about Gods creation of us.
"For you formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them."
God inspired the writer to use words and phrases like, "knitted me together", "fearfully and wonderfully made", "and intricately woven" in this scripture. These words do not indicate the carefree, emotinally uninvested efforts of some factory manufacturer on an assembly line. NO! These are the words of our Creator who took delicate care to lovingly mold us into exactly who he wanted us to be. The means by which we are conceived, who we are born to, and where we are born are no accident. Our personality, termperament, cognitive ability, and physical make up and ability are no mistake. Our God made us exactly how he intented us to be, to accomplish the purpose for which we were created.
How dare we think we have the right to destroy that!
This is the same God who said, "Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God." (Matthew 18:14) Anyone who thinks that abortion and this God of the Bible go hand in hand are decieving themselves and have much reason to be concerned about their eternity.
On a website called, www.abortion.procon.org This pro abortion idea was stated. Motherhood must never be a punishment for having sexual intercourse. President Barack Obama said in a Mar. 29, 2008 campaign speech in Johnston, Pennsylvania, "I have two daughters... I'm going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby."
This man, our President, claims to be a Christian and yet, rather than thinking of a baby as a consequence for which responsibility should be taken, he thinks of it as a burdensome punishment that no one should have to endure courtesy of their own moral irresponsibility. That is heinous and it angers me. But he is not alone. Thousands if not millions of people in America and around the world think just as selfishly and just as sinfully. And their eternal life is in danger.
I wonder statistically, how many pro-choice advocates have ever actually had an abortion. The evidence that I have seen and you will to if you watch the above referenced videos is that there is absolutely nothing beneficial to the mother. In fact, if they don't die, the overwhelming majority wish they had never done it. The impression is that the mother is as much a victim of the system and a victim of the peer/family pressure of others as the baby is. She is scared, confused, and very rarely has an advocate telling her both sides of the story. Although I have seen testimonies of those whom have been talked out of abortions by those who have had them. They do seem to be the rarity. Probably because news of that is not a great selling point for an abortion clinic.
I could go on and on but the primary issue is this. The moral decline of this nation and this world are spiraling out of control at break neck speed. We, the true believers must continue to stand against the lies of the enemy. Not only those directed toward us but those directed at sinners or believers caught up in a huge mistake. Listen to me! If you stand on the side of murder of the born or the unborn, whether in word or deed, in an unrepentant stance then you will not inherit the kingdom. You will not go to heaven. The bible says that God hates all evildoers and that He must and will pour out His wrath on all sinners at the judgement. (Psalms 5:4-6) That is why Jesus had to die. In order for God to be just and loving, someone had to pay the price for our sins and that is what Jesus did. He took our place so that God's wrath could be satisfied and we could still have a shot at eternity with Him.
This is bigger than being pro-choice or whether or not you have had an abortion before. This is about the fact that we are all sinners and we all deserve to go to hell. Not because of any one sin. That first sin that we ever consciously committed in our life, once fully understanding right from wrong, seperated us from God for all eternity. Unless we are born again and begin living for God instead of for ourselves we cannot enter the Kingdom of God. I pray that if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior that the Holy Spirit will convict your heart about that and you will cry out to God to save you. GOD LOVES YOU! That is why he sent Jesus. Make no mistake, you cannot earn salvation. It is a free gift. Romans 3:24 says that we have been "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Romans 5:8 says that, "God demonstrated His love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."
If you already feel that tug at your heart to believe on Christ and begin walking in obedience then it is time. Pray to God. Tell him of your need for Him. Thank Him for saving you. If it is real, you will know because your heart will be changed. Not only should you no longer be ok with abortion but your desires will begin changing away from the desires for the things of the world and toward the things of God. Repentance means turning away from sin and running towards God. You will not ever attain perfection but you should always, by God's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit be striving for perfection. (Philippians 2:12-13) You cannot merit salvation by doing this however, salvation bears the fruit of obedience to God's Lordship as evidence of salvation. Fruit that is not motivated by obligation, but by love for your Heavenly Father. Begin reading the Bible and attending a solid Bible teaching church. Your life will never be the same. If you have given your life to Jesus and you are struggling with the guilt of a past abortion, you need to know that there is freedom from guilt and healing from the pain available in this new relationship with Jesus. As you begin praying and reading your bible God will show you this and He will set you free and fill you with joy and peace. This is the Good News of the Gospel!
Love in Christ,
Joshua Newton
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Boy Scouts, Gay Rights and THE GOSPEL!
On Monday January 28th the Boy Scouts of America poised themselves to change their policy preventing homosexual participants as leaders in scouting or as scouts. They have been taking fire from gay rights activists for years and have always stood their ground. The Boy Scout oath reads, "On my honor, I will do my best, to do my duty, to God and my country, to help other people at all times, and to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. For a long time in this battle the Boy scouts have held that homosexuality is inconsistent with that oath. Unfortunately it looks like the dam is about to break.
This is a travesty! A demonic attack! No way should the Boy Scouts compromise on this. As a former Boy Scout and a current Cub Scout Den Leader it saddens me to hear that the Boy Scouts of America are allowing the gay rights advocates to dictate to them what their allowances for leadership and membership should be. Especially when it goes against everything that the Boy Scouts stands for. And the Scouts have the support of the bulk of their conservative membership. If it goes through I am not sure what we as a family will do if our District or Sponsor decides to go along with this. I have a son in Cub Scouts and this is not what I signed him up for.
In a day when the definition of morality is up for grabs in order to justify a lifestyle I would like to clarify what Sir Robert Baden Powell, founder of the BSA wrote regarding his interpretation of what "morally straight" means. In his pamphlet "Scouting and Christianity" in 1917 he wrote, "Scouting is nothing less than applied Christianity."
Even President Calvin Coolidge wrote to the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Washington, DC, May 1, 1926:
"The boy on becoming a scout binds himself on his honor to do his best…’To do my duty to God and my country, and to obey the scout law…To help other people at all times…To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight’…
Members must promise to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent…
It would be a perfect world if everyone exemplified these virtues in daily life…
Those who attempt to live in opposition to these standards…become slaves of their own evil doing, realizing the Scriptural assertion that they who sin are the servants of sin and that the wages of sin is death."
Now, I would like to clarify that Mr. Powell and President Coolidge both based their ideas of morality and sin on biblical Christianity. They did not base their ideas on today's ideas of Christianity in which too much of the world wants a ticket to heaven but no change in lifestyle. A Christianity that is all about love and forgiveness and knows nothing of righteousness, holiness, nor of God's justice and wrath that will be poured out on all those who, rather than conforming themselves to God's word want to try to make God's word conform to them.
Make no mistake. This issue is much bigger than the Boy Scouts of America. It is much bigger than homosexuality. It is a full on assault by the principalities and powers of darkness to blind the minds of unbelievers, some of which think themselves believers. (2 Corinthians 4:4) Satan is making every effort to tear down anything that ever held Christian values as the core of it's principles. He is not just stopping with secular organizations that hold high Christian principles such as the Boy Scouts. No, he is invading religious organizations that masquerade as Christian and are now allowing same sex marriage and homosexual leaders in their churches. This tactic is being used in order to lead many astray. He came to steal, spiritually kill, and destroy anything that would bring God glory. (John 10:10)
Yes this hits home for me on multiple levels. Not only because I was a boy scout and am now a leader who's son is in Boy Scouts, but because I am a believer in the one and only TRUE GOD, maker of heaven and earth. The God of the bible who gives us existence, gives us breath, and causes are heart to have rhythm. In addition I am a herald of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe it is the power of God unto Salvation for those who believe (Romans 1:16), and I am angry or shall I say, righteously indignant with Satan for his efforts to blaspheme my God and try to steal the gift of salvation and steal the GLORY of my Heavenly Father!
But, by no means does this mean the enemy has won. We who are true believers know the end of the story. We know that when Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment for the sins of the world, enduring God's wrath toward our sin and securing salvation that is evidenced by belief, repentance, and obedience to God's commands. Evidenced by a love for the physically sick and starving and the spiritually lost and dying around the world. We know that while WE ARE AT WAR still fighting a spiritual battle by God's grace, that we do not fight FOR victory but FROM victory. Jesus CONQUERED sin and death on the cross. The enemy has been DEFEATED! We know that while we must continue to fight and labor, by the grace of God, in obedience til the end that no one whom God has chosen for eternity will ever be stolen away by the enemy.
I pray that God will make His glory known by not allowing the success of the spiritual attack on the Boy Scouts. However, I know that whatever the outcome, God is sovereignly in control and His will shall be accomplished.
In the same way if you are reading this and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, I pray that the Father will draw you to the Son and compel you towards saving faith in Him. I pray that you may know eternal life in heaven rather than hell and join fellow saints in glorifying our Savior through an obedience driven by love not obligation. I pray that you would know freedom from sin and liberty in Christ that will bring joy and peace like you have never known. Whether you are saved or lost I pray that God's will be done and His glory made known in and through your life.
In Jesus name,
Amen
This is a travesty! A demonic attack! No way should the Boy Scouts compromise on this. As a former Boy Scout and a current Cub Scout Den Leader it saddens me to hear that the Boy Scouts of America are allowing the gay rights advocates to dictate to them what their allowances for leadership and membership should be. Especially when it goes against everything that the Boy Scouts stands for. And the Scouts have the support of the bulk of their conservative membership. If it goes through I am not sure what we as a family will do if our District or Sponsor decides to go along with this. I have a son in Cub Scouts and this is not what I signed him up for.
In a day when the definition of morality is up for grabs in order to justify a lifestyle I would like to clarify what Sir Robert Baden Powell, founder of the BSA wrote regarding his interpretation of what "morally straight" means. In his pamphlet "Scouting and Christianity" in 1917 he wrote, "Scouting is nothing less than applied Christianity."
"The boy on becoming a scout binds himself on his honor to do his best…’To do my duty to God and my country, and to obey the scout law…To help other people at all times…To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight’…
Members must promise to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent…
It would be a perfect world if everyone exemplified these virtues in daily life…
Those who attempt to live in opposition to these standards…become slaves of their own evil doing, realizing the Scriptural assertion that they who sin are the servants of sin and that the wages of sin is death."
Now, I would like to clarify that Mr. Powell and President Coolidge both based their ideas of morality and sin on biblical Christianity. They did not base their ideas on today's ideas of Christianity in which too much of the world wants a ticket to heaven but no change in lifestyle. A Christianity that is all about love and forgiveness and knows nothing of righteousness, holiness, nor of God's justice and wrath that will be poured out on all those who, rather than conforming themselves to God's word want to try to make God's word conform to them.
Make no mistake. This issue is much bigger than the Boy Scouts of America. It is much bigger than homosexuality. It is a full on assault by the principalities and powers of darkness to blind the minds of unbelievers, some of which think themselves believers. (2 Corinthians 4:4) Satan is making every effort to tear down anything that ever held Christian values as the core of it's principles. He is not just stopping with secular organizations that hold high Christian principles such as the Boy Scouts. No, he is invading religious organizations that masquerade as Christian and are now allowing same sex marriage and homosexual leaders in their churches. This tactic is being used in order to lead many astray. He came to steal, spiritually kill, and destroy anything that would bring God glory. (John 10:10)
Yes this hits home for me on multiple levels. Not only because I was a boy scout and am now a leader who's son is in Boy Scouts, but because I am a believer in the one and only TRUE GOD, maker of heaven and earth. The God of the bible who gives us existence, gives us breath, and causes are heart to have rhythm. In addition I am a herald of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I believe it is the power of God unto Salvation for those who believe (Romans 1:16), and I am angry or shall I say, righteously indignant with Satan for his efforts to blaspheme my God and try to steal the gift of salvation and steal the GLORY of my Heavenly Father!
But, by no means does this mean the enemy has won. We who are true believers know the end of the story. We know that when Jesus died on the cross, He took the punishment for the sins of the world, enduring God's wrath toward our sin and securing salvation that is evidenced by belief, repentance, and obedience to God's commands. Evidenced by a love for the physically sick and starving and the spiritually lost and dying around the world. We know that while WE ARE AT WAR still fighting a spiritual battle by God's grace, that we do not fight FOR victory but FROM victory. Jesus CONQUERED sin and death on the cross. The enemy has been DEFEATED! We know that while we must continue to fight and labor, by the grace of God, in obedience til the end that no one whom God has chosen for eternity will ever be stolen away by the enemy.
I pray that God will make His glory known by not allowing the success of the spiritual attack on the Boy Scouts. However, I know that whatever the outcome, God is sovereignly in control and His will shall be accomplished.
In the same way if you are reading this and you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, I pray that the Father will draw you to the Son and compel you towards saving faith in Him. I pray that you may know eternal life in heaven rather than hell and join fellow saints in glorifying our Savior through an obedience driven by love not obligation. I pray that you would know freedom from sin and liberty in Christ that will bring joy and peace like you have never known. Whether you are saved or lost I pray that God's will be done and His glory made known in and through your life.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Happy New Year / A review of 2012
Goodbye 2012. One of the more memorable years I have had in a while. The year started out having read 2 books associated with the movie Courageous and living in great anticipation of the movie coming out. My world was being rocked by the awesome concepts being broached regarding being a man of God as a father and husband. I had already become familiar with and inspired by Francis Chan, whose preaching style and message were so very passionate, honest, and faithful to the word. Through his ministry and some inner workings of the spirit God had already begun working on my heart in a more loving direction at the end of 2011.
The beginning of 2012 also marked the the reading of Radical the book by Pastor/Author Dr. David Platt. This was earth shattering for me. As the subtitle of the book suggests it is about "taking back Christianity from the American dream". I realized that subtitle applied to me much more than I knew. God used this book to create a passion for God and His word, that I had desired for a long time. I began listening to him by podcast and was refreshed by his style, knowledge of and delivery of the word. Something about him and his passion for discipleship and missions sparked a flame in me I never had before. The most amazing thing is I wasn't looking for it. God dropped it all right in my lap.
Come April I was heavy into the word, learning all I could by any means possible. Around this time I became aware of a desire to share my convictions regarding the word and my observations of it's disregard, misunderstanding or outright misuse by much of American Christianity as a church body and by many influential ministers of our day. I became aware of areas in my own life that needed to be corrected as well. As, by God's grace, I have pursued Him He has been faithful to begin some radical changes not only in my theology, but also my life. I know I will spend the rest of my life being transformed but this year has been exponentially encouraging.
God gave me this blog as a means by which to express my convictions as well as sharpen my skills at fleshing out those convictions and challenging and encouraging others along the way. I have received much encouragement as well as some critiques. If no one ever read it, the blessing of writing it has still been more than I could have asked for.
So, I have been blogging since April and studying hard to grow in my theology but also to begin a greater understanding of ministry. Because this year has also seen the development of a call to ministry. Something that I am thrilled about and apprehensive about at the same time. I am working toward preparation for whatever God is calling me to and I am in no hurry to get there. I know he will show me the way as needed and I am happy to patiently wait on Him in this. Because I have a very busy schedule, God has utilized today's wonderful technology and the means of podcasts to help me gain valuable knowledge regarding theology and ministry. It is amazing. I can listen to many preachers and seminary professors preach sermons and give talks on ministry application via the podcasting of their messages and of whole ministry conferences for pastors. Then as I have time I am going over what they have taught in the word and reading other books along the way. This has been very enlightening and helpful for learning.
This year has seen a significant shift in theology, that has been a couple of years in the making, from a more" free will" based theology to what is known typically as "reformed" theology that placed the sovereignty of God and His plan for the world and each individual right at the top of my theological understanding. This has created a much healthier Christ-centered understanding of the gospel rather than a man-centered gospel. I believe this is the more biblical approach and something this country and our world needs very much. To realize that WE are not at the center of God's universe. HE is. We must be more interested in His will for our lives than what we think is best. Even if it seems unpopular or uncomfortable.
Some of you know that I began this blog with my first post by stating that no one should take my word or the word of any minister of the Gospel at face value. You need to open the word and see for yourself what is there and how it relates to what you are being taught. I will continually remind us of that. Some of the shifts that I have seen in my theology have come from doing that very thing. Things that I had heard taught for years, some from childhood could not hold up as I became more aware of what the word actually said on a subject. Granted, other ministers helped guide me toward those truths but the ultimate deciding factor was the Scripture itself. Always remember that while a Preacher/teacher is there to help guide and equip you, THE WORD is the final authority.
On a less spiritual theme, I dove into leadership with the Cub Scouts as a leader also in the fall of 2012. Not sure how long that will last but it has been an interesting adventure. I also had the pleasure of working with my music minister with the support of our church to put on an incredible adult Christmas program this year. My greatest pleasure was, for the third year in a row, working with my wife to put on a children's Christmas musical. Watching her creativity at work not only in the direction of it, but also acting in it alongside my eight year old son gave me great joy. We performed the service two Sundays in a row and it was memorable both times with great feedback from those who saw it.
To top it all off, Christmas with both sides of the family was great as always. The highlight was being blessed with a Disney Cruise! My wife and two boys, eight and four will enjoy what for us feels like a once in a lifetime experience courtesy of the generosity of God blessing us through the love of family. We will be forever grateful for this opportunity.
So even though we closed out the year being sick, as a family at one time or another for the whole month of December, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I am anticipating 2013 with restless anticipation of continuing growth spiritually, individually and as a family. Growth that I feel certain will not come without some growing pains. I feel change in the air but have no specifics at this time. I simply striving to rest in God's Sovereignty and faithfulness desiring to please Him above man at all times.
We have managed to have a family bible study for the first two days of the year. A trend I intend to continue faithfully forever by hope in God's grace. I am praying for boldness to preach the word as I ought not only via my blog but in my neighborhood, workplace, etc. making disciples just as every Christian is commanded to do. I had the pleasure of the opportunity of a lengthy bible based conversation at work just last night. It is amazing what God will do if we are available. I pray that He will daily help me to get out the way so He can work through me.
I know this is kind of personal and will not interest everyone however, one of my desires through this blog is to be as real and personable as one can be via a technological tool such as this. So if this post enlightens anyone and helps them to connect on some level that allows them to be touched and changed by the contents of this blog then I will be as much of an open book as I can be, within reason of course. I just try to be obedient in the writing. The audience and their response, I must leave up to Him. I pray that everyone reading this has an amazing 2013 and encounters God as I did in 2012 being forever changed toward a passion for God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I have never possessed before. May God rock your spiritual world in 2013! In Jesus name, Amen!
The beginning of 2012 also marked the the reading of Radical the book by Pastor/Author Dr. David Platt. This was earth shattering for me. As the subtitle of the book suggests it is about "taking back Christianity from the American dream". I realized that subtitle applied to me much more than I knew. God used this book to create a passion for God and His word, that I had desired for a long time. I began listening to him by podcast and was refreshed by his style, knowledge of and delivery of the word. Something about him and his passion for discipleship and missions sparked a flame in me I never had before. The most amazing thing is I wasn't looking for it. God dropped it all right in my lap.
Come April I was heavy into the word, learning all I could by any means possible. Around this time I became aware of a desire to share my convictions regarding the word and my observations of it's disregard, misunderstanding or outright misuse by much of American Christianity as a church body and by many influential ministers of our day. I became aware of areas in my own life that needed to be corrected as well. As, by God's grace, I have pursued Him He has been faithful to begin some radical changes not only in my theology, but also my life. I know I will spend the rest of my life being transformed but this year has been exponentially encouraging.
God gave me this blog as a means by which to express my convictions as well as sharpen my skills at fleshing out those convictions and challenging and encouraging others along the way. I have received much encouragement as well as some critiques. If no one ever read it, the blessing of writing it has still been more than I could have asked for.
So, I have been blogging since April and studying hard to grow in my theology but also to begin a greater understanding of ministry. Because this year has also seen the development of a call to ministry. Something that I am thrilled about and apprehensive about at the same time. I am working toward preparation for whatever God is calling me to and I am in no hurry to get there. I know he will show me the way as needed and I am happy to patiently wait on Him in this. Because I have a very busy schedule, God has utilized today's wonderful technology and the means of podcasts to help me gain valuable knowledge regarding theology and ministry. It is amazing. I can listen to many preachers and seminary professors preach sermons and give talks on ministry application via the podcasting of their messages and of whole ministry conferences for pastors. Then as I have time I am going over what they have taught in the word and reading other books along the way. This has been very enlightening and helpful for learning.
This year has seen a significant shift in theology, that has been a couple of years in the making, from a more" free will" based theology to what is known typically as "reformed" theology that placed the sovereignty of God and His plan for the world and each individual right at the top of my theological understanding. This has created a much healthier Christ-centered understanding of the gospel rather than a man-centered gospel. I believe this is the more biblical approach and something this country and our world needs very much. To realize that WE are not at the center of God's universe. HE is. We must be more interested in His will for our lives than what we think is best. Even if it seems unpopular or uncomfortable.
Some of you know that I began this blog with my first post by stating that no one should take my word or the word of any minister of the Gospel at face value. You need to open the word and see for yourself what is there and how it relates to what you are being taught. I will continually remind us of that. Some of the shifts that I have seen in my theology have come from doing that very thing. Things that I had heard taught for years, some from childhood could not hold up as I became more aware of what the word actually said on a subject. Granted, other ministers helped guide me toward those truths but the ultimate deciding factor was the Scripture itself. Always remember that while a Preacher/teacher is there to help guide and equip you, THE WORD is the final authority.
On a less spiritual theme, I dove into leadership with the Cub Scouts as a leader also in the fall of 2012. Not sure how long that will last but it has been an interesting adventure. I also had the pleasure of working with my music minister with the support of our church to put on an incredible adult Christmas program this year. My greatest pleasure was, for the third year in a row, working with my wife to put on a children's Christmas musical. Watching her creativity at work not only in the direction of it, but also acting in it alongside my eight year old son gave me great joy. We performed the service two Sundays in a row and it was memorable both times with great feedback from those who saw it.
To top it all off, Christmas with both sides of the family was great as always. The highlight was being blessed with a Disney Cruise! My wife and two boys, eight and four will enjoy what for us feels like a once in a lifetime experience courtesy of the generosity of God blessing us through the love of family. We will be forever grateful for this opportunity.
So even though we closed out the year being sick, as a family at one time or another for the whole month of December, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I am anticipating 2013 with restless anticipation of continuing growth spiritually, individually and as a family. Growth that I feel certain will not come without some growing pains. I feel change in the air but have no specifics at this time. I simply striving to rest in God's Sovereignty and faithfulness desiring to please Him above man at all times.
We have managed to have a family bible study for the first two days of the year. A trend I intend to continue faithfully forever by hope in God's grace. I am praying for boldness to preach the word as I ought not only via my blog but in my neighborhood, workplace, etc. making disciples just as every Christian is commanded to do. I had the pleasure of the opportunity of a lengthy bible based conversation at work just last night. It is amazing what God will do if we are available. I pray that He will daily help me to get out the way so He can work through me.
I know this is kind of personal and will not interest everyone however, one of my desires through this blog is to be as real and personable as one can be via a technological tool such as this. So if this post enlightens anyone and helps them to connect on some level that allows them to be touched and changed by the contents of this blog then I will be as much of an open book as I can be, within reason of course. I just try to be obedient in the writing. The audience and their response, I must leave up to Him. I pray that everyone reading this has an amazing 2013 and encounters God as I did in 2012 being forever changed toward a passion for God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I have never possessed before. May God rock your spiritual world in 2013! In Jesus name, Amen!
Monday, November 19, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving
Hello Everyone.
If you follow this blog you know that their has been a bit of a lag in posts compared to the frequency with which I generally create posts. If you are not aware, I am a choir director at my church. This is the third year that I am assisting my wife with the Children's Choir program in addition to working with our Worship Minister to create original arrangements for our adult program and help ensure that the vocal side of things is solid. I would be lying if I said it wasn't taxing however, it is a blessing to serve God and point others to him in this way. So this has engulfed our world in addition to the rest of life this holiday season.
So I am taking a bit of a sabaticle probably until the New Year. I am still working on posts but will likely not finalize or post anymore until at least January outside of this one and maybe a Merry Christmas one.
I would like to take this opportunity during this Thanksgiving season to express my gratitude for all that God has done in my life this year. First and foremost, I am so very thankful to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has taken me on an unexpected journey this last year. A journey of spiritual growth and maturity in which God worked on my heart. This work has not only improved(though he certainly isn't finished) my functionality as a father and husband but has helped me to realize a much more solid sense of the direction in which he is taking me.
This year has seen the birth of this blog which many have said is a blessing to them and has certainly been a blessing to me. I have grown so much in my knowledge base and my ability to express the convictions of my heart through the exercise of this blog. I also delivered a message to the Sunday night congregation at my church this year. Definitely something I would not have thought of myself. This year has also seen God move me behind the piano to accompany the praise and worship instrumentally along with my worship leader. The resolve to do this also was unexpected. I still have a long way to go Lord willing but, he has taken me farther than I thought possible in such a short period of time.
If this year has taught me nothing else, it has taught me to not plan to far into the future. It has taught me to trust God and rest in the sovereignty of His plan while still working out my salvation with fear and trembling. And it has taught me to trust God with the spiritual growth of my family while still striving to be responsible as the spiritual leader, husband, and father in our household.
Outside of my relationship with God, my relationship with family, most especially my wife and chldren, is what I am most thankful for. My beautiful, sweet, faithful wife. Considering the reasons that people get divorced in this day and age my wife and I could have gone that route any number of times. Anyone who thinks marriage is supposed to be easy is kidding themselves. I am so grateful for my life partner, best friend, and confidant. She does not like change and has little confidence in herself at times but she always rises to the occasion. She has absolutely no valid reason not to believe in herself at this point in life. She is a super talented, creative, loving woman and I am blessed to have her. We have also seen unexpected transition in the family this year as a result of God blessing my wife with a job. She is an assistant teacher for Guilford County Schools and she is perfect for it. She has already made a name for herself in the brief period of time that she has been on the job.
Now for my children. Two handsome, loving, rambunctious boys ages 8 and 4. As always, outside of God and each other, these two children are the reason my wife and I wake up in the morning. They are such a blessing to us. Adorable, super smart, talented, ambitious, well liked by everyone and the list goes on. We couldn't ask for anything better than these two.
Yep, it's been a challenging year in many ways and a blessed year in many ways. But that's what makes life interesting isn't it. Praise God that he is faithful. As we strive to put him first in our family more and more I know that His grace will abound and the opportunities he will present to serve him faithfully are endless.
Last but not least I want to thank everyone who has supported this blog. I had no idea what I was doing when I started and some might say I still don't :-) But learning is half of the adventure. I would like to encourage everyone this holiday season whether you are a professing Christian or not to say a prayer before you go shopping. Whether it be for black Friday or at any other time, ask God to give you the grace to resist the tempation to allow selfishness to bring out the worst in you. If you are a Christian especially you have a responsibility to let your light shine. To show the love of God and the character of Christ to everyone you meet. Try not to look at everyone else as someone you are competing with. Rather, see them as a potential lost soul in need of God's grace.
As the saying goes, Jesus is the reason for the season. So let's show our love for Him in the way that we represent him during this holiday season that should be ALL ABOUT HIM!
Much Love and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
In Jesus name,
Josh
If you follow this blog you know that their has been a bit of a lag in posts compared to the frequency with which I generally create posts. If you are not aware, I am a choir director at my church. This is the third year that I am assisting my wife with the Children's Choir program in addition to working with our Worship Minister to create original arrangements for our adult program and help ensure that the vocal side of things is solid. I would be lying if I said it wasn't taxing however, it is a blessing to serve God and point others to him in this way. So this has engulfed our world in addition to the rest of life this holiday season.
So I am taking a bit of a sabaticle probably until the New Year. I am still working on posts but will likely not finalize or post anymore until at least January outside of this one and maybe a Merry Christmas one.
I would like to take this opportunity during this Thanksgiving season to express my gratitude for all that God has done in my life this year. First and foremost, I am so very thankful to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has taken me on an unexpected journey this last year. A journey of spiritual growth and maturity in which God worked on my heart. This work has not only improved(though he certainly isn't finished) my functionality as a father and husband but has helped me to realize a much more solid sense of the direction in which he is taking me.
This year has seen the birth of this blog which many have said is a blessing to them and has certainly been a blessing to me. I have grown so much in my knowledge base and my ability to express the convictions of my heart through the exercise of this blog. I also delivered a message to the Sunday night congregation at my church this year. Definitely something I would not have thought of myself. This year has also seen God move me behind the piano to accompany the praise and worship instrumentally along with my worship leader. The resolve to do this also was unexpected. I still have a long way to go Lord willing but, he has taken me farther than I thought possible in such a short period of time.
If this year has taught me nothing else, it has taught me to not plan to far into the future. It has taught me to trust God and rest in the sovereignty of His plan while still working out my salvation with fear and trembling. And it has taught me to trust God with the spiritual growth of my family while still striving to be responsible as the spiritual leader, husband, and father in our household.
Outside of my relationship with God, my relationship with family, most especially my wife and chldren, is what I am most thankful for. My beautiful, sweet, faithful wife. Considering the reasons that people get divorced in this day and age my wife and I could have gone that route any number of times. Anyone who thinks marriage is supposed to be easy is kidding themselves. I am so grateful for my life partner, best friend, and confidant. She does not like change and has little confidence in herself at times but she always rises to the occasion. She has absolutely no valid reason not to believe in herself at this point in life. She is a super talented, creative, loving woman and I am blessed to have her. We have also seen unexpected transition in the family this year as a result of God blessing my wife with a job. She is an assistant teacher for Guilford County Schools and she is perfect for it. She has already made a name for herself in the brief period of time that she has been on the job.
Now for my children. Two handsome, loving, rambunctious boys ages 8 and 4. As always, outside of God and each other, these two children are the reason my wife and I wake up in the morning. They are such a blessing to us. Adorable, super smart, talented, ambitious, well liked by everyone and the list goes on. We couldn't ask for anything better than these two.
Yep, it's been a challenging year in many ways and a blessed year in many ways. But that's what makes life interesting isn't it. Praise God that he is faithful. As we strive to put him first in our family more and more I know that His grace will abound and the opportunities he will present to serve him faithfully are endless.
Last but not least I want to thank everyone who has supported this blog. I had no idea what I was doing when I started and some might say I still don't :-) But learning is half of the adventure. I would like to encourage everyone this holiday season whether you are a professing Christian or not to say a prayer before you go shopping. Whether it be for black Friday or at any other time, ask God to give you the grace to resist the tempation to allow selfishness to bring out the worst in you. If you are a Christian especially you have a responsibility to let your light shine. To show the love of God and the character of Christ to everyone you meet. Try not to look at everyone else as someone you are competing with. Rather, see them as a potential lost soul in need of God's grace.
As the saying goes, Jesus is the reason for the season. So let's show our love for Him in the way that we represent him during this holiday season that should be ALL ABOUT HIM!
Much Love and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
In Jesus name,
Josh
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
The Purpose of Prosperity is Provision, Not Self Indulgence (Part 2)
Ok. So if you are back after the last post, thank you. That post, if you have not read it deals with several misconceptions surrounding scriptures and thought processes about prosperity. I encourage you to go back and read it. In case there is any doubt, I am not opposed to the idea that God prospers us. Prosperity is absolutely a biblical principal. It is the manner in which it is taught sometimes and the way that the church body understands this truth that I am striving to address.
Too many in the church want to stand on Kingdom principles and claim all kinds of things in the name of Jesus. This, while the lives of hypocrites in the church and even well meaning Christians are not reflecting a Gospel-centered lifestyle. I have been guilty of it myself. Jesus, his brother James, John, Paul, Timothy, Stephen, and many others in first century Christianity lived a Gospel-centered lifestyle. The early New Testament church was very eternity minded. Everything about their lives revolved around the Gospel. Paul built tents for a living, Peter and some of the other disciples were fishermen. However, they did not fit Jesus into their schedule. No, their schedule revolved around Jesus and the spread of the Gospel. Their resources were dedicated to their basic needs and the cause of Christ. And, they walked by faith in obedience and not by sight.
All of these along with any other scriptures on this topic are stated in light of two ideas. 1.) that the prosperity and blessing of God is contingent upon obedience and a heart that desires God's glory. 2.) that the reason for God's blessing and prosperity is to accomplish his purpose.
That purpose is the spread of the Gospel and the glorifying of His Name. If we do not obey him we will either miss out on the blessing all together or experience trouble because we were poor stewards over that blessing.
Now, on to the next part and really, the primary thought of this two-part post. What is the purpose for God's prosperity? Why does God bless us? Is it so we can have the house we always wanted? Is it so we can have the newest car on lease, or the latest piece of technology? Is it so we can eat out a whole bunch in the name of fellowship? The answer is a resounding NO! This begs the question: Are these things bad in and of themselves? Also, NO! What is bad is that we allow these things to take priority over the purpose for which God put us here. That purpose is to glorify His name through fellowship with Him, by spreading the Gospel to the world, and by taking care of those that are desperately in need of being helped all over the world.
Too many in the church want to stand on Kingdom principles and claim all kinds of things in the name of Jesus. This, while the lives of hypocrites in the church and even well meaning Christians are not reflecting a Gospel-centered lifestyle. I have been guilty of it myself. Jesus, his brother James, John, Paul, Timothy, Stephen, and many others in first century Christianity lived a Gospel-centered lifestyle. The early New Testament church was very eternity minded. Everything about their lives revolved around the Gospel. Paul built tents for a living, Peter and some of the other disciples were fishermen. However, they did not fit Jesus into their schedule. No, their schedule revolved around Jesus and the spread of the Gospel. Their resources were dedicated to their basic needs and the cause of Christ. And, they walked by faith in obedience and not by sight.
Today, in America, we do good to squeeze in fifteen minutes of Bible and prayer time a week, much less a day. It is as if following Jesus were an obligation vs. the number one desire of our hearts. We cannot expect God to truly prosper us in every aspect of our lives unless every aspect of our lives revolves around and is completely surrendered to Christ and his purpose.
In Luke 16:10-12, Jesus says to, wrap up a parable, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?"
God rewards faithfulness, obedience, and good stewardship in every area of life. It is important to remember, as I have said before, the manifestation and timing of that reward is up to God. He knows your need and he knows the condition of your heart in regard to when you receive the reward or increase.
In 3 John 1:2 the apostle/disciple John states, "I pray that you would prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers." An indication from a respected man of God, who was trusted by God to pen God-breathed words as scripture, that if our soul prospers, then it is more likely that we will be in health and prosper in other areas of life.
I want to be careful because that is exactly the kind of thought process that people use to claim divine health and create doubt of faith or relationship with God in those that don't experience divine healing or financial abundance. As I stated in the first part of this two-part post, even Paul suffered afflictions that never resolved themselves, that God might show himself strong and get the glory. In this life, which starts now and goes on for eternity, the promises of God may take place here on earth or in Glory but at some point, if we are believers, we will see all of God's promises come to pass.
With that said, the fact remains that the best possible path we can walk and story we can live here on earth will be one that is wholly surrendered to God, centered on the gospel, and purposed for His glory.
In Luke 16:10-12, Jesus says to, wrap up a parable, "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own?"
God rewards faithfulness, obedience, and good stewardship in every area of life. It is important to remember, as I have said before, the manifestation and timing of that reward is up to God. He knows your need and he knows the condition of your heart in regard to when you receive the reward or increase.
In 3 John 1:2 the apostle/disciple John states, "I pray that you would prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers." An indication from a respected man of God, who was trusted by God to pen God-breathed words as scripture, that if our soul prospers, then it is more likely that we will be in health and prosper in other areas of life.
I want to be careful because that is exactly the kind of thought process that people use to claim divine health and create doubt of faith or relationship with God in those that don't experience divine healing or financial abundance. As I stated in the first part of this two-part post, even Paul suffered afflictions that never resolved themselves, that God might show himself strong and get the glory. In this life, which starts now and goes on for eternity, the promises of God may take place here on earth or in Glory but at some point, if we are believers, we will see all of God's promises come to pass.
With that said, the fact remains that the best possible path we can walk and story we can live here on earth will be one that is wholly surrendered to God, centered on the gospel, and purposed for His glory.
Here are a few scriptures that speak to prosperity in the word. The parts about prosperity and wealth are often quoted without the rest of the context that speaks of the cost required to have God's favor resting on you.
Deuteronomy 8:18
"But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today".
Now, it is important to realize that this scripture is in the context of a long reminder from the Lord to Israel instructing them not to forget that all of their blessings were because of His provision lest they become conceited. So if he felt it necessary to warn them about pride regarding blessings and prosperity then perhaps we should heed that warning as well. In fact, I think it's worth mentioning that if you start at the beginning of ch.8 and continue through ch. 11 of Deuteronomy, you will see time after time that God is tying in the blessings and prosperity of his people with their faithfulness and obedience to his commands.
Joshua 1:6-8
"Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
Again, a continuing emphasis on knowledge of God's commands and obedience to them in regards to his blessing and his people's success.
Genesis 13:2-3
"I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on the earth will be blessed through you."
Of course, this one is referring to the call of Abraham as the Father of many nations. A call containing a promise of blessings and prosperity in relation to a man who is known for having great faith and radical obedience more often than not by the grace of God. A promise that was not completely fulfilled in Abraham's lifetime. It was not fulfilled completely until Jesus was born through lineage leading back to Abraham. A promise that, before it was fulfilled, saw many detours containing a lack of blessing and prosperity courtesy of disbelief and disobedience on the part of the Israelites.
Psalm 1:1-3
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not whither. Whatever he does prospers.
Delight and meditate in and on the law of the Lord, prosper, bear fruit. Need I say more?
Delight and meditate in and on the law of the Lord, prosper, bear fruit. Need I say more?
2 Corinthians 9:7-8
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
What is your motivation for giving. Are you giving to obey or giving to receive. Give with a willing, obedient heart. Give out of love for God, not obligation to God and he will bless abundantly so that you will have everything you need to accomplish his purpose in your life.
Matthew 6:33
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well.
This of course is in reference to not worrying over your needs being met. If you are putting God and the advance of his kingdom first, he will ensure that you have all your needs met.
Luke 12:16-20
And Jesus told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops. Then he said, This is what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I'll say to myself, You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, YOU FOOL! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself."
Matthew 6:19-21
Jesus also said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
Both of these scriptures call clear question to the topic of exorbitant savings or investments. You might not live tomorrow. Personally I would rather leave a spiritual legacy for my children that says, "nothing that you have belongs to you, so instead of hording it for a rainy day or retirement that may never come, spend it on eternity now because you may not have tomorrow." I want them to clearly understand that God will judge their hearts by what kind of stewards they were of what he gave them.
All of these along with any other scriptures on this topic are stated in light of two ideas. 1.) that the prosperity and blessing of God is contingent upon obedience and a heart that desires God's glory. 2.) that the reason for God's blessing and prosperity is to accomplish his purpose.
That purpose is the spread of the Gospel and the glorifying of His Name. If we do not obey him we will either miss out on the blessing all together or experience trouble because we were poor stewards over that blessing.
Now, on to the next part and really, the primary thought of this two-part post. What is the purpose for God's prosperity? Why does God bless us? Is it so we can have the house we always wanted? Is it so we can have the newest car on lease, or the latest piece of technology? Is it so we can eat out a whole bunch in the name of fellowship? The answer is a resounding NO! This begs the question: Are these things bad in and of themselves? Also, NO! What is bad is that we allow these things to take priority over the purpose for which God put us here. That purpose is to glorify His name through fellowship with Him, by spreading the Gospel to the world, and by taking care of those that are desperately in need of being helped all over the world.
So how do we do that? Well first we have to realize that this purpose is the command from Jesus to every believer/disciple that walks this earth today. There are no exceptions. Then we have to realize that the prosperity talked about all through the bible is not for our own personal gain. It is PROVISION! It is provision for the things that God is calling us to do.
The way that the Great Commission Matthew 28:18-20 plays out in each of our lives is going to look different. Some individual journeys will require more resources than others in order to accomplish the commands that God has set before you.
Provision will come in different forms and quantities depending on the need. If you find yourself with more than you need your first thought should not be, hey now I can buy that thing I've always wanted. It should be God, all my needs are met and I have an abundance. How would you like me to use it to benefit your Kingdom? If your not sure yet and don't have peace about what to do then don't do anything. Wait. You may spend God's provision on something other than what he provided it for.
The way that the Great Commission Matthew 28:18-20 plays out in each of our lives is going to look different. Some individual journeys will require more resources than others in order to accomplish the commands that God has set before you.
Provision will come in different forms and quantities depending on the need. If you find yourself with more than you need your first thought should not be, hey now I can buy that thing I've always wanted. It should be God, all my needs are met and I have an abundance. How would you like me to use it to benefit your Kingdom? If your not sure yet and don't have peace about what to do then don't do anything. Wait. You may spend God's provision on something other than what he provided it for.
I have heard many stories of individual disciples and pastors alike who took this approach to managing God's provision. Many of them had desires that were unnecessary to the furthering of the Kingdom. But, they put God first and sometimes found themselves blessed with the very material thing that their hearts desired. This without having to spend an ounce of the resources provided to them by God. Now, I will grant you that this requires radical trust and obedience in your Heavenly Father but isn't that the point?
Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will supply all of your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." This verse is often quoted by itself as an encouragement to others in need. However, unfortunately, I have not often heard it taught in the entire context of which it applies. You see, Paul is saying this to the church at Philippi because they had been faithful in supporting Paul's needs while he was in prison. And God had been meeting his needs through this church why? Because as he makes clear all through Philippians, he considers nothing of value except furthering the cause of Christ and knowing him more. He has learned to be content in every circumstance trusting that God will provide. So God was faithful to supply Paul's needs through the Church and Paul tells them that because of this all their needs will be met.
So often I have heard people talk about obedience to God, referencing the benefits almost as if they were bait. If you do this, God's gonna bless you. Then they often tell a bunch of stories about all the material blessings they received as motivation for obedience and that is exactly how people receive it. It misses the whole point. I know the bible includes mention of the blessings as well, but the blessings should not be the focal point. Obedience is the focus.
How about this? Obey God because he commanded you to. Obey God because in his infinite goodness he sent his Son to take the punishment for your sins. So you would not have to experience the wrath that God has toward your sins. Obey God out of a heartfelt gratitude for drawing you unto himself and saving you for all eternity. Because of these things, YOU GET TO KNOW GOD! And, YOU GET TO BE KNOWN BY GOD! How about that?! Compared to that, any other benefits, blessings, prosperity are icing on the cake and they pale in comparison.
What's more is that when you come to this realization then your heart longs for His presence. Your heart longs to obey Him. You don't do it because you feel as though you have to. You don't do it because your gonna get some material blessing out of it. You do it out of an overwhelming gratitude to your Savior King. You do because you finally understand what it means to LOVE HIM! You finally desire the Giver over any gift, material or otherwise. You will be willing to die for the cause of making sure that you are doing all you can to share the Gospel with those who have never heard it. You will be eager to set aside personal desires in order to help make sure someone overseas or maybe even in your own town has clothes and food and medical provisions.
James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
How about this? Obey God because he commanded you to. Obey God because in his infinite goodness he sent his Son to take the punishment for your sins. So you would not have to experience the wrath that God has toward your sins. Obey God out of a heartfelt gratitude for drawing you unto himself and saving you for all eternity. Because of these things, YOU GET TO KNOW GOD! And, YOU GET TO BE KNOWN BY GOD! How about that?! Compared to that, any other benefits, blessings, prosperity are icing on the cake and they pale in comparison.
What's more is that when you come to this realization then your heart longs for His presence. Your heart longs to obey Him. You don't do it because you feel as though you have to. You don't do it because your gonna get some material blessing out of it. You do it out of an overwhelming gratitude to your Savior King. You do because you finally understand what it means to LOVE HIM! You finally desire the Giver over any gift, material or otherwise. You will be willing to die for the cause of making sure that you are doing all you can to share the Gospel with those who have never heard it. You will be eager to set aside personal desires in order to help make sure someone overseas or maybe even in your own town has clothes and food and medical provisions.
James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
These are the purposes for provision/prosperity that are nearest and dearest to God's heart. These are the reason that God wants to prosper his people. He loves us enough not to give us everything we want, but everything we need. Let us trust him enough not to pursue God's riches but his presence. Believing that he has our best in mind and will withhold no good thing from us if it is in our soul's best interest to receive it. Let us purpose in our hearts to fully understand God's heart. His heart is that we as his church would long to glorify his name by using their resources to live lives worthy of the Gospel, striving to meet urgent spiritual and physical need around the world.
I pray this will come to pass in your life in increasing measure in the future.
In Jesus name,
Amen
I pray this will come to pass in your life in increasing measure in the future.
In Jesus name,
Amen
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