Only God Can Judge Me!

 Another popular response to challenges of visible unrepentant sin in someone's life or expressions of concern over someone's salvation is this,

 "Only God can judge me!"

This is one of the most frightening statements that I hear people make today.  I have actually seen t-shirts with the statement printed on them.  I have also seen tattooed on people's bodies.  

Here is the reality.  If you wait for God to judge you, you have waited to long.  

The bible says that the day will come when God will judge the living and the dead(1Peter 4:5, 2 Timothy 4:1).  Hebrews 9:27 says, "it is appointed to man once to die, after that the judgement."   In Matthew 10:28 Jesus states, "and do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

Well, in relation to that last scripture you might ask, if I will be destroyed, what difference does it make?  I won't suffer once I am gone.  On the contrary, Titus 1:8-9 says this, "in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.  They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might".

Certainly, we are not to judge hypocritically according to Matthew 7.  This means that I should not look down upon sin in the life of someone else if I myself am regularly committing that same sin without a repentant heart.  If one has a repentant heart regarding a certain sin, they will not blatantly continue in it.  If they do, with no regard for it's offense against God's holiness, that is evidence that they likely do not have a heart surrendered to Jesus.  If this is true and they die in that state, they will most certainly face eternal destruction.

Make no mistake.  You will face judgement.  We all will.  The only defense we will have is the blood bought atonement that is ours if Jesus was Lord of our lives.  If this has been the case, your name is in the book of life and you are eternally safe.  If not, you are eternally damned(Revelation 20:11-15).

Wouldn't you rather that someone in this life challenged you and held you accountable, and possibly created this concern now, rather than later.  It may be that you have not understood with your heart as your mind thought you did.(2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

I plead with you not to harden your heart to anyone who brings concerns about sin in your life.  Humbly and gratefully receive their thoughts and bring them before the Lord in prayer.  Don't reject them without at least asking the Lord to reveal to you any way in which you may be blind to this sin.  Ask him to open your heart and enable change in a given area if you become aware that sin exists there.

Pride can certainly cause an initial negative response in your flesh to the challenge.  However, if you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit will soften your heart and lead you to repentance.  Repentance leads to holiness which is what God is calling us to as believers.  There is no greater goal than Christ-likeness.

Rather than righteous judgement that leads to eternal destruction, the fruit of repentance is ultimately an eternity spent in the presence of Almighty God, Maker of Heaven and Earth, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Love in Christ,

Josh

WHO ARE YOU TO QUESTION MY SALVATION?!

Now here is a question that many ask, if not out loud, then certainly in their head.  Most of the time with an air of offense.  I know this because it has been confessed later.  That question being, "Who are you to question my salvation?"

Well, the bible actually encourages us to do this. Since I presented that challenge in the previous post I thought I had better back it up.  The Apostle Paul, who wrote the better part of the New Testament wrote these words in 2 Corinthians 13:5.  "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.  
test yourselves.  Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?  Unless you fail to meet the test."

This scripture is written in context as part of a thought process that has involved concerns expressed about unrepentant sin(1 Corinthians 13:20-21).

If you have not turned from your sin and surrendered your heart to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, then you have reason to be concerned.  If there is very little to no evidence of the fruit of obedience to the commands of scripture in your life you had better hope that someone questions it.  Worse yet, if you don't possess a truly heart-felt desire to repent and pursue holiness before God then there is a problem.

You don't want to find out when it is too late.  There is no chance of repentance once you are in hell.

Stay with me as we discuss further attitudes surrounding a lack of repentance.  Also, we will discuss what it means to be a believer and follower of the one true and living God; a believer who is truly living a life of repentance and obedience that is indicative of change.  A change that works itself from the inside out, not the outside in.  It IS a heart issue, NOT simply a behavioral issue.  There is no greater truth to get right in this life than a proper understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

If you are wondering how these things apply to your heart and the way you live out your life as a disciple of Jesus Christ, we will get there.  Application is important but we need to get the basics first.

Love in Christ,

Josh

Are YOU a believer?

Are YOU a believer?  You might say, "Well yes, of course I am."  Are you sure.  Consider this.

In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus says these words to the crowd he is speaking to.  "Not everyone who says to me  Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?  And then will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me you workers of lawlessness."


Some of the people Jesus is speaking to are religious people.  Maybe even religious leaders.  They believe they are right with God because of their works.  Because they said the right words and practiced the right rituals.  However, Jesus suggests in the previous verses that the path is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction and those who enter it are many(Matthew 7:13-14).  He suggests that some of those "many will be people who thought that they were going to heaven only to find that their actions were worthless because they were not motivated by love for God, but love for their own goodness.  They were self-righteous acts.

You might even ask what right I have to ask such a question and risk causing someone to doubt.
In time, we will discuss that, as well as what truly makes you right before God and how you can be assured of  your salvation.

There are many who are unsure of their spiritual state before God and there are many who are dreadfully self-deceived about their Christianity.  My goal is not to create unnecessary doubt.  However, if there is any question in your spirit as to your standing before God at this time, I would suggest that you pray a lot about it and dig in the word to see what it says.  Follow along as I flesh out various responses to this question and provide tools to help us better understand the wonderful Gospel that saves us, sanctifies us, and assures us that we are in right standing before God.

Even if you think you are fine, isn't it worth a little contemplation to examine the status of your heart in relation to what the word teaches.

This is not a question you can afford to get wrong.

More tomorrow.

Love,

Josh

Change is in the air!

Hello Blog Family!

I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support and prayers as I have been exploring the blog-o-sphere and experimenting for the glory of God.  Many have been blessed by what I have done, have given me positive feedback, and have sometimes thanked me personally.  Others, while only intending to provide constructive criticism, have made suggestions that it could be shorter and more succinct. I would like to emphasize that any criticism has been welcomed and, in fact, requested.

I have been striving to heed these thoughts by splitting posts into two or three parts.  Some have enjoyed that.  Though, I admit I have had concerns that they are still to long for what most are looking for in a blog.  I recently received requested feedback from a fellow ministry style blogger with more experience writing than myself that has prompted further consideration.  It was constructive and useful.

Because I know the Lord continues to do a work in me and I want to be mold-able clay for the Potters use, you will notice changes coming soon.  Changes that I hope will be for the better regarding peoples interest in reading and willingness to share the posts that they receive either by Facebook or email.  I have very limited reach as one person, even on a platform such as Blogger and with the use of Facebook.  If I truly want to reach the world for Christ and the glory of the Father's name virtually, then I need people to share my stuff.  I want people to share my stuff.  Because my stuff, as it were, is Gospel driven and prayerfully, will lead others to beginning a relationship with Jesus, if not moving deeper in their already established relationship with Jesus.  I do not want to be seeker-sensitive in content, but if simplifying or at least shortening the amount of material per post will make it more readable, and thus more desirable, then so be it.

So here is what you will notice.  More posting.  I am going to begin striving for a daily post.  It may not be daily every week however, Lord willing, you will notice multiple posts per week.  Because of this it will definitely be shorter, more often than not.  What you will probably often find however, is a continuity of the message of the post.  A stream of thought over a period of days as pastors do in sermon series.  So if you or others are shocked or offended by a particular post.  Maybe you even feel like you are tired of hearing about a particular concept.  Hang with me.  As you have seen I am determined to complete a thought and back it up with scripture. I also want to be well rounded in subject matter.  It will simply happen over a longer period of time.  You may even find you have more time to think about what is being said since it will come sprint style vs. marathon style.  I admit I have some thoughts that I would prefer to put into one solid post for continuity's sake so you will still probably see a lengthier post on occasion.  I am not sure how often yet.  Hopefully, you will enjoy the sprints enough to endure the marathon's  :-)  I am sure that they will not all be linked in subject matter, but many probably will.

So, daily posts.  Less material per post.  Less time consuming.  More easily read.  Maybe even a change in design, at some point, as I contemplate a change of address or platform.  Blogger has been great but, their are other blog sites that are still free or involve an inexpensive initial investment that will allow for more creativity on the blog page as well as in the content of the post.  Please pray for me as I explore, think through, and pray myself, about this process. 

I am excited about these challenges of thought and creativity.  I know some enjoy things just the way they are however, if I can reach more hearts with the Gospel by adjusting then I welcome the change.  The daily posts will begin very soon.  As always, go to the word.  Look at the scripture references that I give and look up more info on the topic. Don't agree or disagree with the posts without having investigated why you feel that way.  My goal if for you to grow in the Lord and studying God's word is the only way for that to happen.  I am happy to discuss these topics further privately with anyone who is interested.  Nothing is more important to me in regards to this blog than that God be glorified in and through your life.  Please feel free to provide feedback via FB or email.  Many of you see these posts via FB anyway and can simply reply to the post.  Also, my email is at the top of the True To The Word blog page.

Looking forward to this new adventure. May the glory and renown of God's Great Name be reflected in my work and in your hearts as a result.  Stay tuned.  You will not regret it.

Blessings,

Josh

Tongues on Fire

I realize that this will be hitting Facebook and the emails of those subscribing on Independence Day and that someone might actually take the time to read this on Independence day.  So before I get started, out of respect for the holiday, and appreciation for all those who gave their lives or are currently serving to provide and protect my freedom of speech on this blog as well as all other freedoms, let me say,

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

Now with that said, let's get started.  :-)

Since, as referenced in the previous blog post Vertical or Horizontal Repentance, one of the primary sinful acts that gets apologized for around me is profanity and gratefully that is one that, by God's grace, I do not struggle with as a rule, I want to provide a few thoughts and scriptural evidences regarding why WE as Christians ought to be considerably more concerned than many seem to be about the state of their tongue. 

Now, many have addressed the tongue in regards to speaking positively or not criticizing in a nonconstructive manner and certainly these things are important.  We need to represent the love of Christ in all that we say and do.  Unfortunately, I sometimes hear people who do these other two pretty well while telling dirty jokes or using profanity still seems to be a relatively nonchalant practice for them.  This may seem nit picky to some but the fact is, from a scriptural perspective, there is no wiggle room for casual cursing or casual telling of dirty jokes.  It is absolutely not glorifying to God.

I will grant you that loosing your temper or a sudden significant pain may not be your best moment.  That scenario gets my goat at times as well.  Though not often because, I practice not allowing profanity to be a part of my vocabulary.  What concerns me is casual and seemingly unrepentant use of profanity or coarse joking.

I see this not only from the general public of professing Christians but sometimes even from people of influence in ministry related roles or minsters themselves.  I have heard testimony from others of actually observing pastors doing or saying things outside of church that make them virtually indistinguishable from the world.  This same kind of behavior has been recognized at church functions and in staff meetings as well.  Now mind you, I have grown up in and have been around ministry all my life so these examples are not from any one place.  Regardless, this kind of behavior is outrageous.  No one should act this way but, there is an even higher level of accountability for those in ministry.  I would strongly warn anyone in such positions to guard themselves carefully and those whom work under them.  "No body is perfect" is not an excuse for any of us.  It must be clear that we are striving for perfection and we must make apology and clear effort toward repentance when we fail. We must hold each other accountable and be willing to be held accountable ourselves.

With that said, what scriptures speak to this?  The number one verse that speaks to this sinful behavior is Ephesians 5:4.  I am going to put it into the context of Eph. 5:1-5, "be imitators of God therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, jut as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity of, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people.  Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.  For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God."
I placed this in context so that we can get the whole picture that obscenity, foolish talk, or coarse joking are ranked right in with sexual immorality, impurity, or greed.  It states that anyone who is practicing this behavior in an unrepentant (unwilling to change) manner will not go to heaven.  That's an eternally big deal.

James 1:26 says, "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless."  In James 3:6 he says, "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell."

I could list scripture after scripture regarding this and I would encourage you to read up on this.  Instead,  I will reference briefly two other commands for holy living.  God  said, Be holy even as I am holy(Leviticus 20:26).  The Apostle Peter thought that same scripture worthy of quoting in 1 Peter 1:16.  The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, challenges the Church to "live a life worthy of the Gospel" (Philippians 1:20)

This can be done.  Let me encourage us all that 1 Corinthians 10:13 states this: "No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." 

God will enable you.  The question is how.  Well, if you are a believer, Jesus said that he would send us a helper in the person of the Holy Spirit(John 14:15-17)  However, how does the Holy Spirit help us?  Certainly, he brings conviction in the way of a lack of peace.  He can be much more effective though if we give Him something to work with.  For example, Psalm 119:9-11 says this, "How can a young man keep his way pure?  By guarding it according to your word.  With my whole heart I seek you, let me not wander from your commandments!  I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."  Scripture planted into our hearts and minds through memorization is then available for the Holy Spirit to utilize as a means of teaching and correction.

As a side note, if you think you cannot memorize scripture let me posit this for you.  First,  I'll bet that if I promised you a thousand dollars for every verse you memorized you would figure out how to get it done. Psalm 19:7-11 makes it clear that the statutes, commands, law, and fear of the Lord are more precious than gold, sweeter than honey, and that in keeping them is great reward.  Second, God will not give you a command that he will not enable you to follow.  2 Peter 1:3 states, "His divine Power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."  As believers, we can obey God.

The Apostle Paul provides another insight into success over sin.  Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally brothers, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is just, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." 
You see, if you are only allowing these types of things, all of which are glorifying to God, to be what your brain and soul feeds and meditates on, then that will impact what comes out of your heart and mouth. What comes out of our mouths is generally associated with our hearts.(Luke 6:45, Matt. 15:10-11, Matt 12:36-37)  As Christians we should want what comes out of our mouths and what is meditated on by our hearts to be pleasing to God.(Psalm 19:14)

While we are required to make much effort in living holy lives, we are not expected to do it on our own.  Philippians 2:12-13 is one of my favorite verses.  It states, "continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to work according to his good purpose."  

We must work hard to properly represent the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives.  I cannot put it any better than the Apostle Paul does in Romans 12:1-2 in which he states, "Therefore , I urge you brother in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God for this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any long to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will." 

I am striving every day to live this out.  I do not want to misrepresent the God who gave everything for me so that I could have eternal life with him.  I don't want to spit in his face by daring to think that I have the right to say or do whatever feels good.  We must strive to represent the perfection and holiness that God the Father and Jesus Christ his Son commanded us to.  We will stumble, but we MUST repent vertically for God's benefit and horizontally for the benefit of those listening.  We must never become complacent or apathetic about sin in our life.  We must tremble in reverent fear of a Holy God.

Therefore, guard your heart, your eyes and your tongue.  Never take for granted what Christ did for us on that tree.  LIVE A LIFE WORTHY OF THE GOSPEL!

In Jesus name,

Josh

Horizontal or Vertical Repentance, which do you practice?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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