Tag Archives: gospel

What God Promises Comes to Pass.

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English: Woodcut of the Augsburg Confession, A...

English: Woodcut of the Augsburg Confession, Article VII, “Of the Church”. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What God has promised to do will be done.  Though man counts time in days and years, God’s promise to transform His people cannot be broken.  We look at our lives and worry attends our thoughts.  We have come to believe that we have stepped over the line and now stand counted as an enemy of God.  How can that be so?

Look back.  How easy was it to believe when you first heard the Gospel?  What has changed over the years?  You heard the call to righteousness and holiness.  You allowed yourself to believe the message that those who live in sin can’t expect eternal life.  Your soul shook with fear and your responded with confession.  Remember how you felt that first touch of freedom from a guilty conscience when you embraced the promise of God to forgive?

We all know what has changed.  In our struggle against sin we have fallen to temptation.  At first it was a mistake to allow ourselves to be fooled into death.  But when we turned to God for help, didn’t help arrive?  He no more desires us to die now than He did when we first believed.  As long as you are in this bag of flesh hope remains.  What has changed is a gradual dulling of our hope, which is a direct result of a learned disobedience.

How do we reclaim that vibrant hope?  Refocus your efforts to believe.  It’s not something we can actually manipulate with our hands.  We simply give up our own struggle, confess our lack, and wait for His response.  The struggle will resume soon enough.  And you will be tested again.  But the renewal of our time of confession, and subsequent receiving of hope, will give us a strength we did not have at the start of our journey.  We will have proven to ourselves, once again, that God’s promise is stronger than our failings.

I do not say these things as a novice.  Over 25 years God has proven His ability to save me.  Though you have no need to trust the word of a man, the testimony I give here comes from a myriad of testings regarding this hope we share.  I testify, as do all who remain hopeful, that God is able and WILLING to cause us to live.  If you give up it is because you choose to stop believing.  Simply make the choice to believe again.  It’s really that easy, my friends.  You need not wallow in pig slop any longer.

Stupid Intelligence

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Stupid signs

Stupid signs (Photo credit: pkevinconnell)

I cannot understand us.  How do I put this?  I guess I’ll start with what we all know.

Men love selfishness.  And I guess that’s natural.  I’ve often said that we are born defensive.  After all, we can’t get outside our vulnerable skin.  So we are on the defensive from the moment we notice we have fingers.  Ok, I got that.

Now I know that this selfishness lends itself to rebellion against manipulation of any kind.  Even if we try to help another man understand his responsibility to others, it’s like pulling teeth without pain-killer.  Isn’t that what we face raising teens?

And what if a teen has not learned responsibility when it was due to learn?  He becomes an adult full of selfish and childish attitudes about life.  In this way, we see rebellious adults all over the place.  So we know about rebellion first hand.  Yea?  I think we can all nod about that.

Now we don’t really know a whole lot about pure good and perfect responsible behavior.  We all take stabs at it as best we can.  But we all know we fall short of purity in one way or another.  Again, I think we can all nod to that.

Here is what I don’t get:

Perfect isn’t a word that lends itself to interpretation.  Perfect is perfect.  That also means perfect is eternal by nature.  So why do we find men trying to water down the word “perfect”?  Why don’t we find them, instead, admitting that they are far less than perfect?

I am astounded that certain men, who know better, believe and teach something other than the whole Gospel.  Some how they have been duped into something far less than the perfect message of the Gospel.  And they seem to think that it’s ok to just kind of tear away at the concept of perfect.  I’m sorry.  I’m just amazed at us!  In the end we have to say this (as it was said by that wonderfully deficient character), “Stupid is what Stupid does.”

Tough Stuff Requires Tough Response

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Sayer fight

Sayer fight (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We live in a very controlled space.  Vacuum above, rocks below, winds, storms, great cold and heat, all assault our experience here.  Then there’s bugs of various sorts, some can cause harm, others are simply a bother.  Animals abound; some to eat, some to treat, some to abhor, and some would love to eat us.

Then we have the humans themselves.  To make a friend is a milestone in our experience.  To keep a friend is a milestone in itself.  But we can be sure we will be assailed by humanity, along with all the other plagues we encounter here.

Added to this boxing match, arrives political, social, economic troubles, personal thoughts and attitudes that need adjusting every day all day long.  We all know about these things.  But what has arrived among us is something a bit out of the ordinary.

It was that sins were a bit isolated among men.  One city would embrace a certain sin.  But you could always walk or ride to another place to escape their folly.  But with the advent of communications and faster, more reliable, transportation, the isolation of the sins of man have encountered a boundless habitat.  Now I challenge anyone to point to a place on earth where we can set up a roof and live a life absent of the refinement of wickedness we have come to teach each other.

How I desire to be removed from the complicated garbage that man advertises as prime today.  The body has replaced the concentration on holiness of spirit.  Medical commercials, ways to play, and financial “get well quick” schemes abound.  It is getting to where we are more aware of the things of this world than of eternity where God lives; forever past and forever future.  The temporary has become man’s god en masse.

This is not the end to escalation for sins.  There is a place where man is allowed to abandon all trace of conscience.  If it is hard to live in purity today, what will happen in that day?  Gone will be any hint of a peaceful little town where you can leave your doors unlocked.  Gone will be the day when owning some kind of lethal tool to protect what you call yours is an option.

Most people I know simply don’t want to talk about what they see happening anymore.  And if you bring them the Gospel, you find them backing up.  They no longer see the Gospel as a message of hope.  They only perceive another demand.  And they are absolutely inundated with demands.

What a curious ruse has been set upon man.  He is in a position of defence, from waking to waking again.  Peace is no longer an option.  And this isn’t even the height of horror that is bound to come.  Slowly, man is being squeezed into a stark choice; Fight or die cowering.  The evil one has man just about where he wants them to be.  And the end of things can’t be far behind that point.

All this said, it is important to encourage one another to fight the good fight with even more strength.  Even the best of us today is plagued with a monstrous onslaught of sin.  Hold each other up.  Look for signs of tiring.  Strengthen trust between your brothers and sisters.  The silver lining surrounding all this is the grace of God in Christ Jesus for all who are struggling to obey.

I posted this to say that I see it clearly enough (the struggle you face every day).  Oddly, this is a post of encouragement.  May God bless this message to all His people.

By His Grace.

Just Thoughts

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The Thinking Man sculpture at Musée Rodin in Paris

The Thinking Man sculpture at Musée Rodin in Paris (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As might be guessed, by the volume of words here concerning the Gospel, I’m not really Mr. Popular.  And I’ve been doing some thinking about that.  Someone recently told me that they were sure there would come a time in my life when I would abandon this blog.  It gave me something to think about.  I’m not sure what the thinking was behind that remark.  And I have no desire to cast stones.  But it bears thinking about, doesn’t it.

I’m set with a certain set of thoughts about this.

1. At least I try to communicate the Gospel to the general public without fear.

2. There will come a moment when earth is behind me and the things of God will open up before me, and that forever.

3. What is it to me if I’m not popular in this life?

Those are items of thought that ran through my mind.  I have no idea what percentage of Christians feel bold enough to speak to the general public.  And I guess I’m not anywhere near the “norm”.  I was born a loner.  Most folks aren’t.  I was an outcast since I was in 1st grade.  That’s where most people begin to make life long friends.

So it’s no boast to me that I type away like this.  I was cut out to do this since I was a lil kid.  And I know that if you have a lot of friends in this world, most people don’t really want to lose them.  I got that.  But when we see the Lord face to face, I wonder if many will wish they had been more bold for His name’s sake.

You Go, Chick-fil-A!

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Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Long before the first micro shaft of darkness splintered from brilliant light, God had set down His laws.  Before the first Angel was created God’s laws were.  Long after the last micro shaft of darkness is ripped from brilliant light, God’s laws will remain.

I write this because I saw a headline about Chick-fil-a this morning.  It seems men and women intend to enter those restaurants and make a mockery of God’s law in full public view.  I have written a volume of warnings, encouragements, and stories to explain the Gospel.  But I realize that none of it will have any effect on such people.  They don’t recognize the Holy Authority of God’s words.  Why, then, should I expect any of mine will bother them in a positive manner?

Endure well, you righteous of God.  Hold your head up as you see the wickedness of man increase.  Lot was in a similar condition in his day.  And all the holy prophets saw utter wickedness abound all around them.  These men also heard God’s proclamation that His law will break through this wickedness.  And that promise was kept in their heart even unto death.

For now wicked men contrive all manner of wicked things to do with their day and night.  And they will act this way untill God sends His Son Jesus to put a stop to it all.  Men think this way of life will go on forever.  They act as if there is no place of division between what is wicked and what is righteous.

 

Still Born Faith?

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Trial of Jesus Christ

Trial of Jesus Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some love the Lord, and continue like that till death.  At the simple and first hearing of the Gospel, these submit themselves to the leadership of God and godly men.  They understand clearly that they are being called to become godly in all they do. 

Some hate the Lord, and continue like that till death, regardless how the Gospel is presented.  Their love for wicked behavior, and a certain pride of freedom from restraint is too much for them to let go and obey. 

Some think they love the Lord.  Yet continue till death dabbling in sin and rebellion.  They never grasp the purpose of the Gospel.  And they certainly don’t ask too many questions in that regard.  They think they are acceptable just as they are.  And make no attempt to rectify their situation, regardless the strength of God’s motivating call.

It is not hard to see when we love the Lord.  We are self-witnesses to the willing obedience within us.  It is not difficult to take note when we hate the Lord.  There are millions of instances where we can clearly see we do not bring Him honor. 

But the lie we speak (in both word and deed) when we say we love Him yet traffic in sin and rebellion is far more tricky to detect for the one who lives like that.  Not to mention that “mainstream” sugar water gospel teaches that the Lord loves us regardless what we do. 

They fall for a trap that was laid long before they were born.  There are billions of such people waiting for judgment even now.  And their number will only increase as the end of things draws near.  The Lord is not fooled by numbers of men who conspire to live a lie. 

The hideous nature of this way of life is that such people have switched off the natural fear of God within them.  It is as if you set your alarm to get up in the morning, only to continually hit snooze, or even shut the thing off, and go back to sleep.  You teach yourself to approach your responsibilities with very little care.  What these people will miss, however, is far more than a paycheck.  Teenagers are naturally irresponsible like this and must be taught to respect the expectations of life.  Adults are expected to overcome such behavior.  This is the function of the Grace God extends to us all.

The Grace of God can be misunderstood easily by the one who does not think it through.  For a time the Lord will overlook a stumbling nature within the Christian.  During this transition period, between sinner and believer, trust is the more important item on His agenda.  But there is certainly an end to such treatment.  There is a place where willing obedience is expected and commanded.  It is wise to consider the goal of the sacrifice of Christ Jesus on our behalf.  And to do this considering we could bring up any variety of tasks man might attempt.

To get from point A to point B there is supposed to be an attaining; that moment when we arrive at point B.  There are moments in between the two that we use to gauge our progress.  But the goal is the entire reason for each endeavor.

Now there are many things a man might do where actually reaching the goal isn’t really all that important, eternally speaking.  We might try to quit smoking, for instance.  But it isn’t an eternal struggle if we fail.  It simply limits our life span here in the body.  Or it causes us embarrassment or sickness.  A man might want to save $100,000.00 before he retires.  But it isn’t a matter of salvation if he falls short.  He simply finds himself unable to fend for himself during his last few years on this earth. Perhaps we want to lose weight.  But just can’t seem to “get-er-done”.  No worry, eternally, it isn’t the body the Lord is overly concerned with. 

But we can’t take that same approach to our response to the Gospel and expect a warm reception when we see Him face to face.  The Gospel deals with spiritual matters while we live in this fleshly tent.  What we do here, regarding godliness, has a direct response from God when we leave this “place of testing”.

Many have read or heard the saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”  And shouldn’t we all desire to hear the Lord say that to us?  But how can that be said if we’re not a faithful and good servant?  Surely we don’t think the Lord will lie to us in that moment.  No, He will speak what is true according to what we have done.  That is, how we have responded to the message of the Gospel.

No one answers to me for anything.  But it is wise (in fact essential) to ask the question: “What makes us  think we deserve to be received with those words if we act as if there is no requirement for holiness in the Gospel of Christ?”  I know this is a harsh question.  But if we don’t answer it truthfully what will become of us when we meet Him face to face?

Some will read this post thinking I am pointing my finger at them.  What can I do to change that?  It is a harsh truth we do not hear all that much about.  When was the last time someone spoke these things to you after a worship session?  When was the last time you spoke these things, in love, to another?  Do we have a right to ignore the subject simply because it is considered too harsh?

We all know these things in our heart and mind.  For the Lord has said that there is absolutely no excuse among men in regard ignorance of purity.  So I feel pretty sure of myself to speak about it.  Yet we seem to accept folly among us without qualm.  And we call it the Grace of God. 

The Grace of God is more a spot light on a highway than an endowment regardless our obedience.  He extends it to us while we come to our senses.  But as we learn to do what is right and pure we find the shadow of His Grace leaving the former things we did and following us like a focused spot light as we encounter the next teaching.   

Consider Grace to be like the spot light of a helicopter when it lights up the criminal at night.  If the man submits and waits for the coming correction he has a chance of redemption.  God is the Living God.  He is not the God of our past evil ways.  He is the One who calls us forward into obedience.  The man who continues to drift back will find himself living outside the bathing light of God’s Grace.  And he will subject himself to a rather harsh “take down” in the end.

The following must conclude this post:

I have actually heard some say that the Ten Commandments don’t apply to Christianity.  Who are they trying to kid when they say such things?  Those articles of God are the very goal of our salvation.  And we are fully expected to reach hard to accomplish them within us.  How we “reach hard”, however, is the very key to understanding and accomplishment.  “It’s all attitude buddness!”  Do we really love the Lord or don’t we.

I started this post by speaking of how some love the Lord.  And this was no willy-nilly shot in the dark.  The love for Jesus is the very point where we find it easy (or impossible) to break from the things He has hated from eternity past, and will hate for eternity to come.  We don’t obey the Ten Commandments in the same way we might obey the speed limit (we do it so we don’t get punished by a ticket and fine). 

To approach obedience to laws, simply out of fear, will never transform the heart of anyone.  But to learn to love them because they are the “house rules” of the One we intend to live with forever becomes an entirely different motivator.  In our society rules of obedient citizens are broken all day long (as long as we don’t get caught).  But there is a place where secret disobedience will not be tolerated.  In fact, it will not exist.  And since there will be no death, the inhabitants will not disobey.  (Ponderous thought, aint it?)  That place waits for those who learn to listen and obey here.

I know it’s a hard thing to ask each other to chase after holiness.  Someone may say to me, “Who are you to call my relationship with God into question?”  I will answer, “I am just like you.  I too am subject to the rule of God upon me.  And we are challenged to fearlessly proclaim the entire Gospel to each other.”  It’s not judging folks.  It is an encouragement toward eternal life!  As opposed to a temptation to eternal death we witness today.

If a transformation to godly living wasn’t the entire reason for life on this planet it wouldn’t be as hard as it is.  But this place I’ve often called a “place of testing” is just that.  Life here tests the heart of every man, woman and child.  The bottom line question hovering over our heads could be phrased like this:  “We will subject them to temptation, hardship, and even death.  All the while I will remain hidden from their senses.  We will see if they will humble themselves to take good counsel from others, and  learn to willingly love Me in spite of it all.”  You will not find that quote in the Bible.  So there’s no need to ask for chapter and verse.  But isn’t that the entire subjective experience we all share as we live out our lives?

Get it right folks.  The time to “work” is shorter than you know.  Submit yourselves to the rule of the Lord Jesus or face the consequences of rebellion.  We are all warned by the Holy Spirit, the Bible, nature, and example.  There will be absolutely, unequivocally, and eternally, no excuse. 

Prolog:

What those who obey are to become has not been revealed to man.  But we can easily testify to what will happen to those who do not.  Love does not accuse, divide, hate, or willingly destroy.  To whatever extent we gain a friendship with God we learn to love as He loves.  To whatever extent we lack that friendship, we lack true love.

 And do not mistake this:  A love that is untested is no love at all.  You may create a life for yourself in which you are sheltered from the things that might provoke a sinful response within you.  But that doesn’t mean you have conquered that sin. 

Who can provide themselves such opportunity to be tested in this way?  No one can prescribe a testing better or more complete than the Lord of Life.  Ask and you will receive so that your love will become strong and true.  Only the cowards will refrain from asking such things from the Lord.  It is only the strong who are willing to allow the Lord to tear their heart of stone out of their chest and replace it with a heart of flesh.