Tag Archives: Salvation

What is the Power of The Gospel of Jesus?

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Power Lines

Power Lines (Photo credit: shaundon)

What is the power of the Gospel of Jesus?  How does it manifest itself among men?  What is its target?  And how do we know we have entered into the envelope of salvation?

The power of the Gospel is that The Sacrifice necessary to gain The Holy Father’s smile has been paid.  We are now free to live our own interpretation of the “Good Live”.  We who believe have gained a confidence to live that others cannot own.  Not only eternity is promised, but guidance and protection is extended from the only One who can give it without reservation.  So the power of the Gospel of Jesus is a powerful peace, confidence, freedom, and hope that cannot be taken away by anything.  It is God who gives it.  Who can strike His Kingdom and rip away what we have?

The manifestation of this Gospel among men is a violent love.  It does not care what others think about what we do.  Those who love as God loves are not bound by the laws of men.  Social norms of men are but a shadow of a tree in the darkness of night, while the norms of God’s rule are like blazing explosions of good in the streets of the city of blind wickedness.

God’s good works among His people cannot be hidden.  But they are never announced with pride.  The Gospel does not announce itself to men, as if to say, “I am about to do a good thing.”  The good work begins and comes to completion; power displayed and unrestrainable.  Do the clouds announce that the sun is about to rise?  Doesn’t the sun simply come up every morning?  While men will praise their light bulbs, they also complain that the sun is too hot, that there are too many clouds, or that it came up too early.  But the Gospel moves forward despite the desires of men.

This is the target of the Gospel:  That God should receive all praise for what has been established.  Men will contrive many means to manipulate what He has ordained should be.  They will build houses to shield themselves from the elements.  Men curse the night.  They curse the day.  They curse the cold and heat.  But the elements are established by God.  And it is praise that is due what He has caused to be.  Many other elements of life here in this place of testing are cursed by man.  But it is those who trust Him completely that find release from this cursing. They learn to accept what comes upon them without murmur.  This is the target of the Gospel of Jesus: that His people should learn to live with God as their leader, no longer listening to their complaining desires.

This is how we know we have entered into the envelope of salvation; that we no longer perceive our life as a victim.  Through belief in the message of hope we are transformed from hopeless men to partakers in God’s lovely scheme of transformation.  We endure without complaint.  And when we find our hearts complaining we also hear a restraining voice within, compelling us to reconsider our attitude.

Violent love attacks all sin in the heart of the believer of the Gospel.  As if someone were to step in front of our folly and push it back, while pulling us forward to trust at the same time.  Refinement of thought toward what is good grows.  Restraining of stupidity holds us back from the things that lead to death.  And, in the end, the believer of the Gospel of Christ grows from a walking dead fool to a semblance of a righteous man.  We know we are His as we witness this occur in our very bones.  It does not announce its presence.  And there is no written word that appears on our forehead, marking us as those who are being transformed.  Yet the transformation will be obvious; first to the believer, then to all who know who we were.

Do Not Let Me Resort to Fear

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In life here there are lies.  There is death, hunger, despair, hatred, false religion, false gods, hopelessness, twisted men who present themselves as if they are “good”.  And the list I could make of what is here would go on for many pages.  Who would read what they can touch with their own fingers?

Yet in this life there is a place of understanding that strips off all that filthy list.  There is a place where a man can know truth and live it.  I know that place!  I know that many will see me type those words and balk, “No man knows truth.”  I tell you I know Him!  And, more importantly, He knows me.

You want freedom from all that detestable list?  Do you want FREEDOM to LIVE?  Pry it from my heart.  Help me testify to what He is.  Ask me.  Press me.  Help me put into words what only the soul can understand with any clarity.

We have lips, graphics, gestures, and body language to communicate.  That’s the limit of our ability.  So how can I hope to tell you what is spoken in a place where these things are NOT the limit?  Take it from me.  Ask until you understand.

God has given the Gospel to men so that men can speak to one another.  It is a humble heart who will lower themselves enough to ask another man.  It is the proud who will restrain their questions before men.  The proud will think that no man can know the truth.  The humble will avail themselves to any possible source of life.  They will seek with all their might.  And if the testimony I give you falters, the meek will understand that I am like them.

We struggle to share what cannot be perceived.  But that inability to perceive it through our senses does not mean it is a lie.  Salvation in Jesus is absolutely real and transforming.  Consider this:  We are in the place of testing.  We are the ones who, for now, can’t see what eternity has seen all along.  We are the ones blind to His presence.  He is not blind to us.

Ask and I will tell you what He has told me.  And I am not the only one.  There are thousands of me.  Ask them.  Press them.  You know who they are.  Make them tell you.  And do not let them resort to fear.

Government Molevolent

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English: Poverty Русский: Нищенство

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A government unchained from the will of the people becomes a government malevolent.  Debate is now swarming around this concept.  In the end we will see a people crushed while the “elite” dine in joy.

Beware.  It approaches even as you breathe.

Do any realize that this statement reflects the end result of satan’s rebellion against God?  Do any understand that this is why God created what we now live?

We are the answer from God to an accusation from the corrupt one.  Jesus was prepared and issued from God’s throne to answer, once and for all, a certain question.  “You ask too much of us.  Who can bear what You command?”

God answered when He spoke creation into being.  From the foundation of the world Christ Jesus was set apart to redeem a people to His Father who would obey regardless the cost.  No one has to understand what Jesus has done to make these things true.  Yet His promise is absolute to all who put their trust in Him.

The Letter.

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The First Letter

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There is something I feel compelled to address.  I confess that, though I understand the subject, I’m at a complete loss as to how to begin or where to take the reader.  So I will call upon the Holy Name of the Lord Jesus to speak through me in this matter.

 

I came across a letter I had written in my days of abject sin.  As I read it I realized that this was from my hand.  Embarrassment, humiliation, and fear gripped me as I read the words.  In my mind I considered the blessing that through Jesus’ sacrifice the Father would not read this letter to my face.  The letter would have angered me if I had thought it came from another man.  But it was me.

 

Fear swarms like hornets around the heart of a man who comes to an understanding of his own unholy folly.  And while there is comfort in the forgiveness of Christ Jesus, there is still that morbid consideration plaguing the heart in regard to “what if”.  What if I had not known the Gospel?  I would have stood before the Holy Lord of Life and given account of myself naked of defence.

 

I appeal to all who read this to consider what you have done in your life with a sober judgment.  Without the Grace of God in Jesus, you will stand alone against the One who has never broken His Holy ways.  If you are a Christian, consider how precious the Lord’s gift of forgiveness is, that He has promised that those who put their trust in Him will never be brought to shame.  If you are not a Christian, please consider that every idle word you have ever spoken will be brought up before your face.  You will most certainly give account of yourself to a pure and all powerful God.

 

The details of the letter pale against the over riding message of the coming judgment.  That letter is only one of thousands, perhaps millions, of things I would have stood judgment over.  What hope is there outside of the salvation of Jesus?  NONE!

 

By His Grace.

 

One Thing Never Sleeps.

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Alternative version of image:Wooden hourglass ...

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Leaves fall from trees, and they appear to sleep for a season.  Roll a ball and there is a place where it stops rolling.  Fill up your gas tank and it will eventually run dry.  A baby is born, one day becomes an old person then dies.  We sit down to a meal at a certain time.  And there also comes a time when the meal is done.

Everything in this world has a beginning and an end.  Well, this is true of almost everything.  There is something that never stops or takes a break.  Fill up an hour-glass with sand.  And turn the full portion to the top.  Watch the grains of sand drop.  And marvel at their exact rate.  Then consider that even if the hour-glass runs out time does not stop.  Wind up a watch and the spring will unwind.  But time doesn’t stop.  Only our measurement of time runs out.  But time does not sleep.  It doesn’t take a vacation. 

Time is the only indication we have of eternity.  The physical manifestation of God’s existence.  None of us can imagine the time of God.  He always was and always will be.  He never sleeps or takes a vacation.  And nothing He does ever finds an end.  What the Lord does only transforms from one thing to another. 

There is death.  And we could say that we cease to be at that moment.  But we would only be speaking from our perspective.  This is not so with God.  For at the moment of death, time does not stop.  And at that very moment we become the end result of our time here. 

There is the Lord’s promise of good and bad in this situation.  Many will taste the place where nothing is beautiful, sweet, peaceful, or pleasant.  But some will taste eternity with an unspeakable joy.  The key to our next experience with time after we die here depends on our relationship with the Most High God.  He will never experience a place where He is not at peace.  For He is God!  But He has promised that if we do not learn to love Him here, we will certainly hate Him there.  And He will not allow anything wicked to enter His presence.

He has allowed us the sacrifice of His Son Jesus that we might enter into that eternal relationship with Him.  But this is the ONLY door to His presence.  Nothing ungodly will enter eternity with joy.  And only what He has built will stand the test of His Holy Fire.  All else will find itself in a place He has created to receive the trash of creation.  I encourage you to seek His peace now.  For time does not stop.  It is merciless as it travels through.  There is no such thing as a “do over” in life.  This is the day you have been given to accomplish the Holy Will of God.  And how can you know what His perfect will is if you don’t accept His Holy Will borne through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus?

By His Grace.

Stay or Leave, He is Glorified.

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Photo taken by Graham Kingsley

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My eyes have seen another morning. 

Precious will it be.

To speak of things eternal,

To lift up One called “He”.

I crave a day when eyes will open.

And never more will shut.

To speak a praise eternal,

To lift up One called “He”.

 “23But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. 25Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, 26so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again. ”  (Phillipians)

By His Grace.