Tag Archives: the gospel

Fearless Proclamation

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People keep telling us we have no right to judge.  In the language of this world I have responded that we have the right to make assessments.  But the Apostle Paul went much farther than that.  Read this and understand.

14 “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 ‘For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 2)

There is no truth to what they say, we are compelled to make judgments according to the rule of our Lord.  But even if we water it down to simple assessments, still they rage in our direction.   Do not let that stop you.  For unless they hear, they will surely die.

God has spoken his expectations.  If we perceive a man refusing to obey, we have an obligation to step forward and help him.  If he throws back in our face, “You have no right to judge me”, ponder in your heart; is it better for him to hear your words or the words of the living God on the final day of his life?

Who will rise to the things of God?  Who will willingly dawn the mantle of the Gospel and go with strength?  The only thing they throw at us are words, my brothers!  Why do we let them make us afraid?!

It Can’t Be, But it is.

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I am remembering.

How blessed I am.

For consciousness no sooner returns to my sleeping mind, and the things of my God come flooding in.

I am remembering who I was.

What an unspeakable blight to heaven and earth, was I.

For in those days,

No sooner would consciousness come to my sleeping mind and everything I could do came flooding in.

No thought of God.

No thought of righteousness.

No thought of restraint,

Except for apprehension by the laws of society.

I am considering.

There is a place where creatures are not blind.

There is a place where there is no break of sanity.

It is not a place of “was”.

It is not a place of “will be”.

It is a place of “is”.

Here, righteousness floats about like Cottonwood seeds on the breeze.

Here, righteousness is like the irritating mosquito.

Here righteousness is, “I will get to it when I feel like it”.

But in the place of “is”, sin and blindness are like those things.

So I wake to eyes in my soul that see.

Among the people of abject blindness, this one can see.

I am remembering.

What mercy is the Living God, that a man such as I should know these things like this?

I am remembering.

What potential lay in the blind souls of every man on this planet?

And now I remember my pleasurable duty;

Speak release to the captives.

With the cunning of a predator,

With the gentleness of a good mother to a newborn.

With every skill of captivity man has invented.

Yet with every possible release the living God offers.

I wake to holy sanity.

This cannot be!

But it is!

The glory is not mine.

I am no inventor of righteousness, skill, hope, regeneration, or release.

I do not have it in my hand to do any of those things.

What is in my hand is only to point:

There is God.

Here is God.

All around inclusive and exclusive, there is God.

Nothing is hidden from his sight, as it is in the eyes of dead souls.

He is perfectly dependable,  full of righteousness, peace, mercy, justice, grace, patience, life and hope.

Show me the place here that even is a shadow of a likeness to those things.

That I should know these things!

It can’t be, but it is!

Resigned to Doing

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A godless banker walked into a convenience store to get himself a piece of jerky.  He stops to hold the door for a dirty sweaty young man.  Not a word of thanks is spoken.  But the banker shrugs off the thankless heart.  To him, this is the nature of the unprincipled.

Moments later, while they are both still shopping, another man enters the store.  This one is dirty and filthy.  The smell of marijuana reeks from his body.  The smell of beer isn’t far behind.

He walked up to the girl behind the counter.  From his mouth begins a long line of ridicule.  He remarks about her looks, how ugly she appears.  He speaks violently about how pathetic her children must be, what a squalor of a life she must lead, and how embarrassed he would be if she were his wife.

He was loud and rude enough to capture the attention of the two who walked in before him.  The banker busied himself with a variety of jerky, as if he was trying to decide.  But the sweaty and dirty young man walked briskly to the side of the drunk.  From that position he gave the drunk a tongue lashing that caused tears to fall.

The drunk left ashamed.  The sweaty and dirty young man paid his bill and waited beside the door.  The banker, mindless of the position of the other, bought his jerky and turn to leave.

When he looked up, he was greeted by a great broad smile and friendly eyes.  I’m sorry I didn’t thank you for holding the door sir.”  The disheveled young man said.  “I just came here to get something cool to drink.  We just finished rescuing and burying our dog.  It’s been a hard day.  I hope you can forgive me for not remembering my honor.”

The banker was stupefied.  Shame covered his heart.  He thanked the young man for holding the door and wished him good speed on recovering from his loss.  Then the banker went out to his car, away from all prying eyes, and cried like a baby.

We are our brother’s keeper.  If he is wicked let us have the determination to set him straight.  If he is attacked unjustly, let us be bold enough to step forward and offer our own bodies for protection.  If he is weak and afraid, let us give him strength by example.  And all of this Christ’s people should be doing for the glory of the Holy Name who bought them.

No!  Christianity is not a religion.  It is a doing!

The Moment of Encounter

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Two babies were born.  By two different mothers in different circumstances, each baby born for a purpose.

Both children grew strong in the demands that were placed upon them.

One child was taught to be a monster.  The other was taught the urgency of love.

Raised in separate places, the two were destined to meet.

God the Father watched intently.  He saw the command given.

With a gentle whisper, familiar to his son, the word was given.  “It is time.”

Two men.  Two commands.  One succeeded.  The other robbed of fulfillment.

With the first strike of the club, bones were broken.  This one now would quickly die.  The second strike of the club performed the same service.

But when he came to Jesus he saw that he was already dead.

We know what has become of he who hung on the cross.  The legacy of the soldier. . .?

By His Grace

A Bear of a Time

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Psychology only tells you what’s wrong.  It may or may not be able to identify how the wrong got there.  But it has no strength to help you defeat what’s wrong inside of you.

You’re in the woods.  You see the grizzly bear.  You know he sees you.  You know you’re about to die.  What good does all that knowledge have, if you can’t destroy the grizzly bear?  You need a gun, not knowledge.

Christ is the power to overcome your troubles.  He not only knows what’s wrong, and knows how it got there, he knows how to fix you from the inside out. 

Turning to psychology won’t help you.  Turning to religion won’t help you.  Turning to pacifiers of every sort, won’t help you.  Turning to the Living God’s Holy Son in prayer can help you.

By His Grace

No “Crap” Can Help!

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Yes, I’ve decided to use the word.

With all the “Crap” that man imagines, to heal and to make life valuable, Christ Jesus is the answer.

I testify with all the strength of the Living God, Jesus’ strength is endless.  There is ZERO shame in me for saying so.  Is there too much shame in you to believe it?

You have faith to go to the doctor.  You have faith to believe in the pills he gives you.  You have faith to lie on a table and let him cut you to pieces.  Do you have the faith to believe that simple message I just wrote?

You will consider your life every moment of the day.  You will look at all your problems and all your troubles.  By some fairy tale hope, you think that man can heal you.  But I am telling you an absolute truth; Christ can heal you from the inside out.

He may not heal your ailments.  He may not take away all your troubles.  But he will teach you how to have joy in the midst of them.  He will take your tiny belief and make it an absolute fact.  You will come to believe that you will never die again.  You will come to believe that you are loved by the very one who can never lie.

He will teach you how to use all your difficulties for his Great and Magnificent Glory.  He will show you how to perceive this world from his point of view; love for His Heavenly Father, was the strength that allowed him to endure the cross for your sake.  He will teach you how to have that same strength.  He will show you how to love him.

Believe and pray.  Read his Holy story in the Bible.  Commit to Christ and He will commit to you.  That is the only release that is offered to mankind.  Who will take it and live life to the fullest?

By His Grace