Selling Salvation Short . . .

A long time friend and college crony, Bob Leroe included the following in his sermon a couple of weeks ago. I thought it inspiring enough in its matter to include it for you. The truth sets those free who believe that truth.

One day Jesus will right every wrong and create a new earth; a new order will replace the old order, polluted by sin. . . . Jesus makes “all things new” right now [which] is talked about by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; the old way is passing away and all things are becoming new.”  We don’t have to wait for the 2nd Coming; we can be made new now. Salvation is Paradise restored--a return to the Garden--as the curse of the Fall is reversed in us, and we are restored to our intended status as God’s children…and the Holy Spirit begins His work of ongoing renovation in our lives (sanctification). When we trust Christ our sins are forgiven, and this new heavenly process begins in us. Our salvation is something Jesus has done, is doing and will do. Renewal is not a hollow word for believers. The newness Jesus brings about has many facets…

• By His sacrifice, we have new birth.  

• By His grace, He’s given us a new outlook and way of life.  
• By His love we have a new relationship; we are God’s children and friends.  
• By His power we have a new freedom; we are no longer enslaved to sin but set free.
• By His Spirit we have a new heart; we are dead to sin and alive in Christ.
• By His word we have a new direction, one that leads to Heaven.
• By His promises we have a new confidence; fears are gone.
• By His authority we have a new security, assurance of salvation.
• By His church we have new resources for spiritual growth.
• By His wisdom we have a new purpose, meaning, and reason for living.
• By His sovereignty God makes all things new!

I would add to Bob's thoughts . . . these are but a part of what God is and has been doing in those who believe in Him. May we not become paralyzed due to unbelief, an unbelief that ignores the grand work of grace begun at salvation and continued through that same grace (Titus 2:11-14). Far more was accomplished in our redemption than most Christians are aware.

10 Positive (Certain) Predictions for the New Year

Toni Estruch, one of the ladies in our church sent this. It can be found HERE. With the prospect of economic downturns, political malfeasance, and in the face of general violence and sin unabated, we who call on the name of the LORD would do well to "think on these things . . ."

10. God will still be on the throne. Psalm 47:8
9.   His grace will still abound. Romans 5:20
8.   His mercies will still be new every morning. Lamentations 3:22
7.   His promises will still be true. 2 Corinthians 1:20
6.   He will still be faithful. Isaiah 49:7
5.   He will still be working out His plan. Ephesians 1:11
4.   He will still provide. Philippians 4:19
3.   He will still bless you with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3
2.   His blood will still have the power to cleanse from all sin. I John 1:7
1.   He will still love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3
 

Until He Comes! Revelation 22:20

Is This What It Means to Simplify?

Here's one for American Christianity! 

I just read a brief testimony from a Pharmacist who returned from a short term missionary trip with a renewed desire for living a more simplified life. I am attracted to living simply, especially after the hectic holidays have left us a bit haggard. But I think he's missed the point of simplification. He's certainly to be commended for attempting to live the more simplified life per Scriptural injunction, "To whom much is given, much is required." But his answer to this is to sell one of his four cars leaving only 3 for him and his wife. OK . . . ? He had (at writing) "tentatively sold one of our three houses (do we need that many when most of the world has none?)." So, two people have narrowed down their possessions to three cars and maybe two homes? Now, I'm not haranguing him for what he HAS done (I mention no names). 

That's not my point. We all need to make steps in the right direction, even if only baby steps. Revelation comes to us in degrees to be sure. What I don't want to do is to rest satisfied that by comparison to my rich neighbors, I have really given something up, pacifying my conscience in the process. Perhaps as we look further into this new year, we could ask our Father in heaven what He would have us to do so that we might have less clutter in our lives and thus, enable ourselves to see Him more clearly. It's a spiritual "can't see the forest for the trees" kind of thing. I think Thomas 'a Kempis encapsulates this well:

This is the greatest wisdom—to seek the kingdom of heaven through contempt of the world. It is vanity, therefore, to seek and trust in riches that perish. It is vanity also to court honor and to be puffed up with pride. It is vanity to follow the lusts of the body and to desire things for which severe punishment later must come. It is vanity to wish for long life and to care little about a well-spent life. It is vanity to be concerned with the present only and not to make provision for things to come. It is vanity to love what passes quickly and not to look ahead where eternal joy abides.
(The Imitation of Christ)

Life can become very distracting. We must simplify in order to really "see" what's around us, and to recognize the Christ within us, clamoring after Him and not after temporary things. 

God help us.
 

 

You Can Always Tell a Dane . . .

My Dad's a half Dane, and I'm, therefore, one quarter. Our last name is really spelled Nielsen, but it (like so many) was inadvertently changed at Ellis Island into the typical English spelling. We chuckled one day when we saw a mug that read, "You can always tell a Dane, but you can't tell him much!" Cute, huh? OK, well, that may be true of any Svinska, Italian, German, or anyone else for that matter! But it brings up something that we all need to assess in ourselves, that is, our own willingness to learn, a willingness that stems from humility and submission. The wise person will listen, but the fool knows everything. Ever run into a fool? It's hard to talk with them; they're too busy blathering about something they imagine they know (when often they know very little). The Scripture teaches us to be wise, and warns us about being foolish. Read Lloyd-Jones' comment on fools from his Sermon on the Mount sermons:

What are the characteristics of the foolish man? The first is that he is in a hurry. Foolish people are always in a hurry; they want to do everything at once; they have no time to wait. How often does the Scripture warn us against this! It tells us that the godly, righteous man 'shall not make haste'. He is never subject to flurry and excitement and hurry. He knows God and he knows that the decrees and purposes and plan of God are eternal and immutable. But the foolish man is impatient; he never takes time; he is always interested in short cuts and quick results. . . . We are all familiar with this kind of person in ordinary life and quite apart from Christianity. He is the type of man who says, 'I must have a house at once; there is no time for foundations.' He is always in a hurry.

Perhaps, in 2011, we might learn a lesson here and listen well, rest in the Lord and not give in to frenetic busyness. Your heart will feel better and your love for Christ open up.

Another Ten New Year's Questions . . .

The following comes from a minister in our fellowship (Rich Sharpe):

Quote from Don Whitney: Once, when the people of God had become careless in their relationship with Him, the Lord rebuked them through the prophet Haggai. "Consider your ways!" (Haggai 1:5) he declared, urging them to reflect on some of the things happening to them, and to evaluate their slipshod spirituality in light of what God had told them. Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to pause and think about the direction of their lives. It's so easy to bump along from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we're going and where we should be going. The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God.

1. What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?

2. What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?

3. What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
 
4. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?

5. What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?

6. What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
 
7. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
 
8. What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?
 
9. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
 
10. What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in ten years? In eternity?

Good questions, don't you think?

.

God Must Reveal Truth to Even the Most Intelligent

God's truth, it is a mystery Which only God can show

The Bible says quite plainly and frankly that man is totally incapable of arriving at a knowledge of truth by means of scientific theory, and that if he would arrive at a knowledge of truth, he must submit himself to revelation. In other words, he must admit that he cannot arrive at truth unaided. He must cease to have self-confidence; he must cease to trust his own intellect and his power of reason.... The Bible starts by telling men just that.... Man has got to submit himself to revelation. For truth is a mystery, and if man would have any knowledge of it, he must submit in humility, and in reverence....

I always think that one of the greatest statements [of this Bible teaching] is in that picture of Moses at the burning bush. With the typical scientific attitude Moses said when he saw that phenomenon, 'Ah! I will turn aside, and examine this curious phenomenon that I am seeing.' . . . He was about to advance and investigate when the voice came, saying, 'Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground' (Exodus 3:1-5). You do not investigate here, you worship, in reverence and in awe. . . . [Jesus] taught the same truth in His interview with Nicodemus, who was a very able and erudite teacher of the Jews, and who came along desiring to investigate, and wanting to understand. It was to him that Christ said: 'Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.... .The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. . . .' (John 3:3-8). 

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, The Approach to Truth: Scientific and Religious, pp. 21-3

What Kind of "New Years'" Resolutions?

I've often asked of the church, "A year from now, will you be where you want to be spiritually?" Or, put another way, 

When you get to a year from now, as you look back over the previous year, what will you need to have put into place in order to grow in your love and affection for Jesus Christ?

I've "lifted" the following (in part) from Church & Culture Blog. Please go HERE to read it in it's entirety. My additional comments are in [brackets].

New Year’s Resolutions for You and Your Church

It’s that time of year again.

We’re going to lose weight, exercise more, get out of debt, stick to a budget, stop smoking, save for the future and spend more time with family.

We make resolutions because we want to bring change to bear on our circumstances.  We want to improve ourselves and our quality of life.  And the top resolutions, for most people, tend to revolve around the same three poles:  money, health and family.

But what would a set of New Year’s resolutions look like for you and your church, your role as a leader, or simply as someone who wants to live a life of strategic Kingdom investment?

Though many more could be added, here are fifteen to consider:

1. Pray more.
So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord…‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty." (Zechariah 4:6, NIV)

2. Invest in my spiritual gift(s).
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. (I Timothy 4:14-15, NIV)
 

3. Get more intentional about evangelism.
I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. (I Corinthians 9:22, NIV) [Be a walking testimony to your love for Christ. What we believe about Jesus WILL most certainly evidence itself, so aim to live in love for Him and you will become the most effective witness TO him].
 

4. Care for myself spiritually.
[I like to put it this way, "Learn the art of spiritual progress for yourself. That is, learn what does and does not help you toward Christ, and do it]. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. (Philippians 3:12, NIV)
 

5. Make the tough decisions I know are best.
[No small matter here. Do what's right simply because it IS right and NOT because YOU can see the advantage in doing so. Such an attitude reveals our lack of trust in God]. And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.  I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me.  However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:22-24, NIV)
 

6. Confront debilitating patterns of sin.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1, NIV) [It's amazing how many "Christians," instead of "throwing off" sins, drag them around, apparently because they do not realize 1) the detriment, and 2) the potential freedom that could've been theirs.
 

7. Do the hard work needed to build community.
If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. (Matthew 18:15, NIV) [Don't shirk your duty here, by putting it off on the leadership of the church. They have their responsibilities, true. But so does EVERY believer. And what is that responsibility? It is to maintain the happiness and holiness of the body by helping rid it of impurities. Honestly, how many really do not take sin seriously as being the greatest hindrance to our happiness? Joy is at stake].
 

8. Keep in touch with contemporary culture.
From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders…All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take. (I Chronicles 12:32, NLT). [I take this verse to mean that we should be aware of what God is doing in this world and go about finding ways to bring that to pass].
 

9. Quit comparing myself to other Christians, other leaders and other churches.
Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind.  When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, “Master, what’s going to happen to him?”
Jesus said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you? You—follow me.” That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you?” (John 21:20-23, Msg) [See also 2 Cor. 10:12].
 

10. Read more.
Timothy, please come as soon as you can…When you come, be sure to…bring my books,… (II Timothy 4:9, 13, NLT) [That Paul knew his surroundings is evidenced in part in Acts 17 when he pointed out the Athenian religious attitude and quoted one of Crete's poets (Epimenides?). Now, there's much we shouldn't read, but that must not deter us from good reading. "Those who will not read have no advantage over those who cannot read."]
 

11. Prioritize my family.
A leader must be well-thought-of, committed to his wife,…attentive to his own children and having their respect. For if someone is unable to handle his own affairs, how can he take care of God’s church? (I Timothy 3:2-5, Msg) [Here is where we might add, learn to apply the faith to every area of life and not to selected portions].
 

12. Refuse to use ministry to satisfy my personal ambition.
Should you then seek great things for yourself? Seek them not. (Jeremiah 45:5, NIV) [Love this verse!! 'Nuff said].
 

13. Love people, not just crowds.
If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don’t love, I’m nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate.  If I speak God’s Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, “Jump,” and it jumps, but I don’t love, I’m nothing.  If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love. (I Corinthians 13:1-3, Msg) [A good application of this passage certainly. But only one. The larger issue is the very presence of such an all-encompassing, soul-satisfying love for God that transcends and, really, defines all outer expressions of faith. No expression of faith can be divorced from heart affection toward God].
 

14. Be more open to change.
See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? (Isaiah 43:19, NIV) [Again, the larger issue here is not just our ability to SEE change, but the necessary virtue of submission which paves the way for its acceptance].

15. Stay focused on the vision.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47, NIV)