Grace For The Journey

  Today I’m presenting the final installment of a three-part message on “Thanks-living.”  We’ve looked at what we think and what we do – or, more accurately, why we do what we do.  Today I want us to see that thanksgiving also involves what we say.

There is power in what we say

And every word we sow

Into the lives of others

Results in some kind

Of harvest being left behind.

As with the previous two blogs, I’m only going to deal with one verse of Scripture.  I encourage you to find others that will strengthen your Thanks-living for God’s glory and for the good of others.

The Bible says in Ephesians 4:29, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

Experience has taught me that this command is much easier to say than to actually do. Perhaps it is the same for you.  Unwholesome talk seems to roll so easily off the tongue and leave a wasteland of hurting hearts in its wake.  We say things without thinking that we ought not to say and prove that the old childhood saying – “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me” – is so very wrong.

To be sure, sticks and stones may break some bones but those wounds eventually heal.  However, the harsh, unwholesome speech we direct at others can and often does scar for a lifetime.  Is there anyone reading these words who does not know this truth by way of personal experience?  We have all been scarred and we have all scarred others. When I was involved in athletics, I saw young people driven out of a life of sports because of insensitive coaches who could not control their tongues.

But this is not what God desires of us!

Thanks-living is marked by language

That builds others up

And encourages others.

Someone has called it being a “good-finder” (rather than a fault-finder) and broadcasting the good we see in others.  One of my best friends is quite gifted in this area.  It is as if God has given him a mission to build others up according to their needs.  He does this with me week by week by way of messaging or when we are together, and I hear him doing it with others he comes in contact with as well.

The Greek word for “encourage” literally means “to give heart.”  Those who are marked by Thanks-living look for every opportunity to speak words of life into others and strengthen their hearts.

What they say

Is intended to

Help the hurting,

Bless the broken,

Strengthen the weak,

Lift up the downcast

And always to

Encourage their brothers and sisters

To continue to run the good race.

The only people who can lift others up are those who are secure in themselves.  Insecure people tend to put others down, for fear that the spotlight may not shine their way.  Some Christians have become so comfortable with this practice that they even weave their discouragement into their prayers, saying things such as “Oh, bless his (or her) heart” . . . right before lowering the boom of criticism or gossip.

As children of the Most High God,

We have so much to be thankful for

. . . And one of the greatest blessings

Is that God has called

And equipped us

For Thanks-living.

I am often asked about the best techniques for evangelism; I reply that they are as many and as varied as the people who share the Gospel.  But I always add that the way we live our lives will either make the Gospel attractive or unattractive to those around us.  The best evangelists in the world are those whose lives are marked by Thanks-living through what they THINK . . . DO . . . and SAY.

And please remember this: Thanks-living shines the brightest light on the One to whom we should offer joyful thanks.  That is a life worth living!

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

  Today is Thanksgiving Day.  How will you spend it?  Some will spend the day with family and friends, enjoying food, fellowship, and perhaps some football.  Others will spend it alone.  But regardless of your plans this year, let me encourage you to spend the day thinking about what it means to live a life of thanksgiving to the One who has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).

The Bible says in Colossians 2:6-7, “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

The apostle Paul tells us that overflowing thankfulness is the mark of Gospel-soaked saints, regardless of the cost or circumstance.  And Paul knew hardship and suffering for the sake of the Gospel!  He was no “ivory tower” teacher, comfortably distant from the message he proclaimed.  You probably know that Paul wrote most of the New Testament; did you know that he penned most of his inspired epistles from behind prison walls?

Regardless of the circumstances he faced, Paul was marked by overflowing thankfulness because He intimately knew the One to whom he was so thankful.

And the underlying reason why is recorded in Acts 9:1-6, “Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ He replied. ‘Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’”

Here is the man

Who was transformed

From Saul, persecutor of the Church,

To Paul, a pastor in the Church.

He who hated Christians

Became a helper of Christians.

The murderer became a minister,

And Paul engaged in that ministry

Until his very last breath.

He did it in the face

Of incredible hardship and opposition,

Yet his heart always

Overflowed with thankfulness.

One of the keys to Paul’s consistent thanksgiving and praise was located in the fact that he never lost sight of who he was before Jesus showed up.  He never forgot the change that the Lord Jesus Christ made in his heart that day on the road to Damascus – the black condition of his heart prior to his encounter with the risen Savior.  Jesus breathed new life into him, and Paul who exulted, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15.)

So, throughout this Thanksgiving weekend, let us pause and count our many blessings. Don’t bother to try to “name them one-by-one,” as the Bible song says, because there are far too many to number.   We simply need to be “Living Thanksgiving,” living a life of heartfelt gratitude, sharing the love of Christ with everyone we encounter.  Share the love of Christ by telling someone about the His amazing grace and incomprehensible love.  Share that love, with both your lips and your life.

Who can you reach out to this Thanksgiving week and tell them how much they mean to you?  Make that long overdue phone call.  Share that past-due hug.  Write that note of appreciation you have been meaning to write for as long as you can remember.  God will be glorified, your soul (and the other person’s) will be enriched, and you will be living Thanksgiving!

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

 

Grace For The Journey

  Throughout this Thanksgiving week I am unpacking a concept that I call “Thanks-living.”  We are looking at what this kind of life entails for every child of God in three primary areas of living out our Christian faith: what we think, what we do, and what we say.  I am only going to focus on one verse of Scripture for each topic; I encourage you to find others that will strengthen your Thanks-living for God’s glory and for the good of others.

The yesterday’s blog we discussed our thought-life; today we will explore how to live in Thanks-living by what we do.  Remember that it has been well said, “What you do speaks so loudly I can’t hear what you say!”

Here is today’s Scripture: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Everything we do

Should be ultimately

Motivated by one purpose:

Giving glory to God.

Now, that is living a life of Thanks-living that springs from the Spirit and not from our own sinful hearts!  You see, there are always two reasons that a Christian believer does anything.  We can do something for the glory of God . . . or we can do something for our own glory.  When we are doing something – anything – for our glory, we are doing it for what we hope to get.  We are trying to broker God’s favor and blessing in our lives.  We want control, and we try to get it by making God our debtor.  When we operate from this mindset, even when we are doing “good” things, they turn out to be bad things because we were doing them for the wrong reason.

You will recall that the Pharisees did a lot of really good stuff:  They spent lots of time in

the Synagogue, they tithed, they served, they prayed, they fasted, they studied.  But

they did all these “good” things for all the wrong reasons!

Their actions did not flow out

Of a heart of love for the Lord

And gratitude for His grace.

Their hearts were beating

Only for themselves.

Jesus exposed this truth

When He said,

“Their hearts are far from Me”

(Matthew 15:8).

I can’t imagine anything worse being said about anyone . . . could it possibly be said of you or me?

When we do whatever we do for the glory of God, our lives are truly marked by Thanks-living in every way.  We are to eat for the glory of God; we are to drink for the glory of God; we are to love for the glory of God; we are to serve for the glory of God.

We are to live

For nothing other

Than the glory of God

In every area of our lives.

So . . . what have you been doing lately?  More importantly, why have you been doing it?  When what we are doing flows out of a heart of thanksgiving for what Jesus has already given us – and not for what we hope to get – then we live lives marked by Thanks-living and a desire to showcase the goodness and glory of God.  We put the Gospel on display and make our God attractive to all those who are watching us.  And make no mistake . . .

The world is watching

To see if our practice

Matches our profession.

So, remember that . . .

The key to the “Do” part of Thanks-living

Is found in the why we do what we do.

This why is far more important

Than what we do,

And the why is determined

By what our hearts

Are ultimately beating for.

God knows our thoughts; before a word is on our tongue, He knows it completely.  I’m sure that there are those in the church today who, just like the Pharisees of Jesus’ day, do all sorts of great things . . . but our Lord would say to them, “Your hearts are far from me.”  May that not be true of you or me!

I pray that you and your loved ones enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving Day tomorrow; eat and drink and fellowship for the glory of God!  I’m looking forward to our presenting the final message in this Thanks-living series to

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

 

Grace For The Journey

  Sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas … ghosts in flight and Silent Night . . . a witch on a broom and an inn with no room . . . is Thanksgiving.  For many, it is a time of fellowship with family and friends, fabulous food, and a little football – OK, in some homes, maybe a lot of football!  The day is marked by hours of preparation, 30 minutes of eating, and an hour of clean-up.

It would be hard for a visitor to our culture to recognize the season of Thanksgiving, because as soon as the Halloween decorations come down, the Christmas decorations go up!  Only grocery stores get excited about Thanksgiving.

Because Thanksgiving is not a major money maker for the department stores, we may not give it the attention we should.

If we are not careful,

We can confine Thanksgiving

To a mere day of feasting,

Rather than

A way of faithful living.

Here are three practical steps to help us move from Thanksgiving to Thanks-living:

The first key is to live thankfully.

This will only be done

When we re-orient

Our focus from ourselves

To our Savior.

With our focus firmly fixed on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, our thoughts will ultimately rest on His cross and His resurrection.  When the crucified and living Christ is the center of our lives, we can live in no other way than thankfully.

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:2, “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.”

The second key in moving from Thanksgiving to Thanks-living is to live worshipfully.

Once the cross and the empty tomb

Becomes central in our lives,

Worship becomes our way of living.

To use a theological term, it is living “doxologically” before the face of God.

We live grace-filled,

Gospel-saturated,

God-centered lives.

We worship Jesus – not only on Sunday, but every day, everywhere, and in every way.  We sing His praises in the boardroom, living room, family room, bedroom, schoolroom, lunchroom, and locker room.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:12-15, “For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, while through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”

The third key in moving from Thanksgiving to Thanks-living is to live generously.

As I have said before, “What do you have that you have not been given?”  The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 4:7, “For who makes you differ from another?  And what do you have that you did not receive?  Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?”

If everything we have is a gift from the hand of God,

How can we live in any other way than generously?

The more we have, the more we are in debt to the One who has given it to us, and the more we should be driven to meet the physical needs of others.  It is a mistake to think the Gospel meets only the spiritual needs of the lost.  To be sure, it does that, but it also meets physical needs as well.  If it did not, how would we explain the two loaves and the five fish that fed thousands instead of Jesus sending them away hungry?  How would we explain the miracles of Jesus in making the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the sick well, and the dead alive?

When we get the Gospel deep down into the very center of our being, we live lives marked by generosity, remembering what God says in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “”So let each of you as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”

As you enjoy Thanksgiving in whatever way you choose to celebrate it, take a moment to reflect on these three keys that will take a day of Thanksgiving and turn it into a life of Thanks-living.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

  This is Thanksgiving week.  I want to use the my blogs this week to look at the biblical teaching on the why and what of Thanksgiving.  Giving thanks is no small thing for the Christian.  But far too many of us have the wrong idea about thanksgiving.  Deep down, we may see the command to give thanks as optional or something that we do when things are going good.  It is sad when gratitude is not a normal response to the very people who have the most to be thankful for . . .

To sinners forever saved by grace,

Thanksgiving should be significant.

Allow me to use today’s blog to share some biblical truths about the real significance and purpose of having a thankful heart.

1) It Is A Response Of The Grace of God.

We were created by God

To not only experience and enjoy

God’s grace but

To express our unending

Gratitude for His grace.

Through the redeeming work of Jesus we are freed to experience, enjoy, and express our eternal gratitude even more clearly and fully.

Gratitude becomes a central biblical and spiritual response of the heart to the grace of God. The Bible commands gratitude to God as one of our highest duties.  The Bible says in Psalms 100:4, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”  God says that gratitude honors Him – The Bible says in Psalm 50:23, “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me”

Note the close connection between thanksgiving and the massive biblical reality of honoring and glorifying God.  Thanksgiving is a big thing in the life of the Christian.

2) It Is Central to Honoring God.

The Bible teaches us that thanksgiving is what we were created for, and I believe it is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian.

The Bible says in Romans 1:21, “Although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”  

Do you see that?

Side by side

With honoring God

Is giving Him thanks.

Don’t underestimate the importance of thanksgiving.  Gratitude is essential in doing whatever we do to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31), and thanklessness is deeply intertwined with what it means to “fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  This no small thing.

So, consider this jarring thought:

“The real difference between

A Christian and a non-Christian

Is that the former 

Lives to give thanks,

Honor, and

Give glory to God”

In A Praying Life, Paul Miller adds some similar reflections about the centrality of thanksgiving for the Christian, “While it was thanklessness that was the first sin to emerge from our ancient rebellion against God” (Romans 1:21), in our ongoing redemption, it is thanksgiving that “replaces a bitter spirit with a generous one.”

Thanksgiving is important – essential – because the Christian life, from the beginning to end, is a life of extraordinary grace and gratitude for what God has done through our Lord Jesus.

3) It Nullifies A Debtor’s Ethic.

But a real danger lurks in each of our lives.  The Bible doesn’t have much, if anything, to say about obeying out of gratitude.

Giving thanks to God

For what He has

Given to us

Is precious and essential

. . . But so is trusting Him

For His ongoing provision

In the future.

Thanksgiving is important . . .

But it can go bad on us . . .

If we try to give it Faith’s job.

There is an impulse in every fallen human heart – to forget that gratitude is a spontaneous response of joy to knowing and receiving something.  When we forget this, what happens is gratitude starts to be misused and distorted as an impulse to pay for the very thing that came to us out of the free, unmerited grace of God.

This terrible disposition

Is the birthplace

Of the “debtor’s ethic.”

The debtor’s ethic says,

“Because you have done something good for me,

I feel indebted to do something good for you.”

This impulse is not what gratitude was designed to produce.  God meant gratitude to be a spontaneous expression of pleasure in the gift and the good will of another.  He did not mean it to be an impulse to return favors.  If gratitude is twisted into a sense of debt, it gives birth to the debtor’s ethic – and the effect is to nullify grace.

4) It Involves Thanks For The Past And Trust For The Future.

The one who develops a heart of thanksgiving must learn to delegate, and not attempt to do all the work itself.

 

Thanksgiving has an

Indispensable ally

Named Faith,

And they need to stay

In good communication.

Gratitude exults in the past benefits of God and leads us in faith to embrace grace more and look forward to even more of these benefits for the future.

This causes us

To be more eager

To look back and see

What God has done

And anticipate what

God will continue

To do in the future.

This will lead us with a deep yearning to delight in God and His amazing grace.  We will happily and excitedly keep on trusting Him and look to Jesus for more grace.

5) There Is More Grace to Come.

May God be pleased to fill us to overflowing with thanksgiving for His amazing graces – the greatest of which is the gift of Himself in the person of His Son.  And may thanksgiving give rise to great hope that the God who has so richly provided for us will most certainly give us everything we need for our everlasting good – and continue for all eternity showing us “the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:7).

The grace we’ve have experienced and enjoyed so far

is only a taste of the grace that is to come!

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

 

  In yesterday’s blog, we began to look at Philippians 1:12-14 and learn how God uses all our situations and circumstances in life to free us to have more opportunities to share the glorious gospel to those in our lives.  We saw that the first eleven verses were used directed by the Holy Spirit to allow Paul to write to friends eager for an update of what had happened to him on his missionary journey.  Beginning in verse 12 Paul acknowledges that some things have happened to him.  They were unplanned, unwanted, unpleasant things.  But Paul did not dwell on the details.

His focus was on the outcome of the ordeal.

It was not about what happened to him.

It was about what happened to what happened to him.

Verse 12 says that what happened to Paul served to advance the gospel.

In one sentence Paul

Shifts the legitimate interests

Of the Philippians

From himself to

The great undeterred

Purpose of God in history.

We are going to look further into this truth today.

Things happen to Christians.  You do not have to do wrong for things to happen to you.

Adverse things happen to faithful Christians.

But things do not just happen.

God is in control.

Man has his wickedness.

But God has His way.

The Lord is able to employ, manipulate, and overrule your circumstances for His glory and the good of others.  Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Do you believe that?  This truth was reinforced yesterday when we considered what the Bible teaches about The Lord Ruling Over The Circumstances Of Life.  In today’s blog, we are going to look at how . . .

The Lord Works Through The Circumstances Of Life.

Someone has said “Life is like a tapestry. “  From the backside, it appears to be a random jumble of tangled thread.  On the other side is a beautifully designed work of art.  The problem is we live on the backside of the tapestry.

We cannot see what God

Is designing on the other side.

Unbeliever can only see

What happens them.

Believers focus on

What happens to

What happens to them.

Verse 12 says, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” How did Paul’s imprisonment advance the gospel?  The Bible gives us the answers in verses 13-14.  These verses show us two ways the Lord works through the circumstances of life.

1.The Lord Is At Work To Influence Unbelievers For Christ.

The Bible says in Philippians 1:12-13, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happed to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard, and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.”  When Paul was mobbed by the Jews and arrested by the Romans, he used the privilege of his Roman citizenship to appeal to Caesar.  Paul was brought to Rome, where he became an official prisoner, awaiting audience before the Romans Emperor.  According to Acts 31:20, Paul was under house arrest.  There was no electronic monitoring.  They chained Paul to Romans soldiers.

The imperial guard was the finest of all Roman soldiers. These ancient “green berets/special forces” unit were the Emperor’s official bodyguards.  They were Caesar’s secret service.  As a prisoner of Caesar, the imperial guard was assigned to Paul.  Every four hours, a soldier was chained to Paul.  During their shifts, the soldiers watched Paul.  They saw his mood.  They saw his actions and reactions.  They saw him in casual and serious conversations.  The saw his prayer habits.  They saw him read and write letters. They saw him care for Epaphroditus.  They saw him entertain guests. For two years, the imperial guard got an up-close and personal look at what kind of man Paul was.  It was evident Paul was no criminal.  His imprisonment was for Christ.

In Ephesians 3:1, Paul calls himself “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.”  In Ephesians 6:20, he calls himself “an ambassador in chains.”

 The Roman government arrested and imprisoned Paul.

But Paul was a prisoner of Christ.

Christ locked him up, not Rome.

Paul conducted himself

More as an ambassador

on duty than a prisoner on trial.

It became manifest to the whole imperial guard

That if Paul was guilty of anything,

It was being a Christian.

Everyone in Rome who met or heard about Paul

Concluded his imprisonment was for Christ.

This led to the all-important question: Who is Christ?  Paul was eager to answer that question.  He literally had a captive audience to preach to!  Lost people were saved through Paul’s imprisonment.  According to Romans 1:15, Paul was eager to preach in Rome.  But he arrived in Rome as a prisoner, not a missionary.  He did not preach to Romans citizens.  He preached to the imperial guard.  Yet, the message of Christ spread through Rome.  In Philippians 4:22, Paul writes, “All the saints greet you, especially those of Caesar’s household.”

You may be in a situation you would change if you could; maybe you have even tried, and you can’t.  You have questions: Why me? Why this? Why now?  Let me answer with a question:

Is it possible the Lord has placed you

In that unwanted situation

To use you to win someone to Christ?

You may not be chained to imperial guard.

But you are being watched.

• You are being watched by unbelieving family members you live with.
• You are being watched by coworkers at that job you cannot stand.
• You are being watched by doctors and nurses who treat your sickness.
• You are being watched by friends and followers on social media.
• You are being watched by people who know you but do not know Christ.

Live in such a way that lost people will get a glimpse of Christ by how you respond to what happens to you.

A real test of genuineness of Christian profession

Is witnessed when one finds himself

Under pressure, provocation, or persecution.

2.The Lord Is At Work To Influence Believers For Christ.

Verse 14 says “And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”  The saints in Rome were somewhat fearful about witnessing for Christ in the imperial city of Rome.  Paul’s imprisonment may have complicated matters and contributed to this feeling.  But they watched Paul’s unwavering devotion to Christ through two years of imprisonment.  Paul calls it “my imprisonment.”  He owned it because he knew the Lord was working through it.

Paul’s imprisonment nurtured

The saints’ confidence in the Lord.

They became much more bold

To speak the word without fear.

We should proclaim the gospel of Christ boldly and without fear.  Bold witness requires spiritual devotion.  Peter and John were arrested.  But they refused to shut up about Christ.  The Bible says in Acts 4:13, “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.”  Spiritual boldness is the result of being with Jesus.  A key way to be with Jesus is to be with others who have been with Jesus.  The saints at Rome were fearful witnesses.  But they watched Paul suffer.  And it put strength in their faith to speak the word without fear.  The Lord seeks to work the same way through your circumstances.  As you go through them, you are being watched by fellow believers, as well as unbelievers.

• Your testimony is not how you act in church when you are blessed. It is how you live for Christ when you are burdened.
• Your testimony is now how you sing when the sun is shining. It is how you continue to sing when the rain is falling.
• Your testimony is not what you say after the Lord works it out. It is what you say as you are going through.

When you rejoice in the Lord through it all, the Lord can use you to strengthen your brothers and sisters in Christ.  But Christ must be more important than your personal agenda.

Paul wanted to preach in Rome.

He did not get the opportunity.

But his imprisonment created

A movement of undaunted preachers.

Paul joyfully accepted this

Because Christ meant everything to him.

You may be not be the one the Lord uses to do it.  You may only be the one the Lord uses to encourage the one He will use to do it.  And the Lord may use your current struggles to facilitate their subsequent triumph.  Are you okay with that?  You can handle anything, if Christ is your everything!

Verse 14 specifies that “most of the brothers” grew confident by Paul’s imprisonment. This praise report reminds us no church is perfect.  When most do the right thing for the right reason, some will not.  Paul addresses the rest in verse 15-17: “Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.  The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.  The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to inflict me in my imprisonment.”  

The believers in Rome boldly spoke the word without fear.  But they did with different motives.  Some proclaimed Christ sincerely.  Others proclaimed Christ hypocritically. Paul was the victim of friendly fire.  They proclaimed Christ to try to strangle Paul with his chains.  Verse 18 is Paul’s response: “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.”  Some preached Christ to make things worse for Paul.  Paul responds: So what?! As long as Christ was proclaimed, Paul rejoiced.  It did not matter that they put him down as long as they lifted Christ up.

Handley Page, a pioneer in aviation, landed in an isolated area during his travels. Unknown to him, a rat got on board the plane there. On the next leg of his flight, Page heard the sound of gnawing. Suspecting it was a rodent; his heart began to pound as he visualized the damage that could be done to the fragile mechanisms of the plane. But then he remembered hearing that rats cannot survive at high altitudes. He pulled back on the stick. The airplane climbed higher and higher, until Page found it difficult to breathe. He sighed with relief when the gnawing sounds ended. When he landed, he found the dead rat behind the cockpit.

Has the rat of discouragement crawled into the plane of your life?  Is it eating away at your internal belief system?  Don’t crash!  Remember discouragement cannot breathe where Christ is exalted.  The higher your faith climbs, the safer you are.

May these truths free you to live in surrender and joy in whatever situation or circumstance your find yourself.  Remember: don’t just focus on what happens to you; let God use you to show others what happens to what happens to you.  You can handle anything, when Christ is your everything!

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

 Pastor Terry

 Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

  The Book of Philippians was written at a time when Paul was arrested for proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ.  He was under house arrest in Rome, awaiting his hearing and verdict.  The church at Philippi heard about Paul’s ordeal.  They collected a love-offering for him. A disciple named Epaphroditus was commissioned to deliver their gift to Paul.  Likewise, Epaphroditus was to remain in Rome as long as necessary, to serve Paul on the behalf of the church.  Epaphroditus became sick.  God mercifully healed him.  When he was able to travel, Paul sent Epaphroditus home, to relieve the concern of the Philippians.  Epaphroditus returned to a hero’s welcome.  After the Philippians rejoiced over his safe arrival, they resumed their origins concern about Paul’s circumstances and gospel work.

Epaphroditus then read the letter that Paul wrote to them.  The letter was read to the assembly.  It began with Paul’s greeting, thanksgiving, and prayer in Philippians 1:1-11. The saints were encouraged.  When they reached verses 12-14, their interest piqued. Now they would receive the news they were anxious to hear:  In Philippians 1:12, the Bible says, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”  

To friends eager for an update,

Paul acknowledged  some things happened to him.

They were unplanned, unwanted, unpleasant things.

But Paul did not dwell on the details.

His focus was on the outcome of the ordeal.

It was not about what happened to him.

It was about what happened to what happened to him.

Verse 12 says that what happened to Paul served to advance the gospel.

In one sentence Paul

Shifts the legitimate interests

Of the Philippians

From himself to

The great undeterred

Purpose of God in history.”

Things happen to Christians.  You do not have to do wrong for things to happen to you.

Adverse things happen to faithful Christians.

But things do not just happen.

God is in control.

Man has his wickedness.

But God has His way.

The Lord is able to employ, manipulate, and overrule your circumstances for His glory and the good of others.  Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” Do you believe that?  Then forget what happened to you and focus on what happens to what happens to you.

THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN TO ME

ARE NOT BY CHANCE I KNOW

BUT BECAUSE MY FATHER’S WISDOM

HAS WILLED TO HAVE IT SO

FOR THE “FURTHERANCE OF THE GOSPEL”

AS A PART OF HIS GREAT PLAN

GOD CAN USE OUR DISAPPOINTMENTS

AND THE WEAKNESSES OF MAN

Look beyond what happens to you and trust the Lord rules over and works through the circumstances of life.  The verses for our blog today remind us of three powerful truths

The Lord Rules Over The Circumstances Of Life.

Paul’s concerned friends wanted an update about his welfare.  They also wanted to know how his state of affairs affected his missionary work.  After the introductory section of the letter, Philippians 1:12-17 reports Paul’s circumstances.

His opening statement is the prism

Through which everything

He writes should be seen.

It is his spiritual perspective

Of his worldly circumstances.

Verse 12 reads: “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.” 

 The Lord takes our life-lessons

And

Uses them to teach others about Him.

This “learn-and-return” system is often short-circuited when we do not want people to know what happened to us.  Paul was the apostle who founded the church at Philippi. Yet he did not seek to maintain a perfect image before them.  He writes, “I want you to know…”  

Paul desired to do more

Than pass on information.

He wrote to teach a lesson

And

Clarify a misunderstanding.

The Philippians knew about Paul’s troubles.  It is why they sent Epaphroditus to Rome with an offering.  But they did not properly interpret his troubles.  The one in the driver’s seat has blind-spots.  So does the one in the passenger’s seat.  Observing it does not necessarily mean you understand what is going on better than the one who is experiencing it (We see that in the encounter of Job and his friends).

Paul wanted his brothers and sisters in Philippi to know his story.

But he did not

Describe the scenery,

Explain the plot,

Or

Identify the villains.

He focused on

The end result.

The full story is recorded in Acts 21:17-28:31.  But nothing recorded in Acts by Luke is mentioned here in Philippians by Paul.  He does not talk about the mob attack, false arrest, unfair trial, shipwreck, or imprisonment.  He summarizes the whole ordeal with an ambiguous phrase: “what has happened to me.”  Some of us do not want others to know what happened to us.  Others constantly gab, vent, whine, and fuss about it.

With no direct reference

To his personal concerns,

Paul explains how his

Circumstances should be understood.

This godly perspective

Requires godly patience.

Life is lived forward.

It is understood backwards.

This is why you should be slow to give up.  An immediate response to what happens to you may cause you to miss the redemptive purpose of what happens to you.

Paul trusted the Lord

Through circumstances

He could not understand.

Now he testifies, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”  

 This is the ironic providence of God.

You would assume Paul’s confinement

Would have hindered the gospel.

It advanced the gospel.

The gospel did not advance

In spite of his confinement.

It advanced

Through his confinement.

The Lord transformed a setback into a springboard.  The same God who used Moses’ rod, and Gideon’s pitchers, and David’s slings, used Paul’s chains.

Little did the Romans realize

That the chains they

Affixed to his wrists

Would release Paul

Instead of bind him!

This text is not just a personal testimony; it is pastoral counseling.  Philippians 1:29 says, “For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake.”  

 The Philippians were not in prison.

But they endured suffering.

Paul’s experience was their example.

The Lord ruled over their circumstances.

This biblical truth speaks to whatever confines you today.  It may be . . .

• The restrictions of youth.
• The weakness of old age.
• The pain of sickness.
• The challenges of family life.
• The responsibilities of work.
• The scarcity of finances.
• The valley of indecision.

There are things in your life that confine you.  But you do not have to live with the “If-Only” syndrome.

The “if-only” syndrome

Seduces you into thinking

You have to be

In a certain place

For the Lord use you.

The antidote is to recognize

That the Lord can use you

Right where you are!

God’s logic is very different than ours.  We assume that the circumstances must be right if we are to be really effective Christians.  But . . .

God is not waiting for

The circumstances

To be right;

He is committed

To producing

Really effective Christians,

Whatever their circumstances may be.”

What is the gospel?  It is the good news of the saving work of God in Christ.  God created us to glorify Him and enjoy Him forever.  However, all of us have sinned and fall short of His glory.  But God sent His Son Jesus who lived the life of righteousness we should have lived and died the death of punishment we should have died.  God raised Him from the dead.  If you trust the finished work of Christ for salvation, your sins are forgiven graciously, completely, and eternally.  But the gospel is more than a ticket to heaven.  It is a way of life.  Philippians 1:21 says, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”  

 The test is not whether you want

To go to heaven when you die.

It is what you are willing to

Joyfully endure to advance the gospel.

The word “advance” was used of soldiers who removed obstacles and established roads for marching armies.  This was Paul’s imprisonment.  He was on lockdown.  But the gospel progressed.  The imprisoned preacher charted new territory.  His chains destroyed barriers to the gospel.

This was not just the Lord’s providential orchestration.

It was Paul’s consuming passion.

To ask Paul, “How are you going?”

Was to ask Paul, “How is the gospel doing?”

It did not matter to Paul what happened to him.  If the gospel advanced, Paul was content, even if it meant he did not taste freedom again.  What does the gospel mean to you?  

Here is why you put the gospel first.

There are things that happen to you

That you cannot handle, understand,

Or overcome unless you view

It from a gospel-centered perspective.

True Christianity is a life of gospel sacrifice.  The Bible says in 2 Timothy 2:8-9, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal.  But the word of God is not bound!  Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”

Tomorrow we will look further into these fantastic and freeing truths.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”  Yesterday we looked at this verse and saw how we will not lose heart in life even as we lost strength toward the end of life.  In verses 17 and 18 of this passage, God teaches us five important facts about affliction and how we can avoid not lose heart as we go through them.

1. Affliction Is Real.

The word “affliction” literally means “pressure.”

 It is not what we would call stress.

It is life-threatening,

Faith-stretching,

Soul-crushing pressure.

It pictures a burden placed

On a person that can

Crush the life out of them.

The Bible uses it to refer to the trials, troubles, and tribulations that pressure the believer.  Do not miss that!

Christians face affliction.

We face affliction,

 In spite of our devotion to Christ.

. . . We face affliction,

Because of our devotion to Christ.

In John 16:33, Jesus says, “In the world you will have tribulation.”  Acts 14:22 says “through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”  2 Timothy 3:12 says, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”

As a boy, I participated in a Kids Songs production. During a break, I played with my friend Reggie. Standing on a hill, I threw rocks down to him. He threw rocks back up to me. One rock busted me in the head. I ran onto the set screaming and covered with blood. When Reggie’s dad chastised him, I intervened, claiming that we were only playing. He reminded us both that rocks don’t have eyes. Neither does trouble. Affliction is real.

2. Affliction is light.

 Verse 17 describes affliction as “light.”  

 This seems to be a contradiction.

Affliction is the pressure of a burden

That is so heavy it may crush you.

Yet Paul says it is light.  How can affliction be light?

 The Greek term is only used twice in the New Testament.  It is used here and in Matthew 11:30 where Jesus says, “For My yoke is easy, and My burden it light.”  

 The Lord gives burdens.

But His burden is light.

My dad told me about working on the farm when he was growing up.  He said that his dad never put two strong or weak horse together.  He would yoke a strong and weak horse together.  The strength of one would compensate for the other.

So it is with the burden of Jesus.

His burden is light,

Because He always

Carries the heavy part.

If the burden of trusting and obeying Jesus seems too heavy, it is because you are trying to carry it on your own.  But no burden is too heavy if you lean on Jesus.

3. Affliction Is Momentary.

Not only does Paul describe affliction as light, he also calls it “momentary.”  Affliction is just for the moment. This is no guarantee that your troubles will be brief.  To the contrary, some burdens you will carry for years, decades, a lifetime.  The Bible says in Psalm 90:10, “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”  But . . .

In Christ we have the assurance

That trouble won’t last always.

A mother makes his daughter spend the afternoon practicing the piano.  She would rather be anywhere in the world.  But the mother makes her stay at the piano, rather than going outside to play, because she knows that struggle today will produce music tomorrow.  Psalms 30:5 says, “For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

4. Affliction Is Productive.

 The Bible says, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”  The Bible is not saying that suffering produces salvation.  Ephesians 2:8-9 is clear: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  

Affliction is not the way to heaven.

Christ is the way.

But there is a heavenly reward

To be won or lost.

2 John 8 says: “Look to yourselves, that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward.” 

 In a real sense,

Present affliction

Is spiritual preparation

For future glory.

This is why

We do not lose heart.

Our light and momentary affliction

Is preparing for us

An eternal weight of glory

Beyond all comparison.

If only you knew what God was preparing for you through the troubles you have to trust Him through now, you would not worry, complain, or give up.  It is no comparison! The Bible says in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

 5. During Affliction Have The Right Perspective On Eternal Realities.

2 Corinthians 4:18 says: “While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not see are eternal.”  The word “look” here is not a casual glance.  It is the word you would use if you were to pick up a telescope and try to bring something far away into view and into focus.  It is a word that suggests an intense examination, a constant scrutiny, a steady gaze.  The statement carries a conditional force.  The only way you will be able to endure if you keep focusing on invisible and eternal realities.

The distinction here is not between mature Christians and carnal Christians.  It is between Christians and non-Christians.  Unbelievers look to the things that are seen. But 2 Corinthians 5:7 says: “We walk by faith, not by sight.”  What is faith?  Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  

 If you only look at

What you can see,

You will inevitably lose heart.

Strength to endure comes

To those who look

To the things that are unseen.

The Bible says in 1 Peter 1:8-9, “Whom having not seen you love.  Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls.”  In 1937, Walt Disney released the first full-length animated movie: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  Disney artists drew over one million pictures for that film.  Each picture flashed on screen for one-twenty-fourth of a second.  Watching at regular speed, the movie-goer had no clue the work that went into it.  Our lives are like that movie.  The Lord has put infinite thought, skill, and attention into every detail of our lives.  As life runs at regular speed, we cannot see it.  But trust God is at work, and that causes us not to lose heart!

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Grace For The Journey

  The theme of 2 Corinthians chapter 4 is “Do not lost heart.”  In verse one the Bible says, “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lost heart.”  In verse 16 the Bible says, “Therefore we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”  In this chapter, Paul argues that his faith in Christ enables him to live and minister with unwavering confidence.

The verb translated “lost heart” means “to be exhausted, spiritless, or weary.”  It pictures a laborer in the field who becomes so exhausted that he quits his work, or a soldier in a battle who becomes so discouraged that he retreats from the fight.  The term literally means “to grow fainthearted to the point of giving up.”  In Luke 18:1, the Bible records Jesus teaching that His disciples “that men ought always to pray and not lose heart.”  In Galatians 6:9, the Bible says, “And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”  Paul uses the term here to testify about his spiritual resolve.  Would-be leaders in the church at Corinth challenged Paul’s ministerial authority, credentials, work.  They claimed he was spiritually weak and that he experienced more suffering than success.  Paul responds by agreeing with his enemies.

But . . .

He contends his weakness

Is the platform

For God’s strength,

His suffering is

The platform

For God’s glory.

The proof of this

Is That Paul

Did not lose heart.

In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, Paul recounts his sufferings for Christ: “in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often.  From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a da I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fasting often, in cold and nakedness – besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.”

A fraction of these sufferings

Would cause the average person to give up.

Yet, Paul says, “We do not lose heart.”  

Paul’s unbreakable and undefeatable spirit

Was not the result of personal fortitude.

Spiritual realities undergirded Paul’s faith.

These spiritual realities are available

To all who trust Christ.

You will never face the variety, intensity, and severity of sufferings Paul endured.  But we all face quitting points that tempt us to lose heart.  Faith does not prevent this temptation. Even those who follow Christ face overwhelming circumstances that tempt us to lose heart.  You have no control over it.  But you can control how you respond. You can give up or hold on.

During a flight from Portland, Maine, to Boston, pilot HENRY DEMPSEY heard a noise near the rear of his small aircraft.  He turned over the controls to his co-pilot and went back to investigate.  As he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket, and Dempsey was tossed against the tail section.  He quickly discovered the source of the noise.  The rear door had not been properly latched.  As it flew open, Dempsey was sucked from the jet.  Seeing the light that indicated an open door, the co-pilot made an emergency landing.  He reported the pilot had fallen out of the plane and requested a helicopter to search for him in the waters below.  After the plane landed, they found Dempsey holding onto the outer ladder of the aircraft.  Somehow, he had caught the ladder, held on for ten minutes as the plane flew 200 mph at an altitude of 4,000 feet, and survived the landing.  It took airport personnel several minutes to pry his fingers from the ladder.

The turbulence of life will place you in precarious situations where you only have two choices: give up or hold on.  2 Corinthians 4:16-18 gives three reasons to hold on no matter what.

The Process Of Inward Renewal.

Verse 16 says, “Therefore we do not lost heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”  There is a contradictory process taking place within us.

• The Outer Man Is Wasting Away.

“Outer man” is one of several ways Paul describes one’s physical life in this chapter.

• Verse 7 the Bible calls it “earthen vessels.”
• Verse 10 the Bible calls it “the body.”
• Verse 11 the Bible calls it “our mortal flesh.”

Here Paul calls it the “outer man.”  The term refers to life in our physical bodies.  Paul says it is “perishing” or “wasting away.”  It is possible Paul wrote this with reference to the toll his labors for Christ and battles for the gospel had taken on him. But this statement primarily refers to the present, constant, and inevitable process of physical deterioration every person experiences.

In Genesis 3:19, The Lord said to Adam, “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”  This is the fate of every descendent of Adam and Eve.  The outer man is wasting away.  It is not obvious when you are young.  Young people are so filled with life, health, strength, vitality, and hope, is seems they will live forever.  But even young people are wasting away.  Ecclesiastes 12:1 wisely warns: “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them.”

This is not a conditional thing that only applies to the old, sick, or weak.  This process is happening in all of us right now.  The scientific term, “apoptosis,” describes the process by which 50-70 billion cells die in the average adult every day.  The outer man is wasting away.  There is nothing you can do to stop this process – proper diet, exercise, and living right will make you healthier and feel better.  As stewards of our God-given bodies, it is right to do these things.  But none of these things halt our steady march to the grave.  Some protest that they are getting better, not older.  They only comfort themselves with a lie.  The outer man is wasting away.  This is a rebuke to the cosmetic culture we live in.  We nip and tuck to give the allusion of youth, beauty, and vitality.  But we are still wasting away.

The Bible says in Isaiah 40:6-8, “A voice says, ‘Cry!’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ ‘All flesh is grass, and all its beauty is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades when the breath of the Lord blows on it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.’”

• The Inward Man Is Being Renewed.

Verse 16 says, Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.”  Paul described his outer self as wasting away.  Physically, he was becoming old, tired, and weak.  This process was intensified and accelerated by his sufferings for Christ.

Yet, a paradox was at work . . .

As the outer self wasted away,

The inner self was

Renewed day by day.

Physically, Paul was facing death.

Spiritually, Paul was enjoying life.

A transformation took place

Underneath the skin.

Paul was being “renewed.”

New life was growing

As his mortal life was dying.

This process of inward renewal

Was a being repeated day by day.

This is the testimony of Christian.

The Bible describes it in Colossians 3:10 as putting on the new man, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.  You may not feel it.  But the inner self is being renewed day by day.  In the ultimate sense, Christians live Lamentations 3:22-23: “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”  Though the outer self is wasting away, the inner self is being renewed day by day. Michelangelo is reported to have said, “The more the marble wastes, the more the stature grows.”  This is only true for those who have trusted Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.  Without Christ, the outer self is wasting away, and the inner self is wasting away.  Ecclesiastes 1:2 describes life without a relationship with God: “Vanity of vanities,’ says the Preacher, ‘vanity of vanities.  All is vanity.”  But everything changes when you give your life to the crucified but risen Savior. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

When Adam and Eve sin, they died.

 Immediately, they died spiritually,

As sin separated them from God.

Progressively, they died morally,

Going from bad to worse.

Ultimately, they died physically.

This is the crisis of inherited sin.

1 Corinthians 15:22 says, “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”  

Saving-faith in the Second Adam

Changes everything!

Immediately, you are born again.

Progressively, you are growing

In the grace and knowledge of Christ.

Ultimately, you will live forever in eternal glory.

Though the outer self is wasting away; the inner self is being renewed day by day. The Bible sums up our attitude in situations that cause us to lose heart, “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.  For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Grace For The Journey

  If we are to be disciples of Jesus we should be like Him in every way.  Now . . .

That does not mean we

Will be like Him

In His perfection,

But rather His practice.

The life we live should resemble the life He lived, and there is no better portrait of His life than the one found in the book of Acts in five simple words.  It is presented in Acts 10:36-38 where the Bible says, “The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ – He is Lord of all – that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and begun from Galilee after the baptism which John  preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

There are three things I would like to highlight in those remarkable verses: HE WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD!

1. HE went about doing good.  To be sure, Jesus had His disciples whom He sent out to do good, but He never neglected to do good Himself.  The King of kings and the Lord of lords did not neglect to do good Himself.  In today’s language, it’s one thing to write a check in support of ministry needs; it’s another thing altogether to show up personally and meet that need physically when possible.
2. He WENT ABOUT doing good.  He did not set up shop in the center of Jerusalem waiting for others to come to Him.  He went out to them, meeting people in their place of need.  He went to the sick.  He went to the hurting.  He went to the lame.  He went to the broken.  He went to the poor.  He went to the outcast.  He went to the demon possessed.

He went on errands of eternal good

For the lives of so many,

In spite of distance, difficulty,

Danger . . . and ultimately death.

3. He we about DOING GOOD.   The portrait of the life of Christ makes it clear that the gospel was never intended to meet only spiritual needs.  Jesus came not only to redeem, but to restore. His rescue is far reaching with the intended good of all of the broken creation.  He went about doing good as a portrait of His ultimate goal of making all things new; And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

His main business it was to travel

From place to place to do good.

He did not go for applause,

Or wealth, or comfort, or ease,

But to power to experience

And enjoy life

As far as possible.

This is the simple

But sublime record

Of His life.

It gives us a distinct portrait of His character, as He is distinguished from conquerors and kings, from false prophets and from the mass of people.

Someone has said, “God wants us to join Him in His work of renewing people, places, and things.”

He wants Christians to renew their cultures

To the honor and glory of God.

God wants those He’s redeemed

To work at redeeming and transforming

This broken world and all its broken structures

– Families, churches, governments, business –

In a way that reflects an answer to the Lord’s Prayer:

‘Your kingdom come, Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

The life of Christ makes it clear that what we are positionally (a child of the Most High God) needs to be lived out practically (going about doing good).  The only way we will ever become what we already are is by surrendering our lives to the service of our Savior, so that He, by His grace, can paint a portrait that matches our profession.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”