October 2009 - Posts
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We just listened to a sermon on love by Darrel Champlin taken from John 21:15-19. It was very motivational and encouraging. His term for agape love was “love with shoes on”. To put it to use – serving others or sharing the Good News. In Darrel’s real life stories I was blessed to see his application of Jesus’ question – do you love me? There were many trials that he went through, but instead of being discouraged, he showed love to his persecutors.
In one case he was in South America, and in this specific area there was such demonic power and control that no one had been saved for 250 years. Finally there were starting to be some converts, but the witch doctor decided to do a demonstration to try and sway the people back under the devil's power. He jumped on shards of glass without having his feet cut, and stamped a bonfire out without being burnt. Such was the power of the devil. This witch doctor had come to break the power of the gospel by demonstrating the power of the devil. Darrel knew that the only thing that he could do that would prevent the ‘babes in Christ’ from going back to their old ways was to do the fire-dance himself. He went through the same ordeal unharmed, God had supernaturally protected him, and the cause of Christ was greatly strengthened.
We can learn to love Christ. We can have such a passion for souls. We can pray for the unborn generations. Like Hannah we should dedicate our children to the Lord – even before they are born. As Christians we are soldiers. The battle is against the prince of the power of the air. The battle is in the mind and for the soul. How do we win the battle? by “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”.(2 Corinthians 10:5 )
Many Christians today feel defeated because they are constantly being bombarded by temptations. But instead we should be realizing that the Lord is testing us and trying us so that we may become as pure gold. Make no compromise. Sin greatly grieves our Lord. Time is too short, so live in repentance.
America today is filled with so many who are willing to make small compromises. That is how we got to where we are now politically. Compromise builds on compromise leading down the slippery slope to disaster. Don’t let that happen. Take personal responsibility. As God says in His Word: "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
And finally, we should remember that in Christ we have already won the war, but we are called to stand fast in the battles.
“Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:13)
   
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As I was recently reading some contractual language, the following words caught my eye: “We have a royalty-free, irrevocable, in perpetuity license...” Doesn't this describe our “contract” with God? We have a royalty-free, irrevocable, in perpetuity salvation. No payment is necessary - the payment has already been made by God himself. It is impossible for us or anyone else to do anything to revoke the salvation. And we will have this salvation forever. This is good news indeed!
The biblical distinctive which sets Christianity apart from other religions is Jesus, and the fact that He is our sole sufficiency. Adherents to other religions attempt to be good enough to be saved. But we know that we cannot be good enough, so we must rely on Jesus who is. We are justified by faith, not works; we are justified by grace, not law; and we are justified by divine righteousness, not human effort.
Faith is the agent that qualifies us for and brings us to salvation. Faith is belief in something not seen, and when mentioned in the Bible refers to faith in God and his promises. 1 Peter 1:9 says, “Receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls,” and so we know that faith brings us to salvation. Peter also calls this faith ours - we must possess it and personally put it to use. Yet this is a dynamic tension, for we know that in ourselves there is no good thing. And Ephesians 2:8 says “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Works can never save us. Even a single sin is sufficient to damn us for eternity, and can never be undone. James 2:10 says if we have broken the law in one point, we are guilty of all. And even those things we are doing which we think are good, if we do them without Christ, are iniquity and called sin by God. In essence, without fellowship with God we cannot do right, and due to Adam's sin we were born out of fellowship. Since we can never live up to the law, it cannot justify us; but rather it becomes is a mirror to show us our own sinfulness and inability to gain favor with God through works. Therefore, the law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. We then, when presented with the good news of the gospel, and given grace through the Holy Spirit to understand and receive it, exercise the faith God has bestowed upon us and believe in faith.
Our faith comes not through any human effort, but from divine generosity - often called grace in the Bible. Any righteousness that we obtain through that faith (though it never can be sufficient to merit salvation) is the gift of God. Where then does salvation come from? The God man, Jesus, says of me to the Father, “Yes, I know that he has sinned and will therefore never be righteous enough to come to heaven and have fellowship with us, so look at my righteousness instead.” The divine righteousness of Jesus is generously and amply imputed to my account, so instead of seeing my sin God sees Jesus' righteousness.
If I was to summarize salvation in a single phrase, it would have to be these words: “Total dependence on God.” If there is anything we can do to obtain salvation, it is nothing. Or rather, it is realizing that there is nothing we can do, and thus trusting wholly in what Christ has already done (salvation), and what subsequently the Spirit is doing (sanctification). When we have fully embraced this fact, we must also acknowledge our responsibility to allow the Lord to work through us (the other side of this dynamic tension), and work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12). But we must recognize our total dependence on God even for that.
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The Neely's were our hospitable hosts for several days while we were in North Carolina this September, and we greatly enjoyed spending the time with them. We especially enjoyed the times at the dinner table with them, during which we discussed such exciting topics as, “What is your most embarrassing moment?” and discovered the follies of gossip by playing “telephone.” Even when we shortened the phrase down to one single simple word, we still could not get it to pass unaltered around the table. How embarrassing... or perhaps enlightening!
 
After meals were over, Mr. Neely led the “family” in Bible study. We would also sit at the table and sing several hymns, mainly by memory though once we got out some hymn books. Praising the Lord together in song was a highlight of our visit, and we enjoyed singing around the table, around the piano, and even in the car.
And the kids had a blast playing Bible charades! We acted out Gideon and his foxes, Hannah and Penina, the stoning of Paul, and the Philistines' experience with the Ark of God. And we had at least as much fun preparing as we did acting out the stories.
  
On Sunday we were blessed to hear a sermon by “Uncle John” Chapman, from the end of Romans 12. If we feel the impulse to get revenge for wrongs another has done us, then we don't understand salvation. For, but for the grace of God, there goes I. We should instead have compassion, repaying with good, knowing that we ourselves were saved out of a similar state. And we should live in such sacrificial love that those “enemies” have no choice but to see God in us.
Looking back, I am encouraged by the Neely's focus on “seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and how our family was motivated to do the same. We were constantly singing, reading, playing, and sharing the word of God – not on Sunday or morning devotions only, but throughout every day. I believe this is what it's about when the Bible tells us to “teach them when you rise up and sit down,” “seek first the kingdom,” “pray without ceasing,” “delight in Thy statutes”, and many others. I was motivated - and would like to challenge you as well - to keep Him always first.
  
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