This week, Michael writes
that after Jesus sent out seventy disciples to prepare the cities before him,
they reported back excited and “on fire” emotionally that they had performed
miracles and cast out demons in His name. Jesus said, "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning ...
however rejoice not because the demons are subject to you through my name, but
because your names are written in the book of life."
What are you excited about?
What sets your soul on fire? If you're working on works to ignite your soul,
then the fire will burn out quickly. According to the Christian writer Oswald
Chambers, the ultimate reality is the "rugged reality" of
redemption. Most men and women do things out of duty to live the Christian
life. They don't eagerly run to their Lord Jesus Christ from a heart of
love. The most difficult thing for a missionary is to keep their heart
right with the Lord ... to say, "here am I Lord, send me. My heart's
desire is to do thy will."
If you come to the Word of
God from duty and obligation, then you're under law and not under grace. Under
the law of obligation everything is a burden. However, Jesus said, "come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy
laden and I will give you rest." Ninety percent of evangelism and
ministry is serving from a heart of love. According to Oswald Chambers in
his devotional for February 1, the life of a Christian is on display for his
Lord Jesus Christ. There is no running and hiding from the spirit of the
Lord. God intended us to be living epistles known and read of all men and
women. For ye are the salt of the earth,
ye shine as lights in a world of darkness.
The world will turn its back
on righteousness. For that which is of the world is contrary to the spirit of
life in Christ. For those who want to be like the God-rejecting world,
there is a "Christ-less Christianity." If the Word of God is not
the center of the message in church, then it's not about Him, it's about entertainment.
In the church of the living God, we're
living for an audience of one ...our worship is for Him alone. The gospel message
is about good news and bad news. The bad news is that we're sinners and
that the wages of sin is eternal death. For
it is appointed for all men once to die and then comes the judgment. To
come to the Lord, we must come to the point that we know that without God we're
hopeless and helpless in a world of darkness.
Let's continue Michael's message on the Gospel in the next post.
In Christ, Brian
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