Create in Me a Clean Heart – Part 2

Michael continues: Sin separates our heart from God’s heart. Sin is literally “missing the mark” set by our heavenly Father. However, the emphasis of the word sin, is not on the missing … instead the emphasis is on the mark itself. The mark is the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. You have to look at the target, focus on the target, and then concentrate on and aim deliberately at the bullseye in order to hit the mark. The target is God’s righteousness; Jesus Christ himself. For He who was without sin was made the perfect sacrifice for sin on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him. If we’re walking in close proximity with Him, He will fill our field of vision. It’s impossible to miss the target at point blank range; when we follow close by Jesus’ side.

The devil will distract our attention from Jesus Christ, the truth of God and His Word. He’s up to his old tricks and just as he tempted Eve,  he tempts us today. He questions the love of God and the Word of God. To work on our relationships, first we must have our vertical priorities in alignment. Our first priority is to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. You treasure that which you love. To love God above all is to treasure the treasures in Heaven and not upon earth … for where you treasure is, there will your heart be also. The unbelievers questioned the Apostle Paul … they said, you’re one of those hypocritical Pharisees. How dare you judge us according to your impossible standards of the Law of sin and death? However, Paul said, I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that (Holy Spirit) which He has committed unto me against that day of righteous judgement.

Israel’s King David said, search me O God and know may heart and see if there be any hurtful way of unrighteousness thing in me… Cleanse me and lead me in your way… test me… try me and prove my heart.Through the testing of trial and tribulation, the pressure of the test will reveal God’s character in us. For tribulation works patience, and patience experience…. God’s tested character, and experience hope… the hope of the resurrection and heaven. And hope makes not ashamed because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given to us.

The source of sin is the nature of the flesh that we inherited from Adam’s fall. The “god of self” and it’s domain is heavily defended territory. How do we defeat the god of self? According to Corinthians, the battle is for hearts and minds. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. They are not of the flesh, but spiritual to the pulling down of the adversary’s spiritual strongholds. The way to pull down these selfish strongholds is “casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. To live for Christ, we must die to self; to our sin nature. For I was crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Life upon this earth is but a vapor; a nanosecond in eternity. Life on earth will soon be passed, only that which is in Christ shall last. Therefore, set your affection on things above, not on things of this earth… search me O Lord and know my heart… Create in me a new heart O Lord and cleanse me from all unrighteousness, that with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength I may love you above all; to treasure treasures in Heaven, to live this life pressing toward Your mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, and to the praise of the glory of Thy grace!

Your brother in Christ, Michael 

Create in Me a Clean Heart - Part 1

In Matthew 6, Jesus continued His sermon on the mount and addressed the issue of doubt, worry, and fear. He said, consider the lilies of the field and the fowls of the air. They toil not neither do they spin, yet Solomon in all of his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If he so clothed the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, will He not much more take care of you, O ye of little faith?

This week, Michael writes that people of little of faith are like children; they fear the deep end of the pool. They have not learned to trust in the Lord with all their hearts and lean not unto their own understanding. Jesus said, What’s different between you Children of Israel and the Gentiles … the heathen who have no relationship with God? They worry about the cares and the affairs of this “live in the moment” existential world. What makes you different from them? Jesus said, I’ll give you the resources you will need, but you will use these blessings to bless others by working with your hands from a heart of love to accomplish the purpose for which I have prepared you. In so doing, set your affections on things above and seek ye first the kingdom of God. God will be your sufficiency for blessing you and your family as you use the resources to your heavenly Father’s glory. Don’t worry about having your needs met … God will bless and abound the work of your hands if you set your eyes unto Jesus. Therefore, Seek not worldly treasures. Instead, seek treasures in Heaven and not upon earth, then when you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all these physical things which align with His desires shall be added unto you.

Most people who consider themselves Christians have no passion, zeal, and fervor for the things of God. They keep their light of Christ hidden under a bushel basket. Faith is a muscle that needs to be exercised. Galatians says, neither circumcision (the keeping of the Old Testament law) nor uncircumcision (the ways of the pagan gentiles) availed anything. As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, everything upon this earth that is done for our own vain purposes will come to naught. Galatians 5 says, the only thing that really matters is “believing faith” that worketh in love. Love activates, energizes, invigorates and exercises the faith-muscle that appropriates God’s blessings into fruition. Therefore, be not weary in well doing … God will sustain your effort. Then in patiently working, God gives the blessing at the time of harvest.

Our Heavenly Father is intimately acquainted with all of our ways. He numbers each hair on our head. Wherever we go, God is there; He sees all and is ever present. Therefore, King David said, search me and know my heart… test my anxious thoughts. Create in me a clean heart, O Lord… a heart dedicated to you… and lead me into the way everlasting. As we look at the fallen secular world around us, as the lyric from The Music Man says, “there’s trouble in River City.” There is strife, contention, chaos, and confusion all around us. The devil is up to his old tricks. And his job is to divide and conquer. Ultimately, his purpose is to separate our hearts from God’s heart. To look at the world we’ll be stressed. To look at others we’ll be distressed. To look in the mirror, we’ll be depressed. However, to look unto Jesus, we’ll be blessed. Therefore, turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace. 

Let's continue Michael's message on faith in the next post. 

In Christ, Brian 

The Mystery of Life – Part 3

 

PAstor Herk explains that this same Apostle Paul warns of deceptive, ungodly beliefs and teachings, and the eternal consequences thereof in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” And also in Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” It is crystal clear. The Creator makes the rules and reigns over all his creation and creatures. Yet, we live in a lost in sin and fallen world.

 

Extremely irritated, the Apostle declares in Galatians 1:6-9, “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel — which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!” The Apostle proclaims in 2 Timothy 3:14-17 “you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture

is given by inspiration of God [literally, God-breathed], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 

 

Today, God’s revelation comes primarily through His holy Word. As we read and study the Bible, meditating upon His Word, the indwelling Holy Spirit helps us better understand and apply what is written. We can be faithfully assured that we will never have any relation from God that is not consistent with what is already written in Holy Scripture. Stay consistent to what God says. In Acts 5:29 the Apostle Peter said, “We must obey God rather than men [with the added notion of weakness, by which man is led into a mistake or prompted to sin with the adjunct notion of contempt or disdainful pity; corrupt verses the truly Christian man, conformed to the nature of God].” The Apostle Paul warns in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” The Lord Jesus explained in John 3:19-20 “this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.” 

 

The fourth observation for application is that the mystery is to be living out in community with other Believers in the body of Christ and His church. We should not be living out this journey alone, like a dismembered part of the body. God intends for us to live within a community of faithful Believers in connection, following Christ; a family of citizen of Heaven congregating to worshipping together as the church in praise and glory of Him – Soli Deo Gloria. Life is a mystery. A mystery where God reveals what is going to happen at just the right time. A mystery that is consistent with what God has already revealed, and a mystery that is to being lived out in community with other Believers. From the beginning of our lives to the end, God knows every second of our history – a part of His story. What we know of our lives is that it is a mystery until God reveals it. To God, our life is history, but to us, our life is a mystery. But to the true Christian, because of Christ, they know the eternal end of the story.

 

In Christ, Brian    

The Mystery of Life - Part 2

Ephesians 3:2-6 “if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers 

 

Pastor Herk then shared four observations about this passage that we can use in our journey through life. (1) Life is a mystery being opened up to us day-by-day. We do not know what is going to happen in the future, and in this life, tomorrow is not guaranteed. Intellectually, we know that life is a mystery, but the practical fact is that none of us live our lives like we really believe that. Look at how many are trying to take the mystery out of their lives because they want to know, plan and control their future and make things happen to get and be who and where they want to be. The Bible is clear that we cannot know what is going to happen in the future because that is the way that God planned it. James 4:13-14 tells us, Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. You can make your plans, but it may not work out the way that you planned it would. 

 

Matthew 6:31-34 “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. When our plans change and do not work out the way that we thought they would, we become disappointed. But, know that our omniscient God know what was going to happen, seeing from outside of time looking in, knowing the end from the beginning. God knows and understands it all; we do not. 

 

The second observation for application is that God reveals the mysteries of life as we need to know. God has a plan for each and every one of us. When we hear God’s calling upon our hearts, we need to be obedient to it. And in as much as we think that we want to know what the future has in store for us, the fact is that we couldn’t deal with it the way that we should or fulfill the calling of our life, if we knew. So, God reveals each day as much of the mystery of life as we need to know in order to live out His plan for it; unfolded day-by-day, little-by-little, and one step at a time. God will help us deal with whatever difficulties come up along the way, when the time comes. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present. The Lord is with us and we need to trust God.  

 

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

 

The third observation for application is that God’s revelation never violates His Word. We live in a culture today where many people claim to have some new revelation form God. That is how Cults are formed. One of God’s attributes is that He is immutable. The test for special revelation is: how it stacks up against the rest of God’s Holy Word? Is it consistent with Holy Scripture and what the Bible teaches? If it is not complimentary in accordance with the Word of God, then it is false doctrine. Believers, disciples of Christ, the children of God should not be deceived by such false teaching and ideology. 

 

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on the Mystery of Life in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

The Mystery of Life - Part 1

 

Ephesians 3:2-6 “if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel.”

 

Last Sunday, Pastor Herk of the Little Church in the Pines continued in his sermon series in the Epistle to the Ephesians. He stated that life is a mystery that is reveal to us by God a little at a time, when we are ready for it and need it. The Greek word for “mystery” is “mystērion”, meaning (1) generally mysteries, religious secrets, confided only to the initiated and not to ordinary mortals; (2) a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding; (3) of God: the secret counsels which govern God in dealing with the righteous, which are hidden from ungodly and wicked men but plain to the godly. Specifically, things that were revealed partially in the past, but are now being revealed more fully. 

 

Genesis 12:3 Now the Lord had said to Abram: “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Not just God’s “chosen people”, but all the families for the earth. It was always the intention and plan to bless everyone through the offspring of Abram. Until Christ came, died upon the Cross and rose from the grave, the means by which this promise of God was going to be fulfilled was a mystery. In this passage, the Apostle Paul uses three compound words that all begin with the same Greek prefix, which means “together with”. The first one is “fellow heirs”, which is the Greek word “sygklēronomos”, meaning one who obtains something assigned to himself with others, a joint participant; a co-heir, participant in common: fellow (joint)-heir, heir together, heir with. 

 

The second one is being members together “of the same body. The Greek word used here is “syssōmos”, meaning of a joint body (figuratively). a fellow-member of the Christian community: of the same body of Believers to the same church – Christ’s church body. The body of Christ only functions as God intended, when every member fulfills its role within the body. The third is that we are partakers of His promise in Christ. The Greek word used here is “symmetochos”, meaning partaking together with one, a joint partaker.  Earlier, in Ephesians 2:12, Paul said, “that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Now, because of the finshed work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, all are joint partakers of His promise (all the families of the earth shall be blessed) in Christ through the gospel.  

 

Pastor Herk then shared four observations about this passage that we can use in our journey through life. But, let's find out what they are in the next post.

In Christ. Brian  

Saturate USA

 

Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

 

The came upon the Saturate USA Evangelism outreach program (https://www.saturateusa.org) in an article within the July 2021 American Family Association Journal (inserted below) and was excited to propose to my local church the intuitive of adopting a ZIP Code in our city of Anaheim, California to bring the news and spread the Word of Jesus Christ to our community. Calling their national headquarters, Pam directed to our regional director Phil, who set our church up with 50,000 doors to visit and distribute a evangelical gift package which included the Jesus Film DVD, a web-address for a livestream version also, a woman’s ministry and children’s ministry film on the same disk, a CRU Gospel tract from Campus Crusade for Christ and an Introductory insert from our local church explaining who we are, what we believe and an invitation to come join us on Sundays. 

Our Associate Pastor, having been a member of a worldwide evangelism band (Christ Safari) prior, designED the church introductory invitation insert and had printed. Looking at the Saturate USA program, he felt that this was a great opportunity for the local church to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ in a non-confrontational manner of leaving a doorhanger packet with the Gospel message in multiple media, along with a “connection point” for the residents of the community to the Christian church in a chaotic world that so desperately needs Jesus. Every Christian is called by the Lord to make disciples of all nations by telling the people within their sphere of influence about the Gospel truth. Not everyone feels comfortable about talking to strangers about the Gospel message (though they can each tell their own personal story how Jesus transformed their life when asked), but anyone can place a doorhanger of gospel information on a door and let the Holy Spirit reach the hearts of those on the other side. The church has a gift for them … a Gospel message packet, a loving Bible-believing church home and the Gift of God in Jesus Christ - life. 

John 3:14-17 “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” 

Since our church was located in a Zip Code that was adopted by another local church, our pastor suggested in partnering with that other local church to have both churches represented and double the distribution potential. I contacted Pastor Joseph and met with that Evangelism director Jan to get approval and coordinate volunteer distribution teams. They had adopted the area and started reaching the residents with the love of Jesus, when COVID-19 struck and the project had to be delayed. They had been praying for another local chuck to come alongside them, when I gave them a call – a prayer answered. Now, plastic doorhangers are being stuffed with all the material and plans are being made to form groups to go out and distribute, individuals have already began saturating neighborhoods and apartment complexes, and the love of God delivered. Are you ready to join the mission to help people find Christ one door at a time and bless lives for Christ’s sake?  

In Christ, Brian

Reminders – Part 3

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”

 

Continuing, Pastor Kyle’s third important reason that we need frequent Gospel reminders is (3) that Gospel reminders help us maintain our spiritual conditioning. We need to keep up our spiritual conditioning continually, disciplining ourselves to keep doing them. When we don’t keep a steady routine of spiritual disciple then when we get back into devotional Bible reading, daily prayer, going to church or Bible Study groups, we will feel like they are some massive time commitment that we are unprepared for. Our focus will be lacking, our minds will wander, and we will give up more quickly of them. Those little reminders of the importance of living out the Gospel helps us keep the perspective of maintaining our relationship with our heavenly Father first and foremost, along with reasonable answering why we are doing what we are doing in kingdom living. The difference in living for the Gospel and every other form of discipline that you already do in your own life is that it is not about us doing something for self-improvement.   

 

Romans 6:16-18, 22-23 “Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” The Apostle Paul tells us that “Christ died for our sins”. We don’t earn our salvation and we also will not earn God’s approval from my obedience, but when we serve God, who gave everything, so that us undeserving, broken and dead sinner could be made alive in Christ and spend eternity with God in Heaven, the natural response is: “what can I do to give my life back to you Lord?” Gospel reminders help us maintain our spiritual conditioning and ongoing obedience.   

 

Pastor Kyle’s fourth important reason that we need frequent Gospel reminders is (4) that Gospel reminders refocus us on what really matters. When we take our eyes off what matters most, we draft towards whatever we focus on in life. We forget who we are and whose we are. We forget those around us that we care about and focus on things that feed our own desires. When life becomes about us, we’ve lost our Gospel focus. What really matters? Who really matters? What is this life all about? We might come to church seeking a massive Divine revelation, but God mainly speaks to us through little reminders that we need to refocus on for those who are on track in their Christian walk. It is not some prodigal son or daughter story, just little refocusing in so areas of our lives, and that refocusing on the Gospel reminds us that God loves us, God has a plan for us, God has a plan for this world, that we are a part of God’s plan to reach this world for Christ, and that God’s plan for us is bigger than our plan for us. If we do not live up to our full human potential, but do everything God says that we are supposed to do, we can rest easy as a Christian walking in the Spirit with love, joy and peace because told us what this life supposed to be about, giving us perspective.      

 

Pastor Kyle gave us three Gospel truths to remind ourselves of daily. (A) Is the story and historical facts about the Gospel. Christ dies for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; God’s plan of Salvation designed, prophesied and played out on the world stage. Jesus was buried, that he was raised on the third day. Then Jesus appeared to Peter (who denied the Lord 3 times), and the twelve (who all but one died a martyr’s death for their faith); nobody dies for a known lie. Then to 500 other Believers (still alive at that time to verify the fact). Finally, to the Apostles James and Paul. (B) Is the story and fact of how God transformed your life from the inside out and your personal relationship with the Lord. All of us can say, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain.” Whether in a specific moment or over a period of time, we by faith became Believers, received Christ and were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. (C) Is the power of the Gospel that continues to be at work in our life today. What God did, what God does and what God is going to do in our lives by the power of the Gospel and Gospel reminders.

 

In Christ, Brian

Reminders - Part 2

Continuing, Pastor Kyle’s second important reason that we need frequent Gospel reminders is (2) that Gospel reminders confirm our faith and they reveal our hearts. The Apostle Paul tells the Christians that “I would remind you of the gospel ... by which you are being saved”. Christians are being transformed by the Gospel; we are saved and being saved in the present and ongoing tense. We think that salvation happens at a moment in time. Some may ask if it is possible to lose your salvation? Scripture tells us that a truly repentant and converted Christian, sealed by the Holy Spirit, cannot lose their eternal salvation. That which is eternal cannot be temporal. Jesus said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Then confirms in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” 

 

But, there are a lot of people who look like they are saved, or go through the motions of a saved Christians, who actually are not saved; nominal, pseudo, false, counterfeit or spurious Christians. They may not have truly believed in God, may not heard and honestly understood Jesus’ gospel words, may not have sincerely repented of their sins, may not have faithfully believed that Jesus died for their sins, or may not genuinely believe that they need to stop sinning and therefore deceiving themselves. The real question is not can they lose their salvation, but did they ever really truly believe, accept Christ in the first place, and actually converted? They may have a false sense of salvation based upon a false Savior of their construct. Many people desire a savior to forgive their sins so that they don’t spend eternity in Hell, but do not desire a Lord to obey and be accountable to for their thoughts, words and deeds. Romans 10:9 says, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

 

The Apostle Paul speaks of “the gospel, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved”, because of the Christian’s ongoing commitment to pick up their Cross and follow Jesus Christ daily is what confirms their sure salvation. When we get to that Great White Throne in Heaven, Jesus is not going to ask if we prayed a “Sinner’s Prayer” one time in our life here on earth, like we just needed to say the magic words and we were good to come on in; nothing else you needed to do to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven for all time. Jesus is going to ask, how we lived our life each day after we prayed that prayer. What we do after that prayer confirms whether we meant that prayer or not. Jesus forgives our sins, if we sincerely repent of our sins, we accept that He was sent from Heaven by God the Father, that His atoning death on the Cross in our place paid for our sins, that He rose from the grave on the three day to conquer sin and death, and that we receive Him as our Savior and Lord now and forever.   

 

We are fallen humanity and will never be perfect; that is why Jesus (the perfect sacrificial Lamb of God) came. But, if all we did was pray a special prayer and never made any substantive changes in our lives as a response to the Gospel and conversion, did we really even mean what we prayed in the first place? You see, the Gospel reveals the quality of our heart. So, I’d like to ask a question: “How do you respond to reminders about things that you already know?” We need that reminder to get back and then stay on track with the Christian life in a very distractive and busy world. How we respond shows if we are staying soft and tenderhearted to the things of God or hardening our hearts in some way.   

Let's continue Pastor Kyle's message on Godpel Reminders on the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Reminders - Part 1

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”

 

This last Sunday, pastor Kyle continued in our church’s sermon series through the first Pauline Epistle to the Christian church in Corinth, stating that the fifteenth chapter begin with the Apostle saying: “I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel.” Reminders can be very helpful since we as human beings can be so prone to forget. And, we all have people in our lives that are so good at reminding us of important things that we need to keep in mind. And thank God for those little reminders that the Holy Spirit gives us to stay on track in our Christian life, but the reminder we need the most every day is the one that gets dumped at the bottom of our list in our busy lives; the reminder of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Christian life centers around the Gospel reality and life-changing and empowering message in a person’s life. When the centrality of our life is based around the truth of the Gospel, then everything else falls into place. 

 

When a person repents of sin, accepts Jesus as Savior and Lord, and believes by faith that Christ rose from the dead on the third day, ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, interceding for us until He come again for them, God steps in to transform them from the inside out. The power of the Gospel is obvious, but if we are not intentional then the significance of the gospel in our daily lives slips into the background, instead of the forefront, by familiarity, distracting interests and busyness, which compete for our attention and obscure the view of the Gospel foundation and truth. We need to remind ourselves of the Gospel, be reminded of the Gospel, and remind one another of the power of the Gospel. 

 

Pastor Kyle highlighted four important reasons that we need frequent Gospel reminders. The first one is (1) Gospel reminders help us keep the Good News refreshed; to give new strength to; to invigorate; to relieve after fatigue; To revive; to reanimate after depression; to cheer; to enliven. The Gospel in which you received, in which you stand does not expire or go out of date, but what we have to do is refresh the Gospel in our hearts and lives. It is not nefarious, but because of our fallen nature and our finite human capacity, we quickly forget whatever is that we fail to keep refreshed in our minds. 

Every Christian has to work hard to keep the Gospel and the Word of God fresh in their mind and heart. Do you remember all the information that you were diligently taught in High School, College or in occupations that you no longer work, or people, places and event details from long ago? The details fad quickly, but when someone reminds you of those details, it refreshes your memory. But, the fact is that we have to fight and work to keep the Good News fresh in our minds, just like everyone else or else it becomes part of the foggy and distant past in our life. There are few topics in our lives that we are going to stay locked in our mind, that we can pick up without even thinking about and we can expect to have right there at the forefront of our minds. We need to receive reminders and to remind ourselves, while growing beyond what we know and continue to expand our knowledge. No one can coast on past success or past knowledge; we need to keep ourselves refreshed, reminding ourselves of the Gospel in our heart, mind and soul.       

Let's continue PAstor Kyle's message on Gospel Reminders in the next post.

In Christ, Brian

Pleasing God - Part 2

Continuing Michael's message: Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, where your treasure there will your heart be also. We invest our efforts and our energy in the things and the people we love. Therefore, don’t accumulate things of this world, instead lay up for yourself treasures in heaven through eternal investments with a heart to love and serve God above all. In Ephesians 5 we are told that we were born into the darkness of this fallen world. Jesus Christ himself is the light of the world. We who have been born-again of God’s Spirit are His photo-multipliers … we are the lights in a world of darkness, who reflect the light of Christ. The light eliminates the darkness. Light reveals and makes clear the truth of the Word of God and exposes what is in the dark. Jesus Christ is the Word of God … He is the revealed word of God made manifest.  

Prior to receiving God’s salvation through Jesus Christ, we were blinded by the darkness of this world; you cannot see in the dark. Our fallen nature we inherited from Adam was the nature of sin and death. However, we have received new life in Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit. We were children of darkness, but now we are children of light. Jesus Christ himself is the light. He is the truth of the Word of God made manifest. The Light of Christ illuminates the eyes of our spiritual understanding, so we can see from God’s heavenly perspective. Now that we have been born-again of God’s Spirit, we can live in the newness of life in Christ. As King David said, Create in me a new heart O Lord. With the born-again regeneration of our spirit within us, the desire of the new heart of in Christ in us is to please God. 

True prayer is Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prayed three times for God to remove the impending cup of God’s wrath … of taking upon himself the pain, torture, shame, beating, crucifixion and death as just retribution for the sins of the world. He prayed, if there be any other way, Please Father, take this cup of wrath from me. His ultimate prayer, however was “Not my will but thine be done.” True prayer is not please, please, please me. Instead the essence of prayer is the diplomatic French phrase: “S’il vous plait.” This means, “If it pleases you.” In other words, “Not my will but thine be done.” The blessing is not in seeking the blessing, instead the blessing is in seeking the Blessor and in doing that which is well-pleasing and acceptable unto Him.

Here are some other verses to understand from the perspective of Christ’s eyes behind our eyes what it means to be well pleasing unto our Heavenly Father…

Psalm 147:10-11 - His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 - On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts.

Galatians 1:10 - Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

John 8:29. Jesus said, And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him.

Acts 5:29 Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

1 Thessalonians 4:1 Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that the exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Psalm 69:30-32 I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving.
This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.
The humble shall see this, and be glad: and your heart shall live that seek God. 

Our prayer is according to Psalm 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my Redeemer. That, we may be well-pleasing in thy sight O Lord, offering up continually a sacrifice of praise from a heart of love to thy honor and glory!

Your brother in Christ, Michael 

Pleasing God - Part 1

This week, Michael writes how the world reminds us that we are living in difficult times. The past few years have confirmed that the devil is alive and well on planet earth. There is trial and tribulation all around us. The devil tricks us into responding to the pandemic and pestilence with panic and pandemonium. In this world there is a lot to be mournful about. However, Jesus said, blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.From Jesus’ perspective of the beatitudes, his blessed attitudes, the mourning is over the things of this world that have separated our hearts from God’s heart. Then, with a heart of meekness and humility, we can turn our eyes from this world and instead focus on the things of the spirit of God.

The God-rejecting world teaches us that we have plenty of enemies in this world. The devil will convince us to separates ourselves into warring parties ... His purpose is to steal, to kill and to destroy. His purpose is to divide and conquer. He does this by dividing warring factions into enemy camps. However, Jesus came to reconcile … to bring together that which has been separated. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus. Through Jesus Christ, He is the one who brings us together, our hearts aligned according to the word and will of God. He has called us in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Therefore, above all things put on charity, the love of God which is the bond, the tie that binds our hearts together in the bond of perfectness. 

According to Ephesians 5:8-10 in the NIV, For you were once darkness, but now are the light in the Lord. Live as children of light for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth and find out what pleases (is acceptable unto) the Lord. What is pleasing unto the Lord? The word for “Pleasing” is the Greek word “euarestos” translated as “well-pleasing” or “acceptable” in the King James Version. What is it that is acceptable unto God? In the Old Testament Levitical law, the priests offered sacrifices unto God for His acceptance. We think that to sacrifice means to give up something. However, this is not God’s definition of an acceptable sacrifice. What are the sacrifices, living sacrifices that are acceptable or well-pleasing to God? According to Hebrews 13:15-16, through Him, then, we may offer up a sacrifice of praise always to God, that is, the fruit of lips, giving thanks to His name; and of doing good, and of fellowship, be not forgetful, for with such sacrifices God is well-pleased.

We are to offer sacrifices that are pleasing to God. These are the sacrifices of praise, worship in awe, reverence and respect from a heart of love. This is the essence of Romans 12:1, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Our challenge is to do that which is “well pleasing” (acceptable) unto the Lord. We often pray for God to bless us. Our prayer in English is a quote from the Beatles’ song: Please, please, please me. We think that prayer is for God to please me. We think that prayer is a plead for God to bring about our own good pleasure. However, James says, you pray and you do not receive because when you pray you ask for things that you may consume it on your own lust. Lust is anything that we love more than our love of God. Lust is an over-desire; anything that we desire over our desire for God. We live to please those we love. Who is it that you love most? The first and great commandment says, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind ... with your very essence in everything that is in you.  

LEt's continue Michael's message on pleasing God in the next post. In Christ, Brian

Right & Wrong

Job 33:26-27 “He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, he shall see His face with joy, for He restores to man His righteousness. Then he looks at men and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right, and it did not profit me.’”

 

During the childrearing years of my parenting, there was no guidebook on how to bring up my sons to be a “good” person in character and being, living with honestly, integrity, industry and care. I did have the examples of my own parents, what I experienced in school, and learnings from life and Christianity. Somewhere along the way, I came up with the motto: “Know the difference between right and wrong, then base your judgments accordingly and choose to do what is right.” This was a great moral guiding principle for me, so I engrained this concept into them, and they repeat it back still today. But, you have to know what the standard is, who sets the standard and why?

 

The word “right” (from the Job passage above and in Psalm 19:8 & 2 Chronicles 14:2 below) is the Hebrew word “Yāšār”, which means pleasing, correct or straightforward, just, upright, fitting, proper. Noah Webster’s dictionary defines “right” in morals and religion, it means just; equitable; accordant to the standard of truth and justice or the will of God. That alone is right in the sight of God, which is consonant to His holy will or law; this being the only perfect standard of truth and justice. In social and political affairs, that is right which is consonant to the laws and customs of a country, provided these laws and customs are not repugnant to the laws of God. That which is true; not erroneous or wrong (that being not morally right; that deviates from the line of rectitude prescribed by God; not just or equitable; not right or proper; not legal; erroneous; as a wrong practice; wrong ideas; a wrong course of life; wrong measures; wrong inclinations and desires; a wrong application of talents; wrong judgment). 2 Chronicles 14:2 “did

what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord his God.”

 

Psalm 19:7-9 “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the

Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”

 

Creator God, who is just and holy, sets the standards for what is right for His world and life and rejoice the heart for they are good because only God is good. This is why the Father of our Country, George Washington, stated: “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of Patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens.” 

Romans 1:17 proclaims, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” The Word of God in the pages of the Holy Bible are the instructions on how to be a “good” person in character and being, living with honestly, integrity, industry and care. For to be “right” in the sight of God is to be “right” in life.

 

Philippians 1:9-11 “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

 

In Christ, Brian

The Devil Made Me Do It

 

 

In John 8:42-44, Jesus said to those who were trying to kill him, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” 

 

In the late 1960’s through the early 1970’s show “Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In”, Comedian Flip Wilson coined the phrase: “The devil made me do it.” We joke, but who really is this devil which the Apostle John calls in Revelation 12:9, “the great dragon… that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” 

 

The term “the devil” in this passage is the Greek Work “diablos”, translated as calumniator (One who slanders; one who falsely and knowingly accuses another of a crime or offense, or maliciously propagates false accusations), a false accuser, slanderer). 1 Peter 5:8 tells us, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil (diablos) walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” In the Christian theology, the devil is the evil One; the fallen archangel Lucifer, expelled from heaven for rebellion against God; Satan, the chief of the apostate angels; the implacable enemy and tempter of the human race. In Luke 10:18, the Lord Jesus said to his disciples, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” The Greek word “Satan” here is “Satanas”, and translates as the adversary, the name given to the prince of evil spirits, the inveterate adversary of God and Christ. He circumventing men by his wiles (tempting charms, deceits, cons, guiles and deceptions. Satan is the grand adversary of man; the devil or prince of darkness; the chief of the fallen angels.

 

Satan is a great deceiver. He first blinds his victims before he binds and leads them unto destruction. The three members of the unholy trinity are the sinful desires of the flesh, the God-reject world system, and the devil. All three tempt, lie and deceive us into sin. The deception can be very small at first. At Stone Mountain in Decatur, Georgia, so gradually does it slope downward that if one were to get within 75 or 100 feet of the edge, they would already find themselves slipping toward the precipice and would be unable to recover themselves. With no way to stop, until they plunged over the edge to their death hundreds of feet below. Sin, like this same slippery slope, pulls us down into things that we never expected we would do; and the wages of sin is death – Romans 6:23. You see the unholy trinity’s results in Ephesians 2:1-2, “you were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

 

On Christ's return from heaven he will be bound with chains for a thousand years, but when the thousand years are finished he will walk the earth in yet greater power, but shortly after will be given over to eternal punishment. James 4:7 concludes, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Ephesians 6:11 explains that we are to “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” In addition to doing our part in consciously facing the devil’s attacks armed and standing firm, we know that the Lord is behind us and protecting us. The Lord instructs us in John 17:15, “I do not pray that You {heavenly Father God] should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” Meaning that God build a hedge of protection around us [His children] from the devil. 

 

As Jabez called on God in 1 Chronicles 4:10 saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!”, request the divine, supernatural and spiritual protection of God. Remember that Satan told God in Job 1:10, “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 confirms, “The Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.”

 

We don’t have to say, “the devil made me do it”, because we can choose to “walk in the Spirit”. As Jesus taught his disciples to pray in Matthew 6:13, petition to God, “do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” 

 

In Christ, Brian

Pat It Forward - 3

 

Ephesians 3:1-3 “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — if indeed you have heard of the administration of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly.”

 

PAstor Herk continues: When we accept Christ into our lives as Savior and Lord, and receive God’s grace through faith, that blessing is not just for us. We are blessed to be a blessing to others by paying it forward, extending grace to the people around you. 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 says, “This is the way any person is to regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.” Take it seriously and be a good steward. God entrusts us with the revelation with the mystery of the Gospel - Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”  - and then He calls us to respond to that revelation of truth by being good stewards of God’s true and pure religious economy in the world; be salt and light as you go tell the good news on the mountain that all can hear that Jesus Christ is Lord. We have to pay it forward. 

 

1 Peter 4:10 “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.” In a sense, we are being “re-gifters”. Only, in the spiritual sense, when we re-gift that love, grace and forgiveness of God to others, we keep the gift too. Let the Spirit flow living water of Christ’s redemption from you to others and watch the “fruit of the spirit” spread in the light of truth. We are giving that gift away but not losing it – receive it, give it to someone else, and still have it.  

 

The third principle is that God ordain, so that I obey. This can be the hardest part of this passage for most of us because we can get a revelation from God and handle responding by being appreciative of God’s gifts and pay it forward to others easy enough. We don’t mind being stewards of His grace and pass it on either. But, as freedom-loving people, not very many want to be prisoners. The first two principles are 100% dependent upon this third principle – being a prisoner of Christ Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Christian church in Ephesus from a Roman prison, but realized that his imprisonment was a part of God’s plan for him to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles – physically in the custody of th3e Roman authorities, but spiritually the prisoner of the Lord.     

 

But, what does it mean to be a prisoner? The Greek word in Ephesians 3:1 is “Desmios”, meaning bound with Jesus, in bonds as a bondservant, a captive of God's love, a prisoner of the Lord. The 1828 Webster’s Dictionary defines the word prisoner as: 1. A person in custody, whether in prison or not. 2. A captive. 3. One whose liberty is restrained. A prisoner basically willfully or unwilfully loses all of their freedoms. They no longer have the right to determine how they are going to live their life. Someone else determines their schedule and what they can or cannot do. As Lord and Master of our life, doesn’t God expect that same subjectivity in Jesus from us as Followers of Christ?  This same Apostle Paul explains in Romans 6:16-18 “Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and after being freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness.”

 

Our heavenly Farther ordains what we do with our lives, how we are to live and our responsibility to obey God’s Commands and follow His plans for our lives. That is the key which enables us to respond to God’s revelation and pay the gift of His grace forward to others. The Lord said in John 15:5, “I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” So, if we are going to be effective disciples for Jesus Christ and bear good fruit for the kingdom of God, then we have to be willing to give up some of our freedoms and remain and abide in Christ. If we want to take God’s grace in our lives and pay it forward as He intends, then we have to be willing to make Jesus Christ the Master of our lives; aligning my will with His will.   

 

God’s grace is not just for us. God has called us to be good stewards of that grace by paying it forward, that other may experience every spiritual blessing that Christ has given us. Pay it forward.

 

In Christ, Brian 

Pay It Forward - 2

 

Ephesians 3:1-3 “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — if indeed you have heard of the administration of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly.”

 

Pastor Herk gave us three important principles. (1) God reveals so that we can respond; the mystery made known to us by revelation. The word “mystery” in this passage is the Greek word “mystḗrion”, meaning a hidden or secret thing, not obvious to the understanding: confided only to the initiated and not to be communicated by them to ordinary mortals. The way that the Apostle Paul uses “mystery” here refers to something that God has revealed in the past in part, but which now has been more fully revealed by revelation through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. One being about the body of Christ’s church, as Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28 “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.” 

 

Psalm 77:14-15 “You are the God who works wonders; You have made known Your strength among the peoples. By Your power You have redeemed Your people.”

 

When Christ supernaturally appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus, He made it clear that through Jesus, both Jews and Gentiles have access to God and it didn’t require the Gentiles to become a Jew; the sameness was in Christ. Along with that revelation came the responsibility for Paul to pass that revelation on to others, in effect “paying it forward”. Everyone receives a revelation from God that motivates them to thought and action. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us, “He [God] has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart.” 

 

Today, God primarily reveals Himself through His Bible, the holy Word of God and through His Creation. But, also through people, prayer and worship. And because God has revealed Himself to you, you also have a responsibility to respond and make Him known to others. God doesn’t reveal Himself, His purposes and truth, just for our knowledge, faith and inner fruit of the Spirit – well-being. The Lord Jesus said in John 15:15-16“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain.” But, if you have never accepted Jesus Christ into your life as your Savior and Lord, then you need to respond to God’s revelation unto eternal salvation today. Once saved, we have a further responsibility to share the Gospel and what God has done in our lives to others – pay it forward.       

 

The Second principle is that God graces us so that we can give - God’s grace which was given to me for you. We need to have good stewardship of the grace and provision which God provides us for “kingdom economy”, including our giving back to God a portion for the ministry. Ultimately, everything belongs to God and we are merely given the responsibility to be good and faithful stewards, managers or administrators of what God gives us, but it’s not just for us personally. We are blessed to be a blessing to others. If God’s grace was only for our personal benefit, then there would be no reason for God to leave us here on earth. This same Paul said in Philippians 1:23-25 “I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sakes. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith.” All Christians have Gospel seeding, watering and harvest work here in helping people find Christ as Savior and Lord.  

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message on the next post. In Christ, Brian

Pay It Forward - 1

Ephesians 3:1-3 “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles — if indeed you have heard of the administration of God’s grace which was given to me for you; that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly.”

 

Last Sunday, Pastor Herk continued in his sermon series through Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. He pointed out that God blesses us in so many ways with His grace, gifts and good tidings so that we’ll react to pay the blessings forward to others around us using those gifts. God’s design is for us to know Him, to make Him Known, to know who He wants us to be and how to do it. The goal of preaching includes leaving the listener with a godly biblical truth that they can apply to their lives, carrying that truth, God’s love, God’s blessing and God’s grace forward cheerfully. Think about what change we could make in this world for the better if we took this truth and paid them forward, passing them on to the people in our lives. The point is that the grace that God has given us is not just for our benefit. We normalize and take so many of God’s blessings for granted because they have become common and familiar to us. We are so use to God’s amazing love, mercy, grace and providence that we stop thinking about it, appreciation it, and thanking the Lord for it.   

 

The Apostle Paul starts this passage of Holy Scripture but stating: “For this reason” (NASB) or “For this cause” (KJV) - “toutou charin” in Greek. Believers are one family in Christ; brothers and sisters with the same Heavenly Father. Paul write in Colossians 1:25-27 “of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The Greek word “oikonomia” translated as “stewardship” (NASB) or “dispensation” (KJV) specially means, a religious "economy". In Scripture and theology, a steward is a minister of Christ, whose duty is to dispense the provisions of the gospel, to preach its doctrines and administer its ordinances; this stewardship of God’s true and pure religious economy in the world and is from God. 

 

Ephesians 1:3-10 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight, He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He set forth in Him, regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.”

 

It is God who provides and is doing all the work, revealing the mysteries of His will regarding His plan of the fullness of the times, to bring all things together in Christ, but these actions of God require us to respond. Our heavenly Father doesn’t pass on His love, joy, peace, grace, provision and make known the mysteries of His Will without expecting a reply. Our almighty Creator doesn’t bless us, love us, and give us grace that He doesn’t demand us to react to; including paying it forward.

Let's continue Pastor Herk's message of "passing on the blessings" in the next post.

In Christ, Brian