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When you commit to walking with God through faith in Jesus Christ he promises to give you a hard time. “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). But I don’t want to be  persecuted!. “Share in suffering as a good solider of Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:3). But I don’t want to suffer! 

Why does God sent the hard into our lives? Why are trials, sickness, heartbreak on the menu in God’s restaurant and why must I eat there? “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). 

Francis Schaeffer said the the modern church want personal peace and affluence. We want to go to heaven “on flowery beds of ease.” But God’s pathway to paradise takes us through difficult twists and painful turns.  Why? 

Many reasons could be given. God allows pain and suffering to confront us with our sin, or to strengthen our faith in God’s provision and comfort, or to equip us to comfort others when they suffer with the comfort that we ourselves have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4), to name but a few. I will narrow the focus on two reasons: it strengthens our faith and makes us more like Jesus. 

One essential target in the Christian life is become more like Jesus Christ. Suffering shapes us. Trusting the Father in the hard of life makes us look like Jesus. Trusting God when there is no known answer and no immediate relief is pure, undiluted faith.  “In this (salvation) you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith … may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).  God is present in your trials, proving, to you, the strength of and reality of your object of faith. Job trusted God in the hard until the questions and confusion overwhelmed him. But then God spoke to him, restored and comforted him. God is helpfully with you in the hard.

Our suffering is both informative and formative – it teach us the strength and power of true faith, and it can form Christ in us. Even our Jesus was made complete through suffering. “For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering” (Hebrews 2:10).

We do not desire the hard, but we should envy the result. A purified and strengthened  faith and a likeness to Jesus. Embrace the hard, trust the Lord, and God will make you shine.

 

Has God given us one message or two? Do we have one story to tell unbelievers and another to believers? Is the gospel intended for them or for us?

I recently read a radical thought from John Leonard in “Get Real.” We should disciple unbelievers and evangelize believers. Now that seems backwards. And it certainly is against conventional wisdom. But conventional wisdom is only good at conventions.

God has given us one message for all mankind. It is the Good news of what God has done for us in Christ. We all must embrace the grace and wisdom given to us in Jesus.  We assume that Evangelism, with its 5 or 6 isolated texts, is for those outside the church, and discipleship – learning or training – targets those inside the church. Evangelism is for unbelievers and discipleship is for believers.  Yes, that is true as far as it goes. But, it doesn’t go far enough.

In Matthew 28 we are commanded to make disciples of all nations. We are to disciple the unbelieving nations. We must teach them to walk with God in God’s world. In the United States, a basic, Christian understanding of the world, of marriage, of right and wrong, could be assumed 70 years ago. Not anymore.  The unbelieving world needs to be taught the basics to even understand the gospel.  They no longer think in Christian Categories. They need to be discipled, and taught.

Believers, too, never grow beyond the good news. We go deeper into it; we value it more and treasure what God has done for us. But we never mature beyond the simple gospel. Perhaps we have been taught to see the gospel as our ticket into the church, but once in, we can throw away the ticket.  Not so.  If you picture your growth in sanctification as so many rooms in the house of your salvation that must now be cleaned; the gospel is the key that unlocks every room. The law is the light that allows you to see the dust bunnies, and the gospel is the duster.

We must be reminded of who we are in Christ and the power at work within us. The gospel is not only good news once, it is good news for us every day, and as we seek to clean every room. Believers, and unbelievers, need discipleship through the gospel.

It is a brand new year! Everything is fresh, unspoiled and the possibilities are endless.  This is a time for new beginnings – a time to make some needed changes! Or, so we think. Is the New Year really a great time to make personal improvements? Yes, and no. Last year is not really any different from this year. The earth merely completed another orbit around the sun. You basic convictions have not changed. The major influences in your life are not altered. Are they?  

If I were to ask you who is the major influence in your life what would you say?  You might say “Jesus,” or “The Bible,” because I am a pastor and that is the expected answer.  But think about it for a minute. Really think. Perhaps you might mention an author that you read, a parent or grandparent that really loved you, or a friend, etc.  But, I think that answer lies closer to home. You are you own greatest influencer.  Your ‘self-talk’ determines your choices in life as well as if you will ever change for the better.

There is something of a slogan in Biblical Counseling circles. “What is your problem? You are. And that means there is hope.” In more directly Biblical terms, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts,… envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person” (Mark 7:20-23). You are your own worst enemy. And yet, you can become your own best friend.

Have you examined your self-talk lately? What do you say to yourself doubt God and yourself? What you really believe about you – your weaknesses, abilities, limitations, or vast potential – largely determines the course and trajectory of your life. “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45).

You are in a continuous conversation with yourself, analyzing and interpreting past events, your present circumstances, and determining what you should do, or say, next.  Your self-talk is the command and control center of your life.  So, how do you talk to yourself?  Do you spend your thought-life defending and excusing your past behavior and generating excuses for your future failures? Or, do you speak truth, and then grace to yourself? What do you tell yourself about God, the others around you, and your present circumstances? Is your conversation grace-based, God-centered, and gospel infused? Do you regularly remind yourself of the beauty and loving kindness of your God and your need of and delight in Him? Do you include Him in on your conversations?

Put God back in the center of your thinking. Have Him as the substance of your self-conversation. Romans 12:2 commands, “be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God.” Do that, and you will have a Happy New Year!

Exodus 10:21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.”

Darkness often symbolizes fear, lostness, evil. Think pitch black, or the black of night, or ‘and it was night’.  But, here we have darkness so dread that you can sense it. Thick tangible frightening darkness. Have you ever felt the darkness?  Perhaps your mind travels to some troubling tragic past event. To you, that was darkness. It was sad, and depressing, scary; almost evil.  That is what we think of as felt darkness.

Darkness, in a nutshell, describes life in a fallen world. Sin and darkness ride tandem and we are moving fast and descending continually.  We live in a dark, sin filled world. But ….

Jesus announced in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”  As we follow Jesus we forsake the darkness and so walk in the light.  We no longer stumble in the dark.

Jesus is the light of the world. He enlightens every man. John 1:8, “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”  Take a guided tour of the mysterious caves of Kentucky. Once in the deepest, darkest section they will turn off the lights so you can experience true darkness. After a minute you are disorientated and cannot see your hand in front of your face. The lights go on and the darkness flees. 

We live in moral and spiritual darkness.  Violence, greed, self-righteousness, racism, and evil are everywhere. We are all part of the problem, suffer from it, and we can do nothing to fix it.  We need the light of the world to enlighten us. Jesus is the light of the world and he has given us light to dispel the darkness.

Into a dark world walks Jesus as a lighted candle. Everyone’s attention is drawn irresistibly to the his light.  Jesus lights the candle of one, then another. More light. Then they pass the light to the next and so on. Soon, the world is filling with light and all can now see.  This growing brightness dispels the lingering darkness. In his light, we see light.

Now we, believers, are the light of the world. Matthew 5:14, 16, “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” So share the light. Enlighten others with the message of Christmas. Behold the night is over, the light has come. Praise God!

 

 

Too many children raised in covenant fellowship by godly parents walk away from the faith as adults.  Why? We usually answer based on our own experience. And it is true in an anecdotal way. ‘The parents were too harsh, the church was too weak, the children were too wild.’ Some have studied the issue and interviewed those who have departed and asked them why. The answers varied, but generally fell into four categories.

They have sincere unanswered questions about the faith.  Many see the faith from a distance and in the abstract. They have real issues, queries about the Christian faith and its practical, real-world application but they do not have a safe place to ask those questions.  So, when their incomplete faith meets a complete secular onslaught they are completely unarmed. They have inadequate answers and are not willing to stand on what they do not understand. Perhaps this is incomplete discipleship. There are real world answers to all of their questions but they unaware of them. 

They do not experience the joy, peace, and fulness of the faith. They may have seen living faith in others, but have not tasted and seen that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8). They think that they have tried the faith and found it wanting. The practical application and benefit of walking with God in community escapes them. It does not make sense to them where the rubber hits the road. In other words, they do not see how the faith works in a real-world way. The faith is not useful. The church begins to look really narrow and judgmental.

They allow other things to take priority. Their gaming, reading, education, friends, and the indoctrination they receive from TV, movies, and music have a greater impact than Sunday morning “lectures.” Others things take priority because they seen more fitting, appropriate, fulfilling, fun. They take small steps following the Pied Piper until they completely disappear. (“Pied Piper” is a metaphor for a person who attracts a following through charisma or false promises). They are socialized by the world and not by the church.

They never personally owned their faith or pursued it. Unanswered questions, impractical restrictions, and the siren call of the “real” world call them away from the old paths, the faith once for all delivered to the saints. (Jeremiah 6:16 “Thus says the Lord: “Stand by the roads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ See Jude 1:3) They have not understood the faith, nor practiced it. They have not pursued their questions nor walked in the faith in a real way. “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.” G.K. Chesterton.

What can we do about it?  Answer their questions, be open and honest about your questions, fears, doubts, and failures. Show them practical, everyday Christianity. Disciple them. Love them. Know them. Nurture them. Pray for them. Show them the real, practical wisdom of walking with God. Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Discipleship and teaching. Parents, like your math teacher demanded, show your work. Don’t simply give them the right answer, show your work. Don’t merely tell them what to believe, show them why. Take them by the hand and walk with them through the forests of the faith. “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6.

 

Why does the old form of evangelism no longer work? Repent and believe in Jesus, God’s Son, our savior, who takes away the sin of the world. He lived and died in your place – accomplishing salvation. He will forgive you, restore you, and grant you the right to eternal life through faith.

This appeal has an appeal if you assume:
1) God created the world,
2) We live in a a moral universe and we all answer to God,
3) There is more to life than this life,
4) We need God’s revelation to understand life,
5) We need something outside of ourselves to validate our lives.
But, the forces of secularism have denied these truths and convinced our culture of another set of ultimate presuppositions – empty and unsatisfying as they are.

1) Time plus chance plus nothing has created our world, not God. There is no spirit, or spiritual world. The material world, the cosmos, is all there was, all there is, and all there ever will be.
2) There are no transcendent morals, no right and wrong outside of ourselves. We make up our own morality. Therefore we answer to one one. Morals, if there is such a thing, are based on evolutionary biology or they are culturally constructed.
3) This life is all that there is. There is no afterlife or spiritual realm and therefore nothing to worry about regarding sin. Unfortunately, this also means that there is no meaning, purpose, or justice in life. Pretty depressing.
4) We have reason and we don’t need revelation. The human mind can unlock the mysteries of the universe (yes, but where do these mysteries come from and why do they have an order and structure that can be discovered? but I digress). Our mind is all that matters. Reason is our new god, little g.
5) We do not need God, we validate ourselves. We form our own identity regardless of how we were created. The modern self is a self-authenticating person. Freedom is not returning to our created purpose, it is doing whatever I want as long as I do not hurt anyone else.

The old gospel does not make sense to this post-modern mind.

So what can we do? We can tell the emperor that he has no clothes. His view of the world does not work, it does not fit with the world as it really is.

Time plus chance cannot create anything. Have you tried?

Without transcendent morals, the 51% majority rules – and that quickly descends into a might makes right, winner take all oppressive tyranny. If you deny a God that you know exists, any true morality and satisfying meaning leave with him.

Without God, there is no justice. Without a judgment in the afterlife the great evils of this world will stand forever.

Reason alone cannot answer the mysteries of life nor satisfy the philosophical questions of our hearts. Reason, like a sugary birthday cake, gives a temporary high but is nutritionally disappointing. It cannot answer our deepest questions about life nor quench our thirst for satisfying answers.

Self-validation has lead to purposeless life, societal confusion and exploding rates of suicide. If there is nothing beyond myself, then what is the point?

Our new gospel most uncover the nakedness of postmodern thought. The emperor has no clothes. He is denying what Francis Schaeffer called, “The Mannishness of Man” and I would add, life as it really is on God’s world. Their square peg thinking does not fit with God’s round hole universe. We need to critically deconstruct their thinking and then reconstruct their ultimate presuppositions along truer, more satisfying, and clearly Biblical lines.

So, we need a new form of evangelism. A new point of contact with the empty concepts of our changing culture. We need to speak the old gospel in a way that the post modern, post Christian mind can understand. The emperor has a fine new invisible frock. He does not need the righteousness of Christ. We need to convince him that he does.

 

The Christian life is meant to be lived in community. We are encouraged, challenged, and sanctified through relationships with other believers. But many Christians feel isolated and unsure about how to connect with others…Perhaps you’re surrounded by people who seem to be in a different life stage, and it feels like you can’t fit into the community around you.

Whatever your circumstances, here are seven suggestions for finding community:

1. Join a church

This may seem obvious, but joining and investing in a church is foundational to building Christian community. I’ve often heard young adults lament the lack of community they have post-college while fondly reminiscing about their experience with a campus ministry. A common thread seems to be either they have not joined a church since college, or they are not invested in the church they have joined. Churches are the primary way Christian community is organized. Find a Bible-believing church in your city with pastors who faithfully preach the Word and join it. Then invest in it. The remainder of this list provides ideas for how to do that.

2. Invite people over for dinner (in every season of life)

We have found that one of the best ways to get to know people is to invite them into our home and share a meal (or even just a dessert) together. Food is a fairly universal way to bond. While everyone may not be interested in joining you for a hike or going to a concert, everyone has to eat and most people enjoy doing it with others.

Being married is not a requirement for this type of hospitality. We have a friend who as a single man regularly invited other single people, couples, and families into his home for meals. His intentionality about pursing relationship built him many lasting friendships. It also helped him find his wonderful wife. Now they regularly invite others into their home together.

You can also volunteer to take a meal to someone else’s home if you have more flexibility than they do. We have some friends who as a married couple without children often asked families with children if they could bring pizza over for dinner so that everyone could more easily enjoy the fellowship. No one ever turned them down!

3. Serve

While many churches have paid staff, the various ministries of the church largely function by members volunteering their time and energy. Most ministries involve serving with other members and provide a great way to build relationships. Serving in the nursery is a prime example. Nothing bonds people like cleaning up an exploding diaper or trying to wrangle a herd of 2-year-olds and their Cheerios around a table for snack time. Not to mention, caring for people’s children to allow them to worship in peace will make them instantly predisposed to like you! If children just aren’t your forte, there are plenty of other ways to serve. Sign up to take a meal to a family in need. Become a greeter. Join the worship team. Whatever your interests or gifts, there is somewhere for you to serve the church.

4. Introduce yourself to new people you see at church

As you seek to build community, set yourself up for success. Seek out others who are likely looking for community too. People who are new to a church usually fit this category. When you notice visitors, go up to them after the service and introduce yourself. Be bold and ask if they have lunch plans. If they aren’t available that day, try to set something up for a future date.

Right after graduating from college, my husband and I moved to a suburb of Philadelphia. The first Sunday we visited a church, a man introduced himself to us after the service. He told us a bit about his family and the church, and then invited us over for dinner that week. We went to dinner, met his wife and daughter, and formed a friendship that lasts to this day even though we moved away from that town years ago. If you are blessed to receive this kind of invitation, be sure to accept!

If your church is somewhat large, it may not always be clear to you who is new. Our associate pastor wisely recommends asking the question, “How long have you been coming to _______ church?” rather than “Is this your first time visiting?” When following his model, I have gotten answers ranging from “this is my first Sunday” to “we’ve been members for about five years.” This approach has saved me some embarrassment and made for much more successful conversations.

5. Join a small group

Most churches now have some form of small groups that meet throughout the week. Whether they are called community groups, life groups, covenant groups, or just small groups, they are usually a fantastic way to build relationships with other believers. Though each church may have its own spin on how they work, the general idea is a small group of believers getting together in someone’s home to study Scripture and pray together. The common interest in studying the Word and growing in the Lord provides a wonderful foundation for developing meaningful personal relationships with other members of your church.

6. Follow up on prayer requests

When you are made aware of a prayer request, whether someone shares it with you individually, you hear it during small group, or it is shared in a corporate setting, follow up on it in two ways. First, pray for the request. Praying for others causes us to care for them, to become invested in their lives, and to exercise faith on their behalf. Second, check in with the person to see how it turned out. For example, if someone in your small group asks you to pray for an upcoming family gathering or work meeting that they are anxious about, make note of when the event will take place (put a reminder in your phone or write it on your calendar) and make a point to ask the person afterwards how it went. They will appreciate your concern and likely want to reciprocate by praying for you. What better way to begin a friendship with someone than praying for one another!

7. Go to Sunday school

Not all churches offer Sunday school, but if yours does, take advantage of it. Some churches organize Sunday school by ages or life stages, others by topics. Either way, it is a good opportunity to meet people in a small, informal setting. Sunday school classes will likely put you in contact with people who are not in your small group and allow you to broaden your connections within the church. And even if you don’t meet your best friend in Sunday school, we can all benefit from additional time studying the Word.

The list above is merely a list of suggestions. It’s helpful to add in a large dose of patience and grace. Building community takes time, so be gracious to yourself and others. These ideas may not work in all contexts, but the main idea is that building community is an active pursuit. Be creative. The Lord is building his church everywhere. Find out where his people gather in your area and get involved. The blessing of community is worth the effort.

Winfree Brisley

You can know God! You can have a real, vital, living relationship with the eternal God, the creator and Lord the universe.  You can talk to him. You can relate to him as father. Now that is an enticing proposition. We are all eager to have a relationship with God.

But, we too often think that we need to establish and maintain this communion just as we do other relationships.  We need to start the relationship. “Clean up my life and give my heart to Jesus.” I need an introduction somehow. I must prove that I am useful to God, I need to offer him something. “I can scratch your back, if you will scratch mine.” Most relationships are a means to another end. Friends are our ticket into the right crowd, or they will open doors for my career.

We think of relating to God in utilitarian terms. If I know God I will receive forgiveness and go to heaven when I die.  So, Knowing God is useful, beneficial.  He gives gifts to me – blessings. He is a means to another end.

We think that we maintain our relationship with God with submission and obedience.  If I am good, God will bless me.  If I serve Him, he will have my back. If I make sacrifices for God, he will owe me one.  Too many have a cause and effect agreement with God.

But truly knowing God turns this all around. It is God that initiates the relationship.  We are not ‘useful’ to God.  That is not why he befriends us. Early in Genesis when all men had descended deeply into sin and “the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5, 8), “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” That word ‘favor’ means grace. God was not responding to Noah’s good works, faith, or sacrifice, he simply gave him grace.  That was the foundation of the relationship.

God asked Noah to respond to his grace, not earn it. The unmerited grace and one-sided favor of God transforms us.  Knowing God in this way, we respond with joy and gratitude to his love and kindness, but we do not merit it.  And, therefore, we cannot lose it.  When God claims you as his friend, no one can take you out of his hand. Grace is forever. That forever commitment from God releases, calms, encourages, stabilizes, and empowers us to live a life of gratitude. It is God who begins and maintains his friendship with us – that is life in God’s Covenant – so that we respond in love, kindness, thanksgiving and praise to God for what He has done for us. 

Do you want to know God? He invites you to respond to his mighty grace.  You have found favor with God.

The Lord tells us that he loves his children many times. 

The Lord shows us that he loves his children in many ways.

One of the more shocking ways, and perhaps the most comforting way we find in Hosea chapter 3.

Hosea 3:1-2 And the Lord said to me (Hosea), “Go again, love a woman (Gomer, your wife) who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the Lord loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods.”

Go again and reclaim her. Hosea was earlier told by God to marry a woman who would break his heart, and in the end give herself to many other men. In fact, she is most likely a temple prostitute now.

Go again. Buy her back from slavery and degradation. 

Go again, and make her your wife a second time. 

Go again, and reestablish a relationship of love with her. 

Go again, and assure her, at great cost, of your love for her.

Why does God command this? 

Because, God’s bride, the church, is like Gomer, chasing after other gods. And God, in the depths of His love, will buy her back. God, out of the great love that He has for her, will make her His very own again. Even great sin cannot quench my love for my bride – my people.

Grace is love poured out on the undeserving, the lost, the fallen, the broken, the rebels. 

Jesus, like Hosea, is married to a fallen woman. And he will go again, and buy her back at great cost. He will reestablish a relation of love with her even by the shedding of his own blood. He will receive her back to his table, to his home, to his heart.

That is what the Lord’s table speaks to us.  We are Gomer, having chased after other gods and turned our backs on our full and lasting delight in the love of God. 

The great grace of God is given freely to the rebels and the outcast, the stained, shamed, guilty and broken.  This love, this grace is free.

Do this in remembrance of me. Remember my love. Remember my sacrifice. I have come again, to embrace you, to forgive you, to make you my very own.

If you are Gomer, and know that you are greatly loved. If you can remember the gospel fact that Jesus has come again for you on the cross.  You are welcome to this table.

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“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” Philippians 2:12-13.

If you are growing in Christ-like sanctification, who does the work, you or God?  Yes.  God works in us and with us, but He will not work without us.  God, by His Holy Spirit, makes us holy.  He gives us a new “want to.” He changes us from the inside out and we begin to desire what God commands.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” Ephesians 2:10.  We do good works, we respond to the exhortations of the Scriptures, and as we do so, we reveal God’s workmanship – He has prepared us beforehand for such good works.

So, sanctification is God’s work in us, and with us – we cooperate with his work in us.  A sailboat is a good illustration of this.  When you take your boat out on the water and hoist the sails, do the sails propel you through the water? No, the wind does. The wind hits the sails, the sails that have been hoisted!  You will not go anywhere without the sails up and biting into the wind. So, we must lift our sails. We must do the things that God commands in his word, we must act on the exhortations of scripture to be holy, to be perfect, to forgive one another, to love one another – and with those sails reaching for the skies, the Holy Spirit will push us on down the river of sanctification.

So, let’s go sailing. God is our captain so let us hoist our sails.