If this doesn't light your fire then your wood is wet.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Woe To You
1 Corinthians 9:16 "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel."
Dear Christians,
In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians he boldly declares the previously mentioned verse, with indignation. Immediately preceding this line Paul speaks of the burden of the gospel. In some translations he says "the necessity of the gospel has been laid upon me." What a powerful statement packed into one very short verse. Let it sink in. "For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity has been laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (! Corinthians 9:16 ESV)
Paul clearly begins by saying "if I preach." He does not say "I preach," but "if I preach." He is making it known that the sharing of the gospel is a choice. He has known the grace of God and the truth of Jesus Christ, yet Christ does not make Paul share. It is an if, a choice to be made as to whether or not we will speak the truth of the gospel. We can embrace that choice to share of the wonderful news of Jesus, or we can run from it. Unfortunately, most of our Christian world today seems to run from the choice to share the grace of God as He has shown Himself to us in Christ. We assume that it is someone elses task to tell the world about Jesus and we assimilate to luke-warmness. Yet, Paul says "if I preach." Again, he does not say "if my pastor preaches" or "if the missionary preaches." He boldly says "if I preach." That is to say that the sharing of the good news of Jesus is not your pastors responsibility, the missionaries responsiblity, or even your outgoing church friends responsibility. If you're a Christian, the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ is YOUR responsibility. Woe to you who know Jesus but make it someone elses responsbility to tell your friends and family about Him.
Paul continues by saying "if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting." Simply, we cannot brag about sharing the good news of Jesus with anyone. As Christians, it should be expected of us that if the God of all creation has been murdered on a cross to save us from ourselves so we could know, love and worship Him, then we better have some passion and burden to share that great news with others. Woe to you who have experienced the grace of God and bragged about sharing it one time without ever having shared it again.
Moving forward, Paul lands on the phrase "necessity has been laid upon me." This is a statement that reveals Paul's understanding of the truth, as well as His understanding of our world. Paul feels a heavy need, or as some translations say, a great burden, to tell the world about Jesus death, burial, and resurrection to forgive our sins and bring us to God enjoying and glorifying Him forever in repentance and faith. He says elsewhere, "I consider my life worth NOTHING to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."
Paul clearly understood the weight of the gospel message. He understood that his sins had separated him from God's kindness and earned him God's just wrath. He understood that there was nothing he could do to earn God's forgiveness and love, but that by GRACE, God loving sought him out when he had nothing to offer God in return. What a powerful message. You offended God by your wrong choices and earned God's wrath. God then loving sought you out by dying on a cross in your place and for your sin when you had nothing to offer in return. He then saved you "by grace, through faith" so that you could enjoy and glorify Him forever. Woe to you who do not understand the gospel of God's grace.
Paul's "necessity" does not end with a simple understanding of the gospel, it goes much further. He understood that we live in a dark and fallen world that has violently opposed God and chosen wicked ways instead of good. He understood that this world has chosen to worship money, fame, possessions, and positions instead of the One True God. It burden Paul to know that the consequences of a lost and dying world meant eternity in hell surrendered to God's wrath and justice. It also burdened Paul to know that as long as this world was choosing to live for something other than God that it was opposing God's glory. Paul was burdened to know that God's glory was opposed by a people who were going to suffer eternal death for that opposition. Woe to you who are not burdened for the lost and unsaved.
In the final sentence of these verses Paul says, "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel." Having understood Paul's burden and his passion; Woe to you Christians if you do not share the gospel!!
Lastly, Woe to you who oppose God and refuse to repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ. Woe to you who exchange the truth of God abusing His grace and denying His love. Woe to you who live a life of sinful disobedience to God and ask Him to come and bless it! For God has lovingly pursued you when you had nothing to offer Him in return.
Repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ!!
Ephesians 2:8 "for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this is not from yourselves-- it is the gift of God"
Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. How great is our God that He would seek us out in Christ for His good pleasure when we had nothing of value to offer in return? Let us rejoice and share the good news that God has sought us out through Jesus finished work of the cross to make us valuable in His sight according to His good pleasure. That is the gospel. That is the good news.
Dear Christians,
In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians he boldly declares the previously mentioned verse, with indignation. Immediately preceding this line Paul speaks of the burden of the gospel. In some translations he says "the necessity of the gospel has been laid upon me." What a powerful statement packed into one very short verse. Let it sink in. "For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity has been laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (! Corinthians 9:16 ESV)
Paul clearly begins by saying "if I preach." He does not say "I preach," but "if I preach." He is making it known that the sharing of the gospel is a choice. He has known the grace of God and the truth of Jesus Christ, yet Christ does not make Paul share. It is an if, a choice to be made as to whether or not we will speak the truth of the gospel. We can embrace that choice to share of the wonderful news of Jesus, or we can run from it. Unfortunately, most of our Christian world today seems to run from the choice to share the grace of God as He has shown Himself to us in Christ. We assume that it is someone elses task to tell the world about Jesus and we assimilate to luke-warmness. Yet, Paul says "if I preach." Again, he does not say "if my pastor preaches" or "if the missionary preaches." He boldly says "if I preach." That is to say that the sharing of the good news of Jesus is not your pastors responsibility, the missionaries responsiblity, or even your outgoing church friends responsibility. If you're a Christian, the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ is YOUR responsibility. Woe to you who know Jesus but make it someone elses responsbility to tell your friends and family about Him.
Paul continues by saying "if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting." Simply, we cannot brag about sharing the good news of Jesus with anyone. As Christians, it should be expected of us that if the God of all creation has been murdered on a cross to save us from ourselves so we could know, love and worship Him, then we better have some passion and burden to share that great news with others. Woe to you who have experienced the grace of God and bragged about sharing it one time without ever having shared it again.
Moving forward, Paul lands on the phrase "necessity has been laid upon me." This is a statement that reveals Paul's understanding of the truth, as well as His understanding of our world. Paul feels a heavy need, or as some translations say, a great burden, to tell the world about Jesus death, burial, and resurrection to forgive our sins and bring us to God enjoying and glorifying Him forever in repentance and faith. He says elsewhere, "I consider my life worth NOTHING to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."
Paul clearly understood the weight of the gospel message. He understood that his sins had separated him from God's kindness and earned him God's just wrath. He understood that there was nothing he could do to earn God's forgiveness and love, but that by GRACE, God loving sought him out when he had nothing to offer God in return. What a powerful message. You offended God by your wrong choices and earned God's wrath. God then loving sought you out by dying on a cross in your place and for your sin when you had nothing to offer in return. He then saved you "by grace, through faith" so that you could enjoy and glorify Him forever. Woe to you who do not understand the gospel of God's grace.
Paul's "necessity" does not end with a simple understanding of the gospel, it goes much further. He understood that we live in a dark and fallen world that has violently opposed God and chosen wicked ways instead of good. He understood that this world has chosen to worship money, fame, possessions, and positions instead of the One True God. It burden Paul to know that the consequences of a lost and dying world meant eternity in hell surrendered to God's wrath and justice. It also burdened Paul to know that as long as this world was choosing to live for something other than God that it was opposing God's glory. Paul was burdened to know that God's glory was opposed by a people who were going to suffer eternal death for that opposition. Woe to you who are not burdened for the lost and unsaved.
In the final sentence of these verses Paul says, "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel." Having understood Paul's burden and his passion; Woe to you Christians if you do not share the gospel!!
Lastly, Woe to you who oppose God and refuse to repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ. Woe to you who exchange the truth of God abusing His grace and denying His love. Woe to you who live a life of sinful disobedience to God and ask Him to come and bless it! For God has lovingly pursued you when you had nothing to offer Him in return.
Repent and believe the good news of Jesus Christ!!
Ephesians 2:8 "for it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-- and this is not from yourselves-- it is the gift of God"
Grace is love that seeks you out when you have nothing to give in return. How great is our God that He would seek us out in Christ for His good pleasure when we had nothing of value to offer in return? Let us rejoice and share the good news that God has sought us out through Jesus finished work of the cross to make us valuable in His sight according to His good pleasure. That is the gospel. That is the good news.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
On Leadership
The following was cultivated from an FCA Leadership Camp held at Point 11 at Table Rock Lake.
These are simply key take away points and nuggets of truth for everyone to reflect on.
Gospel: Leadership begins and ends with the gospel. That is that we were once separated from God by the penalty of our wrong doings. We could not earn our way to God by any amount of our own goodness so God came to us as the man Christ Jesus. As Jesus, He then died, on a cross, in our place and for our sin. In doing so, Jesus took our penalty, brought forgiveness by His death, and granted us right relationship with God by His resurrection when we rethink our actions, thoughts, and words and trust in Jesus Christ's finished work of the cross. Godly leadership begins and ends with the truth that we are brought near to God to enjoy Him forever when we trust in Jesus Christ. It is not that we have come to accept God, but that God has come to accept us in Christ Jesus when we turn from our own work and effort to trust in Jesus finished work of the cross. It is that Jesus brings us near to God by His work, not of our own. (Titus 3:3-7, Ephesians 2:8-9)
Christian: A person who loves, serves, worships, obeys and enjoys the greatness of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ and instills the greatness of God into others through the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:24, Philippians 3:7-11).
Leadership: Leadership is instilling the greatness of Jesus into others. (2 Timothy 2:1-2)
Integrity: Integrity exists when our actions and our words matchup, not only to each other, but also to the gospel and the Word of God. The integrity of our lives to the gospel and the Scriptures are what make our words worth listening to. Leaders MUST exhibit integrity. Integrity is established through Jesus. He is the source and the provider of godly integrity. It is not worked for, earned or achieved. Integrity is given to us when we choose to follow Jesus with singlemindedness. Jesus develops integrity in us when we take the time to seek Him daily through intentional prayer, disciplined time reading the Word of God, and a willingness to obey and do what God tells us to do. (1 Timothy 4:6-16).
Serving: For a leader, serving is not optional. If you're not serving, you're not leading. Serving motivates others to Jesus when it comes from Christ-like integrity. It is most powerful when it is followed by a sincere connection to Jesus. That is, the actions of our lives (serving) when followed by Jesus-centered words (witnessing) leads people to Jesus. (Philippians 2:5-8). The question of serving is: How far are you willing to go to see people come to Jesus? Are you willing to sacrifice yourself (wants, desires, needs) so that other people can know Christ?
Teamwork: Good leaders are ones who can see the big picture of connecting people to Jesus so they can know and serve God while focusing on the best next step to impacting others for Jesus. Leaders need to be able to motivate people to a common goal while using the talents and abilities of others to work together to achieve it. Leaders must be able to know when to be chief and when to be indian. They must know when to be the primary leader and when to follow the leadership of someone else. The big idea is that leaders must be able to work together with others to help people come to know and enjoy God through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Additional Thoughts on Teamwork: Tagteam Evangelism: This concept is that of 2 people sharing Christ with those around them. Many Christian's express a difficulty in sharing Jesus with those who don't know Him. Tagteam evangelism is a teamwork designed to help people share Christ with others. The concept is simple: Two Christian's engaged in conversation with non-Christians simply begin asking eachother about what's going on in their lives. They then honestly talk to one another about Jesus. Non-Christians then hear the message and a door is opened up to talk about Jesus.
Coach Jesus: The first aspect of teamwork is connect yourself to Jesus and let Him be the head coach of your life. Connect to Him daily through prayer, worship and the Word and let your relationship with Jesus be your first team.
Assistant Coaches: Find more mature Christian's who can help point you to Jesus and coach you up in the practical areas of life. Help you grow.
Teammates: Find Christian's of your same maturity level who can help hold you accountable and help impact your campus for Jesus with you. Help eachother grow.
JV/Freshman: Find some not-as-mature Christians that you can coach up in Christ to help them grow into a team mate role so that they can start coaching up others. Help them grow.
Fans and Witnesses: Recongize that there are plenty of people who are watching your actions and words. Remember that sharing Jesus with people is a lifestyle, not an activity. People are either influenced by your actions and words to either follow Jesus or turn away from Him.
(1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, Romans 12)
Final thought on Teamwork: Just because you can't do something doesn't mean you can't find someone else who can. Part of teamwork is being able to identify others who can do things well to continue the mission where you aren't as capable.
Excellence: The concept of excellence is doing your very best in all things, at all times, and in all ways... and then doing a little better. We must remember, though, that we do not do our best to earn God's love for us. We do our best because of God's free gift of love for us. We live lives of excellence because of what Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross so that others can come to know Jesus by the conduct of our lives. We must remember that we are made excellent in God's sight because Jesus makes us excellent by His incorruptible life. We live excellently from God's love and grace, not for it. Lastly, excellence, like service, motivates others to Jesus by the conduct of our lives. (Colossians 3:17-23).
The Question of Leadership: If not you, then who? If not now, then when? (2 Corinthians 6:2).
These are simply key take away points and nuggets of truth for everyone to reflect on.
Gospel: Leadership begins and ends with the gospel. That is that we were once separated from God by the penalty of our wrong doings. We could not earn our way to God by any amount of our own goodness so God came to us as the man Christ Jesus. As Jesus, He then died, on a cross, in our place and for our sin. In doing so, Jesus took our penalty, brought forgiveness by His death, and granted us right relationship with God by His resurrection when we rethink our actions, thoughts, and words and trust in Jesus Christ's finished work of the cross. Godly leadership begins and ends with the truth that we are brought near to God to enjoy Him forever when we trust in Jesus Christ. It is not that we have come to accept God, but that God has come to accept us in Christ Jesus when we turn from our own work and effort to trust in Jesus finished work of the cross. It is that Jesus brings us near to God by His work, not of our own. (Titus 3:3-7, Ephesians 2:8-9)
Christian: A person who loves, serves, worships, obeys and enjoys the greatness of God through the gospel of Jesus Christ and instills the greatness of God into others through the gospel of Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:24, Philippians 3:7-11).
Leadership: Leadership is instilling the greatness of Jesus into others. (2 Timothy 2:1-2)
Integrity: Integrity exists when our actions and our words matchup, not only to each other, but also to the gospel and the Word of God. The integrity of our lives to the gospel and the Scriptures are what make our words worth listening to. Leaders MUST exhibit integrity. Integrity is established through Jesus. He is the source and the provider of godly integrity. It is not worked for, earned or achieved. Integrity is given to us when we choose to follow Jesus with singlemindedness. Jesus develops integrity in us when we take the time to seek Him daily through intentional prayer, disciplined time reading the Word of God, and a willingness to obey and do what God tells us to do. (1 Timothy 4:6-16).
Serving: For a leader, serving is not optional. If you're not serving, you're not leading. Serving motivates others to Jesus when it comes from Christ-like integrity. It is most powerful when it is followed by a sincere connection to Jesus. That is, the actions of our lives (serving) when followed by Jesus-centered words (witnessing) leads people to Jesus. (Philippians 2:5-8). The question of serving is: How far are you willing to go to see people come to Jesus? Are you willing to sacrifice yourself (wants, desires, needs) so that other people can know Christ?
Teamwork: Good leaders are ones who can see the big picture of connecting people to Jesus so they can know and serve God while focusing on the best next step to impacting others for Jesus. Leaders need to be able to motivate people to a common goal while using the talents and abilities of others to work together to achieve it. Leaders must be able to know when to be chief and when to be indian. They must know when to be the primary leader and when to follow the leadership of someone else. The big idea is that leaders must be able to work together with others to help people come to know and enjoy God through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Additional Thoughts on Teamwork: Tagteam Evangelism: This concept is that of 2 people sharing Christ with those around them. Many Christian's express a difficulty in sharing Jesus with those who don't know Him. Tagteam evangelism is a teamwork designed to help people share Christ with others. The concept is simple: Two Christian's engaged in conversation with non-Christians simply begin asking eachother about what's going on in their lives. They then honestly talk to one another about Jesus. Non-Christians then hear the message and a door is opened up to talk about Jesus.
Coach Jesus: The first aspect of teamwork is connect yourself to Jesus and let Him be the head coach of your life. Connect to Him daily through prayer, worship and the Word and let your relationship with Jesus be your first team.
Assistant Coaches: Find more mature Christian's who can help point you to Jesus and coach you up in the practical areas of life. Help you grow.
Teammates: Find Christian's of your same maturity level who can help hold you accountable and help impact your campus for Jesus with you. Help eachother grow.
JV/Freshman: Find some not-as-mature Christians that you can coach up in Christ to help them grow into a team mate role so that they can start coaching up others. Help them grow.
Fans and Witnesses: Recongize that there are plenty of people who are watching your actions and words. Remember that sharing Jesus with people is a lifestyle, not an activity. People are either influenced by your actions and words to either follow Jesus or turn away from Him.
(1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, Romans 12)
Final thought on Teamwork: Just because you can't do something doesn't mean you can't find someone else who can. Part of teamwork is being able to identify others who can do things well to continue the mission where you aren't as capable.
Excellence: The concept of excellence is doing your very best in all things, at all times, and in all ways... and then doing a little better. We must remember, though, that we do not do our best to earn God's love for us. We do our best because of God's free gift of love for us. We live lives of excellence because of what Jesus has accomplished for us on the cross so that others can come to know Jesus by the conduct of our lives. We must remember that we are made excellent in God's sight because Jesus makes us excellent by His incorruptible life. We live excellently from God's love and grace, not for it. Lastly, excellence, like service, motivates others to Jesus by the conduct of our lives. (Colossians 3:17-23).
The Question of Leadership: If not you, then who? If not now, then when? (2 Corinthians 6:2).
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Justification by Affliction
This article was written by Dustin Neeley. Acts 29 Pastor in Louisville, Kentucky.
To view this post from its origin visit: http://www.theresurgence.com/home?page=4
A Confession
Let's start with a confession: I love Affliction T-shirts.
The fleur de lis reminds me of my city. The skulls remind me of my depravity. They are comfortable and hand crafted. I love 'em. But because of their cost, I own only one of them that I bought on clearance at Macy's. Oddly enough, at the risk of sounding girly, I actually think about that one shirt a lot (although the bones do help my case). And it's not primarily for the comfort or the craftsmanship, though it may indeed have something to do with my depravity.
As the thought turns in my mind, the question that haunts me is, "Why did I really want that shirt in the first place?" Is it for the reasons I mentioned above, which seem harmless enough? Or is it for some less harmless reason like, "All the cool kids wear them and I want to fit in?" Hmmm... The plot thickens.
We have just stepped from the dark closet where my shirt hangs into the much darker corners of the soul.
The Lie
All of us have "false justifiers" that we use to try to justify ourselves before God and others, and there are ways we seek false justification that are as nuanced as our own personalities and ministry contexts. For many, what we wear, or at least our appearance, is high on the list. And each time we allow how we appear before others to become more important than how we appear before God, it is stark evidence of our belief in the great Lie that Jesus and the good news that he has spoken over us is not enough.
The Truth
As with any lie, the only way to effectively counter it is with the Truth. When we seek to "clothe ourselves" in the righteousness that the "right kind" of clothing can provide, we must remind ourselves that we are already clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Isa. 61:10). When we seek to find our value in the fact that we can buy something of significant value on earth, we must remind ourselves that we are of great value to God and have been bought at a great price (1 Cor. 6:20) already. We have to counter the Lie with the Truth.
So is it wrong to wear an Affliction T-shirt? No.
Is it wrong to define yourself by what you wear? Yes.
So tomorrow when you reach in the closet for what to wear, stop and ask yourself, "Why am I about to wear what I am about to wear? To honor God or to seek to impress others?" If you find the Lie at work, kill it with the Truth. "I am not justified by what I wear, but by the righteousness that I am now clothed with in Christ." And with the name of Christ written on your soul, it doesn't matter what name is written on your shirt.
To view this post from its origin visit: http://www.theresurgence.com/home?page=4
A Confession
Let's start with a confession: I love Affliction T-shirts.
The fleur de lis reminds me of my city. The skulls remind me of my depravity. They are comfortable and hand crafted. I love 'em. But because of their cost, I own only one of them that I bought on clearance at Macy's. Oddly enough, at the risk of sounding girly, I actually think about that one shirt a lot (although the bones do help my case). And it's not primarily for the comfort or the craftsmanship, though it may indeed have something to do with my depravity.
As the thought turns in my mind, the question that haunts me is, "Why did I really want that shirt in the first place?" Is it for the reasons I mentioned above, which seem harmless enough? Or is it for some less harmless reason like, "All the cool kids wear them and I want to fit in?" Hmmm... The plot thickens.
We have just stepped from the dark closet where my shirt hangs into the much darker corners of the soul.
The Lie
All of us have "false justifiers" that we use to try to justify ourselves before God and others, and there are ways we seek false justification that are as nuanced as our own personalities and ministry contexts. For many, what we wear, or at least our appearance, is high on the list. And each time we allow how we appear before others to become more important than how we appear before God, it is stark evidence of our belief in the great Lie that Jesus and the good news that he has spoken over us is not enough.
The Truth
As with any lie, the only way to effectively counter it is with the Truth. When we seek to "clothe ourselves" in the righteousness that the "right kind" of clothing can provide, we must remind ourselves that we are already clothed in the righteousness of Christ (Isa. 61:10). When we seek to find our value in the fact that we can buy something of significant value on earth, we must remind ourselves that we are of great value to God and have been bought at a great price (1 Cor. 6:20) already. We have to counter the Lie with the Truth.
So is it wrong to wear an Affliction T-shirt? No.
Is it wrong to define yourself by what you wear? Yes.
So tomorrow when you reach in the closet for what to wear, stop and ask yourself, "Why am I about to wear what I am about to wear? To honor God or to seek to impress others?" If you find the Lie at work, kill it with the Truth. "I am not justified by what I wear, but by the righteousness that I am now clothed with in Christ." And with the name of Christ written on your soul, it doesn't matter what name is written on your shirt.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Coach Jesus
1 John 4:9-10 "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins"
Now is the time for commitment. Today is the day of salvation. God wants you to know that 99 and a half percent won't do. If you've been a curious onlooker of Jesus and His cross for some time, then it's time to stop looking at the cross and time to get on it. Die to self, die to your own play book, die to your own game plan. Give it all to Jesus and take up Jesus life, His play book, and His game plan. Let Jesus take His rightful place as Coach of your life, not assistant coach as if you're still in charge, but as Head Coach where He is truly in charge.
Our world teaches us to perform certain tasks and duties in order to be accepted, valued, and approved by others. You may have taken up this mentality in working for God's approval, but performing for God will never do, for our performance will always be lacking the perfect excellence of God. You must deny your tendency to work for God's approval and love. You must trust in Jesus' victory through His death, burial, and resurrection. For we are not accepted in God's eyes by our own moral goodness or self-righteous performance. We are accepted in God's eyes because of Jesus in us when we trust Him as Head Coach of our lives.
Let Jesus be Head Coach of your life today, and every day. Learn His play book (the Bible), live His game plan (life His way). Then, and only then, will you be able to know and live the victory that is from Jesus.
1. What areas of your life do you need to surrender to Jesus and His cross?
2. What areas of your life need the victory of Jesus?
3. Are you ready to surrender 100% to Jesus not only today, but everyday?
Titus 3:1-7, John 3, 1 John 2:1-6
Invite Jesus, in your own words, to be Coach of your life. Give Him everything and every time you recognize you've given less than 100% return humbly to Him to offer back to Him everything until you're back at 100%.
Now is the time for commitment. Today is the day of salvation. God wants you to know that 99 and a half percent won't do. If you've been a curious onlooker of Jesus and His cross for some time, then it's time to stop looking at the cross and time to get on it. Die to self, die to your own play book, die to your own game plan. Give it all to Jesus and take up Jesus life, His play book, and His game plan. Let Jesus take His rightful place as Coach of your life, not assistant coach as if you're still in charge, but as Head Coach where He is truly in charge.
Our world teaches us to perform certain tasks and duties in order to be accepted, valued, and approved by others. You may have taken up this mentality in working for God's approval, but performing for God will never do, for our performance will always be lacking the perfect excellence of God. You must deny your tendency to work for God's approval and love. You must trust in Jesus' victory through His death, burial, and resurrection. For we are not accepted in God's eyes by our own moral goodness or self-righteous performance. We are accepted in God's eyes because of Jesus in us when we trust Him as Head Coach of our lives.
Let Jesus be Head Coach of your life today, and every day. Learn His play book (the Bible), live His game plan (life His way). Then, and only then, will you be able to know and live the victory that is from Jesus.
1. What areas of your life do you need to surrender to Jesus and His cross?
2. What areas of your life need the victory of Jesus?
3. Are you ready to surrender 100% to Jesus not only today, but everyday?
Titus 3:1-7, John 3, 1 John 2:1-6
Invite Jesus, in your own words, to be Coach of your life. Give Him everything and every time you recognize you've given less than 100% return humbly to Him to offer back to Him everything until you're back at 100%.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Sharing the Victory
The single most foundational truth of the Christian faith is what the Bible refers to as the gospel; that is the good news of Jesus Christ. It is quite possibly the most overlooked part of our relationship to God, or lack there of, yet is absolutely the most essential aspect of knowing and connecting with Him. Without the good news of Jesus the Bible has no validity.
Without the good news of Jesus our faith is worthless. Without the good news of Jesus we have absolutely no hope of ever entering God's kingdom, learning His ways, knowing Him, going to heaven, or enjoying the life God intends for us to have. (1 Corinthians 15:12-28; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12).
However, with the gospel we have legal access to the things of God. It is through the good news of Jesus Christ that we can know, love, serve, obey and worship God. It is through the gospel that we are forgiven, enter the kingdom, receive a place in heaven, and enjoy the life that God has intended us to live; full of His presence, grace, truth, and love. It is through the gospel, only through the gospel, that we can become children of the Most High God. (John 1:9-13; John 3:1-36).
But what is the gospel? What is this truth that is so foundational that it must not be overlooked? The gospel is this: That every one of us, myself included, has offended God by actions, thoughts, and words that have not reflected Him in our lives. Because we have offended God we stand separated from Him forever. There is nothing you, or I, or anyone else can do to earn his own way into heaven. We cannot be good enough to earn God's love or forgiveness. (Romans 3:23, Galatians 2:20)
This is where the good news comes in; we don't have to! Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, lived the perfect life that we couldn't live, died the death we should have died on the cross in our place and for our sins, and rose again from the dead 3 days later to return us to Himself. The good news is that if we rethink the way we live our lives, and place our faith and trust in Jesus death, burial, and resurrection He brings us to God because of His sacrifice. When we trust in Him, He then changes us to be like Him as He provides for us what we need to know God and obediently serve Him in action, thought, and word. That's the good news of Jesus, that He does the work for us, and it changes our lives and eternities when we depend on what He's already done! (Titus 3:1-7, Romans 6:23)
Now, in case this is a little difficult to understand, let's break it down another way. Picture a high school athlete wanting to play a college sport. That athlete can do all that they want to work really hard to earn a scholarship and still get past up because their skills weren't good enough. A high school athlete can also be the best athlete in the nation and still get past up by a college coach simply because their character and attitude are terrible.
Ask any college coach, and they'll tell you they've had to pass up players who could have been good. The reality becomes that it doesn't depend so much on how good an athlete is, all athletes are lacking in one area or another, but it depends on what the team needs and why the coach decides he wants to recruit a player. It depends not on the athlete, but on the coach. The coach chooses to offer the athlete a spot on the team because of what the coach desires in an athlete, not because of what the athlete has in and of himself. The athlete then has the choice to respond by accepting the offer and wearing the colors of the team or he chooses not to. Once on the team, their are then guidelines set in place to help the athlete grow. Violating those guidelines results in discipline, but usually not elimination from the team.
See the picture? God is recruiting us to Himself. He extends to us His offer to be on His team by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. If we accept the offer, Jesus then gives us the colors of the cross to wear so that God identifies us as part of His team. If we refuse, we do not receive the colors of the cross and do not become a member of God's team. Once a member of the team, God disciplines and trains us, just like a good coach disciplines and trains His players, so that we can learn to play and live like a member of God's team. Accepting the offer takes but a moment. Learning to play the game God's way takes a life time. That's the gospel. That's the journey. That is the victory we have in Jesus; that He has won the day, and that in Christ we can share that victory! We must preach this, teach this, understand this, believe this, share this and live this. For all of God's play book (the Bible) points us back to this beautiful truth, that God is recruiting us to His team through faith in Jesus Christ and then training us to play the game (life) the way He wants us to as we learn the ways of His victorious team. Accept the offer, receive the training, share the victory! (1 Corinthians 15:56)
Without the good news of Jesus our faith is worthless. Without the good news of Jesus we have absolutely no hope of ever entering God's kingdom, learning His ways, knowing Him, going to heaven, or enjoying the life God intends for us to have. (1 Corinthians 15:12-28; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12).
However, with the gospel we have legal access to the things of God. It is through the good news of Jesus Christ that we can know, love, serve, obey and worship God. It is through the gospel that we are forgiven, enter the kingdom, receive a place in heaven, and enjoy the life that God has intended us to live; full of His presence, grace, truth, and love. It is through the gospel, only through the gospel, that we can become children of the Most High God. (John 1:9-13; John 3:1-36).
But what is the gospel? What is this truth that is so foundational that it must not be overlooked? The gospel is this: That every one of us, myself included, has offended God by actions, thoughts, and words that have not reflected Him in our lives. Because we have offended God we stand separated from Him forever. There is nothing you, or I, or anyone else can do to earn his own way into heaven. We cannot be good enough to earn God's love or forgiveness. (Romans 3:23, Galatians 2:20)
This is where the good news comes in; we don't have to! Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, lived the perfect life that we couldn't live, died the death we should have died on the cross in our place and for our sins, and rose again from the dead 3 days later to return us to Himself. The good news is that if we rethink the way we live our lives, and place our faith and trust in Jesus death, burial, and resurrection He brings us to God because of His sacrifice. When we trust in Him, He then changes us to be like Him as He provides for us what we need to know God and obediently serve Him in action, thought, and word. That's the good news of Jesus, that He does the work for us, and it changes our lives and eternities when we depend on what He's already done! (Titus 3:1-7, Romans 6:23)
Now, in case this is a little difficult to understand, let's break it down another way. Picture a high school athlete wanting to play a college sport. That athlete can do all that they want to work really hard to earn a scholarship and still get past up because their skills weren't good enough. A high school athlete can also be the best athlete in the nation and still get past up by a college coach simply because their character and attitude are terrible.
Ask any college coach, and they'll tell you they've had to pass up players who could have been good. The reality becomes that it doesn't depend so much on how good an athlete is, all athletes are lacking in one area or another, but it depends on what the team needs and why the coach decides he wants to recruit a player. It depends not on the athlete, but on the coach. The coach chooses to offer the athlete a spot on the team because of what the coach desires in an athlete, not because of what the athlete has in and of himself. The athlete then has the choice to respond by accepting the offer and wearing the colors of the team or he chooses not to. Once on the team, their are then guidelines set in place to help the athlete grow. Violating those guidelines results in discipline, but usually not elimination from the team.
See the picture? God is recruiting us to Himself. He extends to us His offer to be on His team by the sacrifice of His Son Jesus. If we accept the offer, Jesus then gives us the colors of the cross to wear so that God identifies us as part of His team. If we refuse, we do not receive the colors of the cross and do not become a member of God's team. Once a member of the team, God disciplines and trains us, just like a good coach disciplines and trains His players, so that we can learn to play and live like a member of God's team. Accepting the offer takes but a moment. Learning to play the game God's way takes a life time. That's the gospel. That's the journey. That is the victory we have in Jesus; that He has won the day, and that in Christ we can share that victory! We must preach this, teach this, understand this, believe this, share this and live this. For all of God's play book (the Bible) points us back to this beautiful truth, that God is recruiting us to His team through faith in Jesus Christ and then training us to play the game (life) the way He wants us to as we learn the ways of His victorious team. Accept the offer, receive the training, share the victory! (1 Corinthians 15:56)
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