I love the phrase in Acts 15:28 - "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us." They were wrestling with and searching for consensus in the Spirit about the application of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They had the firm truth of Christ and they had to take that truth and apply it to their lives and to live it out in a real way.
They sought God's will through His Word and they ultimately arrived at a place of unity through the Spirit and the world has never been the same since - both Gentiles and Jews (all people) are saved by grace through faith.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Assurance of Salvation
I was talking with someone today about faith in God, Jesus and salvation and I was reminded of just how important it is to be well grounded in our assurance of salvation and that once God has saved us that no one or no thing can "unsave" us.
The following is what God has to say on the topic:
John 10:28-29 (NIV)
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
The following is what God has to say on the topic:
John 10:28-29 (NIV)
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
Making a Difference
John 15:16-25
My thought from today's reading is simply this:
God chose me. He chose me at the right time in my life to be saved - for me it wasn't until I was 29 years old. That was when it was right for me. I can second guess God all day and ask - God, why didn't you save me sooner? From my perspective, it would have saved me a lot of grief in my life if I would have gotten saved when I was 11 instead of 29. But for whatever reason, God chose to save me when He chose to save me and that's that.
And He also chose me to make a difference - He saved me for a reason. To "bear fruit."
He didn't choose me to win a popularity contest. In fact, when you claim allegiance to Jesus Christ, be prepared to face ridicule, persecution and harassment. That's just the way it works. Being "close" to Jesus has always been a dangerous place to be. Following Christ is not for the faint of heart.
By the way, have you submitted your "But When God" moment yet? See the "But When God" section in the right sidebar.
My thought from today's reading is simply this:
God chose me. He chose me at the right time in my life to be saved - for me it wasn't until I was 29 years old. That was when it was right for me. I can second guess God all day and ask - God, why didn't you save me sooner? From my perspective, it would have saved me a lot of grief in my life if I would have gotten saved when I was 11 instead of 29. But for whatever reason, God chose to save me when He chose to save me and that's that.
And He also chose me to make a difference - He saved me for a reason. To "bear fruit."
He didn't choose me to win a popularity contest. In fact, when you claim allegiance to Jesus Christ, be prepared to face ridicule, persecution and harassment. That's just the way it works. Being "close" to Jesus has always been a dangerous place to be. Following Christ is not for the faint of heart.
By the way, have you submitted your "But When God" moment yet? See the "But When God" section in the right sidebar.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Saved To Serve
Isaiah 49:1-6
I am a Gentile that by God's grace and my faith in that grace, have been saved to serve the God of the universe. I don't get to choose how I serve Him - the Master gets to direct my servitude. I don't get to choose my reward - the Master rewards me however He sees fit.
Praise God today for the opportunity to serve Him. To be used by Him for His glory. Maybe, just maybe, one day I can say as Paul said:
Galatians 1:24 (NIV)
And they praised God because of me.
God saves us by grace through faith and He does it for a reason - to bring glory to Himself. We get to be a part of that process - unbelievable!
I am a Gentile that by God's grace and my faith in that grace, have been saved to serve the God of the universe. I don't get to choose how I serve Him - the Master gets to direct my servitude. I don't get to choose my reward - the Master rewards me however He sees fit.
Praise God today for the opportunity to serve Him. To be used by Him for His glory. Maybe, just maybe, one day I can say as Paul said:
Galatians 1:24 (NIV)
And they praised God because of me.
God saves us by grace through faith and He does it for a reason - to bring glory to Himself. We get to be a part of that process - unbelievable!
Monday, July 6, 2009
I Did It!
I finally got my testimony - my "But When God" moment (Galatians 1:15) - written that takes about a minute to read (actually 1 min. and 5 sec. - but if I read it really fast it's probably right at a minute!!). Anyway, I thought I would share it with you as just one example:
"I grew up not knowing much of anything about God and nothing about Jesus. When I was 13 years old my dad died in a car accident and I spent the next 16 years of my life believing that God was vengeful and I wanted nothing to do with Him. I struggled with selfishness, anger and greed and I tried to fill the void in my life with addictions and immorality but everything left me empty inside.
When my soon-to-be wife, Therese, and I moved to Colorado, a coworker of hers invited us to her church (Summitview in Ft. Collins). I reluctantly agreed, thinking that I would just have to go one time and that would be it. So we went one week and then several more and I was amazed to discover people that believed the bible was actually true and they applied its truth and principles in their lives.
It wasn’t long before someone shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with me and it made sense to me and I simply accepted His free gift of grace. Since then my life has been totally transformed - I am a different person.
It's not easy and I still have struggles and mess-up all the time but God has filled the void in my life and by His grace I have a sense of meaning that I never had before. I now know that God is not vengeful but rather He loves me and has a purpose for my life."
That's my story and I'm sticking to it :)
"I grew up not knowing much of anything about God and nothing about Jesus. When I was 13 years old my dad died in a car accident and I spent the next 16 years of my life believing that God was vengeful and I wanted nothing to do with Him. I struggled with selfishness, anger and greed and I tried to fill the void in my life with addictions and immorality but everything left me empty inside.
When my soon-to-be wife, Therese, and I moved to Colorado, a coworker of hers invited us to her church (Summitview in Ft. Collins). I reluctantly agreed, thinking that I would just have to go one time and that would be it. So we went one week and then several more and I was amazed to discover people that believed the bible was actually true and they applied its truth and principles in their lives.
It wasn’t long before someone shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with me and it made sense to me and I simply accepted His free gift of grace. Since then my life has been totally transformed - I am a different person.
It's not easy and I still have struggles and mess-up all the time but God has filled the void in my life and by His grace I have a sense of meaning that I never had before. I now know that God is not vengeful but rather He loves me and has a purpose for my life."
That's my story and I'm sticking to it :)
But When God
Don't forget to share your "But When God" story this week. Paul used his own testimony to defend the "gospel of grace." We need to be prepared to share our own story to proclaim and when necessary to defend the gospel.
Click HERE to share your "But When God" story. You can also click the link in the right sidebar area under the heading of "But When God."
Click HERE to share your "But When God" story. You can also click the link in the right sidebar area under the heading of "But When God."
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Share Your Story
Have you ever been in a position where you had to defend the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
Take a moment to post a comment and share your story.
Take a moment to post a comment and share your story.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Sunday: Defender of Faith
Just a couple of follow-up notes from the teaching this past Sunday.
We kicked-off a new series on Galatians. Galatians is a powerful letter written by the Apostle Paul who detected that the Galatians were being led astray by a false gospel and God used Paul to set things straight.
Just a few points that were emphasized on Sunday:
Have a great week.
We kicked-off a new series on Galatians. Galatians is a powerful letter written by the Apostle Paul who detected that the Galatians were being led astray by a false gospel and God used Paul to set things straight.
Just a few points that were emphasized on Sunday:
- Salvation comes by grace through faith - period.
- Grace is a gift from God that is worth defending.
- For those that have received God's grace (Jesus Christ), we do not have to be ashamed or embarrassed about what we have been given but rather must go on the offensive to share it with others.
- We must take responsibility for our own faith in order to refute false doctrine and to resist being led astray.
Have a great week.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Integrity
Proverbs 10:9 (NIV)
The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
God is looking for men, women and students who are committed to integrity. Integrity is all about consistent character - about being consistent in our character. Are you committed to integrity?
The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out.
God is looking for men, women and students who are committed to integrity. Integrity is all about consistent character - about being consistent in our character. Are you committed to integrity?
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