God is Alive

In the year that Kind Uzziah died I saw the Lord...-Isaiah 6:1

King Uzziah is dead, but God is alive. If you were living during this time period you would understand the turmoil which existed every time a king would pass on. The nation of Israel was dependent on its king for protection and rule. When a king died the individuals who were living in the country did not know whether another army would come in and attack or if the nation would collapse. Israel did not know if the next king would be a good king who feared God or an evil king who did what he wanted. The death of a king was a very scary time, however, Isaiah records that even though Israel’s king may be dead, God is still on His throne. God was the living God when the universe was created. He was the living God when dinosaurs roamed the earth. He was the living God when the English arrived in America and established the Plymouth colonies and He will be the living God long after all of us have departed from this planet. John Piper says, “God will be the living God ten trillion ages from now when all the puny potshots against his reality will have sunk into oblivion like BB’s at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.”

We are coming up on an election, Republicans are beginning to decide whom the candidate will be who will run against President Obama and regardless of what happens, regardless of who wins the elections, GOD will still be on His throne. God will still be ruling and reigning from Heaven. In a brief 110 years this planet will be populated by a brand new set of people and all seven billion of us alive today will have vanished off the earth like Uzziah. But not God! He never had a beginning and therefore depends on nothing for His existence. He always has been and always will be alive.

My thoughts

Christopher Hitchens died on Thursday night at the age of 62, after a 18-month battle with esophageal cancer.

He was a brilliant and entertaining man. He was enormously gifted, and in his final years he took those gifts and used them to mock God, using his considerable wit and sharp tongue to convince as many people as possible to do the same.

Thursday night, Christopher Hitchens stood before a perfect judge (God) and a perfect jury (10 Commandments) and was judged based on how he kept the law. Each of us will also stand before a perfect judge and jury and judged based on how we kept the law. Let me ask you a few questions:

Did you know that a morally perfect Creator sees our thoughts, and holds us accountable to a standard? Let's look at the standard: You shall not steal. You shall not lie, or covet. You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain. You shall have no other gods before me. How many lies have you told this week? this month? this year? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever wanted something that someone else has? Have you ever looked with lust at someone of the opposite sex or even the same sex? (Did you know God sees that as adultery?) Have you ever hated someone? (Did you know God sees that as murder?) Have you put other "gods" before Him?-things to whom you have given your affection-nature, pleasure, people? 

Be honest with yourself and let your conscience remind you of things you have done, that you knew were morally wrong. Without that knowledge you will never, ever, call upon the mercy of the Judge. It is "knowledge" that causes a dying patient to trust a skillful surgeon who can save him from sure death. Knowledge is power, and in this case, it has the power to lead to your salvation. It can take you to the One who can save you from death, and from what comes after death--a very real and terrible Hell. What is sometimes called "saving knowledge" was mentioned by the prophet Hosea, hundreds of years B.C. God said through him, "My people are destroyed though lack of knowledge" (Hosea 4:6). My problem before I came to know God was a lack of knowledge, and it is probably your problem also.

So, to be saved from death and Hell, you must have "knowledge of sin." Do you have it? Did the Law of God get through to you, or did your pride stop it from doing its incredible work? I trust you have been humbled by the Commandments, so that you can appropriate the further knowledge that the gospel brings, knowledge that can save you from death.

The most wonderful truth you will ever hear is that God is rich in mercy. Guilty though we are, He in His great love provided a Savior--One who is able to save His people from their sins. Without Him, sin will be the death of you. It will justly sweep you into Hell. But God became a Man—-Jesus of Nazareth, and took the punishment for our sins upon Himself. He was bruised from our iniquities. God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. We broke God's Law (the Ten Commandments) and Jesus paid our fine in full. That means that God can legally dismiss your case. He can commute your death-sentence and let you live.

After He had purchased our salvation, Jesus rose from the dead, destroying death forever, for all that obey Him—-"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; and being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" (Hebrews 5:8-9).

So, please, repent today. Confess your sins to God, and then forsake them. Then trust alone in Jesus for your eternal salvation and God will forgive you and give you everlasting life.

Christopher Hitchens stood before a holy God on Thursday night. I can only imagine his knees were trembling as they bowed woefully before a God he had spent his whole life denying. One day you will stand before a Heavenly judge and if you do not know Jesus Christ, the verdict will be guilty and you too will spend an eternity in Hell as well, please repent and trust in Jesus while there is still time.

The Beauty of Christmas

This is the third part in a three part series. Here is part one (http://tewelch.blogspot.com/2011/11/power-of-christmas.html) and here is part two (http://tewelch.blogspot.com/2011/12/mystery-of-christmas.html)

The Beauty of Christmas:
He was conceived by the union of divine grace and human disgrace. 
He who breathed the breath of life into the first man is now himself a man breathing his first breath. 
The King of Kings sleeping in a cow-pen. 
The Creator of oceans and seas and rivers afloat in the womb of his mother. 
God sucking his thumb. 
The Alpha and Omega learning his multiplication tables. 
He who was once surrounded by the glorious stereophonic praise of adoring angels now hears the lowing of cattle, the bleating of sheep, the stammering of bewildered shepherds 
He who spoke the universe into being now coos and cries. 
Omniscient Deity counting his toes. 
Mary playing "this little piggy went to market" on the toes of God (well, being Jewish, maybe it was “this little pony”). 
From the robes of eternal glory to the rags of swaddling clothes. 
The omnipresent spirit, whose being fills the galaxies, confined to the womb of a peasant girl. 
Infinite power learning to crawl. 
Mary playing "patty-cake" with the Lord of Lords! 

Merry Christmas

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The Mystery of Christmas

This is the second post in a three part series. If you would like to read the first post here is a link...http://tewelch.blogspot.com/2011/11/power-of-christmas.html

The Mystery of Christmas:
Conception: God became a fertilized egg! An embryo. A fetus. God kicked Mary from within her womb!


Birth: God entered the world as a baby, amid the stench of manure and cobwebs and prickly hay in a stable. Mary cradled the Creator in her arms. "I never imagined God would look like that," she says to herself. Envision the newborn Jesus with a misshaped head, wrinkled skin, and a red face. Just think: angels watched as Mary changed God's diapers! Tiny hands that would touch and heal the sick and yet be ripped by nails. Eyes (what color were they?). Tiny feet (where would they take him?) that likewise would be pierced by nails. She tickled his side (which would one day be lanced with a spear).


Infancy: God learned to crawl, stand, and walk. He spilt his milk and fell and hit his head.


Youth: Was he uncoordinated? How well did he perform at sports? Perhaps Jesus knew the pain of always being picked last when the kids chose up sides for a ballgame. God learned his ABC's!


Teenager: Jesus probably had pimples and body odor and bad breath. God went through puberty! His voice changed. He had to shave. Girls probably had a crush on him and boys probably teased him. There were probably some foods he didn't like (no doubt squash among them).


Carpenter: Calloused hands. Dealings with customers who tried to cheat him or complained about his work. How did he react when they shortchanged him?

How Great is our God

Ghana: Gold Coast

Ghana is a West African country on the Gulf of Guinea.  Portuguese explorers landed in what is now Ghana in 1471.  They found so much gold there that they called it the “Gold Coast”.  Later, European merchants came to the Gold Coast to compete for profits in the gold and slave trades.  In the late 1800’s the Gold Coast became a British colony.  It gained its independence in 1957 and took the name “Ghana”, the name of an ancient African kingdom.  In 1960 the people voted to become a republic and elected Kwame Nkrumah president.  His “socialist” experiment was a disaster.  After his overthrow in 1966, there have been five military regimes and three short-lived civilian governments.  The revolutionary military government of Jerry Rawlings eventually opened up the way for multi-party elections in 1992.  He was democratically returned to power and serves as President today.

 Leading exports from Ghana are cocoa, gold and timber.  After an almost total economic collapse in 1982, they are now making a steady recovery with an average GDP growth of 5% per annum.  Average income per person per year is $380.00.

There are about 100 different ethnic groups in Ghana which speak 72 different languages.  Primary, secondary, and technical education is government subsidized and most children can attend school until they are about 12 years old.  53% of the population (in the cities) can read and write, however the percentage in the rural areas is quite low.  There are five universities plus a large number of teacher colleges and technical institutes.

Ghana is an agricultural country.  Although it has important mineral deposits, over half the people live in rural areas and are farmers.  There are grasslands in the north, farmlands and forests in the south and the center is dominated by 312-mile long Lake Volta.  The temperature varies from an average of 80 degrees F (27 degrees C) in Accra, the south, to higher temperatures in the north.  There is a dry season and a rainy season and northern and eastern Ghana have severe dry spells November to March.

Ghana is a secular state with religious freedom.  Although 64% of the people claim to be Christian, only 44.3% are affiliated with any Christian church.  Of the 27.9% who are Protestant, 20.3% are affiliated with a church.  African traditional religions are practiced by 20% of the people and the other 16% of the population is Muslim. In most of the North, where Paganism and Islam are even more prominent, the percentage of Christians is drastically less than the South. 

Baptist work in Ghana began with the first missionary under the International Mission Board (then Foreign Mission Board) in 1947.  The Ghana Baptist Convention is a strong entity with trained leadership – the Convention has approximately  800 churches and has last year celebrated its  37th anniversary. IMB missionaries work very closely with the Convention in its goal of reaching Ghana for Christ.

My Call

God saved me at the age of nineteen from a horrific past filled with selfish desires and vain conceits. Shortly, after God saved me the man who explained the Gospel to me came to me and told me now that I was a Christian I should share my faith with others. He gave me two books on the subject of witnessing, ten tracts and told me he would follow up in a few weeks to see if I had handed out the tracts. I was scared to death! I didn’t want to talk with anyone. What if they said no? What if they asked a question I couldn’t answer? What if they punched me in the face? These and other questions raced through my mind. One morning at 5:30 I was up early doing my devotions and God began to convict me over not handing out any tracts, I flippantly told God that if He wanted me to hand out tracts than someone had to be out in the hall when I opened the door. Remember its 5:30am! I opened the door and at the far end of the hall sat a young man named Sundip, a Buddhist from Nepal. I was blown away. I forced myself to walk down the hallway in order to give him a tract, and when I got close, I nervously with hand shaking asked, “If he had ever received a Gospel tract.” He said no, and thanked me for giving him one. I ran out the door into the early morning air. I was ecstatic! I had actually done it! I had handed out a tract and lived to tell about it! I was filled with excitement at being used by God to share His name. This feeling of excitement led me to go out witnessing with the man who was teaching me. Week after week I would hit the streets and share my faith. These times strengthened and encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. I grew closer to God through these times of witnessing than most people do in a lifetime.

After I had been witnessing on the streets for a number of months, a young man came and spoke at church and talked about missions. He shared that there were 1.6 billion people who had never heard the name of Christ. He said that every week in South Asia, alone, 220 million people die without ever hearing the name of Christ. This sentenced haunted me. I went to lunch afterwards, sitting in a cafeteria which holds 6,000 students and I couldn’t help but think that we weren’t even proportionate to the number of people dying every week who had never heard the story of Christ. God placed a burden on my heart that day. This God placed burden propelled me to travel to the Amazon region of Brazil. I slept in in a hammock, lived on a boat, bathed in the Amazon River in order to share the Gospel message with those lost in Brazil. This God placed burden propelled me to work with the International population at Liberty University. I taught English, basketball and the Bible to Asian students who had never heard the name of Christ. This God placed burden propelled me to Varanasi, India in the middle of the summer where the average temperature was 115 degrees in the shade, in order to share Jesus with others. This God placed burden is what sends my wife and I to Ghana, Africa. We desire to train an army of national pastors and church planters who will raise up the name of Christ around the country of Africa!  A burden for the lost and a passion for God’s glory is what sends my wife and I to the nations!

The Power of Christmas

Over the next three weeks I will be writing a three part series in order to emphasize the power, mystery and beauty of Christmas. This first part will focus on the power of Christmas...


The Word became flesh!
God became human!

The invisible became visible!
The untouchable became touchable!
Eternal life experienced temporal death!
The transcendent one descended and drew near!
The unlimited became limited!
The infinite became finite!
The immutable became mutable!
The unbreakable became fragile!
Spirit became matter!
Eternity entered time!
The independent became dependent!
The almighty became weak!
The loved became the hated!
The exalted was humbled!
Glory was subjected to shame!
Fame turned into obscurity!
From a throne to a cross!
From ruler to being ruled!
From power to weakness!

Three Options

The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.-Luke 10:2

All of us have three choices to make in regards to our role in evangelism and the Great Commission. These choices are...

GO:

We need men and women to go to every corner of every city in the United States because there are hundreds of millions of people who are going to a Christ less eternity and we should long to see them worship God. We need men and women to go to Africa and tell the tribes that there is a God and He is worthy of every single one of their praise. We need workers in East Asia and South Asia because Buddha is not worthy of worship, Jesus Christ is! Hindu worshippers must be told that there is ONLY one God and He is the way the truth and the life. We need workers in the Middle East working with Muslims because Allah is not worthy of praise, NO, only Jehovah is worthy of their praise. We not only need men and women committing to go and plant their lives overseas but we need short term mission teams to travel overseas for a few weeks or months in order to help encourage believers and share the Gospel. Would you be willing to give up vacation time in order to travel overseas for a few weeks to share the Gospel? Would you be willing to leave behind comforts of America in order to serve overseas for a few years?

SEND:

The second option is to send. Senders are those who for whatever reasons are unable to go to the mission field. These reasons could include age, sickness, kids, job, however, despite these reasons or situations God desires to use these individuals through another avenue. This avenue is sending. Senders are commanded to pray. Senders are commanded to pray for the nations. Do you own a map or a globe? If not, I encourage you to go out and buy one. The IMB sells maps on their website which reveals the Gospel needs around the world. Pray over the nations. Pray that God would open the eyes of those whom the enemy has blinded. Pray that God would send missionaries to the unreached peoples of the world. Pray that God would encourage missionaries serving overseas. Pray and ask God what your role will be in taking the Gospel to the nations. Second, partner with other missionaries which your church sends out. Do you know the missionaries which your church supports? Talk with your elders or pastors for information and then send the missionaries a word of encouragement. Ask them what you could pray for, if they need anything? Ask about their family, ministry, likes and/or dislikes? Love on your missionaries! Third, send. Did you know that if you make more than $34,000 a year you are among the 1% of the world’s richest populations? Has God blessed you financially? Has God blessed your business? Did you know that God has blessed you in order for you to be a blessing to others? Please, hold your finances loosely. Please, use what God has given you in order to send out more missionaries. Prayerfully consider sacrificing one dollar a day for the cause of missions or maybe more. Please, pray for what God would have you to give to the cause of world evangelization.

3) DISOBEY:

The seventy elders send out in Luke 10 could have chosen not to go when Jesus sent them out. They could have chosen to stay at home, enjoy time with their families rather than listen to their king, but instead they went. The disciples could have stood around staring off into the sky or they could have just shared the story of Jesus amongst themselves but they went and God used them to change the world. Who took the time to share the Gospel with you or invite you to church for that very first time? What would have happened had they not shared? Where would you be now if you didn’t know Christ? Let me make one thing crystal clear, God does not need you or I to do His work. God doesn’t need the IMB, NAMB or the SBC in order to spread His glory. God’s hands are not tied by our inaction. God may not need us but He desires to use us. If we choose to be disobedient the nations will not suffer, God will just rise up another convention, another church or another person to reach the nations and we will miss out on the blessing which comes from serving God.

For whatever reason God has chosen to use finite, fallible human beings in order to accomplish his infinitely perfect plan! God desires to use your church to reach the nations! God desires to use your church in cooperation with other SBC churches through the IMB to reach the nations with the Gospel message! We don’t need to be disobedient because of the encouragement found in Luke 10:2. We are told that the harvest belongs to the Lord. God loves the nations more than you or I. God desires to reach the nations more than your church, or that church down the road or the SBC. We must remember that the same God who called us out of darkness and into His wondrous light, the same God who adopted us into His home, the same God who commissions us to reach the nations with the Gospel is the very same God who has empowered us with the Holy Spirit to accomplish His purpose. Have no fear God will not fail! 

There are ONLY three options what will your choice be?

The Gospel

Graveyards & Eschatology

Last month my wife's great grandmother went home to be with the Lord. She was a God fearing woman who walked with God the majority of her life. I remember attending the funeral and being filled with sadness but at the same time rejoicing because I knew that one day I would see her again.

After the funeral there was a grave side service behind the church. Looking around the graveyard I couldn't help but contemplate the fact that beneath my feet were men and women who once had youthful skin and quick steps and hectic calendars but who are now piles of forgotten bones. I thought about the fact that the scattered teeth in the earth below had once sang hymns of hope-maybe "When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder I'll Be There" or "When We All Get to Heaven." They are silent now.

But while I was there, I couldn't help but think about all that I was learning in Theology. I couldn't help but think about what every generation of Christian has held against the threat of sword, guillotine, sickness, chemical weaponry, and death. The majority of Christians down through the ages have taken comfort in the fact that one day this stillness will be interrupted by a shout from the eastern sky, a joyful call with a distinctly northern Galilean accent. In that moment the dead in Christ will rise from the grave and those of us who are believers will be caught up into Heaven in the twinkling of an eye and that's when life really gets interesting!

Shout to the Nations

Imagine stepping out of a train in the middle of Africa. Immediately you realize the city is crowded; people cramming in and pushing on every side. The weather is hot and there is an explosion of sights and sounds…and smells. It is a chorus of pandemonium. A young shoeless child, with matted hair and dirt stained clothes, stops you to ask for money. Piercing eyes follow as you walk out of the train station, enter your taxi and our whisked off down the road. The reality is the majority of the people within the train station will live their entire life never once hearing the name of Christ.

Psalm 96 convicts and exhorts all Christians to tell the Nations that God reigns. God is Lord over all of Creation and because He is Lord all peoples should love and worship Him. Unfortunately, all peoples do not love and worship God; there are 1.6 billion people in the world who could not worship God if they wanted to.  For the countless billions who don't know the name of Christ lets shout to the Nations!

Verse ten exhorts Christians to say among the nations, “The LORD reigns.” Christians must go to the nations and share the Gospel with those who are blinded by false religions. Christians must declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples (vs.3). The LORD is great and is highly praised; He is feared about all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the Heavens (vs. 4-5). In Africa there are 3,000 tribal animistic religions completley devoid of God and there is a God who is worthy of every single one of their praise. 47% of the population in Africa claim to be Muslim. They are fasting, giving alms, making holy pilgramages to Mecca, praying five times a day to a demon and Jesus has died on the cross, rose from the grave, ascended to the Father in Heaven and He alone is worthy of their worship. We must tell the nations!

I challenge you today to pull out a map and pray for the nations. I challenge you to pray six things:

1.      Pray Psalm 96 over the nations.

2.      Pray that God would glorify His name among the nations.

3.      Pray that God would open the eyes of those whom the enemy has blinded.

4.      Pray that God would send missionaries to the unreached peoples of this world.

5.      Pray that God would encourage the missionaries serving overseas.

6.      Pray and ask God what your role will be in taking the Gospel to the nations.

God, alone, is worthy of praise. God alone will judge the nations; therefore, we must pray and tell the nations the LORD reigns!

Sent into the Harvest: Halloween on Mission

Sent into the Harvest: Halloween on Mission

David Mathis

http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/sent-into-the-harvest-halloween-on-mission

What if a crisp October wind blew through “the way we’ve always done things” at Halloween? What if the Spirit stirred in us a new perspective on October 31? What if dads led their households in a fresh approach to Halloween as Christians on mission?

What if spreading a passion for God’s supremacy in all things included Halloween—that amalgamation of wickedness now the second-largest commercial holiday in the West?

Loving Others and Extending Grace

What if we didn’t think of ourselves as “in the world, but not of it,” but rather, as Jesus says in John 17, “not of the world, but sent into it”?

And what if that led us to move beyond our squabbles about whether or not we’re free to celebrate All Hallows’ Eve, and the main issue became whether our enjoyment of Jesus and his victory over Satan and the powers of darkness might incline us to think less about our private enjoyments and more about how we might love others? What if we took Halloween captive—along with “every thought” (2 Corinthians 10:5)—as an opportunity for gospel advance and bringing true joy to the unbelieving?

And what if those of us taking this fresh approach to Halloween recognized that Christians hold a variety of views about Halloween, and we gave grace to those who see the day differently than we do?

Without Naiveté or Retreat

What if we didn’t merely go with the societal flow and unwittingly float with the cultural tide into and out of yet another Halloween? What if we didn’t observe the day with the same naïveté as our unbelieving neighbors and coworkers?

And what if we didn’t overreact to such nonchalance by simply withdrawing? What if Halloween wasn’t a night when Christians retreated in disapproval, but an occasion for storming the gates of hell?

The Gospel Trick

What if we ran Halloween through the grid of the gospel and pondered whether there might be a third path beyond naïveté and retreat? What if we took the perspective that all of life, Halloween included, is an opportunity for gospel advance? What if we saw Halloween not as a retreat but as a kind of gospel trick—an occasion to extend Christ’s cause on precisely the night when Satan may feel his strongest?

What if we took to the offensive on Halloween? Isn’t this how our God loves to show himself mighty? Just when the devil has a good head of steam, God, like a skilled ninja, uses the adversary’s body weight against him. It’s Satan’s own inertia that drives the stake into his heart. Just like the cross. It’s a kind of divine “trick”: Precisely when the demonic community thinks for sure they have Jesus cornered, he delivers the deathblow. Wasn’t it a Halloween-like gathering of darkness and demonic festival at Golgotha, the place of the Skull, when the God-man “disarmed the powers and authorities [and] made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them” at the cross (Colossians 2:15)?

Marching on Hell

What if we were reminded that Jesus, our invincible hero, will soon crush Satan under ourfeet (Romans 16:20)? What if we really believed deep down that our Jesus has promised with absolute certainty, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). What if we realized that the gates-of-hell thing isn’t a picture of a defensive church straining to hold back the progressing Satanic legions, but rather an offensive church, on the move, advancing against the cowering, cornered kingdom of darkness? What if the church is the side building the siegeworks? What if the church is marching forward, and Jesus is leading his church on an aggressive campaign against the stationary and soon-to-collapse gates of hell? What if we didn’t let Halloween convince us for a minute that it’s otherwise?

What if Ephesians 6:12 reminded us that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic power over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”? What if we remembered that it’s not our increasingly post-Christian society’s Halloween revelers who are our enemies, but that our real adversary is the one who has blinded them, and that we spite Satan as we rescue unbelievers with the word of the cross?

Resisting the Devil

What posture would Jesus have us take when we are told that our “adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8)? Naïveté? Retreat? Rather: “Resist him, firm in your faith” (verse 9). What if we had the gospel gall to trust Jesus for this promise: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)? And what if resistance meant not only holding our ground, but taking his?

What if we hallowed Jesus at Halloween by pursuing gospel advance and going lovingly on the attack? What if, like Martin Luther, we didn’t cower in fear, but saw October 31 as a chance to serve notice to the threshold of evil? What if we didn’t turn out our lights as if hiding, but went pumpkin-smashing on the very doorstep of the King of Darkness himself?

Orienting on Others

What if we saw October 31 not merely as an occasion for asking self-oriented questions about our participation (whether we should or shouldn’t dress the kids up or carve pumpkins), but for pursuing others-oriented acts of love? What if we capitalized on the opportunity to take a step forward in an ongoing process of witnessing to our neighbors, co-workers, and extended families about who Jesus is and what he accomplished at Calvary for the wicked like us?

What if we resolved not to join the darkness by keeping our porch lights off? What if we didn’t deadbolt our doors, but handed out the best treats in the neighborhood as a faint echo of the kind of grace our Father extends to us sinners?

Giving the Good Candy

What if thinking evangelistically about Halloween didn’t mean just dropping tracts into children’s bags, but the good candy—and seeing the evening as an opportunity to cultivate relationships with the unbelieving as part of an ongoing process in which we plainly identify with Jesus, get to know them well, and personally speak the good news of our Savior into their lives?

And what if we made sure to keep reminding ourselves that our supreme treasure isn’t our subjective zeal for the mission, but our Jesus and his objective accomplishment for us?

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
– Jesus in Matthew 9:37–38

Four Moments of Salvation

God calls us to become what He declares we already are.-Dan Holcomb

In Salvation there are four moments:

1. Eternally: We are elected in Christ.
• God chose us in him before the foundation of the world-Ephesians 1:4
• God predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will.-Ephesians 1:5
• God called us according to his own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.-2 Timothy 1:9
• We were chosen according to the foreknowledge of God our Father.-1 Peter 1:1-2
2. Historically: We are represented in Christ. God declares that whatever our representative, the Lord Jesus Christ, has accomplished, those who trust in him have also accomplished. Believers are considered by God:
• To have died with Jesus-Col. 3:3-4
• To be buried with Jesus-Romans 6:2-4
• To have risen with him-Romans 6:5-8
• From an historical perspective our salvation is a finished feat, accomplished by Jesus of Nazareth nearly two thousand years ago.
3. Presently: We are redeemed in Christ.
• Regenerated in Christ
• If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation-2 Cor. 5:17
• God made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace.-Ephesians 2:5
• For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.-Ephesians 2:10
• Justified in Christ
• There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.-Romans 8:1
• We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.-Ephesians 1:7
• Sanctified in Christ
• To those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus.-1 Cor. 1:2
• Adopted in Christ
• He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ.-Ephesians 1:5
4. Eschatologically: We are glorified in Christ.
• Believers "die in the Lord" (Rev. 14:13) and "sleep in Jesus" (1 Thess. 4:14).
• When the Lord returns "the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thess. 4:16).
• Believers will be resurrected in Christ.-1 Cor. 15:22
• Believers will be glorified in Christ.-Romans 8:17

We must remember that there is a now and not yet aspect to our salvation. The first two moments-eternal and historical-are objective and completed, while the second two-present and eschatological-are subjective and are yet to be completed. We end where we began with a quote, "God calls us to become what He declares we already are." Remember these truths and live in light of who God declares you to be.
*Lecture by Dr. Keathley October 25, 2011

My Wish

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The Fall of Man and the Victory of Christ

You will strike his heel and He will crush your head.-Genesis 3:15

Genesis 3 tells the story of the Fall of Humanity into sin. In this chapter we see that sin brings alienation from God, nature and mankind, however; in the midst of humanities darkest hour their is a bright ray of hope. This hope is found in Genesis 3:15 which contains the first picture of Christ with-in the Bible. The day is coming, God says, when Satan will be defeated and removed from the earth. The offspring of the woman will crush Satan. That decisive blow was struck by the perfect offspring of the woman Jesus Christ, when He died on the cross. This is one of the reasons why the eternal Son of God had to become a man-because it was the offspring of the woman who would crush Satan, but in turn be bruised.

Christ was bruised as He was beaten forty times minus one, but He crushed the head of the serpent because it was by His blood we are healed. Christ was bruised when He had the crown of thorns forced onto His brow but He crushed the head of the serpent when a crown of gold was placed on His brow and He became King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Christ was bruised as He was mocked but He crushed the head of Satan when one day every knee will bow and every tongue confess Christ as Lord. Christ was bruised as He was forced to endure false trials but He crushed Satan when He willingly endured till the end. Christ was bruised as the nails were hammered into His arms and legs but He crushed the head of the serpent when He took the nails for us, when He endured the cross for our sins. Christ was bruised as He was put to death as a common criminal but He crushed the head as He died to offer His body as a payment for sin. Christ was bruised when He died on the cross, a spear thrust into His side causing blood and water to flow out, and He was taken down wrapped and placed into a cold and damp tomb but He crushed Satan when on the third day He rose from the dead, visited the disciples, ascended into Heaven and now sits at the Father's right hand forever living and pleading for you and me. CHRIST HAS CRUSHED THE HEAD OF THE SERPENT!

In Christ we can join with the Apostle Paul and say, death where is your sting, Hell where is your victory? In Christ we have life! In the midst of humanity's darkest hour we see the compassionate, consuming love of God for sinners shine the brightest!

He is not safe, but He is good

In C.S. Lewis epic novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, one of the characters describing Aslan the Lion says that, “He is not safe, but He is good.” Aslan the Lion is “good” towards the children in Narnia and the other creatures; however, he is not safe and does punish the White Witch for her evil deeds or “sins.” Aslan, the Lion, represents the picture of God which we see in Psalm 76.

Psalm 76 shows us a picture of God which has grown mistakenly absent in today’s post-modern world. The truth of God’s wrath has become ridiculed as an outdated caricature of deity, or worse, denied altogether as a myth. The truth is the Bible clearly portrays the wrath of God as a necessary attribute of His holiness. The Psalmist in verses 1-3 describe God’s wrath as revealing, in verses 4-9 he shows God’s wrath as glorious, and verses 10-12 show God’s wrath as a way to renew our allegiance towards Him. We must always remember that God is good, therefore He must punish sin.

Sin is anything that we do which is not pleasing towards God. Anytime we lie, steal, look with lust, harbor anger in our hearts, or disobey our parents all of that and more is sin. Psalm 76 tells us God’s wrath, His holy anger, is directed towards sinners. If you are living in sin than God is not safe and He will punish sin.

God shows that He is good, however, in sending His Son Jesus Christ. Tim Keller says, “Christ lived the life we should have lived and He died the death we should have died.” Jesus Christ, the spotless Son of God, is the ONLY way we can have a relationship with a Holy and Just God. Psalm 76 asks the question, who can stand before God, and the New Testament answers the question with ONLY the individual who trusts in Christ can stand before Him.

Today, in view of God’s wrath we should redirect our allegiance towards Him. We should submit our lives to God as Lord over everything because He alone is good. We must remember that God is good, but He is not safe. God will punish sin! Psalm 76 reminds us that God’s wrath is directed towards those who do not confess His name. This understanding should urge us to tell others about Him. Psalm 76 should spur Christians to the task of world evangelism. We should be telling all that God’s wrath is directed towards those who oppose Him, however, He has provided a way to have a relationship with Him – through His Son, Jesus Christ. Please take time today to share the message of hope and God’s goodness with someone who does not know Christ.
*Parts taken from NIV Commentary Series

But a vapor

You don't even know what tomorrow will bring-what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes.-James 4:14

This afternoon like the rest of the world I discovered Stuart Scott passed away at the age of 59. I was shocked and saddened by the news, not so much because of my love for his work on ESPN but rather at the realization that the world has lost one of its greatest announcers.

Stuart Scott's death reminds all of us that life is short.  We are not promised forever!  The shortness of Stuart Scott's life reminds us of this but also the Bible repeatedly talks about the shortness of life.  We are told time and time again that in view of eternity our life is but a vapor, here one minute and gone the next.  We are constantly reminded to live in light of this reality.  Ecclesiastes 12 is a chapter in the Bible written by King Solomon which allegorizes the shortness of life...

Vs. 3: keepers of the house tremble; Solomon is using an allegory to refer to the arms.  We are reminded that there will come a day when our arms will shake and become frail.  Opening and closing our fist will become next to impossible. 

Vs. 3: strong men are bent; this is referring to the legs, in reference to the fact that there will come a day when we will walk hunched over with knees bent.  One day we will wake up and never again be able to run, hike mountains, go for long walks, etc.

Vs. 3: grinders cease because they are few; One day our teeth will fall out and we will have to wear dentures.  We will no longer be able to enjoy a juicy, delicious steak or other amazing foods.

V 3: those who look through the windows are dimmed; One day our eyes will fail us and we will be unable to see.

Vs. 4: rises at the sound of a bird; One day we will have trouble sleeping. We will arise before the sun and  and go to bed shortly after dinner, and we will spend all of the time in between complaining about the noise.

Vs. 6-7; before the silver cord is snapped, and the gold bowl is broken, and the jar is shattered at the spring, and the wheel is broken into the well; and the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it; One day every one of us will die!  This morning Stuart Scott stood before the Creator of the Universe and had to give an account for his life.  What will you say when face to face with the Holy Creator?  If you are not a follower of Jesus Christ, I beg you to click this link and read this story…(http://viewthestory.com/3156).  If you are a follower of Christ, than let me ask, how are you doing?

Ecclesiastes 11:9: Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all of these things God will bring you to judgment.  Followers of Christ, live your life, but know that one day you will have to stand before God and give an account for how you used this time, how you used your energy.  Did you use your life for proclaiming the glory of Jesus Christ or for proclaiming the glory of self?  Did you live your life proclaiming and explaining the glory of Christ or did you remain quiet and let your friends and neighbors sink into a Christ-less eternity?

Remember, our lives are but a vapor, here one minute and gone the next…

How will you use your vapor?