Ashamed of the Gospel?

Chuckle:  "The emergency brake on my car is really not an "emergency brake." I never use it in an emergency. It should be called a 'makes your car smell really funny' lever."   

 

Good Quote:  "It's not our choice as to whether or not we believers wish to be epistles of Christ. We just are! What is the message others read in you?" --Unknown Author

 

ASHAMED OF THE GOSPEL?

 

    "For I am not ashamed of this Good News (gospel) about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes -- Jews first and also Gentiles" (Romans 1:16 NLT).

 

Paul described three elements of his life that resulted in power for his evangelistic efforts: a deep sense of obligation to his Lord; an eagerness to spread the gospel message; and pride in the gospel for what it could do.  When he reflected on the sacrifice Christ made for him on the cross, he saw himself as being deeply in debt, with an accompanying obligation to repay that debt by being a faithful witness.  This sense of obligation made him eager to share the message with all people.  Thus he received great satisfaction from what he was doing and saw no reason, whatsoever, to be ashamed of the gospel message.

 

When you stop and think about it, God did nothing for the apostle Paul that he hasn't done for each of us.  His sacrificial and atoning death on the cross was for all people, equally.  Why is it that most of us are so timid and unsure of ourselves when it comes to sharing the Good News with others?  People give various reasons for not witnessing for their Lord.  But I suppose it boils down to depending on our own strength rather than the limitless strength and power of the One who commanded us to "go and make disciples of all nations."   When we depend upon our inadequate human strength, fear, anxiety, timidity, and ineffectiveness as a witness becomes the norm.  Depending upon God's strength will make us bold and eager to share what Christ has done for us.

 

In reality, each of us is a witness of one sort or another.  If you profess to be a Christian, you are a living testimony of your faith -- either positive or negative. Someone has put it this way:

 

You are writing a Gospel,

A chapter each day,

By deeds you do,

By words you say.

Men read what you write,

Whether faithless or true,

Say! What is the gospel

According to you?

 

God has entrusted to us the priceless message of Jesus Christ, the gospel.  It is the power of God which will save anyone, and everyone who, places their faith and trust (believes) in Christ.  What an awesome responsibility God has given us; but what a joy it can be when we are faithful in sharing the Good News, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and seeing lives changed.

 

Love, Jerry & Dotse

Faith and Works

Chuckle:  Can it be a mistake that "stressed" is "desserts" spelled backwards?

 

Good Quote:  "If we have faith without works, or works without faith, we have washed the window on one side only."   --William Arthur Ward 

 

FAITH AND WORKS   

 

    "The gentiles have been made right with God by faith, even though they were not seeking him. But the Jews, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law and being good instead of depending on faith" (Romans 9:30-32 NLT).

 

What a difference it would make in our world if everyone understood the letter, the spirit, and the implications of this passage.  There is a deep-seated conviction in the minds of many that goodness (righteousness) is measured by what we do -- the good things we accomplish in this life. 

 

We continue to think we must impress God by our good deeds/ works to earn his acceptance and approval so we can be assured a place in his heavenly presence.  This salvation by works idea blinds people to the blessed truth that it is the righteousness of Jesus, not ours, that reconciles us to God.  Believing that we must earn God's approval serves as a stumbling block to attaining true righteousness through faith.

 

The only righteousness that makes us acceptable in God's sight is the righteousness imputed to us by Jesus Christ, and this righteousness only becomes our own through faith in Him.  We may think that attending church, doing church work, giving offerings, and being nice to people will be enough to earn God's favor.  Paul tells us the approach will never succeed. 

 

We can only be saved by putting our faith in Jesus Christ and what he has done on the cross at Calvary. "God saved you by his special favor (grace) when you believed. And you can't take credit for this: it is a gift of God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it" (Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT).

 

If salvation is only through faith in Jesus Christ, what place does good deeds have in our lives?  It's really quite simple.  Good deeds that please God are those done for his glory as a result of our relationship to Him through Christ, not to earn that relationship.  "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things (works) he planned for us long ago" (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

 

Our salvation is something only God can do through his creative power at work in us.  We become Christians through God's grace (unmerited favor), not as the result of our own efforts, abilities, or acts of service.  God's intention is that our salvation will result in acts of service.  We work for him out of love and gratitude because we have been saved, not to be saved.

 

Love, Jerry & Dotse  

Does Jesus Care

Chuckle:  Church Sign: "God does not believe in atheists; therefore atheists do not exist!" 

 

Ponder This:  "The more a person loves, the closer he approaches the image of God."  --Unknown  

 

DOES JESUS CARE ABOUT YOU?

 

    "In all their suffering he also suffered, and he personally rescued them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through the years"  (Isaiah 63:9 NLT).

 

Does our Lord really care what happens to me?  Does he feel the pain that I feel?  Can he understand what I'm going through?  Yes, he does!  Because of his great love, God made provision to rescue us from the pain, sorrow, and eternal consequences of our sin.  To do this, Jesus, the God man, came to earth as human and as a result He can empathize with us in every way. 

 

Jesus fully understands our weaknesses and our fears.  As our High Priest, He made himself human, "And because he is human, he is able to deal gently with the people, though they are ignorant and wayward. For he is subject to the same weaknesses we have"  (Hebrews 5:2 NLT).  Since Jesus understands your pain, he pleads with you that you would be free from the suffering that sin causes and he desires you to experience the peace, joy, and freedom that comes from a personal love relationship with Him.

 

Jesus is like us because he experienced a full range of temptations as a human being while here on earth. He faced temptations as we do, only more so.  He is both sympathetic and empathetic toward us.  We should be encouraged from knowing that Jesus faced temptation without giving in to sin.  Through his example, and the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can have the strength to resist sin and deal with hardships and suffering.

 

Jesus assures us of forgiveness and salvation.  As humanity's representative, he is now at the right hand of the Father interceding on our behalf. "He lives forever to plead (intercede) with God on our behalf"  (Hebrews 7:25 NLT).  He is always available to hear us when we pray. "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words"  (Romans 8:26 NLT).

 

As we pray, the Holy Spirit penetrates to the deepest recesses of our being to help us root out those sinful thoughts and urges that we so carefully keep hidden from those around us.  Aren't we foolish to think that there are some sins that we can hide from God?  In the final analysis, our Lord really does understand what you are going through and is ready to help you through it.

 

It is not always easy to live the Christian life.  It is a mixture of ups and downs, joys and sorrows, and pain and comfort.  Through it all, our Lord remains our faithful companion and encourager because he identifies with us and understands what we are feeling.  This old hymn puts it this way: "Just when I need Him, Jesus is near, Just when I falter, just when I fear; Ready to help me, ready to cheer. . . . Just when I need Him most."

 

Love, Jerry & Dotse