Many have scoffed at me for suggesting the idea that we could or should present the gospel without referencing the law or 10 commandments. Yet Paul did this very thing. The gentiles were never under the law. Most of us today are gentiles. On top of that the law has been over since the cross. Paul didn't present a law based gospel to the gentiles. Us doing so today confuses people about the love & character of God. Paul didn't use the law at all to tell gentiles the gospel. There is no mention of the old covenant, of the Law, no mention of God's commands, not even a mention of sin! How utterly foreign is this to today's evangelistic messages!!! Here's what Paul said to gentiles in Acts 17:24-31,
"The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should change their minds to trust in Him, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
Why isn't this gospel being proclaimed in churches? Because it is utterly anti-religion & churches are built on man made religion. Here are ways the true gospel to the gentiles does not agree with today's "Christian" religion, churches, & gospel(s).
1. "God does not dwell in temples made with hands." Churches claim to be the "house of God" & that His presence is only there or greater there than elsewhere.
2. "God is not served by human hands." All of the serve the church, serve God religion goes out the window. Gone also is the idea that God is more concerned with His egotistical glory than He is with His children. His glory is for His children, Jesus His Son said so in John 17:22.
3. "God doesn't need anything. He is the giver of all things." Religious obligations to "do God's work" & "pay God back" fall apart, so does the idea that we have to earn things from God.
4. "God determined when & where people would live so that they would seek Him. God is everywhere. He is all around us." The idea that we have to go somewhere like a church or to someone like a preacher/priest/pastor to meet God is nullified. God had us born at the right time in the right place to make us most likely to seek Him.
5. "We are all God's children thus we know God is a person, not a thing." There is more here than I can comment on. Most important is that we should think of God as OUR Father more than we should think of him as a god. This also shows us that Jesus & the bible are not one & the same. God is a Father, not a thing, not a book.
6. "God overlooked the ignorance of those before the cross." Compare to what Paul says in Romans 3:25 which says Jesus passed over sins committed before the cross. "Jesus held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past," "Jesus had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished." That throws most doctrine in the garbage about their worldview & view of God & sin.
7. "God declares all people should change their minds to trust in Him." The word repent does not mean "turn from sin" but to "change your mind" from ignorance, disbelief, or mistrust to trust. God doesn't require commitment or surrender (neither word appears in scripture). You just have to change your mind to choose to trust Him.
8. "God has set a day in which He will judge the world." God is not judging, punishing, or condemning the world in any way right now. He has set up a SINGLE DAY when He will make judgments about people. (See this post for more).
9. "God will judge the world in righteousness." The word judge means to determine. It does not picture God imposing His will but God determining what the wills of men have chosen. He does it in righteousness, in loving accuracy with integrity.
10. "Jesus raising from the dead is proof enough to get us to engage God."
My Rewording of Paul's Gospel to the Gentiles:
God is the creator. God cannot be contained in buildings & religions. He is not looking for servants or slaves. He gives all things to us. He decided when & where we would be born to make us most likely to seek Him. He is all around us, everywhere we go. We are His children & that means He is our Father, a person & not a thing. He is not an idea made up by humans. He does not hold our ignorance or actions against us. Choose to trust in Him. He will give you what you choose. He will allow you to embrace Him as your Father or choose to be an orphan. He has raised his Son Jesus from the dead to prove Himself to us all. Trust Him.
In short: God is your Father & He wants to know you & protect you. He sent your older brother & raised Him from the dead to prove His love & His life giving protection.
Showing posts with label gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gospel. Show all posts
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
The Gospel Without Repentance
It seems to me that Christians publicly speaking against what they consider to be sin actually makes people less likely to come to trust in God. The gospel, the good news is that God isn't holding the world's sins against them (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Many Christians say, "God hates you because of your sin. You need to turn from your sin so He will forgive you."
The gospel says, "God holds nothing against you, just trust in Him to receive His love & His life."
Repent does not mean "turn from sin" in the New Testament, it is a mistranslation. The word repent does not belong in the New Testament. Instead of repent it should be translated as "change your mind."
When the bible says, "the sins of the world are taken away" that means the spiritual barrier of sin has been removed, the law is over, & God holds nothing you've done against you.
Forgive is also a mistranslation, for God to "forgive you" does not mean "God stops holding your sins against you." He stopped doing that at the cross when He "took away the sins of the world." What the bible actually means when you see the word forgive is "God takes away the burden of your sin off of you & He takes away the spiritual condition of your sin."
LIE: Sin is a problem between you & God. You need Him to forgive you (meaning stop holding your sin against you).
TRUTH: Sin is not a problem between you & God. God wants you to trust Him so He can remove your burdens & give you eternal life.
I am sick of the performance based "turn from sin" false gospel. We've been taught by almost every evangelist out there that, "You must let go of sin to be saved." But the truth is salvation isn't about you letting go of sin, it is about God making sin let go of you. To be saved you must trust God to remove sin's grip on you. When He does this it is permanently removed. You may grip onto it with your flesh at times but sin will never have a hold on you again!
God forgave us all at the cross. There He stopped charging all of mankind with sins & charged those sins to Himself so He could destroy them. But God cannot remove sin's condition without your permission, you have to willingly trust Him to become your Father by rebirth. The only way to stop death is by resurrection & rebirth.
Nearly all of these truths have been kept from the world & Christianity as a whole. Instead people are told, "God wants to torture & kill you but he'll call off his dogs if you agree to be his slave."
Good news! The King of Love is here! Change your minds to trust in Him. Do this & He will remove the guilt, shame, & burden of your sins. He will give you the gift of Himself, His very own Spirit to pour His love into your heart. He will make you into a new creation by causing your spirit to be reborn & united with His forever.
Related Posts
Jesus Did Not Come To Call The Righteous to Repentance?
Thoughts on Evangelism
Many Christians say, "God hates you because of your sin. You need to turn from your sin so He will forgive you."
The gospel says, "God holds nothing against you, just trust in Him to receive His love & His life."
Repent does not mean "turn from sin" in the New Testament, it is a mistranslation. The word repent does not belong in the New Testament. Instead of repent it should be translated as "change your mind."
When the bible says, "the sins of the world are taken away" that means the spiritual barrier of sin has been removed, the law is over, & God holds nothing you've done against you.
Forgive is also a mistranslation, for God to "forgive you" does not mean "God stops holding your sins against you." He stopped doing that at the cross when He "took away the sins of the world." What the bible actually means when you see the word forgive is "God takes away the burden of your sin off of you & He takes away the spiritual condition of your sin."
LIE: Sin is a problem between you & God. You need Him to forgive you (meaning stop holding your sin against you).
TRUTH: Sin is not a problem between you & God. God wants you to trust Him so He can remove your burdens & give you eternal life.
I am sick of the performance based "turn from sin" false gospel. We've been taught by almost every evangelist out there that, "You must let go of sin to be saved." But the truth is salvation isn't about you letting go of sin, it is about God making sin let go of you. To be saved you must trust God to remove sin's grip on you. When He does this it is permanently removed. You may grip onto it with your flesh at times but sin will never have a hold on you again!
God forgave us all at the cross. There He stopped charging all of mankind with sins & charged those sins to Himself so He could destroy them. But God cannot remove sin's condition without your permission, you have to willingly trust Him to become your Father by rebirth. The only way to stop death is by resurrection & rebirth.
Nearly all of these truths have been kept from the world & Christianity as a whole. Instead people are told, "God wants to torture & kill you but he'll call off his dogs if you agree to be his slave."
Good news! The King of Love is here! Change your minds to trust in Him. Do this & He will remove the guilt, shame, & burden of your sins. He will give you the gift of Himself, His very own Spirit to pour His love into your heart. He will make you into a new creation by causing your spirit to be reborn & united with His forever.
Related Posts
Jesus Did Not Come To Call The Righteous to Repentance?
Thoughts on Evangelism
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Who Killed Jesus?
The cross is the place where sin, guilt, & shame were taken care of. How terrible is it then that the cross has been used to make people feel guilty? The gospel has been flip-flopped to manipulate us & make us feel bad. You didn't kill Jesus. Jesus said He laid down His life willingly (see John 10:17).
LOOK! Here is the Gospel:
For more on this read my post The Good News
LOOK! Here is the Gospel:
YOUR SIN DIDN'T KILL JESUS!
JESUS KILLED YOUR SIN!
"God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and He condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3)
For more on this read my post The Good News
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
The Good News
"If a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law." (Galatians 3:21)
People say that the reason people aren't saved is because they aren't acceptable to God because they fall short of God's standard of holiness, referring to the law. But this tells us that even if you kept all of the law all of the time your whole life you still would die because obedience to the law could never give life. You see mankind's problem is the condition of sin, not the actions of sin. The disease of sin leads to death. Mankind got infected by sin.
God only held people's actions against them under the law to help people become aware of their disease so it would not kill them sooner. God didn't hide from Adam & Eve when they sinned, Adam & Eve hid from God. Sin was never about you being "unworthy" in God's eyes to approach God. Sin was about you being too shame-filled to see God & too sick to make it in the next life & dying forever as a result. The God of life wasn't sitting in heaven too stubborn to forgive impure people. He was doing everything He could to preserve them. It was never about God holding our actions against us. How do we know that? Because Jesus doesn't hold anything against us when offering us the cure for sin.
In the New Testament to "be saved" means to "be cured." Jesus took our disease (sin) on the cross & became the cure. He was injected with our sin to bring about the antidote because He was the only one who had immunity to it. We've been taught that "our sin killed Jesus" & that we should feel really bad about that. But neither is true. Jesus said He would willingly lay down His life. We saw this happen on the cross when Jesus willingly announced the giving up of His Spirit from His body & breathed His last. Jesus defeated sin on the cross. Jesus did not die because sin had the power to kill Him. He died so that He could raise again to life to defeat death. He broke the power of sin & death, sin on the cross, death while coming out of the grave.
If the reason we face death is because God holds our actions against us why would Jesus suffer so intensely & die? If God was just saving us from Himself, instead of suffering He could have just saved Himself the trouble & changed His mind to choose to forgive us. The word forgive in the bible is a poor translation. The word in the bible does not mean "stop being offended" as the English word forgive does. It actually means "to take away." So in today's sense of the word forgive, God never forgave a single person living today. We were all born after the law ended & after the cure had been introduced. God has never counted a single sin against us, blamed us, or been mad at us. God took away our sins on the cross meaning He took away the spiritual barrier that sin created between mankind & God. He also took away the law which charged us with sin. Only by trusting in Him do we take the cure. Taking the cure of Christ makes God able to take away our burden of sin (guilt/shame) & the condition of sin from our spirit which cleanses us from all unrighteousness by giving us a new eternally living spirit that is united with God.
Related Posts
Lifted Up to His Glory: Talks about how "falling short of God's glory" doesn't picture falling short of some kind of standard.
People say that the reason people aren't saved is because they aren't acceptable to God because they fall short of God's standard of holiness, referring to the law. But this tells us that even if you kept all of the law all of the time your whole life you still would die because obedience to the law could never give life. You see mankind's problem is the condition of sin, not the actions of sin. The disease of sin leads to death. Mankind got infected by sin.
God only held people's actions against them under the law to help people become aware of their disease so it would not kill them sooner. God didn't hide from Adam & Eve when they sinned, Adam & Eve hid from God. Sin was never about you being "unworthy" in God's eyes to approach God. Sin was about you being too shame-filled to see God & too sick to make it in the next life & dying forever as a result. The God of life wasn't sitting in heaven too stubborn to forgive impure people. He was doing everything He could to preserve them. It was never about God holding our actions against us. How do we know that? Because Jesus doesn't hold anything against us when offering us the cure for sin.
In the New Testament to "be saved" means to "be cured." Jesus took our disease (sin) on the cross & became the cure. He was injected with our sin to bring about the antidote because He was the only one who had immunity to it. We've been taught that "our sin killed Jesus" & that we should feel really bad about that. But neither is true. Jesus said He would willingly lay down His life. We saw this happen on the cross when Jesus willingly announced the giving up of His Spirit from His body & breathed His last. Jesus defeated sin on the cross. Jesus did not die because sin had the power to kill Him. He died so that He could raise again to life to defeat death. He broke the power of sin & death, sin on the cross, death while coming out of the grave.
If the reason we face death is because God holds our actions against us why would Jesus suffer so intensely & die? If God was just saving us from Himself, instead of suffering He could have just saved Himself the trouble & changed His mind to choose to forgive us. The word forgive in the bible is a poor translation. The word in the bible does not mean "stop being offended" as the English word forgive does. It actually means "to take away." So in today's sense of the word forgive, God never forgave a single person living today. We were all born after the law ended & after the cure had been introduced. God has never counted a single sin against us, blamed us, or been mad at us. God took away our sins on the cross meaning He took away the spiritual barrier that sin created between mankind & God. He also took away the law which charged us with sin. Only by trusting in Him do we take the cure. Taking the cure of Christ makes God able to take away our burden of sin (guilt/shame) & the condition of sin from our spirit which cleanses us from all unrighteousness by giving us a new eternally living spirit that is united with God.
Related Posts
Lifted Up to His Glory: Talks about how "falling short of God's glory" doesn't picture falling short of some kind of standard.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Why so few Believe John 3:16
It is amazing how John 3:16 is the most well known verse from all of the bible yet so few people, Christian & Non-Christian alike, believe that God loves them or that God loves the world.
It takes a TON of unloving religious garbage to distort & invalidate something so simple for so many people. Visible Christianity, historically & presently, has not only misrepresented God.. it has presented Him with the very character of Satan. It says Jesus only saves you to "use you" as His "slave" for "His own glory." It pictures God the Father as the most double minded, demanding, immature, & offendable being to have ever existed. To be honest, most atheists have a better idea of who God should be than Christians do. Many atheists don't believe in God because the "Christian god" they are presented with is not loving. You see "God is love" is so universally true that those who don't see God's love reject His existence. Where they see no love they see no God.
Christians saw God's love at least the day they were saved but every day after that their religion has condemned them by teaching them that sin is the focal point of the Christian life & is something powerful enough to separate us from every aspect of the love of God. Therefore Christians ultimately believe the lie that God is not love or that His love is conditional to our obedience & lack of sinning. So to the Christian God couldn't possibly love the world because He barely loves His own children thus they go on threatening nations & individuals with God's wrathful judgment.
Without God's love for the world there is no good news. When the world doesn't see love & Christians don't feel loved what kind of news is that?
Related Posts
The God & The World of John 3:16
It takes a TON of unloving religious garbage to distort & invalidate something so simple for so many people. Visible Christianity, historically & presently, has not only misrepresented God.. it has presented Him with the very character of Satan. It says Jesus only saves you to "use you" as His "slave" for "His own glory." It pictures God the Father as the most double minded, demanding, immature, & offendable being to have ever existed. To be honest, most atheists have a better idea of who God should be than Christians do. Many atheists don't believe in God because the "Christian god" they are presented with is not loving. You see "God is love" is so universally true that those who don't see God's love reject His existence. Where they see no love they see no God.
Christians saw God's love at least the day they were saved but every day after that their religion has condemned them by teaching them that sin is the focal point of the Christian life & is something powerful enough to separate us from every aspect of the love of God. Therefore Christians ultimately believe the lie that God is not love or that His love is conditional to our obedience & lack of sinning. So to the Christian God couldn't possibly love the world because He barely loves His own children thus they go on threatening nations & individuals with God's wrathful judgment.
Without God's love for the world there is no good news. When the world doesn't see love & Christians don't feel loved what kind of news is that?
Related Posts
The God & The World of John 3:16
Monday, November 12, 2012
Good News Does Not Make You Feel Bad
The gospel is GOOD news. If you hear something that makes you feel worse than you did before you were listening then it is probably not the gospel. -Mike Kapler
So often people look at the "fruit of the Spirit" as if it were a list of things they are obligated to do, "love, have patience, be kind, be gentle, have self-control." But they are the fruit of the SPIRIT not the fruits of human effort. Branches don't strive to produce fruit, the life of the vine produces fruit through them.
The Spirit produces joy & peace. Remember these two? You can't force joy & peace onto yourself. Joy is good news & it makes you speak of the source of your joy. Peace makes the front page. God makes all of these things come out of you as you feel secure in Him.
So often people look at the "fruit of the Spirit" as if it were a list of things they are obligated to do, "love, have patience, be kind, be gentle, have self-control." But they are the fruit of the SPIRIT not the fruits of human effort. Branches don't strive to produce fruit, the life of the vine produces fruit through them.
The Spirit produces joy & peace. Remember these two? You can't force joy & peace onto yourself. Joy is good news & it makes you speak of the source of your joy. Peace makes the front page. God makes all of these things come out of you as you feel secure in Him.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Fearing the Truth
I don't have the impression that truth is dangerous & to be avoided. Are we to think that everyone that Paul wrote Romans & Corinthians to, or everyone Hebrews was written to, or everyone that 1 John was written to were all mature enough to "handle the truth"?
Paul said to the Romans "I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh" & he goes on to speak some of the most solid & amazing spiritual perfection language in all of scripture.
In 1 Corinthians Paul calls the people "babes" yet still hands out to them major things in 2 Corinthians such as "God is no longer charging people with sin" (5:19-20), & "we identify no one according to the flesh (5:16)."
2 Corinthians 5:16-20 isn't meat, it is as pure & simple as the gospel gets & Paul speaks of the new creation (spirit) in this same context.
"From now on we identify no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; look, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the service of reconciliation, which is that, "In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their (the world's) sins against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."'
Is it dangerous for people to pick up the bible and read it? How does the truth lead someone astray? Why would we rather put the light of the gospel & our new creation in Christ under a bushel OUT OF FEAR than we would shine it?
Are we to be afraid of God's perfect love which doesn't charge people with sin & makes His children born spiritually perfect? Or are we to be so afraid of sin, whose power Christ destroyed, that we hush up about the goodness of God? Are we to be more afraid of the power of the enemy to lead people astray with the truth than we are to trust in God that He will use the truth to set them free?
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who trusts" (Romans 1:16). I trust the power of the true gospel far more than I trust that the enemy can distort its results. False gospels ruin people. The true gospel makes people whole.
I've never seen a single person ruined by the God's honest truth. People who fear the truth of grace still bask in a self-righteous mindset. They think that people shouldn't be taught about Christ's righteousness given to us until they can "handle the truth" & not go out acting however they want. They are afraid that knowledge of grace will cause people to behave badly. So what if it does? Would you rather someone believe a lie & be ignorant of the truth & behave morally for a time or someone know the truth of God's love & behave immorally for a time? The first entrusts people to themselves and their own performance. The second entrusts people to God & the power of His truth. For whatever reason people are so afraid of someone "sinning" that they'd rather keep them in the dark instead of exposing them to the light of God's love, the same love that is the only thing that truly changes people.
Paul said to the Romans "I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh" & he goes on to speak some of the most solid & amazing spiritual perfection language in all of scripture.
In 1 Corinthians Paul calls the people "babes" yet still hands out to them major things in 2 Corinthians such as "God is no longer charging people with sin" (5:19-20), & "we identify no one according to the flesh (5:16)."
2 Corinthians 5:16-20 isn't meat, it is as pure & simple as the gospel gets & Paul speaks of the new creation (spirit) in this same context.
"From now on we identify no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; look, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the service of reconciliation, which is that, "In Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their (the world's) sins against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God."'
Is it dangerous for people to pick up the bible and read it? How does the truth lead someone astray? Why would we rather put the light of the gospel & our new creation in Christ under a bushel OUT OF FEAR than we would shine it?
Are we to be afraid of God's perfect love which doesn't charge people with sin & makes His children born spiritually perfect? Or are we to be so afraid of sin, whose power Christ destroyed, that we hush up about the goodness of God? Are we to be more afraid of the power of the enemy to lead people astray with the truth than we are to trust in God that He will use the truth to set them free?
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who trusts" (Romans 1:16). I trust the power of the true gospel far more than I trust that the enemy can distort its results. False gospels ruin people. The true gospel makes people whole.
I've never seen a single person ruined by the God's honest truth. People who fear the truth of grace still bask in a self-righteous mindset. They think that people shouldn't be taught about Christ's righteousness given to us until they can "handle the truth" & not go out acting however they want. They are afraid that knowledge of grace will cause people to behave badly. So what if it does? Would you rather someone believe a lie & be ignorant of the truth & behave morally for a time or someone know the truth of God's love & behave immorally for a time? The first entrusts people to themselves and their own performance. The second entrusts people to God & the power of His truth. For whatever reason people are so afraid of someone "sinning" that they'd rather keep them in the dark instead of exposing them to the light of God's love, the same love that is the only thing that truly changes people.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Thoughts on Evangelism
Hell is not Good News
Under law everyone deserves hell. Under grace everyone deserves salvation but must choose to trust Christ to receive it. Rejecting Christ is like being given a house but never moving in.
Evangelize means to "proclaim or announce good news." The gospel of Jesus Christ is literally good news. The gospel isn't about hell it is about Jesus Christ taking away our sins so we can know God. People don't have to be warned about hell if you introduce them to our wonderful loving God. The message of Jesus was "Trust me and LIVE!" not "Trust me or DIE!" The gospel message isn't, "You're in danger of going to hell." The gospel message is "God has already bought for you and is offering you every good thing. Trust Him and you will have more joy & experience more love than you ever thought possible."
The book of Acts doesn't mention hell thus we see no basis for it to be used in evangelism. We cannot convince anyone but we can tell them the good news. I think that is why hell never comes up in Acts. If someone doesn't respond positively to the good news of what Jesus has done for them what more is there to say? I would see anything more as manipulation because you feel obligated to "get them saved" because religion teaches that you must or you are a failure.
Fear of Hell Does Not Result in Relationship with God
Using "if you don't trust Jesus you're in danger of going to hell," even after sharing the true gospel, is adding an appeal to human fear at the end rather than letting the gospel rest on God's love. The last thing you say is often the most memorable because it is the most recent. I falsely got baptized based on my fear of hell. I wasn't choosing God or trusting God. I did not know God because of it and I was not saved until 5 years later. Adding "if you reject Him you're in danger of going to hell" every time you share the gospel is sorta like offering someone a million dollars at gun point. Let the riches speak for themselves! If you truly believe the gospel is Good News why would you need to threaten someone into it?
Churches Seek Religious Servants rather than Disciples for Christ
Some say, "Well Jesus talked about hell more than he talked about heaven." I don't know if that is true but I do know that He talked about His Father & His relationship with Him most of all because that is what salvation is, an eternal love relationship with God. I've pretty much never heard anyone evangelize like that. Rarely do you hear, "Jesus wants you to know & experience the love of His incredible Father." Why is that simple truth so rare? Because religion runs on the performances of its people. If people think God already completely loves them and approves of them the minute they are saved then there is no reason to serve a religious system to earn His approval. God did not set up a religious system. I'm not saying this is done maliciously but church attendance/service/membership is almost always included in the sales pitch. "Pray now and you will not only avoid hell but you can go to my church free!"
The Christian Sales Pitch
Most people never see evangelism exemplified. We only see public preaching that is so impersonal & non-interactive that preachers are forced to make blanket statements & assume people's answers because people aren't allowed to personally answer during a sermon. So likewise we may approach evangelism as a "prepared message" rather than a conversation where we listen to the person we are talking to and we listen to the spirit. In churches I've only seen evangelism taught as an intellectual formula to win an argument. Honestly it leaves God out of it. If you have x amount of things to say when does God get a chance to lead you? "Evangelistic training" in the church is basically something used to calm people's fears (which Christ Himself should be doing) & it is a practical substitute for listening to God. Christians are seen as another form of manipulative salesmen by the world & rightly so because that is exactly what they are taught to be.
Getting someone to pray "the sinner's prayer" is how you "close the deal." And just like a salesman you may never speak to this person again after closing the deal because you got them to pray the prayer and show up to your church. Planting and watering are part of a gradual process of care, growth, and relationship. Most Christian witnessing carries the mindset of applying miracle grow so we can quickly add a tally to the conversion board.
Oxymoronic Witnessing
Not only does most "witnessing" end in trying to get people to go to your church but even more often "witnessing" is inviting someone to church to hear a sermon. A "witness" is one who can give a firsthand account of something experienced. A prepared sales pitch is not a witness. Getting someone to go to church in hopes that they will get saved is like a salesman only inviting someone to an infomercial taping. People don't witness because they haven't witnessed anything. If your entire witness is based on what you've read in the bible, you probably haven't witnessed anything. Just because you read about a crime in the paper, doesn't mean that you can go to court during the trial and be a witness.
Several times Jesus told people not to say what He had done for them but they couldn't help themselves because they witnessed the living God, the Messiah. The news is not good if God is not knowable. If I am a witness that means I have seen God's love for me. The good news is that Jesus took away our sin on the cross so that we could know God. As Jesus said in John 17:3, "Knowing God is eternal life!" Witnessing flows from a relationship with God.
Being Motivated by Guilt
If I'm sharing Jesus with my neighbor because I'm going to feel guilty if I don't then it is still about me, its not about them, and they're not going to hear it. Religious obligation turns evangelism into, "I'm gonna feel bad if I don't witness so I'm going to run over there and witness." If your witnessing is motivated by guilt or fear of guilt you in no way exude the gospel. The gospel of Christ removes guilt. If you fear your inactivity will produce feelings of guilt then you need to understand the gospel yourself.
The Gospel Message as Presented by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5-6
"God the Father was in Jesus Christ on the cross making relationship with Himself available to the world by no longer counting people's sins against them. Christ died for all. God has given us this message of relationship to tell others. We speak on behalf of Christ when we plead, “Come to God!” Christ never sinned, but God made Him become sin for all so that all could be made right with God through trusting Christ and become the righteousness of God in Him.
God says to all, “At just the right time, I hear you. On the day of salvation, I help you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the right time to call out to God. Today is the right day to be helped. Do not put it off. By knowledge, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love, by truthful teaching, & by the power of God we tell these things to all."
Under law everyone deserves hell. Under grace everyone deserves salvation but must choose to trust Christ to receive it. Rejecting Christ is like being given a house but never moving in.
Evangelize means to "proclaim or announce good news." The gospel of Jesus Christ is literally good news. The gospel isn't about hell it is about Jesus Christ taking away our sins so we can know God. People don't have to be warned about hell if you introduce them to our wonderful loving God. The message of Jesus was "Trust me and LIVE!" not "Trust me or DIE!" The gospel message isn't, "You're in danger of going to hell." The gospel message is "God has already bought for you and is offering you every good thing. Trust Him and you will have more joy & experience more love than you ever thought possible."
The book of Acts doesn't mention hell thus we see no basis for it to be used in evangelism. We cannot convince anyone but we can tell them the good news. I think that is why hell never comes up in Acts. If someone doesn't respond positively to the good news of what Jesus has done for them what more is there to say? I would see anything more as manipulation because you feel obligated to "get them saved" because religion teaches that you must or you are a failure.
Fear of Hell Does Not Result in Relationship with God
Using "if you don't trust Jesus you're in danger of going to hell," even after sharing the true gospel, is adding an appeal to human fear at the end rather than letting the gospel rest on God's love. The last thing you say is often the most memorable because it is the most recent. I falsely got baptized based on my fear of hell. I wasn't choosing God or trusting God. I did not know God because of it and I was not saved until 5 years later. Adding "if you reject Him you're in danger of going to hell" every time you share the gospel is sorta like offering someone a million dollars at gun point. Let the riches speak for themselves! If you truly believe the gospel is Good News why would you need to threaten someone into it?
Churches Seek Religious Servants rather than Disciples for Christ
Some say, "Well Jesus talked about hell more than he talked about heaven." I don't know if that is true but I do know that He talked about His Father & His relationship with Him most of all because that is what salvation is, an eternal love relationship with God. I've pretty much never heard anyone evangelize like that. Rarely do you hear, "Jesus wants you to know & experience the love of His incredible Father." Why is that simple truth so rare? Because religion runs on the performances of its people. If people think God already completely loves them and approves of them the minute they are saved then there is no reason to serve a religious system to earn His approval. God did not set up a religious system. I'm not saying this is done maliciously but church attendance/service/membership is almost always included in the sales pitch. "Pray now and you will not only avoid hell but you can go to my church free!"
The Christian Sales Pitch
Most people never see evangelism exemplified. We only see public preaching that is so impersonal & non-interactive that preachers are forced to make blanket statements & assume people's answers because people aren't allowed to personally answer during a sermon. So likewise we may approach evangelism as a "prepared message" rather than a conversation where we listen to the person we are talking to and we listen to the spirit. In churches I've only seen evangelism taught as an intellectual formula to win an argument. Honestly it leaves God out of it. If you have x amount of things to say when does God get a chance to lead you? "Evangelistic training" in the church is basically something used to calm people's fears (which Christ Himself should be doing) & it is a practical substitute for listening to God. Christians are seen as another form of manipulative salesmen by the world & rightly so because that is exactly what they are taught to be.
Getting someone to pray "the sinner's prayer" is how you "close the deal." And just like a salesman you may never speak to this person again after closing the deal because you got them to pray the prayer and show up to your church. Planting and watering are part of a gradual process of care, growth, and relationship. Most Christian witnessing carries the mindset of applying miracle grow so we can quickly add a tally to the conversion board.
Oxymoronic Witnessing
Not only does most "witnessing" end in trying to get people to go to your church but even more often "witnessing" is inviting someone to church to hear a sermon. A "witness" is one who can give a firsthand account of something experienced. A prepared sales pitch is not a witness. Getting someone to go to church in hopes that they will get saved is like a salesman only inviting someone to an infomercial taping. People don't witness because they haven't witnessed anything. If your entire witness is based on what you've read in the bible, you probably haven't witnessed anything. Just because you read about a crime in the paper, doesn't mean that you can go to court during the trial and be a witness.
Several times Jesus told people not to say what He had done for them but they couldn't help themselves because they witnessed the living God, the Messiah. The news is not good if God is not knowable. If I am a witness that means I have seen God's love for me. The good news is that Jesus took away our sin on the cross so that we could know God. As Jesus said in John 17:3, "Knowing God is eternal life!" Witnessing flows from a relationship with God.
Being Motivated by Guilt
If I'm sharing Jesus with my neighbor because I'm going to feel guilty if I don't then it is still about me, its not about them, and they're not going to hear it. Religious obligation turns evangelism into, "I'm gonna feel bad if I don't witness so I'm going to run over there and witness." If your witnessing is motivated by guilt or fear of guilt you in no way exude the gospel. The gospel of Christ removes guilt. If you fear your inactivity will produce feelings of guilt then you need to understand the gospel yourself.
The Gospel Message as Presented by Paul in 2 Corinthians 5-6
"God the Father was in Jesus Christ on the cross making relationship with Himself available to the world by no longer counting people's sins against them. Christ died for all. God has given us this message of relationship to tell others. We speak on behalf of Christ when we plead, “Come to God!” Christ never sinned, but God made Him become sin for all so that all could be made right with God through trusting Christ and become the righteousness of God in Him.
God says to all, “At just the right time, I hear you. On the day of salvation, I help you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the right time to call out to God. Today is the right day to be helped. Do not put it off. By knowledge, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love, by truthful teaching, & by the power of God we tell these things to all."
Monday, August 13, 2012
Does God Abort His Children?
Hebrews 7:25 tells us that "Jesus is able to save completely those
who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for
them." "God is not wishing that any should perish" (2 Peter 3:9).
So not only is He able He is also willing. Thus how can you not be saved completely if God is willing and able to save you completely?
"Nothing can separate us from the love of God" (Romans 8:39). God is love, if we can't be separated from His love how can we be separated from Him?
If somehow a Christian can become "unborn" based on their behavior after being born again that would mean sin is more powerful than God which is utterly false. Believing sin is more powerful than God really misses the point of the cross. We've already been totally forgiven at the cross. God does not count anything against us because of it (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Christ is the one who causes perseverance (see Hebrews 7:25 above). We abstain from bad behavior because God loves us not because we are afraid of Him casting us off.
If salvation is dependent upon human behavior Christ died for nothing. Why would there be a sacrifice for us if we could have saved ourselves? If you think you can lose your salvation based on behavior you, knowingly or not, believe the cross has no power and it is all our righteousness that saves us. That is not the gospel at all.
A Christian losing salvation essentially would be God aborting His own child.
So not only is He able He is also willing. Thus how can you not be saved completely if God is willing and able to save you completely?
"Nothing can separate us from the love of God" (Romans 8:39). God is love, if we can't be separated from His love how can we be separated from Him?
If somehow a Christian can become "unborn" based on their behavior after being born again that would mean sin is more powerful than God which is utterly false. Believing sin is more powerful than God really misses the point of the cross. We've already been totally forgiven at the cross. God does not count anything against us because of it (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Christ is the one who causes perseverance (see Hebrews 7:25 above). We abstain from bad behavior because God loves us not because we are afraid of Him casting us off.
If salvation is dependent upon human behavior Christ died for nothing. Why would there be a sacrifice for us if we could have saved ourselves? If you think you can lose your salvation based on behavior you, knowingly or not, believe the cross has no power and it is all our righteousness that saves us. That is not the gospel at all.
A Christian losing salvation essentially would be God aborting His own child.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Reconciliation Now! The Good News of Reconciliation
God the Father was in Christ on the cross, reconciling the world to
himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us
this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for
Christ, as though God were making His plea through us. We plead with
you on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20)
We have reconciliation available now. God reconciled the world to Himself no longer counting people's sins against them. The gospel isn't primarily about heaven and hell. It is not about law or your failure to keep the law. The good news is that sins & all barriers between us and God are taken away. The gospel is about relationship. Jesus said "This is eternal life, to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent." Eternal life isn't about a destination, though it includes one. Eternal life is an intimate and everlasting relationship with the person of God. The good news is this, that I can know God and be known by Him!!
What is Reconciliation?
Reconcile means to restore relations. The word is used in scripture in regard to the fact that in the garden of Eden people did have a close relationship with God. God in Christ restored the availability of relationship by taking away the sins of the world so there is no barrier between God and man. People just need to engage God with trust and they will get to know the amazing God He is. Reconciliation in the broad sense is God lifting mankind up from the fall to where they are free to relate to God again. So today reconciliation refers to God making relationship with Himself available to all.
Jesus is said to be the "propitiation" for our sins. That means His sacrifice removed the animosity God would have towards people for their behavior. He no longer counts sins against people. If we ever doubt the magnitude of God's generous and forgiving love for us we need only to look to the cross.
What Does it Mean to "Repent and Believe?"
The word repent means "to change your mind." The word believe in the bible means "to trust" or "to entrust." This is not a call to change behavior as is so often taught. It is a call to "Forget about what you thought you knew about God, the rule keeping & the rituals. God has revealed Himself fully through His Son Jesus the Christ. He died to take away the sins of the world. He is risen. He is alive now. Trust this risen Jesus, entrust yourself to Him. Nothing stands between you and Him. Nothing stands between you and God. He has already opened His arms to you on the cross as an everlasting invitation to embrace Him."
The following is a reason why changing your mind (repentance) is a part of salvation. "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil deeds" (Colossians 1:21). We thought we were enemies of God in our minds because of our evil deeds. Once we come to know the peace God has made with us through the death (blood) of Jesus we realize that God does not call us enemies but longs to know us as friends. Jesus is the living Word of God (John 1:1) and our living peace (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus is the living peace treaty of God. If we accept the living peace treaty of God's Son we become God's children and God's friends.
The Incredible Father
God is the Father in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). God the Father is constantly waiting for you to come to Him. The moment He sees you He runs to you filled with love and compassion and throws His arms around you, hugging you and kissing you. His forgiveness is so great that He ignores your sins even when you bring them up to Him. He cares only to celebrate that you are now with Him. When we are lost we have it even better than the sons in this story because Jesus goes out to find us to bring us to the Father.
Reconciled to God Forever
Jesus said in John 6:37 "Whoever comes to me I will never drive away." That is a true "never" for all who come to Him. Whenever you do something that you think comes between you and God it certainly does not. God NEVER drives you away once you come to Him. He does not count your sins against you, ever (2 Corinthians 5:19). He does not consider them. He does not take them into account. His perfect love makes it so you are never punished by Him (see 1 John 4:18). You have no need to fear. Allow His peace to take control of your heart (Colossians 3:15).
Summary
God is reconciled to all mankind.
He has overcome any animosity He could have towards mankind by judging the world's sins in the body of Jesus
He offers His friendship to all.
His love, peace, favor, grace, & goodwill is extending to all.
He forgave everyone and wants them to know it
God wants all people to be reconciled to Him.
To know the peace He has made with us through the death of Jesus.
To become aware of the good things He has done for us.
To become aware of the good things He offers to us.
To change our minds from distrust to trust.
To accept all He longs to give us.
Additional Scriptures
The favor of God has appeared with salvation for all people (Titus 2:11)
Mankind treated God as an enemy yet God reconciled all men to Himself through the death of His Son. Since mankind is reconciled to God by His death people will abundantly be saved, cured, & made whole by his life. (Romans 5:10)
God has restored our relationship with himself through Christ, and has given us this task of restoring relationships. God was using Christ to restore his relationship with humanity. He didn’t hold people’s faults against them, and he has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others. Therefore, we are Christ’s representatives, and through us God is calling you. We beg you on behalf of Christ to become reunited with God. God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God’s approval through him. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21, GWT)
Our message is that God was making all human beings his friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends. Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him take our sin in order that in union with him we might receive the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:19,21 GNB)
We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received relationship with God! (Romans 5:11)
My Paraphrase from 2 Corinthians 5-6
God the Father was in Jesus Christ on the cross making relationship with Himself available to the world by no longer counting people's sins against them. Christ died for all. God has given us this message of relationship to tell others. We speak on behalf of Christ when we plead, “Come to God!” Christ never sinned, but God made Him become sin for all so that all could be made right with God through trusting Christ and become the righteousness of God in Him.
God says to all, “At just the right time, I hear you. On the day of salvation, I help you.”
Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the right time to call out to God. Today is the right day to be helped. Do not put it off.
By knowledge, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love, by truthful teaching, & by the power of God we tell these things to all.
We work together with Christ and we implore all who receive Christ,
"Please don't ignore one bit of this marvelous life of love & kindness God gives. From now on regard no one according to the flesh. All who are in Christ are new creatures, the old has died, and a new living spirit has been received! All of these things are gifts from God: His Son, your freedom from sin, your freedom from being charged with sin, your being made right with God, your salvation, your relationship with God, His love, His favor, His grace, His kindness, His righteousness, & your new spirit that is born of God. He brought us to Himself through Christ. Christ died for all so that we who have living spirits no longer live alone but with Him who died for us and rose again. The love of Christ surrounds us!"
We have reconciliation available now. God reconciled the world to Himself no longer counting people's sins against them. The gospel isn't primarily about heaven and hell. It is not about law or your failure to keep the law. The good news is that sins & all barriers between us and God are taken away. The gospel is about relationship. Jesus said "This is eternal life, to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent." Eternal life isn't about a destination, though it includes one. Eternal life is an intimate and everlasting relationship with the person of God. The good news is this, that I can know God and be known by Him!!
What is Reconciliation?
Reconcile means to restore relations. The word is used in scripture in regard to the fact that in the garden of Eden people did have a close relationship with God. God in Christ restored the availability of relationship by taking away the sins of the world so there is no barrier between God and man. People just need to engage God with trust and they will get to know the amazing God He is. Reconciliation in the broad sense is God lifting mankind up from the fall to where they are free to relate to God again. So today reconciliation refers to God making relationship with Himself available to all.
Jesus is said to be the "propitiation" for our sins. That means His sacrifice removed the animosity God would have towards people for their behavior. He no longer counts sins against people. If we ever doubt the magnitude of God's generous and forgiving love for us we need only to look to the cross.
What Does it Mean to "Repent and Believe?"
The word repent means "to change your mind." The word believe in the bible means "to trust" or "to entrust." This is not a call to change behavior as is so often taught. It is a call to "Forget about what you thought you knew about God, the rule keeping & the rituals. God has revealed Himself fully through His Son Jesus the Christ. He died to take away the sins of the world. He is risen. He is alive now. Trust this risen Jesus, entrust yourself to Him. Nothing stands between you and Him. Nothing stands between you and God. He has already opened His arms to you on the cross as an everlasting invitation to embrace Him."
The following is a reason why changing your mind (repentance) is a part of salvation. "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil deeds" (Colossians 1:21). We thought we were enemies of God in our minds because of our evil deeds. Once we come to know the peace God has made with us through the death (blood) of Jesus we realize that God does not call us enemies but longs to know us as friends. Jesus is the living Word of God (John 1:1) and our living peace (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus is the living peace treaty of God. If we accept the living peace treaty of God's Son we become God's children and God's friends.
The Incredible Father
God is the Father in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). God the Father is constantly waiting for you to come to Him. The moment He sees you He runs to you filled with love and compassion and throws His arms around you, hugging you and kissing you. His forgiveness is so great that He ignores your sins even when you bring them up to Him. He cares only to celebrate that you are now with Him. When we are lost we have it even better than the sons in this story because Jesus goes out to find us to bring us to the Father.
Reconciled to God Forever
Jesus said in John 6:37 "Whoever comes to me I will never drive away." That is a true "never" for all who come to Him. Whenever you do something that you think comes between you and God it certainly does not. God NEVER drives you away once you come to Him. He does not count your sins against you, ever (2 Corinthians 5:19). He does not consider them. He does not take them into account. His perfect love makes it so you are never punished by Him (see 1 John 4:18). You have no need to fear. Allow His peace to take control of your heart (Colossians 3:15).
Summary
God is reconciled to all mankind.
He has overcome any animosity He could have towards mankind by judging the world's sins in the body of Jesus
He offers His friendship to all.
His love, peace, favor, grace, & goodwill is extending to all.
He forgave everyone and wants them to know it
God wants all people to be reconciled to Him.
To know the peace He has made with us through the death of Jesus.
To become aware of the good things He has done for us.
To become aware of the good things He offers to us.
To change our minds from distrust to trust.
To accept all He longs to give us.
Additional Scriptures
The favor of God has appeared with salvation for all people (Titus 2:11)
Mankind treated God as an enemy yet God reconciled all men to Himself through the death of His Son. Since mankind is reconciled to God by His death people will abundantly be saved, cured, & made whole by his life. (Romans 5:10)
God has restored our relationship with himself through Christ, and has given us this task of restoring relationships. God was using Christ to restore his relationship with humanity. He didn’t hold people’s faults against them, and he has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others. Therefore, we are Christ’s representatives, and through us God is calling you. We beg you on behalf of Christ to become reunited with God. God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God’s approval through him. (2 Corinthians 5:18-21, GWT)
Our message is that God was making all human beings his friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends. Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him take our sin in order that in union with him we might receive the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:19,21 GNB)
We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received relationship with God! (Romans 5:11)
My Paraphrase from 2 Corinthians 5-6
God the Father was in Jesus Christ on the cross making relationship with Himself available to the world by no longer counting people's sins against them. Christ died for all. God has given us this message of relationship to tell others. We speak on behalf of Christ when we plead, “Come to God!” Christ never sinned, but God made Him become sin for all so that all could be made right with God through trusting Christ and become the righteousness of God in Him.
God says to all, “At just the right time, I hear you. On the day of salvation, I help you.”
Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. Now is the right time to call out to God. Today is the right day to be helped. Do not put it off.
By knowledge, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love, by truthful teaching, & by the power of God we tell these things to all.
We work together with Christ and we implore all who receive Christ,
"Please don't ignore one bit of this marvelous life of love & kindness God gives. From now on regard no one according to the flesh. All who are in Christ are new creatures, the old has died, and a new living spirit has been received! All of these things are gifts from God: His Son, your freedom from sin, your freedom from being charged with sin, your being made right with God, your salvation, your relationship with God, His love, His favor, His grace, His kindness, His righteousness, & your new spirit that is born of God. He brought us to Himself through Christ. Christ died for all so that we who have living spirits no longer live alone but with Him who died for us and rose again. The love of Christ surrounds us!"
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The Good News of Justice
Christ died one time for the sins of all people, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God (1 Peter 3:18).
The just, Jesus, died for the unjust, mankind. Because of this justice is no longer defined by mankind getting rewarded or punished according to our deeds. Now justice is that all people be saved by trusting Jesus so that Jesus gets who is due Him. Before the cross justice was mankind getting punishment for sin. After the cross justice is the Savior getting who He paid for.
So to seek justice now is not to desire that evil be punished, although destructive people should still be prevented from harming others. Seeking justice on Christ's behalf is to desire that all men come to know God.
No one deserves punishment because everyone's sin has been taken away and freedom in Christ is a gift waiting to be opened. Come to know Him to share in His riches. God has made relationship with Himself fully available. Come to Him trusting His goodness to embark in that relationship. You can't benefit from a relationship if you refuse to engage with the other person. God is always better than you think.
When you trust Jesus God gives you everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). God has given you His Son and because of that He will not hold back from freely giving you all good things in His good timing (Romans 8:32). In fact once you trust Him you receive every spiritual blessing that exists (Ephesians 1:3). We enjoy His gifts and blessings by simply knowing & trusting that they are given.
The just, Jesus, died for the unjust, mankind. Because of this justice is no longer defined by mankind getting rewarded or punished according to our deeds. Now justice is that all people be saved by trusting Jesus so that Jesus gets who is due Him. Before the cross justice was mankind getting punishment for sin. After the cross justice is the Savior getting who He paid for.
So to seek justice now is not to desire that evil be punished, although destructive people should still be prevented from harming others. Seeking justice on Christ's behalf is to desire that all men come to know God.
No one deserves punishment because everyone's sin has been taken away and freedom in Christ is a gift waiting to be opened. Come to know Him to share in His riches. God has made relationship with Himself fully available. Come to Him trusting His goodness to embark in that relationship. You can't benefit from a relationship if you refuse to engage with the other person. God is always better than you think.
When you trust Jesus God gives you everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). God has given you His Son and because of that He will not hold back from freely giving you all good things in His good timing (Romans 8:32). In fact once you trust Him you receive every spiritual blessing that exists (Ephesians 1:3). We enjoy His gifts and blessings by simply knowing & trusting that they are given.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
The Gospel, Good News for the Whole World
Because Jesus took sin into Himself on the cross so God could pour out His wrath for sin:
God is not putting sins into anyone's account.
God is not counting anyone's sins.
God is not charging anyone with sin.
God is not crediting anyone with sin.
God doing this makes relationship with Himself 100% freely available to all who choose to trust Jesus.
Jesus took everyone's sins into His account. They were counted, charged, and credited against Him. The Son of God paid all of the judgment & punishment required for all sins on the cross. When Jesus said "It is finished" that was a term that also meant "paid in full." Because of Jesus God no longer looks at anyone with regard to sin. God does not relate to anyone based on sin!
Sin is not being charged to the world. The sins of the world are taken away. After Jesus rose to life we now live in a pure relational reality with no spiritual barriers standing between us and God. The words believe and faith both mean trust. Choosing to trust the person of Jesus is the only requirement of salvation.
I can either choose to trust a person to engage in a relationship with that person or I can choose not to trust that person and thus have no relationship with them. Salvation is a pure relational reality that is offered with no spiritual barriers. No barriers of sin, work, deed, or law ever exist for anyone because of the cross! Trust Jesus and live loved!
"God the Father was in Christ on the cross making relationship with Himself available to the world by no longer counting people's sins against them. God has given us this message of relationship to tell others. We beg you on behalf of Christ to come to God." (2 Corinthians 5:19-20)
God is not putting sins into anyone's account.
God is not counting anyone's sins.
God is not charging anyone with sin.
God is not crediting anyone with sin.
God doing this makes relationship with Himself 100% freely available to all who choose to trust Jesus.
Jesus took everyone's sins into His account. They were counted, charged, and credited against Him. The Son of God paid all of the judgment & punishment required for all sins on the cross. When Jesus said "It is finished" that was a term that also meant "paid in full." Because of Jesus God no longer looks at anyone with regard to sin. God does not relate to anyone based on sin!
Sin is not being charged to the world. The sins of the world are taken away. After Jesus rose to life we now live in a pure relational reality with no spiritual barriers standing between us and God. The words believe and faith both mean trust. Choosing to trust the person of Jesus is the only requirement of salvation.
I can either choose to trust a person to engage in a relationship with that person or I can choose not to trust that person and thus have no relationship with them. Salvation is a pure relational reality that is offered with no spiritual barriers. No barriers of sin, work, deed, or law ever exist for anyone because of the cross! Trust Jesus and live loved!
"God the Father was in Christ on the cross making relationship with Himself available to the world by no longer counting people's sins against them. God has given us this message of relationship to tell others. We beg you on behalf of Christ to come to God." (2 Corinthians 5:19-20)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Shouting to Rest!
Romans 8:15 says, "You did not receive the spirit of bondage leading to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, "Abba! Father!"
What are most Christians afraid of?
That God is not pleased with them. That they will lose favor with God. That they have offended God. That God will break fellowship with them. That God is cursing them because of something they've done. That sin separates them from God. That God won't protect them. That God won't provide for them. That they aren't doing enough, aren't praying enough, aren't witnessing enough, aren't reading the bible enough. That God doesn't love them very much if at all.
Every one of those fears is a lie. Jesus didn't commit the ultimate act of love for you to sit and wonder, "How can God really love me after all I've done and keep on doing?" He loves you more than you'll ever know because "his love surpasses all knowledge" (Ephesians 3:19).
Cry out, "Abba! Father! Jesus! .. Deliver me from believing these lies that make me think 'yeah, you'd die for me but you wouldn't live for me.' Jesus I never again want to feel like your death wasn't good enough so I have to add to it. I don't ever again want to think that your love for me is conditional or that your pleasure in me comes only from my performance. God I want to recognize your love for me every moment I possibly can. May I always know that the gospel is the good news of your graciousness not the bad news of all I have to struggle to give back. I'm tired of trying to earn what I already have and reaching for what is not mine. I want to live in what you give, who you gave. I want your promises to reshape my perceptions. Jesus after you finished offering yourself as the sacrifice for sins you sat down at the right hand of the Father. My life is now hidden with Jesus in you Father because you raised me up with Jesus and sat me with Him. The work is done, it is finished, paid in full! I want to rest with you. You said 'come to me and I will give you rest.' Here I am Lord. Here I am Father. Here I am friend."
How do you rest with someone? You trust them, you feel secure with them, and you relax!
What are most Christians afraid of?
That God is not pleased with them. That they will lose favor with God. That they have offended God. That God will break fellowship with them. That God is cursing them because of something they've done. That sin separates them from God. That God won't protect them. That God won't provide for them. That they aren't doing enough, aren't praying enough, aren't witnessing enough, aren't reading the bible enough. That God doesn't love them very much if at all.
Every one of those fears is a lie. Jesus didn't commit the ultimate act of love for you to sit and wonder, "How can God really love me after all I've done and keep on doing?" He loves you more than you'll ever know because "his love surpasses all knowledge" (Ephesians 3:19).
Cry out, "Abba! Father! Jesus! .. Deliver me from believing these lies that make me think 'yeah, you'd die for me but you wouldn't live for me.' Jesus I never again want to feel like your death wasn't good enough so I have to add to it. I don't ever again want to think that your love for me is conditional or that your pleasure in me comes only from my performance. God I want to recognize your love for me every moment I possibly can. May I always know that the gospel is the good news of your graciousness not the bad news of all I have to struggle to give back. I'm tired of trying to earn what I already have and reaching for what is not mine. I want to live in what you give, who you gave. I want your promises to reshape my perceptions. Jesus after you finished offering yourself as the sacrifice for sins you sat down at the right hand of the Father. My life is now hidden with Jesus in you Father because you raised me up with Jesus and sat me with Him. The work is done, it is finished, paid in full! I want to rest with you. You said 'come to me and I will give you rest.' Here I am Lord. Here I am Father. Here I am friend."
How do you rest with someone? You trust them, you feel secure with them, and you relax!
Monday, January 16, 2012
The Good News of Relationship
Jesus said in John 17:3, "This is eternal life, to intimately know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent." Eternal life isn't merely heaven or immortality. Eternal life is relationship with God.
Wrath is not the focal point of the gospel, relationship is. God poured out His wrath for sin in the body of His Son Jesus to defeat sin, free His people from sin, and to remove the need for Him to count sin against people. By doing this He made relationship with Himself fully available to those who choose to trust Him. Wrath was the means God used to condemn sin itself thus making relationship with God available.
The cross wasn't to save us from the anger of the holy Father. It was the anger of the holy Father and the holy Son against sin because it harms and destroys the objects of His affection, mankind. Jesus came to "Save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) not to save His people from Himself.
"God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. In the body of Jesus God condemned sin in the flesh declaring an end to sin's control over us. He did this so that the righteous requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us" (Romans 8:3-4).
"God the Father was in Christ on the cross making relationship with Himself available to the world by no longer counting people's sins against them" (2 Corinthians 5:19).
"Jesus took God's wrath for sin on our behalf so now, through trust, we are made right with God by the blood of Jesus and cured of sin. We are made whole by His life" (Romans 5:9-10).
If there were no heaven, if there were no hell God is still worth knowing. He is so loving that love itself is defined by who He is. "We have come to know, rely on, and have put our trust in the love God has for us. God is love" (1 John 4:16).
Wrath is not the focal point of the gospel, relationship is. God poured out His wrath for sin in the body of His Son Jesus to defeat sin, free His people from sin, and to remove the need for Him to count sin against people. By doing this He made relationship with Himself fully available to those who choose to trust Him. Wrath was the means God used to condemn sin itself thus making relationship with God available.
The cross wasn't to save us from the anger of the holy Father. It was the anger of the holy Father and the holy Son against sin because it harms and destroys the objects of His affection, mankind. Jesus came to "Save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) not to save His people from Himself.
"God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. In the body of Jesus God condemned sin in the flesh declaring an end to sin's control over us. He did this so that the righteous requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us" (Romans 8:3-4).
"God the Father was in Christ on the cross making relationship with Himself available to the world by no longer counting people's sins against them" (2 Corinthians 5:19).
"Jesus took God's wrath for sin on our behalf so now, through trust, we are made right with God by the blood of Jesus and cured of sin. We are made whole by His life" (Romans 5:9-10).
If there were no heaven, if there were no hell God is still worth knowing. He is so loving that love itself is defined by who He is. "We have come to know, rely on, and have put our trust in the love God has for us. God is love" (1 John 4:16).
A Wonderfully Loving Promise Fulfilled in the New Covenant
"I, the Lord, have sworn that I will never be angry with you and I will never rebuke you. For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, but My loving kindness will not be removed from you, and My covenant of peace will not be shaken," says the Lord who has compassion on you. (Isaiah 54:9-10)
Here are two scriptures that confirm that this is indeed a new covenant promise. They show us that God's "covenant of peace" mentioned in Isaiah 54 is the new covenant of the blood of Christ's cross which makes peace between us and God.
"This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28).
"Christ made peace with us through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:20).
The meaning of angry in Isiah 54:9
God will never be angry with you also means: He will not be displeased with you. He will not be offended with you. He will not be upset with you. He will not be exasperated with you. He will not have wrath for you. He will not resent you.
The meaning of rebuke in Isiah 54:9
God will never rebuke you means: He will not repel you from Himself. He will not beat you back. He will not shame, reject, disgrace, blame, disapprove of or condemn you. He will not reject you as worthless. He will prove you to be worthy. He will not break you. He will not mark you as immoral. He will not ruin you. He will not see you as unclean.
It does not have the same meaning as the word rebuke in Proverbs 3:11-12 or in Hebrews 12:5, "Do not lose heart when the Lord rebukes you." There it means "to correct, to lead you out of false beliefs."
Here are two scriptures that confirm that this is indeed a new covenant promise. They show us that God's "covenant of peace" mentioned in Isaiah 54 is the new covenant of the blood of Christ's cross which makes peace between us and God.
"This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:28).
"Christ made peace with us through the blood of His cross" (Colossians 1:20).
The meaning of angry in Isiah 54:9
God will never be angry with you also means: He will not be displeased with you. He will not be offended with you. He will not be upset with you. He will not be exasperated with you. He will not have wrath for you. He will not resent you.
The meaning of rebuke in Isiah 54:9
God will never rebuke you means: He will not repel you from Himself. He will not beat you back. He will not shame, reject, disgrace, blame, disapprove of or condemn you. He will not reject you as worthless. He will prove you to be worthy. He will not break you. He will not mark you as immoral. He will not ruin you. He will not see you as unclean.
It does not have the same meaning as the word rebuke in Proverbs 3:11-12 or in Hebrews 12:5, "Do not lose heart when the Lord rebukes you." There it means "to correct, to lead you out of false beliefs."
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