The Great Missionary Hope

 

Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:5)

The great missionary hope is that when the gospel is preached in the power of the Holy Spirit, God himself does what man cannot do: he creates the faith that saves. The call of God does what the call of man can’t. It raises the dead. It creates spiritual life. It is like the call of Jesus to Lazarus in the tomb, “Come out!” And the dead man obeyed and came out. The call created the obedience by creating life (John 11:43). That is how anyone is saved.

We can waken someone from sleep with our call, but God’s call can summon into being things that are not (Romans 4:17). God’s call is irresistible in the sense that it can overcome all resistance. It is infallibly effective according to God’s purpose — so much so that Paul can say, “Those whom [God] called he also justified” (Romans 8:30), even though we are only justified by our faith.

In other words, God’s call is so effectual that it infallibly creates the faith through which a person is justified. All the called are justified according to Romans 8:30. But none is justified without faith (Romans 5:1). So the call of God cannot fail in its intended effect. It irresistibly brings into being the faith that justifies.

This is what man cannot do. It is impossible. Only God can take out the heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26). Only God can draw people to the Son (John 6:44, 65). Only God can open the spiritually dead heart so that it gives heed to the gospel (Acts 16:14). Only the Good Shepherd knows his sheep, and calls them by name with such compelling power that they all follow — and never perish (John 10:3–4, 14).

The sovereign grace of God, doing the humanly impossible, through the gospel of Jesus Christ, is the great missionary hope.

IF YOU WILLINGLY RECEIVE JESUS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

MONDAY OCTOBER 24, 2022.

SUBJECT : IF YOU WILLINGLY RECEIVE JESUS! 

Memory verse: "Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going." (John 6 vs 21.)

READ: John 6 vs 16 - 21:

6:16: Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea,

6:17: got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was already dark, and Jesus has not come to them.

6:18: Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.

6:19: So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.

6:20: But He said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”

6:21: Then they willingly received Him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land where they were going.

INTIMATION:

It’s only in Jesus that we can find the purpose of our lives. God sent Him to the world as a revelation of Himself, and we can only truly know God through Jesus. Therefore, receiving Jesus willingly into your life immediately takes you to the source of the revelation of your purpose of being created. The Bible says in Ephesians 1 vs 11, "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His Will." It is in Christ that we find out who we are (we obtain an inheritance), and what we are living for (the purpose of Him for us), and He did it all according to His Will. He works all things according to his overall plans and purposes in everything and for everyone.

Jesus means “the Lord saves.” Jesus came to earth to save us because we can’t save ourselves from sin and its consequences. No matter how good we are, we can’t eliminate the sinful nature present in our lives. Only Jesus can do that. Jesus didn't come to help people save themselves, He came to be their Savior from the power and penalty of sin. Receiving Jesus willingly into your life is the only immediate way to receiving salvation. Thank Christ for His death on the cross for your sin, and then ask Him to take control of your life. Your new life begins at that moment.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life,” (John 14 vs 6). He is the only way to God. By uniting our lives with His, we are united with God. Trust Jesus to take you to the Father, and all the benefits of being God’s child will be yours. As the way, Jesus is our path to the Father. The Scripture says, “And there is salvation in no other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4 vs 12). Jesus is the only means through which we can be saved. One cannot devise his or her own system of religion and expect to be saved on his or her own conditions. One cannot be saved outside the atonement that has been provided by Jesus on the cross. 

As the truth, He is the reality of all God’s promises. Jesus is the revelation of the grace and truth that proceeded from God for the salvation of all men. Salvation, therefore, must be accomplished through the revelation of the mystery of God that was revealed through Jesus (Ephesians 3 vs 3 - 5). Jesus Himself is the truth that sets us free. He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from continued slavery to sin, from self-deception, and from deception of Satan. He shows us clearly the way to everlasting life with God. Thus Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to follow God. As we seek to serve God, Jesus’ perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be. 

Jesus is the Creator of life, and His life brings light to humankind. In His light, we see ourselves as we really are (sinners in need of a Savior). When we follow Jesus, the true Light, we can avoid walking blindly and falling into sin. He lights the path ahead of us so we can see how to live. He removes the darkness of sin from our live. If He guides your life, you’ll never need to stumble in darkness. Jesus gives life. The life He gives is abundantly rich and full. It is eternal, yet it begins immediately. Life in Christ is lived in higher plane because of His overflowing forgiveness, love, and guidance. 

He who is life can surely restore life. Whoever believes in Christ has a spiritual life that death cannot conquer or diminish in any way. The answer to man’s mortality is found only in Jesus. One cannot find life outside the sacrificial blood of Jesus (John 8 vs 13). In order to have life throughout eternity, one must come into a covenant relationship with Jesus. Jesus says that the only way to live a truly good life is to stay close to Him, like a branch attached to the vine. Apart from Christ our efforts are unfruitful. Have you willingly received Jesus into your life as your personal a Lord and Savior? Do that now and you will receive the nourishment and life offered by Christ the vine!

Prayer: Abba Father, thank You for gift of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and the revelation of the purpose of our lives in Him. I have willingly received Him into my life, and have confessed Him as my personal Lord and Savior. In Him I live and move and have my being. Give me the grace to stay absolutely and everlastingly focused on Him, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Christ Is Like Sunlight

 

He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature. (Hebrews 1:3)

Jesus relates to God the way radiance relates to glory, or the way the rays of sunlight relate to the sun.

Keep in mind that every analogy between God and natural things is imperfect and will distort if you press it. Nevertheless, consider for example,

There is no time that the sun exists without the beams of radiance. They cannot be separated. The radiance is co-eternal with the glory. Christ is co-eternal with God the Father.

The radiance is the glory radiating out. It is not essentially different from the glory. Christ is God standing forth as separate but not essentially different from the Father.

Thus the radiance is eternally begotten, as it were, by the glory — not created or made. If you put a solar-activated calculator in the sunlight, numbers appear on the face of the calculator. These, you could say, are created or made by the sun, but they are not what the sun is. But the rays of the sun are an extension of the sun. So Christ is eternally begotten of the Father, but not made or created.

We see the sun by means of seeing the rays of the sun. So we see God the Father by seeing Jesus. The rays of the sun arrive here about eight minutes after they leave the sun, and the round ball of fire that we see in the sky is the image — the exact representation — of the sun; not because it is a painting of the sun, but because it is the sun streaming forth in its radiance.

So I commend this great Person to you that you might trust in him and love him and worship him. He is alive and sitting at the right hand of God with all power and authority and will one day come in great glory. He has that exalted place because he is himself God the Son, “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.”

God’s Final, Decisive Word

 

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. (Hebrews 1:1–2)

The last days begin with the coming of the Son into the world. “In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” We have been living in the last days since the days of Christ — that is, the last days of history as we know it before the final and full establishment of the kingdom of God.

The point for the writer of Hebrews is this: The Word that God spoke by his Son is the decisive Word. By the Son’s own design, that word has been captured for the ages in the writings of the New Testament. He explicitly made provision for this, lest every generation be left to itself to dream up the decisive word of God. This word will not be followed in this age by any greater word or replacement word. This is the Word of God — the person of Jesus, the teaching of Jesus, and the work of Jesus, captured by inspiration in the apostolic writings we call the New Testament.

When I complain that I don’t hear the Word of God, when I feel a desire to hear the voice of God, and get frustrated that he does not speak in ways that I may crave, what am I really saying? Am I really saying that I have exhausted this final, decisive Word revealed to me so fully and infallibly in the New Testament? Have I really exhausted this Word? Has it become so much a part of me that it has shaped my very being and given me life and guidance?

Or have I treated it lightly — skimmed it like a newspaper, clicked through like a quick series of internet postings, dipped in like a taste-tester — and then decided I wanted something different, something more? This is what I fear I am guilty of more than I wish to admit.

God is calling us to hear his final, decisive, inexhaustible Word — to meditate on it and study it and memorize it and linger over it and soak in it until it saturates us to the center of our being.

PRIDE, THE BANE OF MANY BELIEVERS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SUNDAY OCTOBER 23, 2022.

SUBJECT : PRIDE, THE BANE OF MANY BELIEVERS!

Memory verse: "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16 vs 18.)

READ: Psalm 12 vs 3; 101 vs 5;  Proverbs 8 vs 13; 11 vs 2; 13 vs 10; 16 vs 5; 29 vs 23: 

Psalm 12:3: May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things.

Psalm 101:5: Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy, the one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, him I will not endure.

Proverbs 8:13: The fear of the LORD is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.

11:2: When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.

13:10: By pride comes nothing but strife, but with the well-advised is wisdom.

16:5: Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished.

29:23: A man's pride will bring him low, but the humble in spirit will retain honor.

INTIMATION:

Pride is inordinate self-esteem or conceit; disdainful treatment of others. Pride, in the Scripture, also denotes being boastful, haughty, vainglory, presumptuous, and puffed up. 

Many believers are lofty in their thoughts. They always believe that to surrender to Jesus Christ is all that is required, and all other things will by itself fall into places. A humble and contrite spirit, which are the major requirements for believers, are grossly lacking in them. That is the consequence of pride.

When they have been driven by pride into wrong doing, they try their best to rationalize their actions, using such words as; "He spoke to me harshly and I gave it back to him," "I was provoked to anger, and I reacted the way I did." It is often their desire to return evil for evil, tear people down verbally or get back at them, if they feel hurt. But this is ungodly, God encourages us to pay back wrongs by praying for the offenders, to seek peace and pursue it. If we love life and desire to see good days, we should eschew evil and do good.

"I was wrong" or "I am sorry" are difficult phrases to utter because they require humility. Pride is an ingredient in every quarrel. It stirs up conflict and divides people. Examine your life truthfully, and you will acknowledge that pride has been leading to quarrels. Humility, by contrast, heals. Guard against pride. If you find yourself constantly arguing, always trying to rationalize your actions and behaviors, examine your life for pride, Be willing to admit your mistakes, and be open to godly advice of others, and ask for help when you need it.

Pride is the inner voice that whispers, "My way is best." It is resisting God's leadership, negating His concepts, and believing that you are able to live without His help. Whenever you find yourself doing this, or wanting to do it your way and looking down on other people, you are being pulled by pride. Only when you eliminate pride can God help you become all He meant you to be. 

Proud people take little account of their weaknesses and do not anticipate stumbling blocks. They think they are above the frailties of common people, but they are always caught in that web. In this state of mind they are easily tripped up. Ironically, proud people seldom realize that pride is their problem. 

Humility is the cure of pride. Pride leads to disgrace, punishment, destruction; it produces quarrels, ends up in downfall, and brings one low. In contrast, humility leads to wisdom, honor, and takes advice. The proud attitude heads the list of seven things God hates: 

"These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren." (Proverbs 6 vs 16 - 19.)

Pride and lies go hand in hand. The proud will always seek to defend their actions, requiring to put up a defense. Such defense are fraughted with lies in other to drive home their point. We may be tempted to believe that some lies are relatively harmless, even useful at times. But God does not overlook lies, flattery, deception, or boasting. Each of these sins originates from a bad attitude that is eventually expressed in our speech. The tongue can be our greatest enemy because, though small, it can do great damage (See James 3 vs 5 - 6). Be careful how you use yours.

Avoid pride when God prospers you, and makes you powerful. It is true that "pride goes before destruction."  If God has given you wealth, influence, popularity, and power, be thankful, but be careful. God hates pride. While it is normal to feel elation when we accomplish something, it is wrong to be disdainful of God or to look down on others. Give God credit of what you have, and use your gifts in ways that pleases Him. Remember, no matter what your position in society, God expects you to honor, worship, and obey Him.

Prayer: Abba Father, endue me with a humble heart, that I may constantly examine my ways, thoughts, and actions to eliminate any form of pride. Give me the grace to admit my faults, my wrongs, and to boldly say "I am sorry," in Jesus' Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Hedonism for Husbands and Wives

 

Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. (Ephesians 5:24–25)

There is a pattern of love in marriage ordained by God.

The roles of husband and wife are not the same. The husband is to take his special cues from Christ as the head of the church. The wife is to take her special cues from God’s design for the church as submissive to Christ.

In doing this, the sinful and damaging results of the fall begin to be reversed. The fall twisted man’s loving headship into hostile domination in some men, and lazy indifference in others. The fall twisted woman’s intelligent, willing submission into manipulative obsequiousness in some women, and brazen insubordination in others.

The redemption we anticipated when the Messiah finally came in Jesus Christ was not the dismantling of the created order of loving headship and willing submission, but a recovery of it. Wives, redeem your fallen submission by modeling it after God’s intention for a joyful church! Husbands, redeem your fallen headship by modeling it after God’s intention for the lavishly loving Christ!

I find in Ephesians 5:21–33 these two things: (1) the display of Christian Hedonism in marriage and (2) the direction its impulses should take.

Wives, seek your joy in the joy of your husband by affirming and honoring his God-ordained role as “head” or leader in your relationship. Husbands, seek your joy in the joy of your wife by accepting the responsibility to lead as Christ led the church and gave himself for her.

I would like to bear witness to God’s goodness in my life. I discovered Christian Hedonism the same year I got married, in 1968. Since then, Noël and I, in obedience to Jesus Christ, have pursued as passionately as we can the deepest, most lasting joys possible. All too imperfectly, all too half-heartedly at times, we have stalked our own joy in the joy of each other.

And we can testify together after almost 50 years of marriage: For those who marry, this is the path to the heart’s desire. For us, marriage has been a matrix for Christian Hedonism. As each pursues joy in the joy of the other and fulfills a God-ordained role, the mystery of marriage as a parable of Christ and the church becomes manifest for his great glory and for our great joy.

GOD IS EVER CARING!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY OCTOBER 22, 2022.

SUBJECT: GOD IS EVER CARING!

Memory verse: "Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." (First Peter 5 vs 7.) 

READ:  Psalm 103 vs 8 - 14 & 17:

103:8: The Lord is merciful and gracious. slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 

103:9: He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. 

103:10: He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. 

103:11: For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 

103:12: As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. 

103:13: As s father pities his children, do the Lord pities those who fear Him. 

103:14: For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. 

103:17: But the mercy of The Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him. And His righteousness to children's children. 

INTIMATION:

God has deep interest in all that concerns you and I. We are fragile but God's care is eternal. Too often we focus on God as Judge and Lawgiver, ignoring His compassion and concern for us. When God examines our lives He remembers our human condition. His mercy takes everything into account. God will deal with us compassionately. 

Our weakness should not be used as a justification for sin. God is so caring that when He forgives us our sin, He separates it from us and doesn't even remember it. East and west can never meet and this is a symbolic portrait of God's forgiveness of our sins. We need never wallow in the past, for God forgives and forgets.

In Matthew 6 vs 31 - 33, the Scripture states:

"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' Or 'What shall drink?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."

To "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" means to turn to God first for help, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything. People, objects, goals, and other desires all compete for priority. Any of these can quickly bump God out of first place if you don't actively choose to give Him first place in every area of your life, remembering that He cares!

Carrying your worries, stresses, and daily struggles by yourself shows that you have not trusted God fully with your life. It takes humility, however, to recognize that God cares, and to admit your needs, and let God take care of you. Sometimes we think that struggles caused by our own sin and foolishness are not God's concern. But when we turn to God in repentance, He will bear the weight of those struggles, including your sins.

Our Loving Father will never leave us; that is His promise to us. But the enemy of our souls wants us to doubt God, and to question His ability. Obviously, if you told a big enough lie long enough, people would believe it. And this undoubtedly, is the trick the father of lies, Satan, has used from the beginning of human history.

In the Garden of Eden our first parents were set up to live happily ever after, having been placed in a paradise-like setting by a Loving, Caring, and Personal God. They had been given everything they could ever want, but with only one small restriction: "Don't eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." 

We easily will say today, 'What a simple innocuous request and easy to obey.'

But when they were enticed by the “tempter,” - the devil, they fell into his trap of questioning the love and goodness of the One from whom they had only experienced good. What a monstrous lie! But they bought the lie hook, line and sinker! And mankind has been wretched ever since, but for God's intervention through His Son, Jesus Christ!

We do the same today. We willingly swallow the lie that we cannot trust our Heavenly Father. We allow our earthly hurts from parents or others to distrust our view and our understanding of God. Our many feelings, emotions, fears, and human experience effectively block a clean perception, consequently stifling all truth about Him. 

Pray that God will help you not allow negative human relationship and experience interfere with having a close relationship with your Loving, and Caring Father, and hindering your enjoying the never ending and limitless benefits of His care.

Prayer: Abba Father, You are so caring and loving that You gave Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sins. What a supreme sacrifice You made for me! Forever You remain my only God. Endue me with the spirit of love, compassion, trust, and complete obedience to You, who has given all for me, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!