A Part of Being a Christian That Is Rarely Discussed!

January 31, 2024
Wednesday, 3:00PM

This is the "Renewing Your Mind" episode for today from Ligonier Ministries! A twenty-six minute video well worth listening to! Below are some reference notes i took while listening! 

Today’s teaching focuses on the mortification of sin! The last point Derek Thomas mentions about legalism is of critical importance! We CANNOT mortify our sin in our own strength. The Gospel of God, the Good News of God is NOT about behavior modification! The Gospel of God is that He is God! And He is triune! Father, Son and Holy Spirit! The Creator of all that is! He created human beings to image Him and we ALL have failed miserably. He sent His Son, incarnate into the world which He created - God the eternal Son took on human flesh, born as a baby and all that involves, in time and history - and lived the life we were commanded to (active obedience) and then He died the death we deserve (passive obedience). He saves sinners through His Son because God is just, loving, and merciful and will not allow sin to go unpunished!  

The death Jesus died was Him taking upon Himself the judgment of God, the wrath of God on His people’s behalf. He absorbed in Himself, as our substitute, the wrath of God that we deserve for our sinful rebellion against our Creator. John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. God the Son willingly became human in order to live and give His life for His people, His bride! Jesus is truly God AND truly man. One Person with two natures. Not 50% & 50%. But 100% God and 100% man. From His human nature, He lived in perfect obedience to God’s commands and from His human nature He took in the wrath/judgment/punishment of God on our behalf. ➡️That…THAT, IS THE LOVE OF GOD! He became a human in order to rescue us from the wrath of God/ the judgment of God/ the punishment of God against OUR SIN. Since the third chapter of Genesis, every human being born has been born under the domination of SIN. God hates SIN because of what it has done to His creatures and His very good world. We in turn image Him wrongly (we ALL fall short of the glory of God) by hurting ourselves and others as we sin. 

We NEED to be freed from the power and control and influence that SIN has over us. 

And God becoming human and taking on God’s wrath, as a human, is the ONLY way our SIN could be atoned for. Human for human. Paid for in full! So what Jesus accomplished on the cross is He took the judgment of God in our place so we wouldn’t have to in the final judgment! He took on the final judgment already on the cross for His people! 

Either you trust completely in Christ alone for taking on the punishment you deserve for rebelling against God: resting in Jesus knowing He has freed you from the wrath of God. OR You can continue trusting your SELF and your ways and your feelings and opinions that are under the influence/control/power of sin and expect, that when God decides to take breath from you and you physically die, you can expect to face the wrath/judgment/punishment of God on your own. There is a judgment coming. See Hebrews 9:27. 

This is not a scare tactic, this is reality. This is truth. This is the Gospel! This is the testimony of God in His written Word, the Holy Bible! This is GOOD NEWS! God has done what only God could do! He paid for our sin for us and gifts us the righteousness of Jesus’ perfect obedience! We CANNOT do it on our own. We absolutely NEED Jesus! 

So Derek Thomas’ point in #5 at the end of this message is about legalism. Thinking we can modify our behavior to earn God’s love. No, no, NO! We CANNOT earn God’s love. The Gospel is about how God has AND continues to love His people! The Gospel reveals His love in the truth of how He justly pardons our sin in His work accomplished IN and THROUGH Jesus Christ! He sent His Son to pay the debt we owe in full and God the Father accepted the willing sacrifice of the Son on behalf of those whom the Father gave Him and the Holy Spirit gifts us with the Son’s perfectly obedient life! That’s salvation! That is reconciliation to the Father, through the Son, applied by the Holy Sprit! That is the only way any human is justified before the one true, living triune God! The fact that God is triune is absolutely Good News! For if He wasn’t, salvation of any human would not be possible! 

Can you say freedom!?! 

Freedom from sin! 

Freedom from death! 

Freedom from the wrath of God! 

And…freedom to be utterly grateful to God for what He has done for us! 

Freedom to love God in response to His love towards us first! 

Freedom to trust Him and Him alone! Not our feelings or opinions! 

Freedom to obey/submit to His ways because we NOW KNOW that what He commands is for our good and for our joy and our protection… and ultimately for His glory! 

His grace/mercy/love/Holy Spirit empowers us to obey Him once He has gifted us new life IN Christ! 

He, and He alone transfers us from being IN Adam to being new IN Christ! 

From old creation to new creation! 

From the darkness into His light! 

From SIN IN Adam to complete rescue/salvation IN Christ! 

From blind to sight! 

From deaf to hearing! 

From trusting self to trusting Jesus Christ!

From victim mentality to victory and freedom IN Christ!

Ultimately, from eternal death to eternal life! 

SIN is not just something we do (verb). SIN is an evil, wicked influence rooted in our own self deception stemming from our own desires and selfish urges that compel us to act/think/behave for our own benefit at the expense of others (noun). SIN convinces our mind to hate the things of God and worst of all, to hate God Himself. You might not think you hate God, but disobedience to God is obedience to satan/sin/the flesh that is full of and pleased with SELF. Ego/arrogance. And Jesus is the only One that has the keys to unlock us and free us from the prison of actually taking pleasure IN SIN and trusting SELF! 

True saving faith gifted by God frees us from:

1) The pleasure of sin.

2) The power of sin.

3) The penalty of sin.

4) And ultimately at the return of Jesus, it frees us from the presence of sin! 

So the EVIDENCE that one has been rescued from the domination and oppression of SIN is obedience to Christ! 

• The EVIDENCE of true saving faith is you long, hunger and thirst for God and you seek Him in the Scriptures on a regular basis! He is the Only One that satisfies our hunger and quenches our thirst! 

• The EVIDENCE of salvation is that you no longer take pleasure in sin, you hate sin because God has given you sight to see the destruction it not only causes you, but others and His name!

• The EVIDENCE that you have been born again from above by God Himself is you have new priorities, new desires according to His revealed will recorded in His written word! 

• The EVIDENCE that you are IN Christ is you now obey His Word (although imperfectly) revealing that you trust Him over SELF! 

• The EVIDENCE that you are truly part of the bride of Christ, part of His body, adopted into His family - is you will long to find and join a truly biblical church where you enjoy sitting under the rightly divided preached word of God! You enjoy the family of God and growing in your union with Him and with the other brothers and sisters He has also adopted into His family! You will long to corporately worship and praise Him for who He is - your Lord, your Master, your God, your Savior and your Redeemer! You will long to be in submission to and under careful watch and prayer of Holy Spirit-filled pastors and elders as God commands His people in the New Testament! You will desire to be held accountable knowing it is for your own good and God’s glory! You long to receive communion after you have professed your gift of saving faith publicly! You desire to join the Lord at His feast that He has called you to! You long for Him to continue to feed you from His Word pursuing holiness and broaden the weening from the fallen world’s sinful ways! 

• The EVIDENCE that you belong to Jesus is you truly enjoy Him, love Him and adore Him! When someone speaks His name honorably your heart smiles! You do not fear! And when someone speaks His name irreverently you cringe and pray for them!

• The EVIDENCE that you are a Christian is you will not win any popularity contests! You will be thought of by the ones remaining in the old creation still dominated by sin and under God's wrath as a hypocrite, judgmental, bigoted, narrow-minded, mean, unloving, etc. And you confidently know you are blessed by God and He is allowing you to participate in His suffering and as bad as it hurts - you are blessed and grateful to be counted worthy to partake of His sufferings! And you KNOW He is worth it at any costs! 

• The EVIDENCE you are walking with God led by the Holy Sprit is you truly care about people’s souls! You desire and pray for even your worst human enemy to be gifted saving faith by the grace of God alone! 

• The EVIDENCE that you are a friend of Jesus is you tell people the truth in love knowing they will possibly think negative and wrong things about you! Those who hate TRUTH hear the TRUTH as hate. 

• The EVIDENCE that God has and is still at work transforming your mind and purifying your heart is you love Jesus above ALL - above ALL people and above ALL things! His love controls and compels you! 

• The EVIDENCE that you’re influenced by God and not SIN is you truly enjoy His authority over you and you rest in the reality of His sovereignty and provision no matter what it looks like or feels like! 

• The EVIDENCE that you are under the active authority and grace of God and not the devil is you do not compromise and tolerate sin to reach a sinner! 

• The EVIDENCE that you have a new heart is you now pray asking God to conform you to His will, no longer do you pray asking/telling God to conform to your will!

• The EVIDENCE that you are walking with God led by His Spirit is confession and repentance is a continual rhythm of life, not a one time moment in your past! Once God saves you from SIN, He continually is at work purging sin by renewing your mind with His Word!

• The EVIDENCE that you are of the new creation IN Christ is you know you are not your own, that you were bought with a price! And you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit! You know He saved you that we would glorify God in our body...now and in glory!

These are just some of the EVIDENCES that you are indeed in-dwelt by the Holy Sprit and under His influence and have been rescued by God from self-deception and sin’s powerful, wicked influence. 

If you are not certain and confident that this EVIDENCE is a present reality in your life there is only one thing you can do. Plead with God to have mercy on you. (Consult God in Luke 18:9-14) Confess your sins to God! (Don't continue to call God a liar by trusting in your own "righteousness", consult God in 1 John 1:9-10) Ask for His forgiveness! Quit running and HIDING FROM Him like Adam and Eve scared and ashamed in the garden and run TO Him in trust, surrender, humility and truth! Then open your Bible and start listening to Him! And ask Him to grant you belief in His Son! Not just belief in the facts ABOUT His Son - but belief INTO His Son! Only God gifts saving faith! It is not something we can muster up ourselves. If we could, then why did God the Father have to send His Son to take on human flesh?

Salvation is by God! From God! And For God! 

Romans 11:36; solideogloria!

Psalm 19:14; coram deo!

#graceandspace for you and for others, no matter what it looks like!  

 

Why Knowing Your Purpose Matters!

September 22, 2023

Friday 9:55AM

This morning i found myself in a moment of being utterly overwhelmed and weak. For over the last eight years our Lord, in His Word by His Holy Spirit and by the Spirit-filled teachers of His Word, has been teaching my husband and i the purpose for which we were created. 

Eight years ago our Lord Jesus opened our hearts to understand and know that we ultimately were created through Him and for Him! (Col. 1:16) That was an incredible paradigm shift for us. A relief! To have the lie that we were created to seek, pursue and create our own happiness dispelled! This new wisdom provided freedom that we had never known before! Freedom from the pursuit of happiness and freedom to rest in Jesus! Realizing that Jesus is our joy! Our delight! Our pleasure and our treasure! 

He is the One for whom we were created and it was natural that we were drawn to get to know Jesus, the Jesus of the Scriptures! Here's the reality. The more we read and study the Word of God and the Holy Spirit interprets it from inside of us, for us...the deeper understanding we glean of our purpose. Our purpose as a human. Our purpose as a male or a female. Our purpose as a son or a daughter. Our purpose as a husband or a wife. Our purpose as a dad or a mom. Our ultimate purpose for being. And that ultimate purpose is to know God, to enjoy God and to glorify God, forever! And on the road to forever - to eternity, to glory - we have these roles that come with responsibilities. 

    

For example, I am:

                              1) A human being. 

                              2) A Woman. 

                              3) A daughter.

                              4) A sister.

                              5) A wife. 

                              6) A mom. 

                              7) A grandma.

                              8) An aunt.

                              9) A friend. 

                            10) A neighbor. 

                            11) A natural born citizen of the United States of America. 

                            12) A supernatural born citizen of the kingdom of God. 

These are just twelve of many identifiers. With each one of them comes relationship and responsibility. Our understanding of number one will ultimately determine how we understand and live out all the rest. 

For the first 37 years of my life in this world, i lived as a human being believing that my purpose was to seek and find and create if i had to, happiness. That was a very long and difficult road to travel. It was full of heartaches, disappointments, a multitude of failures, me contributing and causing others much pain and suffering, enduring much pain and suffering by others, seeking new journey after new journey, setting goal after goal after goal and then pursuing them, finding satisfaction then only to discover it wasn't really satisfying, feeling successful in one area only to realize I wasn't in so many other areas, etc. That is a brief but accurate portrayal of my life as a human being the first 37 years of my life. 

But then, at age 37 all that changed! My understanding of what the purpose of being a human being was radically changed! Something had taken place in my life that caused me to purchase a Bible on line. Once it arrived i began reading it profusely.  My soul was so hungry and those words were the only thing that satisfied my hunger. The something that took place in my life that i mentioned above had changed me, yet i honestly had no idea what that "something" was. As i read the Bible, things began to start making sense. Like dots that were disconnected started to connect! And i will never forget the relief of coming to John chapter 3! i read this conversation that Jesus had with Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader. Jesus was explaining to Nicodemus that he must be born again. When i read that conversation i realized that that was what happened to me. Being born again was exactly what that "something" was! What i had been experiencing felt exactly like being born all over again, yet as a 37 year adult and at the same time left me feeling like a complete child rediscovering the world with new sight. Everything i thought i knew was wrong. Beginning with the purpose of my existence. You see, i had always believed that God created me. i never doubted His existence for as long as i can remember. But i was under the impression that He created me for me and that it was my responsibility to seek and find my own happiness. That played itself out in many ways and was changing all the time. Sometimes success made me happy. Sometimes people made me happy. Sometimes things made me happy. Sometimes money made me happy. Sometimes places made me happy. It was always changing and therefore all of the relationships above would change along with the target of whatever it was on any particular day that made me happy. But when i came in my profuse reading of the Bible to the book of Colossians chapter 1 verse 16 - the lie that i had always believed that God created me for me and my purpose was to find, in the world, what would make me happy was exposed. The lie was not so much about finding happiness as it was more about the whom i was created for. These words, God's words: 

"For in Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him."

Colossians 1:16 LSB

That next to last three letter word, for, changed my understanding of what my purpose was! The purpose for which i was created was not for me! It was for Him! God created me for His Son, Jesus! This was such a relief! This was such a paradigm shift! To realize that i had thought my life was all about me all this time only to discover that it wasn't! And not only was i not created for me, but to know whom i was created for then exposed so many other lies that i had always believed. 

The most immediate relationship that was impacted was my marriage. My husband and i had been married thirteen years at that point and had many ups and downs. And our downs were deeper than most. And we just happened 😉 to be in the lowest low of our marriage at that time. We both were under the impression that it was the other ones responsibility to make us happy. In those days, weeks and years when the other one was not making us happy we would look elsewhere. Whether that be other people or things or places. This only resulted in destruction time and time again. As God through His Word began to expose lie after lie that we had believed all our lives, by the truth of His Word - we then began to realize that we had been dead those 37 years. Now i know that sounds ridiculous. How could you be alive for 37 years and now come to the understanding that you were actually dead all along? As we  continued to read His word and listen to His word and truly trust His word - we came to realize that we were dead all those years in the sense of being out of relationship with God. It wasn't until we were reconciled back to God the Father through His Son by His Holy Spirt that we realized we had actually been in the darkness all our lives. Alive in a physical sense but our hearts were actually dead because they were not connected to or in union with the One who created us. But now that we had been born again, really born again from above this time, we were in relationship with our Creator again! And this leads us to desire to seek Him through His Word and the more we hear, read and learn His Word the more lies get exposed! And the more the lies get exposed the more we come to understand what it really means to be a human being! And the more we learn the purpose of being a human being the more joy and peace we have! 

At the same time, the more we understand the purpose for which God created us the more other areas are exposed where we have been complete failures. Such as in all those relationships and roles mentioned above. 

Let's take being a wife for an example. i went from believing that it was in my husband i was suppose to find ultimate happiness and fulfillment to realizing that no matter how "good" of a man he was - God never created him to complete me. Therefore, he would have never been able to meet that ridiculous expectation i had of him for those first 13 years. Never! Why? Because he wasn't created for me nor i for him! We both, and you, were created for God! For His glory! To image Him! To glorify Him! And how else would we image Him but with love? All relationships take commitment, although different levels of commitment, nonetheless they all take commitment! They all require love. Sacrificial love! Love is commitment more so than a feeling! Relationships give us the opportunity to serve. To serve one another in love! In devotion! In faithfulness! In mercy, grace and forgiveness! And if God didn't provide these relationships for us to serve and love one another, how else would we know why He created us? He created us to know Him! To know His heart! To be in a relationship with our Creator. Our Maker! A relationship of trusting that He is good. He alone is good! Therefore, why would we not trust everything He has said? When you are drawn by the Father to His Son by the Holy Spirit - He draws you with faith! And that faith is the one thing you and i have been missing and seeking and searching for our entire lives. Faith in the right person! Not faith in me. Not faith in you. Not faith in our spouse. Not faith our parents. Not faith in our children. Not faith in the world! But faith in the very Son of God, Jesus Christ! And He alone gives that faith! It is a gift! We can be the "best" person we know, the most "moral" person we know, the most "generous" person we know and we still fall short of the glory of God. In and of ourselves, we fall short of the glory of God. We fail to image Him in all we think, say and do. We fail in the very purpose we were created for. Therefore we are in a most dreadful, dark, dead condition to do anything about it. We are in bondage to our self-centered, sinful wills. And it literally takes an act of God to give birth to us from above to bring us to life! Abundant life! Eternal life in His Son! 

All of this to get to this point. The point is it has been 8 years now of our new life in Christ! And this morning i realized something. First of all, how powerful His work has been in our hearts! He has continued to renew our minds and transform our hearts that they become more and more unrecognizable from our old selves! Which is very good! But what else i realized is that the more He renews our minds the more responsible we become because we know truth. More truth every day. Today all this truth began to crash in my heart and helped me see, once again, even though now i know for what purpose we have been created and we have an entire book to direct our thoughts and actions, i am still failing to succeed at the very things i know i am here to do. Now we know a portion of the right things but yet we fail many times over at actually doing them and living them out faithfully. Knowing the truth is an ever heavy responsibility to bear. And it gets heavy. It is burdensome. And then i hear the voice of my Lord in His word remind me:

"All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son will to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I and gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." 

This time i hear the voice of my Lord in His light and weighed down from the heaviness of knowing truth. He reminds me to rest in Him! And He gently reminds me of what i already know to be true by His grace, that i must not look to myself, but to Him! 

Knowing your purpose reminds you to whom you run to for help! 

Knowing your purpose reminds you from whom your helps comes!

Oh Abba Father, my Maker and the Creator of the heavens and the earth, You are sovereign! You are good! You are holy and You are my comfort and delight! i confess to You that knowing truth becomes burdensome and heavy. Truth comes with responsibility and i fail constantly. Once again somehow i began to look to myself that i could actually follow you faithfully only to realize once again that i cannot. Thank You for reminding me i am home with You in Your Son by Your Spirit! Thank You for rest! Thank You for allowing me to see that once again and in a new way that i cannot reflect your glory to the world around me on my own. i need You now and always! i want You now and always! You alone are my pleasure and treasure! Thank You for Your work in me! Thank You for renewing my mind and softening my heart to desire You and seek You! Thank You for Your Son, Your Word and Your Holy Spirit! Thank You for adopting me into Your Family! There's nothing better than being Your child! i confess to You that i am weak and that i am grateful to be reminded that i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. i ask Your forgiveness for once again mistaking my weakness for strength. It is not my strength it is Yours! Thank You for loving me and continuing to lead me in patience and love. In mercy and grace. In discipline and power! Thank You for the gift of Your Son and purifying us for Him! i ask for these reminders always. i need never to look to self but to Jesus always! Thank You for life in Christ! By Your grace, in Jesus' name, Amen!💙 

Why the Words of Jesus Matter More Than We Might Realize!

August 22, 2023
Tuesday 9:47 AM

    This morning i found myself listening to a short clip on Instagram of RC Sproul discussing that regeneration precedes faith. A deep and very important topic. A clear distinction was provided for me at the end of how different evangelism must be for an Arminian than from a Calvinist. 

    Previously, i have avoided using labels such as these but as i reflect back on the last 8 years in Christ, i realize how helpful it would have been to have had a better understanding of some Christian terms earlier on. There are two major camps in the area of soteriology (the doctrine of salvation) in Protestantism. One goes by the name of Arminianism and the other Calvinism. Eight years ago when my Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ came and found me and made me His own and reconciled me back to the Father, i not only had a sensational hunger for God's Word but i also had a desire to be around people that had come to long for the Lord Jesus like i did. The first logical place i thought to find those people were in church. Church - that's a whole other topic for another day. For now let's stay on topic. After seven years of attending four different churches for long periods of time i began to get discouraged and wondered if there were truly any real churches in our time. The Holy Spirit kept me strong in His Word and kept teaching me faithfully along the way, though! After the first seven years, two of which we didn't attend worship services but watched from afar online, my family could not not go to church any longer. We still had a longing to be with others that loved our Lord as well. We were led to a congregation that we had listened to for  six months online before we attended in person. Through those six months of listening online we didn't have the confusion that we had had with the previous four churches. Specifically on the conflict of what and how the Word of God was being preached. So we chose to attend this new church that we had been listening to online for six months in person and it was like falling into the arms of Jesus all over again! There were actually elders in this church, not just those on staff. The pastor actually preached the Word of God, not his own word. The preaching elevated Jesus, not the pastor or the church itself. The preaching was serious and honored, not preaching that sought laughs or aimed at entertaining people. There was actually joining of church members. Real covenantal commitments being made to one another, not just attenders when they felt like it or when it convenienced them. Doctrine was being taught, not just motivational speeches that talk about Jesus aimed at comforting my flesh. But rather, truth being proclaimed and my flesh being convicted! And the singing! The singing was Hymns, not the cultural make me feel good "Christian" music that passes as worship music these days. i know that comes across a bit harsh, but it's the truth. Singing hymns began to deepen the doctrines that i was learning and the reality of truth began to sink deeper into my soul! The Lord was reaching places in my heart that had yet to be touched with His Word! And this continues to this day! Oh the sweetness of the soul singing our Lord's praises unto His glory! 

    And then shortly after we started attending, I recall a particular moment when the pastor was preaching about the man that Jesus healed at the pool of Bethesda in John chapter 5. The pastor, my pastor, made a simple statement, "Notice that the man didn't know who Jesus was." With that little sentence along with all the personal study of the Scriptures the Holy Spirit was leading me through at home - it clicked! The light bulb turned on! i now understood why what was preached in the first four churches that it was us that decided for Christ, was wrong. This passage clearly taught otherwise! This man didn't know Jesus from Adam. Literally. (Which is a massive subject all on it's own and very important.) Jesus chose to heal this man! Jesus chose to forgive this man and change his life forever and this man had no clue who Jesus was. This man was rescued and NOT because He believed in the story about Jesus loving us, the way we are hammered to "believe" in Him in our age. What i'm referring to is the way someone tells you that Jesus loves you and died for your sins and if you "believe" that then you are saved and headed for heaven. It was apparent i had been listening to another gospel for those first seven years. A gospel that i had also heard at the age of sixteen and raised my hand, prayed a prayer and then got baptized. The gospel that did nothing and produced no other changes in my mind, heart or life than to make me falsely believe that i was saved and headed for heaven. 

    It was at this point i began to realize how important these labels are in Christian circles. And more important to know and understand when you are searching for, how the culture says it, "looking for a church home." Some churches are Arminian and some churches are Calvinistic in their beliefs, preaching and teaching. This matters tremendously. Why? Because one believes you choose Jesus and the other believes Jesus chooses you. It seems to be a subtle difference and maybe insignificant. But it absolutely is not! The gulf between the two is reminiscent of the subtlety of the serpent in the garden talking to Eve.  

    Let's listen to some of the words that came straight out of Jesus' mouth during His incarnation on earth: 

                    "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have 

                     spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe." 

                     (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and 

                     who it was who would betray Him.) And He said, "This is why I told you that no 

                     one can come to Me unless it is granted him by the Father." - Jesus, quoted in 

                     John 6:63-65

Who gives life? Do we choose life? Do we choose to ask Jesus into our hearts? Who is it that Jesus says gives life? The Spirit gives life! 

How is it that one comes to Jesus? It is granted him by the Father.

   

    Let's also listen to what Jesus said just a few moments before He said these words. Before He said the above, He said:

                  "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. And I will raise 

                   him up on the last day. It is written in the Prophets, 'And they will all be taught by God.' 

                   Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me -" - Jesus, quoted in 

                   John 6:44-45 

Who are the only ones who can come to Jesus? Those whom the Father draws to Jesus! 

What took place before they came? They heard and learned from the Father! 

Who teaches those who come to Jesus? God! 

 Jesus says those that come are taught by God! (Take notice in both passages above the Triune God is present - Father, Son and Holy Spirit!)

    

    These two passages above bring to mind Jesus' conversation with Peter in Matthew 16. 

                   "Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples,

                    "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the 

                     Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to 

                     them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, 

                     the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah!

                     For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven, And I 

                     tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell

                     shall not prevail against it." - Jesus, quoted in Matthew 16:13-18

Again, straight out of Jesus' mouth we hear the reality that the Father reveals truth! It was not that Peter chose rightly to guess the true identity of Jesus. Peter knew the true identity of Jesus because the Father revealed it to him! And on that revelation, says Jesus, He builds His church! It is not that we are just smarter or better than our neighbor and therefore we choose rightly to believe a story about God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit and heaven and hell. No! It is that salvation is of the Lord! Not us!

Two central important distinctions that you need to be aware of as a professing believer in Christ is:

1) There is a massive difference between Arminianism and Calvinism. 

2) Monergism - God is solely responsible and credited for our salvation. AKA: Calvinism

    Synergism - The teaching that we are in part responsible and credited with God, by our cooperation, for our salvation. AKA: Arminianism.

    Also, a term that is helpful in understanding the popular false teaching that is prevalent in many churches today is decision theology. It is the culprit of many false converts that are professing to be Christians that haven't the slightest clue about the Jesus of the Scriptures or Scripture itself. i know this all too well as i was one of them before the Holy Spirit regenerated my soul. Another term that is of importance is the doctrines of grace. Dig in! Do the research and see for yourself! And most importantly, to quote the Father in regards to His Son, (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35), "This is My Son, My chosen One; listen to Him."

    All of this as a backdrop for my opening lines of how different evangelism has to be for an Arminian and a Calvinist. If you're an Arminian you must be sharing Christ with someone and hoping that you are saying just the right things at just the right time in full dependence upon the person you're talking to. How so? You're depending on them making the right decision to believe what you are telling them. And not only are you depending on them, you're depending on your own abilities as well. Not that we should be utterly irresponsible and loose with the Gospel, but an Armianian is more likely to look to self and the person they're witnessing to because they believe they actually took some part in the salvation of their own soul. Whereas a Calvinist, knowing that they had absolutely zero, zilch, nothing to do with their salvation is in absolute full dependence upon the Triune God for the regeneration of the soul of the one to whom they are witnessing. Knowing that God, and God alone, CAN give life to a dead soul leaves us as we always are, at the complete mercy of God! Not looking to our intellect, our communication skills or our abilities. Nor does it leave us at the mercy of the intellect of the person with whom we are speaking. We are entirely dependent upon the Triune God of the Scriptures to breathe life into the person we are speaking to. In other words, the result of the conversation is in God's hands, not ours and not the person we're speaking with.

Let us consult the Scriptures and listen in on a letter Paul wrote to the Corinthian church as he is helping them understand how they came to have faith in Christ:

    

                     "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through who you believed, as the 

                      Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 

                      So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who 

                      gives the growth." - Paul, recorded in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7

    We can no more be a part of our salvation or anyone else's for that matter than we were a part of our own existence in the first place. Salvation of any human being is fully dependent upon God! Not His people! But what an incredible privilege we have been given to have been entrusted with the truth to proclaim! And that God Almighty chooses to use His word about His Son coming out of our mouths as a means for the Holy Spirit to reach His people! Amazing!

    One last thought! Once you have been given the eyes to see this reality in His Word, you see it everywhere in Scripture! You'll wonder how you could have missed it all this time. The thing is, we allow the words of others, even when it comes to God's Word, to have influence in our thinking and our view of things. We tend to listen to others and what they have to say about God's Word more than we listen to God Himself in His Word. Thank God He gives more grace and grants us repentance! 

Grace and Space for you and for others, no matter what it looks like!  

Romans 11:36; solideogloria!

Psalm 19:14; coram deo!

Here is the video clip i ran across this morning of R.C. Sproul as well as a link to a chart that gives a visual of the differences between Arminianism and Calvinism. May the Lord bless you with knowing His salvation! 

Comparison of Arminianism and Calvinism

  

                     

                     

  

Lies

Often, our sinful nature convinces us that we must lie to protect ourselves, or perhaps to protect others. 

This is why God’s Word tells us:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When we have fear, especially the fear of someone finding out an ugly truth about us, our sinful flesh drives us and rules over us to lie for our own “good” and our own “protection.”

But God, from whom all wisdom and truth is given, first in Exodus 20:1-17 and again in Deuteronomy 5:1-21 commands and directs His people in the 9th commandment not to bear false witness, aka: do not lie. And later in Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5-8 we are given direction by the Word of God to trust in the LORD with all our heart. This includes even when we have fear and are scared. And then His Word proceeds to tell us HOW to trust in the LORD with all our heart. 

We are NOT to lean on, depend on or trust our own understanding.

We ARE to acknowledge and consult Him, by His Word, in all our ways. 

We are NOT to be wise in our own eyes. Rather, 

we ARE to fear/respect/believe/honor/trust the LORD by turning from evil. 

From what evil?➡️From leaning on and trusting our own understanding. This sounds extremely familiar to Jesus’ command to deny yourself daily! And lastly, what does God say is the result? Proverbs 3:8 reveals the reality behind these commands of God. 

“It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

And these words sound extremely familiar to Jesus’ proclamation and command from Matthew 11:

“All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭27‬-‭30‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In the above few verses and commands Jesus reveals to us a reality that the sin IN us hides from us. The sin IN us rules our flesh, our nature, our desires and ultimately or hearts. He confirms this reality elsewhere. For example in Jeremiah 17:9 and Mark 7:21-23. We are defiled humans. The Triune God revealed to us in the Holy Bible, KNOWS the reality of our condition and desires to rescue His people from trusting our sinful flesh! 

Why?➡️Well, in our sin we are only deserving of His wrath. 

Why?➡️Because we continue to be wise in our own eyes and we trust our own understanding of the world and the creatures (us) He created. And as long as we continue to be our own god or follow a god we’ve imagined to be like us - in our sin - we continue to pursue, not His purpose for creation, but our own wicked, evil purposes. 

And what does that produce?➡️Tears, hurt, pain, and ultimately the death we not all only observe around us, but that we inflict upon others and that others inflict upon us. 

Sin IN us and sin around us deceives us. It leads to destruction 100% of the time. And  destruction is a reality that sin convinces us to long for. Does that sound silly to you? It does to me. It sounds ridiculous to say we long for destruction. But it’s the truth. In our fallen state we come to enjoy and take pleasure in sin. We like it. It makes us feel good. But God has created us in such a way to never be fully satisfied in sin! He created us to only, ever and finally be satisfied in Him! 

Why?➡️

Because He knows us far beyond what we could know about ourselves!

Because He desires better for us than we desire for ourselves!

Because He loves us far beyond what we conceive love as!

He IS our Creator! 

He is God and we are not! And by His grace alone are we delivered from sin and death. Aka: trusting self. 

Look to Jesus alone for reality!

Look to Jesus alone for truth!

Look to Jesus alone for rescue and help!

Look to Jesus alone for what is good!

Look to Jesus alone for protection! 

Look to Jesus alone for freedom!

Look to Jesus alone for forgiveness!

We cannot EXPECT The loving & justful Triune God to make sin comfortable for His images! But we can ASK our Creator of all that is, was and ever will be, to gift us faith! Faith in His Son Jesus Christ, the One & Only Savior of all His people!

In reality, there is only one race that lives upon the earth. ➡️The human race!

But make no mistake about it; the human race is divided!

Those whom trust themselves, honor themselves, worship themselves and obey themselves in rebellion to The Holy Triune God of the Scriptures. 

And those, whom are His! Those whom He has called out of the world and rescued from sin by His grace alone! 

Unbelievers, born only of the flesh that look at God’s commands and trust they know better for themselves.

And believers, born twice, of the flesh and of the Holy Spirit from above that look at God’s commands and KNOW they are for our good and are our protection! 

Whose are you?

Only God - Father, Son and Holy Sprit will make your paths straight! 

Grace and space for you and for others, no matter what it looks like! 

Romans 11:36; solideogloria!

Psalm 19:14; coram deo!

Are You Male or Female? There's No Other Option!

We, the church, the bride of Jesus must not be idle in our culture! May we be faithful to represent our King on the earth as His body! 

Education has been re-defined and reconstructed to revolve around evil, fallen world, and sin-filled ideologies. Much of what is being presented today as "education" is wicked and abusive. 

True Education was, is and always will be the passing down of the knowledge and wisdom of God from generation to generation! The Absolute Truth! Without the wisdom of God, Truth and the Holy Scriptures humanity has always fallen in on itself. Sound/look familiar? 

If we profess to be Christians, may we understand the reality of what our mouth professes! May our hearts profess and be near to our Lord! 

Becoming a Christian, a follower of Christ, a disciple of Jesus, is not something we can make ourselves into ("i identify as a Christian") NO. The Holy Spirit regenerates us into new human beings applying the salvation to us that was purchased by Jesus! We are born-again, from above, not of the flesh, but of the Spirit! Thus changing EVERYTHING! 

i am now 7 years into being a new woman in Jesus by the grace of God alone and for the last 9 months or so i have been discovering just how CRITICAL Genesis 1:27 is to our being, our theology and our faithfulness to our Creator! 

⚠ Do not take lightly or dismiss too quickly the FACT and the REALITY that in being created to image God, He chose to create us as men AND women. Male AND Female! 

We must acknowledge and respect this reality and seek to understand why! He has not left His people clueless and wandering on this earth! He has preserved His written Word for us to seek Him and to know Truth! May we not compromise and allow weakness/laziness/cowardice disguised as "niceness &  inclusivity" to deceive us! 

We must first acknowledge our purpose - to image our Creator! Secondly, we must ask how?

Our understanding the HOW is crucial! Gender matters! Not just the acknowledgement of male and female. Yes that, but so much more! We were not created the same! Our attributes are not the same! The way we communicate is not the same! The way we observe is not the same! The biology of our bodies is not the same! 

Our mission IS the same - to image Him - but the HOW is not the same! Don't miss this privilege and opportunity to image Him faithfully on His terms! May we STOP living out the HOW being wise in our own eyes! May we honor our Lord and start living out the HOW by His wisdom! May we look to the very Word of God and ask the Holy Spirit to lead, teach and feed us what is there for our understanding and nourishment!!! 

His people are to be masculine and feminine according to His wisdom, not ours! We will be held accountable! His grace is not a license for laziness. What is it you invest your time in? More money? Entertainment? Self-care and self-help? Comfort? 

Time is a gift! A gift from God for the glory of God! Don't waste it! Matthew 6:33! 

May we have ears that hear and hearts that desire not only to know truth, but also to shema (hear & obey) truth! 

Below are links to a few other resources that are beneficial! 

#graceandspace for you and for others always, no matter what it looks like! 

The Council On Biblical Manhood and Womanhood

The Danvers Statement

The Nashville Statement