The exchange of the gospel is amazing. Think onthese passages....
1 Corinthians 2;16 - For who has known the mind of the Lord that they might instruct Him, but we have the mind of Christ?, but have the mind of Christ
2 Corinthians 5:21, For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
1 Corinthians 1:30 - But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God -- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption
Sanctified
Righteous
Wise
A Right Mind
These are things that are in Jesus the Christ. He IS Holy, Set Apart, Righteous and Wise. But when we are found IN Him He grants us all of these by virtue of our location. He does not in fact, impart these things in some sort of transactional way, but rather, we get them by being IN him. So when we abide in our savior we increase in wisdom, spiritual alertness, love, forgiveness -- all the things that are He defines.
We become more like Him by Grace. We cannot pay for it -- there is nothing we can do to desire more wisdom, or more of His mind, or greater Wisdom. But rather He simply gives it to us.
Or more accurately, He IS these things for us. He IS our righteousness, our peace, our love, our mind, our doctrine, our wisdom. And thankfully we do not have to earn it. For if we did, we would remain as we were apart from Him -- foolish, self-righteous, wicked, carnal and careless.
Christ is all.
Jul 23, 2008
Everything Jesus Gives is Free, Part 4 - We Get what He IS
Jul 18, 2008
Everything Jesus Gives is Free - Part 3
Romans 4:4-5 - Now to him who works , the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness
No works. Absolutely no works are required for us to be "counted" righteousness. In fact, when we think our works can get us God's righteousness, we are insulting God. Have you ever had someone offer you money for something you think is priceless? Have you ever been given an offer of cash that was much lower than the actual worth of a thing you owned?
It is insulting.
Consider then the ultimate "insult" of humankind thinking they can work for the righteousness of God. How can we so underestimate the eternal value of the eternal righteousness of an eternal God? Men think of "works-centered righteousness" as integrity and morality. God sees it as an infinite misjudgment of the merit, holiness and righteousness of men.
Our works are filthy as rags in comparison to the holiness of God (Isiah 64). But we do have an eternally righteous savior - the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is YHWH who saves. He is the God who IS our peace and righteousness. He IS the Grace of God toward us. (John 1:14, Eph 2:7).
Christ is all
Jul 17, 2008
To Know Him
To Know Him is the central purpose of our lives
- Heaven, blessing, security, provision - these are mere by products of Knowing Him.
- To Worship HIM, to Praise Him, to Sing to Him, Give to Him; this is what we do when we Know HIM.
- Disciple, Friend, Brother, Servant, Joint Heir - these are titles that come with KNOW HIM.
- Persecuted, Dispised, Disrespected, Unknown, Unregarded, Punished - This is how the World thinks of us the more we KNOW HIM.
- Loved, Cared for, Remembered, Not Forgotten, Graced - This is what He considers us when we KNOW HIM.
- Holiness, Righteousness, Omnipotence, Goodness, Power, Wisdom, Truth, Life - these are attributes we would know nothing of apart from KNOWING HIM.
His resurrection power. Fellowship in Suffering. Moldable to Death.
Chirst is all-
_______ day
Jul 16, 2008
Everything Jesus gives is Free - Part 2
I believe Jesus received money while working in ministry. He has a treasurer for the ministry He led (albeit a cheating treasurer). And he used money to pay for things that needed to be paid for. But why do we often confuse the concepts of 1) receiving money and 2) charging for a service.
When we receive a gift, we are simply the recipient of someone else's free decision. If you provide me with money because I have ministered through the Word, Teaching, Counsel, Music Ministry - or any other work I perform as an Elder and Servant of Christ, that is a good thing. I will gladly receive it. I believe that ministers of the gospel should receive money as they faithfully fulfill the work of Christ (1 Cor 9:9; Deut 25:4; 1 Tim 5:17). But this is altogether different than a minister charging for His work.
Charging says - "I'll do this if I get paid." Receiving a gift says, "I will gladly accept this, but I will serve even if I do not receive a gift".
I would encourage my fellow ministers to avoid charging. Strangely enough, the world normally considers your ministry to be less valid, qualified or worthwhile if you do NOT charge. 1 Corinthians 9:18 encourages us as ministers to avoid abusing our rights as ministers (this passage speaks specifically about Apostles, but we will apply it to other word-bearing ministers). Brothers - avoid charging. Allow giving. Use wisdom and avoid the love of money.
Christ is all.
Jul 11, 2008
Yesterday was my birthday, but...
Yesterday was my birthday! But so what? Well a friend of mine sent me a text saying that I should reflect on my spiritual re-birthday. This was a great message -- I was already thinking about it so it was a great reminder.
Yesterday, I was thinking...
1. My first birth date is pretty insignificant
2. I will eventually cease to live on this earth and I will live eternally
3. I was re-born in the Lord Jesus Christ and now I have a real reason to celebrate.
My spiritual re-birth is the true reason to be rejoicing. I lived most of my teen years believing I was a believer - but I was not. When I truly came to believe on Jesus as the God-man, Messiah, Risen Bodily Savior, I was about 22 years old. Before then, I said that i was "saved", but I did not believe in the person of Jesus.
- I had said a prayer to receive Christ, but did not believe in the deity of Christ.
- I went to church, but did not know Jesus was the Creator of the Universe
- I led musical groups, choirs and ministries, but did not even know what the term "Son of God" meant
- I lived a moral life in the eyes of carnal men, but I did not know anything about the scriptures or that Jesus was God.
Everything Jesus gives is Free - Part 1
Have you ever considered that the Lord Jesus never charges for anything. He does not connect a cost to the things he provides for us. He freely gives (Revelation 21:6. Romans, 8:32, Matthew 10:8)
We have been saved by grace through faith, not of ourselves. It was not through our works that he has saved us, but because of his free gift unto us (Ephesians 2:8). God operates with us by giving what He wants to give freely. I can think of at least two reasons why this is so.
No Glory for Us
If the gift cost us something, we would eventually boast about it. In other words, if we paid for we would ascribe a measure of deservedness, glory or praise to our selves. Think about how man operates. The pride of life. The lust of the eyes. Men love to tell others about how much they paid for things. They enjoy the status that comes along with high cost goods. Man almost always sees his own glory in that which he has bought. So God does not allow us to share in His glory by
No Price Would be High Enough
The things God gives us cannot be paid for. They represent the infinite value of an infintely holy savior and King. Christ's death for us cannot be paid for. By adding any human price to His gift we would be cheapening the value of his gift.
No One would be able to pay
If God's gifts toward us were based on our ability to pay, no one would be able to pay it. Man could not do enough, save enough or pay enough to interact with an infinite God.
The God-Man Jesus the Christ is our only mediator to God. He paid an infinite price and is a perfect man. Thus God must engage with man only through His Son. I have more to say about this topic, but will save it until the next installment.
Christ is all!
Jul 9, 2008
Woe to you when men speak well of you...
Luke 6:26 reads, "woe to you when men speak well of you..."
When men all men love you, it is normally the case that you are not speaking the truth of God to them. Men hate truth, because they love the darkness (John 3:17-19).
When I share the gospel, I simply explain the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ - namely His Person and His Work. Who He Is (God, Man, Deity, Messiah/King) and what He has done for us (died for our sins, rose physically from the dead, demonstrated His Messiahship). I teach that by believing in this Jesus, men can be saved. But saved from what?
If I sense someone is thinking..."So what about this Jesus...I'm straight...I'm cool...I don't need Jesus". I then share with them the condemnation that is on them. I let them know that they are currently under a judgment. A condemnation from this perfect righteous God. That by continuing in unbelief in God (Jesus IS God), that they will be condemned.
This is what makes the Gospel - Good. That in spite of my sin, in spite of my state of condemnation, God has made a way of escape. While I would not say sharing information about condemnation is part of the "gospel" - it is what makes the message GOOD NEWS. Namely, that I no longer must live in condemnation for eternity. Take out the fact that Jesus is the only way to escape judgment and the Gospel seeks to be GOOD news. It quickly becomes..."that was nice to know" - news.
We need a savior. God provided His Son as the only WAY, Truth and Life. Believe on Him.
Get ur snap on...
Do you enjoy poetry? Check out our sister Blair in this provocative piece she spit at a banquet in L.A.
That -----___------- ___ poet
Jul 8, 2008
This King of Peace
Are Kings normally identified by Peace? Most of the Kings of England, France, Russia, Egyptian Pharaohs and Caesars were known as tyrants.
Our savior is from the tribe of Judah. He was prophesied to come in the line of Kings in Israel. It was prophesied that the King that sat on this throne would have an everlasting Kingdom (Psalm 93:2).
But He is also called a King of Peace. Jesus is called the Prince of Peace in the Book of Isaiah. Our Lord is also identified as a King of Peace in the likeness of Melchizedek. The writer of Hebrews reminds us that this King of Salem is the King of Peace. He has truly given unto us peace (John 14:27). This Kingdom is not as the world would see a kingdom, with eating, drinking and worldly goods, but this Kingdom is a Kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. In Him we have reconciliation with the Father. In Him we have a true peace that passes all understanding. For He, Himself IS our Peace (Ephesians 2:14).
So again, are earthly Kings normally identified by peace? Because He is powerful and is the rightful King, He is able to keep this peace. It is not temporary, for He is the King on the everlasting throne.
Church Segmentation - 11, Franchises and Brand Extensions
So a quick marketing lesson is in order. A brand is:
"a collection of experiences and associations attached to a company, organization, product or service; more specifically, brand refers to the concrete symbols such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme".
In marketing, when a company or product has a brand that is viewed positively, they attempt to leverage the positive feelings toward the brand by "extending" the brand into areas the product has not previously been utilized. For example, Coca Cola is a core brand. But to extend into the market more they created, Coke Zero, Cherry Coca Cola, Caffeine free Coke etc. Lays potato chips is a brand, but they then developed, Wavy Lays, Baked Lays to capitalize on the consumer's enjoyment of the Lays brand. Franchises work similarly to brand extensions in that they take a trusted company and move the entire company into a new community. McDonalds, Wal-Mart, Burger King, Target -- same company, different communities. They take a "successful" model and transplant it so that the consumer need not become acquainted with the brand, they can expect to find the same type of store transplanted into a new place.
Well, 21st Century American churches have copied this corporate model. In my area there are several churches who have extended into the local community. Harvest Gurnee, Harvest Lake Zurich, or The Chapel Mundelein, have recently been planted. These church plants begin a new local congregation in a new area, but take the positive aspects of the mother church to the new geographic location.
Church planting is great, but sometimes I fear that churches are attempting to plant their church model and then extend IT into other communities. The main message becomes, you can visit our new church that is just like the original "church model" but in a new community. Can you see how subtle this is? Can you see how quickly the emphasis can become the model that has worked in the past congregation rather than Christ-ocentric, Word-following ministry? The danger is that we attempt to duplicate a worship style vs. focusing on disciple making.
Christ is the only One who needs to be extended. He ought be pre-eminent in all things. O ur Lord Jesus Christ must be exalted in every way, at every opportunity, by every man and woman, in every place. We are who desire Jesus' brand - those who want to be totally consumed in our mind with the imprint of the Savior. We want more than to be associated with Christ through church affiliation, political practices, traditional morality, "family values", t-shirts or rubber bracelets...we seek to obey and love Him radically, unashamedly and consistently.
Let us be sure to never place a model, brand or idea in the center. May Christ remain our central focus and desire.
Jul 2, 2008
King of Kings - 1
Our King is truly a King.
He was born in the Davidic line. The book of Matthew begins with the geneology of our King. He is called, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. This demonstrates that He is both Jewish and from the unique lineage of the Tribe of Judah and the House of David. The throne of David was established as an eternal throne. The King of eternity had to be one who came from the house of David. Matthew outlines the fact that Jesus' adopted, earthly father was Joseph who was from the line of David. (Luke 2:4)
Luke 3 also traces our King's lineage all the way back to the first man, Adam. Jesus is the Son of Man, born to a woman.
But, perhaps most impressively, He is not only born to the line of a King, but He is worshiped by a King. Jesus points out in Matthew 22:43 that David called this Messiah King - LORD (kurios). This is the greek term for YHWH, or "THE LORD" of the "old testament". YHWH is the name of God (I AM) and David regards this King as Kurios, YHWH, "The I AM I AM", Creator God.
So our King is not merely an earthly King, but He is God. He is THE LORD God who Reigns.
