What is the Gospel? Part 1: The Basic Facts

The gospel message is the good news of salvation, the word of truth offered to mankind by grace through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ; most especially the message of the cross. We naturally think that the gospel starts with people, but the Bible reveals that the Gospel starts with God. Those that don’t know God place people first and believe that individual insight into our own selves is more important than God. This leads to pluralism, in other words, choose your own path and it is okay, because the frame of reference is people centered instead of God centered. This is against the Biblical Christian faith, as revealed by Jesus Christ, who said that there was only one way to be justified before God, and that was through Him (John 14:6). Peter said that Jesus was the only way men might be saved (Acts 4:12). Paul told Timothy that there was only one mediator between God and man, that being Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).

We either believe what Jesus said about Himself and the kingdom of God, and its exclusivity, or we have to invent some other way, which inevitably leads to pluralism (many paths), universalism (all people are saved), pantheism (all is God), or panentheism (everything has God in it). All these things are invalidated by the testimony of the Bible, which Jesus validated as the words of God (recall session 2, “A Biblical Foundation”). So, it is either Jesus or something else, you cannot have both, although many claim a Jesus that is not the Jesus of the Bible.

Jesus said He was God. This is why the Jewish leaders were trying to kill Him in the first place, because He was asserting that He was the Son of God. To the Jewish mind of the day it was clear that Jesus was saying He was equal with God (John 5:18, 10:24-33). Jesus said to them that if they did not believe He was who He said He was that they would die in their sins, i.e., they were not going to heaven, but would be damned (John 8:24).

Think of it this way: all roads do indeed lead to God, but only one road leads to God justifying you, and all the other roads lead to God judging you. If you are in Christ God has already judged your sins, He punished Jesus in your place, but if not, then you will be punished for your own sins with your own soul, and you cannot pay for sins against God.

What are the basic facts of the Gospel? – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 gives us the gospel in a nutshell – Christ died for our sins, was buried, and He rose again on the third day. We see that it was Jesus, the Messiah, who is the Christ, the Son of God, and the perfect One, who had to die for our sins. We’ll develop the significance of that as we go on from here. We also see that the resurrection is central to the gospel message (cf. Acts 17:31 / Romans 8:34-39 / 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 / 2 Timothy 2:8-11 / 1 Peter 1:3-9, etc.). Paul goes on to develop this in the rest of the chapter (cf. our sermon Where are your Easter Eggs?)

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

The Devotions of a Pastor (Radio / Podcast)

John 21:15-19

How can we know if a ministry is lead by a real man of God? What makes for a good biblical pastor? What should we look for in calling a man to be a pastor of our church?

Devotion to Jesus – John 21:15-17 – Do you love me?

Love of Christ is first and foremost. If the man loves Jesus he will lead, protect, and teach His Church, His bride. If he is faithful to Christ he will be faithful to His people.

How do we test that? 2 Corinthians 4:5 – What is in a man’s heart will come out when he is given a chance to speak. Over a cross section and several topics of sermons, does he preach Christ? Is Christ or the man on display? What is his primary focus? Are his messages mostly about social issues, felt needs, politics, and earthly priorities? Do they put themselves at the center of their preaching? Is it hard to find Christ in his sermons?

Devotion to the Bible – John 21:15-17 – Feed my sheep.

The Bible must be his textbook – 2 Timothy 3:16-4:5 – His central responsibility is to feed people the Word of God because it is what builds them up (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15).

How do we discern that? Questions to ask…

Does he teach that the Bible is the rule for faith and practice?
Does he teach about the holiness of God, His wrath, eternal judgment, and hell?
Does he teach about sin and repentance?
Does he teach about justification by faith alone?
Does he teach about the full deity, substitutionary atonement, and physical resurrection of Jesus?
Does he teach about and call you to your responsibility to follow Christ, holy living, righteousness, growing in grace, sanctification, etc?

Devotion to the Church – John 21:15-17 – My lambs.

His priority is to tend and feed the church, not the world. Ephesians 4:11-12ff – His focus is to build up the body of Christ, to build up the flock in sanctification, and promote their growth in holiness (cf. Acts 20:28 / 1 Peter 5:1-3).

His priority isn’t redeeming the culture or attracting seekers who don’t believe in Christ. It isn’t that he doesn’t interact with the community at all but that he primarily involves himself with the community of Christ. Personal evangelism is important for him, but discipling is a must.

Devotion to Holiness – John 21:18-19 – Follow me.

Titus 1:5-9 / 1 Timothy 3:1-7 – character qualifications
Galatians 5:22-23 – fruit of the Spirit
1 Corinthians 4:16, 11:1 – leads a godly life, worthy to be emulated (cf. Philippians 3:17 / 1 Thessalonians 1:6 / 2 Thessalonians 3:9 / Hebrews 13:7)
Hebrews 6:12 – diligent in devotion

This isn’t about perfection; it is that a man should have all four of these criteria as the dominant direction in his life. These are some of the same things we should be concerned with for our own lives. One of the most important ways to be discerning as far as evaluating a pastor is concerned is by being diligent to pursue godliness ourselves (2 Peter 3:17-18).

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Stop the Worship? (Radio / Podcast)

You worship what you do not know…
(John 4:22 – ESV)

As a pastor you always need to be talking to the song leaders about the balance. We should review the songs in the rotation and look together at new songs that they want to bring in. In this way you can use these times as teachable moments. Indeed we should have feelings and responses because of God's grace, but we need more "Thou art" and less "I will" in the songs, God entranced and not man entranced.

Now sometimes songs can slip by you or they can slip by a congregation without anyone really focusing on what is actually being taught. Congregational singing is more than stirring up feelings, it is teaching each other in song, and it is important, albeit for reasons that are sometimes lost on “worship leaders”.

It should be more about “doctrinal led devotion” than simply proclaiming our increasing love for a God we aren’t increasing in our knowledge of. It isn’t how much more I feel Him means how much more I love Him, but how much more I know Him, and then this would produce the proper devotion. We more often than not get the order reversed, and think we are growing deeper in our love for Him when we are actually growing colder even as our feelings burn hot.

Considering this, I have literally “stopped the worship” more than once. Actually I just stopped the music and singing and focused our worship on some truth I was absolutely sure we needed to hear more clearly as we sang it.

It was during the song “unfailing love” that I stopped the music and went over to the screen and pointed out the lyrics and something I wanted to make sure people noticed. The lyrics were “Praise you God of earth and sky how beautiful is your unfailing love, unfailing love”… “And you never change Lord you remain the holy one and my unfailing love, unfailing love”.

From these lyrics I showed that they teach correctly that His unfailing love is grounded in His holiness, “you never change you remain the holy one”, and so therefore He remains unfailing in His love. His love is grounded in His holiness not in our faithfulness and His holiness is that from which His love springs, not vice versa.

I’m not sure whether or not the author intended it this way, but it was good to point out considering the sermon of the day, or any day, nonetheless.

Also I used the stoppage purposefully to stop people from just “going with the flow”. The atmosphere was starting to get moving, and not necessarily in a bad way, but I wanted to make sure people don’t always equate this “everybody’s into it” thing with “now we are really worshipping”. I pointed out that we shouldn’t bristle at someone, something, or some event stopping our “flow”.

I asked if anyone was thinking like, “I was just getting into it man”, and how their focus would be wrong. Well, no sir, you were just feeling it, but God was already here to be worshipped and you must renew your mind to the fact that feelings are a byproduct of worship, not the conduit of them. Feelings aren’t the way into His presence, as if we simply stir up our emotions by repeating some vague chorus over and over, and “poof!” God is there. No. Was I wrong to stop the singing, no, not at all, it was a good demonstration of the fact that if this hindered your worship than you were worshipping at the altar of your own feelings.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Disclosure and Discretion (Radio / Podcast)

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
(John 16:12 – ESV)

One thing that it seems I must learn over and over again is when to tell some people about certain issues, events, situations, and the like. Some people just cannot handle the news; they have to pass it around like it was a hot potato. Sometimes the news is better left unreported until a later time. Of course gossip is not good at all, but we are talking more along the lines of people whom take anything that might be said, anything someone else doesn’t know, and use it to prop up their own sense of self worth.

You know, they were there when it all went down, or they are always one of the first to know because they are important, or they are delivering news because they are up the food chain from the person they deliver it to, etc. They are always in the know, always at the scene, always in the mix, always where the action is, because they are always on top of it all, a frontrunner. This can be subtle or this can be obvious, but the people who purvey it rarely understand what they are doing. The most frustrating thing in the world for those who must always be in the know is to feel out of the loop. The problem is that people want to leave them out because they won’t leave anything in.

Again, we aren’t talking primarily about gossip, although these people are prime prey for its delivery. We are talking about people who have to be at every event just to say they were there. They might not even enjoy being at certain things, but they want anyone who would to know they were a part of it. Frontrunners offer full disclosure whether anyone wants it or not, and about things others wouldn’t even care about, but the person is only caring about themselves and their image. If other people would disclose what they felt about these people, they would have a hard time handling it, so others use discretion. Ironic isn’t it?

We must keep certain items from children because we don’t want to ruin their childhood. There are certain things that they just don’t need to know about yet. Peter said this about Paul’s writings, that some supposed teachers didn’t know how to properly handle the Word of God. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16). Christ knew that the disciples couldn’t bear all that he had to yet reveal to them, and even some of the things He had revealed to them they didn’t understand until much later (John 2:22). It wouldn’t be a good idea if God let us know everything before hand. That would lead to chaos, not comfort, conviction, and constancy. He knows better than we do, and He lets us know, as we are able to handle it.

We as Christians sometimes need to learn to be more like God, like Christ, and learn to use discretion when talking to others. Some people just can’t handle it. Have you grown to where you can handle what is given you, or must you always run and tell everyone else without first using a little discretion? If not, no wonder that others use discretion before disclosing things to you. Don’t be a frontrunner; sit back and learn to discern when to open your mouth.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Man on a Mission (Radio / Podcast)

…that the works of God should be made manifest in him
(John 9:3)

Thinking of this particular passage in the book of John, let's imagine for a moment. What if God were to ask this man to go back after being in heaven, if He gave him a mission to glorify God so that people could see a person who exalted God in spite of seemingly bad circumstances?

Of course this man would agree fervently to go; he would be delighted to go on such a mission. He would know what is going on and why he was sent, and know that this temporal situation was giving glory to the One he knew so well, and loved so much. We have examples: remember Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration, or what about the two witnesses sent back from heaven in the book of Revelation?

Well now, imagine this: What if, after you died and went to heaven, God sent you back to be a witness and He sent you back blind, wanting you to rejoice to His glory despite your circumstance? You would gladly do it, knowing where you came from, why you were sent, the eternal reward, and where you were going to return!

Friends, in a very real way, God has done that. We are on a mission. You see we are already in the heavenlies positionally (Ephesians 2:6) and we have been sent to testify to the glory of God (Ephesians 1:11-14). In John 9:5 Christ said that while He was in the world He was its light. He still is in this world, manifesting God’s glory, through Christ in you the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Jesus was and is the light and now we are to manifest that light, we are to be lights in this world (Matthew 5:16 / Philippians 2:15). Christ says that we are already salt and light we do not become them. The mission is to let your light shine.

Do you want to let the glory of Christ shine through you? Well look at what 1 Peter 4:12-16 says. Paul said he glories in infirmities (2 Corinthians 12:9). He says that although our outward man is dying our inward man is flourishing (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). We cannot “see” the power but others can experience it; it is the eternal power being made manifest in His saints. We don’t exert power against things that come against us we withstand (Matthew 7:24-25). This is what it is to know him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings (Philippians 3:10); it is life from death. We can say with Paul that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). It’s to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16). It’s rejoicing in knowing that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). You can let the glory shine now by understanding that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

We are on a mission, and we will not, indeed we cannot fail. Look with me at 2 Corinthians 2:14 – He causes us always to triumph! Jesus said that He had overcome the world (John 16:33), and that He is in us (John 14:21), and that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Well, is it showing, do you complain as much as the other guy when things are looking bad? Or do you show forth the fact that you are God’s child, and that though he slay me yet will I trust in him (Job 13:15)? You have got to know it and believe it; this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith (1 John 5:4). We are on a mission of faith just like Abraham, the father of faith (Romans 4:11-16).

The Bible is full of men sent on a mission, men who weren’t ready to do what it took, or so they thought. Think about Noah, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, and Paul. God has a mission for you and He will see you through. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Faithful is he who calls, who will also do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

You may say that for me it is mission: impossible, but my bible says, For with God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37) and all things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:33). You might think that you haven’t got what it takes, but it isn’t you that is responsible for the results! Let’s say it like this; if you get placed you’ll get graced, God doesn’t call the gifted He gifts the called. He will say to you mission: accomplished! Mission impossible for the unsaved but mission unstoppable for the child of God!

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Crucify Him! (Radio / Podcast)

And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me."
(John 21:19 – ESV)

As Romans 8:13 declares, if you through the Spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live. We think this means that the Spirit gives us power to put those deeds to death, but the reality is not that we put to death the flesh, but that through the Spirit we are to do it. This may seem subtle but it is important, very important. Now, what does this mean, through the Spirit?

Well let’s think about that for a second. Those led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). The Spirit is leading to the cross and all the sons of God are to follow Him there to their own cross. We think to put to death the deeds of the flesh means to do it ourselves, that we crucify our flesh ourselves, but again, let's begin to think more clearly.

When we think of going to the cross, of taking up our cross, of following Jesus we think we do it, like we go running to it, but that winds up having us just bring those things we want to end to the cross, and not all of us, or not those things Jesus wants dealt with first. We pick and choose which part of our flesh will die. That isn’t what the “crucified life” is all about.

Now some of us know better than that and we think we let Him do it, but this winds up just being us praying harder and going up to the altar every week and wondering why we still want to do those same old things. With both scenarios it is still we doing it in sense.

However, the bible says we have already crucified the flesh, and that we just need to walk in that (Galatians 5:24-25). That is where the misunderstanding takes place, going from the position in Christ to the condition in life, and beginning to realize, to make real this crucified life in our daily walk. The truth is that this should be a daily walk to the cross.

Now consider this about crucifixion. Crucifixion is not putting yourself to death. Rather, it is yielding yourself up to death at the hands of others. The crucified victim doesn't get to choose his own death (John 13:37-38, 21:18-19). You don’t kill yourself, you let yourself die; you let yourself be killed. The truth is that you are already dead (Colossians 3:3); the role of others whether they realize it or not is to help you to reckon it so (Romans 6:11).

This is a big difference that people just don’t seem to get. When Jesus says follow me He means to the cross and into the hands of people who want you dead, it is the other people and other situations that kill you, but of course this is used by God to bring resurrection life.

Just as it was with Jesus, to be able to see and understand the resurrection power there must first be the cross, and before the cross there must be the garden. The question is in that garden will you plant the seed of surrender (not my will but thine be done) or the seed of self. You surrender and suffer death in the church community, or you barricade yourself in your own flesh at home. You visit the garden every day, friends. There are always new crops to harvest.

Consider John 21:21-22 – looking at others and their cross is not the Way in it is looking for a way out. Live out the truth of 1 Peter 4:1 – believe it and receive that cross when it comes, carry it, follow Him, and have life. If we win the battle of the mind we will win the battle with sin. It is time to stop sinning and start winning.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Church of the Living Dead (Radio / Podcast)

…but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
(John 12:24)

There has always been a lot of talk by people about leaving, visiting, or experiencing a so-called “dead” church. To most, I suppose what they mean by “dead church” would be that it was cold and formal. When people say it’s a dead church they mean that it feels dead. This could be true, and as the venerable Jonathan Edwards said, you have to have both heat and light.

However, lets consider the other side, because I have seen just as many churches that are just as dead and yet have a whole lot of buzz about them. You know, they even have a buzz conference these days. They may have a lot of hype but no holiness, a lot of passion, but no power. So to me a dead church can look like a really lively one, for sure.

Today we have the church of the upwardly mobile, the church where everybody is somebody, the church where you can become the best you that you can be, and we even have a laughing church or two out there. We have the liberated church, the empowered church, the militant church, and the dead churches. I would put all of the above in the last category.

Today what we need is for people to be on fire for the gospel, but what we see are just more and more programs, promotions, politics, and purpose. We may have passion, but we don’t have any real power, because we lack purity (fuel): where there is no fuel the fire dies out. Flash fires, flash paper, and the flash in the pan all fade. Soon enough a fire that doesn't have real fuel dies out, and often gets replaced by a false fire built on feelings, fellowship, or flurry. People try and live off the fumes of a faded fire, and that, friends, is a dead church. Too many preachers in the pulpit and people in the pews are confusing anointing with adrenaline, and the busyness of man with the business of God.

A pastor in Illinois said something like this. “The modern day church looks exactly like a community service organization, like the YMCA. I love the Y, but I would not say I love the ministry of the Y. It is a health club, a safe place for families, and a place to go to have fun. The YMCA boasts having introduced millions of people to sports. One of their themes, “It’s more than a gym, it’s a community,” sounds a bit like the theme of the modern day church. Go to www.YMCA.net and view their website and compare it with most church websites. They are almost identical. Sadly, the modern day church has a lot in common with the YMCA.”

“Pastors who want to build churches by attracting people through programs and that sort of community, the YMCA could use your help. No one would say the YMCA functions like a church, but we can say many churches function like they are a YMCA.”

You see, church today has become little more than a socialistic country club atmosphere of fun seekers – not God seekers! Psalm 127:1 – Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.

The question remains: what do you want to be a part of?

It’s good to be active, and organized, and lively, but it’s a must to be alive!

Do you want to know what an alive church is?

A church that is alive is a church where people are dying!

Dying to self that is…

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Feasting on Jesus

These are the appointed feasts of the LORD, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them.
(Leviticus 23:4 – ESV)

In Leviticus 23 we have the seven major feasts that were observed by the Jews under the ceremonial system and each one of them points us to a certain aspect of the work of our Lord Jesus Christ on our behalf. Now, as Christians, since Jesus is the fulfillment of these, we do not have to keep the feasts (Colossians 2:16-17), but they do make for a fascinating study that can enrich our understanding. Of course, there is so much more than we can delve into here, we cannot give a detailed exposition of these verses in one message, but let’s take a quick look at the feasts and see them as types of Christ’s life and work. We want to “feast” on Jesus.

These seven feasts were seasons of joyful solemnity appointed by God to point to Christ’s coming and what He would accomplish. Each feast pointed the children of Israel back to something they had experienced and pointed them forward to things yet to come.

Verse 5 has a reference to the Passover, representing the time when God passed over the Jews and destroyed the Egyptian first born, securing the release of God’s people from captivity, which reminds us of the Cross, the shedding of blood, and the remission of our sins (1 Corinthians 5:7 / John 1:29). In this we see Christ’s death.

Verses 6-8 speaks of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which represents purity, freedom from corruption, and which reminds us of the sinless life of Jesus (Acts 2:27, 31 / Hebrews 4:15 / 1 Corinthians 5:8). In this we see Christ’s burial.

Verses 9-14 bring us to the Feast of Firstfruits, which represented the fact that the whole harvest would come, which reminds us of Christ’s resurrection to an incorruptible body, and the guarantee of our resurrection to an incorruptible body (Acts 26:23 / 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 / 1 Corinthians 6:14 / 2 Corinthians 4:14 / Romans 8:11 / Philippians 3:20-21 / Hebrews 2:14-15).

Verses 15-22 (15-16) are about the Feast of Pentecost, fifty days from the crossing of the Red Sea, and fifty days after Christ was resurrected, when the Holy Spirit was poured out (Acts 2). This speaks of the ingathering of all God’s elect from all over the world.

In reviewing the first four feasts we see that Christ was crucified on the Passover, buried on Unleavened Bread, raised again on Firstfruits and sent the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. The first four, or spring feasts, represent the first advent of Christ; the second three in the fall represent His second advent.

Verses 23-25 (24) give us the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), was the first day of the Jewish New Year, in the seventh month of the religious calendar, but the first month of the civil calendar. It was a memorial celebration of the glorious future of Israel, a proclamation of liberty which served as a calling for attention to the Day of Atonement, and it represents the glorious triumph of Christ in the Gospel and Jesus coming for His Church (1 Corinthians 15:51-53 / 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Verses 26-32 (27) present the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), was a solemn holy day when the high priest of Israel entered into the Holy of Holies and made a sacrifice on his behalf as well as for all the sins of Israel. Jesus is our High Priest and the full and final sacrifice for sins (Hebrews 9:24-28). The Day of Atonement will reach its final fulfillment when the Lord returns at His Second Coming, at which time Israel will finally accept Jesus’ atonement.

Verses 33-44 (34) show us the Feast of Tabernacles, which celebrated that God provided shelter for the Israelites in the wilderness, He dwelt with them in the pillars of cloud and fire, it represents Christ as our shelter (Colossians 3:1-4), and is a picture of the Millennial Kingdom.

Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected, and as believers He is poured out upon us, He is coming for us again, He has made the final sacrifice, and He is our shelter for any journey we must go through, and our eternal habitation.

The ups and downs of life are here to stay, and life itself is fleeting. Trials are here for a moment. So is triumph. So are we. But amidst all of this there is Jesus, He is risen, and He is everything, and everything we need.

John 7:37-39 – the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:36), symbolized the entrance into Canaan. They would repeat Isaiah 12:3 for 7 days as they poured water on the altar, on the 8th day they stopped the literal water. Jesus took it figuratively for Himself (Isaiah 44:3, 58:11), telling them the true source of Living Water.

Now all these feasts are pointing forward to the greatest feast, what we call the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Matthew 26:26-29 / Revelation 19:6-9 – We proclaim the reason for our hope (the Lord’s death) and the object of our hope (The Lord Himself coming for us).

Ephesians 5:25-27 – this gives us another picture of Christ and His redeeming work from the cross into glory with His bride, His body, the saints

Communion, or as we sometimes call it, the Lord’s Supper, is one important way that we do the remembering, as we remember His sinless life and His sacrifice on the cross and, because of His resurrection and ascension, His sure promise of coming again.

The Lord’s Supper is not a sacrifice, because we cannot repeat the infinite sacrifice of Jesus (Hebrews 9-10), but it points us back to the truth that we come to know God because of the judgment that fell on our King at Calvary’s Cross. It points us to the fact that He was given for our trespasses, and raised again for our justification (Romans 4:25).

We should be broken over our rejection of our God but then we should be rejoicing as we see the gospel put on display through the taking of the Supper together. The Lord’s Supper is an opportunity to present the tangible evidence that our sins are forgiven. The Lord’s Supper is the great proclamation of the death, resurrection, and return of Christ until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11:26) and we dine with Him in heaven at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Man on a Mission (with audio)

USE THE PLAYER ABOVE TO LISTEN TO THIS POST

…that the works of God should be made manifest in him
(John 9:3)

Thinking of this particular passage in the book of John, lets imagine for a moment. What if God were to ask this man to go back after being in heaven, if He gave him a mission to glorify God so that people could see a person who exalted God in spite of seemingly bad circumstances?

Of course this man would agree fervently to go; he would be delighted to go on such a mission. He would know what is going on and why he was sent, and know that this temporal situation was giving glory to the One he knew so well, and loved so much. We have an example: remember the two witnesses sent back from heaven in the book of Revelation?

Well now, imagine this: What if, after you died and went to heaven, God sent you back to be a witness and He sent you back blind, wanting you to rejoice to His glory despite your circumstance? You would gladly do it, knowing where you came from, why you were sent, the eternal reward, and where you were going to return!

Friends, in a very real way, God has done that. We are on a mission. You see we are already in the heavenlies positionally (Ephesians 2:6) and we have been sent to testify to the glory of God (Ephesians 1:11-14). In John 9:5 Christ said that while He was in the world He was its light. He still is in this world, manifesting God’s glory, through Christ in you the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Jesus was and is the light and now we are to manifest that light, we are to be lights in this world (Matthew 5:16 / Philippians 2:15). Christ says that we are already salt and light we do not become them. The mission is to let your light shine.

Do you want to let the glory of Christ shine through you? Well look at what 1 Peter 4:12-16 says. Paul said he glories in infirmities (2 Corinthians 12:9). He says that although our outward man is dying our inward man is flourishing (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). We cannot “see” the power but others can experience it; it is the eternal power being made manifest in His saints. We don’t exert power against things that come against us we withstand (Matthew 7:24-25). This is what it is to know him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings (Philippians 3:10); it is life from death. We can say with Paul that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). It’s to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man (Ephesians 3:16). It’s rejoicing in knowing that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:18). You can let the glory shine now by understanding that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

We are on a mission, and we will not, indeed we cannot fail. Look with me at 2 Corinthians 2:14 – He causes us always to triumph! Jesus said that He had overcome the world (John 16:33), and that He is in us (John 14:21), and that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4). Well, is it showing, do you complain as much as the other guy when things are looking bad? Or do you show forth the fact that you are God’s child, and that though he slay me yet will I trust in him (Job 13:15)? You have got to know it and believe it; this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith (1 John 5:4). We are on a mission of faith just like Abraham, the father of faith (Romans 4:11-16).

The Bible is full of men sent on a mission, men who weren’t ready to do what it took, or so they thought. Think about Noah, Abraham, Moses, Gideon, and Paul. God has a mission for you and He will see you through. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Faithful is he who calls, who will also do it (1 Thessalonians 5:24).

You may say that for me it is mission: impossible, but my bible says, For with God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1:37) and all things are possible to him that believeth (Mark 9:33). You might think that you haven’t got what it takes, but it isn’t you that is responsible for the results! Let’s say it like this; if you get placed you’ll get graced, God doesn’t call the gifted He gifts the called. He will say to you mission: accomplished! Mission impossible for the unsaved but mission unstoppable for the child of God!

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Crucify Him! (with audio)

USE THE PLAYER ABOVE TO LISTEN TO THIS POST

And after saying this he said to him, "Follow me."
(John 21:19 – ESV)

As Romans 8:13 declares, if you through the Spirit put to death the deeds of the flesh, you will live. We think this means that the Spirit gives us power to put those deeds to death, but the reality is not that we put to death the flesh, but that through the Spirit we are to do it. This may seem subtle but it is important, very important. Now, what does this mean, through the Spirit?

Well let’s think about that for a second. Those led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God (Romans 8:14). The Spirit is leading to the cross and all the sons of God are to follow Him there to their own cross. We think to put to death the deeds of the flesh means to do it ourselves, that we crucify our flesh ourselves, but again, let's begin to think more clearly.

When we think of going to the cross, of taking up our cross, of following Jesus we think we do it, like we go running to it, but that winds up having us just bring those things we want to end to the cross, and not all of us, or not those things Jesus wants dealt with first. We pick and choose which part of our flesh will die. That isn’t what the “crucified life” is all about.

Now some of us know better than that and we think we let Him do it, but this winds up just being us praying harder and going up to the altar every week and wondering why we still want to do those same old things. With both scenarios it is still we doing it in sense.

However, the bible says we have already crucified the flesh, and that we just need to walk in that (Galatians 5:24-25). That is where the misunderstanding takes place, going from the position in Christ to the condition in life, and beginning to realize, to make real this crucified life in our daily walk. The truth is that this should be a daily walk to the cross.

Now consider this about crucifixion. Crucifixion is not putting yourself to death. Rather, it is yielding yourself up to death at the hands of others. The crucified victim doesn't get to choose his own death (John 13:37-38, 21:18-19). You don’t kill yourself, you let yourself die; you let yourself be killed. The truth is that you are already dead (Colossians 3:3); the role of others whether they realize it or not is to help you to reckon it so (Romans 6:11).

This is a big difference that people just don’t seem to get. When Jesus says follow me He means to the cross and into the hands of people who want you dead, it is the other people and other situations that kill you, but of course this is used by God to bring resurrection life.

Just as it was with Jesus, to be able to see and understand the resurrection power there must first be the cross, and before the cross there must be the garden. The question is in that garden will you plant the seed of surrender (not my will but thine be done) or the seed of self. You surrender and suffer death in the church community, or you barricade yourself in your own flesh at home. You visit the garden every day, friends. There are always new crops to harvest.

Consider John 21:21-22 – looking at others and their cross is not the Way in it is looking for a way out. Live out the truth of 1 Peter 4:1 – believe it and receive that cross when it comes, carry it, follow Him, and have life. If we win the battle of the mind we will win the battle with sin. It is time to stop sinning and start winning.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Church of the Living Dead (with audio)

USE THE PLAYER ABOVE TO LISTEN TO THIS POST

…but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
(John 12:24)

There has always been a lot of talk by people about leaving, visiting, or experiencing a so-called “dead” church. To most, I suppose what they mean by “dead church” would be that it was cold and formal. When people say it’s a dead church they mean that it feels dead. This could be true, and as the venerable Jonathan Edwards said, you have to have both heat and light.

However, lets consider the other side, because I have seen just as many churches that are just as dead and yet have a whole lot of buzz about them. You know, they even have a buzz conference these days. They may have a lot of hype but no holiness, a lot of passion, but no power. So to me a dead church can look like a really lively one, for sure.

Today we have the church of the upwardly mobile, the church where everybody is somebody, the church where you can become the best you that you can be, and we even have a laughing church or two out there. We have the liberated church, the empowered church, the militant church, and the dead churches. I would put all of the above in the last category.

Today what we need is for people to be on fire for the gospel, but what we see are just more and more programs, promotions, politics, and purpose. We may have passion, but we don’t have any real power, because we lack purity (fuel): where there is no fuel the fire dies out. Flash fires, flash paper, and the flash in the pan all fade. Soon enough a fire that doesn't have real fuel dies out, and often gets replaced by a false fire built on feelings, fellowship, or flurry. People try and live off the fumes of a faded fire, and that, friends, is a dead church. Too many preachers in the pulpit and people in the pews are confusing anointing with adrenaline, and the busyness of man with the business of God.

A pastor in Illinois said something like this. “The modern day church looks exactly like a community service organization, like the YMCA. I love the Y, but I would not say I love the ministry of the Y. It is a health club, a safe place for families, and a place to go to have fun. The YMCA boasts having introduced millions of people to sports. One of their themes, “It’s more than a gym, it’s a community,” sounds a bit like the theme of the modern day church. Go to www.YMCA.net and view their website and compare it with most church websites. They are almost identical. Sadly, the modern day church has a lot in common with the YMCA.”

“Pastors who want to build churches by attracting people through programs and that sort of community, the YMCA could use your help. No one would say the YMCA functions like a church, but we can say many churches function like they are a YMCA.”

You see, church today has become little more than a socialistic country club atmosphere of fun seekers – not God seekers! Psalm 127:1 – Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman keeps awake in vain.

The question remains: what do you want to be a part of?

It’s good to be active, and organized, and lively, but it’s a must to be alive!

Do you want to know what an alive church is?

A church that is alive is a church where people are dying!

Dying to self that is…

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Disclosure and Discretion (with audio)

USE THE PLAYER ABOVE TO LISTEN TO THIS POST

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
(John 16:12 – ESV)

One thing that it seems I must learn over and over again is when to tell some people about certain issues, events, situations, and the like. Some people just cannot handle the news; they have to pass it around like it was a hot potato. Sometimes the news is better left unreported until a later time. Of course gossip is not good at all, but we are talking more along the lines of people whom take anything that might be said, anything someone else doesn’t know, and use it to prop up their own sense of self worth.

You know, they were there when it all went down, or they are always one of the first to know because they are important, or they are delivering news because they are up the food chain from the person they deliver it to, etc. They are always in the know, always at the scene, always in the mix, always where the action is, because they are always on top of it all, a frontrunner. This can be subtle or this can be obvious, but the people who purvey it rarely understand what they are doing. The most frustrating thing in the world for those who must always be in the know is to feel out of the loop. The problem is that people want to leave them out because they won’t leave anything in.

Again, we aren’t talking primarily about gossip, although these people are prime prey for its delivery. We are talking about people who have to be at every event just to say they were there. They might not even enjoy being at certain things, but they want anyone who would to know they were a part of it. Frontrunners offer full disclosure whether anyone wants it or not, and about things others wouldn’t even care about, but the person is only caring about themselves and their image. If other people would disclose what they felt about these people, they would have a hard time handling it, so others use discretion. Ironic isn’t it?

We must keep certain items from children because we don’t want to ruin their childhood. There are certain things that they just don’t need to know about yet. Peter said this about Paul’s writings, that some supposed teachers didn’t know how to properly handle the Word of God. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16). Christ knew that the disciples couldn’t bear all that he had to yet reveal to them, and even some of the things He had revealed to them they didn’t understand until much later (John 2:22). It wouldn’t be a good idea if God let us know everything before hand. That would lead to chaos, not comfort, conviction, and constancy. He knows better than we do, and He lets us know, as we are able to handle it.

We as Christians sometimes need to learn to be more like God, like Christ, and learn to use discretion when talking to others. Some people just can’t handle it. Have you grown to where you can handle what is given you, or must you always run and tell everyone else without first using a little discretion? If not, no wonder that others use discretion before disclosing things to you. Don’t be a frontrunner; sit back and learn to discern when to open your mouth.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

The Abundant Life

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
(John 10:10 – ESV)

The Gospel is not about a better life, it is about eternal life.

Because

Jesus does not offer you a better life, He offers you eternal life.

Therefore

Witnessing shouldn’t be about a better life, it should be about eternal life.

And remember

The abundant life Jesus is speaking of in John 10:10 is not about a life of material abundance, it is about spiritual abundance (John 7:37-39) and a life eternal (John 10:28).

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

I BELIEVE

People have a lot to say about and who they think Jesus is and what His coming into the world means, but the authority on the matter is the Bible.

I BELIEVE IN…I BELIEVE JESUS IS…

Light (John 1:9, 3:19, 8:12, 11:27, 12:46 / Philippians 2:15 / Matthew 5:16)

Promise (Genesis 3:15 / Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, 11:2 / Micah 5:2 / Romans 1:1-4 / Galatians 4:4)

Righteousness (Romans 3:25-26 / 2 Corinthians 5:21 / 2 Peter 1:1 / 1 John 2:1)

Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30 / Colossians 2:3)

Mercy (Matthew 9:27 / Mark 5:19 / Luke 1:50 / Ephesians 2:4-10)

Love (John 3:16 / 1 John 4:10-11 / John 15:13 / Romans 8:35-39)

Joy (Luke 2:10 / John 15:11, 17:13 / Hebrews 1:9)

Peace (Luke 2:14 / Mark 4:39 / John 14:27, 16:33 / Acts 10:36 / Romans 5:1 / Ephesians 2:14)

Hope (Romans 15:12-13 / Ephesians 1:12, 2:12 / Colossians 1:27 / 1 Timothy 1:1)

Grace (John 1:14 / Acts 15:11 / Romans 5:15)

Truth (John 1:14, 14:6)

Purity (1 John 3:2-3)

Revelation (John 1:18 / Matthew 1:23 / John 10:30 / Hebrews 1:3)

God the Son (John 1:3, 14 / Philippians 2:5-11 / Colossians 1:15-19 / Revelation 1:8)

Forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7)

Redemption (Romans 3:24, 8:23)

Resurrection (John 11:25 / Acts 24:15)

The Vine (John 15:5) a lifeline (Galatians 5:22-23 / Colossians 1:10)

Salvation (Matthew 1:21 / 1 Timothy 1:15)

Investment (Ephesians 1:3-14 / 1 Peter 1:3-9).

He invested in you, made you valuable, worth something to God. God gave His greatest, most precious and valuable thing, His Son as the asset, invested in you, with the Spirit as the down payment. The return on that investment was not a risk, it was a guaranteed harvest. I believe in your dream, because I believe in His reality. I believe in God’s investment.

What came into the world? It was and is something to believe in, and something worth sharing.

I BELIEVE! The question is, do you believe?

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Disclosure and Discretion

I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
(John 16:12 – ESV)

One thing that it seems I must learn over and over again is when to tell some people about certain issues, events, situations, and the like. Some people just cannot handle the news; they have to pass it around like it was a hot potato. Sometimes the news is better left unreported until a later time. Of course gossip is not good at all, but we are talking more along the lines of people whom take anything that might be said, anything someone else doesn’t know, and use it to prop up their own sense of self worth.

You know, they were there when it all went down, or they are always one of the first to know because they are important, or they are delivering news because they are up the food chain from the person they deliver it to, etc. They are always in the know, always at the scene, always in the mix, always where the action is, because they are always on top of it all, a frontrunner. This can be subtle or this can be obvious, but the people who purvey it rarely understand what they are doing. The most frustrating thing in the world for those who must always be in the know is to feel out of the loop. The problem is that people want to leave them out because they won’t leave anything in.

Again, we aren’t talking primarily about gossip, although these people are prime prey for its delivery. We are talking about people who have to be at every event just to say they were there. They might not even enjoy being at certain things, but they want anyone who would to know they were a part of it. Frontrunners offer full disclosure whether anyone wants it or not, and about things others wouldn’t even care about, but the person is only caring about themselves and their image. If other people would disclose what they felt about these people, they would have a hard time handling it, so others use discretion. Ironic isn’t it?

We must keep certain items from children because we don’t want to ruin their childhood. There are certain things that they just don’t need to know about yet. Peter said this about Paul’s writings, that some supposed teachers didn’t know how to properly handle the Word of God. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures (2 Peter 3:16). Christ knew that the disciples couldn’t bear all that he had to yet reveal to them, and even some of the things He had revealed to them they didn’t understand until much later (John 2:22). It wouldn’t be a good idea if God let us know everything before hand. That would lead to chaos, not comfort, conviction, and constancy. He knows better than we do, and He lets us know, as we are able to handle it.

We as Christians sometimes need to learn to be more like God, like Christ, and learn to use discretion when talking to others. Some people just can’t handle it. Have you grown to where you can handle what is given you, or must you always run and tell everyone else without first using a little discretion? If not, no wonder that others use discretion before disclosing things to you. Don’t be a frontrunner; sit back and learn to discern when to open your mouth.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

The Man of the Message

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,
(John 5:39 – ESV)

To study the Bible and not have a living relationship with Christ will ultimately do you no good. You are either changing, which means movement, or you are just reading about Him like you would any other ancient person. You can read about a famous or noble person and be inspired and go do those things you want to do, but Christ leads you to do what He wants you to do. His is not primarily the power of inspiration but of transformation. If you are truly learning from Him you will become more like Him. You will not only be moved, you will move.

Yes, we should come to know the things of God revealed in the Bible, we should study it, intensely and continuously. However, some are so fixed on looking at the trees they miss the fact that they are in the forest. The Jews of the day were so fixed on letters and words they missed the bigger picture of Divine intent and meaning (John 5:39-40). In all our studies in the Word of God we must remember that the God of the Word is whom we seek.

Of course, to the current reader, the application of the message may be in a slightly different direction that that of the original hearers. We may not be facing the same situations, but we can apply the message to our current dilemma by using the same principles and instruction. For example, we will probably not be facing a giant such as David did, but we do face giant problems that faith can help overcome. A good sermon will apply the fact that Christ has overcome the giants of sin, hell, and death, and point us to Him. Jesus is the whole summation of the Bible, and all our needs ultimately point to Him as our fulfillment and reason to worship.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Can You See What I Am Saying?

Jesus said, "For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind."
(John 9:39 – ESV)

So we are “seeing” all the time these conferences, events, revival meetings, etc., where they claim signs and wonders are happening. You’ll see the ads on TV, the Internet, or in print, or hear them on the radio. They will say that there are blind eyes being opened, deaf ears being unstopped, the lame are made to walk, and things like that.

Well, my wonder is that I wonder if, in light of the biblical record, you have ever noticed something about all those blind eyes being opened. It would seem that many have turned a blind eye to the truth.

When we read Luke 4:18-19 we hear Jesus in essence quoting Isaiah 61:1-2. He mentions that He was sent to give sight to the blind, and we know this means both physical and especially spiritually. In the physical sense, giving sight to the blind was something that Jesus did that had not been done before (John 9:32). Our Lord chose a man who was blind from birth, just as man is spiritually blind from birth, and He healed him.

However, when we see Christ commissioning the disciples to go preach the gospel, of all the power He gave unto them, to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons, we do not see Him mention giving sight to the blind (Matthew 10:5-8). In fact, in all the narratives of the apostles doing their miracles not once is the giving of sight mentioned, only that Paul recovered his sight after having been visited by Jesus (Acts 9). The giving of sight to the blind was uniquely a ministry of Jesus Christ. It was so even with the apostles, who unlike the charlatans of today had real miracle working power, yet even they never gave sight to the blind.

The false healers may try to hide behind their wickedness by saying that they aren’t the healer, Jesus is, and it is true, Jesus is the one who works miracles through believers. Yet even with the apostles, Christ never worked the giving of sight to the blind. So their facade is no protection for their shame. The words of Jesus still speak today when confronting the false healers.

This is important because it shows that these false healers have no actual biblical basis for their “sight gags”, and it is symbolic in that it relates to us the truth that only Christ can open the eyes of the blind, whether spiritual or physical.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

Value the Vision

So these came to Philip… and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."
(John 12:21 – ESV)

People often believe that God is able to help them, but they don’t believe He is willing to, at least not in their particular circumstance. They want to blame some curse or something else, but fail to see the plan of God. The truth is that they want to be helped in the way they want to be helped, and if they aren’t helped in that way, they don’t actually want to be helped, and they will grumble about not being helped.

Into this idea of wanting to see God help us walks Jesus. The passage from John 12:20-36 is very instructive in many things. Jesus teaches us that to die to self and to serve Him will bring honor from God the Father to that person who does so, and spiritual light will be the result. Walking in this light will increase our fruitfulness, our faithfulness, and our fulfillment in God and His plan.

We say we see this, and that we believe it, but then we ask, “Why is it so hard?”

This is not just about Jesus and the plan of salvation, but the plan for our personal deliverance from those sins that we cannot see our way out of. God uses the Bible and your individual experience to craft a personal attack plan for rooting out the sin in your life. Oh, it is the same methods and instruments as He uses for everyone else, but it is indeed a unique plan suited for you. The Holy Spirit is truly guiding the child of God to walk in faith, in the Spirit, to continue down Believer’s Boulevard, turning onto Repentance Road, finding Submission Street.

If you are willing to submit to God’s plan He is willing to help you see it more clearly, as far as the goodness of it goes, and to see how it shapes you, and to have a vision for knowing that He and His plan are righteous and to pursue His righteousness despite circumstances. This all takes spiritual vision, and our focus must be honed, and this happens through submission leading to obedience from the heart of the person who sees the value in it. You have to submit yourself to the vision, the plan of God for your life.

The truth is we don’t submit fully and so we see the obstacles to faith not the object of it.

This lack of true submission can be in particular circumstances that challenge our vision for faith, where we see Jesus as our all in all in general terms, but something else looms larger in the moment. We stop walking and the Light grows dim, we can’t see where we are going, and we fail to move from fear.

This lack of true submission also manifests itself in the larger arena, with people who struggle with an overall level of submission. For them their spiritual vision is mostly an idea, Jesus really isn’t in focus day by day, and He is just turned to when everything else is closing in on them. Many people want just enough God to get out of trouble, but only so as to try it their way once again. The problem with this is that if you get out of trouble, but you don’t get into truth, you will get back into trouble again. Your way won’t work, and you have to see that submission to God is the way into true fulfillment for you.

This is not about everyone else’s idea of God’s plan for you, but God’s own plan just for you. Be honest friend, you know some of it right now, you know how you have to start, and you just won’t do it, because you don’t believe it is actually right. You say it, but you don’t feel it, and so you don’t live it. The walk of faith is fraught with steps of submission, and your strength is in yourself, not in God, and you realize you cannot do it. You fail to submit once again, and you are on your knees, crying, or on your back, dying, or even on your feet, trying, but God just doesn’t seem to be helping you.

However, this plan, as you walk it out and value it, you will see the steps and learn to love the new you, instead of wanting to keep just enough of the old you to feel comfortable.

In either case, whether in momentary lapse of vision, or lack of any real focus within an individual’s life, the diagnosis is the same.

This is the true problem; people don’t believe God will do right by them, as far as their measures are concerned. They feel and live as if their ultimate good must also include their temporal satisfaction. They may indeed let God define a good ending but they define a good life.

You must follow Christ to the Cross by faith. There is no side road to salvation, or deliverance. If you want the power of God, if you want to learn to value the vision, to see how good God really is, you must go down Repentance Road, and make sure you stop at Submission Street. If you don’t, believe me, you will have made a wrong turn.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

All Washed Up

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.
(John 13:14-15 – ESV)

When Christ was presenting and performing the idea of washing one another’s feet, He was not saying we are to do this to everyone, everywhere, all the time. Obviously that is impossible and is evasive of His point. It is not about the physical washing of people’s feet, but about humility and service to one another.

However, this foot washing idea goes further than that. It is more than general humility and service, it is to surrender to a group of people whom you give yourself to in extraordinary service, beyond normal Christian charity. This is not simply to everyone at all times, although we are to be a humble servant to all. Again that would be evasive of the point by making this only a general principle when Jesus really means this for a specific group.

The action of Christ here is indicative of a humble serving spirit, but it is more specific than just that. This is Jesus telling us that we are to be about the giving of ourselves to a specific set of individuals. You give yourself to all of Christ’s body, but you wash the feet of those whom you are in intimate fellowship with. Of course this means that to be able to do that you have to have intimate fellowship with a group of believers.

This was not only about submission and service, but also about surrender. You can humbly serve the whole body and specially as you encounter them, but washing feet as seen by Jesus here is about getting dirty, and removing the dirt from the worn and weary feet of those you are in the trenches with. That isn’t everybody; that is about your local set of people whom you get muddy with on a regular basis, as Jesus did with His disciples. You give yourself to a group of people and those people are whose feet you wash.

A proof of this is found in Paul’s first letter to Timothy. This was what Paul was instructing Timothy about in 1 Timothy 5:9-10. The true widow, who Paul described in detail, and who had humbled herself and served the local congregation of saints, was to be considered for being on the church’s benevolence list or given a paying job of some kind to help support her as she supported those in the church. If she had shown care for others they were to take care of her. This shows us the application of the “washing of feet” means to a local fellowship, not just a general principle only. Although we are to be humble to all and serve all, this is not just about humility and service in general, but in specific terms to specific people sets.

To truly wash the saints feet, you must be a part of a local body of believers to whom you give yourself. If you don’t have a set of saints you are submitted to you are upsetting the biblical balance in your life. Church is God’s idea: giving yourself to a group of others is what Jesus is commanding us to do here in this text. The disciples had been arguing for some time about who among them was greatest, and Jesus here shows them that if they will not serve the group but want to stand out, or think that they can, that they are sorely mistaken. If you think that you are some super saint and that you don’t have to be a vital part of a local church, if you haven’t surrendered your role as the final arbiter in your life, your discipleship is all dried up. You’ve thrown in the towel against the church instead of girding yourself with it.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©

God So Loved

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16 – NET)

Many bible versions render the opening words of John 3:16 as “For God so loved the world”. Of course this is true, but the way that this is worded can confuse the primary meaning for some folks. When the bible says, “God so loved the world”, it is primarily speaking of the manner in which God loved the world. It is not simply that He loved the world “so much” as in the degree, but also the manner of that love, that He loved it in this way, that He gave His Son. John is emphasizing the manner in which He chose to express His love to the world, through the giving of His Son, which itself portrays the degree to which God loved the world as well.

Hebrews 11:17-18 uses the same Greek word for “only son” – Isaac wasn’t Abraham’s only son, but he was one of a kind, the heir. The Apostle John uses this word to differentiate Jesus from the other children of God (John 1:12). We are sons (children) of God by faith, but Jesus remains unique. 1 John 4:10 – In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

You see, you can love someone so very much but still not be able to help them overcome that problem they may have. Our love may be absolutely pure and sincere, and we may muster all the power we can, but it still not be enough to save someone from their situation. Yet God loves us so much and was and is able to overcome our greatest problem, our only problem in being reconciled to Him, our sin. And so in this way, through the giving of His Son Jesus Christ, God loves the world and whoever believes in Christ will be reconciled, redeemed, in right standing before God. They will not perish in eternity but have everlasting life. His love is enough.

“Living For Today With An Eye For Tomorrow”©