Reward vs. Gift

Romans 4:4-5 says, "When people work, their wages are not a gift. Workers earn what they receive. But people are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work."

My family and I (along with Mitchell Martin) had the privilege of attending the FCA Banquet last evening. Their focus is to proclaim Jesus as Lord. There were several analogies made to "the game of life" in the speeches given, but one thought that stuck out to me was this:

In sports, you have to really work hard and train hard in order to receive a reward. If you want to win a medal, you can only earn it by being the fastest, strongest, etc. Thank God salvation is not like that (although many of us view it that way). How many of us are still trapped in the mindset that we are trying to "win" God's favor or attention? Or that if we "work" really hard we can "earn" His love or get a medal? Yes, even the apostle Paul used a sports analogy in 1 Corinthians 9:24, but here he is talking about the self-control involved to run this Christian race with faith. He is not saying that believers have to earn the reward.

Ephesians 2:8-9 captures it well: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast". Athletes can boast when they cross the finish or have that medal draped around their necks. But Christians cannot make that claim for it is because of God's grace that we may receive eternal life. The medal that God hangs around our neck is not because of ANYTHING we have done, but all because of what Jesus Christ did FOR us.

Here are some pictures from the banquet. It was great to meet Jim Tressel (head coach of the Ohio State Buckeyes). You may recognize the other two guys. I guess they are sort of into football, too...

Don't go to church...BE THE CHURCH!

As a follow-up to my sermon Sunday, I hope this video and lyrics from Casting Crowns' song, "If We Are The Body" will motivate and inspire you.

A Story of Hope!

These are excerpts from a recent article I read in Christianity Today. It was written by J.R. Daniel Kirk, entitled "A Resurrection That Matters". It's pretty powerful.

"At his resurrection, Jesus becomes something that he was not before. Jesus becomes the enthroned king of the world—the Messiah. He has received God's anointing as the chosen king, but another king is currently on the throne. The story of the Gospels is one in which Jesus inaugurates a new reign of God and deals a deathblow to the imposter king through his death on the cross. If the Cross is the defeat of the old king, the Resurrection is the enthronement of the new. Jesus now literally sits in the space that the kings of Israel had figuratively occupied before him: at the right hand of God. Though the preexistent Christ has always been God's agent in the creation and rule of the world, the human Jesus is now joined to that role as Lord and king over all.

Having vanquished the Enemy, who had usurped authority over all the kingdoms of the world (Luke 4:5-8), Jesus reclaims for humanity its original purpose: to rule the world on God's behalf (Gen. 1:26-28). Jesus' resurrection by the Spirit begins the re-creation of God's family. Resurrection and new creation are inseparable. The future for which we long and hope is the moment when God recreates this world and populates it with renewed, embodied people. Resurrection tells us that a new creation is coming. The resurrection of Jesus tells us that this new creation has already begun.

Paul depicts the created order as an active participant in the drama that moves from suffering to resurrection life. Creation groans, says Paul. But these are not the pangs of death, but rather the pangs of new life. But if this creation is groaning for redemption as we ourselves are, then we discover, to the surprise of many, that the fate of this world is not destruction but redemption. In the mysterious economy of God, what we do here on earth is of eternal consequence.This plea to work in the present as though it mattered for the future is nothing less than the call to take hold of creation's destiny and bring it to bear on the present.

The old powers have been defeated, the old self has been crucified, and the futility of creation is being undone. A new king is lord, the new self has been raised, and the creation is catching a glimpse of an eternity with hope. This is the Good News: not only a story of forgiveness but also a story of power, of transformation, and of hope."

The Great Social Disease

Long before the surgeon general issued his 1964 report showing the devastating harm of smoking, much of the nation viewed cigarettes as fun and harmless, even cool. A new report from the The Witherspoon Institute in Princeton, N.J says much of America today has a similar naive attitude toward Internet pornography and that it needs to wake up and see porn's destructive impact not only on individuals but also marriages, children and society in general -- before it's too late. I couldn't agree more.

Pornography is the silent killer that we don't talk about. It not only kills relationships, it kills the soul of the person who is addicted. Pornography is so easily accessible these days. Got a computer? Then you've got access and no one has to even know you are doing it. Viewing it can be done sporadically or chronically. Either way it's like a drug that eventually takes over and controls you. It becomes your master. You become its slave.

NOTHING good comes from looking at pornography. It robs couples of the joys of intimacy. There is a lie that says it will spice up your sex life. Well, if you need to spice up your sex life, then you first need to spice up your spiritual life. You need to learn that marriage is all about serving and sacrificing(laying down your life) for your partner. Once you learn to do that and have that mind set, things will change. The ability to be a godly marriage partner is being warped by pornography's effect and it is one of the major causes of divorce.

Parents, here is a link that has some helpful tips for protecting your kids.
http://www.bpnews.net/printerfriendly.asp?ID=32647

Pornography is an evil that thrives in silence and proliferates in the dark. And the sad truth is that believers are not in any way, shape or form impervious to its lure, however, believers do have a way out; a way to overcome pornography's stronghold. John 8:32 says that "You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free".

Pornography is a lie that traps and enslaves you. Jesus is the way, the truth and life that can set you free - but you first need to know Him. If you are struggling with pornography, there is help. There is freedom.

Let's talk more...

How I See It

I have learned in my short time as a pastor that people can make the Bible say anything they want. This is called "eisegesis". It means that you read into the text something that is not there. Instead of allowing God's Word (through the Spirit) speak to you, you come to the text with a conclusion already in mind trying to prove that theory. This is a scary thing because over the centuries it has caused multiple divisions, splits, feelings of superiority and a "holier than Thou" mentality. Not good. It is very easy to do this because we all bring our own preconceived ideas to the Scriptures. We bring our personality and our life experiences as well.

I have to believe, though, that deep down the motivation is to truly know God better. Christians sincerely want to follow God and do right - but sometimes, even when we know the right thing to do, we will make excuses claiming that we need more information.

Sometimes when we know, without a doubt, that God's Spirit is moving us to act in love, we try to look for more information to cause us to evade doing God's will. Understanding God's Word really isn't that difficult if you interpret it through the life of Jesus. He summed up the whole law and prophets in two commands :Love God and love neighbor. In one word: Love.

Yet there are times that we try to protect ourselves from doing God's will by making it seem as if we need more scholarly information. "It can't be that easy" we say. "To simply love? There has to be more study, more debate, more theological reflection". In reality what we are doing is making an excuse - refusing to do what we know the Spirit is prompting us to do.

When we approach the Bible from the life of Jesus (Christocentric view) I think we will have a much easier time understanding the word of God and knowing His will. Jesus was the best expression of God's will for us in the flesh. He was the best representation of how we are to live. He showed us the way - at least that's how I see it.