Coming to Christ

                                               

                                           All that the Father gives Me will come to Me,

and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.

John 6:37

We come to Him because we have believed in Him, and upon Him we have cast all our hope for our eternal salvation. We come to Him because we depend upon His finished work, His once for all sacrifice, His blood bought redemption, and nothing else. We come to Him because He, and He alone, is the the way, the truth, and the life; and we know that there is no other way to enter heaven and stand before the throne of God except through Him. We come to Him because He alone is the Holy One of God, and He alone has the words of eternal life. We come to Him and Him alone.

Come to Jesus, come to Christ, come to your one and only Savior today. Come to Him casting all that you are and all that you have upon all that He is and all that He has done. Behold, He stands with His arms open to receive you! Cast aside all that hinders you and come to Him now, delay no longer.

Twelve Reasons Our Salvation Is Secure

 1. We have been baptized into Christ Jesus, and united with Him in His death, and then certainly in His resurrection. Romans 6:3-6

2. We have become partakers (koinonos--joint sharers, partners) of the divine nature. II Peter 1:4

3. We have an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, and, which is reserved in heaven for us. I Peter 1:4

4. We are protected by the power of God for a salvation which will be revealed (fully brought to light, fully manifested) when Christ returns. I Peter 1:5

5. Because we are in Christ, there is no longer, forever, any condemnation on us. Romans 8:1, Psalm 34:22

6. When we sin we have an Advocate who stands before the Father on our behalf, who always lives to make intercession for us and plead our cause before God against all of the cries of the accuser. This Advocate was also the one who made propitiation (satisfaction of the wrath and penalty) for our sins through His own death in our stead, and thus He saves forever those who come to Him in repentance and faith. I John 2:1-2, Psalm 119:154, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 5:6-8, Romans 8:33-34, Revelation 12:10

7. It is Christ Himself who has laid hold of us for salvation, never to let us go. Philippians 3:12, John 10:28-30

8. Nothing created...no circumstance, no power, no angel, nothing yet to come, nor ruler can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35-39

9. The Father would not dishonor the sacrifice of the Son by letting one for whom the Son paid the penalty of the Father's wrath, not make it into heaven and be raised up on the last day. John 6:37-40

10. God has sealed our salvation by the Holy Spirit, who is also His pledge (down payment, escrow) of our inheritance which is reserved for us in heaven. Ephesians 1:13-14, 4:30, II Corinthians 1:21-22

11. What God has started, the work of His salvation in us, He will complete. Philippians 1:6

12. All of the promises of our salvation are made sure and complete in Christ. I Corinthians 1:20

So, my friends, rejoice in the security and therefore the surety of your salvation. Let us offer up a prayer of thanksgiving and praise to our great God, and His great Son our Lord and Savior, for the greatness of this salvation, His making it available to us, His making its accomplishment in us fool-proof, and the confidence this gives us in our relationship with Him. What a wonderful God! What beautiful truths!

Biblical Guidelines for Church Leadership: The Weight of Small Sins

 

          Spiritual leadership without character is only religious activity,

possibly religious business or, even worse, hypocrisy......

The qualified leader is a man of the Book, using it not just

to prepare sermons and preaching notes, but, first and foremost,

to prepare himself.

James M. George

The Call to Pastoral Ministry

Pastoral Ministry

(How to Shepherd Biblically)

Page 91

Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you;

and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.

Hebrews 13:7

How important it is for those of us who occupy a place of spiritual leadership to be men of character, character forged by the Holy Spirit and formed by the Word of God. Providing spiritual leadership is a daunting responsibility, a responsibility that underscores the Lord's admonition in James 3:1 "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." This is why the Lord stresses Godly character in His requirements for those who occupy the post of pastor; and why Paul buffeted his flesh, so that after he had preached to others he would not be disqualified.

The landscape of the church is littered with the moral failures of those who failed to watch themselves.  In fact, it has become much too common, and it is just not in the area of personal sexual immorality, as noted by the current furor over an SBC president. Over the last several years we have seen pastors removed due to lying, inflating numbers, financial impropriety, bullying, alcoholism, and undue self-promotion. Another one of the issues the SBC has been taken to task for is the sexual abuse and the toleration of it by certain persons and churches within its ranks.

These are the obvious, the news grabbing and headline making, but what about the ones that don't make the news, the ones that cause damage just as great? I was reading an internet article about how Peacemaker ministries worked to reconcile a church's pastor and elders after temper, egos, and innuendos had split them and the church. What about the detrimental effects of pride, stubbornness, selfishness, ambition, jealousy, unforgiveness, lying, greed, and gossip? What about those that fear man more than they fear God, those that are men-pleasers vs God-pleasers, and those who would compromise rather than confront? What about the small things that are done daily that add up over time? Most often it is the weight of the small sins which make a ministry ineffective and erodes the trust and confidence necessary to be followed.

I remember once hearing Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, preach, and in his sermon he was stressing the need for moral integrity. He said that he had asked God to take him home before He let Bill commit adultery. Admirable, yes, but for most of us, we are on guard against the big A when it is the perniciousness of the so called small sins that we ought to be on guard against as well.  Is our prayer, "Lord, lead me away from temptation in the areas where I am weak and most easily tempted, and let not evil have any way with me. Please keep me from causing any of the brethren to stumble. Help me to adorn the doctrine I preach with the life that I live. Empower me to do what is right, to love what is good, and to walk humbly with You. Enable me to treat others the way I would want to be treated in every circumstance. Let not anyone, saved or unsaved, look at me and cry hypocrite. Let me be at home and behind the scenes what I am publicly."

Who is adequate for this? None of us outside of the power that God supplies. There is a greater burden, a greater responsibility, for those whom God has called into ministry; but there is a greater grace available as well. Let us be on our guard, empowered by the grace of God, so that sin will not have its way with us, not derail us nor render us impotent in our efforts to advance the kingdom of God in our own lives, so that we will be effective in advancing His kingdom in the lives of those whom He appointed to our shepherding. Let not the sin in our own lives be an impediment, an excuse, for those whom we lead in dealing with the sin in their own lives.

Father, guard our hearts and our minds. Work within us only that which is pleasing in Your sight. We are frail and weak in our own strength, so help us by the strength which You supply to live a life worthy of the gospel of Your Son, and a life worthy of the calling with which we have been called. Help us to be an example to the flock, living a life worthy of admiration and imitation. Guard us from our own selves, and give us a sensitivity to the sin which so easily entangles us. Help us to fight the good fight of faith and finish our course without disqualification. AMEN.

The Truth and Our Mind

 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever in honorable,

whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,

whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence

and if anything worth of praise, dwell on these things.

Philippians 4:8

"An old subject is thus brought before us again: the cardinal place occupied by the Christian's mind, for good as well as for ill. Just as a carnal mind is the surest passport to the downward path, so a mind drilled in the things of which God approves is the steadiest way into practical holiness. If, in a difficult relationship (1), we allow our minds and judgment to be clouded by half-truth, or if we allow frivolous and damaging thoughts about the other person (2) to simmer in our minds, we are hardly being like Christ. We should rather determine to think only the truth about the other person (2), to value what is attractive and praiseworthy about him. This will prove to be the way of peace.

We are to meditate on, to prize as valuable, and to be influenced by all that is true, all that merits serious thought and encourages serious-mindedness, all that accords with justice and moral purity, all that is fragrant and lovely, all that brings with it a good word, that speaks well, whatever has genuine worth of any sort and merits praise. It is the will of God that by giving attention to things of which he approves we should shape our minds to be like his: to those who do so, he pledges his guardian peace and his own presence as the God of peace."

Alec Motyer

The Message of Philippians

Page 212

The italics above are mine, and for #1 you could substitute situation or circumstance; and for #2 you could substitute the Lord.

Philippians 4:8 is a powerful verse.  It is one of  the verses that should be required memorization for every Christian.  It is the verse that both guards and shapes our mind. Proverbs 23:7 tells us, "As a man thinks within himself, so he is."  And how we think within ourselves should be guarded and shaped by Philippians 4:8.  

There are two things I would like for us to take note of in this verse:

First is the word dwell (think in the ESV). The Lord could have used the two most common Greek words for think, phroneo or dokeo, but He didn't. Instead He used the word logizomai. This word means more than just having an opinion or giving acknowledgment. It means to give careful consideration, to make a reasoned reflection, to be circumspect about. It implies deliberateness and seriousness. As it is used here, logizomai is also in the present tense and imperative mood, which means it is a permanent command to the point that these qualities are to be the habitual focus of our mind; and then these qualities, qualities of which God approves, will guard and shape our mind.      

Second, is the word truth. This word is the first word in this list of eight things which our minds are to be dwelling upon. The primary, most important, first and foremost thing which we are to give careful consideration to is the truth. Truth is to be the gatekeeper of our mind, and the main shaper of our thoughts. All the other qualities that we are to let our mind dwell on should always be subject to the truth. Truth is the best thing we can know, and the most reliable and powerful thing we can reflect upon.  

The most important, most reliable, and most powerful truth we can know, and therefore dwell upon is the truth about God. How we think about God and what we think about God greatly affect our life; and how we respond to all the different situations we find ourselves in is based in large part on our view of God, and our view of God is shaped by what we know about God. So knowing the truth about God is paramount.

The second most important truth we can know, is the truth about ourselves. It is against the backdrop of the truth about God and in light of the truth about God that we gain insight into the truth about ourselves, and in knowing the truth about ourselves we begin to see ourselves as God sees us. We see our life and all of its dynamics from God's viewpoint. We see our motives, our reactions, our plans, our thoughts and desires from God's vantage point, and we began to view ourselves in light of the truth that we know about God. Of course this truth was realized, brought to full view and manifested thoroughly, in Jesus Christ (John 1:17) because He is the embodiment of the truth (John 14:6).

Where can we go to find this truth? Why, of course, we go to the word of God, which is truth (John 17:17), and speaks the truth concerning every subject it touches (Psalm 119:160). The truth which should guard our mind and shape our thoughts is found in the Scriptures, and is the Scriptures themselves, as the Bible does not contain the truth, but is the truth.

Romans 12:2 tells us that we are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Our mind is renewed (continually made new) as we grow in knowledge of the truth. In John 8:32, Christ tells us that in knowing the truth we shall be set free. Starting with salvation, there are a myriad of applications in this verse, but the base line is that we shall be set free from the shackles of the lies of the enemy, the lies of the world, and the lies of our flesh. These are the lies we have been believing for most of our life, lies that have shaped our thoughts and governed the course of our life, lies that have made our lives miserable, lies that have separated us from God and from others, lies that our unredeemed flesh still wants to cling to.

So, it is imperative that we know the truth, and not just know the truth but continually reflect upon all that we know to be true, to give deliberate, serious, and careful consideration to what we know to be true. As we do this, our knowledge of the truth, what is true about God, ourselves, and life will grow; and as we engage our minds on the things we know to be true, our mind will be guarded from what is false...the lies of the enemy, the world, and our flesh...and our mind will be trained and shaped.

The more truth we know, the more our mind and therefore our thoughts are conformed to the truth. The more our minds are conformed to the truth the more discerning we will be regarding the lies of the enemy no matter which area of the prevailing culture they emanate from. Truth is the backdrop against which the lies of the enemy become apparent. 

Friends, let us determine today, and pray today for strength, wisdom, and discernment in the things that are true, so that our minds will be fixed upon only that which is true, so we will be people of the truth. In doing this we will be set free from the lies of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and have the peace that surpasses all human comprehension.

Sensational Works or Simple Faith

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 "Many will say to Me on that day, ' Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' 23 And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you,' Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.' 

Look at what these people are claiming as their basis of right standing as they stand before the Lord on that day. It is not faith, but works, and not just any works, but sensational works; and not just any sensational works, but sensational works done in His name. The three works they claim are prophesying, casting out demons, and performing many miracles/works of power (Hmm, sounds like a certain persuasion today). What were these people trusting in for their salvation? They were trusting in their own sensational religious works and not in Christ. They were not doing the will of the Father and therefore were workers of iniquity/practicers of lawlessness. What then is the will of God that we are to do to assure us an entrance into the kingdom of heaven? It is that we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, on Him alone, on His person and His finished work for our salvation. There can be nothing more and there is nothing less. 

The context that this sensational claim is made in is interesting because in verses 12-14 Christ says that the gate is wide and the way is broad that lead to destruction, but the gate is small and the way is narrow that lead to life, and few there be that find it. (A friend once made the comment that both gates have the same sign, "This Way to Heaven" but only one takes you there.) In verses 15-20 Christ tells us to beware the false prophets who come to us in sheep's clothing, but that we will know them by their fruits (see also Hebrews 13:7). Then in verses 24-29 Christ says that it is the wise man who hears His words and acts on them, but the fool is the one who hears His word and does not act upon it (see James 1:22). 

Christ is the narrow gate and the narrow way. Religion is the broad way, and the broad gate. Religion says chart your own course to God, choose what you want to believe, what you want to do, believe that there is something you can do to achieve right standing before God. False prophets tell you they know the way, so follow them. They even claim sensational works to back it up. However, they will always lead you away from Christ never to Him. We can know them by their fruits, the result of their conduct, and not be led astray by their sensational works and claims. It is the wise man who hears Christ say, " I am the way, the truth, and the life. Come to the Father through Me." and then follows Christ and Him alone. It is the fool who hears the same words, but decides to make his own way, chart his own course, and great is His fall. 

So, where are you today, my friend? What are you depending on for your entrance into the eternal kingdom of God? Is it your confession, your baptism, your prayer, your attendance, your tithing, something you have done or are doing now, or is it Christ Jesus and His finished work on the cross? Are you depending on yourself or on what God has done for you in Christ? Religion is what man can do to get to God. Christianity is what God has done to bring man to Himself. Where does your faith rest today, on yourself, or in the power of God in the cross of Christ? Think about it, weigh it carefully, consider it wisely because your eternal destiny hangs in the balance.