In His Grip

As we come to the end of 2010, I thought I would take a brief respite from our series on Spiritual Tests  to ask a very important question:   Are you ready for Christmas? This time of year is so full of emotion and memories.  Some seem almost magical and full of hope, while others are full of despair. What is on your mind and heart this Christmas season? Are you ready for Christmas? "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."  (Matthew 1:23 NASB, quoted from Isaiah 7:14) "God with us." - !      As we look at some of the Messianic Scriptures today, I would like for us to consider a couple of questions:  - How was it that the Messiah - God with us - was introduced to the world over 2,000 years ago?  - How is it that He will be introduced to our world today? I believe He will be introduced in much the same way now as then.      As we look at the Scripture

He who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,  And he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself.  Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you,  Reprove a wise man and he will love you.  Give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser,  Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning.  (Proverbs 9:7-9 NASB) Better is open rebuke  Than love that is concealed.  Faithful are the wounds of a friend,  But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.  (Proverbs 27:5-6 NASB) A rebuke goes deeper into one who has understanding  Than a hundred blows into a fool.  (Proverbs 17:10 NASB) Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me;  It is oil upon the head;  Do not let my head refuse it...  (Psalm 141:5a NASB) Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold  Is a wise reprover to a listening ear.  (Proverbs 25:12 NASB) The Love of God Last time we examined the faithful discipline of our loving God.  We recognized what a blessing it is that God woul

Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O LORD, And whom You teach out of Your law;  (Psalm 94:12 NASB) My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD Or loathe His reproof, For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.  (Proverbs 3:11-12 NASB; see also Hebrews 12:5-6) Blessed by God Who of us does not want to be blessed of the Lord, and to fully experience His love?  Yet, who of us would be as excited about all of the means that God chooses to bring it to us? There is so much that God provides for us by His mercy and grace, such as comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3), strength (Isaiah 41:10), encouragement (Philippians 2:1), peace (Isaiah 26:3),… the list can go on and on.  He has lavished His grace upon us (Ephesians 1:7-8) and in Christ we have received 'His fullness...and grace upon grace…' (John 1:16).  We are right to cling to and rejoice in these things! Children of God But the most precious gift He intends for us is Himse

Search me, O God, and know my heart;  Try me and know my anxious thoughts;  And see if there be any hurtful way in me,  And lead me in the everlasting way.   (Psalms 139:23-24 NASB) Create in me a clean heart, O God,  And renew a steadfast spirit within me.  Do not cast me away from Your presence  And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation  And sustain me with a willing spirit.  Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,  And sinners will be converted to You.   (Psalms 51:10-13 NASB) Examine me, O LORD, and try me;  Test my mind and my heart.  (Psalms 26:2 NASB) Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?  (2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB) (This is the first installment in the series 'Spiritual Tests' .)      For as long as I can remember, from the moment I wake up I begin my day praying Psalm 139:23-24 and

"Do not judge so that you will not be judged." (Jesus, Matthew 7:1 NASB) Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?  (2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  (1 John 4:1 NASB) But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.  (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 NASB) For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?   (1 Peter 4:17 NASB) "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment."  (Jesus, John 7:24 NASB) To judge or not to judge? To test or not to test? Which is it?      'Judge not' from Matth

(this is the conclusion of the topic 'On Shepherding and Discipleship' .) 'I will build my church…' - Jesus, from Matthew 16:18 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NASB) ...but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16 NASB) ...and not holding fast to the head, from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God. (Colossians 2:19 NASB) In this series on shepherding and discipleship, we have covered the following:   -

(this is a continuation of the topic 'On Shepherding and Discipleship' .) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16 NASB) So f

(this is a continuation of the topic 'On Shepherding and Discipleship' ) So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. (Jesus, Luke 14:33 ESV) We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. (The Apostle Paul, Colossians 1:28-29 NASB) But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. (The Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 15:10 NASB) You may have noticed that there are many varied definitions of spiritual and church growth floating around these days, but which are truly biblical, that is, growth as God has defined it?  Certainly we would say that we would want to grow 'with a growth that is from God' (Colossians 2:19) and reject

(this is a continuation of the topic 'On Shepherding and Discipleship' ) "Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart,  who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. (Jeremiah 3:15 NASB) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13 NASB) In the previous blog, 'Disciples: Born, or Made?' we recognized that a Christian is one who is born of God (John 1:12-13) and grows by means of the word of God (1 Peter 2:2) and the discipling of other believers (Matthew 28:19-20).  In that sense, a disciple is both born (initially) and made (continually), both a work of God, but using human agency. We also

(This is a continuation of the topic 'On Shepherding and Discipleship' ) So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has  cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:33 ESV) And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."  Immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew 4:19-20 ESV) "Lee, what do the disciples do?", I said to my (then) five year old son.  "They follow Jesus," he said.  Indeed.  Disciples follow Jesus.  There is much that can be unfolded here regarding the cultural context of the Jewish rabbi (teacher), but suffice to say that to be a disciple of someone was to fully submit to following their teaching and way of life.  It was a total commitment. While the Scriptures give no illusion that the life of a Christian is a sinless one (see 1 John 1:8-10), it knows nothing of a Christian whose heart and life are not unalterably changed to become more like Christ.  A journey through 1 John

"Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. (Jeremiah 3:15 NASB) And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel. (Nehemiah 8:1 NASB) The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men  who will be able to teach others also. (The Apostle Paul, 2 Timothy 2:2 NASB) "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; (Jesus, John 10:27 NASB) like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word,  so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, (1 Peter 2:2 NASB) For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. (Hebrews 5:13-14 NASB

"The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' ( - Jesus, Luke 7:34 NASB) 'You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.' (James 4:4 NASB) 'It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.' ( - the Apostle Paul, 1 Timothy 1:15 NASB) Was Jesus, in fact, a friend of sinners? What is to be the nature of our relationships as believers with unbelievers? As believers, should we refer to ourselves as ‘sinners’? As I've reflected on much of the teaching I've heard in recent times, as well as many conversations I've had, it seems to me much confusion abounds regarding these questions.  I hear the term 'contextualization'