WE NEED A SAVIOR (And We Need Faith to Gain the Freedom He Affords)!

 All quotes are from the Easy to Read Version unless otherwise stated.

Genesis 3

We are all familiar with the account of Adam, Eve, and the sin of eating the forbidden fruit.

God created a good world but disobedience of man introduced sin into that good world.

When sin entered the world God had many options:

• Destroy the people and start over
• Ignore sin and choose not to act in the world (dooming His creation to an early death
• Instead, God chose to get to work:  He told the serpent that a man would strike him down (that man was Jesus – Rom 5:19)

Romans 7:24

“What a miserable person I am! Who will save me from this body that brings me death?”

Romans 5:19-21

“One man disobeyed God and many became sinners. But in the same way, one man obeyed God and many will be made right. The law was brought in so that more people would sin the way Adam did. But where sin increased, there was even more of God’s grace. Sin once used death to rule us. But God gave us more of his grace so that grace could rule by making us right with him. And this brings us eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 7:25 AMP

“Thanks be to God [for my deliverance] through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind serve the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness, my sinful capacity—I serve] the law of sin.”

Without Jesus perfect sacrifice of Himself we would still be fumbling around in the darkness of sin – never knowing that God wanted us to be reunited and reconciled with Him.  From the very beginning God assured us that He loved us and would provide a way for anyone who believed to come back into a right relationship with Him.  God provided Jesus.

Does that mean everyone in the world has been reunited to God because Jesus died for their sins?  Sadly, no, only those who exercise their faith in Jesus will gain this reconciliation. Here is the issue though:  many people think that faith is merely believing a fact.

James 2:19 (The Message)

“Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them?”

Many people agree that Jesus Christ lived and died, and they even believe in His resurrection!  But, they have not turned from sin and trusted Him.

Acts 4:12 (KJV)

“Neither is there salvation in any other:  for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

1 Corinthians 15:1-2

“Now, brothers and sisters, I want you to remember the Good News I told you. You received that Good News message, and you continue to base your life on it. That Good News, the message you heard from me, is God’s way to save you. But you must continue believing it. If you don’t, you believed for nothing.”

Ephesians 2:8-9

^“ I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about.”

 So, true faith steps further than believing…it requires action:  turning from your sins and trusting in Jesus alone for your eternal salvation!  So, like the song "I Lift My Hands" says, "Let Faith Arise"!

  

"I Lift My Hands" by Chris Tomlin

Follower or Fanatic?

Three years ago I published a book review of the book called, “Not a Fan” by Kyle Idleman.  Observing believers in Christ in my Church and Community lately made me think about this book and I think it is time a larger portion of the Body of Christ read it as well.  There is a difference between being a “fan” or “fanatic” of Christ and being a “follower” and it is time the Body of Christ grasps that.  The following is the review I published:

Do you wish you had something more in life?  Are you finding your Christian walk has settled into a comfortable rut?  If these things are not how you feel then ask yourself (and be honest with yourself) “Is my life with God perfect?”  Whether you are doing great or struggling as a Christian I recommend Not a Fan.

I was cruising the internet last summer and came across a strikingly simple black website with clear lower case white letters that said, not a fan with the sub-caption:  completely. committed. follower.  This intrigued me so I read the short notes on the website and decided I wanted to give this book a try.  I sent away for the book and was excited to start reading when it came.

Let me preface the next statement by stating that I love to read, have a very high comprehension rate, and can usually finish a 200 page book in a couple hours.  It took me almost a month to finish the book.  It is not a hard book to read and is filled with humor, amusing antidotes and clear object lesions, but when you read it with the intent to let it change your life then you sometimes have to give the Holy Spirit time to make the changes in you.

I discovered that I was an avid fan of Jesus, but not a committed follower.  Let me show you the difference by using this brief quotation by Pastor Idleman from the book:

“I was born into a Christian home and rarely missed a weekend of church.  From before I can remember I could quote the Lord’s Prayer, John 3:16, and the 23^rd Psalm.  When I was around five years old I threw a fit because my mom was making me wear a tie to church.  She was trying to understand why I was so upset, and through my tears I explained, “If I wear a tie they might make me preach!”  By the age of thirteen I felt pressure to have the “Baptist blow-dry” hairstyle that my father was somewhat of a legend for perfecting.  I would regularly model the latest “witness wear.”  My collection was impressive.  God’s Gym; Jesus, The Real Thing; This blood’s for you…I had them all.  When I was in junior high I even had a picture of Jesus hanging on my wall right next to the poster of Michael Jordan.  In some ways that is a visual example of how I would define my relationship with Jesus at the time.  I was a fan of Jesus, like I was a fan of Mike.  I had memorized and knew his stats, but I did not know him.”

After reading the book Rev. Jon Kulaga Ph.D., Provost, Asbury University described the difference between a fan and a committed follower as follows:

“Football has been described as 22 men on the field in desperate need of rest, and 60,000 fans in the stands in desperate need of exercise.  In the spirit of Trueblood and Bonhoeffer, Not A Fan challenges believers to get out of their seats, strap on the gear and get in the game.   Not A Fan is not for the faint of heart… it’s for those who want to join a company of the committed, and to obey what they claim to believe."

Are you tired of being a fan?  Are you ready to get off of the sidelines and into the game?  I wholeheartedly recommend you get Not a Fan and read it.  It will change your life!

Not a Fan website:  http://www.notafan.com/

HINENI!

Speak, Lord, For Your Servant Is Listening!

I have an album from the group, Liberated Wailing Wall, a musical outreach of Jews for Jesus, which contains a song titled “Hineni!”  I love to listen to and sing the song.  It always puts me in the correct perspective in my walk with the Lord.  “Hineni” is a Hebrew word and the literal translation is “Here am I”.  Yet, like most Hebrew words it has a fuller meaning:  The word 'Hineni' means 'Here I am' in a spiritual sense, which is what Abraham says and means to God to indicate his readiness when he is called on in Genesis 22:1.

“After these events, God tested and proved Abraham and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here I am.  [God] said, Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I will tell you.  So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and then began the trip to the place of which God had told him.”  (Genesis 22:1-3 AMP)

God called and in essence Abraham answered, “Here I am, Lord, ready to do whatever you ask of me.”  Abraham answered, “Hineni!”

Of course, we all know the story of Moses and the burning bush.  Did you know that Moses also answered, “Hineni”?

And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.  And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush and said, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here am I.  God said, Do not come near; put your shoes off your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.  (Exodus 3:3-5 AMP)  In this scripture we also find the Hebrew word “Hineni”.  Moses was willing and ready to listen to God when he saw a bush burning but not being consumed in the wilderness, so his “Hineni” was genuine.  It was not until God told Moses what He wanted him to do that Moses started having doubts, but we know that the story does not end there.  We know Moses was obedient to what God called him to do and the result was hundreds of thousands of people freed from slavery and taken back to the land promised their forefathers.  Moses answered, “Hineni!”

Probably the most familiar story we learned in Sunday School is the story about Samuel.  As a boy, serving the High Priest Eli in the temple, Samuel heard God call him.  How did he answer God?

“The lamp of God had not yet gone out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was lying down.  When the Lord called, Samuel! And he answered, Here I am.  He ran to Eli and said, Here I am, for you called me. Eli said, I did not call you; lie down again. So he went and lay down.  And the Lord called again, Samuel! And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here am I; you did call me. Eli answered, I did not call, my son; lie down again.  Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord was not yet revealed to him.  And the Lord called Samuel the third time. And he went to Eli and said, Here I am, for you did call me. Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy.  So Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down. And if He calls you, you shall say, Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  And the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, Samuel! Samuel! Then Samuel answered, Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.”   (1 Samuel 3:3-10)

When my sister calls me on the telephone all she has to do is say, “Hi”, and I know right away who it is.  I recognize her voice.  I have heard it often enough to recognize it.  Samuel had never heard the voice of God (1 Samuel 3:7) so he thought it was Eli.  Yet, he had the right attitude when he answered “Hineni” and went to Eli.  After a couple times of this happening Eli perceived that God was calling Samuel and told Samuel what to do.  Samuel was obedient.  Samuel answered, “Hineni!”

God is calling you today.  You have been sanctified (set aside from the world) by God and are given tasks which will fit together with other believers to build His Kingdom.  Will you answer be “Hineni?”  Will you answer be, “Here I am?”  Will your answer be, “Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening?”

ARE YOU CALLED TO LEAD? – Part II

Last week we considered the qualifications God places on leaders.  This week let us consider leaders from History and our current leaders.

Leaders to Consider

We can examine leaders from the past.  Consider the following people and ask these questions:

• What did God call them to?
• Were they perfect (measuring up to the “accountability list”?)
• Did they succeed?

Noah (Gen. 6:13-21

He was given a vision of God’s impending destruction of earth’s people

He was told to build an ark of a specific material and size

He was told that God would bring the creatures to the ark

He was told that his family would be saved.

Noah chose to be obedient to God and acted upon the God-given vision, and God’s purpose came to pass.

Abram (later called Abraham) (Gen. 12:1-5)

Was told to move to a new land

That God would bless him and all nations would be blessed through him

Abram was obedient to God’s call and a nation that would bring God to the world was born.

Moses (Exodus 3:1-22)

Called by God to lead Israel out of Egypt

He had concerns about his abilities and credibility, but God empowered him for the call

Moses was obedient to God’s call and the nation that Abram started was freed from bondage

Joshua (Joshua 1:1-9)

Called by God’s vision of the territory that God was going to give the Israelites

Encouraged by God to be strong, courageous and obedient to the law

Joshua was obedient and the nation prospered and became successful

Esther (The Book of Esther)

She became a wife and queen to a Persian king, a choice out of her control

Was asked by God to risk her life to save the Jews from death

Esther was obedient and the nation of Israel was delivered from genocide

Ananias (Acts 9:10-18)

A leader in his own community was called by God to go lay hands on the man that had been having believers killed.

God told him that this man was a chosen instrument of Him to bear His name before gentiles, kings and the Israelites

Ananias was obedient to God’s call and the ministry of the Body of Christ’s first great evangelist was born.

Dr. David Livingston (the great explorer)

Called by God, as a young man, by being shown a map of Africa that no missionary had ever been 700 miles inland

Already a Christian, set out plans to prepare for the journey (becoming a medical doctor, learning languages)

He traveled to Africa and implemented the plan developed in his youth, healing the sick, learning new languages and teaching people about Christ.

Dr. Livingston was obedient to God’s call, working 37 years in the interior of Africa and brought many to Christ, also providing the foundation for future missionaries to the interior of Africa.

George Washington Carver (inventor & innovator)

Although born to slaves, Carver excelled at learning (a gift God gave him to fulfill his call).  God provided opportunities for education when people of his race were not allowed to go to school.  Wherever he went he shared his love for Christ.  He was remembered as a man of prayer, submitting all of his research to the Lord and waiting for God’s answer.  He discovered uses for the peanut other than eating it resulting in a number of products still in use today:

·       Lard

·       Vinegar

·       Relishes

·       Printer’s ink

·       Dyes,

·       Plastic, Soaps, Coffee,

·       Soft Drinks

·       Wood stains

Billy Graham (famous evangelist)

Became a Christian as a result of Billy Sunday’s ministry in the early 1940’s

Felt a calling but waited on the Lord.

Received a vision for his evangelistic ministry by 1948

Rev. Graham was obedient to God’s call and hundreds of thousands have been saved around the world

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (minister and civil rights champion)

Already a believer and minister God called Dr. King to become a champion for civil rights

Waged war against conditions, not people

By his non-violent creative efforts many unjust laws were overturned allowing equal opportunity and equal protection for all people

Remained persistent (even under death threats) to see his vision of every man and woman of every race be treated as they should be, as individuals created in the image of God.

Dr. King was obedient to God’s call and his work still continues through those who have taken up his dream

Dwight (D.L.) Moody (famous evangelist)

His goal as a young man was to become rich, yet by age 18 God called him to something better

He studied his Bible to become proficient at sharing his faith with young people

His meetings eventually lead him to build a church

Rev. Moody was obedient to God’s call and hundreds of thousands were saved in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the United States

Jimmy Carter (farmer, humanitarian & President of the US)

He chaired a Billy Graham crusade that brought blacks and whites together at a time and place where racial separation was the norm

He spent countless hours as a volunteer for an organization building homes for low-income people

Already a believer, God called him to run for the President of the United States

He was open about his faith before his election and throughout his presidency

Carter was obedient to God’s call and many people examined their own relationship with God after hearing his reasons for being a man of faith in Christ

Now consider the leaders of today in view of the same questions.  (Remember, it is important to view them with the attributes God considers in a leader, not ours or someone’s opinion of a leader.)

• What has God called them to?
• How do they measure up to the “accountability list”?
• Are they failing or have they failed?
• Are they succeeding or have they succeeded?

So, in conclusion, who is called to lead.  The Dictionary Definitions for “lead” are:

1. To show the way to be going in advance
2. To guide by taking the hand
3. To cause to follow some course of action; to induce
4. To direct the activities

 It is easy to recognize that these great Christians and even our own Pastors, Sunday School Teachers, Church Department Heads, etc. are called to lead, and I am sure that even in your own Church can see these qualities in them, but I believe that EVERY BELIEVER is called to lead and to follow.

Leaders are set over us, but we are also called to lead the lost to Christ.  As we hold individuals we recognize as our leaders accountable to God’s standards for leadership we should also search our own hearts to see if we “measure up” so that we will be equipped “for the work of the ministry!”

It the light of eternity, what is “the work of the ministry?”  Leading the lost to Christ!  We each need to examine ourselves and ask the Holy Spirit to enable us to become the leaders He is calling us to be!