Author: petebeck3

Pete Beck III has ministered in Burlington for over 34 years. He is married to Martha, with whom he has four children, ten beautiful grandchildren, and four amazing great grandchildren. He ministers locally and travels from LifeNet as a Bible teacher and minister. He has published two books - Seeing God's Smile and Promise of the Father - as well as a wide variety of Bible-related articles which he has compiled into books in PDF form. Currently he is working on a large Bible Teaching Manual.

God’s Coming Judgment upon the Wicked Is Part of the Good News

 

 

 

 

Isaiah wrote that the Holy Spirit was upon him to…

...proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God... Isaiah 61:2 (NASB)

Jesus quoted this passage when he launched his public ministry. (Luke 4:18) His first coming was to provide the means for God to extend forgiveness and favor to all who will accept him. Jesus also acknowledged that his second coming will be a day of vengeance against God’s enemies.

Both the extended time of favor and the cataclysmic day of judgment are part of the gospel message.

God’s nature requires the imposition of his justice upon the affairs of this world. Whereas mankind may be content to “let things go” and never require offenders to “pay the piper,” God is not that way. God will not be mocked. All of us will reap what we sow. (Galatians 6:7) The Bible clearly states that the wages of sin is death. (Romans 6:23)

If there were no accounting to God for injustice, there would be no good news at all.

The Bible teaches us that since the wages of sin must be paid and each of us must die, because all of us have sinned. The Good News is that Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, was willing to pay that debt for us. If we put our faith and allegiance in him, our debt to God is cancelled and we are made right with him. But what about those who refuse God’s generous offer? The certainty of God’s wrath awaits them.

Many of us Christians are so attuned to God’s great mercy that we are uncomfortable with scriptures that declare that God will judge his enemies.

Psalm 2, a messianic psalm, warns the people of earth to beware the day of God’s wrath.

Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the whole earth as your possession.9  You will break them with an iron rod and smash them like clay pots.’” Psalm 2:8-9 (NLT)

Revelation also speaks of this day.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12  His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13  He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14  And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15  From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16 (NASB)

Those clothed in fine linen are understood to be his redeemed people. (Revelation 19:8)

Isaiah also gives more detail about the coming day of vengeance.

For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and my year of redemption had come. 5  I looked, but there was no one to help; I was appalled, but there was no one to uphold; so my own arm brought me salvation, and my wrath upheld me. 6  I trampled down the peoples in my anger; I made them drunk in my wrath, and I poured out their lifeblood on the earth.” Isaiah 63:4-6 (ESV)

This passage prophetically conflates the first and second comings of our Lord. The first coming, which includes the time following leading up to the second coming, is the year of redemption or favor. This will be followed by the day of vengeance at the second coming. God will judge the wicked.

The wicked do everything in their power to deny this coming judgment.

First of all, they deny God’s existence, thinking that they can effectively remove him and his justice by wishing it away. Secondly, they do everything they can to keep his justice from falling on the wicked here on earth in this life. Murderers are punished for a while then released upon the populace again, thus violating God’s clear command to put them to death. (Genesis 9:6) Paul wrote about these days, when he said that…

Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. Romans 1:32 (ESV)

Thirdly, they pass laws that seek to subvert God’s justice by making sin legal in man’s eyes. A clear example of this is legalized abortion, the killing of an innocent life in the womb or even after birth.

If God does not punish those who do evil, then there is no justice. If there is no justice, God is not just. If God is not just, all hope is lost, and we live in an evil capricious world ruled by whomever achieves power. But there is an omnipotent God who is just and who will execute judgment. He will reward those who declare allegiance to him and punish evil doers.

He will render to each one according to his works: 7  to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8  but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9  There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10  but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11  For God shows no partiality. Romans 2:6-11 (ESV)

Therefore, the gospel is not only the announcement that God offers pardon to all of us who rebel against his authority and who repent and turn to Christ: it is also the promise that those who will not turn to him will encounter his wrath.

The goodness of God leads us to repentance and the threat of his wrath warns us to turn from evil. God is both kind (merciful) and severe (just). (Romans 11:22) We are in the time of his mercy, the year of his favor, but that time is quickly coming to an end. We do well to try to persuade as many as possible to turn to God before it is too late.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, forgive me for rebelling against your rule. I acknowledge my sin and ask for forgiveness. Thank you that you give me eternal life and a right standing with Father God. Holy Spirit, come into my life. Change me from the inside out to be more like Jesus. Empower me to share this good news with others. Help me to faithfully follow you for the rest of my days. Amen.

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Chapter 70: The Gospel and the Covenants

The Bible is one long gospel message which points to Christ.

Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.  Luke 24:27 (NLT)

God’s relationship with Israel and mankind over the centuries has been based on covenants that were fulfilled or replaced by what is called the New Covenant, which is the last and most extraordinary one.

Each covenant built upon or stood in contrast to the others. To properly understand and appreciate the New Covenant, it is important that we grasp the meaning and purpose of the other covenants.

Understanding the covenants will greatly increase our appreciation of Jesus and his finished work on our behalf and can give us new insights into the gospel.

Covenants are built upon promises to be faithful to a relationship and an agreement between individuals or groups.

God has always chosen to relate to his creation through covenants.

This should not be surprising because God, by nature, is a promise keeper. He is always faithful and true to his word because that is the essence of his character. Covenants are serious business because God is serious about being faithful to keep promises.

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen? Numbers 23:19 (NET1)

Some of the covenants have great significance for humanity in general and others specifically relate only to God’s chosen people, the offspring of Abraham either by natural birth or the new birth. Covenants can be unilateral, bilateral, and multilateral. In a unilateral covenant, the covenant maker takes sole responsibility for keeping the conditions of the covenant. These are unconditional covenants, meaning that the one to whom the promise is made does not have meet any conditions to gain what is promised. Bilateral and multilateral covenants are conditional in nature. In a bilateral covenant, two parties each take responsibility to keep their end of the agreement. A multilateral agreement affects more than two parties.

An example of a unilateral covenant is the one God made with Noah following the flood. God promised that he would never again destroy all life by means of a great flood. He gave Noah the sign of the rainbow as a reminder that He would forever keep his promise. Noah was not required to do anything to keep God bound to his promise. Marriage is an example of a bilateral covenant. The husband and wife both bind themselves to share life and be exclusively faithful to each other until death. The ring is given as a token of the covenant. An example of a multilateral covenant is the one between God and Israel called the Mosaic covenant. If the Israelites would obey God’s Law and serve him only, God would pour out blessings upon them. Otherwise, they should expect judgments. Circumcision was the sign of this covenant.

Unconditional unilateral covenants are also called covenants of grace.

This means that the benefits of the covenants come to us as gifts from God. Conditional covenants are also called covenants of works. The benefits of these covenants depend upon the involved parties’ ability to keep the conditions of the covenant.

The Covenant of Creation or Edenic Covenant
But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.” Genesis 2:16-17 (NLT)

The Edenic Covenant was a multilateral conditional covenant of works. God sovereignly set the terms of this covenant.

Obedience to a simple commandment would result in life; whereas, disobedience would end in death.

Adam and Eve failed to keep their end of the covenant, which ceded authority to Satan and brought death and curses upon the entire human race. At a deeper level, this covenant tested humanity’s willingness to draw life from God in humble dependence. Instead, our first parents chose to abandon God’s commands and strike out alone in independence from and opposition to God, which cut them off from the life they had with the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. This is why professing that Jesus is Lord is so essential to the gospel message. Reestablishing God’s place as Lord in our lives undoes the treachery of Adam’s sin.

The Adamic Covenant

God made the first gospel promise in the garden after their epic failure.

Then the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. 15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 (NLT)

This unilateral promise or covenant was announced to the serpent who authored the deception that led to Adam’s and Eve’s sinful rejection of God’s authority. Although its full meaning most likely was not understood by those who heard it, we now know that here God promised to send the Messiah who would be a descendant of these fallen ones and would defeat the serpent (Satan). No conditions were attached to Adam and Eve to bind God to this promise.

God bound himself to redeem mankind by giving his word, which is inviolable.

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us.  Hebrews 6:18 (NLT)
The Noahic Covenant
Then God told Noah and his sons, 9  “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, 10  and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. 11  Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.” 12  Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13  I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. 14  When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, 15  and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. 16  When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” 17  Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.” Genesis 9:8-17 (NLT) 

As in the case of the Adamic covenant, the Noahic Covenant was a unilateral unconditional covenant of grace that followed God’s horrific judgment against sin called the great flood.

Grace often is most appreciated against the backdrop of human failure and God’s judgment.

When man’s best is not enough, and it never is, the grace of God comes to the rescue.

God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. Romans 5:20 (NLT)

God promised, despite what climate alarmists tell us, that the earth will continue to enjoy its seasons as long as it exists. God also established capital punishment under this covenant and gave permission for us to eat meat.

The Abrahamic Covenant
Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; 2  And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; 3  And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Genesis 12:1-3 (NASB) 

God appeared to Abraham several times to give him “installments” of the wonderful covenant he made with him. The good news or gospel contained in this covenant promise is that all the families of the earth would be eventually blessed through Abraham in the person of a descendant named Jesus.

Abraham is called the “father” of our faith because through him God raised up a nation by which would come the written Word of God and the Messiah.

In another installment in Genesis 15, we see God making a unilateral unconditional covenant of grace with Abraham. God appeared in what is called a theophany (an appearance of God in symbolic form).

In the Old Testament covenants were literally “cut,” making them blood covenants.

Animals were sacrificed as part of the covenant cutting ceremony. God told Abraham to divide several animals and put their separate pieces side by side with a path between them. In a bilateral or multilateral covenant, both parties would walk between the pieces showing that they bound themselves to faithfully keep the conditions of the covenant upon pain of death. They were saying, in effect, may it be done to me as has been done to these animals if I violate the covenant.

And Abram said, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir.” 4 Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This man will not be your heir; but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir.” 5 And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. 7 And He said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it.” 8 He said, “O Lord God, how may I know that I will possess it?” 9 So He said to him, “Bring Me a three year old heifer, and a three year old female goat, and a three year old ram, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” 10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, and laid each half opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds. 11 The birds of prey came down upon the carcasses, and Abram drove them away. 12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years. 14 “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions. 15 “As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you will be buried at a good old age. 16 “Then in the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete.” 17 It came about when the sun had set, that it was very dark, and behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a flaming torch which passed between these pieces. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I have given this land, From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates:  Genesis 15:3–18 (NASB95)

In the passage above, it is important to see that God alone passed between the animals, taking upon himself full responsibility for keeping the promise he made to Abraham.

The Abrahamic covenant guaranteed that God would give to Abraham innumerable descendants, both natural and spiritual through the new birth, and the land of Canaan, and that through him the entire earth would be blessed.

Later God reiterated this covenant promise in Genesis Chapter 22.

…indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18  "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice." Genesis 22:17-18 (NASB)

Verse 18 is an integral part of the gospel message. It is part of the backdrop against which we understand who Jesus is and what he came to do. This promise was fulfilled when Jesus came as the Messiah.

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ. Galatians 3:16 (NASB)
The Mosaic Covenant
And if you faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 28:1-2 (ESV) 

But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. Deuteronomy 28:15 (ESV)

The covenant God made with Israel at Mount Sinai is also called the Law or the Old Covenant. It was a multilateral conditional covenant of works. Essentially, God promised to be Israel’s God, protector, and provider if they would keep the requirements of the Law. These requirements were broken down into three main categories – ceremonial, moral, and dietary laws. The feasts and sacrifices were part of the ceremonial aspect of the law, which our Lord Jesus later fulfilled. If Israel obeyed God, they would be blessed, but, if they disobeyed, they would suffer the “curses” (judgments) attached to violating the covenant.

The history of Israel is the story of repeated covenant violations on the part of the Jewish people. The Old Covenant failed to bring the blessings it promised because the people were unable to keep its provisions because sin had hopelessly corrupted human nature. The Mosaic Covenant underscored the sinfulness of all human beings and pointed to our need for a savior.

This covenant is part of the gospel in the sense that it illustrates our utter helplessness to save ourselves and acts as a guide to lead us to Christ.

But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.  Galatians 3:22–26 (NASB95)
The Davidic Covenant
Furthermore, the LORD declares that he will make a house for you—a dynasty of kings! 12 For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. 13 He is the one who will build a house—a temple—for my name. And I will secure his royal throne forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. If he sins, I will correct and discipline him with the rod, like any father would do. 15 But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight. 16 Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever. 2 Samuel 7:11-16 (NLT)

The covenant God made with David was unilateral, unconditional, and based on grace. This covenant was partially fulfilled through David’s natural offspring, but that dynasty eventually came to an end, as did the political nation of Israel.

This promise is part of the gospel. Through it God announced beforehand the coming of the great Messianic King, a descendant of David, who would redeem Israel and become a blessing to the entire earth.

Jesus rose again as that promised king, the Lord of lords, and will eventually judge the living and the dead. He now reigns in heaven. His reign is recognized by those who profess that he is Lord. One day all people will acknowledge his rule.

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30  But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31  You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32  He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Luke 1:29-33 (NIV) 
 
The New Covenant
“The day is coming,” says the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. 32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife,” says the LORD. 33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the LORD. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the LORD.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the LORD. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NLT)

The Old Covenant was not able to guarantee blessings to God’s people but only revealed how sinful we are. It had no hope of success because we are fundamentally and tragically flawed by sin.

But when God found fault with the people, he said: “The day is coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. Hebrews 8:8 (NLT)

The New Covenant had been God’s plan all along. It does not depend upon sinful human beings for its success.

Whereas the blessings of the Law of Moses, under the Old Covenant, were conditioned upon individuals and nations keeping God’s laws in perfect obedience, the New Covenant depends upon the perfect obedience of the only begotten Son of God.

The New Covenant, therefore, is a bilateral covenant between God the Father and his Son, Jesus, our Messiah and Savior, in which we participate and benefit by faith.

I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. Isaiah 42:6-7 (ESV)

Through the spiritual mystery of identification and the new birth, we become one with God in the spirit and joined to all the blessings found in God’s perfect Son.

But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. 1 Corinthians 6:17 (NLT)

Through the miracle of the new birth we become children of God. There have always been two lines of people – the children of promise and miraculous birth and those born the natural way.

Being descendants of Abraham doesn’t make them truly Abraham’s children. For the Scriptures say, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted,” though Abraham had other children, too. 8 This means that Abraham’s physical descendants are not necessarily children of God. Only the children of the promise are considered to be Abraham’s children.  Romans 9:7–8 (NLT)

Is this not why God has always used miracle births to propel his line of promise forward? Sarah, Rebecca, Hannah, etc. Was not Jesus’ conception the prototype for our new birth? He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, just as we must be through the new birth. Therefore, the most important question that will be asked of those at heaven’s gates is “Who’s your Daddy?”

If a person was never born again, they are Satan’s seed.

For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies. 45 So when I tell the truth, you just naturally don’t believe me!  John 8:44–45 (NLT)

But those born of the Spirit are children of the Father, sons of God, children or promise.

But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.  John 1:12–13 (NLT)

Through our identification with Christ, we are baptized into (become one with) the death and resurrection of our Lord. His death was the punishment we deserved for breaking the terms of the Old Covenant. Although he perfectly obeyed his heavenly Father and did not deserve to die, he willingly laid down his life on our behalf as our substitute. When he died, we died; and, when he rose again in victory and life, we rose with him. As a result, the power of sin has been defeated on our behalf. We now participate in the life of God, thanks to the Holy Spirit, who lives inside every born-again believer. Truly, we are being saved from the inside out. God’s life begins as a seed, grows inside us, and will permeate every area of our lives.

You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. 1 Peter 1:23 (NET1)

Jesus is the living Word of God, the eternal logos. When we are born again, he comes inside of us, via the Holy Spirit, as a seed which will continue to grow. Jesus also compared this process to leaven being put into a lump of dough. Over time the leaven spreads throughout the entire lump. So, the kingdom of God grows unseen in individuals and the body of Christ at large until God’s kingdom will fill the earth.

The New Covenant was always in God’s mind from the very beginning. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

And all the people who belong to this world worshiped the beast. They are the ones whose names were not written in the Book of Life that belongs to the Lamb who was slaughtered before the world was made.  Revelation 13:8 (NLT)

Since God lives outside of the constraints or limitations of time, he sees the end from the beginning. It is nothing for him to consider something done at a future date already accomplished, for to him all time is the same.

Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.  Isaiah 46:10 (NLT)

The new covenant is actually an eternal covenant made between the Father and the Son before the world was created. This is revealed in those verses that describe God’s choices being made before he ever created the world.

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.  Ephesians 1:4–5 (NLT)

God the Father knows that his Son is the only source of life and blessings. It has been that way from the beginning. Therefore, the New Covenant draws its life from Jesus because it could never depend on sinful man.

Rather than expecting people to conform to external regulations of behavior, it promised to save people from the inside out. God provided us with a substitute to die for us, reveal himself to us, forgive our sins, and change our hearts. He gives us a new heart, compliments of the indwelling Holy Spirit!

The New Covenant depends upon the Holy Spirit opening our spiritual eyes, ears, and hearts to know and believe in Jesus as savior and lord.

It is only by “beholding” Jesus as he really is that a person can be changed. Seeing Jesus as the Son of God and Lord of Lords inspires our hearts to believe, and, through trusting in Christ and his finished work, we are saved. God’s power is released in us that transforms us when the Spirit of God opens our eyes to know Jesus by revelation.

For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. John 6:40 (NASB)

The new covenant depends on God from start to finish. The Holy Spirit must draw us to Christ and open our blind eyes to see and understand the gospel and believe in Jesus. Then the Spirit works inside each believer to transform us into Christ’s image on a daily basis. Finally, one day in the future, Jesus will personally raise each of his followers from the grave. We could not come to Jesus initially by ourselves. We cannot change ourselves, and we certainly are not able to raise ourselves from the dead. Our great salvation is a work of grace from start to finish!

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  Ephesians 2:8–10 (NLT)
The New Covenant Completes or Fulfills the Other Covenants

The New Covenant relates to all the other covenants in one way or another. The tree of life mentioned in the Edenic Covenant typifies Christ, the author and sustainer of all life.

God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.  John 1:3–4 (NLT)

Adam and Eve were meant to draw their life from him as the branches of a vine draw their life from the root.

Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.  John 15:5 (NLT)

Jesus fulfilled God’s messianic promise given after Adam’s and Eve’s disobedience. He is the seed of the woman who crushed Satan’s head through his death on the cross and subsequent resurrection.

The Noahic Covenant prefigured what is yet to come when God shall once more judge the entire earth at Christ’s Second Coming.

Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. 4 They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” 5 They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. 6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. 7 And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. 8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.  2 Peter 3:3–8 (NLT)

Even as God restarted humanity, in a sense, through Noah, he inaugurated a brand-new generation of believers through the gospel.

Adam, the first man, was made from the dust of the earth, while Christ, the second man, came from heaven. 48 Earthly people are like the earthly man, and heavenly people are like the heavenly man. 49 Just as we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man. 1 Corinthians 15:47–49 (NLT)

Only this generation will survive eternally and enjoy the new heaven and earth.

The Abrahamic Covenant was also fulfilled in Christ. God’s promise to Abraham that through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed has come true in Christ.

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.  Galatians 3:16 (NASB95)

Through the preaching of the gospel, God is gathering persons from every culture, ethnic group, and nation in the earth and providing them with every spiritual blessing in his Son.

The Davidic Covenant’s promise that a descendant of that great king would sit upon his throne has come true in Christ, the King of Kings.

The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”  Luke 1:30–33 (NASB95)

The Mosaic Covenant has been fulfilled and replaced. Only one person could keep its requirements – the Son of God. After our Lord fulfilled its covenant conditions and obtained the corresponding blessings, which have been passed on to all believers, the New Covenant has superseded it and made it fade away.  

When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear. Hebrews 8:13 (NLT)

The Law now pertains to those who have not pledged allegiance to the Lord Jesus.

For the law was not intended for people who do what is right. It is for people who are lawless and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who kill their father or mother or commit other murders. 10 The law is for people who are sexually immoral, or who practice homosexuality, or are slave traders, liars, promise breakers, or who do anything else that contradicts the wholesome teaching 11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.  1 Timothy 1:9–11 (NLT)

Those who have faith are released from its power to condemn.

For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. 20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.  Galatians 2:19–21 (NLT)

We live in the power of the indwelling Spirit who motivates and empowers us to live in a way that pleases God.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.  Philippians 2:13 (NLT)
Our Response to New Covenant Grace

Under the New Covenant, Christians live by grace (God’s ability and blessings which come via his indwelling Holy Spirit) and not through self-effort and the merits of their own performance.

As beneficiaries of the New Covenant and God’s gift of righteousness, we must now refuse to submit to external regulations and rules as a means of gaining or maintaining a right standing with him. (Colossians 2:10-17) Instead, our rule of life now is to love God, love people, and teach others to do the same. This is called the Royal Law.

Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  James 2:8 (NLT)

Jesus imposed this law upon his disciples, which encompasses the entire moral law.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”  John 13:34–35 (NLT)

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.  Galatians 5:22–25 (NLT)

The moral aspects of the Old Covenant Law of Moses are still in effect because they reflect the law of love. Christians are not permitted to murder, commit acts of immorality, lie, or steal because these sins violate the royal law of love.

Since we are being changed on the inside, our desires are also being changed. Rather than needing to be constrained by external laws, God constrains us inwardly through love and serve him to bring him glory.

For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; 15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.  2 Corinthians 5:14–15 (NASB95)

The Greek word translated “controls” is suneko, which means to hold fast, constrain, urge, or impel.

The death and resurrection freed us from the law’s power to condemn us, but it did not remove from us the responsibility to live in such a way that honors God through loving him and people.

When we were under the Law, we sought to obey him to obtain and maintain a right standing with God. Under the New Covenant, having already been given a right standing with God, we obey him as an act of gratitude and surrender to the One who loves us so greatly and who deserves to be glorified and properly feared. Our desire is to bring glory to him in every aspect of our lives. 

We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. 3 Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. 4 For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. 5 And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.  1 John 5:2–5 (NLT)

God created us to draw our life from him. We were never intended to be independent operators.

When Adam and Eve pursued their desire to live without restraint and be self-governing and authenticating “like God,” it brought untold sorrow and destruction to humanity. Even in their pristine state of having been newly created, Adam and Eve quickly walked away from intimacy with and dependence upon God.

Jesus, through the New Covenant, restored us to God’s original purpose.

Through our faith in Christ and the life of the indwelling Spirit, we have been once again united to the One who gave and sustains life.

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  Galatians 2:20 (NASB95)

Satan tried to destroy us by enlisting us in his revolt against God. His desire to achieve “god” status was doomed from the start. Amazingly God conferred a semblance of that upon those who put their faith and allegiance in Christ. Through the new birth, the inner transformation of the Spirit, and eventually through the resurrection of the body, we were, are, and will be remade into Christ’s image, becoming truly “like God” as we draw our life from him, the source of all life and blessings! May all glory and honor be to him forever and ever! Truly, he is the kindest person we will ever know!

God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.  Ephesians 1:5–8 (NLT)
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Chapter 72: The Gospel Opens Blind Eyes

When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he were indeed the Messiah, Jesus gave this somewhat cryptic reply.

…“Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.” 23 And he added, “God blesses those who do not turn away because of me.”  Luke 7:22–23 (NLT)

Jesus wanted John to know that he was fulfilling what the prophets said about the Messiah.

Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you.” 5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. 6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the wasteland.  Isaiah 35:4–6 (NLT)

The people expected the Messiah to liberate them from Roman tyranny, but when it became apparent that Jesus was not going to do that, some, as did John, doubted. But the purpose of our Lord’s first coming was to set people free from sin, sickness, death, demonization, and the devil’s iron rule.

Opening naturally blind eyes was important to those who were healed, but it was more than anything else a metaphor for the deeper work of God in the human heart.

Sin blinds us to God’s existence and glory and to the Messiah’s identity.

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.  2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT)

Without the inner work of the Holy Spirit, we are not able to discern who Jesus is.

When Jesus healed the blind man in the ninth chapter of John’s gospel, he was able to see spiritually as well us naturally. The Pharisees had never been physically blind, but they could not see spiritually.

When Jesus heard what had happened, he found the man and asked, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” 36 The man answered, “Who is he, sir? I want to believe in him.” 37 “You have seen him,” Jesus said, “and he is speaking to you!” 38 “Yes, Lord, I believe!” the man said. And he worshiped Jesus. 39 Then Jesus told him, “I entered this world to render judgment—to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”  John 9:35–39 (NLT)

When Jesus asked his disciples to tell him who they believed him to be, Peter immediately responded that he was the Messiah King of Israel. Jesus declared:

…“Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  Matthew 16: 17 (NASB95)

Jesus knew that those who believed in him could only do so with God’s help. This is why he said at another time:

For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. 45 As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.  John 6:44–45 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit must remove our blindness if we are to recognize Jesus, but we have a part to play as well. When the gospel is preached, God’s drawing power is released. It is our responsibility to respond to that message by coming to Jesus by faith.

This means we open our hearts to him in whatever capacity we are able. He said in another place that he stands at the door of our hearts and knocks. (Revelation 3:20) Those who open the door of their hearts will experience his coming into their lives.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”  Matthew 11:28–30 (NLT)

In my own case, when I heard the gospel, I did not immediately believe but was open to its being true. If only I knew for sure! I did what I could. I prayed to Jesus, not knowing if he were real. I asked him into my heart, if he were there, and requested that he reveal himself to me so that I could believe. It is amazing that God is so gracious with us that he would answer such a prayer! Imagine God’s being asked by a blind, disobedient creature to reveal whether he is real! There is so much evidence all around us that clearly demonstrates God’s existence and power, but we are blind to it because of sin.

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.  Romans 1:20 (NLT)

But God is merciful to us and responds when his creatures reach out to him in our pitiful condition. He knows what sin did to us and moves mightily in our lives if we move toward him.

This is clearly seen in the parable of the prodigal son. The father ran to meet him at the first sign of his coming home. That is our God!

When we come to Jesus, the Holy Spirit removes the blindness from our eyes. He opens our deaf ears and heals our hardened hearts, enabling us to see and believe.

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.  2 Corinthians 3:16–18 (NLT)

This happened to those two disciples who were walking together after Jesus’ crucifixion making their way to Emmaus. The risen Jesus, in a form which they did not immediately recognize, came alongside them and began to dialogue with them. The things Jesus said about the Messiah’s need to suffer and later be glorified made their hearts burn within them, but they still did not recognize him. It was not until they invited him into their home to break bread with him that their eyes were opened to see him as the risen Lord!

but they begged him, “Stay the night with us, since it is getting late.” So he went home with them. 30 As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. 31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!  Luke 24:29–31 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit works inside us to draw us to Christ. When we hear the good news about him, we are able to respond and draw near to Christ in our hearts.

He comes to us, and we must open the door. (Revelation 3:20) If we do this, it is proof that the Spirit is at work in our lives. If we come to him in this way, he will receive us.

“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. 38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. 39 “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. 40 “For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”  John 6:37–40 (NASB95)

If we pursue Jesus, God will not reject us. He receives everyone who comes to him. If we seek him, we will find him! Once we come to our Lord in this way, he removes the veil of blindness from our spiritual eyes, enabling us to properly behold him.

Seeing Christ by revelation imparts eternal life to us as we come to know him. We are born again when Christ is revealed to us.

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3 (NASB95) —

“My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”  Matthew 11:27 (NLT)

Right after saying this, is when Jesus issued his invitation for us to come to him. If we come to him, he will open our eyes, ears, and hearts to know God. It is by spending time in his presence that this can deepen. We do this when we pray, worship, and read and meditate in the Word of God. As we learn to “wait on God,” he will show us more and more about himself. If we seek him, we will find him.

Paul pursued knowing God with all his heart.

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ  Philippians 3:8 (NLT)

Sadly, many of us are so afraid of God that we deliberately keep our distance from him. We talk about him, but we don’t want to be alone with him. The thought of being face to face with the Creator of the universe can be daunting, unless we understand that Jesus opened the way for us to approach God. Some of us may be afraid of what he may tell us or ask us to do. This all boils down to our having little knowledge of his immense love, which produces this lack of trust. John said that this is because we fear his judging us.

And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. 18 Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.  1 John 4:17–18 (NLT)

Because Jesus took our condemnation upon himself, we need not fear that God will judge us for our sins. We can come boldly into his presence.

By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water.  Hebrews 10:20–22 (NLT)

Jesus came to relieve us of all our fears. He revealed the Father’s heart by laying down his life for us. He told us that he is gentle and humble of heart, making him easily approachable. The Holy Spirit works inside people to deliver us from these fears and help us to believe that we can indeed approach God. The moment we do, he runs to meet us and welcomes us home!

So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.  Luke 15:20 (NLT)
Prayer

Heavenly Father, I have run from you long enough. I have been blind to your love. I open my heart to you and your Son Jesus. Jesus, I invite you into my life as Lord and Savior. I give you myself and thank you for revealing yourself to me. Open my spiritual eyes and ears. Make my heart brand new. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Holy Spirit fill me to overflowing. Amen.

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Chapter 73: Relational Evangelism

Evangelism is related to fishing. Jesus said he would make his disciples into “fishers of men.” Good fishermen usually have well-stocked tackle boxes full of their favorite lures that have given them success in the past. If we only have one bait and one-size hook in our tackle boxes, we are going to be limited in what we can catch. As someone once said, if all we have is a hammer, everything starts to look like a nail.

If we look at how Jesus fished for people, we quickly realize that he tailored his words and approach to the individuals he encountered.

If we are going to fish for people the Jesus way, we will need to do the same. Below I have listed some key things we will want to have in our spiritual tackle boxes.

A Commitment to God’s Mission

Fishing takes commitment. Commitment comes when we are convinced that something is so important that it deserves our heart, time, finances, and effort – for as long as it takes. Unless we are truly committed, we may agree that being on mission is worthwhile, but other things will preempt it.

Committed people are different. Nothing stops a committed person from putting his or her convictions into action.

Many Christians are committed to God, to church, to family, to their jobs, and to pursuing a happy life. Relatively few are committed to the Great Commission, which is a huge priority on God’s heart.

I have a friend who is an avid fisherman. This man has a high-profile time-consuming job. Despite this, he still finds time to fish almost daily. Living on a lake doesn’t hurt. This begs the question, why does he prioritize fishing? Is it because somewhere back in the past he made a commitment which he now honors or is it that he is committed because he loves to fish? We usually grow to love a pursuit because we become proficient enough to experience a level of success that we find rewarding.

Probably the only way to develop and maintain a lifestyle of fishing for people is by growing to love it.

We generally do not begin with a high level of proficiency at anything we do, but, if we are going to learn, we must start somewhere. Most of us will probably begin sharing our faith with others because we are excited to know Jesus and want others to have the same experience. But after we encounter enough “push back,” we may think better of it. Some of us may have never shared the gospel out of that kind of excitement, for whatever reason. If we backed off or never even started to fish for people, we likely will need to overcome a natural resistance to start fishing again or for the first time.

The resistance to witnessing and making disciples is real. Part of it derives from our own desire to live comfortably and not “rock the boat.” Another element is spiritual warfare from Satan because the last thing he wants is for us to become evangelists and disciple makers. Initially, we may have to commit ourselves to obeying God in this area out of a sense of obedience; however, as happened to my friend, fishing tends to grow on people, especially if we experience success. We may find that fishing for people becomes something we want to do because it brings us joy, which will give birth to an ongoing practice.

If we are the best fisherman in the world but are never available to go fishing, even the least talented fisherman will catch more than we.

What we do with our time reveals what is important to us. Unless we make ourselves available for God’s missionary work, we will be frustrated in this area continually.

An Interest in People

I have known people, and most likely so have you, who were committed to telling others about Christ, but who apparently did not like people. Their words about God’s love were offset by their less than caring attitude, sending a confusing mixed message. Jesus, on the other hand, combined an unswerving commitment to truth with a deep love for people. This made him intriguing and magnetic for those whose heart longed for God and repulsive to those who were playing religious games. If we do not have God’s love for people, we will likely attract religious hypocrites and repel the ones to whom we are sent.

People may not open their hearts if we approach them only to present a gospel “sales pitch,” instead of showing an interest and desire to know them as a person.

Unless we are genuinely interested in people, we probably will never be good at “catching” them. We should not regard people as evangelism “targets.” They are valuable individuals who are worth knowing, loving, and relating to, whether they ever choose to follow Jesus. People instinctively know whether we are interested in them. May God increase our love for and interest in the people with whom we relate.

Our interest in people can be demonstrated by our willingness to engage them in conversation.

The quickest way to get a conversation going is to ask questions about the other person. If we are genuinely interested in them and what they do, we will have no trouble.

Think of people as buried treasure. You will only discover what is there by digging.

Their answers often give birth to further questions and may open a door to sharing something about your own life or the Lord. If they never show an interest in anything related to you, that is usually a “red flag.” Over the long haul, one-way relationships usually go nowhere.

It is important that we do not come across as “know it all’s.” It is easy for us Christians to unwittingly present ourselves that way when it comes to talking about what we believe the Bible teaches in any given area.

Cultivating an ability to listen to the other person is important.

If they voice opinions or beliefs that are contrary to Scripture, we can ask the Lord to help us form questions that might make them rethink their position. Such as some version of, “How is that working out for you?”

A Servant’s Heart

Jesus came to serve and ultimately give his life away. Service is an earmark of a true disciple. In today’s consumer culture, people think more in terms of what’s in it for us. Many assume those who share the gospel have the same mindset, which makes them suspicious of our motives. They probably think we are trying to get them to join our church, for example.

If we have Christ’s servant heart, we will look for ways to demonstrate God’s love in practical ways, not as a project, but because we care.

This can include spending time in conversation to get to know someone, setting aside time to visit in people’s homes, having people over to our residences, praying for them privately and one-on-one in person, helping with a project, or just being there for them during a crisis. Loving and serving people is worthwhile as a standalone effort, but it also may open the door for us to be able to share why Jesus is so important to us.

Jesus wants his followers to serve our way into the hearts and lives of those around us.

Loving service gives credibility to the gospel message. I remember after we began spending time with one of our neighbors, one day the wife approached me when I was in my front yard. She asked me to come with her to visit the home next to hers where the husband had recently suffered a heart attack. I had never visited those people, but she opened the door for a ministry opportunity. It made me realize that she viewed me as a kind of neighborhood pastor.

Hospitality is another very important aspect of service. When we have people into our homes, especially for a meal, it tends to remove relational stiffness. Conversation over a meal may become more personal than what we might have during casual encounters. We often can reach another level if those we reach out to reciprocate by having us over. When we visit someone else’s home, it indicates that they see us as a friend. As honored guests we should humbly receive their hospitality and have an attitude to listen and observe.

Knowledge of the Bible and the Gospel

Bible literacy is very low, even among average churchgoers. As a culture, we have grown lazy and unmotivated to learn more about the Scriptures and Bible truth. The Word of God is our life. It is our bread. We should habitually “eat” it by reading, meditating, and applying its truth to our lives. We should expect the Holy Spirit to reveal wonderful things about God to us, but many of us do not even crack open our Bibles. Many churchgoers show up on Sundays with their mouths open, expecting the pastor to give them enough pre-digested food to last them for a week. True disciples make a commitment to grow in their knowledge, understanding, and application of the Bible through personal study and application. (John 8:31-32)

We will never be effective fishers of men unless we understand the gospel well enough to share it easily and naturally.

A Dependence on the Holy Spirit

When Jesus launched his three-year itinerant preaching ministry, he quoted Isaiah 61:1 to help us understand his identity and mission.

And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:17-21 (ESV)

Jesus depended upon the Holy Spirit to equip and empower him for the ministry he carried out over the rest of his earthly life. If we carefully read how he ministered to people, we will see that he allowed the gifts of the Spirit to operate in and through him continually. Although he was and is God in the flesh, he emptied himself of many of his divine prerogatives and depended on the Spirit, just as we must. Jesus was filled with the Spirit at the River Jordan and operated in the power and gifts of the Spirit throughout his ministry as an example to us. We need God’s power as well as the truth of the gospel.

For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.  1 Corinthians 4:20 (NLT)

One of Jesus’ titles is Baptizer in the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16). Jesus commanded his followers to receive this empowering from on high so we too can be as effective as the Spirit can make us.

We simply cannot rely on human intelligence and ability if we want to be good at relational or any other kind of evangelism.

Boldness

The Holy Spirit gives Jesus’ followers boldness to share the Gospel. This is a main function of the baptism in the Spirit. (See Acts 1:8.)

We may know what the Gospel says, be committed to the Great Commission, and love people, but eventually we will face those crucial times when courage is required.

When we tell others about Jesus, we run the risk of being misunderstood, rejected, ignored, or even persecuted. Jesus said that if we confess him before men, he will confess us before his Father in heaven and the angels; but if we are ashamed of him and the Gospel before men, he will not give us his heavenly approbation. (Matthew 10:32-33) These are sobering words. The Apostle Peter denied Jesus during a time of great fear and pressure; so, we should not be surprised when we are tempted to keep our mouths shut when we should be standing up boldly for truth. I am not suggesting that we be obnoxious representatives of Christ. There are appropriate times and ways to share God’s truth and other times to be silent. Knowing which is which requires us to be sensitive to the Spirit’s leadership. However, when it is clearly the right time to be bold, that is what needs to be in our “tackle box.”

Patience and Determination

Fisherman must be patient and determined. Sometimes the fish bite and other times they do not. God promises that his Word will not come back void but will accomplish his intention. (Isaiah 55:11) Paul encouraged us to resist becoming weary in well doing because “in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) Working with people requires patience and determination. It is unpredictable, and often what is happening with the people to whom we minister is well hidden. God may be working on them on the inside. He or she may appear to be uninterested while they may be wrestling with God. The Apostle Paul is a great example of God’s ability to get through to even the most hostile foes of the Gospel.

Ask the Lord to encourage your heart to keep sowing into the lives of those around you. It will not go unrewarded.

As we look at our own tackle boxes, perhaps you, like I, are missing some gear. Don’t worry. God’s grace will make up for what we lack. The important thing is to start fishing. Add as much gear as you can as you go. The Lord may miraculously impart something to you while you are fishing.

If we wait to begin until after we think we are completely ready, we may never catch a fish.

Every person we can lead to faith in Jesus is a person added to God’s family and rescued from Satanic oppression. Every person we help to become a fisherman will multiply our efforts.

We Can Be a Lure God Uses to Catch Fish

Jesus offered himself as a sweet-smelling sacrifice upon God’s altar.

Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.  Ephesians 5:2 (NLT)

Think of how good a steak smells as it cooks upon a grill. To God that is what Jesus’ offering of himself was like, and, when we offer ourselves in Christ’s service, we become an aroma of Christ to those around us.

But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. 15 Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. 16 To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?  2 Corinthians 2:14–16 (NLT)

If we think of God as the fisherman, he uses us sometimes as a lure to draw people toward Christ.

This puts how we live in front of people in a whole new light. When we give into frustration, for example, and vent our anger in front of others, we might be putting an obstacle in front of their accepting Jesus. The Native Americans were treated abominably by our government and the individuals representing it, most of whom probably professed to be Christians. Is it any wonder that today those who are their descendants refer to Christianity as the “white man’s religion,” of which they want no part? The gospel is a big enough hurdle to get over without our adding to the difficulty by behaving in a poor manner. Conversely, when we show love to people it can draw them to the Lord and make them more receptive to the gospel. As Paul asked, who indeed is adequate for this? We need grace everyday to be Christ’s representatives.

Questions for Further Study and Discussion
  • Is there any piece of gear that you would like to add to your tackle box?
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Gospel in a Minute: Jesus Is Alive and Communicates with Us

Gospel in a Minute

Because Jesus actually rose from the dead, he is alive and communicates with us. The Star Wars series of movies presents its version of god in a Buddhist way as an impersonal force that includes both good and evil. That is not the God of the Bible.

The Bible reveals that God is a Person who is good and loving and who communicates with people.

The Bible records the history of God’s interactions with men and women in which he clearly communicated with them through direct words, visions, angelic visitations, prophets, the scriptures, and last, but certainly not least, by his indwelling Holy Spirit.

The eternal Logos became a human named Jesus who lived for some thirty-three years, interacting with his family, friends, neighbors, disciples, and even his enemies. He spoke as no one else had. (John 7:46) His personality and spirit magnetically drew those whose hearts were open to God, but repelled those who were hardened. When he met people, he often called them by name, as with his disciples and Zacheus. When Mary Magdalene searched for his body after the crucifixion, he appeared to her in a risen bodily form she did not immediately recognize until he spoke her name, “Mary.” Instantly she knew him and was overjoyed, running to tell the other disciples that he was indeed risen from the dead. Because Jesus is alive, he is still able to communicate with his disciples. Later, after his ascension into heaven, he appeared and spoke personally to the apostle Paul, bringing about his dramatic conversion.

He also visited me some fifty-three years ago. I was a seeker, who was not at all convinced in the truth of the resurrection, but I wanted to know. After I observed someone I loved and respected, now my wife, transform from being a standard Roman Catholic to becoming a “born again” follower of Christ, I asked the Lord, if he were real, to come into my life and reveal himself to me, too. That is just what he did.

Paul said that if we turn to the Lord, he will remove the veil that hides Christ’s identity from our eyes. (2 Corinthians 3:16)

Because I opened myself to him, the risen and living Jesus communicated with me via his Holy Spirit that he is indeed who the Bible says he is. I am not sure how he did it, but I sensed his presence so strongly that I was instantly transformed inside and filled with joy. My life was changed, moving me from doubt to faith in an instant. I now know that he is truly alive, and knowing and believing that gave me eternal life, too.

I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. John 5:24 (NLT)

You, too, can know the risen Lord. He is no respecter of persons. Anyone who comes to him will be received by him. He will not turn you away. (John 6:37) Will this be your day? Will you open your heart to the risen Lord and ask him into your life as I did some 53 years ago? Will you ask him to reveal himself to you so that you too can believe and be saved?

Prayer

Jesus, I want to know you. I ask you to come into my life and reveal yourself to me so that I can believe and be saved. I want to be forgiven for my many sins and experience what it is like to be in right standing with my Creator. I want to experience your love and life and be with you forever. I give myself to you. Amen.

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Don’t pin your hopes on the rapture.

Many think we may be on the brink of a long awaited event, the Second Coming of Christ preceded by a time of great suffering and persecution called the Great Tribulation. The futurist and often Dispensational view of the end times also teaches that sometime before this time of suffering those who believe in Christ will be “raptured.” Even though this is not actually a biblical term, it is means a “catching up” of the Body of Christ which is definitely scriptural.

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (ESV)

The Greek word is harpazo, which means to seize, catch up, or snatch away. The idea is that God’s people will be removed before it gets really bad here on earth, leaving unsaved humanity to endure the atrocities of the Antichrist’s rule. But does this teaching conform to the Bible’s clear instructions on the end times? Might it be a false hope which could leave the church unprepared to endure suffering?

Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian woman who miraculously survived the Nazi death camps after being betrayed by a neighbor for harboring and protecting Jews, toured the world in her old age warning Christians that suffering is part of God’s plan to transform us and prepare us for glory. I quote her below.

 

There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution.

In China, the Christians were told, ” Don’t worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated- raptured.” Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured to death. Later, I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly,

“We have failed..
We should have made the people strong for persecution,
rather than telling them Jesus would come first.
Tell the people to be strong in times of persecution,
how to stand when the tribulation comes,
to stand and not faint.” (Women of Christianity)

We do well to seriously consider Corrie’s warning, but what the Bible says is even more important. What, if anything, did Jesus and Paul say about the rapture? Not surprisingly, they said quite a lot about the end times, and some of it directly relates to the rapture theory. I begin by quoting our Lord’s words regarding the very end of things.

Then, leaving the crowds outside, Jesus went into the house. His disciples said, “Please explain to us the story of the weeds in the field.” 37  Jesus replied, “The Son of Man is the farmer who plants the good seed. 38  The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. 39  The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels. 40  “Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world. 41  The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will remove from his Kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42  And the angels will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in their Father’s Kingdom. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand! Matthew 13:36-43 (NLT)

Here Jesus explained that the first group that will will be taken is composed of the wicked, not the righteous. This is the very opposite scenario posited by rapture enthusiasts. In another passage, Jesus reaffirms that this is how things will end.

“When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38  In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39  People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. 40  “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41  Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. 42  “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43  Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44  You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. Matthew 24:37-44 (NLT)

Once again Jesus words work against having an expectation of the rapture of the church. Instead, those who will be taken or swept away are the wicked, just as during the flood of Noah’s day. Noah’s family was left behind to inherit the earth, not the wicked.

Where did the doctrine of the rapture come from then? John Nelson Darby was probably the first person to fully articulate this relatively modern doctrine sometime between 1832 and 1845. (John Darby: Pretribulation Rapture Theory) It can be argued that such a theory could only find traction in a land and time that was free from intense persecution. I doubt if it could have been developed during the persecutions that attended the early church or the one going on in Communist China right now. Many areas of the world have already experienced or are currently experiencing great tribulation.

By the way, the Greek word translated tribulation is thlipsis, which essentially means “pressure.” Pressure explodes weak containers and refines coal into diamonds. How we will be affected by pressure will depend on what is inside us.

The Bible clearly warns us to expect suffering, which God’s grace will help us endure.

"Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10  "At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. 11  "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. 12  "Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold. 13  "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. Matthew 24:9-13 (NASB)

Jesus encouraged us to endure suffering for the gospel, not pin our hopes on a “great escape” called the rapture.

When people believe they will be pulled out of the coming troubles, it can demotivate us from actively preaching the gospel and working to expand the kingdom of God. Instead, we may end up “forting up” in our churches, waiting for the rapture.

Removing believers when intense suffering is about to arrive does not conform to God’s shepherd heart. Jesus told us that the Good Shepherd will not flee when he sees the wolf coming. Watchman Nee lived and ministered in China before it fell to communism. He had the opportunity to escape but chose to remain with the people under his care. His church was among those who did not capitulate to the demands of the Communist Party. He endured great suffering as a result of his choice and languished for years in prison, but he was faithful to God and those under his care.

Is it not more in line with Christ’s love that he would raise up his church to be his fearless witness during such a time? Is that not what actually happened during previous persecutions? The church grew exponentially during Roman tribulation and has expanded victoriously during the modern persecution in China. Would we expect Christ to rejoice in a weak and fearful bride hiding in hopes of being rescued or in one who is gloriously confronting the enemies of the gospel? What if the period we hope to escape will end up being the most glorious and victorious era for the church?

I have a growing suspicion that most of our end time theology will be seriously rearranged in the coming days as we approach the Second Coming of Christ.

The prophet Habakkuk promised that the glory of the Lord will fill the earth.

"For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14 (NASB)

Could a Spirit-filled victorious church participating in a massive outpouring of the Spirit as prophesied in Joel be part of that process before the Second Coming? Many, including myself, think so.

Jesus taught that his Second Coming will precipitate the resurrection from the dead, the last judgment, and the final state of things. Not only will the wicked be removed and burned with unquenchable fire; all the dead will be raised, judged and assigned to their eternal destinies.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26  For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27  And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. 28  Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice 29  and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. John 5:25-29 (ESV)

Those who have already died as believers will be the first ones caught up to meet the Lord when he comes to judge the world. After that those believers who are still alive physically will join them.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16  For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17  Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18  Therefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 (NASB)

Putting all this together, it appears that the Lord’s Second Coming will be immediately preceded by a removal of the wicked, followed by a resurrection of the dead and a catching up of the righteous to join the descending Lord. This agrees with what Paul wrote about the resurrection in the fifteenth chapter of his First Letter to the Church in Corinth.

Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:51–53 (NASB95)

Jesus will come again at the last trumpet, the dead will be raised, and those who are still alive will be instantly transformed by receiving their glorified bodies. This is what is called the rapture.Then a glorious and fearful final reckoning will take place which will be administered by the Divine Son of Man, the risen Lord Jesus.

"But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32  "All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33  and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Matthew 25:31-33 (NASB)

God has not given us all the details of how it will be at the end, only what we need to know. Hardly anyone figured out how Jesus would arrive on planet earth the first time. Why should we expect that we will succeed the second time?

As we await his sure return, let us hold on to our ideas of what will be with an open mind and heart, realizing that we may need to adjust our thinking as we watch events unfold.

In the meantime, let us take seriously the apostle Peter’s words of encouragement.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9  Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. 10  In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 11  All power to him forever! Amen. 1 Peter 5:8-11 (NLT)
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Chapter 69: The Gospel Presented as Three Calls from God

God issues three basic calls to people, each of which resonates deeply in the hearts of those who love him. Each call draws us into a deeper experience of God’s love and to a new level of commitment reflected in three baptisms. Each is tied firmly to God’s eternal purpose to glorify his Son through us, and each is a doorway into personal joy and fulfillment. Each is an integral part of the gospel.

Jesus combined all three calls in one beautiful sentence.

...“Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”  Matthew 4:19 (NLT) 

Come… Follow… Fish. Each of the three calls invites us into a deeper relationship with God, and each has a higher personal cost associated with it. Many are called, but few embrace all three.

Come: The Call to Know Jesus as Savior
And you... have been called to belong to Jesus Christ. Romans 1:6 (NLT)

The initial call we receive from God is the call to come to him to be loved, forgiven, reconciled, and become part of God’s family through the new birth.

Because sin alienated us from God and broke our spiritual lifeline, before we hear and respond to this call, our biggest problem, deepest fear, and loneliest prospect is a life and an eternity separated from God. We were spiritual orphans in the universe. Here is how Paul put it.

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope.  Ephesians 2:12 (NLT)

Father God looked upon our lost condition with great compassion and sent his only Son to suffer the judgment our sins deserved so that we might be fully restored to him.

For this is how 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 (NLT)

God’s loving call to come to Christ the Savior and belong to his family satisfies our deepest longing and answers our identity question, making us children of God.

Becoming part of God’s family through the new birth automatically makes us belong to everyone else in the family, too. The Holy Spirit spiritually baptizes or immerses us into the body of Christ.

Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.  1 Corinthians 12:13 (NLT)

Father God must open our spiritual understanding and give us the ability to hear this call. Our Lord personally issued this call to belong to all who can receive it.

...“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

The first and most fundamental call anyone can receive from God is the gospel call to know Jesus as Savior and become sons and daughters of God through the new birth.

When we put our faith and allegiance in Christ, Jesus shares his relationship with Abba Father with us.

And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” 7 Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.  Galatians 4:6–7 (NLT)

If you have never done so before, now is the time to respond to the gospel call to become a child of God. Jesus did the hard part on the cross, but we have our own responsibility in the matter. His hand is extended to offer us the gift of life. Our part is to reach out and receive that gift and rest in the knowledge that we are loved.

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13 (ESV)
 
Follow: The Call to Know Jesus as Lord

Being loved and part of God’s family is deeply satisfying but it is not all there is. Jesus knew the joy of doing the things that pleased his Father.

but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let us go from here.  John 14:31 (NASB95)

The second call from God is the call to love and obey Jesus the Lord. It challenges us to return the love God poured out on us through being faithful and dedicated to his beloved Son.

Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”  John 14:21 (NLT)

When we respond to this call to show allegiance to Jesus, it will fulfill another fundamental desire we all have – to experience the joy of doing what pleases God.

We must first discover who we are through the new birth before we can move forward to learning to please God through our thoughts, words, and deeds. As important as resting in God’s love is, our Lord did not create us merely to exist. He also intends for us to properly represent him to the world through doing good works of faith and love.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (NASB)

We cannot earn God’s approval and favor, which are gifts. Our approval by God is first and foremost based on Christ’s performance on our behalf. He kept the law of God perfectly and served his Abba Father without deviation all the way to the cross. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, his right standing with God and the approval attached to his perfect obedience are credited to our spiritual “bank account”. This is called justification, the judicial act of God’s imputing or crediting Christ’s righteousness to those who believe.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  Ephesians 2:8–9 (NLT)

Because we are new creations in Christ, who have been given a right standing with God and his approval, we (super)naturally desire to do good works. The indwelling Holy Spirit inspires and enables us to carry them out.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

The Holy Spirit works inside us so that we can begin to act in agreement with what he did inside us through justification.

He works to translate our inner identity into outward performance.

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.  Galatians 5:25 (NLT)

In other words, through what is called sanctification or transformation we start to think and act more like who we are, new creations in Christ. We participate in this process by consecrating, dedicating, or surrendering ourselves to Christ’s lordship and the inner work of God’s Spirit. This is a “work” of faith on our part.

When some of his disciples asked Jesus what works God wanted them to do, here is what our Lord said.

..."This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." John 6:29 (NASB)

The Greek verb pisteuo, which is translated “believe,” also carries the fundamental idea of allegiance. It is a lot more than mere agreement with a set of doctrines or belief that Jesus lived, died, and rose again. Faith or belief in Jesus that does not include faithfulness or allegiance to him and his Word is mere lip service and is not biblical faith. Jesus’ call to follow him is a call to show allegiance to him above all else.

This requires us to surrender our will to him.

The Holy Spirit helps us to enter an experience of Christ’s allegiance to his heavenly Father.

By coming into alignment with Christ’s obedience through the Spirit’s help, we gain a deeper experience of God’s approval that previously was simply a gift to us. In other words, God imputes (credits to our account) Christ’s righteousness, but he also wants us to experience living out that righteousness. Some say this is when what was imputed becomes imparted.

Our allegiance to Christ is also demonstrated when we declare his lordship publicly before others.

Following Jesus means we attach ourselves to him personally and follow his teachings. It means we seek to be continually “led by the Spirit.” It means we no longer belong to ourselves: we belong to God.

Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.  1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NLT)

This is much different from merely being a “Christian” or a “church goer.” It means we seriously commit ourselves to Christ and are not ashamed to be known as one of his disciples.

Water baptism is a formal public declaration of allegiance to Jesus. In it we lay aside our past self-directed way of living and launch ourselves into a life on mission.

Receiving Jesus as Savior can be done privately, but the call to follow requires a public identification with our Lord. He wants us to unashamedly declare our allegiance to him.

I tell you the truth, everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, the Son of Man will also acknowledge in the presence of God’s angels. 9  But anyone who denies me here on earth will be denied before God’s angels. Luke 12:8-9 (NLT)

Water baptism is the perfect setting for us to do this. We should encourage any new convert to publicly declare allegiance to Christ by being baptized in water.

Fish: The Call to Know Jesus as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit

No matter what our mission or job in life has been up to this point, Jesus gives his followers a new one – fishing for people.

Jesus’ mission was multi-faceted. He was and is the perfect representation of what Father God is like. He lived in an exemplary way to illustrate what a God-directed and God-glorifying life looks like. He also came to die for our sins as God’s Lamb and to rise again as the exalted Lord of Lords. Finally, as the ascended Lord of the harvest, his continuing mission is to add large numbers of people to God’s family through the church’s preaching the gospel message and making new disciples. He accomplishes this by pouring out his Spirit upon his people and sending us to keep working at what he began until the day he returns as the glorious Son of Man, who will judge the world in righteousness.

Responding to God’s first two calls, receiving our Savior’s love and demonstrating our love for him by surrendering to his lordship, propels us into the mission to love those who are currently outside of God’s family.

When we respond to the call to know Jesus as Savior, we experience what it means to belong to God and his family. When we obey the call to serve Jesus the Lord, we experience the joy of acknowledging him publicly and serving him wholeheartedly.

The call to become fishers of men is a call to experience the joy of being an important and significant representative of Christ.

When God the Father told people to listen to Jesus, he let everyone know that his Son is supremely significant. We participate in Christ’s significance through being actively on mission with him.

God created Adam and Eve to love him and fellowship with him and gave them a job to do – to be fruitful and multiply and rule over his creation. The church has the same mandate. Our mission is not simply to go to church and eventually get to heaven. In between being born again and the death of our bodies, we have a responsibility – to go and make disciples.

Most missional activity takes place outside the church building and is a 24/7 calling.

The call to make disciples provokes us to look on our neighbors and community with new eyes, those of a compassionate shepherd.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. 38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”  Matthew 9:36–38 (NLT)

Being on mission challenges us to be alert to the prompting of the Spirit, who is always on mission, and the needs of those living around us, in the expectation that God will open doors of opportunity for us to meet and influence people toward God’s kingdom every day. God gave us new life so we can join him in his worldwide mission to fish for, catch, and disciple people.

Jesus formally announced the call to mission just before he ascended into heaven, when he gave his disciples and us what we now call the Great Commission.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19  "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20  teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)

The call to belong to God’s family is relatively pain free for us, but it cost Jesus everything. For us, it is mainly about discovering how much God loves us. The greatest number of people who call themselves Christians respond to this call. The call to loyally follow Christ introduces the cost associated with identifying with our Lord publicly and keeping his commandments, and fewer accept this call. It is an invitation to die to ourselves and live for our Lord and God’s glory. There usually are more people who identify themselves as Christians than as loyal followers of Christ.

The call to mission is the costliest of all, and fewer still embrace a Great Commission lifestyle. The call to mission invites us to expend ourselves for others for Jesus’ sake, those who are currently God’s enemies in many cases. It is also our call to have great and lasting significance.

Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever.  Daniel 12:3 (NLT)

Because Jesus was God’s own son, and because he always did what pleased his Father, he was most significant. His words are to be heeded, just as the Father said when he spoke from heaven.

He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” Matthew 17:5 (ESV)

When we share the good news of the Gospel, we become extremely significant, too. People should listen to us because we speak for God.

The devil will resist our responding to the gospel’s call to belong because he wants you and me to be eternally lost. He will also resist our responding to the call to surrender our lives to Jesus’ lordship because he knows that will make us dangerous people with respect to his kingdom of darkness. He most firmly and fiercely resists any person or group who commits to being on mission because he knows that such a commitment will bring many others into the kingdom of God.

One of the first steps to embracing the call to mission is to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which equips and empowers us to proclaim the Gospel boldly with signs following.

…he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5  John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” ... 8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:4-8 (NLT)

If you have never asked for this gift, right now is the perfect time. Like all of God’s gifts, it is received by faith. It is for all his children, and its purpose is to enable and empower us to fulfill the Great Commission. When we share the gospel, we should tell our hearers that as disciples they are called to be on mission and invite them to receive the baptism in the Spirit.

Calling for a Proper Response

As any good salesman knows, closing is critical. A great presentation means nothing without a sale.

We should never try to coerce or manipulate our hearers into a response, but we should give them an opportunity to make one.

It is a good idea to communicate the urgency to respond since no one is guaranteed a tomorrow. Procrastination could decide their eternity in a very negative way. Paul said that today is the right time to respond to the gospel.

For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.  2 Corinthians 6:2 (NLT)

We should remind our hearers that one day we will all stand in judgment before God. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life will be safe and not suffer God’s wrath against the world’s sinful rebellion against his rule.

And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.  Revelation 20:15 (NLT)

We should urge them to save themselves from this perverse generation that is hurtling toward the abyss. In conclusion, let’s give our hearers specific steps to take, just as Peter did on Pentecost when he said the following.

Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39  "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." Acts 2:38-39 (NASB)
  • Repent – The Spirit works in us to convict us of our root sin of trying to be the lord of our own lives. True repentance takes place when we acknowledge our sins, turn away from them, ask for and receive forgiveness, and surrender to Christ’s lordship. Faith is required for us to repent. We are not simply sorry for our sins. Rather we receive God’s amazing provision for us in Christ and commit to a lifetime of service to his Lordship.
  • Be Water Baptized – Water baptism is a public demonstration of our repentance, faith, surrender to Christ, and our commitment to serve him for the rest of our lives.
  • Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit – This baptism equips Christ’s followers to fulfill the Great Commission. We cannot adequately serve the Lord of the harvest without it.
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Chapter 68: Gospel Paradigms

There are as many ways to present the good news about Jesus as there are unique individuals with their own specific needs. The more adept we become at sharing the gospel, the better we will be able to adapt it to any situation.

Our goal is to present the gospel in such a way that our hearers understand that Jesus is the One for whom they are searching.

One paradigm for describing Christ’s finished work is viewing our Lord as “Christ the Victor.” He defeated Satan and his evil powers, sin, death, sickness, and every other form of bondage and evil. Even though we do not see his victory fully displayed yet, it is real and can be experienced by those who put their faith and allegiance in him.

Victory over Guilt and Judgment

The gospel paradigm with which we in the West are most familiar contrasts our guilt versus God’s righteousness. In this way of looking at things, we understand that all people will one day stand before God to be judged for our thoughts, words, and deeds. Our lives will be weighed on the scales of God’s holy standard. God imposed that way of thinking by giving Moses the Law, which is a detailed list of requirements by which God demands that we live. The inherent problem with the Law is that we are incapable of keeping it. If therefore someone takes God’s Law seriously, he or she may labor under a heavy sense of condemnation.

As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous— not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.”  Romans 3:10–12 (NLT)

God uses the Law to expose our utter helplessness so that we will conclude that we desperately need a Savior.

But those who depend on the law to make them right with God are under his curse, for the Scriptures say, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the commands that are written in God’s Book of the Law.” 11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” 12 This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life.” 13 But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” 14 Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith.  Galatians 3:10–14 (NLT)

The genius of God is revealed in his sending his Son Jesus to become the embodiment of a new covenant which is completely different from the covenant based on Law.

If God kept us under the Law, we would all be doomed to be judged for our sins and cast into the lake of fire. The only way out for us was for God to send a substitute who would take our place in judgment after completing a life of perfect dependence upon and obedience to God.

A great exchange took place upon the cross and at the resurrection. By a great miracle that C.S. Lewis calls “deep magic” in his classic book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Father God placed us in his son when he was crucified and rose again. That means that when he died, so did we, and when he rose, so did we. Theologians call this identification. Therefore, we are already dead to sin and alive forevermore in righteousness. As Jesus put it, we have passed from death to life.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.  John 5:24 (NASB95)

The New Covenant provides us with Christ’s righteousness so that we no longer must worry about somehow being good enough to merit God’s love and blessing.

We have been given a right standing with God and included in his forever family as a gift.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 6:23 (NASB95)

Using this paradigm, we call people to believe that Jesus has given us a new way to relate to God based on faith in his perfect work of redemption.

My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.  Galatians 2:20–21 (NLT)

We call people to accept their freely given right standing with God by faith in what Christ has already accomplished for them.

This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.”  Romans 1:17 (NLT)

We also explain that faith includes giving our allegiance to the risen Lord.

Victory over Fear, Powerlessness, and Death

Fear is a universal problem, and for some people deliverance from it is their greatest felt need. People are afraid of all sorts of things – the devil, evil, change, the unknown, the unseen, people they view as powerful enemies, judgment, sickness, pain, death, and even God before they find out how loving and kind he is.

Jesus came to deliver us from fear and give us peace.

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.  John 14:27 (NASB95)

Our Lord absorbed our fears on the cross. All our guilt, shame, and condemnation fell upon him as he took the judgment and punishment that we rightly deserved. Part of that judgment was death, since that is what our sins earned. By submitting to death and afterward rising again, Jesus set us free from the power of the fear of death and eternal separation from God.

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.  Hebrews 2:14–15 (NASB95)

Many people who have been abused in some fashion suffer from a deep sense of powerlessness, which leaves them fearful. Death is the ultimate form of powerlessness. At death, we lose all ability to defend or save ourselves and are cast completely upon the mercy of God. Because Jesus absorbed our sentence of death on the cross, we have life eternal. By so doing, he rendered the devil powerless to harm us.

If we put our faith and allegiance in Christ, we have nothing to fear regarding death or Satan’s evil power.

In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.  Colossians 2:15 (NLT)

Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”  Luke 10:19–20 (NLT)

If we use this paradigm for sharing the gospel, we are able call the hearer to believe in and receive for themselves Christ’s victory over fear through his finished work on the cross and his subsequent glorious resurrection. We encourage them to make themselves available to serve our magnificent Lord.

If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  Romans 10:9 (NLT)
 
Victory over Shame and Spiritual Uncleanness

For people who grow up in a culture or religion that majors on ritual cleanness, such as Islam and strict Judaism, fear of being cut off from God because of uncleanness is a major issue.

We can present Jesus as the one whose touch makes the unclean pure again.

There are several examples of this in the Bible, such as when Jesus healed the woman with the issue of blood and the leper. Jesus touched a dead body and raised it to life again without being himself defiled. This is because he absorbed and conquered our uncleanness and shame on the cross.

And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.  Mark 1:40–42 (NASB95)

Since the Holy Spirit indwells us, as Christ’s representatives, we too can also minister healing and restoration without fear of being contaminated.

Sin brings shame, and certain types of sin, such as sexual perversion, tend to make people feel dirty inside. When Jesus forgives and restores us, the dirtiness is removed along with the shame. Jesus did this for the woman caught in adultery in John Chapter 8.

Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11 “No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”  John 8:10–11 (NLT)

The general verse we can use to show can God cleanses us is the following.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9 (NASB95)

We can lead our hearers to admit and repent of their sins and receive forgiveness and cleansing for the Lord.

Demons oppress people and seek to make us unclean, self-destructive, and shameful. That is why Jesus sometimes called them “unclean” spirits. When Jesus and we drive them out, it allows people to experience God’s cleansing and restorative power. In place of the unclean spirit, God offers to indwell us with his pure Holy Spirit if we place our faith and allegiance in the Lord Jesus. When God sets us free from shame and defilement, our natural response should be gratefulness and a desire to follow Christ and tell others about what he has done. This is what took place with a man whom Jesus set free from demonic oppression.

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed [demonized] begged to go with him. 19 But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” 20 So the man started off to visit the Ten Towns of that region and began to proclaim the great things Jesus had done for him; and everyone was amazed at what he told them.  Mark 5:18–20 (NLT)
 
Victory over the Slavery of Addiction

Sin enslaves people and leads to all sorts of addictions.

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.  John 8:34 (NASB95)

Jesus came to redeem us, which means to buy back from slavery and set free.

Our redemption includes our Lord’s victory over sin and all other forms of enslaving addiction.

So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.  John 8:36 (NLT)

Jesus promised that if we continue to live according to his word, we will be set free.

Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  John 8:31–32 (NLT)

Paul taught that putting our faith and allegiance in Christ will result in our being set free from all forms of enslavement over which self-effort and religion have no power.

Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.  Acts 13:38–39 (NASB95)

Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy that the Messiah would set the captives free.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are oppressed, 19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”  Luke 4:18–19 (NASB95)

When we share the good news of Christ the liberator who sets the captives free, we invite people to believe in his victory and receive it for themselves.

We should encourage them to surrender themselves to Christ so he can use them to help free others.

Victory over Striving to Be Good Enough

Many suffer from a chronic sense of worthlessness or invalidation, which is different from guilt for specific sins.

A sense of worthlessness is a deeply rooted lie that strikes at the very essence of our being. It hinders our ability to receive God’s love and his blessings.

Some have been invalidated through hurtful words of key people in their lives and have internalized them. A child may have heard his parents say, “You’ll never amount to anything.” “You’re stupid.” “I never wanted you.” These words tend to go deep into the psyche and become lie-based strongholds that carry over into adulthood and influence how we see ourselves and relate to others. Depending on our personality, we will handle invalidation differently. Some will accept these words and give up on ever overcoming them. Others will fight to prove them wrong. If the Lord does not set us free with his loving truth, however, we will still be affected by this stronghold of lies.

People who have this stronghold in their minds may give themselves over to all sorts of self-destructive behavior, thinking they are unworthy of anything else. Others strive for perfection, believing that is the only way for them to be accepted.

Perfectionism is built on a lie that our worth is based on our performance or what other people think about us.

It produces an intolerable burden that eventually wears us out. We can only keep up the façade for so long before it cracks.

When Jesus calls us to himself, it is the highest form of validation.

God himself declares that we are worthwhile. The value of a thing is based on what someone would pay for it, and Jesus paid his own priceless blood to purchase us and restore us to God’s family. God the Father adopted us to be his beloved children. There is no higher measure of worth than that.

When we encounter a person who suffers from invalidation, we can tell them that Jesus took our worthlessness upon himself when he hung on the cross all alone with his detractors and enemies gloating over his demise. He died for us because he loved us and wanted us to be part of God’s family, the highest honor.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him  Ephesians 1:3–9 (NASB95)

When we understand that we have nothing more to prove, no standard to which we must achieve, we can enjoy the rest provided by God.

For this kind of person, our gospel presentation can center around Jesus’ invitation to all of us to come to him and receive his promised rest.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28 (NLT)

This rest is a source of joy to us and motivates us to tell others.

Victory over Hopelessness and Confusion

Many people suffer from a deep sense of hopelessness. This can stem from feeling powerless to change negatives in our lives. It can also stem from confusion, not knowing what to do or if there is anything to be done. People who are born into deep poverty often have no role models to show them how to move into greater prosperity. People who are surrounded by temptation, crime, and the degradation brought by sinful life choices, sometimes feel there is no way out. People who lose loved ones sometimes believe life no longer has purpose or meaning.

In such cases, we can present Jesus as the one who imparts direction to the confused, meaning to life, and hope to the hopeless.

Our Lord told us that he is the Way.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.  John 14:6 (NASB95)

We do not need to understand everything to escape confusion. We were never meant to know everything. We only need to know our Lord and trust him to guide us each step of our way.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5–6 (NASB95)

The devil wants to paralyze us with confusion and fear. The way out is to let these things go and surrender our lives and future to the one we can safely trust to guide and care for us.

If powerlessness is the main issue, Jesus promised us that all authority belongs to him and Satan and his servants cannot ultimately harm us.

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.  Luke 10:19 (NASB95)

If we surrender to the Good Shepherd who has all authority and power, we are safe in his hands, and no one can snatch us away.

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.  John 10:27–29 (NASB95)

One of my favorite titles for the Lord is “Keeper.” He is our protector who never sleeps or fails to maintain careful watch over our lives.

My help comes from the Lord, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Will neither slumber nor sleep.  Psalm 121:2–4 (NASB95)

Confusion and powerlessness often create a sense of hopelessness that can be very dangerous. Hopeless people sometimes do crazy things because their lives can seem pointless, and their anger may escalate to violence. Jesus came to give hope to the hopeless.

The biblical meaning of hope is confident expectation. The Holy Spirit imparts faith to those whose hearts are open and helps us understand and receive God’s promises found in the Bible. No matter how difficult our current situation may be, God has given us the promise of better things ahead.

When Jesus began his public ministry, things were very dark in the world. The Jewish people were in a difficult situation and the rest of the world had no hope at all. Jesus began to shine as the light of the world.

Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”  John 8:12 (NASB95)

Paul said that we Gentiles were without hope before we believe the gospel.

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.  Ephesians 2:12–13 (NLT)

Those who put their faith in Christ have a reason to live and a reason to expect a glorious future. This gives us hope to live in the present with a sense of purpose and joy. We should encourage our listener to release their sense of confusion, powerlessness, and hopelessness to the Lord and receive him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life!

I hope these examples of various ways to present the gospel depending on the greatest felt need of our hearer will inspire you to think of how you can present Jesus to those who desperately need a saving encounter with his love and mercy.

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Disunity Can Be a Sign that God Is at Work

 

 

 

 

 

Unity is important in the church, family, nation, or really any group, but disunity often, maybe always, accompanies any important new activity or truth coming from God.

When Jesus presented himself to Israel as their long awaited Messiah, he attracted the malevolent criticism of those who held power and benefited from maintaining the status quo. He polarized the community by forcing people to make a decision to be either for him or against him.

There was a lot of grumbling about him among the crowds. Some argued, “He’s a good man,” but others said, “He’s nothing but a fraud who deceives the people.” John 7:12 (NLT)


So a division occurred in the crowd because of Him. John 7:43 (NASB95)

Those who tried to hold to a “middle ground” to avoid being caught up in the controversy were either uninformed, uncaring, or cowardly.

Whenever God is doing something important, it brings about a crisis of faith in those who witness it.

Those whose hearts are open receive God’s truth with joy. The devil hates God and truth with a passion, and anyone who is still under his influence will offer vehement resistance. The “lukewarm” will not care because they refuse to be players on the grand stage of life. Every great movement is carried out by a relatively small percentage of people who passionately believe. They will be resisted by those who ardently disbelieve, while the uninvolved watch the drama unfold.

The psalmist taught that unity carries a blessing.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brothers to dwell together in unity! Psalm 133:1 (NASB95)

Jesus taught on its importance, too.

The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. John 17:22–23 (NASB95)

Our unity as believers is based on what God has done for his church in Christ.

He has taken Jew and Gentile, men and women, slave and free, and rich and poor from all races and nations and fashioned us into “one new man.” (Ephesians 2:15) We who believe are now part of the body of Christ. Our unity in the Spirit is already accomplished. Our challenge is to believe and act in accordance with this great truth.

However, unity in the Spirit does not mean we must refrain from proclaiming truth that some find divisive.

Jesus and truth have always produced contention because not everyone is willing to receive them. The gospel is often passionately rejected by some who later become believers. That was certainly the case with the apostle Paul. Others never see the light and remain opposed for life. The early church was wracked with disunity from the start in the matter of grace versus the Law. The Judaizers insisted that Gentile believers keep the Law of Moses including circumcision, but Paul and company stood their ground insisting the opposite in the face of great hostility. Though the matter was officially settled in the Jerusalem conference, this controversy still exists.

Truth will always be resisted by those who do not understand or receive it.

When God restored the truth regarding believer’s baptism during the Reformation, both Catholics and Protestants violently opposed the Anabaptists who held to this “new” and “divisive” doctrine. Some of those brave men and women died rather than be moved away from this revelation from God. Today almost everyone in the churches with whom I fellowship believe this doctrine. The baptism in the Spirit was restored in the early 20th century, but not without controversy that still exists. When I was first baptized in the Spirit in 1971, the dominant campus ministry where I attended university opposed our little charismatic group’s meeting by ourselves. They wanted us to join them to preserve unity, but at what cost to what God was doing in our midst? We were trying to grow in our experience and use of the gifts of the Spirit, but, if we only met with the larger group, the Spirit would be quenched by those who disbelieved.

Many times a call to unity is an attempt to silence and control the opposition. Unity between opposing factions cannot happen unless liberty of belief and practice is granted.

When my Dad launched his home meeting in the early 1970s, many Catholics attended, including nuns. After a while, the local Catholic Church tried to “rein in” what he was doing by insisting that the meeting had to be accompanied by a Mass. My father refused to comply with this attempt to quench the freedom of the Spirit. Eventually we departed from the Catholic Church in pursuit of freedom to practice the truth of God’s Word.

Where there is no unity regarding truth, there can be no unity in practice or assemblage.

Interestingly, Paul wrote that disunity is sometimes God’s way of revealing those who are approved by God.

For there must also be factions among you, so that those who are approved may become evident among you. 1 Corinthians 11:19 (NASB95)

Martin Luther did not set out to depart from the Catholic Church. His intention was to reform it, but that was not possible because the Catholic leaders wanted none of it. They wanted to quash the “revolt” and kill its leader. This is exactly what our Lord’s enemies tried to do with him, but they failed as did Luther’s opponents.

Satan and unredeemed humanity will always rebel against and try to subvert what God is doing.

Sometimes even God’s people push back because of our natural human propensity to resist change. The old established way of seeing and doing things always seems better. Sadly, any new move of God is usually resisted by those who experienced the previous one. Jesus said it like this.

“But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. 39 “And no one, after drinking old wine wishes for new; for he says, ‘The old is good enough.’ ” Luke 5:38–39 (NASB95)

St. Augustine is credited with saying, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

Our Lord does not want us to allow our stand for truth to snuff out our love for those in opposition.

Jesus said to love our enemies, including those who oppose God and truth. However, we are never to back down from our stand for truth because of push back from those who do not understand or receive it. If the truth in question is “non-essential” to salvation, we can agree to disagree, but we cannot abandon our convictions for the sake of a false kind of unity.

Any call to unity that asks us to lay down strongly held convictions is just a veiled form of oppression.

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Have You Been Born Again?

 

 

 

 

 

 

According to Jesus, we cannot enter the kingdom of God unless we are born again.

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. John 3:5 (NLT)

Many commentators understand that Jesus’ phrase “being born of water” refers to our natural birth. Those who are only born physically only have ordinary human understanding. We remain blind and insufficient to comprehend the things of the Spirit of God.

We must be born again to become aware of God’s kingdom.

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” John 3:3 (NLT)

It is only after the “wind” of the Spirit blows upon us and causes our spirits to come alive that we are able to see and experience the realities of God’s kingdom. The Hebrew and Greek words for “spirit” also can mean breath and wind.

The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.” John 3:8 (NLT)

God breathed upon Adam imparting spirit to his lifeless body causing him to become a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

The Holy Spirit “blows” or “breathes” upon us when we are born again, reconnecting our dead spirits to God from whom we receive his never ending life.

After experiencing this divine wind or breath from God, our eyes are opened to the things of God. We see who Jesus is more clearly. We begin to grasp some of the beauties and glories of God. It is not uncommon for people to say that everything seemed new and different after being born again. It certainly was for me.

The new birth is the gateway into the path of a lifelong journey of learning to follow Christ.

This new birth is not anything that we can accomplish on our own. It comes from God in a most mysterious way. Jesus said that we cannot explain how it happens any more than we can control the wind. We cannot make it happen for ourselves or anyone else. We can only lead them to God with whom that heavenly transaction must take place. It is out of our hands; yet we can make ourselves available. Jesus said that if we seek God, we will find him. If the Spirit is nudging you to seek God, by all means obey, as King David did.

My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “LORD, I am coming.” Psalm 27:8 (NLT)

Jesus promised that he will not turn away anyone who seeks him.

However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. John 6:37 (NLT)

Those who are merely born the natural way will die twice. The first death is the natural end to physical life that we must all experience. The second death is the lake of fire, God’s punishment for those who rebel against him.

Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death. 15 And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14–15 (NLT)

Those who are born twice, naturally and from heaven, will only die once. We escape the fiery wrath of God when we put our faith and loyalty in Jesus, who paid the price for our sins already and promised that we will never come into judgment again.

For this is how 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. 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. 18 “There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. John 3:16–18 (NLT)

If you are not sure if you have been born again, it is a good chance that you have not.

If what I have written in this article seems foreign to your experience, it means that God has so much more for you if you will seek him with all your heart. Don’t let the day go by without inviting Jesus into your life and receiving all he has to give. In exchange he asks for all that you are. It’s called the New Covenant, the great exchange in which we give him ourselves, complete with our sin and guilt, and receive all that he is, including his right standing with God the Father and eternal life!

Prayer

Jesus, I don’t think I have been born again. You said we cannot enter your kingdom without this happening. You also said you will never reject anyone who comes to you. I come to you now. I want this new birth. I want to have my spiritual eyes opened to see your kingdom. I want to be part of the family of God. I ask you to come into my life and forgive all my sins. I give you myself and acknowledge that you are my Lord. Come, Holy Spirit, do your unseen work inside of me. Amen.

If you prayed this sincerely, hold on to your hat! God is going to do something amazing in your life. Wait for it. It is on the way.

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