Tell them the Truth

1. Calling people to our faith encompasses the USUAL explanation, as follows(or something along these lines):-

• God is creator of all.
• God and creation had a perfect relationship. God reigns.
• Men sinned. Men chose self rule.
• Because of sin, God and men are separated. God is holy. God cannot accept sin and “close” His eyes to sin. God’s goodness and holiness demand judgement and punishment.  God’s wrath is upon the sinner and the punishment for sin is death. (Sin is the sting of death).
• But God is love. Not just God loves, He IS love. He designed a plan to save us. He sent His Son Jesus to die for us, taking the punishment in our place. Our Lord was crucified on the cross for us. Our Lord Jesus was then resurrected.
• If we believe in Jesus, we are born again, are saved and have new life. We get to go to heaven.

2.  Certainly all of the above is true but there is more to that and we should tell “the more” We should be more accurate to reveal the demands of the Christian faith. John Macarthur’s, brief exposition on how we are to call people to faith (The Gospel According to the Apostles, Pages 178-185) is recommended for reading and thereafter teaching.  In summary:

(a) We are to show and to expound God’s holiness. He is not Santa Clause. He is a holy, pure and almighty God. Let these not just be words that we hear and acknowledge without feeling, without letting them sink in. He IS HOLY. To be with Him in a relationship NOW and after, He demands that we be holy as well. He demands our respect and our reverential fear. We are not to hide these facts and simply speak solely or primarily of His blessings and grace.

He requires repentance i.e., turning away from our transgressions and following His son Jesus in every moment of our life.

He requires faith in Jesus evidenced by our thoughts, words and deeds.

(b)     Salvation is a remedy for sin. It is not just an escape from punishment and not merely a ticket to heaven when we die. If we truly receive Christ as our savior and our Lord, His spirit lives in us and empowers us in our sanctification. We are by His grace delivered from the power of sin.

(c)      Show and expound that good works cannot save. Our sins, even the “respectable” “accepted” (by the world) sins are severe and warrant God’s wrath (He is Holy). We do not deserve salvation.  We may do a good work at 5 pm but at 5.15 pm have a lustful thought. Will that good work take away that sin? Does a great God need our good works? Even in our good works, there is sin for many do to earn salvation or to remove guilt or praise, basically for self.  Only the grace of God can save. Only He out of His goodwill saves.

(d)       Tell them who Christ is.

·                     He is God (John 1: 1-3);

·                     He is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11);

·                     He became man (Phillipians2:6-7);

·                     He is pure and sinless;

·                     He became a sacrifice for our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). He redeemed us and we received forgiveness (Ephesians 1:7)

·                     He was resurrected (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

(e)       A follower of Christ is a disciple of Christ and there is cost to this discipleship. The disciple is to love God above all else and there is no turning back. There is to be no luke warmness no double mindedness. There is to be daily crucifixion of  self (Romans 6:6). The “would be” follower is to consider the cost (Luke14-26-33) (We will not be unaided of course. The Holy Spirit will assist the disciple).

(f)       There is to be trust in Jesus Christ our Lord. He will complete the work He began in us to transform us into His likeness.

(g)       Though we are to ask questions , research and meditate on God’s words,  we are to tell that God is a mystery. His ways are mysterious. He is God! He is the potter, we are the clay. His ways are beyond and above us. Not everything can be understood.

Healthy & Simple Meal

Here is a great recipe for those looking for a simple and healthy meal. Recommended especially for those who are on a vegetarian diet or trying to lose weight.

Ingredients

• 350 g/12 oz broccoli
• salt
• 50 g/2 oz split almonds, toasted
• 1 small red pepper, cored, deseeded and thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons vinaigrette dressing

Break the broccoli into florets and blanch in boiling salted water for 4 minutes. Drain and cool.

Place in a salad bowl with the almonds and red pepper. Pour over the vinaigrette dressing and toss thoroughly.

* Extracted articles in Google

Characteristics of the born again

We may say we believe in Jesus, think we are saved by reason of being born again (“second birth” ) but do we really live our belief?  Do our thoughts and deeds AND how we live life, evidence our belief? Are we really born again? H.A Ironside’s summary of 1 Peter 2* provides a great checklist. Here it is (paraphrased and expanded):-

(a)    Do we lead a pure life? Do we lead  life as “aliens” and “temporary residents” or “strangers” and “pilgrims” of this world, abstaining from fleshy desires that are contrary to God’s Word? (v 11);

(b)   Do we act and speak with honesty? (v12) (Nevermind that you did not murder or commit adultery but did you commit the “accepted”  (“everybody does it therefore it is acceptable” sins? Did you return the change over paid by the cashier? Did you pop that grape in your mouth without paying? Did you toss that sweet wrapper out on the road? Did you “cheat” company time? Did you say “my kid is under 3 so no charge” when your kid is over 3 years of age? Did you say “tell him I am busy, cannot come to the phone” when you are not?); 

(c)    Do we obey the law? (v 13-15). We may be free from human law because we are God’s and subject to His authority but we have no license to use our freedom to disobey the law (Paid taxes? Created faked tax deductable receipts?). We are freed from human law but made subject to God’s law which requires obedience to human law! We obey for Him (v 16);

(d)   Do we revere God and consider other men in our everyday thought, choice and action? Do we love especially our sisters and brothers in Christ?(v17);

(e)   Are we obedient to our employers? Nasty and nice ones. (v18). I would say obedience to the nasty ones makes us different. Non believers and believers alike have little issue with obedience to the nice ones;

(f)     Are we patient under false accusation? (v20) Do we trust God to vindicate us? Holding back our impulse to retaliate or to react or to fret and fester or better yet having no such impulse arising at all, resting in God entirely;

(g)    Do we follow Christ? (v21-23) Do we hold Him up as our “idol” worshipping Him, adoring, admiring, praising Him?;

(h)   Do we consider ourselves dead to sin because of His death and are living in righteousness? (v24) Not that we will not sin but that when we sin we are quick to be contrite and to repent;

(i)      Do we see Him as our shepherd (our authority, our Lord) and live accordingly and submit ourselves to His care ? (v25- He is guardian of our souls).

The Holy Spirit who lives in the new born enables the new born to manifest living a pure life, acting and speaking honestly and so on. It is because one is truly Christian that pure living emerges. One does not do good to become a Christian.  I add that the Holy Spirit also ignites in this new person a desire to seek God, spend time with Him and please Him. This new person gets interested in knowing what He has to say by studying His Word, particularly studying Our Lord Jesus ( He is the image of the invisible God  Colossians 1:15) in order that he may follow in His footsteps and in order that he may know that which pleases Him**. If we do not know what pleases the one we seek and love how can we please our love?

*James and 1 and 2 Peter- An Ironside Expository Commentary, H.A Ironside

** A great book to pick up on what pleases God is John Piper’s “Pleasures of God”