Book Recommendation: To the One Who Conquers

To the One Who Conquers
by: Sam Storms

50 Daily Meditations on the Seven Letters of Revelation 2-3

Sam Storms is the founder of Enjoying God Ministries, based in Kansas City, Missouri. Storms received his PhD from the University of Texas at Dallas. He is the author of several books, including Crossway's Chosen for Life and Signs of the Spirit.

You can purchase this book at www.enjoyinggodministries.org

I ordered mine at Sam's website and it came back signed. I highly recommend this book!

Christ Our Righteousness- by: Richard Trader

CHRIST OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
by: Dr. Richard Trader
www.richardtrader.blogspot.com


"The work of righteousness will be peace,
And the effect of righteousness,
quietness and assurance forever."

Isaiah 32:17, NKJV


"THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jeremiah 23:6) is received as a gift through a personal, covenant relationship with God. This righteousness is revealed through our LORD JESUS, "even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe, for there is no difference," Romans 3:22. Self-righteousness can never be enough. "And all our righteousness is like filthy rags," Isaiah 64:6. None of us have the righteousness to please God. "As it is written, 'There is none righteous, no, not one," Romans 3:10. Our only hope is the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus received by faith as a gift of God's grace.

The righteousness of God in Christ brings peace. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," Romans 5:1.

The righteousness of God in Christ brings assurance. We have the assurance of pleasing God by faith in Christ. "For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance," 1 Thessalonians 1:5.

The righteousness of God in Christ is forever. " ... according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen," Ephesians 3:20-21.


Father, we receive the gift of Your righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, and we give You all the glory now and forever. Amen.

Embracing Accusation

Embracing Accusation
by: Shane & Shane with John Piper

Salt and Light

I recently heard a youth evangelist talk about salt and light and how Christian teenagers in America have lost their saltiness. Salt and light are very important in examining ourselves. I wonder if it is just teenagers who have lost their saltiness and light? Probably not...

Jesus said this is His sermon on the mount, "10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:10-16

This illustration Jesus uses is of course not to be taken literally as if salt is gushing from our pores or that light is beaming out of eyes or ears. It is much more than that, but it still paints a vivid picture. Jesus is saying that our lives should have a saltiness about it which causes others to thirst for righteousness, and our light should be such that those around us are attracted to the warmth and purity of a life that has been changed. He is not calling for perfect people, but calling for people to manifest the love and hope that has been given to us through a relationship with God, through Jesus.

John Piper refers to salt and light in a sermon focused on the dangers of prosperity preaching. Though my topic is centered on prosperity preaching I believe this will help shed some light on the subject.

++"What is it about Christians that makes them the salt of the earth and the light of the world? It is not wealth. The desire for wealth and the pursuit of wealth tastes and looks just like the world. It does not offer the world anything different from what it already believes in. The great tragedy of prosperity-preaching is that a person does not have to be spiritually awakened in order to embrace it; one needs only to be greedy. Getting rich in the name of Jesus is not the salt of the earth or the light of the world. In this, the world simply sees a reflection of itself. And if it works, they will buy it.

The context of Jesus’ saying shows us what the salt and light are. They are the joyful willingness to suffering for Christ. Here is what Jesus said, “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. You are the salt of the earth. . . . You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:11-14).

What will make the world taste (the salt) and see (the light) of Christ in us is not that we love wealth the same way they do. Rather, it will be the willingness and the ability of Christians to love others through suffering, all the while rejoicing because their reward is in heaven with Jesus. This is inexplicable on human terms. This is supernatural. But to attract people with promises of prosperity is simply natural. It is not the message of Jesus. It is not what he died to achieve."++

God has called us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The world is not impressed with "safe" Christianity. They are looking for people who are authentic. How can I know that what I write in this article is real? Because it (The Gospel) has absolutely changed my life. It has changed how I live, how I talk, how I think, and how I treat others. If you want to know if your faith in Christ is authentic then look at yourself and ask, “Have I changed?”

Universalism - A Dangerous Doctrine

There is no doubt that in our Western culture Universalism is on the rise. Church history shows us this is no knew doctrine, but one that has been around since the early first centuries. In our super sensitive culture the questions of, "How could God allow bad things to happen to good people?" And, "If God is a god of love then why is the world so bad?" Although these questions may trouble me, what troubles me more is the response some Christians provide for such doubt amongst those in the West. Many times Christians will go to far extreme and say, "God has rescued the whole world through Jesus," while quoting John 3:16. They totally eliminate the doctrine of sin the Bible teaches and the wrath of God that punishes sin.

Jesus went to the cross to save people from their sin, but not everyone has or will choose Jesus. Jesus, Himself says this in the gospel of Matthew. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

Here is a definition of Christian Universalism provided by Wikipedia

In Christianity, Universalism refers to the belief that all humans can be saved through Jesus Christ and eventually come to harmony in God's kingdom. A related doctrine, apokatastasis, is the belief that all mortal beings will be reconciled to God, including Satan and his fallen angels. Universalism was a fairly commonly held view among theologians in early Christianity: In the first five or six centuries of Christianity there were six known theological schools, of which four (Alexandria, Antioch, Cesarea, and Edessa or Nisibis) were Universalist, one (Ephesus) accepted conditional immortality, and one (Carthage or Rome) taught the endless punishment of the lost. The two major theologians opposing it were Tertullian and Augustine. In later centuries, Universalism has become very much a minority position in the major branches of Christianity, though it has a long history of prominent adherents.

Beware!

See also

John Piper on Joy and Tragedy

The Strange Pair of Joy and Tragedy

Soren Kierkegaard said, “When the age loses the tragic, it gains despair.”

This sounds profoundly right.

The elements of life that make tragedy possible are the same as the ones that fight off despair. For tragedy to be real there has to be something hugely precious, and there has to be the capacity to feel a great emotion. When these are both present, tragedy can happen.

Despair is the horrible blankness that settles over us when nothing is seen as precious anymore and there is no capacity to feel it anyway.

As great as our tragedy may be, if we feel it to the full, it is a sign that the weapons against despair are still in place.

Often the gifts of God come in strange pairs. “It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29).