James states that faith without works is dead being alone. It's like a body without a spirit. I've seen many Christians try to make their life of faith fruitful without acting on their faith. I once heard it said that if we keep doing the same thing, we'll always get the same result. As Pastor's, Pam and I often give counsel and instruction to people regarding life situations. There are few things more disappointing than to know that the time you spend counseling is largely ignored and; thus, the life is not changed. How much more should we heed what the Holy Spirit is telling us, or nudging us to do! He has the answer to every situation. He can guide us, teach us, counsel us and interact us; but we have to be willing to follow His instruction. By spending time in God's word with a heart ready to obey and by listening to the Holy Spirit, we can have victory in any of life's circumstances. Paul once declared: "But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere." Pastor Brad
Being Connected
The apostle John wrote, “I write these things to you that you might have fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.” God has called us into fellowship with Himself through his Son, Jesus Christ; but this fellowship does not stop there. Through our reconnection with God, we can now connect with one another. Sin has separated us from God and that separation has created a separation between us and our neighbor. Jesus has bridged that separation by an act of grace at the cross. Being reunited with God in Christ we are reconnected with one another. Our lives should reflect this unity with God by living in harmony with one another. If we are living through Christ we will live at peace with one another and can learn to serve one another in love.
God is the Judge
God is a judge. In fact, God is the Judge. The only being capable of judging humanity in righteousness is God. God knows everything about our lives, our character, our behavior, and our works. No one else has the ability to judge us righteously. That is one reason God commands us not to judge one another. We can see the fruit of someone's life and their actions, but we can't pass sentence on them--God alone has that ability. Pauls asks a great question in Romans 3:5: "Is God unrighteous who takes vengeance?" And then he answers: "God forbid! For then how could God judge the world?" God is not unrighteous when He judges. He has all the facts and His character is without flaw. The Christian need not fear the vengeance or wrath of God. Jesus has paid for our sins; yet, the believer will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of her/his life. Paul states: "For each of us must appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men..." God is our Father and He loves us, but we are still accountable to Him. There is no wrath for the believer, but there is accountability to Christ. Grace to you. Pastor Brad
God's Love is True
The bible declares that "God is love." "He who lives in love, lives in God and God dwells in him." No matter how we describe God or how we see His person, His essential nature is love. God is a spirit and the nature of His Spirit is love. We can see God's love best at the cross of Jesus Christ. Paul declared that God demonstrated His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us--the ungodly. People debate over God's sovereignty, over the problem of evil, whether God's freedom is paramount or His love, etc... Some of these issues are problematic; but we know that God's love for us is beyond debate. What Jesus did for us at the cross, in His death, burial, and resurrection settled the issue forever. No matter what we face in life, we can know and depend on the love that God has for us simply by looking at the cross.
God's Nature
When we talk about the nature of God it is easy to fall into a one-dimensional description. Some emphasize God's sovereignty while others God's love nature. God is one but He has various attributes and characteristics. God is love, but He also is a God of justice. His holiness demands justice. God is a judge and as a judge He will mete out judgment in the last day. The wrath of God is often mentioned in connection with His judgment. God will not allow sin and unrighteousness to go unpunished. The good news for the Christian is that all the wrath of God has been poured out on Jesus, our debt is paid; there is no wrath for the Christian. The unbeliever waits for judgment and wrath for sins committed. The Christian has much to be thankful for, while the unbeliever has much to fear.
Knowledge Still Puff Up, Love Still Edifies
Often I find myself in conversations with fellow-believers about biblical issues. Most of the time the discussions are about non-key, or as we say, non-essential matters. Some of these issues are important but are not fundamental to our Christian faith. It’s interesting the different viewpoints people can have on one issue. This is particularly true about church government or practice. It seems everyone has an opinion! I’ve always stressed the importance of the word of God and I always want to know what scriptures a person has to support their position. Sometimes we get into matters of interpretation or perspective. At the end of the day, we may not always agreed on every biblical issue or even doctrine; but, it’s very important that we stay unified around the message of Christ and the local vision of our church. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 8:1: “knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies (builds up).” I want to insist that everything we do at Grace Pointe is done to build up our brothers and sisters. Even our knowledge is a grace that we can use to build one another up. If we always do what benefits the other, we’ll do well and we’ll be scriptural (1 Cor 10:24,33; Phil 2:3,4). Also, given there are so many views on scripture, a good dose of humility is always in order. It’s possible that your view is imperfect!
Purposes and Perspectives
I think we all heard the adage, “Your attitude determines your altitude.” But what drives our attitude? Most of us would love to have a better attitude. It’s like going on a diet, we all know what we should eat and the habits that we need to take up; but it’s actually putting our plan into action that makes the difference. Paul encouraged the Ephesian church to be renewed in the attitude of their mind. The one sure way to change our attitude is to be renewed in our purpose. When we change our focus from ourselves to the Lord and His gospel, things really begin to change. Being filled with God’s purposes changes everything. Our perspective is charged by our purpose. What is your purpose? To be happier? To have more money? To retire? To be successful in all your endeavors? I want to encourage you to take on God’s purpose for your life. When we get our purposes lined up with God’s purposes life becomes a grand adventure! Jesus said it more simply: “See ye first the Kingdom of God, and all His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matt 6:33 Pastor Brad
Our Place In Christ
September 21, 2018
In his letter to the Ephesians Paul states the purpose of ministry gifts is to build up the body. Service is always in view when it comes to ministry gifts. Our gifts aren’t for us alone but for the body of Christ. The Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher have been given to the body of Christ to build up the church for works of service. We aren’t save by good works; but rather, to DO good works (Ep 2:10). We are saved for service! That is the heart of Christ. When we have the right attitude about our place and our purpose in the body everything falls into place. This is the way we can reach the full measure of the stature of Christ. To understand our place in Christ, which includes our place in the body. When we grow up in Christ we won’t be deceived by every wind of teaching and men’s schemes to deceive; but rather, speaking the truth in Christ we will grow up into Christ. As I’ve often said, this is God’s end game! Our transformation into the image of His Son. What a great and lofty goal. Pastor Brad
The Lord is my Shepherd
Psalms 23 is a favorite scripture for many. I was meditating on this passage recently and a few things really spoke to my heart. I love to read a text in a variety of translations. One translation of verse 1 states that “The Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need.” I spent some time meditating on this verse. The Lord is my shepherd, I have all I need, I shall not want, I lack for nothing are some other renderings. The Lord has always showed me New Testament counterparts to Old Testament scriptures. The verse Colossians 2:10 came to my memory.: “And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.” or “You have reached fullness in Him who is the head…” We have everything we need in Christ. If it’s not in Christ, we don’t need it, because we are complete in Him. Peter says it this way: “According as His divine power hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3).” We have everything we need in Christ. Jesus is my shepherd, I lack for nothing. What is your need today? Receive what you need from your union with Christ. It’s stated in many different ways throughout the scripture. Here’s one more: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3).”
God is Light
Old Testament Value
The Value of the Old Testament
Knowing that we are not under law but under grace can lead people to believe that the Old Testament has no value to Christians; but, this is far from the truth. The New Testament is firmly rooted in the Old Testament. Paul quotes from the Old Testament often in his writings, as all the writers of the NT do. The book of Romans is laced with OT quotes throughout. Romans 15:4 states: "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scripture might have hope." Things written in the Old Testament were written for us (1 Cor 10:11) that we would learn from their examples. As we study the OT we'll find patterns and examples of faith to follow. In fact, Abraham, the Father of faith is cited as our example of faith to follow. The Old Testament is a series of stories about men and women who heard God and obeyed Him by faith. There is still much we can learn from these stories and examples, even though we are not under law, but under grace!
Righteousness
There is a central theme in the book of Romans. That theme is righteousness. Paul declared that the righteousness of God has appeared, it has been revealed, it has been submitted to and/or rejected. God gave a law to Moses. If a man could keep that law perfectly he would be considered righteous. We know that no man or woman has ever been able to keep the law of God perfectly—that is until Jesus Christ. Christ obeyed and fulfilled the law. He never sinned once. Because Jesus was perfect he was able to become the perfect sacrifice for our sins. He is compared to a perfect lamb without blemish. When Jesus died for us he took our sins upon himself. The word says “He bore our sins in his body on the tree?” (1 Peter 2:24) Now, in Christ, the righteousness of God comes to us apart from the law. This righteousness is a gift from God and comes by faith in Jesus Christ and what he did for us at the cross in his death, burial, and resurrection. The implications of this righteousness are far reaching. When we put our trust in Christ we are brought from death to life and out from underneath the condemnation of our sins. We are forgiven. We are made new. We have been given a new start. Paul declares we rise with Christ into a new life. And there is so much more!!! Pastor Brad
Pastors Corner
Recently, in a meeting with church leaders, we were discussing the need for volunteers. This can be a problem from time to time. While thinking on how to increase participation in service I was led to Ephesians 4. Paul talks about the 5-fold ministry and their purpose to equip for service. In verse 16 he states: "from Christ the whole body, joined and knit together by that which EVERY joint supplies, according to the effective working by which EVERY part does it share, causing growth of the body for building up itself in love." I've often thought how awesome it would be to be a prophet, or an apostle, even an evangelist! These are great titles and positions! Brad the evangelist! Has a ring to it doesn't it? But how about Brad the joint? Did you notice Paul said the body grows by that which every JOINT supplies? Now being a joint does't sound as cool as being an apostle does it? Or a teacher? But without our joints the body does not, cannot function. Oh how necessary these parts are. In reality, Jesus taught, that those that serve are the greatest of all. The invisible parts become the most necessary. Grace Pointe can't function without nursery workers, church cleaners, lawn care and maintenance people, home visitation, visits to shut ins, intercessors, etc... No one in the body is without something to do. A 5-fold ministry should actually lead the way by example of service. I truly believe the old saying "many hands makes light work." When everyone in the body steps up and serves, then the body grows and is built up. I want to thank all the folks at Grace Pointe who regularly serve without a lot of fanfare, without you the church would cease to function. For those standing on the side lines I'm making an appeal to share in the load. Paul said EVERY joint supplies when EVERY part does its share!