Saturday, August 14, 2010

Faithfulness

Luke 16:10 reads, "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much..."

So often I want more than God has given me. You know what I mean? I want more money, a larger ministry, more books on my shelf, a bigger house, etc. But Luke 16:10 graciously asks: "Josh, what are you doing with what you already have?"

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The Cost of Discipleship

In Luke 14.25-33 Jesus provides three conditions for discipleship. In other words, if you want to follow Jesus here is what He requires:

1. Love your family less than you love Christ (26)
2. Bear your cross and follow Christ (27)
3. Renounce everything (33)

Monday, August 9, 2010

Growing in Christ - Romans 6

In Sunday's worship service we worked through 2 Peter 1.1-11 and talked about growing in Christ; or to use Peter's words "becoming partakers of the Divine nature." In the end we concluded that the goal is to live godly and Christ-like lives (see Romans 8:28-29). To be godly husbands & wives; to be godly parents & children; to be godly co-workers & friends; and yes, to even be godly while we are driving our cars! But as Peter explains this godliness grows in us as we grow in the knowledge of Christ. This isn't a reference to an intellectual knowledge, but a deep, intimate, and relational knowledge of Jesus (dependent on His Divine power and precious and very great promises - see verses 3,4).

I know from experience that growing in the knowledge of Christ can be a confusing concept, so this week i want to take some time to introduce a few more passages that help to paint a more full picture for us. Today i want to look at Romans 6.
Romans 6:1-14 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 ¶ For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7 For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 ¶ Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
I know this is a big chunk to try to digest, but in order to understand it we have to see it all together.

Basically, Paul is arguing that those who have put their faith in Christ have died to sin and been made alive to righteousness. If we plugged Peter's terminology into Romans 6...he would be saying that we have escaped the corruption of this world and have been granted the power to live a godly life. But the key to our death and new life is found in Jesus death and resurrection (what we call the gospel). When Jesus died and was buried...I died with Him and my old sinful nature was buried with him. When Jesus rose from the dead...I rose with Him claiming a new power and a new life. It is because of this union with Jesus that we can say "No" to sin and choose to live a godly life; and it is this union with Jesus that Peter argues, we need to gain a deeper knowledge of. Because Peter knows that the deeper the knowledge of this gospel union with Christ, the more effective and fruitful we will be in the Christian life (vs. 8).

So instead of simply praying to be effective and fruitful, why not begin by praying for greater faith and greater knowledge of Christ and His gospel.

Monday, August 2, 2010

Worshiping God

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him" - John Piper, Desiring God

Is this your hearts prayer? "The LORD is my portion, therefore I will hope in him." (Lamentations 3:24)