Abounding Grace

"In Him we have redemption though His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence" - Ephesians 1:7-8

To start let me break this down with some definitions:

redemption/redeem = to buy back, pay off, deliverance, rescue

forgiveness = to grant pardon to, to cease to feel resentment against, to cancel an indebtedness or liability of

abound = to occur or exist in great quantities or numbers, to be rich or well supplied, to be filled, to be plentiful

Now let me break down this verse in short meanings:

redemption though His blood = He bought us back and paid off our debt of sin by the spilling of His blood on the cross, paying off the penalty for our sin which is death

forgiveness of our sins = because of His death and resurrection, we can be fully forgiven without ever worrying about Him bringing up the past again (Hebrews 8:12, Hebrews 10:17)

So what does this all mean for us and how is this part of those spiritual blessings we have?

Because of what Jesus did on the cross, our sins (past, present, future) have been paid for and completely forgiven. Instead of thinking you have blown it too much for the Lord to ever use you again, you can be totally free from that sin or failure that has you entangled. You no longer have to live for it or yourself. We have been purchased by Him and now owned by Him, a perfect God who only seeks the best. In following His will for our lives, we no longer worry about falling prey to stupid decisions and foolish living.

He has done all this through the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us! We think because of our latest failure, God is through with us and we should just give up now. But His grace ABOUNDS toward us and it abounds towards us in all wisdom and prudence. So His wisdom that formed the whole universe, is the same wisdom that abounds grace towards us. You can never out abound God's grace with your sin - there is nothing you can do that His grace can't and won't cover! You don't have to try and earn your way back to God's favor (i.e. "okay God, I'll pray and read my Bible an hour a night for 2 weeks and then maybe after that I'll be ready to be used again and be close to you again") - you simply repent and walk in the full grace and forgiveness that has already been supplied.

The past, your past is history. Yesterday is over. His mercies are new today (Lamentations 3:22-23) and His grace is abounding towards you. If you've repented of your sin, your failure, your purposeful transgression, then walk in grace and the freedom that comes with it. Use that freedom and that grace to simply draw you to the One who loves you unconditionally and fall more in love with Him! You are not a slave to sin...you are free!

Abounding grace - you didn't earn it and you can't earn it. Stop trying and simply start enjoying!

Chosen & Adopted

"just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will," - Ephesians 1:4-5

***Before beginning, it is important to note that the chief purpose of this post is not to write on the meaning of predestination or sovereignty of God vs free will of man, as there is already much debate on both sides of the camp and I for one hold that the Bible clearly teaches both God's sovereignty and man's choice. This post rather is to focus on another of the spiritual blessings we have in Christ and that is the fact that we are chosen and adopted - debate all you want on the topic but don't miss the fact that God has chosen and adopted us.***

Stop and think on adoption for a moment: a person wants a son or daughter to be in their family and then chooses that person to be part of their family, carrying all the rights and privileges that comes with that last name. That child, once an outsider and not wanted, is now wanted and as every bit part of the family as the other children. He or she is loved and fully accepted and does not need to work to try and keep that last name.

Now for us who have chosen to receive that free gift of salvation made available to us, ponder how this adoption relates to us. We were unwanted by the world and living for ourselves. We were dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:5), enemies with God (Romans 5:10), children of darkness (Ephesians 5:8), and foolish, base, unmighty people (1 Corinthians 1:26-31). We weren't cute kids who seemed to do no wrong or mere infants, but we were at war with the very One who in His love freely chose to adopt us! And with this adoption comes all the rights and privileges of being a child of God! That is absolutely amazing. And since we didn't do anything to earn it, we don't have to "do" things to keep the name. Our response to God shouldn't be out of "have to" but "get to". Just like we do things for those we love because we love them, we keep His commandments because we love Him and we know He knows what is best for us. What a blessing!

And think about choosing for a second, especially when it relates to team competition games. Remember those dreaded times of waiting with the crowd as "team captains" handpicked their teams, and you just hoped you wouldn't be one of the last picks, or even not chosen at all? Those times felt pretty bad. Or maybe you were always chosen being great at the sport you played.

However, God doesn't choose too many who are mighty and strong and wise, but He chooses the nobodies! But then He goes and He wins with them, with you and I. Not because we have anything to offer, but because He supplies everything we need to His praise and glory! If you feel like the last person on earth who could do any good for the Kingdom, then you are the right choice for Jesus because He will surely get the glory if you allow Him to do His work.

So the next time you are tempted to fight and debate over God's choosing or adoption or election or any of those things, think instead on the tremendous blessing it is to be adopted and chosen by God and be in His family! We don't have to understand (nor can we ever) just how this whole thing works, but like it, enjoy it, and know how rich you are because of whose "last name" you carry!

Rich Paupers

"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" - Ephesians 1:3

Decided that last night I wanted to read Ephesians 1 again simply due to the plethora of wealth these chapters hold for us as Christians. However, I got stuck on just this verse for a while dwelling on the impact of it, and from this "stuckness" decided I should do a few blogs on this chapter (so we'll see how this goes).

Too often we shortchange ourselves forgetting the many riches we have in Christ. We make ourselves paupers when in reality we are filthy rich. From this verse alone we are told that we have already been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing. Anything spiritual that we would need we have already been blessed with.

Because we don't see these with our physical eyes, we choose instead to focus on our physical, temporary blessings (or lack thereof) and often whine because we don't have what we want. We allow ourselves to get stressed out, depressed or angry/upset because of this focus on the physical. "If I only had this __________ then I would be happy", or "why don't I have a wife/husband/better job/etc.?"

Get your eyes off the physical things and look at the riches you have in Christ. And that is key, these spiritual blessings are found in Christ. To try find them anywhere else apart from Him is going to lead to frustration. He has already given you them, your response is just to walk in fellowship with Him to enjoy them.

So next time you find yourself upset about something physical you don't have, look back to Christ and realize everything you do have that is much more precious than anything else you think you "need".

Knowledge Is Useless

"But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." - James 1:22

If you're reading this it's probably because the title made your curious to find out what I'm saying and/or you're ready for a fight against the above statement (or perhaps you are having a bout with insomnia and need something to read or perhaps you actually are a casual reader of this blog). You'll understand the context of what I mean after reading the rest of this blog (because if I let you know now, you'd probably not finish reading).

It seems now, in the Christian's battle against their sin and struggles, that the goal is to get knowledge of their sin and/or why they have such a battle against it. Somehow, if one can just obtain the knowledge, that will give them victory against their particular issue. However, they find that after obtaining the knowledge needed it isn't helping and so they must need more (so they buy self-help books, Christian literature on the subject, etc., all to get this knowledge).

In the wrestle against your flesh and those sins you are ensnared in, knowledge is useless....unless you are doing that which you know. We can all know to love our enemy, but knowing is not enough, we must do it! Throughout Scripture we find that Jesus has already set us free from the captivity of sin - when we sin now, we choose to do so. You don't have to continue to give into that thing your flesh keeps having you give into. You simply need to walk in the victory that has already been provided. Does that mean you won't be tempted or have to wrestle against the flesh? No, but you don't have to give into the flesh, as much as it may deceive you to thinking you have to.

Is Facebook causing you to stumble? Get rid of it (yes you can live without it, you did before). Does the internet make you fall? Buy a program or better yet, get rid of that smart phone, laptop or whatever that is causing the sin. Jesus called us to radical action in dealing with sin but again, knowing won't help - you must do! You can understand all you want about sin, why your body chemically makes you want to do whatever it is you do, why your psychological makeup and family history aids in your shortfallings, blah blah blah, but at the end of it all, it is still a choice you make to sin - the other things are just excuses or justifications for you giving into that sin.

You want to free yourself from that sin that ensnares you? Don't just gain knowledge - do that which you know to do, no matter how radical or sacrificial to your flesh it may be. Only then will you gain victory. Jesus made it simple - "Walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). Why we complicate things is simply so we can conquer in our own flesh, which as you have already realized, does not work. Walk in the victory already given to you. Walk in the power already supplied for you. Walk, do...don't just know. If all you do is simply know, then your knowledge is useless.

Compare and study on your own these passages: Galatians 5:16-26, Galatians 6:7-9, Romans 6:1-23, Romans 7:1-6, Romans 8:1-11, Ephesians 2:1-10, Colossians 2:11-23, James 1:21-25

He Knows & Sees

"I know your works..." - Revelation 2:2, 2:9, 2:13, 2:19, 3:1, 3:8, 3:15

In writing to the seven churches there in Asia minor (modern day Turkey), Jesus begins each letter to them by giving a characteristic of Himself that would specifically speak to the church He was addressing and then telling them, "I know your works" and going on to describe just what those works were.

Those four words should make us stop and ponder: Jesus knows and sees all that you do and more specifically, He knows and sees all the work and labor that you do for Him (or perhaps for yourself).

If you are simply playing the game, fooling everyone into thinking you are super-spiritual but in reality you aren't, Jesus knows. If you are doing works to build a kingdom for yourself, that you may get recognized and for people to know your name, Jesus knows. If your works involve pornography and other filth (which shockingly statistics show that 50% of Christian men are addicted to the stuff), Jesus knows.

Even more importantly (and encouraging) for others: all the works you do for Jesus, He knows. Sadly, within the American church, it seems Christians strive to do all sorts of things to promote themselves. Or they put on pedestals only those who are in the spotlight due to huge numbers or celebrity. However, Jesus sees when you pick up that small piece of trash off the church floor that everyone else ignored. He sees when you are sharing your faith with someone else even though you'll never be asked to get in front of an audience and tell how you shared your faith. He knows when you are faithfully teaching and serving in the children's ministry even though you're not boasting about yourself doing it on Twitter or Facebook! He knows!

He knows about Antipas (Revelation 2:13) even though none of us have a clue what this guy did (besides be a martyr). Jesus doesn't care if the world knows your name or not because we don't serve Him for our name - we serve Him for His name.

So if you are simply doing things for your name's sake, He knows. But if you are ministering unto Him and no one in the world or church knows or cares, He knows and He cares!

Be encouraged by this! For further study compare with: 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, 2 Corinthians 5:9-11

Theology Test

"...Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies." - 1 Corinthians 8:1

If you were to be asked, how is your theology what would be your response? If then asked, how well does your theology serve you, what would you answer? I'm going to assume if you are reading this you might be wanting to prove, through some sort of test, that the answer to #1 is sound and solid and therefore I commend you. I won't argue that you don't have an immense knowledge of the Word of God.

However, this test is to see how well you fare for question #2 and hopefully this "test" shouldn't take you too long to do (especially since this blog was advertised to be a short test). Without much hesitation, onward to our test.

#1: Do you consistantly find yourself debating with fellow believers your theological viewpoints and/or feel as if you have to defend your theological viewpoints on a regular basis? How is that going for you? Is everyone involved with those discussions (perhaps, even debates or dare I say arguments?) being unified or is there a spirit of animosity and division?

If, upon talking theology, there is division that takes place, it seems your theology is not serving you very well.

#2: Do you feel offended when someone disagrees with your theological viewpoint (not in an unorthodox sort of way or anti-biblical, but simply non-essentials to the faith there is disagreement)? Does your pride kick in when discussing your theological views?

If you answered yes to either or both of those questions in #2, again, your theology is not serving you very well.

#3: Do you feel comfortable around other believers who hold different viewpoints than yours, even majorly different viewpoints? Can you actively fellowship with them? Do you have other friends who have different viewpoints?

If you answered no to any or all of those questions, once again your theology is not serving you very well.

If through this quick test you find that your theology is not serving you well, what should you do? Should you change your theology? Am I saying your theology is incorrect? Should "we all just get along" and forget about biblical truths? Not in the slightest. Rather change your point of view.

"Knowledge puffs up" we read from the apostle Paul. So many have knowledge and yet their knowledge makes them prideful. They feel somehow superior to another fellow Christian because of their educational background or vast array of knowledge. It doesn't mean we don't look to gain knowledge, but rather understand that simply gaining knowledge can lead to pride.

Instead, "love builds up" and therefore what we do should be in love and service. We don't use our knowledge to convict people or try to show them the "error of their ways" (as we may think since they don't hold to our certain theological point of view), but rather we want to edify them and build them up. That's one thing love does...it edifies.

If you are finding theological talks to be divisive (and again we are talking theology talks among believers, not those who are in a cult or what not), then you are simply allowing your "knowledge" to puff you up. Perhaps you could be wrong...do those words make your blood boil? If so, you are holding your theological views too personal. Honestly, who cares if someone thinks you are wrong or disagrees with you, should that really cause a lack of unity?

If you find your pride kicking in when talking theology, your "knowledge" has puffed you up. Instead, look to change the discussion into something that will build the other person up and edify them. The sovereignty of God vs. the free will of man debate shouldn't result in a thing of pride. Either way, the Lord loves you and that should bring humility not pride (and side note: no one has ever satisfied that debate and YOU won't be the one to do so. And besides that, it's both and both are taught in Scripture!).

If you find you can only relate to and actively fellowship with those who hold the same viewpoints as you do (in other words, being around Pentacostals or reformed Baptists or non-denom people or whoever makes you feel uncomfortable), you are missing out on the beauty of the body of Christ.

The key in discussing theology is to learn to agree to disagree yet without holding a superiority complex or looking down on the person(s). Your knowledge and intellect aren't going to change the world, but your love and sharing of the gospel will (and that still is only through the power provided by the Holy Spirit so you still can't get the glory).

If your theology isn't serving you well, don't necessarily change it but change the way you hold onto it. If it isn't changing you to change the world, there is indeed a change that needs to be made!

Called to Serve...Nothing More, Nothing Less

Author's Note: Yes I know it has been too long since my last post...busyness and laziness plus lack of inspiration have attributed to this fact (case in point - I've been interrupted 2 times just trying to get this part typed). I appreciate all you who read this and desire never to simply blog for the sake of blogging but write those things that will hold value. I would hate for the few minutes it takes to read this to have been wasted. This blog was spurred out of a teaching our pastor did on this very verse. I hope you are blessed. And again, I enjoy the feedback...

"Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God." - 1 Corinthians 4:1

The word "servants" there comes not from the typical Greek word of "doulos" (which simply means "slave" or "servant") but rather "hyperetes" which literally means "underrower". An underrower was one of the men in the bottom of the ship who had to row to a beat of a drum (for illustration purposes click here) and were often chained to the oar. If the ship went down, they went down with the ship. The underrower never received any attention - as one watched a ship move past it would be doubtful that you would ever hear "wow, aren't those rowers amazing. Look at how they get that boat to move in the sea. How I wish I could be an underrower some day." No, those conversations just didn't take place because an underrower was a servant that did all the work but didn't get any of the glory.

So too are we! We are called to be underrowers - those who serve Christ because He is our Savior & Master whose whole desire is to give Him all the glory.

It is easy for people to say they are servants for Christ and yet a whole other thing to really mean it, especially if there isn't glory or attention being passed down that way. Would you really be doing what you are doing right now for Christ if you never received acclamation for the job you are doing? Are you really okay if you never receive a title or position with ministry? A "no" to any of these questions means you have failed to understand your position in Christ as a servant, but thankfully God is gracious and will change your heart as you pray through this.

Anytime a person states, "that's not my ministry" my mind wanders if they understand we are mere servants of Christ. Granted, not every person can fill every need or try to fill every need or is even called to every need. But one must look at their own heart to see if they are not doing something because it doesn't carry any title, position, or acclamation from the onlookers. As a college pastor I don't necessarily have the time to teach the children's ministry full time, but if I was asked to switch would I be willing to? Or would I think children's ministry is somehow less important than the ministry I'm doing (which by the way, if you are in a church that thinks children's ministry is somehow less important than any other ministry, you may not want to have your kids attend it)?

My job is not to have my name known here on earth or establish some sort of kingdom for me. My job is to have Jesus' name known here on earth...it has nothing to do with me! The same is true with you so say that with me, "it has nothing to do with me!"

When we understand we are merely underrowers for Christ, we will take more pleasure in simply serving. Oh, if seminaries and other institutions would simply teach that degrees and education is simply for education - not for making our names great - how much more good could we do!

Next time you start worrying about yourself when it comes to serving, focus on the One who you should be serving!