Emanuel

God has not called us to attain some super ethereal spiritual enlightenment. No new age mystical, science fiction, or gnostic experience will attain fullness of life or ultimate good. No, God lives in reality, with us. We see this in a baby lying in a manger and in Jesus battered on a cross and God on his throne declaring, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” . . . Jesus comes into the reality of our lives and calls out, "Come, all who are weary and heavy laden. Come sinners. Come and live in reality, and be held in my embrace. Stop seeking other ways that offer a false reality, for there is no other way. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life . . . I am Emanuel"

Part 1: God has ordained that there be the poor

Part 1: God has ordained that there be the poor

Definition of the Poor

                Don’t think of the poor as just those who have little. In the scripture the idea of the poor can be extend to the orphan, the widow, the sojourner, the broken and destitute, someone taken advantage of, the low paid worker, etc. Basically it involves social justice. So as you read this don’t just think of the person who is in financial straits, but think deeper to those in need of the gifts God has placed in the church, people God has placed in your life who need you to intervene on their behalf and whom you need to be a part of your life.

God has ordained that there would be the poor

Questions:

Why do you think there are poor in this world?

Can we get rid of poverty?

What does the fact that there are poor in this world mean?

Reading:

“For the poor will never cease to be in the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You will freely open your hand to your brother, to your needy and poor in your land.’”

--Deuteronomy 15:11

                God is about to take his people, Israel, into the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey, a land and a nation that was supposed to represent God’s Kingdom breaking through on earth, and they are told something startling and seemingly out of place, “the poor will never cease to be in the land.” Why in this nation that is called the Promised Land, and is supposed to represent the best of all nations, are they told there would always be poor in their land? This promise is given with no condition on whether or not they followed the Lord or not. It was to be. God in His providence and mercy ordained that in this great nation there would be poor. The scripture show that God has an intimate concern for the poor. So what is God doing here? Why is this so? Let’s explore this. . . .

Scripture reading:

Read these verses and discuss what they mean to you and in regards to ministering to the poor.

Matthew 26:11

For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.

Proverbs 19:17

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.

Matthew 25:41-46

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Questions:

Do you believe that God has ordained that there will always be the needy and the poor in the land?

What do you think God is doing here, when He tells Israel that “the poor will never cease to be in the land”?

Created in the image of God . . .

“It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified.” -- Galatians 3:1

God has called us to be image bearers of God. That’s what we were created for. It is easy to think, I need to be “holy” so I can portray God’s image. History or His story has another take on portraying the image of God. The pinnacle point in history where the greatest portrayal God took place was at the cross in Jesus.  As we bear God’s image in our own lives, it’s not an outward holiness that is the greatest portrayal of God, but Christ being portrayed as crucified in our lives that is at the pinnacle of our being made in the image of God. As the Gospel permeates us and Christ becomes great we fulfill what we were created to be, image bearers of God.

Preaching the Gospel through God's love for us

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

                                                                                             -- 1 John 3:16,17

The Gospel is commanding. It takes dominion in our lives changing our hearts and our minds, conforming us into the image of Christ. We preach the Gospel, because God has ordained the preaching of the Gospel as a means of His grace. And he has established that His Gospel will be preached through those in the church, us. But even though God has ordained this, it is not mechanical. John doesn’t just say, we obey and do what is right. John says that we love. We love to preach the Gospel. And we love others. So where does this love come from?

John lays out the heart of the believer and where our motivation comes from to love the lost– the work of Christ in our own lives – “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.” When we get this, when we get the depths of Jesus’ love for us, our hearts will be moved to love others. John demonstrates an integral connection between being loved by God and walking in the truth of the Gospel and the outward expression of the Gospel’s work in loving others.  Our motivation for ministry to others comes from the security of the redemption we have in work of Christ.

 I like the words of Jeremy Riddle’s song, Sweetly Broken -

At the cross you beckon me
You draw me gently to my knees
And I am
Lost for words so lost in love
I am sweetly broken holy surrender

 As we are beckoned to Christ, we are “sweetly broken” and able to walk in “holy surrender”. It is no longer a work. It is trusting in the work of Christ, having faith in His work, laying all that we are down, and allowing His work to change us. In the Gospel, God boldly works in us through sanctification, with all certainty and determination to continue to grow in our hearts love for others. We are God's handiwork. This is why John states that loving others must happen if we are in the Gospel. He says this because the Gospel is not weak, the work of Jesus is not weak, but certain to work love into our hearts. So this love that we have growing in our hearts for others is a work of God and not our own. And God is not thwarted  . . . . 

This fact gives me much encouragement, when I don’t feel capable of evangelizing or loving others or even don’t feel like loving others. God is at work in me and He will accomplish it, because it is about His work, not mine. And even when I have those times I don’t want to love others, I know He is at work in me. 

Here is the deal; we are motivated not through looking at ourselves and working to muster up a love in ourselves. We are motivated, because He first loved us. He loves us! Do you get that? Let me repeat that. He loves us! He loves us so much that He brings us into His love for others. God has chosen the Gospel as the means for this love to be made manifest. And as we come to trust the Gospel, not just that He saves us from God’s wrath, but that God also brings us into His Kingdom and conforms us into the image of Christ; we will discover that love is growing in our hearts. We don’t look to ourselves; we come and look to Christ, believing in His work. 

And as we step out in these truths knowing it is not about whether or not we fail, because God’s work does not fail. God has determined to do a good work in us, because He deeply loves us. . . . Paul says that all things are "Yes" in Christ.

This is the power of the Gospel as it sanctifies our hearts and conforms us into the image of Christ. The more we see the magnificence and grandeur of what Christ has done for us and grow in our understanding of the Gospel in our own lives, the more passion we will have as God takes us into His story and uses us to reach out to others and bring them into this love. 

Catagorical Thinking

I was talking with a friend, tonight, and he mentioned how instead of listening to what people have to say, we tend to put people into categories. For example, in talking about theology or politics, people tend to set categories, so if you approach those subjects people automatically put you into preconceived boxes that they have for you, whether or not you fit in those boxes. We talked about how often, because of this, we get put in boxes that we actually totally disagree with. But because people have already determined this is what we believe and have shut their ears to anything contrary, they don't hear what we actually are saying. And I have done it to others as well.

The problem is that the Word of God doesn't fit into categories, not even close.

My prayer is not necessarily, how do I get others to change, but how can God change me, and help me to communicate lovingly in a way that breaks down any categories. In His grace, I want to be able to speak in a way that is gentle and loving and strong. To speak in a way that makes others feel welcome, maybe uncomfortable and maybe  even hostile at times, but welcome. Jesus, spoke in a way that struck the hearts and souls of men. He was strong and many people rejected Him because of it. But He also said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.". And like Paul, I want to pray that the Holy Spirit will speak clearly through me, breaking down any preconceived categories men have and breaking down any boxes I put God into, so that they might hear clearly what God has to say.

Love is something worth fighting for

The last few weeks, God has been really impressing on me this verse. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” This Sunday, my pastor talked about a man who was in a fox hole in the middle of a battle trembling, afraid, frozen with fear, and unable to get up and fight. Later, after the battle, a sergeant talked with him, and he told him that those who are able to fight are able to do so because they already know that they are dead.

Love is not something that is experienced and lived in the comfortable Christian-ease lifestyle. Love is something that is lived in the reality of the battles of life. Love is a theology that must be learned in the trenches, in the mud, and in the mire of life.

We often try to protect our hearts. We stay trembling in the fox hole, afraid because running out into the battle field makes our hearts vulnerable and puts us at risk of dying. We stay in our comfortable Christian-ease environment seeking “safe and holy” relationships. We believe . . .A Christian’s heart shouldn’t be broken or hurt or devastated or unprotected. Relationships shouldn’t be messy. . . But then Christ comes and shocks us. He doesn’t live a life of protecting His heart. He comes to love by dying.

He tells us to forgive those who have sinned against us. He tells us to turn the other cheek, when we are wronged. He tells us to serve more, when we are taken advantage of. He tells us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. He tells us to love as He has loved us. You see, you cannot love until you are dead.

The scripture tells us to protect our hearts from seduction and evil, but it never tells us to protect our hearts from righteousness and godly love. When it comes to godly love we are commanded to die.

Love is still a worthy cause - Sara Groves

"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach good news!"

I thought about titling this: Why Calvinists evangelize?

Psalm 33:4-9
4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

2 Peter 3:5
For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,

Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

Here is what is significant. God the heavens and earth with His spoken word. God did this for a reason. The artist, the God who could have created the universe by any means, chose purposely and deliberately to use the spoken word. And even though the world sees this as foolish, by faith we know this to be true, because the word of the Lord is upright. God made this choice to create the worlds by His word, because He was going to use the same means to create something more significant and more difficult with the spoken word – new life. It is the foolishness of the preaching of the word that God uses to bring a dead man’s soul to life. And this word, this gospel, has power. This is why we preach the Gospel. Because the word of the Lord has power and will not return to Him void. When God says, “Let there be light”. There is light.

There is another significance to this. Christ is the Word. And just as all created things were made through him and are sustained by Him. So it is the same with this new life.

Romans 10:14-17
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:21
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.

Preaching with people, not at people

Jesus spoke the truth. He confronted sin. He would not compromise. He turned over tables in the temple. He spoke against the Pharisees. He confronted men and took action even though it made others angry. I think a lot of us can identify with Jesus in these things. We to want to speak out against sin and injustice. But are we identifying with Jesus?

"Now it happened, as He was dining in Levi's house, that many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus and His disciples; for there were many, and they followed Him."
-Mark 2:15

You read what he taught and He did not say easy things. He spoke the truth. But Jesus didn't preach at people, He preached with people. Jesus spoke the truth with tax collectors and sinners. Even when it came to the Pharisees you see him coming to them and preaching with them, confronting them where they are at. Cutting to the heart of issues. Healing on the Sabboth, turning over tables, allowing them to ask him questions. Jesus engaged people.

Portraying Christ in our lives

Bruce Marchiano, the man who played Jesus in the Matthew movie, was speaking this Sunday morning. He said that when he got chosen to play the role of Jesus, he was overwhelmed. He felt the burden of representing Jesus in this film. And he cried out to God desperately asking God to make him like Jesus so that, who Christ is would come forth in the film.

He also talked about one scene where they used a real beggar. This man could be smelt before he even got close. Bruce had a hard time thinking about being touched by this man. But as the scene began, he was overwhelmed and kissed the man's hands. And when the scene ended, he grabbed the man in his arms and just began to weep.

We are ambassadors on behalf of God. We represent Jesus, not in a film but in something greater, the real world. This should cause us to desperately cry out to God and ask Him to make us like Jesus, so that Christ might come forth in our lives.

The cost of loving others

When Christ said that there is not greater love than one who lays down his life for another and commanded us to love as He has loved us. He meant it. Loving others will cost us our life. We must lay it down to love.

Al Mohler Live Dangerously

Personal thoughts on my neighborhood

I am not writing this to convict other people. I am writing this to convict myself, and ask God to teach me how to love and to preach the Gospel. I desire your prayers that God will do this in me, because in myself, there is nothing.

I have been talking with a few people how the economy is affecting this area, how crime is on the rise. I have been thinking not so much on how to fix this, but on how do I faithfully respond to this. Is it right for me me to turn my face the other way? I was talking to my neighbor about a part of town I went to several years ago. He told me not to go back, because I would get jumped. And I am thinking we are willing to send men off to war. Even in the church we send missionaries off to dangerous places, but am I willing to go to these hard places here next to me to love my neighbor.

So where does this begin. I don't know. But I don't want turn my head away.

Christians are not morally superior than non-Christians

"The Gospel is the only faith system I know that leads you to expect that people who don't believe like you believe will be better than you. What!? Yes! Because the Gospel says your not saved because your wise; your not saved because your good; your not saved because your virtuous; your not saved because your performing the truth. You are saved because Jesus performs the truth. And you can't get a salvation unless you admit that you are not any better than anyone else, that you are a sinner and that you need grace. And therefore the Gospel leads you to expect that the people who don't agree with you could easily be and usually are better people than you, wiser, nicer, more disciplined, more self controlled, kinder, less likely to fly off the handle; and they are. Every other system of thought leads you to believe that you will be better than the people who do not believe the right things, but the Gospel says if you believe the Gospel you are likely to see other people who don't believe the Gospel better than you. In other words, the Gospel humbles you before the people who don't agree with you. Humbles you! I don't know of any other system that would do that."

--Timothy Keller
Exclusivity of Christianity

Words on Evangelism from an unbeliever

Give Me Your Eyes

Smelly Dead

When I see the druggie, the alcoholic, the person who is down and out, the person steeped in sexual immorality, the poor, the homeless, the sick, the dying, the leper, the only difference between this guy and them is the grace of God. I can't stand aloft and feel like somehow I am here because I made a better choice. I don't have it in me to make a better choice. I was dead, smelly dead, in my trespasses, an enemy of God, so horribly lost that it took Jesus dieing on the cross and Christ bearing the vileness of my sin, so vile that it caused Him to sweat blood. No, I am no better than the worst. And I am not here because I made a better decision. I am here because of Christ. It was Christ who was willing to take on the depths of my sin, to become vile. And it was His grace and the strength of His power that reached down to my dead and vile heart and gave me life from the dead. And I have to believe that that grace which is big enough for me is big enough for them. I once was one of them and so I long for them to come into the Kingdom. I know His grace reaches down to the worst of who we are and He can give life even to us, the most smelly of the dead.

Listening

A while back my pastor was talking about ministering and presenting truth. He asked the question, "Are you more focused on teaching, then listening?" I look back on some of my experiences since my pastor spoke these words. Without realizing it the Lord has been working this in me. And listening has given me the opportunity to present the gospel in some powerful ways. When you present the Gospel, you are not just presenting the truth, but you are you are presenting Christ.

never ever

never, ever, ever, ever ,erver, ever stop preaching the Gospel.

Gospel