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I Take Back Everything I Said...

5/25/2017

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Job 40:6-146Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind: 7“Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. 8“Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right? 9Are you as strong as God? Can you thunder with a voice like his? 10All right, put on your glory and splendor, your honor and majesty. 11Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. 12Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. 13Bury them in the dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. 14Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you.”…… Then, Job 42:1-6 (NLT) 1Then Job replied to the Lord: 2“I know that you can do anything, and no one can stop you. 3You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’ It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about, things far too wonderful for me. 4You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’ 5I had only heard about you before, but now I have seen you with my own eyes.

6I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

God is sovereign. Do we really get that? I am not so certain. As individuals and as churches we constantly devise new and creative ways to try and manipulate God. How about the idea that God, “showed up and showed off?” What? Could we say anything more degrading to our Lord and savior? Or when we sing, “Holy Spirit You are welcome here.” Seriously? Do YOU have the power to keep Him out? Are you implying that there are times that He is NOT welcome? We make rules that believers must follow and hoops through which members must jump and ways that “real” followers should pray-not to mention amounts that the truly devoted should give… Is there ever a time that we as believers and as a church say, “I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance?” Is there never a time when we stop listening to Satan and truly invest ourselves in the Word of GOD which tells us to, “Abide with me and I will abide with you?” Can we EVER just STOP getting in the way of The Way? Why is Jesus never enough? Why must it always be, “Jesus + whatever I think makes Jesus better?” 
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Enjoy Your Place...

5/18/2017

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Ephesians 1:3-8 (NLT) 3All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son 7He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

It is important that we as submitted followers of Jesus understand what it means to be adopted as a child of God. As brother Paul explains to the church in Ephesus, it gives our true Father great pleasure to simply bestow upon those who desire it – adoption as a son or daughter. With our adoption comes the inheritance – our new life; our release from the power of sin and death; the joy and the beauty of walking with our Lord and Savior through this life and into the next. It is what we are given. It is not anything that we earn or even strive for. It is a gift - much like a gift that any parent would freely give to a child without expectation of anything in return. Let me encourage you to accept your place at the table. It is a place to which you do not have to strive to “measure up.” It is a place that is ready for you now, and will be every day of your life as a follower of the Christ. 
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What Do We See?

5/11/2017

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Galatians 3:26-29 (NIV)
26So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Sometimes when we read scripture we read over the most beautiful and powerful truths that we end up either ignoring – or taking for granted. I know that most folks read this passage and discuss the “unity of the body” that is preached; and that it a good thing because it is true. I believe, however, that verse 27 was intentionally set apart because the person who read it was impressed, as I am, by the sheer power of its teaching. It reads, “for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” The Holy Spirit is teaching us that if you have submitted yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ, then when God the Father looks at you – He sees His Son Jesus. I know I say this a lot when I talk about our God but wow. Just wow.  
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Humans will always seek to be self-serving in the theologies that we construct. We are always quick to promote the idea that WE are still in charge, still calling the shots and God is subservient to us. This is reflected in all of our theological constructs – from denying that women have been “clothed with Christ” and thus can not be leaders and teachers in the church; or promoting the idea of Free Will Theism, that is, that God REACTS to our decisions because He has no inkling of the future. How can we be so quick to read the Word of God and claim it as truth and then be just as quick to deny or alter it according to our selfish desires? I stand on solid ground – not on shifting sand. I do, and always will, stand on the Word of God as Truth.
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Friends...

5/6/2017

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3We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. 6When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.  (Romans  5:3-11)

These words are often spoken during times of trial, as well they should.  The truth of these words can not be argued for as we grow and develop as followers of Christ, we also grow more deeply in our friendships with Christ.  This passage reminds us that after all the preaching has been preached, after all the hymns have been sung, after all of the prayers have been prayed and all of the theology has been argued—Jesus Christ died  so that YOU could be friends with God. Do not take that friendship for granted; cultivate it, deepen it and express your appreciation for it every single day.

 
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    Author

    Pastor Brian is the senior pastor of Churchtown Church of God and regularly shares his thoughts & insight here - he invites you to join in the discussion of life & faith!

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