June 26, 2014 CHRIST SHINING ON US
What was the passion of Paul and other New Testament writers? Certainly it was a desire for men and women to come to be converted to followers of Christ. The Christian journey starts with being saved-confessing that we are sinners and putting our faith and hope in Jesus as our Saviour. However, there is much more to our salvation than going to heaven as great as that is. As we read in the New Testament, we find that the pages are filled with instructions on how we are to live now that we belong to Him. In Philippians 1:27 we find Paul telling believers to “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ..” There are things that we are not to do as believers, but more importantly, there are many things for us to be about doing. As we focus on who we are, our true identity, we will find that we do not even want to do the things that are unbecoming of believers. The point is that we cannot afford to be passive in living out the gospel. The Christian life we are to live is active. The scriptures are to be our marching orders in deed. Ephesians 5:15-15: “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days or evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” I am convinced that there is a huge mountain we need to remove and that mountain is spiritual inertia. I think this is where the passion of New Testament writers “kicks in”. Paul exhorted believers in Ephesians 5:10: “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord:” In Colossians 2:2 we find the phrase “attaining to all the wealth”. If we embrace the admonition to live out the gospel in tangible ways day by day, moment by moment, life will never be the same. This sounds first-grade-ish, but when you read the scripture-do what it says! The gospel is our design for life. In Ephesians 5:14 we read: “For this reason it says, Awake sleeper, and arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” I am sure that you and I both want Christ to shine on us and that He will do if we obey what He says in His Word.
Blessings,
Buddy
Philippians 2:12: “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling: for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
What was the passion of Paul and other New Testament writers? Certainly it was a desire for men and women to come to be converted to followers of Christ. The Christian journey starts with being saved-confessing that we are sinners and putting our faith and hope in Jesus as our Saviour. However, there is much more to our salvation than going to heaven as great as that is. As we read in the New Testament, we find that the pages are filled with instructions on how we are to live now that we belong to Him. In Philippians 1:27 we find Paul telling believers to “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ..” There are things that we are not to do as believers, but more importantly, there are many things for us to be about doing. As we focus on who we are, our true identity, we will find that we do not even want to do the things that are unbecoming of believers. The point is that we cannot afford to be passive in living out the gospel. The Christian life we are to live is active. The scriptures are to be our marching orders in deed. Ephesians 5:15-15: “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days or evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” I am convinced that there is a huge mountain we need to remove and that mountain is spiritual inertia. I think this is where the passion of New Testament writers “kicks in”. Paul exhorted believers in Ephesians 5:10: “trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord:” In Colossians 2:2 we find the phrase “attaining to all the wealth”. If we embrace the admonition to live out the gospel in tangible ways day by day, moment by moment, life will never be the same. This sounds first-grade-ish, but when you read the scripture-do what it says! The gospel is our design for life. In Ephesians 5:14 we read: “For this reason it says, Awake sleeper, and arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” I am sure that you and I both want Christ to shine on us and that He will do if we obey what He says in His Word.
Blessings,
Buddy
Philippians 2:12: “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling: for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
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