Praying for Your Children

Found this article today. Very helpful as we (parents) seek to raise our children in a God honoring manner.

The Most Important Prayer For Our Kids

Never Lose the Wonder

Well, Palm Sunday is over. Good Friday and Easter Morning have passed us by once again. 

While these days have come and gone, the truths that we celebrate on these days ought never to leave our hearts and our minds. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ have implications that affect not just one or two days a year, but rather every single day of our lives. Jesus is just as much alive today as he was on the first Easter. He is just as much alive today as he was on April 8th, and every Easter Sunday before that. 

Through the resurrection, Christ demonstrated his ultimate power over sin, death, and hell. That power isn't limited to one day a year. He had that power in eternity past, he has it now, and he will have it forever. 

As we exit this time of year when we specifically celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ, may we never lose the wonder of what this work of Christ accomplished for us. It bought our salvation. It gave us victory over sin and death. Because we who have once died with Christ in his crucifixion, we will be raised with him on the last day (Galatians 2:20, John 6:39-40). May we never lose the wonder of Christ's death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

The Power of the Resurrection

This past week I have been immersing myself in texts that have to do with the death and resurrection of Christ. As I have done so I have been struck again and again by the beauty of the gospel that Paul proclaimed as of "first importance (1 Cor. 15:3)."

Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, left his heavenly dwelling place and "made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:7-8)."

Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, the holy Son of God (who was God himself), died for the sins of man.

Don't just pass over that statement. Read it again!

Jesus DIED for the sins of man. 

It's not some token example or illustration that the scripture uses. This death was a real event. Jesus died. The prophet Isaiah foretells this event with these words. "Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed (Is. 53:4-5)." Jesus died for the sins of the human race. It was not because of any wrong doing that he (Jesus) had done, but for the wrongdoing of sinful men. To personalize the words of Isaiah, "Surely he has borne (my) griefs and carried (my) sorrows." It was my sin that put him on the cross. It was the punishment for my sin that he endured.

 When considering the cross, there does not appear to be much power there. The death of Jesus on the cross is simply an innocent one dying for the guilty. If the story ends at the cross, then death has won. But, the cross is not where the story ends.

In Philippians 3:10, Paul expresses a desire to "...know him (Christ) and the power of his resurrection." Three days after Christ had surrendered his life on the cross, he rose from the grave. He became alive again! This he could do because he was God in human form, and by rising again he displayed his ultimate power over death so that Paul could say in 1 Cor. 15:55, "O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting." And then in vs. 56 and 57 he says, "The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ." Through the death and resurrection of Christ we have gained victory over death. For those of us who have trusted in the work of Christ, Romans 6:5 stands true. "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." For even though we die in Christ we live! As Galatians 2:20 puts is, "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

There is power in the resurrection of Christ from the dead. A power that brings victory over death to the believer and a power that is secure because it is found in Christ and not in our own good works or our own will.

Like Paul, I desire to know the power of the resurrection. Not to know it in a simply academic or intellectual capacity, but to know it in an experiential way. I want to know that power in a way that influences and changes my life!

This week as we remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ may we seek to know by experience that power that the resurrection contains. God has offered freely his grace to those who simply trust and place their faith in the gospel (gospel = good news) of Jesus Christ, not only crushed for our sins, but risen again to give us life!

Soli Deo Gloria! Glory to God Alone!

11 Ways to Love Your City

 

Jesus calls us to “go and make disciples” and to love our city so that we might clearly communicate the gospel and see more people come to know him. But what does this look like practically? What does it mean to love our city? Here are 11 practical, gospel-centered ways you can love your city.

1. REACH OUT TO “THE LEAST OF THESE” IN YOUR CITY.

Who are the downtrodden, forgotten, or underserved people in your city? Start a mercy ministry to reach out to these groups. Create a transition plan for homeless people from shelters into community. Jesus tells us that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for him.

2. GET INVOLVED CIVICALLY.

Set up a meeting with your mayor or city council members and find out specifically what your city needs. Then rally your church or Community Group to help meet those needs. Start attending your neighborhood association meetings and volunteering your time to make your city better.

3. THROW PARTIES AND INVITE YOUR NEIGHBORS.

This could be anything from a get-together in your apartment to a full-scale neighborhood block party. The transient nature of many cities can lead to neighbors barely knowing one another. Sometimes all it takes is to initiate by invitation!

4. TAKE CARE OF YOUR CITY’S ENVIRONMENT.

Pick a block or neighborhood and clean it up! Own it and take care of it. Organize a Green & Clean event to rally your church and keep your city sparkling.

5. STAY PUT.

Most cities have a sort of “revolving door” as people move in and out. This is one reason why in places like Seattle most people put little effort into trying to get to know their neighbors. So dig in, stay put, and make an effort to develop your relationships.

6. GIVE A GIFT OF ARTISTRY.

Get your artists together and create a mural that blesses the city. Open your building to your city’s artwalk.

7. BE A POSITIVE PRESENCE, NOT A NEGATIVE ONE.

Create a city or neighborhood blog that tells stories of hope and progress in your city. Focus on what’s working instead of complaining about what’s not working. Be a part of finding solutions to the problems your city faces.

8. PARTICIPATE IN AND HELP PLAN AND EXECUTE YOUR CITY’S EVENTS AND FESTIVALS.

Seriously, it’s ok to have fun. Enjoying your city and investing in its happiness is a great way to show you love it.

9. START MINISTRIES THAT ADDRESS YOUR CITY’S SPECIFIC FELT OR UNSEEN NEEDS.

Rescue girls out of slavery in sex trafficking. Connect your business people with a business ministry that helps them connect and share life together in a way they may not otherwise have the opportunity to.

10. LEADERS ARE READERS.

Get a newspaper subscription so that you can keep up with current events. Read up on your city’s history to understand how it started and what historical and cultural forces shaped it into the city it is today. Knowing your city’s past enables you to speak boldly to its context and mindset, because your city’s history shapes its present more than you can possibly imagine. 

11. PRAY FOR YOUR CITY.

We can often forget that God really does listen to our prayers, and that he wants to hear from us. Not only does he hear us, but he acts. Pray that God would change your city. Pray that he would save its citizens. Pray that he would give wisdom to its leaders. Remember that your city’s well-being is your well-being.

This post originally appeared on the Mars Hill Church Downtown Seattle site.

Faith and Works

James 2:14-17, "What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled,' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead." (ESV)

Do you have 'faith', but not 'works'? If so then you are the "patient thinker" that Pastor Ruiz referred to in his recent study of Hebrews. You are the one who has made an intellectual ascent to the truths of scripture and the truths of the gospel, but those truths have never made it down into your heart. They are simply facts to be considered in your mind, not applicable truths to be lived out in your everyday life. 


The kind of faith that saves is a faith that is evidenced through works. James challenges his readers in verse 18 to "(s)how me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." A faith that is evidenced through works is a faith that saves because it is a genuine faith. It is not merely an intellectual faith that that sows no seed and reaps no fruit, but it is a faith that changes the life. James 1:22 tells us that the one who only hears the Word and does not act upon it deceives himself. 


Are you a hearer of the Word and not a doer? I urge you to become a doer of the Word, because the one who acts upon the Word "...will be blessed in his doing." (James 1:25) ESV

Forgive and Forget: is it really that simple?

Forgive and Forget: is it really that simple?

A friend recently made this comment.  “I think that the level at which we understand forgiveness shows the level at which we understand the gospel.” Personally, I believe this to be a very accurate statement because the gospel of Jesus Christ is essentially a gospel of forgiveness. Brian Zahnd, in his book UNconditional? said that “if Christianity isn’t about forgiveness, it’s about nothing at all.” (Zahnd, p. 2) Christ came to earth as a man and died so that his church might be forgiven of their sins. Jesus lived a life of forgiveness. Even as he was being killed Jesus cried out, “forgive them (his murderers) for they do not know what they are doing.” The gospel is a gospel of forgiveness and the extent to which we understand forgiveness reflects the extent to which we understand the gospel.

There is a cliché about forgiveness that has been making the rounds for years now. This cliché is one that is harmful to our understanding of true forgiveness. It misrepresents the very character of God and the gospel which he brings to us in Jesus Christ.

The cliché is “forgive and forget.” The logic is that if God forgives and forgets (by the way  – the word “forget” is used to refer to an “inability to remember”) our sins, then we must do the same. Jeremiah 31:34 is the verse most often cited for this opinion. The second half of the verse reads as follows: “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” A strictly literal interpretation demands the interpretation of forgive and forget. But is that what is really being said here?

When one asserts that God forgives and forgets and that we must also forgive and forget there are two issues that must be dealt with. Two issues that would seem to be very serious. One issue is on a practical level and the other is on a theological level.

The Theological Issue

The first issue I want to address is the theological issue. How does the idea that God actually forgets match up with the doctrine of God’s omniscience? Can an all-knowing God really forget something? Can an all-knowing God really cease to know something? The obvious answer is “no” because the moment that God ceases to know something (anything) he ceases to be omniscient. In the Gospel of John 16:30 the disciples said to Jesus (who was also God), “we know that you know all things.” He knows all things.

So then, what about Jeremiah 31:34? Is this verse in error? Not at all! When God says that he will “remember no more” he is referring to a covenant with the sinners. He does not cease to remember the sin, but chooses, at the moment of forgiveness, to treat the repentant sinner as if the sin had never occurred.

If we were to look in depth at the doctrine of justification we would discover that it is very similar to forgiveness. The essence of justification is that God no longer treats the believer as if he is sinner, but the sinner is given the righteousness of Christ and is therefore treated as being sinless. The fact of the sin remains, but God chose to treat Christ (by killing him on the cross) as if he had been the sinner, and treat the believer (now being justified) as the sinless one. Think about it. If God had chosen to forget or ignore the problem of our sin and had not provided a payment for it, he would have violated his own justice. Since God cannot violate his own justice he could not ignore the payment of sin. But instead of holding the believing sinner accountable he forgave the believer and transferred the penalty to Christ.

It comes down to this. God cannot forget because it is the very nature of God not to forget. If he were to forget anything he would cease to be God. God cannot forget because to forget or ignore the sin and it’s penalty would mean that all men would still be damned to hell as the necessary consequence for our sin.

The Practical Issue

Time and time again in the New Testament we (as believers) are entreated and commanded to imitate Christ. “Be holy as I am Holy” is the most familiar of these. In the Lord’s prayer Christ provided us with a template of how to pray. In this prayer is the phrase, “forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” The debt that we owe as human beings is the debt of sin, or rather the penalty of it. Christ essentially says here that we are to forgive those who are debtors to us in the same manner that Christ forgave us. Basically, forgive those who sin against us as Christ forgives us when we sin against him.

There are a few instances in my life, as I’m sure there are in all our lives, in which I have had to extend forgiveness to someone who had sinned against me. For those sins that did not affect or hurt me very much, I did not have much trouble actually forgetting. To this day I probably cannot recall every single person who has ever sinned against me or the specific manner in which they wronged me. I do, however, specifically remember some of the sins that others have committed against me. Those sins incurred hurt on me that will not easily (if ever) be forgotten. But, just because I am not able to forget the specific instance does not mean that I am unable to forgive. I am confident that every individual person reading this has had the same experience.

Forgiveness is a choice, not an ability to remember or forget. It is a choice and a promise to not condemn the person who has sinned against you.

Conclusion

As we look at forgiveness it is true that God “remembers no more” our sins. Not that he has divine amnesia, but rather that he promises to treat us as if we bear the righteousness of Christ. The same is true for us as we forgive others.

In the light of  true forgiveness, God’s love shines so much brighter. It thrills my soul that he loves me, not forgetting my sin, but in spite of my sin! We  truly do have an awesome God and an awesome gospel.

Forgive and forget? No. God offers a much better forgiveness than that!

Book Recommendation - 1

"God is the Gospel" - by John Piper

"Gospel" means good news—but what makes the good news good? What is the goal of the gospel, without which it is no longer good? It is that Christ’s death brings sinners to God! Were it to bring us anywhere else we would be left hopeless. But the gospel is that God gives us himself—Christ died to give us Christ—, and this self-giving is his highest mercy to us and the best news for us! The most profound, most exceedingly gracious, final and decisive good of the good news is Christ himself as the glorious image of God revealed for our endless satisfaction. 

(excerpt from www.desiringgod.com)

Download the book in pdf. format here. (free)