28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
This is Paul speaking to the followers of Jesus in Galatia. The idea is that, once we have made the decision to lay down our lives for Christ we immediately become part of the body. According to Ephesians 2:16 all believers are reconciled to God in ONE BODY through the cross, and that is the body of Jesus!
I picked out this verse because of the discrimination issue that Paul speaks to. As believers, we have to be so careful to remember that any brother/sister we meet, from any race, and any walk, and any social standing is part of the body of Christ! Therefore, anything we do unto our brother in Christ, we do unto ourselves, the rest of the Church, and unto Jesus! That should make us think twice when it comes to the thoughts we allow to shape our attitudes about people.
Let's all make a conscious effort to love our brothers that we have pre-conceived notions about...when others in Christ differ from us in outward appearance, or lifestyle, or even in Biblical doctrine, remember that our hearts are equally wicked, and therefore equally deserving of nothing! And it is only by the grace that is in Christ Jesus that any of us have LIFE!
Thank you Father for sending us your Son! Amen
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
The Gospel message...
It is so important that we get this right! It is the most important thing we can do as Christians. If we want to serve Jesus, and we feel our hearts leading us to reach out to God's people, then we have to learn the Gospel message and how to present it in a way that is: 1) complete and 2) Easy to remember.
I have learned that the Gospel can be easily presented using the 4 words: God - Sin - Cross - Faith. God in His holiness and glory, Sin in it's condemnation, Cross, Jesus incarnate dying for our sins, and Faith, with repentence, the only way to salvation.
Too many churches today are only preaching Cross and Faith. An even smaller number are willing to include Sin in their teaching. But how many churches are teaching the holiness of God himself? If we fail to understand that God is perfectly holy in everything He does, we will never understand the depth of our own sin and the real need for the Cross of Christ.
When will we learn that we can't give half of the Gospel message and expect to have committed Christians who are willing to lose their lives for Jesus (Mark 8:35)??!!!! It's time to start getting the message right! I challenge myself, and anyone who reads this to be constantly growing in our understanding of the Gospel, so that when we are called upon to share the Good News we can respond with confidence as many will ask, "Why do I need Jesus?"
I have learned that the Gospel can be easily presented using the 4 words: God - Sin - Cross - Faith. God in His holiness and glory, Sin in it's condemnation, Cross, Jesus incarnate dying for our sins, and Faith, with repentence, the only way to salvation.
Too many churches today are only preaching Cross and Faith. An even smaller number are willing to include Sin in their teaching. But how many churches are teaching the holiness of God himself? If we fail to understand that God is perfectly holy in everything He does, we will never understand the depth of our own sin and the real need for the Cross of Christ.
When will we learn that we can't give half of the Gospel message and expect to have committed Christians who are willing to lose their lives for Jesus (Mark 8:35)??!!!! It's time to start getting the message right! I challenge myself, and anyone who reads this to be constantly growing in our understanding of the Gospel, so that when we are called upon to share the Good News we can respond with confidence as many will ask, "Why do I need Jesus?"
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