Posts

By Faith

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Hebrews 9-11 “” By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days. By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.” Hebrews 11:29-31 The birth of Christ includes the story of Rahab as a distant family member. Rahab’s faith in God began as she heard about the Red Sea parting and one of the world’s most powerful armies being destroyed. Our obedience to God’s Word to us, regardless of the cost, could be instrumental in someone’s decision to trust God with their difficult situation. The ripple effect of our faith-stories will echo throughout eternity. Without faith we cannot please God. The seemingly impossible obstacles of the Red Sea, the Jericho walls, and Rahab’s life of prostitution, were all overcome by faith. In what very difficult obstacle or challenge we are ...
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Intercession

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Hebrews 5-8   “…but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:24, 25 Christ is our eternal high priest, interceding for us before the throne of God. This is a profoundly humbling thought. Those who belong to Christ have an advocate and intercessor who always lives to make intercession for them before the throne of God. This constant availability is the pattern for intercession in the Church today. Christ is equipping and calling intercessors to join him. Those who are available to the Father and his assignments, as well as available to nations and peoples to bring their needs before God. As the Father pours out his grace and Spirit upon us in response to intercession, Christ’s intercession for us is transforming our lives. Our lives are noticed, and our needs are met by the Lord Jesus who always lives to intercede for us. Will we res...
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Makes Us Holy

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Philemon; Hebrews 1-4 “In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.” Hebrews 2:10, 11 With Jesus as our author of salvation and example of discipleship, we, too, are being made holy. This work of grace requires death to the life of self and sin, and this requires the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus suffered and showed us God’s playbook for transformation. Our capacity to absorb and grow through pain and suffering directly influences our journey in holiness. It is as we surrender our will in the midst of the relational, financial, health, and ministry pain that we cry out to Jesus, our author and perfecter of faith and salvation. His grace and his Spirit’s power are enough for us, especially in our weakness. In what way...
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Word of Truth

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2 Timothy 1-4   “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth…All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16 For the Lord’s workers, the Word of God is both a weapon and a tool. The Holy Spirit, who inspired God’s Word, spoke to and through the various authors with wisdom and revelation. However, the Word of God requires correct and skillful ‘handling’ so that its intended meaning and impact is received. The life of the worker is the first place God’s Word must transform. We live under the authority of God’s Word and receive it with humility before we have the responsibility of sharing it with others. ‘What we are looking for in ministry, equipping, and truth, is found in the Word of God. Listening to the Word is a daily discipline ...
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Salvation

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1 Timothy 5-6; Titus 1-3   “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7 This trustworthy saying was probably memorized and repeated in local churches on Crete. It captures the heart of the gospel. We are saved by the kindness, love, mercy, and grace of God toward us, not by of our righteous deeds. The process of salvation is through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on us is through Jesus Christ who came to baptize us with the Holy Spirit. Those who have experienced this new birth in Christ now live with the hope of eternal life. They know they belong to God and their desire is ...
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Courageous Conversations

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1 Timothy 1-4   “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they don’t know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.” 1 Timothy 1:5-7 Paul’s experience of God’s incredible love for him influenced all his relationships. In his discipleship of Timothy, Paul called him as a young pastor of the Church in Ephesus to command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer. Perhaps Apollos was drifting away from a doctrine of salvation by grace alone. Paul loved Timothy and the Ephesian Church too much not to rebuke them. He made clear this rebuke was not because he had a personal conflict with anyone. Do we love one another enough to confront wrong behavior or theology? Are we willing to be rebuked in love for our own growth and maturity? Discipleship in community is costly and life-transform...
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Kingdom Assignments

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Colossians 1-4   “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Colossians 3:23, 24 Knowing who our boss is and what their expectations are can be very helpful. When salvation is reduced to a sin-management solution, we ignore our deliverance from the kingdom of darkness and into the ‘kingdom of light’ (Colossians 1:12-14). The Lord Jesus Christ rules this kingdom! We have a ‘Boss’ who gifts us and empowers us by the Holy Spirit to complete kingdom assignments. Our call is to receive Christ’s kingdom assignments in our workplace, community, home, and church contexts, and work at them with all our heart. Forgiving our co-worker, serving our spouse, loving our neighbor, sharing the gospel with our employer are all kingdom assignments. It is the Lord Christ who will evaluate our work and determine our eternal reward. Additionally, t...
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