Imitating Christ

Empathy has become a widely used term in recent times. As our society advances the authority of “lived experience” it is important that we practice empathy – especially if we are to speak meaningfully into another’s life.

The word empathy is a transliteration of the Greek term empatheia  (“in-passion”) that meant physical affection. The term does not appear in Scripture.  The first appearance of the word in English was in 1908. It began as a translation of einfühlung ("in-feeling"), a German psychological term that described how spectators projected their own feelings and movements into objects of art and nature. This early conception of empathy transformed into its opposite over the following decades. Social scientists and clinical psychologists refashioned empathy to require the deliberate putting aside of one's feelings to understand more accurately the feelings of another.[1] Psychologist Paul Bloom defines empathy as “the process of experiencing the world as others do, or at least as you think they do. To empathize with someone is to put yourself in [their] shoes, to feel [their] pain.”[2]

Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes to understand their experience and perspective is especially challenging in a self-determined, self-focused world. Psychologist, Frank M. Lachmann, states that our typical responses to people's pain—lines ranging from "It could be worse" to "Let's talk about something else"—"appear to be kind and aimed at soothing," but are really nothing more than code for "Don't confront me with things that are unpleasant," or "Don't bother me with your pain."[3]

Today’s meaning of empathy is what is meant by the biblical term sympathy or sympathize which means to suffer with.  Consider the God/man, the incarnate Creator, the second person of the triune Godhead,  “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not” (Isaiah 53:3). He can “sympathize with our weaknesses” because he was “in every respect tempted as we are” (Hebrews 4:14). He entered our humanity and endured our suffering as described in the Gospel records and theologically affirmed in Philippians 2:6-8 and Hebrews 2:17-18.

In his classic, The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis wrote, "We must imitate Christ's life and his ways if we are to be truly enlightened and set free from the darkness of our own hearts. Let it be the most important thing we do, then, to reflect on the life of Jesus Christ.”

[1] https://books.google.com/books/about/Empathy.html?id=7TdsDwAAQBAJ&source=kp_book_description

[2] https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2022/april-web-only/imagining-neighbors-ourselves-good-samaritan-story-empathy.html

[3] Amanda Robb, "Empathy deficit disorder—do you suffer from it?" The O Magazine (April 2008)

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Extended Grace

Because of “this grace in which we stand” (Romans 5:2) grace is the element in which we live. Grace is not just the diving board that launches us into the swimming pool, grace is also the pool into which we dive. As you live in grace, communing and walking with your Creator/Redeemer, his truth, power, and presence transform you at the level of affection and attitude.  That is why striking statements in Scripture that, under the sun seem rather idealistic, can be practically true.

“Whoever abides in him does not sin” (1 John 3:6) – by grace abide in Christ;
continually be at home in his presence.

“Walk in the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16) – by grace let the Holy Spirit transform your life as you are sensitive to his illumination and direction.

“You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” – by grace abide in his word; let his word
dwell in you richly (Col. 3:16); hide it in your heart (Ps.119:11).

Because we have been lavished with grace in order to live in grace, we can be dispensers of grace, “so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:15). Grace is like the mustard seed that grows and multiplies.  The idea that it “extends to more and more people” assumes human activity. By God’s grace we can live the gospel in the tenor of the beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12) so that grace spreads in the human community. This is the only way to make sense of and find purpose in the difficult life of a broken creation.

With a challenging colleague, in God’s grace anchor your attitude and relationship in the character and purpose of Christ. In your neighbor’s physical suffering, through God’s grace, come alongside to lament with perspective; help maintain a view of the big picture and embrace the brokenness as an opportunity for joy. For the friend in emotional distress and weakness, lean with them into God’s gracious embrace. For those experiencing loss and hardship, through your settled satisfaction and freedom point them to the riches of God’s grace lavished on us.  Living in grace means that with the eye of faith you can see beyond immediate trials to a higher purpose and ultimate good.

Such grace extended will “increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.” Gratitude is the antidote for self-preoccupation. We need more of it in the human community, and if we want to see it, we need to extend grace to more and more people.
 

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Live Joyfully

Joy is the result of the mind and heart focused on what God has done, is doing, and what he has promised. In his goodness and mercy, he has redeemed and reconciled us through Jesus. In his steadfast love and providential care, he graciously fashions us for glory and pleasure that it beyond what we can fully comprehend in our momentary journey. His transcendent power keeps us for the inheritance prepared for us when we are finally home in his presence enjoying him in full satisfaction and delight. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock” (Isaiah 26:3–4).

Christian joy is a settled satisfaction in God’s goodness, love, and sovereignty. Such serenity implies a confidence in a greater authority and resource than anything found in the created order. That confidence frees the one who trusts to not be preoccupied with his or her own security and satisfaction, but to look to the interests of others for their benefit and thereby point people to the benevolent Sovereign. Paul, for example, was in a violent storm on a ship driven across the Mediterranean Sea for fourteen days. I am sure he was feeling green, hungry and exhausted. But because he trusted the promise of God, he did not despair like the others. Rather, he provided focus and direction to a group gripped in suspense and weakness. His care for their need resulted in the encouragement of all (Acts 27:33-36). His confidence in God’s promise freed him from self-preoccupation, so he could care for the needs of others.

Phyllis Hall, in Springfield, Mo., is a widow of three years.  “When you’re a widow…you feel very alone – just like a new neighbor can feel.” So, in her settled satisfaction, she purposefully reaches out to her neighbors. “Your neighbor is anyone you come in contact with,” she said. “The main objective is to show them that someone cares.”[1]  The gospel rescues us from self-focus and frees us to incarnate a vision of peace and hope in a context of decay and despair.

Joy comes from a focused mind on the truth of God’s self-disclosure.  “The truth will set you free,” Jesus promised. So, live as people who are free. Live joyfully.

______________________
[1] Lauren Dunn, The Simple Art of Neighboring, WORLD Magazine, July 30, 2022, p.68

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

The Grace Of God Makes Glad

The martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7) prompted a persecution of believers spearheaded by Saul who was “ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison” (Acts 8:3). If you lived then, you might have thought this was the end of the church. But God was at work; the scattered believers spread the gospel.

There was one problem though, they were sharing the good news only to Jews – people like themselves (Acts 11:19). Thankfully, some followers of Jesus came from the islands and shared the gospel with non-Jews. As a result, “a great number who believed turned to the Lord” because “the hand of the Lord was with them” (Acts 11:21). This news reached the Jerusalem church, and they sent Barnabas to follow up.  I love what Acts 11:23 reports, “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad.” Indeed, God was at work, and the evidence of his investment was a community of grace – transformed lives. This was where the tag “Christian” was first used to identify followers of Jesus. It was at this time also that Barnabas sought out Saul – the one who had ravaged the church – and brought him to disciple the new believers for a year.

God’s work is amazing! We can miss such works of grace when we become preoccupied by the “bad” stuff that happens and focus our energy on shielding ourselves from it. But God is at work even in the “bad” stuff because the gospel spreads and the church thrives. Paul honored the Thessalonian church, for example, by writing, “Your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

It is the grace of God that makes glad. It is a growing love that manifests God’s transforming work of grace. What sets the church apart from social organizations is gospel-centered relationships. What we can learn from the islander Christians of Acts 11 is that if you want to grow in love, it will happen by getting close to people who are not like you. 

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Run The Race That Is Set Before Us

It is late May; the school semester is complete. Award ceremonies and graduation are coming up. I’m seven years old at a boarding school on a mountainside plantation in Colombia. My brothers are there, but Mom and Dad are not – I have not seen them for four months. I’m longing for home!  I am giddily awaiting their arrival, but none of us knows the hour when it will occur.  We keep busy throughout the day – getting chores done, polishing up special projects to put on display for our loved ones, eating meals, competing on the playground. By late afternoon my energy reserves are dwindling, but my anticipation keeps me where I can see the top of the mountain – at any moment they could appear. Suddenly someone says, “Hey, listen! Hear that!?” We identify the faint hum of an engine in the distance, it’s getting closer…closer, and…THERE! Dad’s Jeep truck with its white cab and blue stake body appears at the crest of the mountain road. At this point I’m jumping up and down, my brothers are running to the edge of the parking lot while dorm parents caution us to stay out of the way. I’m mustering all my energy to keep up with the others, eagerly anticipating Mom and Dad’s embrace! We’re going home!

My boarding school days were an experience of learning, discipline, stewardship, and perseverance. I knew it was not home; I was there temporarily. I knew the time would come that I would go home, and I looked forward to the day. Jesus has given us the same anticipation – he has gone to prepare a place for us. Here is his promise, “I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). Until that day, we are “elect exiles” – temporary residents scattered around this blue orb, but with purpose and under his protection and privilege. So, “preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). It is a stewardship that requires perseverance – there is no question that it is a marathon, but “when the race is won, you will run into his arms.”*

May his grace and peace greatly increase toward you for the short journey ahead. Here is something that will contribute to that – join me in committing 1 Peter 1:3-9 to memory. As God’s self-disclosure – the word of Christ – dwells in you richly (Colossians 3:16), you will think his thoughts and gain his perspective.  That is a grace of God.  Also, “Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble” (Psalm 119:165). Run the race set before you with your focus set on the One who is the reward of your soul.

_____________________
*From Runner, by Twila Paris, ©1985 Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Live Free

It is good to be home. There is comfort in the familiar, and rest in the routine. There is delight in the anticipation of interacting and worshipping with those I know and love. Yet with all that is known to me as “home” there remains an unrest, a longing. My satisfaction is not complete because there is the pull of an unfinished task, and the groaning of brokenness all around and within. I am not Home yet; this is not where I belong. I am really an exile, a stranger. But I am here on purpose under the loving care of the One who is Love – he demonstrated that by his sacrifice for me. I am here for a short time before I go home to “fullness of joy” and “pleasures evermore” (Psalm 16:11). That is where my Father is – my source, my sustainer, my security, my satisfaction, and my soul’s reward. Home.

As image-bearers we were designed to desire this higher purpose and ultimate good. We whose lives are “hidden with Christ in God” seek and set our minds on things above where Christ is (Colossians 3:2-3). That hope – that expectation – frees me from getting tangled in the weeds and briars of this short time in exile, weeds that cannot nourish my soul, painful briars that can lead to paralysis. That hope frees me to live.

That was Peter’s appeal to the displaced followers of Jesus in the first century. He called them (and calls us) not to focus on or be controlled or defined by adversity, but to remember who they are, and to keep Home in view. This is not a call to escapism, but to “live as people who are free” (1 Peter 2:16). Only free people can flourish and help others flourish. “Nihilism is fertilizer for anxiety and depression” writes psychologist Erica Komisar. “The belief in God – in a protective and guiding figure to rely on when times are tough – is one of the best kinds of support for kids in an increasingly pessimistic world.”  Her article in the Wall Street Journal begins, “As a therapist I’m often asked to explain why depression and anxiety are so common among children and adolescents. One of the most important explanations – and perhaps the most neglected – is declining interest in religion.”[1] Then – get this – when parents ask her how to talk to children about death if they don’t believe in God or heaven, her answer is simple, “lie.” We can do better than that. We can incarnate the truth and hope of the gospel.

The world needs hope. We worship and serve the God of hope (Romans 15:13). Living as people who are free is living the gospel. This Sunday we begin a series through the book of 1 Peter. I have asked that the bookstore be stocked with Journaling Bibles so that as we journey through this encouraging letter by the apostle, we can engage in ongoing conversations about our hope and what it looks like to live as people who are free.

[1] www.wsj.com/articles/dont-believe-in-god-lie-to-your-children-11575591658

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Thoughts From The Living Room

Dear Grace family,

Greetings from the living room! Today is the mid-point of the sabbatical and I thought I would "poke my head in the door" to let you know I'm enjoying my time, I'm staying busy, and I'm very thankful for Grace. It has been different - but good - to step away from the rigors of pastoral duties to focus on something I've wanted to work on for some time. So there is a sense of refreshment and refocus, but there is also a different-sort-of-busy in the time I spend writing.

Several joys have characterized my time in the first half. First, the family time has been delightful; second, writing has been invigorating; third, the pastoral conferences were refreshing; fourth, visiting other churches has been insightful.  But I love Grace! It has been a pleasure to attend a few times and just be a member of the family.  We have been blessed to interact with many of you in casual get-togethers or digital connections.  It has also been a joy - looking "from the outside" - to observe the church being the church. You are beautiful! With thanksgiving, Andrea and I are lifting you up before the Father's throne daily.

We had hoped to go to Ontario to visit Ben & Megan in their ministry environment, unfortunately Canada is not open to the idea yet. We will look for opportunity at another time.  Meanwhile, through Memorial Day week, we will tour of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Kentucky visiting loved ones. I look forward to attending Grace again when the Gaddalas are in town.  I feel I'm making good progress with writing - one more chapter to go on the first draft. At the end of June Andrea and I will travel to Amelia Island, Florida to celebrate our 35th anniversary, wrapping up the sabbatical with family in southern Florida on July 4th weekend.

Thank you for your encouragement and prayer.  I thank God upon every remembrance of you, and look forward to getting back.

Rich

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

As I Enter Sabbatical...

Dear Grace family,

On April 3rd, I begin a three-month sabbatical to focus on manuscript preparation for publishing, spiritual refreshment, and professional development. I will return to regular pastoral duties on July 5th. I leave you in good and loving hands.

This will be the longest time that I have gone without preaching in 24 years (I may need counseling for withdrawal symptoms). I do plan to attend here three weekends - the first will be Good Friday and Easter.
 
The point of the sabbatical is not to isolate me from you. We don't need a break from each other relationally - we are family.  Connecting with me would be welcomed.  Just think of it this way - you would be safe to have lunch with me and not worry about having to give a living picture.

You will be missed. I will not cease to uphold you before the Father's throne of grace, as I hope you will for me. Here is my desire and prayer for you while I am away:

1. Your delight in God’s word. Prepare for corporate worship, biblical exposition, and small group with great anticipation. Your delight in God’s self-disclosure will lead you to a flourishing satisfaction in Him.
   

2. Value the function of discipleship. At Grace there are many who are faithful followers and can walk with you in a Godward direction. Cherish that. Purpose to be a part of it. It is what Jesus taught us.
   

3. Champion the unity of the church. The church of Jesus Christ is united as Christ prayed in John 17. Fostering relationships anchored in the gospel is the mortar that keeps the building blocks together.
   

4. Live out the reality that we are all in ministry. Part of following Jesus is helping others follow Him. Move outward with your faith as you have been equipped.

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
[Romans 15:5-7, 13]

 
Rich

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Is It Well With You?

The elder apostle John wrote to his dear friend, Gaius, saying, Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul (3 John 2). The word translated “go well with” is translated two other ways in the New Testament – to prosper, and to succeed.

The same meaning was intended when Naomi communicated her desire for Ruth to have a place to settle down and call home, that it may be well with you (Ruth 3:1). Her desire was for her daughter-in-law to have her own place to call home – to establish a family and focus on the social, economic, and spiritual welfare of her household.

 The same word that Naomi used for “be well with” is translated “merry” regarding Boaz. After a day’s work he ate and drank, and his heart was merry (Ruth 3:7). The man experienced a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment from the produce of the land by the fruit of his labor. The Hebrew word that is translated both “well” and “merry” possesses the nuances of success, gladness, and satisfaction.

Both our homes and our industry are weighty to God because He designed and ordained them for us. Our homes are the places of belonging in a family, which are the building blocks of society. Our industry is the exercise of talent, strength, and gifts that God has entrusted to us for the flourishing of humanity.

It may be beneficial for us to re-think the meaning of success about our homes and our industry.  Are our homes fruitful in providing havens for the formation of godly, helpful people? Are we successful in our industry by enjoying the fruit of our labor, knowing we have contributed to the flourishing of humanity to the glory of God? He is the One who gives power to generate wealth (Deut. 8:18; Eccl. 2:24; 3:13). Both our homes and our industry are designed to be sources of joy and wellbeing.

We were created to desire and enjoy satisfaction. We must trust Him to provide. His design and His ways are good because He is good. The blessing of the Lord makes rich (Prov. 10:22).

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Christ Lives In Me!

Part 4
 
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
 

If you have surrendered to the sovereign Creator/Redeemer in faith then He has granted you life in His Son – everything that Christ is dwells in you. It is God’s purpose to develop and demonstrate the character of Christ in you since He is the one who has fulfilled perfect humanity fully obedient and pleasing to the Father. Christ has demonstrated the best humanity and has given us an example of what we in Christ were designed (created in Christ) to do.  For this reason the apostle Paul stated that his ambition was for Christ to be magnified in his body – by life or by death – it did not matter to him. The only point to him was that the goodness and righteousness of God be manifest through him. 

You may struggle with the question: “If Christ lives in me, why is He not noticeable in my life?” Remember that becoming like Christ is a work in progress. God is in the business of forming the character of Christ in the believer, but this requires surrendered faith daily – a long obedience in the same direction.  A human infant does not demonstrate the marks of maturity the day after his birth. A child grows through nurture and discipline – so it is with the child of God. The Father has granted us His Spirit (divine nature and power), His Word (divine transforming truth), and His church (divinely established community of His people) to fulfill that need in each of our lives. 

Sometimes you may get distracted (off track), but the heavenly Father is faithful to gently prompt you in a God-ward direction. He knows that your fellowship with Him and pursuit of Him is, bar none, the best thing for you because of your design – you were made for Him – He is your highest good and deepest satisfaction. 

Children love to measure and chart their physical growth. It is a milestone when a son grows to be taller than his mom. Just as physical growth is the product of physical life, spiritual growth is the product of spiritual life. Your spiritual life requires spiritual nutrition, discipline, and exercise. Clarify your diet and the necessary disciplines along with the community of God’s people. Set goals for your spiritual life; then mark and celebrate your spiritual progress with God’s people.  All who are in Christ are on the same path headed toward the same goal: the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Christ Lives in Me!

Part 3

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

If you have surrendered in faith to the sovereign Creator/Redeemer,  then He has granted you life in His Son – everything that Christ is dwells in you. Peter and John speak of God’s seed and the incorruptible seed.  A seed is small and must germinate then grow in order to produce all the potential that is packed within.  So it is with Christ in us. As we grow in faith we put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires (Rom. 13:14). Christ living in me looks like Christ Himself. 

He enjoyed constant communion with His Father. He affirmed this to be His desire for us when He stated this is eternal life, that they may know you….
 
Because of His communion with the Father He delighted to do the Father’s desires – I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.
 
Because of His delight He was zealous for God purposes – they consumed Him (Ps. 69:9; Titus 2:14). We are His own special people zealous for good works. There is meekness in this. Christ was not interested in promoting Himself or wowing onlookers, but pleasing His Father and pointing people to Him.
 
Because of His zeal for God’s purposes He was gracious, compassionate, merciful and loving. For this reason we are called to be kind, tender hearted, forgiving one another (Eph. 4:32).
 
Also because of His zeal for God’s purposes, Jesus lived with a forward view of hope and anticipation. So we can run the race and press toward the mark while we look unto Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who, for the joy set before Him endured the cross… 

These are telling marks of one in whom Christ reigns.

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

God Works Through His Church

And so we have finished the exposition of the book of Acts.  The spread of the gospel is God’s work, and He works through His church.  He filled the church with His Holy Spirit, empowering His people to live the gospel, to communicate with boldness, and to persevere in faithfulness.  Luke records some amazing things accomplished in the early church, but that is because an amazing God was working through ordinary people submitted to Him. The same has been true through history – we are the same church, with the same mission, and the same indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

The book of Acts ends with an unfinished task. Now it is on us to take up the mantle to communicate the gospel to our generation. This is not merely a call to duty, but an invitation to live in the outflow of the amazing grace, love and power of Christ who created us for Himself and who redeemed us to reconcile us.  In Him we have forgiveness, we are new creations, and we are blessed with the powerful presence of His Spirit (Acts 1:8). We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, to  proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9), and who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Titus 2:14).

There are four necessary components to communicating the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ:

1. Creator/community – God, who is community, created us to draw us into communion with Himself and enjoy Him forever.

2. Sin/separation – Sin separates us from God like a branch broken off the tree. That separation is ultimately his holy, necessary wrath.

3. Son/Savior – God, from eternity, had a remedy for our sin in place. His Son came to us, like us, lived a perfect life, then died on the cross taking God’s wrath in our place.

4. Righteousness/reconciliation – Because Jesus rose again, our surrendered trust in Him gives us His righteousness, so that we can be reconciled to God and enjoy Him forever.

There are various ways to communicate the gospel simply and clearly. Last Sunday I introduced you to two compelling gospel presentations. I promised to send you videos so you could learn them, so here they are, the 4 Chairs, and the 3 Circles. I encourage you to master them, then ask God’s Spirit to cross your path with another’s for a redemptive encounter. May His Spirit sharpen your sensitivity to His promptings.

O church, arise to the ministry of reconciliation…

to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light
and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins
and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.
Acts 26:18

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Christ Lives In Me!

Part 2
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
 

The one who is in Christ – the one that has been justified by God and reconciled to Him – must daily and habitually acknowledge that good exists in him or her. That “good” is Jesus Christ. The believer has been made partaker of His divine nature. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. The theological truth of being “born of God” speaks of parentage and passing on divine character. Here is the profound truth:  if you have been made “the righteousness of God” and through faith you are “in Christ,” then everything that Christ is dwells in you.
 
New Testament writers Peter and John speak of this reality using the metaphor of a seed – God’s seed and the incorruptible seed.  A seed is small, and it must germinate and grow to produce and realize all the potential that is packed within.  And so it is with Christ in the believer. We are instructed to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18).
 
By growing in Christ we undertake two important tasks that have life-changing implications. First, we put off the old man (Rom. 6:6; Eph. 4:22; Col. 3:8). The “old man” is the expressions of the mind and body habituated in sin, that is – things that are contrary to God’s character and His purpose for us. But just taking away leaves a vacuum. A replacement is necessary. Growing in Christ also means the manifestations of Christ developing in and through the one who is in Christ. The old becomes replaced with the new. Therefore, secondly, we are called to put on the new man (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10) which is the outward expression of God’s presence and work in the believer.
 

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Christ Lives In Me!

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20
 

To become all that one can and was designed to be requires genuine change.  In God’s economy this change comes through transformation as opposed to mere self-governance or “turning over a new leaf.” This change arises out of the new life (regeneration) that God implants into the one who surrenders himself through faith to the Creator/Redeemer.
 
We see this progression in Paul’s statement:  I have been crucified with Christ is the surrender of faith. More than mere knowledge of truth, it is life commitment to that truth with steadfast conviction as to it’s trueness.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me is the positional truth of the one committed to it. Therein resides the power and potential of transformation that goes beyond the limits of self-help.
 
The issue then becomes: How does one manifest this power and tap into the potential of genuine transformation? Here is the apostle’s answer: the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.  The element of this statement that cannot be overlooked is that I now live in the flesh.  This means that newness exists within the context of that which is yet to be redeemed – the flesh.
 
It was Paul himself that lamented:   I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, nothing good dwells. I (my flesh) am habituated in that which opposes the character and purpose of God. Simply put, I am naturally selfish and self-preeminent. It is natural for me to think that I am the greatest and most important reality.  But living by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me rescues me from that plight.
 
The one who is in Christ must daily live habitually acknowledging that good exists in the one that has been justified by and reconciled to God. That “good” is Jesus Christ. The believer has been made partaker of His divine nature through the Spirit of God.

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Access

…through whom also we have access by faith
into this grace in which we stand.

 
“Access” comes from two words: “to bring” and “facing”.  It is used of a person who brings another into the presence of a third party. In Romans 5:2 (above), it speaks of how Christ introduces us into the presence and acceptance of the infinite, holy Creator.  Both words, “have” and “stand” are written in the perfect tense communicating a process having reached its finished state.  In Christ alone our acceptance before God is a fixed position, which is why Paul states that we are seated with Him in heavenly places (Eph. 2:6).
 
This grace in which we stand means that we are rescued from futility and destruction – the despair of a pointless existence. In Christ alone are met the divine requirements for righteousness. Our existence is of inherent worth and great value because God created us in His image. Though we have rebelled and deserve the righteous judgment of holy God, He has redeemed and reconciled us to Himself. We can be accepted before perfect, holy God through surrender to Christ, who alone can escort us into His presence.
 
Because of this, let the Creator be your definition – the truth anchor of who you are and why you are here. Let Him be your delight – the focus of your affection as you draw near with boldness. Let Him be your direction – the singular objective of pleasing the One who made you, laid down His life for you and before whom you will stand. Francis Schaeffer summed it up well: “We have returned to the purpose of our creation.”
 

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Invitation to Freedom

Imagine standing before heads of state and giving them a gospel invitation. That’s what Paul did before Governor Festus and King Agrippa (Acts 26). Trying to determine what charges to write against this controversial figure before he was sent to Rome so the emperor could decide his case, the king and governor decide to listen to him. Paul took this wide-open opportunity to share the gospel of hope. His message was simple, nothing but what the prophets said – Scripture –  and that it all came true in Jesus.

Upon hearing this Festus blurts out, Paul, you are out of your mind! Paul’s response was immediate and winsome, I am speaking true and rational words.  The gospel of grace in Jesus is true and rational.  It is not propaganda or myth but anchored in real life of One who walked this earth, died for the debt of our sin, and certified this truth by walking out of the grave. Therein is hope, for Jesus said, because I live you shall live also.

Jesus’s story is true, and it is better than any other narrative imagined or propagated by human ambition.  The true and better story of Jesus and what He has done for us is what we proclaim. This is what Paul, the prisoner, proclaimed to his audience of a governor and a king. In the boldness of his freedom Paul looked directly to King Agrippa and asked, Do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe.  King Agrippa’s answer was a bit of a put off, but not an outright refusal. 

Paul’s invitation was that his listeners might become such as I am. That was not an I-am-better-than-you disposition, but by God’s good grace, reconciled, free and full of hope. Paul spoke and acted as a man who was free even though at that moment he was bound by chains.  As a free man in Christ, he was fighting for the freedom of others.

May we take Paul at his invitation to follow him – to live as people who are free. For our position of reconciliation is true and better, and by it we invite others to taste and see that the Lord is good.

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Hope

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said "We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope."  The fact that we can have a sense of hope, that we can look for something higher and better, that we have thirst and desire implies that there is satisfaction available. This is our imago dei at work. We were created by God and for Him which makes Him our highest good and our deepest satisfaction.  In this life under the sun we can have a taste and a glimpse of the satisfaction that is His goodness, but it is inevitably mixed with the disappointments, frustrations and setbacks of the broken created order. Prejudice, selfish ambition, partiality, even hatred will continue until the day that Christ makes all things new. Until that day, we will never experience the complete satisfaction for which we were intended.
 
Peter wrote to people who were displaced from their homes because of prejudice. There was no denying that it was a significant hardship. That is why he challenged them to persevere with the eyes of their minds fixed on the eternal hope that was promised. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials (1 Peter 1:6). The apostle emphasizes the temporary nature of our adversities.  This, too, shall pass! If our confidence is in Christ, then our inheritance is in Christ - not a man-made utopia - and the current adversities will result in the realization of the  promises made by the infinite, benevolent Creator/Redeemer. We shall see Him, we shall be like Him, all will be made new, and every tear will be wiped away.  Only then will we realize the complete satisfaction that God designed and desires for us.
 
As followers of Christ, we seek to bring comfort to the suffering and remedy to the broken with bold compassion. We must do justly and love mercy in the outflow of our humble walk with God for that is what His Son did, and we follow Him. So let us walk the path of sacrifice, let us invest ourselves in the lives of those who feel the blunt end of their brokenness and that of others. Through all this, as sojourners and exiles, we must remember that complete satisfaction is not possible under the sun. We can only have a foretaste that creates in us a longing for the full and complete rest for our embodied souls.

Copyright © 2022 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Release

The key phrase in a popular song on the Disney channel was: “your heart will tell you no lies.”  Having discussed this with my children around the dinner table we concluded that this line is the one lie to rule them all.  It is a lie firmly rooted in human autonomy.  The idea of “freedom” for the natural man is the liberty to do whatever he pleases. Unrestrained desire, however, is anarchy; it is enslavement to one’s own passions and is a brutal form of bondage. It is bondage of the soul that plays out in bodily pursuits driven by the senses instead of reason, truth, or principle.

Contrasting the redeemed with the unregenerate Paul states that we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). How can desires be so tyrannical? Because they wage war against the soul (I Pet.2:11) and against the law of my mind (Rom. 7:23); they are the passions that are at war with in you that cause conflicts (James 4:1) and that plunge men into ruin and destruction (I Tim. 6:9).

Could it be that David Hume was correct in supposing that “we are slaves of our passions – ‘rational’ only in the purely instrumental sense of being capable of employing our intellectual power to, in Thomas Hobbes’s words, ‘range abroad and find the way to the things desired?’”* This is man’s affirmation of what God has revealed – that we were slaves of sin.

But part of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ is knowing that in Christ we have been redeemed from every lawless deed (Titus 2:14); we have been released from the enslavement of sin which held us under the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13) required by the demands of God’s holiness. The believer can look back at what he was and what had enslaved him but no longer does. That is the believer’s positional reality. What was the cost of this redemption? John informs us that Jesus Christ was the propitiation for our sins. This means that He absorbed the wrath of God for us – for our release from the clutches of sin, its empty, aimless way of life and its resulting destruction.

The nature of redemption must be remembered:  we did not climb out of this pit on our own – we were rescued! We were bought at a price to be set free to live the way our Maker designed us. Redemption is not only what we have been released from, but what we have been liberated to.

*Princeton University professor, Robert P. George, in the commencement address at Hillsdale College, May 10, 2003.

Copyright © 2021 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Family Acceptance

Paul used the metaphor of a body to instruct the Corinthian church about their conduct at the Lord’s Table. The body, though comprised of many different parts, is a single unit, vitally connected and moving in one direction.  No part of the body can act without all the other parts being affected. The beauty and attractiveness of the church is that the bond of the gospel of grace transcends man-made divisions among people. The unity of the church is a testament to God’s grace. Therefore, to fellowship or engage in worship in a manner that is exclusive or divisive means that one does not recognize the body and invites the Father’s chastisement (1 Cor. 11:29). God considers the heart attitude more important than the outward participation of worship.

The Gospel of grace is championed as Jesus Christ is remembered during the rite of the Lord’s Table. Our Lord considered it essential that we regularly focus on His redemptive sacrifice – not just for the sake of doing it – but so that our remembrance would move us to walk worthy of Christ and His gospel. The gospel lived is what points people to God’s goodness. So, it is fitting that we should focus on the Lord Jesus this way as we move on to yet another year that He has entrusted to us under the sun. This Sunday, December 26, we will gather at the Lord’s Table at 10:00 a.m. It is the table of His acceptance based on His redemptive and reconciling work. Those who have received His righteousness by faith are invited to commune with the family of God in the Spirit of Christ.

Since this is the first Sunday that we will all be together in one worship service, there are a few things I would like you to consider in preparation. We anticipate the auditorium will be rather full. There will be chairs set up in the Gathering Room, as well as an “overflow” section at the front of the auditorium facing the platform from the side.  Please come prepared by thinking “up and in.” It will be helpful – particularly for visitors – if the regular attenders move up and move in on the rows. The deacons will be available to assist in optimizing the seating. We will also need help with parking space.  Those of you who are not elderly and do not have young children, please consider parking in the lower (grassy) parking lot. It would also be meaningful to leave the parking spaces near the entrances for our visitors.

Thank you, Grace, for your consideration and for your generous spirit. I hope you have a very blessed Christmas – because of Christ.

Copyright © 2021 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.

Why God As Man?

Notes from Rich.

Why God as Man?

In his book Unspeakable, Os Guinness tells the story about a well-known Christian leader whose son had been killed in a cycling accident. Although the leader was devastated, somehow he managed to suppress his grief, even preaching eloquently at his son's funeral. His display of hope in the midst of tragedy earned him the admiration of many.

But a few weeks after the funeral, the man invited Guinness and a few friends to his home. According to Guinness, this man spoke and even screamed "not with the hope of a preacher but with the hurt of the father—pained and furious at God, dark and bilious in his blasphemy." In his agony, he blamed God for his son's death.

Rather than rebuke him, one of Guinness's friends gently reminded the enraged father of the story of Jesus at Lazarus' tomb. On three occasions in that story, Jesus expressed anger, and even furious indignation, in the presence of death. When Jesus came to earth, he became a human being just like us, feeling the abnormality of our suffering. In Jesus' humanity we see God's perspective of our pain: the beautiful world God created is now broken and in ruins. Jesus will heal this broken world and our broken lives, but first, he came to earth in order to identify with our anguish.

Guinness concludes that when we understand Jesus' humanity, it frees us to face the world's brokenness just as Jesus did. Like Jesus, we must never accuse God of wrongdoing or blaspheme God, but like Jesus, we are "free to feel what it is human to feel: sorrow at what is heartbreaking, shock at what is shattering, and outrage at what is flagrantly out of joint … . To pretend otherwise is to be too pious by half, and harder on ourselves than Jesus himself was."

Source: Os Guinness, Unspeakable (Harper, 2005), pp. 144-145

Copyright © 2021 Grace Bible Church, All rights reserved.