By Faith (Part 2)

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible." (Hebrews 11:1-3, ESV)

 Hebrews 11 begins with this and what an incredible truth to behold. It is completely by our faith that we are able to know God and hope in him, just like those of old. And what's even more incredible about that is they were hoping for the coming of Christ the first time and now we have been blessed with the knowledge of knowing him after his first coming, dying for us, and looking toward his second coming where our redemption and sanctification will be made complete (refer to part 1 here).

The writer of Hebrews then indulges in the examples of the past chosen people of God and how their faith upheld them to accomplish great things for his kingdom, and how their mindset was on the kingdom regardless of what was occurring:

"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city." (Hebrews 11:13-16, ESV)

Though they had their minds and hearts set on the kingdom, that didn't negate them from present trials and sufferings. Some suffered greatly for him and others triumphed on earth, but all was done for him and through him:

"And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon,Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises,stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us,that apart from us they should not be made perfect." (Hebrews 11:32-40, ESV)

As we discussed in the previous post, through the sanctification and knowledge that we are already perfected in Christ we can have endurance here and that is clearly seen through the faith we have. For by what else could these people survive these things and why would they want to do so? Why would all but one of the disciples die a martyr's death? And how could they endure it? By faith. Reiterated throughout this entire passage, it was by faith these people suffered but endured and accomplished much for the kingdom of God. I think that is something that we can learn from this. We need to hold fast to our confession as stated in 10:23, unwavering from him as he has to us. We have hope through all things of this world because we are not of it, by the faith we have in Christ and having our minds set on the kingdom of God. Let us not forget that.

The Endurance Found in Sanctification (Part 1)

I have recently been walking through Hebrews and it has been a very instructive and encouraging time, inspiring me to write these next two posts on what I've been learning the past few days. Hebrews 10 gives a powerful representation of the gospel.  I suggest you just read over that entire chapter before continuing with this post because it is surely not one to miss (though none of the Bible is, but you get the point). While reading through this passage, three words stood out me that I wanted to share thoughts on: sanctification, perfection, and endurance. This chapter focuses on the abolishment of the old covenant and the establishment of the new covenant with Christ. A very beautiful thing to see as believers, because of how nothing before him could truly save us and forgive our sins against him, until Christ's perfect sacrifice. When describing the transition we find in v. 10: 

"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."

It was through Christ's sacrifice that we have sanctification. For those who aren't familiar with this term I'll give you a definition. Sanctification means to be set apart or to be made holy. We are sanctified through Christ's single sacrifice and we are made holy through him. What greater person to do so than the most holy himself? Something not to lose sight of. 

Next, we see how this sanctification is perfect in v.14: 

"For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified."

 We must not miss a key part of this sanctification: perfected for all time. Christ's death has perfected us forever. If we are his, we cannot lose this and though we may fall consistently, we are still perfected through him because he did it forever. Period. 

Then we find in v.36 the word endurance: 

"For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised."

Though we have been sanctified and perfected in Christ, we are still in need of endurance until that day comes to completion. It's just an incredible truth to behold because this life may require a lot of sacrifice and hardship due to the service of our Lord but we must have endurance to survive all that comes and please him through it. We must not get burnt out after all that he has given to us through perfecting us and making us holy. Who are we in comparison to the perfect Son who suffered more that we could ever imagine? With his perfect example and his assurance of our sanctification in him forever, we can live with endurance knowing he is the reward for eternity. Let us not forget this truth in our day to day lives. Let us endure for his sake and his glory alone.

Our Constant

Science and math involve many concepts, formulas, numbers, excessive amounts of memorization and constants. Constants are values that are commonly used for certain situations that do not waver or change, such as gravity, pka values in the dreaded organic, etc. We all rely on them heavily for experiments and most importantly cram memorization only to forget immediately leaving the test (if you want a good laugh, youtube pka value parody) because a lot we will never use again. Constants make our lives easier for the most part. It's one less thing we have to worry about when accomplishing a task. But the question for you and me is, are we relying on our ultimate constant like we so heavily rely on these? Do we even view God as the ONLY constant in our life that never changes? These numbers don't readily change but there are always differences between decimal places between people but God doesn't differ. He doesn't waver. And he has proven it time and time again since creation. 

 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations, (Deuteronomy 7:9, ESV)

He has proven time and time again throughout the entire Bible, and our lives as well, his steadfast faithfulness to his people. His promises with Noah where he saved the family and promised to never destroy the earth by flood again (Genesis 9:9-11). His covenant with Abraham promising the great nation that will come from his lineage (Genesis 12:1-3). His covenant with David, following in Abraham's lineage, establishing his throne for eternity (2 Samuel 7). David's throne for eternity leading to Christ, God's only son sent to earth to fulfill the ultimate promise of God redeeming his people in the unmatchable sacrifice of Christ on the cross. 

These and the many others all show that God does not waver from his promises. He has always provided and cared for his people.We have no reason to doubt God,  because he is good and his love is steadfast and he keeps his covenants, like in Deut. 7:9, as he has shown us. He doesn't have to show us. He didn't have to promise us anything and Jesus surely didn't have to step down from his throne and become flesh to die for us. We don't deserve it. But God granted it to us because he loves us and so we can glorify him for eternity. We must remember that because he deserves all of our worship and all of our praise because his promises and love never fail and are eternally fulfilled; he is our ultimate constant. 

We need these constants in our lives, in problems and experiments, but we need the one constant that doesn't waver. We can rely on the constants in science and math to an extent only before they are of no use anymore. We must rely on God as our constant in everything because he does not move or change. Will we remain constant with him as he has with us? 

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (Hebrews 10:23, ESV)

Let Us Not Shrink

This semester I began reading in the book of Acts and have been truly challenged by the early church and the disciples for their steadfast faith in proclaiming the gospel. Paul's life has especially been humbling to me and a great testament to how God can use anyone for his purposes. No one is too far from his reach.

Paul's life was spent in the service of our God in any way God lead, especially in chapter 20 where he was preparing for Jerusalem knowing that he most likely faced persecution there. Speaking to the elders of Ephesus he states, "You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house," (v.18-20). The thing that stuck out to me most here and when he stated it again in v.27 was the phrase "I did not shrink from..." Paul, though being persecuted and through all that happened, didn't shrink from declaring the gospel regardless of where he was and what opposition he faced. He remained steadfast because he used his life to glorify God and through that glorification he shared the gospel. Do we as believers share this same mindset of not shrinking? 

I think what really ties this all together and gives reason why he doesn't shrink from proclaiming is what is found in v.24, "But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only that I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God." True humility is found in Paul here realizing his life is nothing but for the work of the gospel given to him by Jesus Christ. Why else would he not shrink from proclaiming it if his life is worthless to himself? There would be no reason. God granted him the knowledge and wisdom in realizing his life was meaningless unless he proclaims the gospel. This is why he suffered at great lengths and eventually was crucified for the sake of the gospel. 

This is an extreme challenge to us as believers and followers of Christ. We must not shrink from proclaiming the gospel wherever we are no matter the persecution or the awkwardness of the conversation. Let us humble ourselves before God that he may use us to proclaim the grace of his gospel to his people. Let us not shrink from the task we've been given in reaching those with the gospel to glorify our mighty God. 

A Heart for Missions

The quickly approaching Cross Conference I'll be attending with many others my age from around the country has my mind racing with this phrase, "a heart for missions." What is meant by this? Who has it? Well that can be summed up easily: As followers of Christ we are all called to serve him and in doing that we are to share his gospel and expand his kingdom. You may be asking, "If we are all called to serve him and share, does this mean we should all have a heart for missions?" And the answer is, drum roll please... (I am ferociously tapping on my lap at the moment, just picture it in your head) YES! It is yes. We should all have a heart for missions because if it is in fact filled with Christ and his love then we should be wanting to serve his greater call upon our lives. 

Now, I am not meaning by this that we all should be selling our stuff, raising the money, and purchasing plane tickets to fly off to the nearest foreign country with people groups needing to be reached, but to realize that we are called to aid in this mission in whatever ways we are able. We can reach people in our communities that do not know Christ, if we have the funds we can support those that feel the call to go overseas to reach those people groups, or we could go ourselves. There are many ways to get involved but there is one crucial thing we all must participate in if we are to reach these people for Christ: prayer. 

We all must be in prayer for the people serving (which in case you haven't figured it out by now is us all) and the ways we can reach and serve those around us. God will reveal to us how we are able to aid in this. But let us go to him, so we he may reveal to us and open the opportunities for his spirit to work through us in reaching those that have not heard or believed and for his spirit to be softening the hearts of those people so they may hear and respond. 

I recently received an email from Cross con about praying for workers. Though this has been on my heart for awhile, it’s what lead me to writing this. There are 2.9 billion people without access to the gospel and Jesus commands us to pray. So I encourage you, as I was encouraged even more by this call to be praying for workers. Be praying that God may rise up people to go and reach these people groups and be in prayer for how you might be able to serve in this mission where you are if you are not called to go. I ask also that you be in prayer for this conference that thousands of college students from all around are attending that God might raise us up to go and help fulfill his mission and that he will do incredible things through this conference for his glory!

"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." -Ephesians 3:20-21

Peace in the Holiday Madness

 Here I am in the middle of my fifth holiday season in the retail life at Old Navy (I refer to it as holiday season because of all the craziness that is involved from November to January. I'm not leaving out Christmas, trust me I make sure every customer is left with the words, "Merry Christmas" from my lips.). This year as I began, I was honestly not excited at all for what was to come. I feel like I've been placed in this apathetic mindset of not being excited for Christmas and all it has to bring, because of what I deal with when I enter the treacherous mall doors (if you have worked retail you would understand), and the overly materialistic society we live in.

Then on my way to the war zone in my car one day, "O Holy Night" came on my shuffle and as I began to sing along (be glad you weren't listening so your hearing is safe) I began to really listen to the words. I've heard this hymn so many times throughout my lifetime, but I was just paying extra close attention I guess this particular time. It began to soften and humble me as I was listening and singing. I started to think upon the night that Christ was born, though I wasn't there, but about the excitement of the coming savior that everyone must have felt and that we still feel today and something that I have lost somewhat this year. 

Then I reached the part of the song, "His law is love and His gospel is peace," and began to just revel in that and the peace found in Christ. Though I was working retail in this craziness of secular Christmas, I had peace in Christ and I recognized I should be preparing for the celebration of his coming.  I should be showing his love to my customers, no matter what they say to me (like telling me to take tips on how to do my job), and maybe help them realize why we celebrate this season of giving and what ultimate gift was actually given to us all if we come to know and understand it. So as we all enter into the final week before Christmas, let's relax and enjoy Christ's peace in our lives and understand how we may be able to calm the madness of the holiday season by focusing on him from whom it comes. 

What do you mean by prisoner again?

This semester, my i-Team has been going through the book of Ephesians and it has been eye-opening in many ways. God has been surpassing my knowledge (like blowing my mind, but back in Bible times so we're trying to bring it back. Ephesians 3:19 for reference). This has been done on a weekly basis, but something that has stuck out to me is Paul's use of the word "prisoner" to describe himself time and time again. Not just in this letter but in many others, like Philemon which I recently just completed. The reason it does is because of what follows it, "of Christ." He sees himself as a prisoner of Christ. It got me thinking. Do we view our lives as this?

Let me explain what I mean. Paul was currently in prison while writing most of these letters and so he was a prisoner. But it's for the fact that he views himself as a prisoner for Christ, that though he's in prison it is ultimately for Christ's purposes. His life is Christ's so if he is in prison it is for him. This just surpasses my knowledge (Used it again...caught on yet?) that even in that state and suffering he continued to serve in the way he did, advance the kingdom of God and hold accountable those teaching around the world.

Because of the recurring thought around this, I have been reexamining my outlook on things. Am I viewing my present circumstances the way I should be? That Christ has brought me here for a reason? Though I don't believe I'm in a period of suffering at the moment, I should still be devoting my life daily to Christ for what He has done for me and the grace given to me undeservedly. We should, as Paul did, view our lives in whatever circumstances for Christ and serve Him through it all, sharing the love and grace He has given to us to those around that have not known this yet. Are you living as a prisoner of Christ?