Be a Gospel-Spreader, Not a Date-Setter

I must confess that I used to be obsessed with the "end times." I looked for all the signs and kept "watching the sky," as it were. Heck, God used a message about the end times to bring me to himself. So it doesn't surprise me when I see people trying to figure out and even predict the timing for Jesus' return. I can relate somewhat, because I used to be in the same camp.

As the years have gone by, though, I've become less obsessed with when Jesus will come back and more concerned with the question: "What do I do while I'm waiting?"

The disciples, too, wanted to know when the end would come, even after Christ rose from the dead. Jesus' words to them are a good reminder to us today, especially for those who are crazed with figuring out when Jesus will come back.

He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)

Jesus said it's not our business to know or figure out when the end will come. We have a much greater responsibility than figuring out when, or even how, the end will happen. We are to be witnesses for Christ now.

In Christ, I Am

Here's a list of our identity in Christ. It's who we are now. Oh how much do we need to remind ourselves everyday! This list is not exhaustive, but it's a good foundation for understanding our true selves. Any you want to add?

• The branch (John 15:5)
• Forgiven (Acts 10:43; Eph 1:7)
• Justified (Rom 3:24)
• Redeemed (Rom 3:24; Eph 1:4, 7)
• Dead to sin (Rom 6:11)
• Alive to God (Rom 6:11)
• Not condemned (Rom 8:1)
• Set free from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2)
• Sanctified (1 Cor 1:2)
• Made alive (1 Cor 1:22)
• A new creation (2 Cor 5:17)
• Reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:19; Col 1:21-22)
• Becoming the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21)
• Free (Gal 2:4)
• A son of God (John 1:12;Gal 3:26)
• One with other believers (Gal 3:28)
• A saint (Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2)
• Faithful (Eph 1:1, Col 1:2)
• Blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3)
• Chosen (Eph 1:4)
• An heir (Eph 1:11)
• Sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13)
• Created for good works (Eph 2:10)
• Being built with others into a dwelling place for God (Eph 2:22)
• Filled (Col 2:10)

I'm No Superman...Or Am I?

Last week, I asked my friends and followers if boys ever grew out of the desire to have superpowers. The response was that no, we don't, which made me feel a lot better.

I find myself asking what it would be like to have Spider-man's powers. Or to have Jedi powers (or Sith powers - admit it: you want to shoot lighting out of your fingers and be able to force choke, too!). Or to have Superman's powers. Invulnerability. Heat vision. Super-speed. Flight. Perfect hair. And don't forget X-ray vision...

Sadly, I've never had superpowers, and likely I never will. But since I've never had and never will have superpowers, does that mean that I'm no superman? That I'm just a regular guy, destined to lead a regular life and just do regular things until I join regular people in the ground? NO!!!

We Are Not Powerless
Just because you can't fly or shoot webs or heal yourself from anything doesn't mean you don't have power. Think about Superman for a moment. Where does his power come from? He is fueled and strengthened by the yellow sun. Any other sun will not do.

Likewise, we have power given to us from outside of us: from God's Son. Listen to the apostle Paul as he describes people caught up in all the suffering and trouble that life can present: "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us" (Romans 8:37).

It doesn't matter what life throws at us: famine, danger, persecution, cancer, death, disease. We are super-conquerors in Jesus. These things may hurt us, but they cannot and will not destroy us. Why? Because Christ has loved us and given himself up for us (Galatians 2:20). God himself has loved us, and there is no power in heaven, on earth, or even in Hell that can break the love he has for his children in Christ (Romans 8:38-39).

How do we go on in the darkest and most difficult times in life? Is it by making peace with ourselves? By looking at the 'positive side' of things? By 'getting over it' and just being tough? No. None of these things will provide us with the hope we need to stand in our faith. Only knowing that God our Father and Jesus Christ are totally for us helps us in those times.

So, in the words of a song by Broken Walls: "Rise Up, Mighty Warrior." Your Christ has loved you and made you strong to stand amidst life's greatest trials!

The Challenge of Knowing God's Not Done With You

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. ~Paul, Philippians 1:6

Isn't it funny how you can know a verse for so long and yet still see something new in it? Last week, I wrote about the comfort of knowing that God's not done yet. This week, I want to issue a challenge from the same verse.

Have you ever had moments in your life, where you think things are going pretty good? Your bills are paid; your relationships all seem to be going well. It seems like all is right with the world. Or at least right enough. You're comfortable. There's nothing pressing on you to move forward, and no great challenge to drive you towards God.

Times like this are harder for us than in moments of crisis when you know that God is your only hope. In difficulty, it's easy to see who our source is, whose help we need. But in the "safe" times, we are tempted to forget about God. We become casual about him and don't really see our deep need for him. So for times like this, Philippians 1:6 is a challenge.

Remember, "GOD'S NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!" I need to hear this as much in the good times - if not more - as I do in the hard times. Remember the goal of our salvation is that we be like Christ! And God is committed to making it happen.

So when things in your life are easy and seem to be going good, don't abandon your only hope. Don't let the gentle rocking of comfort lull you to sleep. SEEK GOD! Continue to pray! Continue to read the Word! Continue to go to church. Don't assume you have arrived at where you are supposed to be with God. Notice the timing of God's completed work in you: "AT THE DAY OF CHRIST JESUS."

We will not be where God wants us to be until Christ returns. So let him keep working in you and keep pressing on towards becoming more like Christ. Don't settle for "good" when God's desire for you is "great!"

How do you press on in the easy times to maintain your relationship with God? How do you press on towards Christ-likeness even when you think you're doing pretty good?

The Comfort of Knowing God's Not Done with You

And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ ~Paul, Philippians 1:6

Ever have those moments in your life when you feel broken? You see your own sinfulness and you get discouraged. You look at you life circumstances and despair. You feel hopeless and wonder if things will ever change. I have. I still do sometimes.

When I was in college, I struggled with depression and hopelessness. I thought that I would never change. I wondered often if God was there, if he cared about my hurts and troubles. At times, I wondered if I was even saved.

It was no accident that one day in chapel our speaker spoke on Philippians 1:6. His point was simple: "God's not finished with you yet." Since then, that's been one of my favorite verses of Scripture. I think of it often. I've memorized it and, in those times when I am feeling down, will quote it to myself. In essence, I am preaching to myself to not despair, but to have hope in the God who has worked, is working, and will not stop working.

He Began It
A few weeks ago, I posted about how God is committed to our good. In it, I spoke of how God has planned for us to become like Christ. He knows our sin. He knows our inability. And he sent his Son to die for us. He caused us to become Christians.

The work that is happening in us is wholly owing to God, not to ourselves.

He Will Finish It
God does not abandon his work. He didn't stop creating after day 2. He didn't only half-raise Jesus from the dead. He didn't stop giving us his love or his Spirit. And he won't abandon us either. God ALWAYS finishes what he started.

How does God's promise to you give you the strength to keep on going even when you feel like giving up?

A Christmas Prayer

May this season to you bring
The love of Christ our King,
Who came to give his life,
For us the perfect sacrifice.
Who came to show us the way
And for our sins to pay,
That we would believe and never die,
But instead have eternal life.

May his love your heart fill
And may you know his perfect will,
That he would be your treasure,
And you find in him your pleasure.
May you each day love him more,
And share that love with the world.
May he guard you by his grace
Until at last you see his face.

May he be the one great reason
For your life, and not just the season.

God's Invincible Commitment to Your Good: Thoughts on Romans 8:28-39

Last week, we looked at how God takes us, spiritually dead and rebellious as we are, and gives us new life and desire for obedience in Christ. To close out these Advent thoughts, I'd like to call your attention to why God saves us so. What's the point of being a Christian? Is it so we won't go to hell and instead be with God in heaven forever? Or does God have a bigger plan in saving us?

The Goal of God's Saving Us

We find the answer in Romans 8:29. There, Paul says that we are "predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son." Ephesians 1:4 puts it this way: God "chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him." God, from before tiem began, set out to save a people and make them like Christ. He wants us to have Christ's attitude as our own (Philippians 2:5) and to love one another (John 13:34-35).

That's the goal of our salvation - to be like Christ. And God is absolutely committed to seeing this happen. Consider Romans 8:29-30: "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." Notice the progression here:

• the foreknown are predestined to Christ-likeness,
• the predestined are called,
• the called are justified,
• the justified are glorified.

The process of salvation begins with God's foreknowing and ends with God glorifying. And, from this passage, we see that nobody is lost along the way. God is irrevocably committed to conforming his own to Christ-likeness. In fact, the rest of the chapter builds on this assurance:

• God is on our side, so nothing can stand against us (Rom 8:31)
• God gave us the best he had-his own son. Surely he will give us everything else we need (Rom 8:32)
• God has declared us righteous, so no one can accuse us (Rom 8:33)
• Jesus dies, rose, ascended to heaven, and intercedes for us, so there are none left to condemn (Rom 8:34)
• In the face of hard times and even death, we are super-conquerors through Christ (Rom 8:35-37)
• Nothing in all of creation can separate us from God's invincible love (Rom 8:38-39)

God wants us to have an unshakable confidence in him, that he will indeed see us through all of the difficulties that we may face in this life. Things may hurt us, but they cannot destroy us. We cannot be cut off from our God who has adopted us as his own children. We can be confident that "that he who began a good work in [us] will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil 1:6)

God's Commitment to YOUR Good

All of this assurance stands underneath the promise of Romans 8:28: "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."

If you are a true Christian, this is God's promise to you. If you have, by faith, trusted in Christ alone to be set free from your sin and to be your Lord, God is irrevocably and invincibly committed to bring everything in your life out for good. It may not feel like it in the moments of intense pain and suffering, but God is fulfilling his desire to make you like Christ. And God cannot, does not, and will not fail in his mission.

So keep fighting. Fight sin that remains in your life. Fight the desire to lead a "comfortable" life. Fight the depression on the insanity that threatens to undo you. Fight the influences of the world that want to shut you up and shut you down. Fight, because the invincible God is on your side!