Image Bearers

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It has surprised me over the years how many of my questions of God are answered in the first few chapters of Genesis.  We live in a time where we are pulled in a thousand different directions at once, it can be easy to lose sight of things, to get off course with our lives.  Such was the case for me personally recently, and I hope my sharing will be an encouragement for all of you.  The question I was going to God with, which had been weighing on me for some time, was “who am I?”.  There are so many ways I could label myself – son, brother, friend, corporate finance worker, teacher of God’s Word, foodie, dog-lover, wanna-be-fisherman, evangelist, gym/health conscious, and on and on I could go.  Each of these labels represents time and outside forces/desires that press on me from time to time to conform me to be that thing.  Ultimately, any of those things, even good things like going to the gym are empty and easily replaced by the next thing to come along in a day.  It’s exhausting.  It’s life-draining.  It’s soul-killing.

So I spent some time last night reading through Genesis, asking the question – “who am I?” to God.  Am I the sum total of my relationships?  If so, that would be sad because I have failed those around me many times, and they have failed me.  Am I the work that I do?  It certainly reflects on what I see is important, which again is sad, because as a sinner often my “work” has resulted in pain and suffering.  Am I the love I have for those around me?  Certainly this has a more pleasant taste to consider only the best of me, but it would fall short in reality, because I know it does not encompass my whole person.  No, none of these answers would do, because I was asking a question I could not answer.  If you want to know the meaning of a painting, and you have the means, you wouldn’t ask a random observer, you would ask the painter.  If I want to know who I am, I had to find the answer from my Creator.
Genesis 1:26-27 – “God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.”, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

God gave the answer simply – I am an image bearer of God.  You are too.  You are not the work you do, you are not your last relationship, you are an image bearer of God.  He has molded you, formed you through life’s good times and bad, such that you might bear the image of God more brightly to the world.  The rest of the world will pull on you, push you down, and claim rights over you, but their voice does not matter because the Truth is already known by you – you are God’s, you were made in His image to reveal the light of His glory into a dark and dying world.  Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:29-30 – “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”  We were not meant to be defined by anyone or anything apart from our identity from God.  If your soul needs rest, find it in who Jesus says you are in Him.  You are saved by grace alone – there is no “work” you need do, save believe that Jesus has done all the “work” that needed to be done on the cross in your place.  John 6:28-29 – ” they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” You don’t even have to try to muster up faith on your own, Jesus gives us the faith to believe.  Ephesians 2:8-9 – “by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

We have one label, one identity – and that is that we are image bearers of God.  It is who we were created to be.  We are conformed into the image of God by God Himself, the Holy Spirit in us, more and more as we see and savor God from the Bible.  Everything else we do in life must flow out from that identity, or it will be an idol – separating us from God seeking to own you.  Everyone around you who helps remind you of the gospel and your identity in Jesus is a friend and a help.  Everyone else is a mission field – an object of God’s love to call people away from darkness and into light.  We are all susceptible to allowing the world in too much where we lose sight of who we are in Jesus, it is necessary and good to daily surround ourselves with God’s people to remind us of the Truth.  Hebrews 10:23-25 – “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” 

My hope is that this will lift burdens off from you as it has me.  We don’t have to do 100 things today, we just have to do one – be an image bearer for Jesus.  We don’t have to make 100 people happy – we just have to be who we were called to be by Jesus.   Everything else will flow from that.  The only “good” that will come in my life will be what comes from Jesus in me, more of Him and less of me is a good thing.  He must increase and we must decrease for our good and joy.

 

Grace and Peace,

Adam

Grace to Save and Sustain

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God has been pressing on me lately the nature of grace, both what it is in its essence and what the implications and outworkings of that grace in the life of a believer is.  My hope is that by painting a picture with God’s Word, we will each be better able to see and savor the grace purchased by our Lord Jesus Christ.  He has done for us what we could not do.  He has saved us to the uttermost.  He has sent the Helper, the Holy Spirit to indwell us forever – guiding us into all Truth, conforming our lives to Him for our joy.  Our God has saved us and sustains us forever.
I’m a couple decades into following Jesus with my life.  The first thing I will freely admit is that I’m still a jacked up sinner.  I’m nowhere near where I’d like to be.  If ever someone wanted confirmation of that, I’m sure those around me would be able to attest to it!  For those of you pursuing Christ with your lives, hopefully that will be a comfort to you.  I grew up thinking everyone else had it together, and there must be something wrong with me in church.  I always felt like I was supposed to look more holy than I was.  There is a reason Jesus saved His greatest rebukes for the Pharisees who professed self-righteousness – it is in direct contradiction to the gospel.  If we arrive in Heaven, it will be on our knees.  It is by grace we are saved, and it is by grace we are sustained.  We end as we begin – totally dependant upon the grace and mercy of God.
I’ve lost count of the times when I felt distant from God either from known sin in my life or because God desired to strengthen my faith from pulling back for a while.  Just as a father, who loves His son will eventually take the training wheels off the bike so that they can learn, even if that results in some pain, so our Heavenly Father weilds the fallen world and may withhold His presence to grow us in our knowledge and affection for Him.  Where do we go, when this happens?  It is here where an understanding of the nature of grace will grant us comfort and peace.  Ephesians 1:3-6 tells us – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.”  I run to this passage.  Why are we holy and blameless before God?  Because God chose us (sinners) in Christ before the foundation of the world to be objects of the purchased grace of Jesus by His blood.  I cannot contribute to this act of love by God, and I cannot take anything away.  God’s plan for grace was before the foundation of the world.  We rest in Jesus or we perish.
Jesus told another parable of soils in Matthew 13:3-8 – “A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.  Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.  Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Jesus explains that each of these types represents a person who was confronted with the gospel.  Over the years I have seen each of these types of persons.  I’ve seen people who heard the gospel and immediately rejected it.  I’ve seen people who were going through a tough time maybe and received the gospel with joy for a time, coming to church, getting involved, etc, only to quickly fade away.  I’ve seen people who have been in the church for 5-10 years who decided at some point that they wanted to pursue the pleasures the world could offer and sin, rather than God – rejecting Him.  And lastly, I’ve seen those who God has sustained in faithfulness.
What is different in each of these people?  One people rest in the blood bought grace and mercy of Jesus and respond in love to pursue Him, and the others never truly knew God or the grace He purchased with His blood.  In Luke 14:27-30, Jesus tells us to consider the cost of following Him – “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?  Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’”  There are two helpful take-aways from that parable for me.  The first is that following Jesus is a marathon, not a sprint.  It is a long path marked by continual repentance, trusting in Christ, stepping out on faith to press forward and “take the next step”, and all the while pleading with the Lord for mercy and strength.  The second is that every step of the way, God is the builder.  I can help or hinder His efforts, but ultimately, He alone sustains us in the walk of faith in life we are called to.  God built the foundation when He gave me the faith to believe in Jesus as my Savior, and He is now at work building me into the image of Jesus.  
The last parable I’ll share was the parable of the Pharisee (righteous man) and the tax collector (sinner) – Luke 18:9-14 – “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt:  “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.  The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’  But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’  I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”  The Pharisee rightly attributes his righteous works to God, but he confuses his works of righteousness with the perfect righteousness of Jesus.  We are saved by Jesus alone.  It is His perfect life, His righteousness that is credited to us by faith.  We need His mercy.  We need His righteousness, or we perish.  Grace is not a work of man, but the unmerited favor of God purchased by Jesus for us when He bore the wrath of God on the cross – the penalty due our sin.  If we are in Christ, covered by His grace and trusting in Him alone, then in an abundance of thankfulness and love we will follow Him, but we will never consider our efforts part of our salvation – it is not our blood, but Jesus’ that has fulfilled all righteousness for us. 
This is confirmed in Romans 9.

Romans 9:16 – “it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”

Romans 9:13 – “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Grace is not free.  Christ purchased grace for us through his blood, by His death on a cross for our sin.  The grace of God is the foundation of the mercy of God to us in salvation.  The grace of God sustains us, despite everything in this world working against our faith in Jesus.  Why do I still believe today?  Why do I still press back sin in my life and press forward to follow Jesus?  It is Christ in me, the Holy Spirit at work.  Philippians 2:12-13 – “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”  Even my will to obey God and to press forward “is God who works in me, to will and to work for his good pleasure”.  
I’ve tried today to paint a picture of grace, at times being repetitive for emphasis.  My exhortation to all of us as sinners before a Holy God is to take refuge in the grace purchased for you by the blood of Jesus.  Come back to where you began, and trust that the Lord is good, loving, and merciful.  He died that we could live.  Our righteousness is His righteousness freely given to us.  Trust in Him, learn from Him, and press forward after Him, knowing that all the while God is at work.  We will arrive at eternity’s shores because of the grace and mercy of Jesus and nothing more.  Our life, though a speck in the ocean of eternity, has opportunity to preach and give glory to the holiness and love of God towards us.  
 
Lamentations 3:22-24 – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.  “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”

Hosea 6:1-3 – ““Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.  After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will rise us up, that we may live before him.  Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

 Grace and Peace,

Adam

Living for a Legacy

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As I’m taking a mental break from working through Romans 9, God has pressing a question into my heart about how best to live life.  What if we lived each day with our hearts focused on eternity, and purposed out each day towards the legacy we would leave behind?

Psalm 90:12 – “teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom”

Ephesians 5:15-17 – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”

What peace we would have knowing that whatever our lot in life, it is being lived for eternity.  Psalm 39:4-8 – “O Lord, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!  Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you.  Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah  Surely a man goes about as a shadow!  Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!  “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?  My hope is in you.  Deliver me from all my transgressions.”

Our lives are short, yet they are infinite in value if lived for the glory of God.  Man’s deepest need for purpose and affirmation are met in Jesus.  The world can fall around you, but if you are in the will of God, you will always have peace.  Hebrews 12:1-3 – “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Even as He was led to the cross to die an agonizing death, there was joy in the heart of Jesus for the joy that was set before Him.  There are battles every day as a Christian.  There are temptations to shrink back from our faith.  There is sin that must be repented of and be run from.  There is a submission of selfish desires for the Kingdom of God.  In all this, however, there is joy.  The joy God means for us to carry with us is the joy of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in displaying the Glory of God, in being the mouth, the hands, the feet of God’s laborers to ransom the dead to life, and in manifesting Jesus in righteousness in our own lives.  These are the weighty things of life that will echo into eternity.  God is calling you to greatness for His glory.

So what should we do?  My exhortation is simple.  Consider what legacy you want to leave behind as a follower of Jesus in life.  What would you want said about you at your funeral by those you love?  Write it down.  As you are tempted towards the busyness of life and confront temptation that would draw you away from God, push back, knowing that in pursuing the will of God, you are always pursuing God’s best for you.  There is no greater legacy than to have our Heavenly Father say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.”   There is no greater legacy than being able to look back and see a life lived for the Glory of God.

 Grace and Peace,

Adam

Reconnecting with the Gospel pt. 54 – The Rights of the Potter

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Today we’re going to continue our walk through Paul’s Letter to the Church of Rome.  Last time we discussed the supremacy of God’s glory above all things.  Specifically we noted that God chooses whom to set His love upon in a special way for salvation, and that in a way we cannot see now, this is the greatest good and for the greatest measure of God’s glory to be known.  Many people (myself included) the first time walking through Romans 9 will say, “this isn’t fair!  Everyone should be saved!”  God’s answer back is not going to satisfy most people asking that question.  God basically answers back and says that you don’t get to question Him.  Further, it is implied that the most just thing for God to do would be to instantly judge all those who are in their sins, who are not covered by the blood of Christ.  Romans 9 does not leave most people feeling warm and fuzzy, but it should give people a sense of awe before an omnipotent and holy God – to understand the depth of Christ’s atonement for sin, that God’s mercy is precious, the blood of Jesus is precious, and Jesus is a treasure far greater than anything the world could offer.
Romans 9:19-24 – “You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault?  For who can resist his will?”  But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?  Will what is molded say to its molder, “why have you made me like this?”  Has the potter no right over the clay, to make our of the same lump on vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use?  What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory-even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?  

It always amazes me that so many people try to “get God off the hook” for certain things in the Bible.  God never asks for that.  He is clear, there are some things that are higher than we can understand and He makes no apologies for His actions, and neither should we.  Isaiah 55:9 -“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  Man is born a sinner, and unless He is granted repentance from sin to embrace in faith the pardon of Christ through His atoning work on the cross, that man will die in his sins and bear the wrath of God eternally in hell.  Man will never come to God on his own, God in His mercy must come to the man – in Spirit and Truth, the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus being received and the Spirit of God granting faith to believe.
To wrap our heads around what is being said in Romans 9, we must first lay down our desire to be the center of everything in the universe.  We’re not.  God created us for His glory.  Colossians 1:16 – “by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.”  It’s not about us, it’s about Him.  It isn’t about making much of ourselves, but displaying the glory of our Creator.  That is the end for which man was created.
Most people will never submit to God, they will never feel the weight of their sin against a Holy God and be truly broken in repentance and they will never grasp on to trust in Jesus alone for salvation.  These people will still glorify God, but in a different way than those whom God saves.  These unrepentant people, who sin against God all the day long, never acknowledging their Creator, let alone worship Him, will glorify God when they are judged for their sin.  God’s justice, God’s wrath, God’s infinite holiness will be on display for eternity in the punishment of these people.  Some of these people we rejoice in their judgment, like Hitler, Stalin, child molesters, etc.  Some people we cannot fathom God judging, like gandhi or the person who volunteers their whole life for good causes.  These are “good” people, we say.  To this, we have to understand that as the universe is infinitely greater than we can measure or understand, so is the holiness of God.  Isaiah 64:6 – “our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.” 
To be counted as righteous before God required God Himself to take on flesh, live a perfect life, and bear the eternal wrath of God for our sin.  It is the infinite love and mercy of God on display for eternity in the salvation of man.  Both the judgment of a people and the salvation of a people were necessary for the full glory of God to be displayed.  This is as much as we can see as finite beings, reaching into the purposes of our eternal God in creation, judgment, and salvation.  God does not give us every answer, but gives us every answer necessary for eternal life and living in Jesus Christ.  God has clearly shown that He has from the very beginning, purposed some unto salvation to display his glory as vessels of His love and mercy.  Therefore, if know know God, if we trust in our Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation, we should rest in the peace of that eternal salvation.  God never acts out of surprise, but out of a fullness of His perfect will, and even if we cannot understand fully why God does everything as He does, we can rest in the love and mercy of our God displayed in the gospel of Jesus.  He has demonstrated His love for us in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us.  That is enough for us all.
Grace and Peace,
Adam

The Cost of the Cross

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“The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with His death—we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise god-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow Him, or it may be a death like Luther’s, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death every time—death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at his call.”

–Dietrich Bonhoeffer

In every one of us there is a person that must be put to death.  This person must be put to death not once, or twice, but daily.  Luke 9:23 – “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  This is hard work to be sure.  Impossible were it not for the work of the Holy Spirit in a person.  What natural, unregenerate person wakes up and says to himself – let my first action of the day be to reject all comforts for myself, all personal desires, all pursuit of joy or happiness, and pursue God wherever He leads me today?  It is the mark of a Christian to pursue God in this way.  We live each day, not for the pleasures it could offer, but looking forward to reconciliation with God and joyfully pursuing the work of our Savior until that day.

Each week I’ll get into at least one conversation with someone who calls themself a Christian, but proclaims that homosexuality is not a sin.  At first I thought that this was an intellectual mistake of the individual, that they simply needed to be reminded that God has called us to pursue sexuality in the confines of a marriage between a man and a woman.  I would go to Matthew 19, 1 Corinthians 6, and the Old Testament to outline God’s plan for marriage.  Inevitably though, the individuals never changed their mind or repented in any way.  It’s not a head issue, it’s a heart issue.  You see someone who truly identifies with Christ in His death and ressurrection has sought to put to death their own will and to pursue joy in God’s will for their life.  Romans 6:1-4 – “Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?  By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?  Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?  We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”  You cannot walk in newness of life as a Christian, unless you first die to yourself and your sin.  This is a heart issue that many professing Christians have never experienced because they are not truly saved.  If they were, then after being confronted with the Truth of God’s Word, no matter how hard it was, they would desire to pursue joy in God’s will for their life and in His righteousness. 

As we move forward from Easter, considering the great news of the finished work of our Lord Jesus in His death and resurrection, let us consider that we must identify with Jesus fully.  If we are to live in the power of His ressurrection, we must also die the death He died to sin and self. 

Grace and Peace,
Adam

Reconnecting with the Gospel pt. 53 – The Supremacy of the Will of God for His Glory

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We’re going to continue our trek through Romans 9 today by looking at Romans 9:10-18.  I’m intentionally overlapping some scripture we’ve already covered because it is needed for context.  It’s important to note that Romans 9 does not exist in isolation, but is built on Romans 1-8.  That is vitally important because what God says is Romans 9 would be very difficult to take in, unless man’s accountability and hopelessness in his depravity had already been established.  As it is we know that all have sinned in Adam (Rom 5:10-12, that everyone has known God through his Creation yet worshipped the Creation rather than the Creator (Rom 1:18-23), and that of our own volition, no one is righteous and no one seeks for God (Rom 3:10-11).  This is why salvation is of the LORD.  All talk of man coming to God on our own terms, or under the power of our own will is stopped by John 6:44 where Jesus proclaims – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.  And I will raise him up on the last day.”  

 
So with a spirit of humility we enter into Romans 9 today.  Romans 9:10-18 – “And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad-in order that God’s purpose in election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls-she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”  As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”  What shall we say then?  Is there injustice on God’s part?  By no means!  For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.”  So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.  For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”  So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”
 
My task today is not the exposition of this text.   It’s been said that the difficulty with Roman 9 is not in understanding what it means, but rather accepting that it means exactly what it says.  Your salvation does not in any amount, in any way depend on your will or exertion.  Look at the words of Jesus in John 6 – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”  Do you come to Jesus for salvation – Yes, absolutely! But it is not your will, it is the Spirit of God drawing you to Christ.  Jesus says this another way in John 3:8 – “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sounds, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.  So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”  
 
Can you take that in?  You bring nothing to the table except your sin.  You don’t even get credit for your “decision” to come to Christ, that credit belongs solely to God.   He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  All glory, in all things, in every way belongs solely to our God.  We must increase, and He must increase.  That is our sanctification.  Our treasure is that nothing is withheld from us in Jesus.  Romans 8:32 – “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”  Friends, God is not talking about worthless things like gold, silver, or material possessions in this life – we are given all things, a fullness of joy in the presence of our Lord Jesus for all eternity.  
 
Some will look at God’s sovereignty over salvation and accuse him of being unjust.  They will say – “This person never heard the gospel, it is not fair for God to judge him/her”.  They will say – “I was a good person, God has to accept me”.  Those were the objections Paul’s foresaw some in the Roman church raising.  His response was implied that they would have heard the answers in Romans 1-8 and simply said that God’s purpose for His glory is supreme.  Can a wretched sinner accuse God of injustice if God allows them to continue in their unbelief?  It would be as if 10 people were walking down the street past Jesus and all 10 of them mocked him and spat on him as they walked past.  To the first 9 Jesus allowed them to pass by and the 10th Jesus reaches out to and tells him that the penalty for his sin is death, but instead Jesus would bear the penalty in his place.  Further, Jesus works all things in that persons life to bring them to repentance and saving faith.  That is the mercy and love of God.  God has done no wrong to the first 9 by showing mercy to the one.  
 
The most just thing for God to do is to punish all 10 for this sin, but God’s love and mercy would not be known and proclaimed in the same way if He did that.  Instead, in order to magnify His name, God allows some to continue in their unbelief, and intervenes by the Spirit to draw some unto Him for salvation.  What are the implications of this?  The first fruit of this doctrine for a Christian should be humility.  There is nothing for us to boast about in ourselves; especially not our “decision” or our “works”.  We boast in Lord Jesus Christ crucified and Him alone.  What about evangelism?  If salvation is of the Lord, what’s the point in sharing the gospel?  Brothers and Sisters, you would think too little of yourself as redeemed sons and daughters of God if that is your question.  We are colaborers with Christ to extend love and mercy to a lost and dying world.  Ephesians 2:8-10 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Bolded by me for emphasis)  Again, we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:20 – “we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us .”
 
My exhortation to you all as you work through the difficult message of Romans 9 is to be amazed not in what God has not done in saving all people, but stand amazed that God saves any.  There will come a day when each of us stands in front of our Lord and the love of God in Jesus Christ for those of us whom are saved will be fully known by us.  At that moment, we will be so overwhelmed that for all eternity we will sing the praise of the love and mercy of God in salvation.
 
Grace and Peace,
Adam 

Reconnecting with the Gospel pt. 52 – Sovereign Faithfulness

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It’s been a while, but I want to pick back up with our walk through Romans.  Romans 9-11 answer the question, “can we trust God”.  God made many promises to Israel through the prophets in the Old Testament, and now it would seem that God was not fulfilling those promises – that God was turning His back on Israel.  Paul is going to answer that charge by first rightly defining “Israel” and also laying out some pretty hard hitting doctrine on God’s sovereignty in salvation and all things in the process.  All we have in this life is our hope in the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Can we trust God.  Is he faithful?  Hopefully Romans 9-11 will be challenging, but not a burden, as we remember that our Lord IS faithful, He never changes, never falters, and will surely bring to pass all that He has promised.
Romans 9:1-13 – “I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.  They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.  To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.  But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. For this is what the promise said: “About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.”  And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.”  As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” (Bolded by me for emphasis)
The metanarrative of the Bible is God’s glory manifested through the redemption of a people unto Himself.  God chose a people, Israel, in the Old Testament to be the object of His plan for redemption.  What Paul is expressing here, is that there is an inner and an outer Israel, but from the beginning, God’s chosen people have always been the inner Israel.  Outer Israel is the physical nation of Israel, the physical descendents of Abraham, but inner Israel has always been those who believed God and their faith has been counted to them as righteousness.  There are countless examples in the Old Testament about how the physical nation of Israel rejected God, but there was always a remnant within, the True Israel (inner Israel) that never lost faith in God.  Here are two examples to illustrate this from the Old Testament (there are many, many more):
Numbers 21:4-9 – “From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”  Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.  And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.  And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”  So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.”  Many people of the nation of Israel (outer Israel) died in their unbelief at this time, yet God kept a people of faith for Himself among those with Moses (inner Israel).
1 Kings 19:9-18 – “he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”  And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.  And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”  He said, “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts. For the people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword, and I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.”  And the Lord said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus. And when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria.  And Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place.  And the one who escapes from the sword of Hazael shall Jehu put to death, and the one who escapes from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha put to death.  Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”  Elijah believed that He alone was left who believed God and followed Him, but God rebukes Elijah by telling him that he has kept 7,000 in Israel.  There was a remnant within Israel that believed God, and did not reject Him to worship idols.  God commands the destruction of everyone in Israel (outer Israel) except for the 7,000 (inner Israel).
So Paul answers the question as to God’s faithfulness to Israel by explaining that Israel is not the physical nation of Israel by itself, but the remnant of Israel that believes.  This remnant would include those in the physical nation of Israel, and all other nations whose faith rested in Jesus.  This does not mean that God is done with the physical nation of Israel – we’re going to see that more in Romans 11, but it does mean that His promises are to the children of faith, the children of promise according to God.  Paul is going to expand on this more in the upcoming verses.  What is key to understand here is that God’s choosing is not restrained by anything.  God does not save “the good people” and damn “the bad people”.  Paul makes that clear with the example of Jacob and Esau, say that before they had been born and before they had done anything wrong, God determined to love Jacob and hate Esau.  To explain what is meant by love and hate here, you must understand the value and worth of the mercy and salvation of God.  Esau provided for the family, whereas Jacob steals his brother’s birthright (a greater inheritance) and tricks his dying father, Isaac into giving him the blessing meant for Esau.  Certainly God should love Esau more than Jacob, right?  Both Jacob and Esau were sinners.  We know from Romans 1-8 that all have fallen short of the glory of God and deserve the judgment of God.  Jacob was chosen by God for mercy, however.    The mercy and salvation of God is so infinitely valuable, that to compare the mercy and salvation of God to the lack of the mercy and salvation of God, is to rightly say that God loved Jacob and hated Esau.  Over time you see the fruit of the salvation of Jacob by his pursuing God, whereas Esau rejects God.      
I’m not going to dance around this doctrine to appeal to the masses, I will say this clearly, because scripture makes it clear – Salvation is of the Lord, from beginning to the end.  The heart cry of a Christian is not to make much of their effort, but of the love and mercy of God extended to them.  We’ve walked through clearly in Romans 1-2 man’s guilt before God because He chooses sin instead of worshipping the Lord, we’ve seen in Romans 3, that no one is righteous, that no one seeks for God, we’ve seen in Romans 4-5 that all of us sinned in Adam, are born into the same sin, and have no hope in ourselves because we are sinners by both action and in our nature (the inclination of our heart and mind is always sin apart from God).  Brothers and sisters in Christ, this is Truth and good news indeed, because only when we are truly hopeless can we find hope in Jesus.  Only if we have NO hope in ourselves can we stop trying to pursue salvation through good works and truly find peace in the words of Jesus, “It is finished”.  We bring nothing to the table of salvation.  God ordained from before the world began those whom He chose unto salvation. (Eph 1:11-14)  We don’t like hearing that, we like to say that we choose God – it seems like we have to have some part of the equation in order for God’s choosing us to be “right”.  Brothers and sisters, if God required us to come to him, we would never come.  Let us boast therefore, in our hopelessness and the love and mercy of God.  Let us boast that if we have believed God, He is faithful to fulfill His promises.  He is faithful to complete the good work that He began in us. Philippians 1:6 – “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.”  I do not know why God chooses some and not others, that knowledge is hidden in the mind of God, but I know that He is good.  I also know that the call of Jesus is real, anyone who would repent and believe in Jesus alone for salvation will be saved.  It is the glory of God that even the person bringing the gospel to one to be saved is ordained by God.  It is the glory of God that He works in the heart of the person hearing the gospel to believe.  It is the glory of God that He is faithful to fulfill His promise to us through Jesus.
I’ve dug into some of the doctrine that God has for us in Romans 9, and more is to come.  I have spoken this Truth of God’s word here in Romans 9 before to some Christians, who respond by saying – “That’s not my God – that’s not the God I worship”.  Now in my younger years, I would usually respond in a short way by saying, “well then you’re not worshipping the God of the Bible, so you better think about that”.  Inevitably those disagreements escalated and were not helpful.  My age has tempered my response somewhat, because I want to edify and unite rather than hammer away at professing believers (except where a false gospel is preached).  So my encouragement to those that will be offended by this message and the messages to come in Romans 9-11 is this – let God’s Word persuade you and the Holy Spirit convict you.  Don’t believe me, but don’t believe yourself either – believe God from His Word.  I’ve been convinced by scripture over time that man makes choices, but those choices are guided by God.  God ordains everything… everything for His purpose for His glory.  At some point you have to really let go of your own understanding, and take God at His Word.  Instead of saying, well this doesn’t make sense to me – or this isn’t what I want it to be, so I’m not going to believe it, instead go to God with, well, I don’t understand this completely, but it’s clear in your Word, so help me find greater joy in you because of this Truth.  The decrease of self, the increase of God is joy for those whose treasure is Jesus.  For those who would forsake the world to gain Jesus, this doctrine will be peace and joy.
Grace and Peace,
Adam

Forgetting and Following

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Brothers and Sisters,
Some of you have received these messages for a long time and others are receiving this for the first time.  I’m sending this to a larger group today because I felt a weightiness in my soul that this message in particular needed to reach out to a greater audience.  It is sent from one sinner to another, with the boldness of our shared victory over sin in Jesus.  My prayer is that this will be a helpful edification for those of you that I know are actively pursuing Christ with your lives.
Do you believe the gospel today?  I hope so, because the Bible does not speak about past decisions, but it says “today is the day of salvation”(2 Cor 6:2), today choose whom you will serve (Josh 24:15).  Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins and reconciled you to God?  I hope so, because when the Lord had fully bore the wrath of God for you, He said “It is finished”.  Further, until Jesus’ death “every priest stood daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins but when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.”  (Hebrews 10:11-12)  Do you believe that you are a new creation in Jesus Christ, no longer bound by sin, but free to enjoy God in perfect fellowship?  I hope so, because “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-19)  These are the questions I hope you ask yourself as you’re reading this.  We have an enemy that wants to tempt us away from our hope in Jesus, and so this message is meant to be one, big gut punch to his efforts.  As great is our sin and our enemy, much greater is our Redeemer, the Father who sent Him, and the Seal of our salvation, the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.  It is to our Father, that this is an appeal to, that His rebuke of our enemy would be great, that we would know the freedom into which we were called, and that we would be resolute to the finish the course granted to us by Him.  Just as the enemy sought to condemn Joshua for his sin, but the LORD clothed him in righteousness, so too do we have the LORD to call upon, and we have been clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus.

Zechariah 3:1-5 – “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord (Jesus), and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.  And the Lord said to Satan, “The LORD (the Father) rebuke you, O Satan!  The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!  Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?  Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments.  And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.”  And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.”  And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.”  So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments.  And the angel of the Lord was standing by.”
 
With that Gospel Truth of the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ as our foundation, I want to build on that with a call to continual action described by Paul in Philippians 3:12-14 – “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own.  Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own.  But one thing I do:  forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”  
 
Jesus has said that “It is finished”, you have been reconciled to God for all time.  Our enemy reminds us of our past failings, years ago, months ago, days ago, and yesterday telling us “it isn’t finished, you have dirty clothes, the clothes of a sinner, God is holy, He won’t accept a sinner, God punishes sin.”  All of what satan tells us every day is true, except.. it is finished.  Since we have an enemy that is constantly calling us to remember, God is calling us to forget.  Forgetting doesn’t make light of our past, in fact, it rightly calls it infinitely detestable in agreement with our enemy, but it puts the past where it belongs, on Christ at the cross.  Every time we actively choose to forget our past, we are declaring the sufficiency of Christ to atone for all our sin.  Now, I am burdened for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ here, because of the pervasiveness with which I see our enemy attacking us here.  The time has come for the mouth of our enemy to be stopped, that the rebuke of Our Father to be magnified, such that our enemy might flee from us before the Light of the Truth of the gospel.
Let me be bold here to say that every one of us struggles with forgetting our past at one point or another.  Some reading this are actually in a cycle of bondage from this – trying to pursue Christ for a time, then struggling with sin or some other relationship issue, only to separate from the body of Christ because they believe this lie of our enemy.  Why are you dwelling on your past sins?  Does Jesus need to be crucified again for you?  Was the price Jesus paid not enough?  Is the seal of your salvation, the Holy Spirit, Christ in you, not sufficient a guarantee of God’s promises to you?  1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God.  You are not your own, you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body.”
I realize for many, this act of forgetting is not natural because you have been practicing remembering your sins in agreement with our enemy for so long.  We must practice forgetting, even as we preach the gospel to ourselves daily, each morning.  Paul is well into his ministry when he delivers his letter to the Philippians, just as many of us have been on this walk with Christ for a long period of time.  Paul does not say he forgot his past up until a certain point in time, but he is “forgetting” what lies behind, the includes years ago, days ago, moments ago, and he is pressing forward towards Christ.  How do we arm ourselves for this task?  My exhortation is to press the truth of the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ deep into your heart.  Follow after Christ, remembering that His work atoning for all our sin past, present, and future is finished.  Your sin has been fully dealt with.  Each morning, choose who you will serve, calling to mind the promises of God – “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.”  (Lamentations 3:22-23)  Stop sinning.  I don’t mean to stop all your sins, because we are told in 1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”  What I mean is stop resolving yourself to certain known sins simply because you have struggled with them before, yesterday or even moments ago.  Stop saying, well I did this yesterday, so what’s the point in trying to stop today?  That is not Jesus saying that to you.  Resolve yourself to stop today, and pray for God’s mercy as you follow Him.  Stop listening to the lies of our enemy whose goal is only to rob, kill, and destroy our joy in God, and start listening to the One who demonstrated His love for us by dying for us.  He has given you new clothes, His own righteousness.  He has said you are a new Creation, and the old you is dead.  Your sins were crucified with Christ, it is no longer your sinful self who lives, but your life is the life of our Lord Jesus Christ in you.  Follow Him.
Brothers and Sisters, life is short.  None of us knows the day or the hour we may be called home.  Tomorrow is not guaranteed, therefore, let us make the most of each day we have been given, stewarding the time for our Lord while we have opportunity.  Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.  Know you are loved and prayed for.
Grace and Peace,
Adam

A Framework for Joy

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The further along I go in my walk with Christ, the greater I am aware of the pervasiveness of my sin and the sin in the world.  In 1 john 2:15-16 we are told – “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.”  Now, everything in our culture is set in a framework to arouse the sin in us to do exactly what 1 John 2 tells us not to – namely to love the world, to desire sexual immorality, to desire material possessions, and to be boastful in ourselves.  Simply put, everything in the world is set up by the “god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4), satan, to try to suppress the love of God and deprive you of joy in Him.

As Christians, we cannot sit back and hope that society will set up for us a framework for joy in God, it will never happen.  The world, being fallen and broken, will never be redeemed to the point where culture and society lifts up the manifest perfections of God for our joy.  Therefore, God has called us to this task individually, and as the Church body to encourage one another to set up in our minds means of pursuing joy in God.  This requires intentional action on our part.  In this task, we become co-laborers with the Holy Spirit in us as God has ordained in Philippians 2:12-13.  In Colossians 3:1-3 we are exhorted – “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.  For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”  Here, I have specifically in view that we should set our minds on the things above, not on things that are on earth.  The wisdom of God in salvation and all things should provide and answer to our anxieties over suffering and trials.  The love of God extended to us in Jesus for our sins and throughout eternity and His perfect judgment, is a sufficient answer for the wrongs that are done to us in this life.  The neverending massiveness of God in perfection is a greater prize than anything the world could offer, and we have been brought to God in righteousness through our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is very difficult to be overwhelmed by temptation from the world when exercising the means of pursuing joy in God that we have available.  

Psalm 37:4 says to “delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  Consider the various perfections of God revealed through His Creation, through His Word, through the Church and prayerfully pursue joy in God, and God will grant you that joy.  This has to be an active task in your life, because if you do not frame your mind to be pursuing joy in God in these things, everything else in the world will seek to frame your joy in the world.  If you are faithful to pursue God in this way, God will honor your faithfulness with an ever increasing measure of joy in Him.  You will see God in deeper, more joy-producing ways that you did not before.  As you do this, be faithful to encourage one another in the ways you have found joy in God, so that they can also be built up.  If there was ever a prescription for joy, God has given it to us through His Word above.  My hope and prayer is that our joy would be made complete, the joy that is promised by God from His Word, and God is faithful to fulfill His promises. 
Grace and Peace,
Adam

Racial Reconciliation

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“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr

Some see the victory of the Civil Rights Movement as the fulfillment of MLK’s dream above.  Others point to the election of America’s first Black president, Barack Obama, as the fulfillment.  I would say that while we have made inroads into eliminating external racism, there is much work yet to be done.  Society can dictate and indoctrinate us with laws and education to ensure a certain measure of racial equality, but there is only one way that anyone will ever change their heart, where they have eyes to see beyond color, beyond culture, to see a child of God, created for His purpose and His glory.  The Way is Jesus.

Much can be made about what should be done to eliminate sins of sexuality, abortion, racism, without looking to Jesus for the answer.  To the extent that we have victory over the external manifestations of sin without Jesus, all we have accomplished is created whitewashed tombs – we produce a salve for the souls of those who are perishing to deaden their hearts against the urgency of their deadly condition.  The world would sing our praises, but we would have accomplished nothing – in fact we are more likely to be found to be working against God and His plan for the salvation of sinners through Jesus.

Jesus was surrounded by rampant sinning in ways that would make people cringe today, yet His goal was not to stop the external sinning, but to put to death sin in the hearts of His followers.  A person can will themself to make external changes, but only Jesus can changes someone’s heart.  Consider Jesus’ words from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 – “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.  Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.  “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.“

Racism does not exist at the external level, it is a heart issue that views someone as less than a unique creation of God purposed for His glory.  It has its roots in pride, the same pride Adam had in the garden to desire to become like God.  This sin persists in the heart of men today to want to view themselves as greater than another.  That kind of heart has no place in a Christian, it is not the heart of Jesus.  Jesus rebuked his disciples for having prideful hearts in Luke 22:24-27 – “A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest.  And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors.  But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.  For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” 

I could go on about how Paul called himself the chief among sinners, how the apostles served others to the point of death in ministry of the gospel, how the early church spread throughout all of their surrounding regions without any pretense of greatness, save Christ alone.  The heart to serve and a unified Church reconciled to God and each other through Jesus Christ is all over the Bible.  I have a dream that one day I will hear with glorified ears the praise of God from every tongue of every tribe of every nation.  This is promised in Rev 7:9-10.  Until that day, we press hard into the ministry of reconciliation that we have been given, to proclaim the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ to all people.  We ask God to remove all pride, to make our hearts like his to serve and love another another for His glory.  Only God can truly accomplish racial reconciliation because the root of the issue is a matter of the heart, but Christ is able to accomplish this and more.

Grace and Peace,

Adam