During this time of Busyness, don’t neglect to pause and consider just Whose Birthday this is!
Merry Christ from WOGF a DBA of BRBC 🙂
Last Sunday we were talking about Faith in the light of catastrophe: “Though the fig trees should not blossom…” But time got away and we didn’t talk as much about just everyday living by faith as I had intended. This “got questions” article is a good thought provoker in that direction! – Pastor Scott
What does it mean to walk by faith and not by sight? (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Second Corinthians 5:6–7 says, “So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight” (ESV, emphasis added). Other versions use the word live, rather than walk. The “walk” here is a metaphorical reference to the way a person conducts his or her life. We still use the phrase “all walks of life” to mean a variety of lifestyles or cultures.
The apostle Paul reminds his readers that followers of Christ must not build their lives around things that have no eternal significance. Rather than pursuing the same things the world pursues, a Christian should focus on the unseen realities such as Jesus and heaven. Paul goes on to say, “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Corinthians 5:9–10). Jesus instructed us to store up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19–20; Luke 12:33). He promised rewards to everyone who does His will (Matthew 16:27; 1 Peter 1:17; Revelation 22:12) and punishment for those who reject Him (Matthew 25:24–46; John 3:16–18).
Walking by faith means living life in light of eternal consequences. To walk by faith is to fear God more than man; to obey the Bible even when it conflicts with man’s commands; to choose righteousness over sin, no matter what the cost; to trust God in every circumstance; and to believe God rewards those who seek Him, regardless of who says otherwise (Hebrews 11:6).
Rather than loving the things of this world (1 John 2:15–16), Christians should spend their lives glorifying God in everything they do (1 Corinthians 10:31). It requires faith to live this way because we cannot see, hear, or touch anything spiritual. When we base our lives on the truth of God’s Word, rather than on the popular philosophy of our day, we are going against our natural inclinations. Our natural instinct may be to hoard money, but walking by faith says we should give to those in need (Luke 11:41; Ephesians 4:28). Society may say that sexual immorality is acceptable, but those who walk by faith base their standards on God’s unchanging Word, which says any sex outside of marriage is sin (1 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians 5:3; Galatians 5:19). To walk by faith requires that we tune our hearts to the voice of the Holy Spirit and the truth of His Word (John 10:27; 16:13). We choose to live according to what God reveals to us, rather than trust our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6).
On Sunday December 1, I (Pastor Scott) preached on the book of Hosea. As you may remember, God asked Hosea to marry a woman who would go on to cheat on him, thus allowing God’s prophet to experience adultery in his marital relationship just as God was experiencing in His relationship with Israel.
Hosea also went and bought her back after she had run off “for good;” illustrating God’s covenant-keeping love which is the point of the book. That said, there was another application I had wanted to stress and did not:
The command that Gomer repeatedly broke was “thou shalt not commit adultery.” Jesus famously said in the Sermon on the Mount that we can break that command in our minds, which lines up nicely with the tenth commandment – “Thou shalt not covet”.
Maybe we all listened to the message on Hosea and thought, “Nope, I’m not cheating on God!” I’m not “doing” anything that would constitute spiritual adultery! It’s not like daydreaming about a bigger house, younger wife or a faster car is really a sin! Or is it?
Aspirations for which we can work are excellent! (1 Timothy 3:1; Colossians 3:22-25); lustful discontent leads to sin; always (James 1:12-18; cf. Hebrews 13:5-6).
If putting other passions on the throne of our life is akin to adultery against our Lord and Savior, then daydreaming about different circumstances is akin to ungratefulness for the very gifts our Lord and Savior has bestowed!
Just a thought,
Pastor Scott
As this blog will post a week before Thanksgiving (and may be my last until December), I thought I’d write on Psalm 103 (posted below in case your Bible isn’t handy). The whole time I was thinking about it a hymn from childhood kept going through my head. I hope this gets it running through yours!
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
1 When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Refrain:
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.2 Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
2. Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, ev’ry doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by. [Refrain]
3. When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high. [Refrain]
4. So, amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end. [Refrain]
Baptist Hymnal, 1991*
Trusting you have at least one more blessing than challenge to count!
Pastor Scott
Psalm 103
Praise for the Lord’s Mercies. A Psalm of David.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
3 Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
4 Who redeems your life from the pit,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;
5 Who satisfies your years with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
6 The Lord performs righteous deeds
And judgments for all who are oppressed.
7 He made known His ways to Moses,
His acts to the sons of Israel.
8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
12 As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
13 Just as a father has compassion on his children,
So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
14 For He Himself knows our frame;
He is mindful that we are but dust.
15 As for man, his days are like grass;
As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more,
And its place acknowledges it no longer.
17 But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
And His righteousness to children’s children,
18 To those who keep His covenant
And remember His precepts to do them.
19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens,
And His sovereignty rules over all.
20 Bless the Lord, you His angels,
Mighty in strength, who perform His word,
Obeying the voice of His word!
21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts,
You who serve Him, doing His will.
22 Bless the Lord, all you works of His,
In all places of His dominion;
Bless the Lord, O my soul!
*The song was published in 1897; 1991 was the pub. Date of the Baptist Hymnal I found online.
I was out of town the week of the election, so I didn’t get to pontificate in real time; and by this point, I don’t think there is much I can add, except maybe a smile…
A surgeon, an engineer, and a politician were debating which of their professions was the oldest. The surgeon said, “Eve was made from Adam’s rib, and that, of course, was a surgical procedure. Obviously surgery is the oldest profession.”
The engineer countered with, “Yes, but before that, order was created out of chaos, and that most certainly was an engineering job.”
The politician smiled and said triumphantly, “Aha! And just who do you think created the chaos?”
I must admit I chuckled, but it makes a great point. If your guy won. Don’t be surprised when he – or a member of his administration missteps. If your gal had won, she or a member of her team would also have eventually misstepped. Or even if they perform (or would have performed) flawlessly, some other country or crisis would impact us because the earth is going to groan until her Master and Maker sits on His glorious throne (Matt 25:31).
It’s our responsibility as a church and as individuals to remember God’s instruction to us: “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:11-14 Emphasis added)
Lyrics and Music: Seth and Bessie Sykes
The Evangelists Seth & Bessie Sykes were well-known in Springburn, the U.K, and even in the United States. In 1929 Seth, who was a tram conductor, resigned in 1929, and both of them traveled to mission churches throughout the length and breadth of Britain with a barrel organ, singing, preaching the gospel. and retelling stories from the Bible with lantern slides.
This is a favorite hymn amongst residents of Ju Eng Home Singapore. It reminds us to be thankful to our God and Creator who provides and sustains our lives.
Some thank the Lord for friends and home
For mercies sure and sweet
But I would praise Him for his grace
In prayer I would repeat
Refrain:
Thank you, Lord, for saving my soul
Thank you, Lord, for making me whole
Thank you, Lord, for giving to me
Thy great salvation so rich and free
Some thank Him for the flow’rs that grow
Some for the stars that shine
My heart is filled with joy and praise
Because I know He’s mine
I trust in Him from day to day
I prove His saving grace
I’ll sing this song of praise to Him
Until I see His face
Once again, I was asked the almost annual question, “Should a Christian celebrate Halloween?”
There isn’t really a singular answer, but I can give you two questions that you need to settle in your mind before you carve a pumpkin or put a costume on your child.
- Are you fully convinced in your own mind? Can you give thanks? (Romans 14:5-6)
- https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2021/10/the-origins-of-halloween-traditions/
- Vs. the picture above 🙂
2) Who else is on the bandwagon with you? Ephesians 5:1-21, (emphasis on v7) says: “Therefore do not be partakers with them”, speaking of the sons of disobedience. For me this has meant a trunk-or-treat event or a harvest festival at church has been acceptable before God. Trick-or-treating seems like it’s kind of neighborhood or even family dependent, see point one. 🙂
God’s Word Rules,
Pastor Scott
Pastor Jim will be speaking on the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31 on Sunday, but it’s Jeremiah 17:9 that many of us remember from childhood. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
If Jeremiah were writing that today he may have contradicted Obi Wan and said, “Don’t trust your feelings!” “Your ‘feelings’ will lie to you.” Even though I know that, I still let my feelings rule the day sometimes. “I know this isn’t the wisest use of my time, but I don’t feel like cleaning right now.” “I know I shouldn’t be saying this, but it feels okay at the moment.” “The Bible may say that “x” is wrong, but I feel my situation justifies it.”
You get the point. It doesn’t take long for our feelings, our heart, to take us completely away from living in God’s absolute truth. We need to be careful. His rule is His word, not my heart.
Pastor Scott
| Got this blog from GES on Wednesday Oct 2, 2024 The week the Grace Groups begin their Study of Discipleship. I thought it was God-timing. ~Pastor Scott Grace Evangelical Society |
Success in Fishing Doesn’t Come Free By Kenneth Yates on Oct 02, 2024 09:30 am  One of the characteristics of Free Grace Theology is that it makes a distinction between a believer and a disciple. A believer is somebody who has believed in Jesus for eternal life. They receive it as a gift. Works play no part in it whatsoever. A disciple is a believer who follows Christ in obedience. Discipleship involves works and is not free. All believers will be in the kingdom, but not all believers are disciples.Many Bible teachers disagree. They say we must do works to prove we are saved. They maintain that all believers are disciples. There is no difference between the two.This is a strange and contradictory teaching. Those who promote it say that eternal salvation is free, then quickly add that it will cost the person everything. That makes absolutely no sense. They do this because they think verses that say eternal salvation is free and verses about the cost of being a disciple are all talking about the same thing—salvation from hell. They try to make all these verses be about the same thing.We need only look at one example to see how nonsensical such a view is. Imagine preaching that salvation is absolutely free, then saying that Mark 1:16-20 is talking about the same thing. The Lord calls four fishermen to follow Him. The word follow is a discipleship term. It is an ongoing process. The Lord wants these men to walk after Him, learn from Him, and do the things He commands them to do. Receiving eternal life is not a process. It happens in a moment of time, when the person believes in Jesus for eternal life.Clearly, Jesus is not telling these men to believe in Him. He is not offering them a gift. These men had already believed and received the gift of life (John 1:37-42). Jesus is telling them to do something more and to get to work.The call to do work is also clear in what Jesus wants them to do. He wants them to learn how to fish for men. These four men were fishermen, and they knew the kind of work involved in that business. When Jesus called them to follow Him, they were doing hard work. Some were casting nets into the sea (v 16). Others were mending broken nets and getting them ready for the next trip out into the water (v 19).Recently, I went on a trip to the coast of Georgia. I did a tourist thing where a fisherman showed us how to catch fish with a large net. I volunteered, along with another man, to give it a try. We unfolded the net and waded about thirty yards out into the water. We dragged the net for about ten minutes. We caught a bunch of small fish. After those ten minutes, I was done. I needed to take a nap.It was obvious to me that fishing takes a great deal of work. Not a single one of those men whom Jesus called that day thought, “He is calling us to do something that is absolutely free and takes no work.” They understood that the Lord was urging them to follow Him by doing hard work.Even though I have heard it a thousand times, it still baffles me when I hear people say that the Lord was telling these fishermen to believe in Him for eternal life in these verses. If those four men heard somebody say that Jesus was offering them a free gift on the Sea of Galilee that day, they would have rolled on the ground laughing.There is no doubt that Christ was calling these men to be His disciples. That is not the same thing as believing in Him. Believing costs nothing. Discipleship is very costly. It is hard work. If you try to say they are the same thing, you only look foolish.Let’s keep them separate. Receiving eternal life is given freely by God’s grace through faith alone. Being a disciple will take hard work. Go to the coast of Georgia and drag a net in the ocean for ten minutes and you’ll see. Unless your theological tradition compels you do to so, you will never say that Mark 1:16-20 is an invitation for these men to receive a gift. |
Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. (Psalm 25:1-2)
You may recognize these words from a Scripture memory program or from years of devotions…but if they caused you to break into song (even just in your head), you’re probably of the Maranatha Music generation! I am of that generation and have fond memories of waiting for their next album release and singing their songs in Youth Group. In fact verse 2 above is running through my head today as a catchy melody…
We don’t talk in “shame” language very much anymore. I think it was being misused in our culture, but David recognized that any failure he had fighting God’s enemies reflected badly on God. Our enemies are not flesh and blood and are most often manifested in us by temptations we allow to turn into sin (Eph 6:12; James 1:13-15). Resisting temptation is a matter of walking (living) in the light of God’s presence and in fellowship with God’s people. If I am cowering in darkness, my enemies will triumph and I will be ashamed. I need to stay in the light, and I implore you to do the same! Simple to say, a challenge to do 24/7 in 2024!
Praying for you as you pray for me,
Pastor Scott
Grace Notes 