“Grace”

Grace With Others

While we are never to compromise the Gospel of Jesus, or our stand with Christ, we should extend grace to those who have not yet reached the position that we have attained in the growth process known as spiritual maturity. 

Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark travelled together preaching the Gospel.  At one point during the journey, when the going got tough, Mark got going and deserted Paul and Barnabas to return home.  When Paul decided to revisit the cities they had previously preached in, Barnabas suggested that they take John Mark along with them.  Paul was opposed to this idea and after arguing with Barnabas about it, the two of them eventually went their separate ways because they could not agree on this matter.  One thing that Paul had not taken into account was that when HE was a new convert, Barnabas was the one who endorsed him when others did not believe in the authenticity of his conversion.  However, as Paul matured, he recognized the maturity that Mark had developed as a result of being properly mentored by Barnabas.  In his later years, Paul began to once again, travel with Mark in ministry because he recognized Mark’s usefulness. 

When we first give our lives to Christ, none of us are the person we will become by the end of the journey.  Each of us will need to receive grace and EACH of us will need to extend grace.

Romans 15:1

Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength, and not just please ourselves. 

 

“The Gospel”

Gospel of Christ

There have been times when Christians have inquired, “How do we reach people?”  The answer is, preaching the Gospel of Christ is the only way that we can effectively reach anyone for Christ.  God is removed from the process of Salvation, and it dishonors Him when we seek avenues other than what He established in order to win people to Christ.  In order to justify using other creative strategies to inform people about Jesus, some have asserted that people are not receptive to the Gospel anymore.  However, when we review history, we notice that the Gospel has always made people uncomfortable because it is offensive.  The Spirit of God is what draws people as He sets the stage for the Gospel to be preached.

Here are a few examples of times when the Holy Spirit provided the opportunity to distribute the Gospel: 

In Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit filled the Disciples of Jesus and gave them the ability to speak in languages that they had not previously learned.  Jews who were staying in Jerusalem gathered around to find out what the noise that they heard was.  During this time, they heard the Gospel preached to them in their native tongues.  When Peter preached the Gospel of Christ to them, they were convicted of their sins and chose to repent.  This produced a conversion of almost three thousand people. 

In Acts chapter 3, the Holy Spirit empowered Peter and John to heal a lame man. This event caused people to take notice and gather around to witness the amazing sight.  As a result of the Holy Spirit drawing a massive crowd, Peter and John were given the opportunity to administer the Gospel and five thousand people were converted.

In Acts 8, an angel gave Philip specific instructions to go to a designated road.  When he arrived in the place that he had been directed, Philip saw an Ethiopian man riding in his chariot.  After catching up to the chariot, Philip heard the man reading Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the crucifixion of Jesus.  Philip taught him about Jesus and what He had done for a world full of sinners, and hearing the Gospel caused the Ethiopian to accept Jesus.

God will take care of making the arrangements for people to hear the Gospel.  It is never by chance that a person receives Christ.  He does not want a mass of people to be to be indoctrinated with a watered-down Gospel, and He will not allow the crucifixion of Christ to be depreciated.  The Gospel is the power of God that leads to Salvation.  When we use anything other than the Gospel to introduce Salvation to people, one of two things will occur:  (1) either they will not be converted, or (2) they will be impacted by something that is too weak to sustain them and it will not last.  We do not have to worry about REACHING people; we just need to be prepared to witness the Gospel to them when the opportunity becomes available.

Romans 1:16

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

 

“Leadership”

Good Leaders

It takes a strong person to be a good leader.  A good leader has the strength to ruffle feathers when it’s necessary because a good leader is not driven to please people.  They have the courage to say what you need to hear instead of what you want to hear. 

We have numerous leaders within the Church, but everyone is not qualified to be a leader.  Good character and wisdom are qualities of good leaders.  Leaders who displays partiality or lack the backbone to correct people that are in error, are unqualified and disqualified from leading.       

Ezekiel 3:8-9

⁸ “Behold, I have made your face strong against their faces, and your forehead strong against their foreheads.”

⁹ “Like adamant stone, harder than flint, I have made your forehead; do not be afraid of them, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they are a rebellious house.”

 

“End Times”

Proper Alignment

2 Timothy 3:13

But evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Those who align themselves with godless individuals have rejected Christ.  We are not in allegiance with people; we are in allegiance with Jesus.  When people are in allegiance with Jesus, by default, we are in allegiance with them.  But whenever they turn from following Jesus; we are no longer in allegiance with them.     

James 2:19

You believe that there is one God.  You do well.  Even the demons believe – and tremble!

 

"Sound Doctrine"

Disqualifications

When someone teaches errant information out of ignorance, they are unqualified to teach.  When someone teaches errant information in an attempt to deceive others, they are disqualified from teaching.

Titus 1:7-11

⁷ For the overseer must be beyond reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not overindulging in wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, ⁸ but hospitable, loving what is good, self-controlled, righteous, holy, disciplined, ⁹ holding firmly the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict it.

¹⁰ For there are many rebellious people, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, ¹¹ who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of dishonest gain.

 

“Biblical Production”

Discipleship

To disciple an individual means to dedicate a great amount of time training them and explaining the essential details of a specific subject.  When we give our lives to Christ and discover the specific gift(s) that is given to us by the Holy Spirit, and begin to function in the gift(s) according to the desire of the Holy Spirit; we PRODUCE within the kingdom.  When we take the time to disciple someone else, we REPRODUCE within the kingdom. 

Matthew 28:19-20

¹⁹ “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” 

 

“Biblical Approach to Life”

Delays

Lettuce takes about 30 days to grow.  Some varieties of potatoes can take between 90 and 150 days to cultivate.  What is the delay with the potatoes?  What takes them so long to produce?  Nothing.  There is no delay and they do not take a long time to grow.  They grow in the amount of time that it takes potatoes to grow.  Many times, we believe that there is a delay in the answer to our prayers, or we believe that God is delaying our blessing.  God has a time when He desires to do something.  Unless we know God’s timing, we cannot determine that our blessing has been delayed or that the answers to our prayers are being delayed.  We will get what God wants us to have WHEN He wants us to have it.

In Genesis 40, while Joseph is imprisoned in Pharaoh’s prison, God provides Joseph with the opportunity to interpret the dreams of Pharaoh’s chief cup bearer and his baker.  After interpreting the dream of Pharaoh’s chief cup bearer, Joseph requested that the cup bearer petition Pharaoh to have Joseph released from prison.  However, after being released from prison, the cup bearer forgot about Joseph. 

In Genesis 41, Pharaoh has a dream that no one can interpret and the cup bearer finally remembers that Joseph has the authentic ability to interpret dreams.  So he mentions Joseph to Pharaoh and Pharaoh has Joseph brought to him to interpret his dream.  After giving Pharaoh the correct interpretation of his dream, Joseph’s life changed instantly.  He never returned to his cell and he is placed in a position that requires him to answer only to Pharaoh.

On the surface, it may appear that there was a delay in Joseph obtaining his freedom from prison.  However, there wasn’t any delay at all.  God is the One who gave Pharaoh a dream that required a divine interpretation.  This brought about the need for the only person in Egypt who had been given the divine ability to interpret dreams.  Joseph was released from prison when God determined that he should be released.  If Joseph had been freed 2 years prior, he would have been like fruit or vegetables that are harvested before they are ripe:  good for nothing.  There would not have been any purpose for Joseph to fulfill for Pharaoh.  God determined when the time was ripe and Joseph became beneficial to the Egyptians, his father and his brothers, the Israelites who would come from the lineage of his brothers, and the rest of the world that would have access to salvation because of Christ who came from the Israelites through the lineage of Judah.   

Galatians 4:4-5

  ⁴ But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, ⁵ so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters.