Lost

This morning the Lord directed me to Luke 15 where I spent a good portion of time reflecting on verses 1-10. There we discover the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin.

Jesus told these parables in response to the grumbling of the Pharisees and scribes. They were upset that Jesus received and ate with sinners. Both parables tell a similar story: Something was lost, Someone sought after that which was lost, What was once lost was found and the response of Joy once the lost was found.

Over the weekend my family went to the Eno River with several other families. While there I noticed a man kept going around yelling something. As I continued to watch him for thirty minutes or so I noticed he appeared to be in anguish, frustration, and fearful. The next time I saw him, he was walking down the path yelling into the woods. I decided to ask him if he was looking for someone and if he needed any help. He described to me that his son decided to take an alternate path out, but he could not locate him. I asked what his son looked like and was wearing. He told me, although he described the wrong color shirt, and I decided to join in the search.

I began by going up a path looking through the woods and by the river. Everyone I passed I let them know of a boy who was lost and what he was wearing. I frantically was running around hopeful I would find him. After searching for some time I came out of the woods and saw the man again. This time there was a boy walking with him. I pursued him and asked if the boy with him was his son. He replied yes, this is my son. I knew prior to him telling me because the look on his face had turned from anguish to what appeared to be joy.

In the parables we learn that it is God who seeks, saves and rejoices over the lost who are found. As I began to think about the parable told by Jesus and the events of this weekend I began to be troubled. God has sent  all Christians on a rescue mission to seek and rescue those who are lost. The troubling part came when I realized how I walk through this life with little thought about how people will perish if they are not found. I lack the anguish and urgency over lost sinners. My life is not characterized by fear for those who are around me. I do not give enough thought, prayer and pursuit of to those who are perishing.

When I read that there are over 3,088,000,000 people who are considered "unreached" with the gospel unfortunately I'm not moved as I ought to be. These represent 3.088 Billion sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, grandparents, cousins, neighbors, etc. These are real people who have no hope without the gospel of Jesus.

I'm beginning to pray that God would give us a burden for the lost. I'm praying that God would give us the grace and boldness needed to begin an active pursuit of the lost. I'm praying that God would give us a deep concern and anguish for those who are perishing.

May we hope in God who has promised to seek and save some from all nations, peoples, and languages. May we have the joy of God as we see sinners reconciled to their God. May we rejoice when God grants sinners repentance and faith in Him. May we celebrate with the host of heaven who find joy in God accomplishing His mission.

Will of God

Most often we question God's will for our lives. If you are like me and often ask this question, I have some really good news for you. I have discovered the answer in black in white.

The answer is found in 1 Thessalonians 4 & Romans 12 

In 1 Thess. 4:3 The Spirit says through Paul "For this is the will of God, your sanctification..." and in 4:7-8 "For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects (sanctification) is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you."

Here we quickly discover that sanctification is contrary to impurity. Actually sanctification speaks of being set apart to holiness. Rejecting a pursuit of holiness or sanctification is a rejection of God and the work of the Holy Spirit in your life. 

God declared "You shall be holy for I am holy!" This will never be accomplished by our efforts alone. We need the Holy Spirit to lead, guide and immerse us in the truth of God. It is the truth found in the Scriptures that is able to transform and conform us into the image of Christ Jesus our Lord. 

In Romans 12:2 the Spirit says through Paul "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good & acceptable and perfect."

This is a peculiar verse. Here we learn that we can't transform ourselves, but rather we need to be transformed. We are transformed by the work of the Spirit as we turn our eyes to the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit is the One who inspired them,  illumines them, and uses them to transform us in such a way that we look more and more like Jesus each day. God's power, Spirit, and word are given to us that we might be holy.

This is God's will for you...Be like Jesus! Don't reject God's will or His Spirit, but rather prayerfully read God's Word. Ask His Spirit to chip away the old man that wants to be conformed to the world and ask Him to transform you into the image of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ. To Him be the glory!

Grace of God

A friend of mine asked me about the book of Titus last night so I decided to pick it up this morning and meditate upon it. When I read Titus 2:11-14 God grabbed my attention. I began to think about how grace is an active force. I then decided to outline it so I can better understand the content. Below is how I outlined it and I made some comments following the outline.

For the grace of God has appeared(it was made manifest to man by God),

1. Grace came bringing salvation for all people
2. Grace came training us 
1. to renounce 
1. ungodliness 
2. worldly passions
2. to live in this present age
1. to live self-controlled lives
2. to live upright lives
3. to live godly lives
3. to wait 
1. for our blessed hope
2. for the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ
1. who gave himself for us 
1. to redeem us from all lawlessness 
2. to purify a people 
1. for himself
2. for his own possession 
3. who are zealous for good works.

So what or better who is the "Grace" that appeared? If you keep reading you will discover we are waiting for the "appearing" of Jesus who brought this salvation by redeeming a people for Himself. The grace that appeared was a person, His name according to Paul is "our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."

Jesus came to save a people by redeeming them through faith in His shed blood. Jesus came to purify those whom He saves by training them to renounce the world & its passions and training them to live in such a way that we reflect Him who is pure. Those whom He is making pure are characterized by possessing a zeal for doing good.

Praying in light of the Resurrection

This Sunday is Easter Sunday and I will preach Ephesians 1:15-23. In this passage I am astonished how the Resurrection impacted the Apostle Paul's prayers.

Paul prayed that the church would :

1. Know God
2. Know the Hope of His calling
3. Know the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints
4. Know the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe

These realities are only possible because God:

1. Raised Jesus from the dead
2. Seated Jesus at His right hand
3. Put all things under His feet
4. Gave Him as Head to the church.

God accomplished the latter 4 things in order to make the former 4 things a reality in our lives. To put it another way if Jesus were not raised from the dead we could not know God, we would not know His calling nor the hope in that calling, we would not know or experience any inheritance and we would only know His power against us who would not believe.

Today, I'm praying for the church a little differently because Jesus has risen from the grave. I'm praying with Paul that you would Know God, Know the hope of His calling, Know His riches and Know God's power at work in us and through us.

Today I am praying for those who do not know and love Jesus that the reality of the resurrection and the power of God would convince them that He is a good God who knows and loves them.

Today I'm also praying that "utterance my be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make know with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak(Eph 6:19-20)."