Category: Gospel

Sacramento Gospel Conference

As we’ve been letting you know, the annual Sacramento Gospel Conference is just over a week away.  It will take place on Friday, May 6 (7-9:30pm), and Saturday, May 7 (9:00am – 4:30pm), at Immanuel Baptist Church in midtown Sacramento.  The cost is $30/person (or less, if you’re only able to attend one of the days).  Registration information is here.

 

This year’s conference is on the theme of “The Gospel and Our Modern Culture”.  Local church pastors Brian Croft & Greg Gilbert (who serve different congregations in Louisville, KY), will be speaking.  Both men are faithful shepherds among God’s flock, and they’ve each written a number of helpful books.

 

Beloved, I encourage you to take advantage of this great opportunity to sit under the ministry of God’s word in an extended, undistracted way.  Likewise, fellowship with other believers from the greater Sacramento area is always a great blessing.  As our culture becomes more and more ungodly, and hostility against Christ and His people becomes more and more overt, our need for being equipped as faithful gospel proclaimers is always urgent.  I hope you can be a part of the conference!

 

Please be praying that God would work through His word at the conference to bear much fruit for His glory (Jn. 15:8)!

 

Because Christ lives, and is returning,

Greg

Jesus Plus Nothing Salvation

Most of you were with us this past Lord’s Day as Pastor Vanensio Bamwitirebye from Uganda preached from John 2:12-23 (you can find his sermon at our church website).  I had the privilege of joining Pastor Vanensio and a few other people for lunch following our service.  Among other things, he shared the story of how God brought him to saving faith in Christ.  Trusting you’ll be as encouraged as I was, here’s the written version of Pastor Vanensio’s testimony:

I was raised in a Catholic Family in a village in Bundibugyo District in Uganda.  I did well in school and I was invited to attend Catholic Seminary to become a priest.  This was a great honor for the village and for my family.  I lived in the Parish House with the Priest at the School.  One day at chapel, some missionaries from Philadelphia were invited to address the 700 students of the school.  They started explaining the Gospel from the Bible, and told us that our Salvation was based solely on our faith in Jesus Christ plus nothing.  As a seminarian this was blasphemy and I raised my hand and challenged them, that they were wrong.  Salvation was based on Christ plus Mary, the Saints, the Sacraments and our standing with the Catholic Church.  All of my friends were shouting, “Yes Vanensio, you tell them, you are the man!”  The missionary replied that I should show him the verses in the Bible that supported my position, and I answered back, that “if you will come back tomorrow, I will present the Bible verses to prove that you are wrong”.  The priests were the only ones allowed to read the Bible.  

That evening I explained to the priest about the missionaries and what they had said, and that I wanted him to give me the verses that support our Catholic beliefs about all of the church requirements for salvation, and counter this “Jesus Plus Nothing Salvation”.  He told me that the Catholic Church does not have to defend their beliefs, that they just are.  I was troubled by this explanation. 

The next morning we drove into the school yard and I saw the missionaries and all of my friends there.  I told the Priest that he must give me the verses to present to the missionaries, or maybe he didn’t know what he believed.  He simply reached into his pocket and pulled out a small tablet and a pen and wrote a note that I was no longer a candidate for the priesthood, because I had challenged a priest.  He had a truck loaded with my stuff, and I was driven back to my home in the village.  My parents were mortified and embarrassed, because I had disappointed them, the village, and the church, and they kicked me out of the house.  

I went and stayed a couple of days at my uncle’s house and cried and cried about my situation.  But something caused me to want to know what what “Jesus Plus Nothing Salvation” was all about.  I then walked 8 kilometers to where the missionaries stayed and when they saw me they said, “Hey Vanensio, we did not see you at school the other day”.  I explained what had happened and asked them about their “Jesus Plus Nothing Salvation”.   They opened the Bible and read verse after verse about Jesus’ love for us and that salvation was a free gift and we did nothing to earn it.  I listened and sobbed and sobbed, and repented of my sins before Jesus.  This is the message that I now preach wherever I am able.  

Amen – to God be the glory!!

Because Christ lives, and is returning,
Greg

Amid Confusion, Clarity in Christ

Perhaps you’ve heard – the Pope was here, right here in America.  Suffice it to say that for many, this was a BIG deal!

Oh beloved, how God’s people need to be discerning, loyal to Christ, and saturated in God’s word in these days!  Contrary to the gushing adulation so many have expressed toward Pope Francis – lots of it sadly coming from many Evangelicals – there is MUCH to be concerned about.  Despite all the pomp and pageantry, the Pope is a false teacher presiding over a false religion, peddling false hope for billions.

Here are some helpful insights from Dr. Nathan Busenitz, faculty member at The Master’s Seminary: Popular Popes and Priestly Pretenders.

May God give us much wisdom, compassion, confidence, and clarity as we share the true hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ with unbelievers.  And may we show great care and sensitivity as we interact with those who embrace Catholicism – expressing gracious speech seasoned with salt (Col. 4:5-6).

Praying for you, and with you, in the great hope of our Great High Priest, Jesus Christ (Heb. 4:14-16),

Greg

“But God” is the Gospel

“BUT GOD…” (Eph. 2:4)!

The very heart of the Gospel is expressed in these glorious words, “BUT GOD…”!  Though mankind is spiritually dead and hopeless in sin (Eph. 2:1-3), God has powerfully acted in Christ to bring about the salvation that only He could accomplish (Eph. 2:4-10).  “BUT GOD…” really summarizes the whole message of Scripture, played out from Genesis to Revelation.  Over and over again, God’s word reveals:

  • All the deadly works of man in sin, and
  • All the mighty works of God in Christ!

Oh Beloved, what hope, riches, power, and assurance for believers are found in these truths!  “BUT GOD”!!   The God who is rich in mercy and great in love has flooded us with His kindness in Christ – to the praise of His glorious grace!  And God wills for us to know and believe these truths all the more, daily trusting the absolute sufficiency of His mighty, saving power.

To that end, let me encourage you to listen to this sermon on Eph. 2:4 by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (a faithful Bible expositor from the 20th Century).  May God continue to strengthen your soul in the fullness of His grace in Christ!

Because Christ lives, and is returning,
Greg

On Biblical Inerrancy

As you know, last week’s Shepherds’ Conference focused on the theme of the inerrancy of Scripture.  Ever since the Garden of Eden, when Satan tempted Eve by saying, “did God actually say…?” (Gen. 3:1), the authority and reliability of God’s Word has been under attack.  Satan’s strategy is as simple as it is deadly:  if he can tempt you to doubt God’s Word – which is now permanently revealed in the 66 books of Scripture – then you’ll be deceived into thinking there’s no need to treasure, trust, and obey that Word.

Because this issue of inerrancy is so important for the spiritual health of individual Christians, and the whole church, I encourage you to learn more.  All of last week’s 18 general sessions are helpful in this way (some more than others).  You can find them here.  While it’s best to listen to the messages in order, you might start with the Panel Q&A, which provides some helpful background to the topic.

Additionally, more information about the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, which gives a somewhat recent historical context, can be found here.

Beloved, God’s holy word is the treasure of all treasures.  He has given it that we might know and grow in His salvation through Jesus Christ – 2 Tim. 3:14-17.  May we be faithful stewards of what He has entrusted to us!

Because Christ lives, and is returning,
Greg

Singing of His Glory

Within all of God’s rich blessings in Jesus (Eph. 1:3-14), and through the power of His indwelling Spirit (Eph. 5:18), God’s people are to ever be “…addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always…” (Eph. 5:19-20).  Even as we’ll be singing praises throughout eternity (Rev. 5:11-14), God would have us train our voices now to sing of His glory.

This coming Lord’s Day, we’re planning to learn a new hymn for us, O Fount of Love (see also the lyrics).  In preparation for our gathering, please familiarize yourself with this hymn.  The lyrics extol the lavish love and grace God has given in Christ, and the resulting joy every believer possesses.  All for the glory of God alone – from whom, through whom, and to whom belongs all praise!

Beloved, may the Lord strengthen and encourage your faith in Him, and the glories of His all-sufficient blessings in Christ.  Myself and the other elders continually pray for you to this end.

In His great love and grace,
Greg

Freedom in His Full Forgiveness

Over the last two Lord’s Days, we’ve been gazing afresh into the endless ocean of God’s rich grace in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:7-12).  We’ve been looking particularly at vs. 7-8:

 

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight…

 

This coming Sunday, I’m planning to focus in on the blessing of forgiveness, which is the foundational result of Christ’s redeeming work.  And oh, how essential that God’s people know and live in the freedom of His full forgiveness in Christ – to the praise of His glorious grace!!!

 

Pastor Milton Vincent, in his excellent book A Gospel Primer for Christians, skillfully observes:

 

“As long as I am stricken with the guilt of my sins , I will be captive to them, and will often find myself re-committing the very sins about which I feel most guilty. The Devil is well aware of this fact; he knows that if he can keep me tormented by sin’s guilt, he can dominate me with sin’s power.  The gospel, however, slays sin at this root point and thereby nullifies sin’s power over me. The forgiveness of God, made known to me through the gospel, liberates me from sin’s power because it liberates me first from its guilt; and preaching such forgiveness to myself is a practical way of putting the gospel into operation as a nullifier of sin’s power in my life.”  (Vincent, Milton (2013-01-07). A Gospel Primer for Christians [Kindle Locations 227-228]. Focus Publishing. Kindle Edition.)

 

Beloved, do you live in the freedom of God’s full forgiveness in Christ’s redeeming work?  Or are you tormented by sin’s guilt, and dominated by sin’s power?  Keep preaching the gospel to yourself my friends, embracing by faith all the glorious riches of God’s blessings in Christ!

 

Because Christ lives, and is returning,

Greg

Into His Heavenly Family

How can we ever fathom the wonder and wealth of all God’s spiritual blessings to us in Jesus Christ??  What assurance, confidence, and security are within these glorious truths:

 

…in love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will…(Eph. 1:4-5)

 

There never has been, and never will be, a perfect earthly family.  But as believers we have been adopted by God our Father into His heavenly family!  And through His revealed word, God wants us to know the full comfort and significance of our calling as His children, all “…to the praise of His glorious grace” (Eph. 1:6)!  May your hope be strengthened as you trust the riches of His grace, walking worthy as His beloved child!

 

When a child of God is crushed with guilt over sin,

Or pressed hard by deep trials without and within,

Burdened and troubled, and filled up with fear,

What words from the Lord might this child hear?

 

Is there harsh condemnation from the King on His throne?

Angry words of rejection and banishment known?

“I despise you, how dare you think not to obey”,

Is this what a Christian might hear the Lord say?

 

Surely Satan would tempt us to think it is so,

Fiery darts of deception does he constantly throw.

But the Lord, He has spoken – all His words firm and true,

Great, precious promises which ignite hope anew!

 

O My child, my child behold who I AM,

Your Father, who chose you, from before time began!

Drink now all My blessings, given through My Son’s blood,

And walk by faith in the fullness of My holy love!

 

Grace upon grace,

Greg

Genuine Worship Includes Gathering with God’s People

God’s word makes clear that genuine worship which pleases Him is that which is “in spirit and in truth” (Jn. 4:22-24), and that which encompasses all of life, all the time (Rom. 12:1-2).  With slight modification to a definition of worship offered by David Peterson in his excellent book Engaging With God, we can say that genuine worship is “faith in God through Jesus Christ, expressing itself in adoration, dependence, and obedience” (pg. 283).

 

Because genuine worship of God is “all of life, all the time”, and not just something that happens on Sundays from 10:30am-12:15pm, we might ask:  why do we need to gather together weekly at all?  Isn’t it enough for me to just read my bible on my own, listen to sermons online, play Christian music on my iPod, and worship God through all my life, all the time?

 

Here’s the short answer:  no, it’s not enough.  When God brought you to faith and life in Christ, He joined you to Christ and His people.  He made you a part of His church…a member of His body (see 1 Cor. 12:1-31).  And God’s purpose in gathering His people weekly in local churches, around His word, is to encourage and strengthen our faith in God through Jesus Christ.  All of this so that together, we might adore, depend on, and obey Him all the more, giving glory to Him.  This is why the writer of Hebrews has so much to say about the supremacy and sufficiency of Jesus Christ for His people (Heb. 1:1-4), and why His people must not neglect meeting together, so as to encourage one another in the hope of Christ:
“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.”  (Heb. 10:24-25)

 

Beloved, God has given us great privilege and responsibilities in our corporate and weekly gatherings as His people!  What a joy to share life in Christ together with you at RCG – I can’t wait to gather again with you this coming Lord’s Day!

 

Greg

Doing Our Part, Today

A healthy practice for believers is to regularly read the Book of Acts (along with the rest of Scripture)!  With 28 chapters, Acts could be read monthly at a pace of one chapter a day.  Or it could be read quarterly by reading 2-3 chapters a week, or almost twice a year by reading a chapter a week.  You get the idea!

 

I say this is a healthy practice because Acts keeps before us the reality that our Lord Jesus Christ is STILL ACTIVE in building His church!  Even now – by His Word, through His Spirit, with the participation of His people, and amid the pains of His providence – Jesus Christ is sovereignly working to gather, shepherd, and multiply His flock.

 

The question the Book of Acts continually holds before us is this:  are we doing our part in the work Christ has for us today?  Specifically, as we saw exemplified in Paul’s life and ministry last Lord’s Day (which is the focus of 17 of the 28 chapters of Acts), are we increasingly confident in the hope of the gospel, ambitious in the spread of the gospel, strengthened in the riches of the gospel, and faithful in the proclamation of the gospel?

 

The significance of these questions trickles down to the particular circumstances and opportunities of our daily lives.  Men, women, young, old, single, married, etc. – we’re all in different situations.  So particular points of application will look different for each of us.  And this is part of God’s wise design in our life together as a local church, that we might encourage, provoke, pray for, and learn from one another as we seek to be faithful in the work of Christ among us.

 

Beloved, may you and I ever more fully embrace Paul’s resolved mindset:


“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”  (Acts 20:24)

 

Because Christ lives, and is returning,

Greg

Word Work

Over the last couple weeks in the book of Acts, we’ve been learning of God’s strategy for world missions.  Simply stated, He speaks!  God accomplishes His work by His living, powerful, authoritative word.  So we have seen throughout Acts that our exalted Lord Jesus Christ is gathering, shepherding, and multiplying His flock – the church.  He’s doing this through the proclamation of His word, in the power of the Holy Spirit, with the participation of His people, and amid the pains of His providence (see these elements at work, for example, in Acts 14:19-28).

 

Because of the indispensable centrality of God’s word in all His work, God’s people must have a relentless confidence in His word.  As Paul exhorted Timothy in 2 Tim. 3:14-17 –

 

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

 

Beloved, God saves us through the preaching of His word (1 Pet. 1:22-25); He grows us through the nourishment of His word (1 Pet. 2:1-3); and He designs to use us – all of us – as ministers of His word (1 Pet. 4:10-11).  What a privilege and responsibility we have to share God’s eternal word with others (friends, co-workers, spouses, neighbors, children, parents, etc.), trusting that He will use His word for His purposes (see Is. 55:10-11).

 

To strengthen your delight in, and desire for God’s word, here are the excellent resources I mentioned at the end of last Sunday’s sermon:

 

 

Praying and trusting the Lord to keep accomplishing His “word work” in us, and through us,

 

Pastor Greg

The Miracle of Conversion

The salvation of any individual is a MIRACLE of God’s grace!  We marvel at the countless miracles Jesus did during his earthly ministry, and rightly so!  But the wonder of all those miracles pales in comparison to the supernatural work of God giving new life in Christ to one who is spiritually dead in sin.

This is the miracle that the Apostle Paul experienced when he was converted to Christ, as recorded in Acts 9:1-31 (see also Acts 22 & 26).  The Spirit of God, through Luke’s narrative in Acts, holds Paul’s miraculous, unlikely conversion before us that we might behold the greatness of Christ’s saving love, power, and authority.

Beloved, the Apostle Paul never got over the wonder and amazement of Christ’s mercy in his life.  He testifies of this in many places throughout his letters, one notable place being 1 Tim. 1:12-17.  Notice especially what he says in verse 16:

But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.

Beloved, the Lord wants us to be convinced that if he could save someone like the Apostle Paul, then he could save anyone – including you, me, and the person you think is simply beyond His reach.  What great hope we have in Christ’s saving power, and what great motivation we have to faithfully proclaim the Gospel to those who are yet in their sins!  No wonder Paul could say:

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.  (Rom. 1:16)

Amen!

Because He lives and is returning,
Greg

To Advance the Gospel

What do you think about the circumstances of your life?  What do you think about the reason for the circumstances of your life?  Why does God have you in these specific circumstances?

The Apostle Paul sets a powerful, Christ-exalting example in answer to these questions when he says, “I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel…” (Phil. 1:12).  Paul understood his circumstances singularly in terms of the work God was doing through him to advance the Gospel.  Thus even though he was in prison as he wrote to the Philippians, he found great joy in Christ, and great confidence that God was working through his difficult circumstances to advance the Gospel.

We find this exact same mindset in the early church when, as intense persecution was pushing believers out of Jerusalem, “…those who were scattered went about preaching the word.”  (Acts 8:4)  God in His sovereign wisdom was scattering His people, like a farmer scatters seed, so the Gospel would be planted in areas beyond Jerusalem.

Beloved,  if you belong to God through faith in Christ, He has sovereignly put you in your specific circumstances so the Gospel would advance in you, and through you!  What great hope, meaning, and perspective this should give our lives.  What great privileges and responsibilities we have been given!  Whether you are single, married, with children, without children, at work, at home, at school, at wherever; whether in ease or in pain – God has scattered you to be a sower of the Gospel with the people you have contact with.  And He wills for you to trust Him and depend on His help through prayer, that you might bear much fruit for His glory (see John 15:1-8).  May the Lord strengthen all of us for faithfulness in this calling!

Because He lives, and is returning,

Spiritual Bankruptcy and Rich Hope

It was a joy to have Pastor Martin Manten, and his family, with us this past Lord’s Day.  Martin is the Director of the European Bible Training Center (EBTC) in Zurich, and he’s also planting a church there.

 

Martin’s sermon from Mt. 5:1-4 on “The Foundation of Happiness” was personally convicting and refreshing.  I was particularly helped by the reminder that acknowledging my spiritual bankruptcy before God and genuinely mourning over my sin is the pathway to knowing the true joy of His mercy, cleansing, and grace.  On a daily basis, every believer should be sobered by, and deeply rejoice in, the truth that God’s grace shines the brightest when we see the darkness of our sin against the backdrop of His holiness.  What powerful, blessed, life-giving HOPE we’ve been called to, through all that God has given us in Jesus Christ!

 

If these truths resonate with you (and I hope they do!), you may likewise be encouraged by this song:  To the Cross I Cling.  (The song is based on a prayer entitled The Broken Heart, from the book The Valley of Vision.)  The rich and beautiful truth that “All things in me call for my rejection; all things in You plead my acceptance” captures the heart of the song…and the heart of the Gospel!

 

Beloved, do you acknowledge your spiritual bankruptcy before God, mourn over your sin, and taste by faith the rich sweetness of His abundant grace in Jesus Christ?  May God help us to live more fully in this sober joy, and proclaim more passionately the hope of the Gospel to those who are yet in their sins.

 

Because He lives, and is returning,

Be Assured, Really

Christians are sometimes tempted with serious doubts regarding the Christian faith.  Is the Bible really God’s inerrant, authoritative, all-sufficient word?  Is Jesus really God, and really the only way to the Father?  Did Jesus really rise from the dead; is He really coming back again someday?  Come on…really?

Much of what can provoke our doubts are the challenges, difficulties, pains, and sorrows we experience in this life.  At one level we understand the Christian life was never guaranteed to be easy.  But is it really supposed to be this hard, for this long?  Where is Jesus, and the purposes and promises of God in all this?  Is it really worth it to keep trusting and following Jesus?  Is He really real?  Or is this whole Christianity thing just some giant myth…just one of countless man-made religions around the world?  Oh, how such doubts can overwhelm and immobilize!

The living God Himself, in and through His holy word, gives rock-solid assurance of His eternal reality in Jesus Christ!  He permanently reigns, and He perfectly cares for His own!  What soul-comforting assurance that evaporates every doubt!  As we began to see last Lord’s Day with our first study in the Book of Acts, the giving of this assurance is at the heart of why Luke has written this book (under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit).  Connected with the same reason he wrote his Gospel, Luke wants believers to know the certainty (assurance) of what we’ve been taught (see  Lk. 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-3).

Professor Alan J. Thompson elaborates on Luke’s purpose regarding assurance:  “God’s people may be assured therefore that, because the Lord Jesus continues to reign, they will be enabled by the Holy Spirit to serve him and reflect his character, the word will continue to spread even in the midst of opposition, and local churches will be established and strengthened with the apostolic message about the Lord Jesus. Luke’s emphasis on the nature of the kingdom of God, therefore, is as relevant for Christian readers today as it was for the first century. All who follow the Lord Jesus this side of the cross and resurrection need to know that God is continuing to accomplish his purposes even now through the reign of the Lord Jesus.”  (Alan J. Thompson. The Acts of the Risen Lord Jesus: Luke’s Account of God’s Unfolding Plan, 2011, Kindle Loc. 147-149).

Beloved, let us be all the more assured of the reality of the Father’s saving purposes in Jesus Christ, and all the more devoted to trusting and obeying our Savior and Lord, in the power of the Holy Spirit!  I continue to pray for you and myself to this end, even as exemplified by Paul in Eph. 1:15-23.

 

Because He lives, and is returning (really!),

Greg

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

In all of our corporate gatherings on the Lord’s Days this past month (Equipping Hour, Corporate Worship, and our Evening Gathering), we’ve been focusing on God’s mission in Jesus Christ, and what this means for us as His people.  We’ve seen that the Father’s eternal purpose is to glorify Himself in His Son, in His people, through the power of His Holy Spirit.

 

We’ve likewise seen that this eternal purpose directly relates to God’s good, wise, and authoritative design for the local church.  The local church is where “the rubber meets the road” as we learn to walk together in God’s grace, helping one another grow in the particular roles, responsibilities, and relationships He has called us to.  These truths are clearly revealed in Paul’s letter to Titus, and many other places throughout the New Testament.  It is in and through our corporate life together that God’s designs to bear witness of Jesus Christ to the world around us.  Jonathan Leeman helpfully summarizes the significance of these matters:

 

“In other words, the witness of the church does not merely consist in the fact that it goes; it consists in the fact that it has a distinct corporate life.  Its witness consists in the fact that it’s distinct in holiness, love, and unity.  So Jesus promises, ‘By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another’ (Jn. 13:34,35).  The church’s internal work of holiness and love amongst its members is inextricably tied to its outward work of witness.  We must display Christ in our corporate life in order to display Christ in our individual lives.”  (Jonathan Leeman, The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love, Wheaton: Crossway, 2010, p. 260.)

 

Beloved, what great privileges and responsibilities God has called us to in Christ, even as we grow together as His people, in accordance with His word.  May the Lord help all of us to be encouraged and strengthened in submitting to His purposes for us, looking to His word together, and praying for one another to this great end (Eph. 6:18).

 

Because He lives, and is returning,

Greg

Discouragement and Motivation

Genuine Christians are often tempted with discouragement and despair.  We find this to be true of numerous people in Scripture (King David – Pss. 142, 143; Paul – 2 Cor. 1:8-9), and also of many throughout church history (William Cowper; Charles Spurgeon).  Certainly many different factors, both internal and external, can tempt us to dark and troubling difficulties in our minds.

 

One of the things that can easily discourage us is our awareness of how far short we fall of obeying God’s will…how easily we can sin in our affections, attitudes, words, and actions.  Perhaps you’ve experienced this as we’ve been looking at practical matters of godliness from the book of Titus.  If you haven’t yet, you probably will!  The demands and responsibilities of godliness for all believers are very clear in what Paul declares to Titus, and very specific.  And Paul is emphatic:  Titus is to declare these things, exhorting and rebuking with all authority (Titus 2:15).

 

But Paul is equally clear that the foundation, motivation, and power from which we’re to pursue godliness is found in the mercy and grace of God in Christ.  As we seek to grow in practical godliness, it is vitally important that we do so in the sure and certain hope of all God has given us in Christ.  So I encourage you to spend much time meditating on the key passages in Titus where Paul highlights God’s work in Christ – 1:1-3; 2:11-14; and 3:4-7.  Ask the Lord to help you grasp the wonder of these glorious truths, and respond with thanksgiving and praise to our God.

 

And keep pursuing practical godliness, beloved, in the blessed, eternal hope God has called us to in Christ!

 

Grace upon grace,

Greg

Hold Fast to the Gospel

It is profoundly significant that Peter begins the main body of His first letter with words of blessing/praise to God for the living hope of the Gospel (1 Pet. 1:3ff).  The greatest need of Peter’s persecuted, troubled readers was to hold fast to the Gospel by faith, and join him in joyfully praising God for His great mercy.

Beloved, this is always our greatest need as well – to hold fast to the living hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and praise God accordingly in obedient faith.

CJ Mahaney said it well in a recent message:  “The less you hold fast the gospel, the more you’ll complain about everything else.”

May God help us to live lives that overflow with praise because of His great mercy to us in Jesus Christ!