The evidence of triumph

Friends,

The very first Christians were utterly convinced of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus, having witnessed the following event:

Mark 16:19
So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

And how did they respond to this?

Mark 16:20
And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen. [NKJV]

Surely, we who call ourselves Christians are likewise convinced that Jesus did what He - and His word - said He did. By the grace of our Lord, we can believe this.

And how do we respond?

• Do our actions demonstrate our belief?
• Do our words speak of our belief?
• If someone was to charge you and me with the "crime" of being Christian, would there be enough evidence to win a conviction?

Daily, we must examine our thoughts, words and deeds. Bring them before the holy and perfect standard of God's righteousness. Only then can we enjoy the peace of genuine repentance.

Be encouraged, Jose

The whole counsel of God

For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. (The Apostle Paul, speaking to the believers at Ephesus) -- Acts 20:28 [NKJV]

Friends,

Beware of the preacher whose sermons always make you smile. The Holy Word of God is not meant to entertain.

When Paul spoke the words above, he was preparing to depart Ephesus to return to Jerusalem. In essence, it was his farewell party. And throughout Paul's entire stay in that city, he brought forth the true and pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. Be definition, this means that Paul confronted sinners and their sinfulness, rebuked those who had gone astray, and admonished all of the believers to lead holy lives. He was unafraid to do these things. His God was not all lovey and cuddly and safe. His God is the true God, the Almighty. Who is holy. And just. And faithful. And awesome.

Our flesh doesn't want to be reminded of these facts. We want our preachers to not be too strident or to set goals that are too lofty. Give us a break! we say. Go easy on us ... we're only human!

Brothers and sisters, like Paul, all of us -- not just our preachers -- must have the courage to speak the whole truth. Look around at the world. Can't we see that it desperately needs the real and genuine word of God? Not some watered down version that promises an escape from Hell without a repentance. The world needs to repent. No one will unless they hear Christ -- through you and through me -- say, "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!"

Be encouraged, Jose

No need for fables

Friends,

Over the past five or ten years, a trend has emerged in American Christianity. There seems to be a tendency to "explain" the Gospel, to attempt to bring it down to the level of the world. Human logic agrees with this approach, and rationalizes it by saying, "Jesus met people where they were," or something along those lines. But a careful reading of scripture reveals that this is not how God expects us to spread the Gospel:

For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
2 Peter 1:16 [NKJV]

Here Peter tells the readers of his epistle that his words were not brilliantly conceived out of a man's imagination. They were not meant to awe the fleshly mind. Rather, his words came directly out of his experience of Christ's majesty.

You and I are witnesses to Christ's majesty, as well. Therefore, there is no need for us to embellish the Gospel, or to water it down under the guise of ministry catchwords like "relevance" and "real-life."

We have the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We must simply give it (for that's all we owe the world) as is. God will either awaken His spirit inside of the hearer or not. But for our part, we will be representing God as He truly is... in all of His power, glory and majesty.

Be encouraged, Jose