Church Blog (Page 43)
The Future#3. “Wealth for the Future.”
I do not pretend to understand the details of what is happening in Ukraine as I write this. The foreign occupation is causing some to flee to neighbouring countries, while others are either welcoming the Russians or defending their country. But what is clear is that many are fearing for their futures. Tragically, war multiplies the evils of hate, death, and privation. We must pray for peace. Jesus was born into an occupied country. The Romans and their puppet governments…
The Future#2. “Tomorrow—A Worry-Free Zone.”
“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matthew 6:34). The future has this advantage over the past…you can change it! If our conversations with God are indicative of our expectations for tomorrow, then we have reason to rejoice. The joy resides in the fact that scripture promises that all serious thought given in that direction will produce tremendous blessings. Jesus made this staggering promise: “Therefore I say…
The Future#1. “Today—Yesterday’s Future!”
We are not the only ones to ponder the thought: “If I had yesterday to do over again…today would be different.” Some days it goes beyond ponderance. Things hit home, and we adjust today to assure that the events of yesterday do not impact tomorrow; that, of course, is wisdom. In the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses brought all of Israel’s yesterdays into their today. The future, he warned, must not be a repeat of the past. Israel had spent 40…
Faith and Works#7. “Religion that works.”
My first experience with Chinese Whispers was in primary school. The experiment went exactly as predicted. The initial three-sentence message whispered into the first student’s ear (about the teacher’s trip to the shop to buy groceries), after being passed from student to student, was reduced to a few literally unintelligible sounds. Gary Taylor, in a recent sermon, suggested that God’s word is passed around in like manner. But making things worse, the false teachers “add their own spin to the…
Faith and Works#6. “The Christian Experience.”
To suggest that James’ discourse on “Faith and Works” begins at chapter two verse fourteen is to demonstrate a skewed view of the Christian Experience. From the very beginning of his book, James prepares the church for action. He starts with the reality of trials—those unrelenting everyday circumstances that have moved many a Christian to doubt his faith and fall away. While some resolve themselves to a miserable existence under the weight of these trials, James’ war cry is “Consider…
Faith and Works#5. “On the Right Side of Judgement.”
The eternal judgement of the Sheep and the Goats of Matthew 25 came down to what they “did” for the Lord. The way that Jesus presents the two groups leaves you in no doubt as to the governing factors of those judgements. The Sheep on the right were judged righteous because they tended to the needs of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned. Conversely, the Goats on the left were condemned because they…
Faith and Works#4. “Faithful Investors.”
One of the first hymns I sang (as still a visitor) at the Otumoetai Church of Christ in 1977 was, “I want to be a worker for the Lord.” I had never heard such conviction before. The message rang true as they sang:I want to be a worker for the Lord,I want to love and trust His holy Word,I want to sing and pray,Be busy every dayIn the vineyard of the Lord. The Parable of the Talents (Mt.25:14-30) is about…
Faith and Works#3. “Baptism is not a work of man.”
The greatest day of my life was the day that Peter Craig baptised me into Christ. I knew it then, and I am now more convinced than ever that it is so. That one decision put my life on an eternal trajectory that has brought me ever-present blessings in the Lord’s church, and the future hope of heaven. Baptism is no work of man. Jesus told Nicodemus that baptism was the point and means of his spiritual rebirth; “by water…
Faith and Works#2. “Fulfilling The Law of Christ.”
In this sin-fallen world, faith can neither stand alone nor standstill—if it does, it is because it is dead! (See James 2:26). Christian works are the living, practical expressions of one’s faith in Christ. James throws down a challenge to the “Faith Only” preachers: “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18). The apostle Paul, often used…
Faith and Works#1. “Faith without works is Dead” (James 2:26).
Whole denominations are founded on the premise that somehow Faith and Works are mutually exclusive when pertaining to salvation. Thus, it is not surprising that the Book of James was written off by Martin Luther as an “Epistle of Straw” because it contradicted a “Faith Only” doctrine of salvation. James contends that a person who claims to be saved because they believe in the existence of God is no better off than the demons. He says: “You believe that there…