Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunburn
This is the second video of my weekly video blog.
The first video had problems loading so I will get that one up very soon.
God Bless,
Jon
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Truth
"I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned!"
"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ."
-Galations 1:6-10
I read this today and it broke me. Paul is addressing followers of Christ who have traded in the True Gospel for a second-hand gospel. I started thinking about all the different types of Gospels we have in your society like Liberation Gospel, Social Gospel, and Prosperity Gospel ( I know that is not all of them). So what is the Gospel?
The Gospel is NOT a get our of hell free card. Christ never said, "If you would believe in Me than you will be saved, and dont worry about loving me, Just believe I exist!"
The Gospel is Not to make you wealthy. There are a lot of churches teaching that Christ died to make you "victorious" in your finances. God will provide and be your sustainer and comforter but He never says He will make you wealthy.
The Gospel is Not soley about helping the needy. Ill explain. God does call us to help those in need. It is a vital part of our ministry as Christians. BUT when a pastor says that the reason Christ died was for us to help people and thats all, we got a problem.
The Gospel is that while, you and I were sinners, completely broken, completely seperated from God; He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life, never having sinned, and was crucified to a cross. Hung there, to die as He carried the weight of the Worlds sins. He was murdered by the men He came to save. He rose three days later, and after appearing to many witnesses, He ascended into heaven to await the day He would return.
When I think about the Gospel, I think about the Roman Guard at Jesus' crucifiction. Do you know which guard I am talking about? In Matthew 27:54, it says that when Christ died, the curtain split and a roman guard said, "Truly, this is the Son of God." Let me ask you a question: If you were a roman guard, the one that put the nails in Christ hands, If you were the one, who mocked him, and put the crown of thorns on His head, If you were the one who shoved the spear in His side, and you realized that you Crucified God, How would you react?
How could God ever forgive me for doing that? I would think that I have absolutely no chance of reuniting with God. But It is the unfailing love that Christ has, that saves the centurion and reunites him with God, even after he crucified Him.
We are all accountable for Christ's death. We, even 2000 years later, sent Christ to the slaughter for our Sins. But still, God redeems us from our brokeness and depravity and He makes us whole and complete through Him. When we realized that we have done nothing to deserve His grace and His love, and that it is only by the absolute Mercy that God shows us that we can come to know Him, only then can we understand what the Gospel truly is.
Let me leave you with this quote from Thomas Aquinas, "All the world would be Christian if they were taught the pure Gospel of Christ!” Lets preach the True Gospel of Christ.
Friday, January 8, 2010
We all LIKE Jesus, but we dont want to become LIKE Jesus.
So It has been awhile...
I find that when I read the stories of pharisees and religious elders and their conversations with Jesus that I always associate myself with Jesus. BUT when I look hard at myself, I find that I am more like the religious leaders. I mock the reality that God can do "miracles." When was the last time that I truly believed God could heal someone or that He could make a donkey talk? (Im not saying he will, but I should have enough faith to believe that he could.) The reality is, you and I are more like the pharisees than Jesus. We all like Jesus, but we dont want to become Like Jesus. That is the simple truth. Nothing in my being wants to be holy, nothing in my being wants to be righteous. But Jesus took my sin, and gave me his righteousness that I might have right standing with God. To paraphrase Paul, " I am such a sinful man. Who can save me from myself? Thanks be to God for His Son Jesus Christ, the Emmanuel, the one who gave righteousness in exchange for unrighteousness.
I praise my God that when I fail I have the Hope of a God who loves me and has taken my sin stained skin and sees it unblemished. Praise be to God!
I find that when I read the stories of pharisees and religious elders and their conversations with Jesus that I always associate myself with Jesus. BUT when I look hard at myself, I find that I am more like the religious leaders. I mock the reality that God can do "miracles." When was the last time that I truly believed God could heal someone or that He could make a donkey talk? (Im not saying he will, but I should have enough faith to believe that he could.) The reality is, you and I are more like the pharisees than Jesus. We all like Jesus, but we dont want to become Like Jesus. That is the simple truth. Nothing in my being wants to be holy, nothing in my being wants to be righteous. But Jesus took my sin, and gave me his righteousness that I might have right standing with God. To paraphrase Paul, " I am such a sinful man. Who can save me from myself? Thanks be to God for His Son Jesus Christ, the Emmanuel, the one who gave righteousness in exchange for unrighteousness.
I praise my God that when I fail I have the Hope of a God who loves me and has taken my sin stained skin and sees it unblemished. Praise be to God!
Friday, November 13, 2009
He is Willing
Imagine for a moment that you are walking in the streets of Jerusalem, golden brown buildings lined with trade goods of every color and kind, tapestries lining each side of you with their vibrant colors surrounding you with the busy normal everyday life of a 1st Century Greco Roman citizen. You make your way through the streets smelling the fresh aromas of food stands, butchers, and flower vendors and then you find your way to the Temple. You watch as the Jewish leaders say their prayers and speak with words of wisdom and authority when suddenly you see the crowds part. It is a man,trying going about his everyday business but is unable because he is "unclean." This man has Leprosy and according to Jewish law must remain 10 feet away from every individual. He is required to yell out "unclean!" as he walks so people will get out of the way.
Lets disect the mindset of this man. Imagine you were him. You are cut of from any fellowship with other humans. You are constantly seen as an infection, nothing more, than a cancer in society that needs to be cut out. And while, He draws notice because of his condition, He is otherwise forgettable. He is constrained by his limits and everyday He thinks about the family he once had, the son that he would never be able to wrestle with, the daughter he would never be able to dance with, and the wife he could not hold. The little hope that you have dwindles day after day. You have nothing to offer the world that expects nothing from you. You are constantly reminded that while you may have the power to divide the crowd, you also have the power to divide your soul from society because sometimes it just hurts to much to be faced with the realization that no one cares whether you live or die.
No wonder in Matthew 8, the man with Leprosy cries out and says, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus' reply is astounding, "I am willing."
To bring this into our day and age we must learn one thing: Everyone who makes up our so-called church has spiritual Leprosy. Many of us have struggles and doubts about God that plague the core of who we are. We struggle with questions about, Why God is doing this? or is God even real? Does God really care about me? I have a deep struggle with sin that I can not break, how do I break its hold over me? This are all questions that can keep us from giving God our all. We are all unclean. We all are as hopeless as this man. We are all destined to live a life that is living in complete contrast to what was meant to be. Similar to the man who had his soul divide from fellowship in society, likewise, our souls are divided from God. And we become to familiar with the routine and we finally lose all hope of being rescued. We feel forgettable. But like the Leper, we must ask, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." If we do that, if we ask God to forgive our struggles and our shortcomings, if we acknoledge that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the son of God, then and only then, will Jesus say, "I am Willing." And he did so when he WILLINGLY was beaten, WILLINGLY was cursed, WILLINGLY was abused, WILLINGLY was mocked, WILLINGLY was forced to carry a cross, WILLINGLY had his hands nailed to the cross, WILLINGLY had his feet tied and nailed to the cross, WILLINGLY surrendered his WILL, WILLINGLY gave himself as a ransom for many, WILLINGLY died so that you might live, WILLINGLY suffered so that you would never-ever feel like you were ever forgettable. God was saying then, and is saying now, and will be saying in the future, that you are unforgettable and He WILLINGLY died for you.
When all hope is gone, remember that God is all the hope you need. Ask the Lord, to make you clean. Acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that it is only by the grace of God that you live, then you shall be saved.
My hope is that if you do not know Christ that you would come to know His power, His Lordship, and His Grace in your life.
Lets disect the mindset of this man. Imagine you were him. You are cut of from any fellowship with other humans. You are constantly seen as an infection, nothing more, than a cancer in society that needs to be cut out. And while, He draws notice because of his condition, He is otherwise forgettable. He is constrained by his limits and everyday He thinks about the family he once had, the son that he would never be able to wrestle with, the daughter he would never be able to dance with, and the wife he could not hold. The little hope that you have dwindles day after day. You have nothing to offer the world that expects nothing from you. You are constantly reminded that while you may have the power to divide the crowd, you also have the power to divide your soul from society because sometimes it just hurts to much to be faced with the realization that no one cares whether you live or die.
No wonder in Matthew 8, the man with Leprosy cries out and says, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." Jesus' reply is astounding, "I am willing."
To bring this into our day and age we must learn one thing: Everyone who makes up our so-called church has spiritual Leprosy. Many of us have struggles and doubts about God that plague the core of who we are. We struggle with questions about, Why God is doing this? or is God even real? Does God really care about me? I have a deep struggle with sin that I can not break, how do I break its hold over me? This are all questions that can keep us from giving God our all. We are all unclean. We all are as hopeless as this man. We are all destined to live a life that is living in complete contrast to what was meant to be. Similar to the man who had his soul divide from fellowship in society, likewise, our souls are divided from God. And we become to familiar with the routine and we finally lose all hope of being rescued. We feel forgettable. But like the Leper, we must ask, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean." If we do that, if we ask God to forgive our struggles and our shortcomings, if we acknoledge that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the son of God, then and only then, will Jesus say, "I am Willing." And he did so when he WILLINGLY was beaten, WILLINGLY was cursed, WILLINGLY was abused, WILLINGLY was mocked, WILLINGLY was forced to carry a cross, WILLINGLY had his hands nailed to the cross, WILLINGLY had his feet tied and nailed to the cross, WILLINGLY surrendered his WILL, WILLINGLY gave himself as a ransom for many, WILLINGLY died so that you might live, WILLINGLY suffered so that you would never-ever feel like you were ever forgettable. God was saying then, and is saying now, and will be saying in the future, that you are unforgettable and He WILLINGLY died for you.
When all hope is gone, remember that God is all the hope you need. Ask the Lord, to make you clean. Acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that it is only by the grace of God that you live, then you shall be saved.
My hope is that if you do not know Christ that you would come to know His power, His Lordship, and His Grace in your life.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Mighty Stronghold
Read Psalm 48.
In 1862, Fort Macon took fire for three days until their walls were breached and the men killed where they stood. They were Fathers, Sons, Husbands, Brothers, Sisters, Wives, Daughters, and Mother, but the enemy did not care who they were only that their mission was to destroy every last living thing. Sometimes in your Spiritual life, the enemy is attacking us day and night trying to breach our walls. Satan doesnt care who you are, where you've been, or what your purpose in life, He cares about one thing only: Separating you from the Love of Christ. In our society, we see breaches happen all the time. We see professing Christians commit adultry, murder, incest, fraud. We see professing Christians addicted to drugs, alcohol, and porn. We see professing Christians buckle under the weight of Satan's attacks and eventually it leads to their destruction. If we try to man our fort by ourselves without Christ strength, we will surely fail. And Satan, will destroy our passion and desire for God without any remorse.
We are fighting a mighty enemy, and enemy that is going to wear us out. But Thanks be to God that we have a MIGHTIER FORTRESS, and STRONGER REFUGE!
"For This GOD is our GOD for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."
In 1862, Fort Macon took fire for three days until their walls were breached and the men killed where they stood. They were Fathers, Sons, Husbands, Brothers, Sisters, Wives, Daughters, and Mother, but the enemy did not care who they were only that their mission was to destroy every last living thing. Sometimes in your Spiritual life, the enemy is attacking us day and night trying to breach our walls. Satan doesnt care who you are, where you've been, or what your purpose in life, He cares about one thing only: Separating you from the Love of Christ. In our society, we see breaches happen all the time. We see professing Christians commit adultry, murder, incest, fraud. We see professing Christians addicted to drugs, alcohol, and porn. We see professing Christians buckle under the weight of Satan's attacks and eventually it leads to their destruction. If we try to man our fort by ourselves without Christ strength, we will surely fail. And Satan, will destroy our passion and desire for God without any remorse.
We are fighting a mighty enemy, and enemy that is going to wear us out. But Thanks be to God that we have a MIGHTIER FORTRESS, and STRONGER REFUGE!
"For This GOD is our GOD for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end."
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Stand in Awe of God
"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer sacrifices of fools, who do not know that they do wrong."
Ecclesiastes 5:1
Father, May I never rush into your presence. May every second be held accountable. May every second be held to highest importance because it is your second, all of them. May I bow my heart to you and bend my ear to your voice.
One of my biggest spiritual struggles is listening to Gods voice, why? I talk a lot. I approach time with Him by scheduling it. Its rushed. I wish I was at a point my life where no matter what I was going to miss or be late, that I would know that spending time with God was more important.
We rush into worship. We sing empty words. We "offer sacrifices" that fools, unbelievers give. We rush God into our Life. Our relationship with Him can be summed up in a few words, "It's Fast and Unsatisfying."
When we Rush God, when we rush worship, when we rush reading the word, we Make GOD no more important that a few meaningless seconds. What would happen if we approached God being fully aware of every second before Him? That every second God uses, preordained that you would have a relationship with Him?
Dont Rush God. If you do, you will find that you did all the talking and God has told you nothing. You will beg God that He reveal His will to you, but then not listen when He does. God will tell you to "Go," and instead of listening, you will speak louder than Voice, drowning out His command and question His command. Dont Rush God or the Living Water will rush right by you before you know it.
Stand in Awe of God!
Ecclesiastes 5:1
Father, May I never rush into your presence. May every second be held accountable. May every second be held to highest importance because it is your second, all of them. May I bow my heart to you and bend my ear to your voice.
One of my biggest spiritual struggles is listening to Gods voice, why? I talk a lot. I approach time with Him by scheduling it. Its rushed. I wish I was at a point my life where no matter what I was going to miss or be late, that I would know that spending time with God was more important.
We rush into worship. We sing empty words. We "offer sacrifices" that fools, unbelievers give. We rush God into our Life. Our relationship with Him can be summed up in a few words, "It's Fast and Unsatisfying."
When we Rush God, when we rush worship, when we rush reading the word, we Make GOD no more important that a few meaningless seconds. What would happen if we approached God being fully aware of every second before Him? That every second God uses, preordained that you would have a relationship with Him?
Dont Rush God. If you do, you will find that you did all the talking and God has told you nothing. You will beg God that He reveal His will to you, but then not listen when He does. God will tell you to "Go," and instead of listening, you will speak louder than Voice, drowning out His command and question His command. Dont Rush God or the Living Water will rush right by you before you know it.
Stand in Awe of God!
Monday, September 14, 2009
My heart on Glass
Romans 12:9
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is God."
Is my love sincere? Do I really hate evil? Do I cling to what is Good? It seems to me that I have those flip-flopped. I cling to what is evil and I hate what is Good. Lord, I hate what is good and I love what is evil. My soul longs for selfishness, for power, for fame, for porn, for drunkeness, for money, for my own will. God, sometimes I hate everything you are! But still, somehow, I find myself being drawn to you. God I know you love me, but I dont love myself. I once hated you but you still loved me. I was once an enemy but you consider me a friend. God I am tired of being lazy, luke-warm, and ordinary. God Change ME!
God, as I keep running away from you, keep bringing me close, keep calling my name, keep loving me so that I can finally find peace in my soul. My soul longs for something more. My soul longs for You!
"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is God."
Is my love sincere? Do I really hate evil? Do I cling to what is Good? It seems to me that I have those flip-flopped. I cling to what is evil and I hate what is Good. Lord, I hate what is good and I love what is evil. My soul longs for selfishness, for power, for fame, for porn, for drunkeness, for money, for my own will. God, sometimes I hate everything you are! But still, somehow, I find myself being drawn to you. God I know you love me, but I dont love myself. I once hated you but you still loved me. I was once an enemy but you consider me a friend. God I am tired of being lazy, luke-warm, and ordinary. God Change ME!
God, as I keep running away from you, keep bringing me close, keep calling my name, keep loving me so that I can finally find peace in my soul. My soul longs for something more. My soul longs for You!
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