The Worthlessness of Spiritual Self Beat-downs, part 4
Why Does the Holy Spirit Convict Us of Sin? For several weeks we’ve looked at our natural tendency (at least for some of us) to practice spiritual self beat-downs. For some reason we do this thinking that God approves or somehow enjoys this process. The facts as they are related in Scripture, though, do not support this thinking. In order to make this point I want to ask a very simple question – and then seek to answer it from how God has revealed Himself in the Scriptures. Here is my question, “Why does God the Spirit convict us of sin?” And in a follow up question to that one we should ask ourselves what is God wanting to accomplish by doing this. What exactly is He after or even what is the end-game in conviction? We all know that we do things wrong. We sin. There are times when we sin that we either don’t realize it at the time – or worse – we deceive ourselves that what we did is not that bad. Whatever the case may be with sin – the work of the Holy Spirit is to convict us of our sin. We’ve seen that very clearly in previous studies. But what is the Spirit’s goal in bringing conviction. If we looked at the way that some of us practice a subsequent spiritual self beat-down, we might think that God’s purpose is to bury us under a mountain of guilt. That guilt is then meant to stimulate a period of condemnation, devastating accusations of every kind, followed by a period of somehow “earning” back our place with God as we seek to do a lot of good things. Those kind of choices do not deliver us from sin – in fact they usually lock us into more guilt, condemnation, and often a feeling like no matter how many times we confess or do more godly things – we just won’t measure up to what God wants from us. What does God want from us! For those who have gone on one of these extended guilt trips – not enjoying the ride or the sights – we wonder why we have to go. We also wonder, like the proverbial kid in the back seat, “Are we there yet?” What might be shocking to learn is that the one driving on these ventures into the darker regions – is not God. God does NOT want this from us. He has a purpose in conviction – and extended guilt is not one of them. You might want to note that I said “extended guilt,” because guilt is part of His purpose in conviction. Let me explain. When David confessed his sin with Bathsheba (along with his pitiful attempt at a cover up – which only led to more sin) he used the following phrase in his Psalm 32 confession to God. “I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I did not hide; I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD’; and You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble; You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.” Psalm 32:5-7 (NASB) Let’s take a look at what we can learn from David. First, we do see that David admits to his sin. He said he acknowledged his sin – he didn’t try to hide his iniquity – and he confessed his transgressions to God. That is pretty thorough on David’s part. He agreed with God (what acknowledged means) that he missed God’s mark. When David said this he was stating plainly that God has standards, absolute ones, and that David clearly did not live up to them. Second of all David admitted that he wasn’t going to hide his iniquity. This is an interesting phrase. David had tried to cover up his sin for so long – but now he was saying that he was willing to bring his sin out into the light and deal with it entirely. The word for sin here is telling too. David speaks of his “iniquity.” This word speaks of sin as particularly evil because it means to twist or deliberately pervert something. Here it refers to perverting and twisting God’s purpose for sex and marriage. Finally, David said that he confessed his transgressions to God. The word “confess” means to cast toward and it represents the picture of David casting his sin before God – admitting it and bringing it fully into the light of God’s presence. He does this with his “transgressions,” which refers to rebellion. David states that his actions were done in rebellion to God and His ways and Word. Once David has confessed his sin, note what he says is God’s response. “And You forgave the guilt of my sin.” God desires us to feel guilt over our sin. The fact is we are guilty! But once we deal with sin as David did – God forgives the guilt of our sin. It is comforting to know that the word used for guilt is the same as the word iniquity earlier. The evilness of our sin is what God forgives and carries away from us. So, we see that one of the major purposes in God bringing conviction is so that, as we confess it completely, He can take away the feelings of guilt and condemnation. David then turns others who will read this and offers godly counsel to them. He speaks of calling out to God in times of trouble – in times when we feel like we are in a flood of waters – drowning in our guilt and overwhelmed by our sinfulness. Even in a flood of great waters (read here – our deepest and most devastating moments of sin) God will prevail and will be heard. If you don’t believe that part you might want to remember the depth of David’s sin – or maybe even Jonah’s (which did involve drowning in literal water as well as great rebellion against God). His counsel is for us to pray to God – to call out to Him – to come to Him humbly confessing our sin. Spiritual self beat-downs are useless in these situations. They will actually keep us from God – as well as keep us drowning in our guilt and self-condemnation. Go to God is David’s counsel! David says one more thing here in Psalm 32. He says that as we come to God in this way, God will surround us with songs of deliverance. God’s purpose in all this is not a beat-down – but a deliverance. The conviction of the Holy Spirit will yield songs of deliverance. There will be an encircling of our lives and hearts with songs that speak of how God delivers and rescues us from sin and from sin’s unkind rule of our lives. What does God want from us when He convicts us? He wants us to acknowledge and see our sinful choices as He does. But then He wants confession of that sin. Once that is accomplished and we confess our sin, rebellion, and evil – He desires us to KNOW forgiveness and deliverance from that sin. He wants us surrounded with marvelous songs that tout His grace and His gospel which has won for us such amazing things. May we learn to receive these things as precious gifts of His grace – not resisting them – but embracing them and rejoicing in our most gracious God and His wonderful love for us.
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The Uselessness of Spiritual Self Beat Downs, part 2 Holy Spirit Conviction or Spiritual Insults? What is the difference between a spiritual self beat-down and the work of the Holy Spirit as He brings genuine conviction of our sin? That is what I want to address this week in my article. Knowing the difference between these two things is knowing the difference between the constructive work of the Holy Spirit making us like Christ, and the destructive work of our own self-oriented religious actions. As we begin discerning these two things, we begin by looking at a passage of Scripture that speaks of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in us. "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. John 16:7-11 (NASB) This is a passage about the convicting work that God does in our lives. So how do we know when the Holy Spirit is doing this work? First, we should note that He comes to convict us. The word for convict here is “elegcho,” which means to prove or show someone to be wrong; to convince of error; to refute, rebuke, reprove, or admonish. The word has the idea of doing this on more than just a factual basis – but to actually bring someone to an emotional response as well. That response is shame over what they have done. There are three areas where the Holy Spirit desires to bring us to this kind of conviction. But what might be instructive before we look at these three areas is what is NOT among them. Not among these things is the area of personal attacks. When the Holy Spirit convicts us, He NEVER attacks us personally. Never will He call us stupid – or use demeaning names as He speaks within our spirit. When we say that God convicted us and called us a name like “idiot” or “moron” or something like that, we are stepping outside of Scripture. About as rough as God gets is to call someone a fool – or to refer to their actions as foolish. But let me reiterate that God does not trash talk when dealing with our sin. The problem here is that in our society we have a difficult time accepting correction without thinking it is a personal attack. Let me explain. When we choose to lie, the Holy Spirit is going to convict us that we have lied. There are even a few passages in Proverbs where if we commit certain sins involving departing from the truth, we are called a liar. That causes many in this society to bristle – and accuse God of calling names. He is not calling any names – except those we have proven to be true by our actions. Note that nowhere does God refer to someone as a stupid liar, or a lying idiot. God simply addresses the sin with truth. He does so with authority, honesty, and with tact. He is not out to trash talk us or to engage in some kind of spiritual beat-down. But, with that being said, He is going to rebuke us and tell us that our actions were wrong. We want to say we are dealing with someone who is being mean, and therefore justify rejecting what they say. But God does not work in this way. When we experience genuine conviction of sin we are dealing with Someone who speaks the truth. We face a “truth encounter.” Our problem is that it is difficult to handle the truth – face up to it – and repent accordingly. Let me illustrate with one more example. God says that homosexual activity is sin. When He says this God does not resort to insults or any kind of “street-talk” slurs. He addresses the sin. But society wants to say that God is a “homophobe” for saying this. This is like saying that God is a “lie-a-phobe” for saying that lying is a sin. We want to make conviction seem like a beat-down, when it fact it is nothing more than a truth encounter. When we make it a beat-down, we can then reject Holy Spirit on the grounds He is being mean. The fact is that He is not mean – He is lovingly truthful. We just don’t want to face the truth – whatever the issue may be. Making the encounter seem like a beat-down provides us a sort of perverse comfort that actually God is out of line in saying what He says. But turning His conviction into a reason to insult Him will guarantee us only bondage in the end. Bondage to the very sin He desired to deliver us from by bringing conviction in the first place. We need to learn to receive genuine Holy Spirit conviction in our lives. We need to discern how God defines sin without defiling his work by adding insults. We need truth, not trash talk. May God give us grace to hear Him as He has revealed Himself in His Word. And may we learn in the process that His conviction of sin is not a beat-down or an insult. It is the first step on a pathway to God’s forgiveness – and honestly – to freedom as well. Greetings in the name of our gracious Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this article finds you growing in grace – even in the midst of times when you struggle with sin and lose. Actually, that is when I hope you grow the most in grace – because the other option is truly one that is empty and meaningless.
So, what do you do when you sin? I am not asking what sin you committ, I am asking what you do when it is clear that you have sinned. Do you run to the Lord to make it right – or better said – to receive forgiveness and grace to change? The reason I ask this is that unfortunately there are those of us who think that a little time in self-punishment is in order first. You know what I am talking about. It is when we take time to truly “beat ourselves up” for what we’ve done by sinning against God. Let me illustrate. The reason that I can is that I have a tendency to practice this meaningless religious rite. I’ve sinned against God in something I’ve done. My next step SHOULD be to run to God – confessing my sin. But a little more often than I am comfortable admitting (but I guess I just did), I take a trip to spiritual self-deprecation mountain for a ride on the “beat-down master,” a ride known for its ability to pummel its riders mercilessly. The weird thing about this ride is that the beat down does not come from a source outside of the one riding it. The beat down is self inflicted. The rider takes it upon himself or herself to inflict as much guilt and shame upon themselves as possible. Here are some of the things I’ve heard while on this less than enjoyable ride. “I can’t believe I did that again!” “You are so stupid to sin against God!” “I’m awful – just awful for doing that!” “What was I thinking?!” “I don’t deserve to be a Christian!” “Maybe I am not a Christian – if I do this?” “God is so mad at me – bet He doesn’t even like me anymore. I know right now I sure don’t like myself!” These are a few of the choice statements I’ve heard others (and honestly have said myself) while on the “beat-down master ride. Oh, by the way, I may have kind of enjoyed the ride – but it has NEVER furnished me one bit of good having ridden it. I get off pretty much like I got on the ride. If anything, it increases my sense of guilt and shame – and more often than not – actually delays me from going to Jesus for what I truly need – forgiveness and grace. What I truly do need when I sin is a visit to my Savior. I need to follow the counsel of Scripture in 1 John 1:9 where it reads, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Note, there is no mention of giving yourself a spiritual beat-down before you go to Jesus. That is something religion has added to this process. Now, please understand that I am not saying that we do not need conviction of our sin. That is very much needed! But there is a clear distinction between how the Holy Spirit convicts and how we go to extremes in beating ourselves up over our sin. In fact, in a coming week I will share with you several distinctions between the Spirit’s conviction and our contrived beat-downs. The real problem with spiritual beat-downs is that we are not changing our focus at all. We sin because we get our eyes off the Lord and onto ourselves and the world around us. When we decide to engage in spiritual self-insults and other ways to make ourselves “feel worse” about our sin – guess where our focus still remains? Yep – it remains on us! When we decide to deride the world and bash it for how it crept into our lives – again – we still have our focus off of Christ Jesus and on the world. The best thing we can do for our renewed spiritual health is to get our focus completely off ourselves and the world around us. Confessing our sins to God involves coming to Him. He is asking (actually commanding) that we come to Him and make a full confession of our sin. We do that by stating what the sin was – as we come to Him and turn from it. Note the sequence in 1 John 1:9. We first come to God confessing our sin. That confession involves saying the same thing about our sin that God says about it. If there is a problem with not being “hard” enough on sin, this is usually where it shows up in this process. What did God’s Word say about your sin? That is what you are to say to God that it is as you make your confession. Don’t come to Him saying that you slipped up – admit that you were angry – filled with rage – that you lusted – you were greedy – you were unkind – you were unforgiving – or any number of things God says is sin. BUT . . . when you’ve done this – take the next step. What is that step? Believe that God keeps His promise and forgives you! That is the next step in the verse. “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin.” There is a promise of forgiveness – and cleansing from all unrighteousness. Do you take it? That is where it is hard – very hard to humble yourself and receive God’s forgiveness. We think we need to be miserable longer. We want to go through some sort of religious penance that seems worthy of our misdeed. It cannot be as easy as confessing our sin – and receiving God’s forgiveness? But that is exactly what it is. Grace is God’s forgiveness of our sin – at the expense of Christ Jesus. Jesus paid the price on the cross. Therefore there is NOTHING – ABSOLUTELY NOTHING you can do to merit it. Here is the dirty little secret. We put ourselves through a spiritual “beat-down” because we FEEL like that makes us more “forgive-able.” Let me redefine that last sentence according to truth. We are too proud to actually humble ourselves and admit that we never have been able to – nor will we ever be able to do anything that will merit God’s forgiveness. It is offered to us and given solely and completely by grace! Isn’t that pretty astounding?! No matter whether we are coming to Him for the first time for salvation itself – or we are coming as a Christian for the 10,418th time to confess a sin we’ve committed – the entire matter is accomplished by grace and grace alone. Kinda blows your mind doesn’t it? So, if you have sinned. If you’ve blown it – again! Don’t think for a moment that beating yourself for a while is going to offer you any spiritual help whatsoever. You have one hope and one hope only – that as you come to God – He will receive you, forgive you, cleanse you, and change you by an act of His wonderful grace. That is it. These were originally shared on Facebook - and there were requests to re-publish them on the church website. Post #1 - Thought a lot since yesterday and the drama surrounding marriage. There is a storm coming (actually, already is here). There is going to be a battle between who will have "civil rights" when this is done. That is because the Bible has always held homosexual activity to be sin - and will not change regardless of how people voted on Prop 8 in California vote or what the Supreme Court decides. Therefore if homosexuality is considered a civil right, then the Biblical view of homosexuality will be deemed illegal - in free speech rights - in the hiring of church personnel - and eventually in what is taught legally in churches. Those who think this is extreme need to remember that when abortion was first argued in the early 1970's wise people said it would one day be available up to the moment of birth and for things like sex selection - and they were considered extreme. After a comment from a friend in my hometown about how my children would react if they were homosexuals - and that they probably would not come to me - but suffer shame and misery silently - this post was made. Post #2 - Just to let you know, although it was not homosexuality, I've had times with my children where they were walking in some pretty serious sin (from a biblical standpoint). Rather than wait for them to come to me - my sweet wife and I lovingly, yet firmly and boldly approached them. We did so making sure or several things . . . First, that they knew we had sinned in the past (my past involved actually hating Christians and Christianity - and a great deal of sexual immorality). Second, we assured them that although we were crushed and disappointed with their current choices - we would NEVER stop loving them. We assured them that there was nothing they would ever do that would make us reject them as persons - or as our children. Our problem was with choices they were making outside of God's will. Third - we took the time to sit down with them and share the Scriptures - specifically what they were doing that was outside of God's will. We did so unapologetically and with boldness (our confidence arising from God's Word - not from any pseudo-religious standing we thought we might have as parents or me as a pastor). Afterward, we assured them of two things - we would continue to side with God's Word on the moral issue - and second that we loved them very much. Post #3 - My original post was about the political ramifications of the current debate. I have known several people who chose a homosexual lifestyle - have loved them - shared with them - and continue to affirm my love for them personally. God does not approve of their homosexuality - even as He did not approve of my fornication before I came to Christ (and He wouldn't approve of it now either!) There are consequences for a nation when they choose to codify a sinful choice as legal. BUT - as a pastor and disciple of Jesus Christ - my responsibility is to love the person who is sinning, tell them the truth, and let them know that as a fellow sinner - I found grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ. God gave it to me when I responded to the conviction of the Holy Spirit (Who used Scripture to show me my sin) in repentance from my heterosexual immorality (as well as breaking His Law multitudes of times in ways that blew my mind). They can receive the same grace from God as well. The one thing they will have to do, though, is see their choice (homosexuality is a choice - not a DNA driven lifestyle) as sin and be willing to respond in repentance as they turn from it, and faith in Jesus Christ as the only way to pay for their sin and be right with God. Post #4 - Still thinking about the homosexual marriage debate . . . As Biblical Christians we have an interesting number of roles to live out in regard to these days. First and foremost we have our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That we walk out loving and knowing Him - and do so with humility - always grasping that He first loved us and drew us to Himself due to His immeasurable mercy and grace. Second, we have a dual responsibility to our world which means we will walk a fine line in regard to how the world works. The first of these dual responsibilities is to proclaim the gospel of God's grace in Jesus Christ! That means that we cannot allow the political or social discourse to become so toxic that we are rejected because of our political beliefs alone. The first offense in our lives needs to be the offense of the cross and the gospel. If people are offended with us - it is because we love them enough to tell them of their condition - their true condition of falling short of the glory of God. Here is where we have to be careful that our political discourse does not make it seem like certain sins are "more sinful" that others. Sin is sin - and it all separates us from God - and requires of us repentance and faith in Jesus Christ to be forgiven and to receive Christ's righteousness as a gift so we can stand before God. In regard to sin - I am no different than the homosexual - for we both have sinned against God and we both need pure, unadulterated grace that only comes in the gospel. This ALWAYS has to be our first message to the world. BUT, we also have a second role that comes into focus in times like these - and that is a prophetic one. Especially in a democratic republic like ours - we play a part in our governing process. Therefore when our nation begins to turn from its godly heritage (which is has been going on for probably 60-70 years now - I am not one to say that this is the big issue - we've made choices for many years now - racism and inequality for blacks from the end of the Civil War until the Civil Rights movement of the early 1960's, the free love movement of the 1960's which popularized heterosexual immorality i.e. sex outside of monogamous, heterosexual marriage, abortion in the 1970's, the love of money in the 80's and 90's, and now homosexuality from the 80's to the present) - again, when our nation turns from its godly heritage and wants to codify as law what God calls sin, it is our responsibility to prophetically speak God's Word to our society - not that we predict the future or write new Scripture (which is unscriptural) - but we speak the morality that is in the Bible - boldly and unapologetically to our society. We lovingly, yet strongly state where we are going - and where it will lead. We do so hopefully knowing that it is most likely the case that we will be rejected - mocked - and called any number of names. Yet we do this for God's glory - and for love of the people in the world - and never for any kind of vindictiveness. We remember where WE came from - and that we needed grace and truth to come to Christ too. Finally - we do this for God's glory - knowing that Jesus made it clear that His Kingdom is not of this world. There is a strong possiblity that we will be misrepresented, cursed, spoken evil of - and maybe even arrested and put to death eventually for our stand with God's Word - and with the gospel of Jesus Christ. If I remember rightly - our Founder and Savior was cursed, mocked, arrested and eventually crucified for speaking the truth (wonder what week that happened in history? - oh, yeah, this week!) Just one last admonition for my brothers and sisters in Christ. Hold fast to the Word of God - to the testimony of Jesus Christ - to the gospel of God's salvation - and when you do have to speak prophetically to the culture - SPEAK THE TRUTH IN LOVE! Tough to do - I know - but when we do have to speak prophetically to our culture and our government - we do not want to do so in such a way that will disqualify us from sharing the more important message of the gospel later! (Yeah - just looked at the length of this - and I am a preacher - HA! - and a long-winded one at that!) Love all of you - and especially those I have the honor of ministering to weekly at Calvary Chapel of Jonesboro! This article the first in a series of studies I am doing in the book of Hebrews. They focus on the exhortations in Hebrews that come throughout the book. It was originally written to the men of Calvary Chapel in one of my email blasts for encouragement.
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just penalty, how will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? -Hebrews 2:1-3 Men . . . God has just said in chapter 1 of Hebrews that Jesus is greater than all the angels. He has said to us that Jesus is God - the exact representation of God's very essence and being! We are not following some mere spiritual being - or a leader of a movement. We have the opportunity to know, love, and follow God Himself! Now, having said this, there is an exhortation. That is how Hebrews works as a book - there is teaching about the supremacy of Jesus to everything - and after each teaching there is a call - an exhortation to walk with God. These exhortations are so helpful to me - and that I why I feel the need to walk through them to exhort you as the men of my congregation - as well as men that I work with in discipleship. Let's take a look at our first exhortation! Because we are not dealing with just a religious view - or a religious figure - or a spiritual being of some interest - we need to pay closer attention to what we've heard of God's Word and God's plan and purposes! We are dealing with God - One Who is immeasurable in power, might, glory, majesty, wisdom, goodness, grace, love, and (and this is part of the point of Hebrews) wrath for the lost and discipline for the saved! That is why we need to pay MUCH COSER ATTENTION! We are all guys here - so let's be honest! We are easily distracted - especially when someone is talking to us. There are times when my wife and daughters have to do something to get my attention because I am too focused on the television, computer, a book, a spot on the wall - you know what I'm referring to here. It is so easy for us to "DRIFT AWAY" in our thinking. Isn't it awesome to know that our God understands this weakness in us! He knows that we tend toward distraction. He also knows that the devil and the world system are experts as drawing us away in our thinking and our focus. The whole advertising world is geared to pulling your focus away from whatever you were thinking - to what they are telling you to think about - and eventually think you can't live without! Drifting can be very dangerous men. My family visited Niagra Falls when I was young. We went to the falls and read and heard of the stories of those who went over the Falls in barrels and various kinds of contraptions. The most frightening story of all though was of a young boy who went over the falls in nothing more than a life jacket - and survived. The story is frightening because it began with a father and son fishing trip on the Niagra River. The two of them got distracted fishing and did not realize that their boat had crossed a very dangerous barrier on the river. The father struggled to get the engine started - and could not because of the rough waters. Soon they were careening down the river without any control over the boat. The father furiously paddled at an angle to get to a shoreline, hoping to make it before the falls. His valiant efforts were to no avail as the boat capsized in the midst of the angry current. He grabbed his son and with every ounce of strength in him tried to reach the short swimming. He did not reach the shore - and was killed as he and his son were cast over the edge of the Candaian side of the falls. Miraculously the boy was relatively unharmed - with a lot of bruises and a few cuts. That story is a constant reminder to me to be very careful about drifting in my life. It is an easy thing to do - and it usually leads to danger when we do. MEN OF GOD - are you drifting spiritually? If you are - here are a few of the symptoms. #1 - You are probably not in the Word - and if you are - you are not exactly listening to God when you read it. Here is what I mean by this - and unfortunately I speak from experience. When I am drifting - I'm distracted from the Word. Either I am not reading it at all - or - I am reading it to mark it off some kind of list of things I'm supposed to do. There is little "hearing God" at all going on as I read. This will eventually lead to me reading less - or just stop reading at all. #2 - You are making "little compromises" in your life. If you are drifting - there are "little compromises" that are being made from time to time. These don't seem like huge things, but when you first do them there is just a twinge of conviction as you realize, "Probably shouldn't do that - but - ah, what's the problem - no harm, no foul." Here is the problem though - these little compromises - will lead up to bigger ones in the future. They also dull your spiritual senses over time to the conviction of the Spirit. #3 - You are not really aware of the tremendous danger of sin. God warns us in Hebrews that the word given by angels received a just discipline and punishment - and that those commands were unalterable. Do we realize that the "little compromises" - if they involve being disobedient - aren't so little? Each one comes with a cost - and each one is neglecting the fact that we will be held accountable for our actions. The drifting of our hearts involves just thinking that sin is not that big of an issue - when it really is! David's first sin with Bathsheba was not adultery. The first step was just wanting to relax and take it easy - when he should have been going to war. That little compromise led to him compromising by not turning away when he saw Bathsheba bathing. That compromise then led to him asking about her - then calling her - then having sex with her - then her getting pregnant - the cover-up - killing Uriah and a bunch of other guys who got killed being dumb in war on purpose. Could David have ever imagined that the "little compromise" of being lazy and not diligent as king - would have led to all this!? NEVER! But that is what "drifting" does to us spiritually! We drift - and we think it is not that big of a deal - and then - we find ourselves in the rapids of the river - then, over the falls! Sin is always, always, always dangerous - deadly dangerous! Anything that deadens our thoughts on this matter - is DEADLY ITSELF! #4 - You are not as excited or moved by your salvation. Hebrews says here that we should realize what a great salvation we have. The phrase is this, ". . . how can we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?" What God is saying to us is that our salvation is GREAT! The God we serve . . . is GREAT! The judgment and wrath we escaped . . . GREAT! The amount of sin forgiven . . . GREAT! How deep the change should be in our hearts . . . GREAT! And the list can go on and on! But when we are drifting - all that "greatness" just seems to become - ho-hum to us. It is not that we are not grateful for salvation . . . it is just that we are not all that convinced any longer that it was that big a deal - or that our danger was all that . . . dangerous - or that the joy and ultimate satisfaction in knowing and walking with God is . . . all that ultimate any longer. David prayed in Psalm 51 - restore to me the joy of my salvation. That is what we are missing - any real joy or sense of greatness in our salvation. So . . . are you drifting? If you are - consider Jesus - Who He is - how much greater He is than even angels. Consider Who is talking to you when you come to Scripture - and fellowship with Him! Consider how not concentrating and focusing on what He says may be leading to "little compromises" that are getting bigger over time. Consider if you consider all sin very dangerous or not. Consider if you are not so moved by your salvation as you used to be. If these things are happening to you - SNAP OUT OF IT BRO! There is a very real danger that you face! Your guilty of "spiritual drifting" - and that can cost way more than you ever imagined. Maybe now your just a litle off course. The problem is that the river gets rougher as it gets closer to the Falls. There is still time to wake up - snap out of the drifting - and get back on course. Don't wait until the river's current grabs you and takes you over the Falls. And if you're further down the river than you think - cry to God for help! Call out to brothers to throw you a line from the shoreline - and reel you in! All these things you can do - just don't sit there and continue to drift! For a couple of weeks we’ve looked at what to do when we just don’t feel like we are forgiven. This week I want to probe deeper into where our eyes might be when this happens.
There are times when we just don’t feel forgiven that our problem is that we are working on the basis of our feelings rather than our faith. But there are other times when this happens that there is something deeper going on that blocks forgiveness. Until that blockage is removed, we will not experience the joy of forgiveness—or at least the joy of restored fellowship with God. The Bible speaks of things that bring a barrier between us and God. One of those things, according to Psalm 66:18, has to do with where our eyes are—or better said at what we are aiming. The psalmist said the following, “If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” We see from this verse that there are things that will keep us from hearing God—even in regard to knowing and “feeling” forgiven. Let’s look deeper into this in this week’s article. What does it mean to “regard wickedness in our heart?” The word for “regard” is the Hebrew word “raah” which means to see. Here the word speaks of our sight in reference to aiming at something. Another way of saying it is that whatever we are seeing is “in our sights.” Imagine either looking through a scope on a rifle—or down the barrel of our gun. We are “sighting” in our target. Other things may be in our peripheral vision, but there is only one thing in our sights. We are aiming at something—and it is the main thing in our vision pattern. That is where we are aiming. Our Psalm speaks of having wickedness in our sights. Here is how this relates to “feeling forgiven.” We may confess our sin—and even feel bad about it—but the problem is we do not want to forsake it. The truth is that even in our confession of sin—what we did or what we want is still our aim. We continue to have that person, that action, the desire in our sights. When that happens—our prayers—our confession goes unheard by God. He is not looking at our words in this, He looks at our hearts. We may confess our sin—but there is no real intent on turning from it. If we do this there will be a very distinct sense that we are not forgiven. God is not hearing us until there is a true turning from our sin. John said in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Note, God wants to do 2 things—forgive sin, cleanse from un-right activity. If our “sights” were not altered—there was no real confession of sin. Confession involves not just being sorry for it—but genuinely wanting something different. So, if you’ve not changed your target—from sin to righteousness—from ungodly choices, words, actions, and attitudes—to godly ones—you won’t “feel” forgiven. These next several articles are long. They come from a series of things I wrote to a frustrated brother who sought help in an email relationship with me. He does not attend Calvary Chapel, yet his struggle is mirrored in the lives of so many who know the Lord, and yet who fight with sin in their lives. This fight will last all our days - but for many of us it gets very intense when we have an area of our lives where sin just seems to dominate us. Our struggle parallels that of Paul - but for those who want to move on to victory, we need to make the trek from identifying with Romans 7 to experiencing Romans 8. That is what these articles try to do. It is my hope that they are helpful to all those who wrestle with sin in an honest effort to be conformed to our Lord Jesus Christ.
For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. For that which I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. But if I do the very thing I do not wish to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good. So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which indwells me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. For the good that I wish, I do not do; but I practice the very evil that I do not wish. But if I am doing the very thing I do not wish, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wishes to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind, and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:14-25 Now, as to the remedy for what you are facing. You might want to seek that out by reading what comes after Paul's statement about his struggle/battle with sin. He sees here that this has to come, "through Jesus Christ our Lord!" But there is more to this - but it is in chapter 8 of Romans. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh-- for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, " Abba! Father!" Romans 8:1-15 There is so much here in chapter 8 . . . let me take the next couple of days and break it down into small, daily, bite-size pieces for you. Hope this helps! Lesson #1 - It's the Spirit Who sets you free - Who grants you power to overcome. Note that Paul says that it is the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus" that sets us free from the law of sin and death. The "law of sin and death" is the old way (never did work) of making and keeping rules. You have rules about sexual sin - rules about what you look at - rules about the computer - rules about self-gratification - rules, rules, rules. The problem is that the Law never set any man free from sin. In fact, Paul tells us earlier in Romans that the Law was given to show us we could never keep the Law - due to sin in our hearts. Soooo . . . we also won't be set free by just "obeying laws and rules." What we need is a different power than ourselves. Our flesh will not submit to God's Law - EVER! So Paul lets us know that we no longer live by the "law of sin and death." We live by a new law - the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. We live by a different "life" than the one we used to have. Thanks be to God - He gave us life in Jesus Christ. The life He gave us? Christ's own life - which can overcome sin every time! What we need to develop is a willingness to run to God and to His Spirit in our battles. You may be able to stop a thought initially - even make it go away temporarily - but you cannot put it to death. It WILL come back later and bug you, annoy you, and torture your thinking until you give way to it. Ever try to get a song out of your head - or stop thinking about something by TRYING to stop thinking about it. Yeah - doesn't work does it. Neither does fighting sin by trying to stop sinning and thinking about the temptation to sin. What we need is MORE POWER! We need a different kind of life. The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus - is that we turn to Him, to His power, to His life, to think about Him. This is so different - because our thoughts are no longer about the sin - but about Christ Himself. The Scriptures say this about this battle, "But we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being changed into that same image, from glory to glory - even as unto the image of the Lord." What you look at is truly what you will become. We are no longer looking at sin - but now, by the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus - we are looking at Him - at Jesus - and we are being changed into His glory, by His glory, for His glory! Let me ask you a kind of dumb question. How many times did Jesus lose a battle with sin - hmmmm - NEVER! So as we turn to Him and His life - we look to that life in us as the power to overcome. Suddenly it is no longer just us trying to stop sinning - it is the power of the Spirit working in us doing this. That is why later Paul says this, "but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." How are we putting to death the deeds of our body? BY THE SPIRIT! Here is a little homework for tonight. Take some time to pray - talking to God - and honestly - apologizing to the Holy Spirit (Who by the way IS God - third person of the Trinity). Apologize and confess as sin your actions (sin) that have been for grieving Him. Apologize for putting out His fire with your sin - and trying to do His work in your strength. Once you've confessed your sin - ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with His power - so that by His power (rather than yours) you can fight sin. By the way, when you think of the filling of the Holy Spirit - don't think of it as something filling you up. The Holy Spirit is a person - not a thing. Consider His filling - He fills you with His influence and a filling up your life with fellowship! We speak of spending time with someone - and say at times, "My whole day was filled with time spent with my friend, wife, kids, etc." We are filled with their presence - with what they say - with great memories - with wisdom as they talk to us - with love as they selflessly give themselves to serve and bless us. It is the same way as we are being "filled with the Holy Spirit." Be filled with His presence - with what He says - with great memories of time spent talking with Him and being taught by Him - with wisdom as He teaches you the Word - with love as He selflessly gives you the things of God and serves you and blesses you. DUDE - SPEND AN HOUR - A WHOLE DAY - A WHOLE WEEKEND TURNING TO HIM AND GETTING FILLED UP WITH ALL HE WANTS TO DO AND SAY TO YOU! This is just step one - we will look at more over the next couple of weeks. For today - get better acquainted with the Spirit - and do some serious damage control in your relationship with Him. Oh, how He wants to grant you power to fight sin - but in order to do that - you've got to stop thinking you can fight it on your own. Here is one other thing to do . . . next time you have a temptation to sin - turn to God the Holy Spirit - and fight it WITH HIM! Ask Him for power to fight - ask Him to teach you what to do - ask Him for the tools to PUT SIN TO DEATH - not just make it go away for a while - or until morning. This will transform your battles with sin - from something you do to something He does within you. This will make the battle more than just "not thinking or doing sin" to "turning to Him, seeing Him, knowing Him, and in the end being transformed to be just like Him by His power and might that powerfully works within you. Have you ever sinned and wondered afterward, "How in the world did I get here?" That is a common thing with a lot of believers - and honestly - too common to me to be too comfortable with it. But that kind of moment is one where we need wisdom. The wisdom we need is an understanding of the very question we've asked. How did we get there? If we don't know at the moment - we need to know. The reason we need to know is because unless we know how we got to a point of sin, we will probably not stop sinning in this way. The best way to deal with this is to know the steps to how we got there. Let me share something with you that is very helpful to me when I struggle and fall into sin occasionally. I call it a "post-mortem" analysis of my sin.
James says this to us, "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." James 1:13-15 It is good to take a closer look at the day or days leading up to your sin. What I found was that often I was either being set up or was setting myself up for a fall. The first thing James tells us is that we are NOT being tempted by God. Too often we think, "God, why did You do this to me? Why did you have this temptation come my way?" We think God is responsible for our circumstances - at least these that surround sinning. God is most definitely Sovereign over all things - BUT - He does not tempt us. Not blaming God for our problems is a huge first step towards freedom. James does mention where all this comes from in life. He says that we are "tempted by lust" and then when we don't respond to it properly we are "carried away" by it. First comes temptation - from which I must flee! Lust here is not referring to sexual sin exclusively. It is referring to a strong desire that arises out of our self-centered and self-honoring fallen nature. If I find myself not responding and reacting to these intense fleshly desires immediately. (which I usually did not in this process) my heart would begin hardening to God, to His Word, and to the promptings and warnings of the Holy Spirit. I was not being responsive to Jesus. Left unchecked, these strong desires would grow and I would find myself being "carried away by lust." Soon I would find that not only was I being tempted - but because I was "lingering" - I soon was carried away by my lust into sin. Let me ask you something at this point. Ever have one of those times when you think, "Man it was like I was unable to stop - like I was being carried away! Well - unfortunately - that was exactly what was happening. You did not stop sin at the point of your own desires being perverted from the truth. Therefore they became so strong that you felt like you could not resist. It was like someone else was controlling you. That is the power of sin and lust. It is powerful - and will dominate you if you do not resist early and often. At this point you are having lust conceive in your heart - and that conception is about to give birth to sin. The next step is to give birth to sin. The strong desire, left unchallenged, has now dominated our minds and our actions. This means we are about to sin - to choose to disobey God - to choose to disregard Scripture - even to choose to silence the protest of our conscience as we act out in a way that is in defiance to God's standards and commands. The result of this will be death. Spiritually we will feel dead. There will be a grieving of the Holy Spirit and a deadening of our ability to discern what God desires. Rather than being led by the Spirit - we are allowing ourselves to be led by the flesh. The Spirit's fire will be doused within us - we may even feel things like a lack of desire for the Word - an aversion to prayer - and plenty of condemnation. Yeah - pretty much plenty of death is available to us at this point in our sinful escapade. A "post-mortem" analysis of sin asks the following types of questions.
When we do this, we will most likely find and identify the things that led up to our sin. We will see things like television shows or movies that led to lustful thoughts. We may find that we were wandering from God for days before this thing hit. We will often find that our minds were definitely NOT being renewed with the Word. And one other "usual culprit" will be bitterness and unforgiveness - especially when it is toward a brother or sister in Christ - or a close family member. The last step in this "post-mortem" analysis is to identify the activities or choices made that led to sin. But that will not be enough. We need to deal with these things. There is a very simple truth here we must grasp. We CANNOT do these things and remain pure. We MUST address these things with the Word and with repentance and a purpose to act differently in the future. This will be the way to turn a sinful situation into one that will not only instruct us - but will in large measure - protect us from things that will lead us into sin in the future. It will also help us to greatly lesson the areas where we feel that when we take a small step - we are gone - because sin has such power over us so quickly. Think of it as CSI - Jesus. The Lord takes apart the crime scene (here a sin-scene) and examines it to show us all the evidence that points to us acting in ways that are going to end up embracing sin and ungodliness. That will be more valuable to us than gold! I wanted to take a one week break in the midst of this series of articles to ask a simple question. That question is this, "Are you fighting?" That may seem like an interesting question to ask - but it is very applicable to the battle of being a godly man. Let me quote a pamphlet with that same title, Are You Fighting? which was written by J. C. Ryle.
"There are thousands of men and women who go to churches and chapels every Sunday and call themselves Christians . . . but you never see any 'fight' about their religion! Of spiritual strife, and exertion, and conflict, and self-denial, and watching, and warring they know literally nothing at all. Such Christianity may satisfy man, and those who say anything against it may be thought very hard and uncharitable; but it certainly is not the Christianity of the Bible. It is not the religion which the Lord Jesus founded, and His apostles preached. True Christianity is a 'fight.'" As we've walked through Psalm 101 we've seen some pretty strong language used. One might even say that this language is the language of conflict - of battle - of war. My answer to this is simple - IT IS! Our fight is perennially one against the flesh, the world, and the devil. These three are our main enemies - and if we are not engaged in a fight with them - we are most likely enslaved by them. One thing the Bible promises to us is that these enemies will not be idle. They are constantly looking for ways to make inroads in our lives. They want to set up beach heads that will serve as launching pads for further incursions into our lives morally and spiritually. What I am trying to say is that if we are not having any "fight" in our religion - we are losing a battle of which we not even aware. Raging all around us currently is a war currently for the souls of the men of our nation. The main front of that battle is for the menl of the church. But even that front has multiple avenues where we are being attacked. Let me mention a few (and please know that in no way is this seeking to be an exhaustive list). #1 - Guys . . . are you fighting with your eyes? I know this is a battle that seems to rage everywhere you go. From the grocery store where they put immoral magazines right at the checkout lines (and no I am not referring to Playboy, but to the women's magazines and tabloids in saying this - anyone want to argue with me biblically on this point?) to the television, to movies, to the way that women dress in our society, the battle is raging. But guys, we need to fight with our eyes - by turning them away from lust. Jesus put it this way, "if you right eye makes you stumble - rip it out and throw it from you." That sounds like a fight to me? But are we fighting? May God grant us grace to battle the lust of the eyes daily. I know that it is tough - and that at times we grow weak - but we cannot give in to the immorality of the world - the lust of our own flesh - or the lure of the devil in this. We need to FIGHT! #2 - Guys . . . are you fighting with your mind? This is closely related to the first - but it is important. What is filling your mind? The world will offer you a smorgesboard of things to fill your mind - and none of them will draw you closer to Christ - or encourage you to walk in His ways. Our flesh will rise up and fight getting into the Word - but do it anyway. With younger men this battle rages through the world of games - both on game consoles and on the internet. The amount of time that is wasted by our young men in this pursuits is monumental. Hours upon hours are spend filling our minds with worthless quests into an electronic world that provides escape from the real world. The frightening part of all this is that these escapes are from reality - and from the real issues of manhood that should be wrestled with at this age. To bring this up, I realize, is to possibly alienate myself from a whole younger generation. But unless someone says something - we are going to either delay an entire generation from becoming real men - or - lose them altogether. We need to fight for our minds. #3 - Guys . . . are you fighting for your morals? Here is a third area where we are being destroyed by the world, devil , and the flesh. I am speaking about pornography and gratifying our flesh. Recently I went to a sight that helps men get free from these things - and saw that they have had over 320,000 clients come to their site for help. According to their reasoning - this represents about 1 in 10 of the men in the church who struggle with these sins. If that is accurate - we have a problem in our country. There is reason to believe that somewhere in the rage of 3 million men, IN THE CHURCH, have these problems. I am not saying this to make you feel condemned, but rather to call all of us to action. If we are not free - we need to be - as soon as possible. Once we get free - we need to continue to FIGHT - not just for ourselves - but for our brothers in Christ as well. #4 - Guys . . . are you fighting for your integrity? This goes beyond the battle in our minds - to the battle for our daily actions in our jobs, our homes, our churches, and anywhere else we walk. This is the fight to take what we learn from the Word and make it a part of our lifestyles. Here is the reason why so much is falling apart in our society - a lack of integrity. Every scandal at its core happened because someone somewhere did not maintain their integrity. When you multiply that times over 350 million Americans - you are going to have serious problems. Are you willing to fight for integrity - even when your competitor does not? Are you and I willing to trust the Lord to prosper and keep us afloat - even if we do not cut corners and "cook the books" for our benefit? The worst crisis we face as a nation is not financial. Our worst problems are not healthcare, jobs, or security. Our key crisis is one of integrity. Without men of integrity our nation will not continue to stand. Will you be one of the first to embrace God's call to integrity - and fight for it even though many other men around you will not? These are just four areas where the battle rages - or should be raging. What is sad is that many shun the fight. They just want a comfortable life - one without difficulties or the struggles it takes to "fight the good fight of faith" the Bible presents to us. But as long as we remain on a fallen earth - filled with fallen people - who do fallen things - and who promote fallen lifestyles - there is going to be a fight. So hear me brothers as I seek to encourage you today! Brothers in Christ . . . we are called to be MEN OF GOD! We are called out of this present darkness into His glorious light to embrace the conflict that WILL begin the moment we are saved. We are not perfect - but we are in the process where God is perfecting us! We are not sinless - but oh how we are called to both hate and battle sin in our lives. We are called to put on the armor of God - daily putting each piece on so that we can stand - and after we have fought to the last ounce of strength which God provides - to keep on standing! We cannot afford to quit! We cannot afford to be lazy and undisciplined! We fight for our families! We fight for our children - esepecially our sons, who are watching and begging us to be men they can follow! We fight for the church - the bride of our Lord - the pillar of truth - and the manifestation of God's grace - and the place where the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ should shine forth the brightest! But in this hour, my blessed brothers, we are fighting for our lives! The devil and his world system feel they are on the brink of victory. They flex their muscles through the media and government thinking that they will win the day. We face onslaught after onslaught - attack after attack - and battle after battle. They fight us personally in our minds - relationally in our homes and churches - and morally in our national discourse. But like those who have stood in what seemed like impossible battles - we stand. Like the 300 Spartans who stood alone against the invaders who landed on their shores - we stand against hordes of those who fight against our God and against His Word. But know this, brothers, we will stand. We will stand upon the Word of God that has faced countless attacks and yet stands firm as the revelation of God. We will stand upon the grace of God in the gospel that has won millions upon millions in every generation - under every form of government - in every trial - and under every type of oppression. Finally, we will stand with our Lord Jesus Christ - Who has vanquished sin, death, and hell by His cross. Who has stood strong against the attack of every false prophet, every false philosophy, every false religion, and every falsehood the devil has thrown at Him. We will stand in Him knowing that He has won the victory - not just at the end of the age - but He has won the victory in every generation. Now is not the time for us to faint. Now is the time for us to FIGHT! May God truly establish you this day—this week—this year—the rest of your life on His grace and only His grace.
Understanding and knowing God’s grace will change everything in your life. It is this one truth that is more misunderstood yet is more needed than just about anything else in our lives. God’s grace centers around the issue of our sin, our acceptability to God, and how we get there. For the next couple of articles I want to begin to camp out on the grace of God. Truly if we can “get” this doctrine—this truth active in our lives—it will indeed change everything for us. Let me begin with what we will have to grasp in order to understand God’s grace—and that is our sinfulness and inability to stand before God in anything but His grace. This may seem like a strange place to begin our journey together, yet it is often because of misunderstandings here that we wind up with misunderstandings about the grace of God later. A wrong view of our sinfulness will lead to a wrong view of God’s grace as well. Our sinfulness before a holy God is absolute. There is no other way out of our sin than the grace of God. We do not have any alternative if we want to be in a right relationship with God and out from under His wrath that will be poured out upon sin as punishment for it. Either it is His grace—freely given through the Lord Jesus Christ and what He did to pay for sin on the cross . . . or . . . It is the horrifying specter of one day facing that wrath on the day of judgment. There is not a time in our lives, nor will there ever be one, when our relationship with God is not entirely dependent upon His grace. It is grace for our rescue from sin’s penalty, grace for our daily rescue from sin’s power, and grace from our ultimate rescue from the wrath of God on the day when all men will give an account to God for their lives. Too many view sinfulness and the ruin that comes with it as something other than our absolute inability to be in a right relationship with God. They see it as a problem—but it is one “they” can work on in their own strength. Christians see sin as a problem solved by getting saved—but then it is up to them to “keep-up” salvation by their own obedient actions. The truth from the Word though is that we do not need better behavior, we need perfect righteousness at all times to stand before God. Even if we got this initially at our salvation—we could never maintain it. We would surely blow it—and that in short order. The fact is that we daily depend (actually we depend on God’s grace every millisecond of every day) on God’s grace. It is His gift of “declaring us righteous” as an act of His grace that EVER allows us to stand. And it is that glorious grace that allows us to walk daily (millisecond-ly if you will) in God’s peace—knowing His acceptance of us based solely and completely out of the wonderful grace that is ours in Jesus Christ. |
Biblical ArticlesMost of these articles are taken from the Calvary Courier, a weekly newsletter that is sent to the folks who attend Calvary Chapel Jonesboro. Due to the response to these articles, we've decided to print some of them which proved to be very helpful to God's people at the fellowship. Thank you for visiting our website! Everything on this site is offered for free. If, however, you would like to make a donation to help pay for its continued presence on the internet, you can do that by clicking here. The only thing we ask is that you give first to the local church you attend. Thank you! Copyright 2024 Calvary Chapel Jonesboro | all rights reserved |