jgort

There are mixed reactions to the fair.  Some say it costs way too much.  Some say they budget for Tiger Ears, scones, and exciting rides.  Some enjoy going every other year, while others have never missed attending the fair.  How do feel about the fair? 

I personally love the fair.  I can open my bedroom window and listen to concerts while lying on my bed.  I can eat food I love.  I am always amazed by the decorated cakes (and so all you cake decorators know, even the lowest judged cake amazes my whole family, ribbon or not, well done).  And this year, Calvary Bible Church will have a booth. 

So, if you are one of those who say the fair is always the same, stop by the Calvary Bible Church booth.  We will being giving out raw potatoes (you have to stop by to find out why), giving out information about church, and, prayerfully, seeing new people come to know our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ.  After all, His salvation is a free gift for all.  And Ephesians 2:8, 9 tell us “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Salvation from sin is why Christ died for us on the cross nearly 2000 years ago.  Salvation is a one time act that has eternal implications.  Hence we read Paul's writing, "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness" (Romans 1:16-18).  Faith saves us from them penalty of sin, which is death (Romans 6:23), and saves us to eternal life.

Faith in Christ is our appropriation of salvation, which we are unable to lose.  Living in faith is living in the righteousness of God.  Many in our day and age say they have faith, yet have no righteousness before God.  Some place their faith in a particular version of the Bible (but not faith in Christ), some have faith in the teachings of a man (with no faith in Christ), and, thankfully, there are those who follow our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Do you "hold the truth in unrighteousness" or righteousness?  Do you have a saving faith in Christ?  If not your time in eternity will not be in the presence of God, but in the Lake of Fire.  "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved!"

This Sunday I will finish preaching Calvary Bible Church's look at leaders in the church, as we see how the Gospel teaches us to live.  The Gospel, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ(1 Corinthians 15:3, 4) teaches us to live not in domain of darkness, but in the kingdom of Christ.  

The "domain of darkness" is not a physical place, but a state of slavery to sin.  Within the domain of darkness actions of "immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry, ... anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech ..." reign (Colossians 3:5, 9).

On the hand, the kingdom of Christ is both a physical and spiritual place.  The physical place of the kingdom of Christ will come in the Millennium, when Christ rules out of Jerusalem (in Israel) for one thousand years.  However, those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ have been transferred from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of Christ.  

Those who have believed the Gospel are to follow its teachings.  The Gospel teaches us a better way to live, not held fast to the bonds of sin, but free from sin and alive to Christ.  Titus 2:11-14 says it this way, " For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." 

If you have not placed your faith in Christ, you are held within the bonds of the domain of darkness.  Be freed from such bonds, and dwell in the kingdom of Christ.  "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved."

As I preach on Sunday, I will be continuing the study of church leadership as I preach about deacons.  Like elders, God has clearly laid the requirements it takes to be a deacon in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.  Some churches follow these requirements, and some do not.  As a result, deacons very greatly from church to church.  For instance, a deacon might be a 12 year old young man in a Mormon ward, a 45 father of 3 in a Baptist church, or a 38 year old woman ordained by the Armenian Church.

Why is there so much variation among who can serve as a deacon?  The LDS Church takes their understanding from teachings from Doctrines and Covenants (Section 107 and various).  The LDS Church teaches the deacons are approved males who hold the Aaronic priesthood.  This revelation came through Joseph Smith, and contradicts the biblical priesthood Aaron and his descendants held.  

The Armenian Church takes 1 Timothy 3:11 to mean a deaconess, an interpretation that may have had a wide following until the 6th Century A.D.  Even today various churches around the country have positions for women to be deaconesses, who are women who serve the women in the church.

In most Bible based churches, deacons are men.  Men who meet the requirements found in 1 Timothy 3:8-13.  Since it is hard for a woman to be "the husband of one wife" (and nothing else in the this list is culturally relative, nor points to cultural relativity), it is understood that males hold the position of deacon.  The only difference between an elder and a deacon is the ability to teach, such is not a requirement for a deacon.  Both positions are to be drawn from godly men among the congregation.  Both positions are servants of the Body of Christ, though deacons serve physically, and elders spiritually.  And both have requirements concerning how they are to serve.  These requirements are not "superstar Christian" requirements, but the fulfillment of living in light of the Word of God.

Jesus had 12 formal disciples.  These were men from various walks of life called to follow Jesus.  They spent the most time with Him.  Of the twelve, three were closer to Him than the others, and He loved one in particular.

Jesus said, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:27).  Since I know of no church that takes this verse literally, that is, they don’t pick up wooden crosses and haul them wherever they go, I must inquire as to the meaning of this verse. 

What does it mean to carry our own cross in order to be a disciple of Christ?  Does it mean we must pay the penalty of our sin?  No.  Jesus paid the penalty of sin for all mankind (1

John 2:1-3). 

Does it mean we must count the cost of forsaking our own lives for Christ’s sake?  I believe so.  The context of Luke 14 is consistent with this interpretation.  Being a disciple of Christ is not just about saying, “I follow Jesus.”  But having a life which supports such a claim.

One of the formal disciples of Christ ended up not being a disciple of Christ at all, his name was Judas.  Likewise, Jesus said, “"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.  On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?'  And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'

Are you a true disciple of Christ?  Have you received eternal life by grace through faith in Christ?  Or will you be cast from the presence of Christ into an eternal destruction? 

Is your Bible true?  Augustine of Hippo (better known as Saint Augustine) wrestled with this question in the fourth century A.D.  You see, he had been taken in by a group of false teachers, and they taught the was “tampered with.”  Augustine wrote in Confessions, “They (the false teacher) claimed that the books of the New Testament had been tampered with by unnamed persons who wished to impose the Jewish law upon the Christian faith, but they could produce no uncorrupted copies (Confessions, Book V section 11).”

Today, false teachers continue to attempt to say the New Testament (and the whole Bible for that matter) is untrue or only true in part.  Yet, they are unable to produce “uncorrupted copies.”  Why?  Because the Bible is true, in it’s entirety.  And false teachers know that if a person spends too much time in the Bible, their false teaching will be exposed.

All of us are continually exposed to false teaching.  Some false teaching is blatant, and some false teaching is subtle.  2 Peter 2:1 tells us of false teaching, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”  A person can claim to know Christ, and still deny Him.  This happened 1600 years ago in Augustine’s day, 400 years prior to that in the Apostles day, and continually in our day.  Turn not to false teachers, but to the Bible.  Remember that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).

As I preach on Sundays, I will be taking a hiatus from the study in the Gospel of Luke, as I teach the biblical requirements for leaders in the church.  Sounds interesting, right?  

The biblical list for men qualified for leadership is like Campbell’s condensed soup, it stand on it’s own.  The great thing about the list of requirements found in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 tell us Elders (overseers, pastors, etc.) and Deacons are examples of how Christians should live.  The list of requirements for those in leadership is not the mark of a "super-Christian," but is the natural way those who claim Christ to live.  Each of the requirements (except for not being a novice, or new convert) is a requirement of all believers.

All believers are to be above reproach, devoted to their spouse, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach (we all teach someone), not a drunkard, not pugnacious, gentle, peaceable, free from the love of money, managing their house well, and well thought of by those outside the church. 

God has ordained godly men to lead the church (but only as they follow Christ).  This is a static list.  The list is not given to change, only application.  

Are you living in light of the Word of God?

There are two defining verses in the New Testament concerning faith.  These verses reveal the substance and production of faith.  The substance of faith is found in Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.”  And the production of faith comes from Romans 10:17 “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  Together these verses explain what is faith.

Hebrews 11:1 reveals to us that faith is not blind, but neither does faith require sight.  Faith does not require sight because faith is an assurance and conviction.

Romans 10:17 contradicts the popular, though false, teaching that more prayer, more giving, or more doing produces faith.  Faith cannot be produced through work, but our works make evident what is our faith.  What work are you doing?  What faith do you have?

However, these verses do not define how faith works, what is the object of our faith, or the results.  A very politically correct, and popular trend, is to say we all have faith (including mystics, atheists, and the anti-religious), and that all faith is good for the one who has it.  But is this true?  Does not the same God who defined faith through the writers of the New Testament also tell us in the Old Testament, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25).  And He also tells us in James, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe--and shudder!”

It is not enough to speak of faith, we must have faith.  It is faith in Jesus Christ which saves us from the sin we are all guilty of (Romans 1:16, 17, 5:1-4, 10:9,10; Ephesians 2:8, 9, 2

^nd Peter 2:1).  Saving faith comes not through work, prayer, and giving, but through the truth of the Bible.  And the substance of our faith is the eternal life promised and the conviction of the things we have not seen (Christ’s sacrifice upon the cross, Christ’s creation of everything we see and don’t see, the Tri-unity or Trinity, etc.). 

Have real faith.  “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31).

Writing a conclusion can be harder than everything proceeding.   A conclusion is intended to satisfy the audience, and finish the work.  Like the conclusion of the ABC show Lost, they can be warm and fuzzy.  Or, like M. Night Shyamalan's The Village, they can be creepy.  Jane Austin's book, Pride and Prejudice, reminds us that not all of life is a bowl of cherries, but is better when we make wise choices.  Free Willey makes you wonder why parents would ever let their foster kid talk them into stealing a whale.  Some conclusions being great, others predictable and cheap.

Thankfully, the apostle Paul had the Holy Spirit guiding him.  The closing of his letter to believers in Philippi reads, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things" (Philippians 4:8).  This is the summation of the epistle.  Those who believe in Jesus Christ for salvation are to sift the junk out of their lives.  This verse provides the mold for that sift.

"Whatever is true ... dwell on these things."  "Whatever is honorable ... dwell on these things."  "Whatever is right ... dwell on these things."  "Whatever is pure ... dwell on these things."  "Whatever is lovely ... dwell on these things."  "Whatever is of good repute ... dwell on these things."  "If there is any excellence and anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."  The word "dwell" means to count, compute, reckon.  We are to think upon those things which meet the godly qualifications.

Likewise, we are not to dwell on what is false, what is shameful, whatever is wrong, whatever is filthy, whatever is unacceptable, whatever is poor reputation, and anything that is inferior and anything worthy of scorn.  I must be the first to admit, I struggle with the full application of this verse.  There are things that are not worthy of praise that are enjoyable, whether movies, games, books, etc and they are difficult to give up.  But just because it is hard, does not mean we are to give up. We press on.

How will you write the conclusion of your life?  Will your conclusion be great?  Or will it be predictable and cheap?  Peter wrote to believers to encourage them to conclude their lives well, "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Embrace the qualities of virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.  Finish well (even if you are just beginning).

How would you respond if someone came to you and said, “I will do whatever you want me to do for the next thirty days?”  Most of us would think this strange, and try to get rid of this notion.  But say the person is persistent, insisting that they are your servant for the next thirty days.  Finally, unable to resist any longer, you agree.  What would you have this person do? 

I seriously doubt anyone would say for their new bond servant to make them angry, break their stuff, hurt their family, disobey them, or ruin their life.  They would desire for that person do helpful, encouraging, uplifting, and beneficial work.

Peter, the apostle of Christ, wrote “Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves to God” (1 Peter 2:16).   Peter encourages believers to use their freedom to be bond slaves to God, because the freedom those who believe in Jesus Christ possess is freedom to serve God.  Before salvation, which comes through God’s grace by faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 4), we are bound by sin and unable to please Him.  Everyone has sinned (Romans 3:23), and as a result we all deserve eternal destruction (Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:11-15).  However, Jesus Christ offered Himself as our free gift to redeem us.  Those who believe in Him are saved and given eternal life (John 3:16; Romans 10:9, 10; Ephesians 2:8,9, 1

^st Peter 1:3, 9). 

Now, being freed from sin, we are enabled to serve God, and through service to please Him (which is not possible without faith according to Hebrews 11:6).  If you believe in Jesus Christ, follow Him, please Him, and serve Him well.  As Peter instructs us, “do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond slaves of God.”