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Monday, June 7, 2021

Purity 438: Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship


 Purity 438 06/07/2021 Purity 438 Podcast

Good morning.

Today’s photo comes from a friend whose eyes are on the heavens near Dunedin, Florida and who captioned this pic as “Bird and Sky”.  I love how God used the cloud formations in this scene to give our fine feathered friend some celestial companions.  The scene may be just a bird in the sky but the wonder of God’s handiwork causes me to think of it as “Soaring in Florida” as our spirits can be lifted up knowing the Grand Designer that coordinates all the elements in time and space for us to marvel over. 

So as we soar into a new work week, I encourage you to thank the Lord for what He has provided and keep your eyes open for what He puts in your path because just like the bird in this photo seems to have some heavenly company, I can assure you that God is with you in your travels.  We just have to open our hearts and minds and reach out with our spirits to find His presence. 


This morning’s meditation verse is:

John 3:16 (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Today’s verse is the go to verse for Christian evangelism.   If you needed to break down God’s redemptive plan for man in a single verse, John 3:16 wouldn’t be a bad choice.  Many Christians feel this way because John 3:16 is often put on signs and displayed at sporting events to get the message out.    

The verse is so popular by its self that it may not be clear to those who hear it that these are the words of Jesus, Himself. 

Jesus is telling us that:

1.    God loves us

2.    That He is the Son of God and He was sent for a purpose

3.    The purpose was to save those who believe in Him from perishing and by giving them eternal life. 

     These things may seem obvious to us as Christians, but they were counter cultural statements that weren’t obvious to the people Jesus told them to and isn’t obvious to those who don’t know God today. 

God is loving? This idea may be considered debatable by both those who claim to believe in “a god” and to those who don’t. Other religions may see their version of god as powerful, mysterious, and vengeful but not necessarily loving.   Atheists, Deists, and Agnostics would look at the suffering in the world and declare God doesn’t exist, doesn’t get involved in our affairs, or doesn’t seem to be very nice. So the idea of God loving the world wasn’t and still isn’t a concept that all people can accept.  

God having a Son is also a point that is refuted. Entire religions and cults take exception to the idea that God would or could  have a Son. 

 And of course, the idea of being saved from God’s judgement by “just believing” is much too simple for many to believe.  First you would have to get over the doubts regarding the Sonship of Jesus and then you would really have to trust what he said.  

We live in a world of cause and effect and in a worldly economy in which we generally have to earn everything we get. Even when we receive gifts from others there is a perceived obligation to reciprocate by giving in return or at another occasion.   There is no such thing as a free lunch after all so how can God accept me on just the merits of my believing and trusting His Son? Surely we have to do something else, probably a whole lot of things, continuously, in order to gain and keep God’s favor.   

 So you can see that those outside of the kingdom of God can have a problem with the simplicity of John 3:16 if not several.  

So as much as we might want to quote John 3:16 and “drop the mic”, while the multitudes bow down to give their faith to Jesus, we should be prepared to express what we know about the Lord by sharing more of His word and more of ourselves as we seek to gain brothers and sisters in Christ that we will spend eternity with.   

We know what we have in Christ so we should seek to not just “win souls” as much as we should seek to give hope and if possible to form relationships that will build up ourselves as much as edify others.   

 We need to seek and save those who are lost but we should also make room in our lives for those we find.    

 As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk. 

 

Today we continue with Dr. Neil Anderson’s Victory Over the Darkness, beginning Chapter 2.  

 

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage all to purchase Dr. Anderson’s books for your own private study and to support His work. If you need this title you can find it online at several sites for less than $15.00:

 

Chapter 2

The Whole Gospel

Imagine for a moment a typical college man. Let's call him Bill. Bill is into the college social scene. He sees himself as a skin-wrapped package of salivary glands, taste buds and sex drives. So how does Bill occupy his time with this self-perception? By eating and by chasing girls. He eats anything and everything in sight regardless of its nutritional value. He chases just about anything in a skirt, but he has a special gleam in his eye for luscious-looking Susie, the cheerleader.

Bill was chasing sweet little Susie around the campus one day when the track coach noticed him. "Hey, this kid can really run!" When the coach finally caught up with Bill he said, "Why don't you come out for the track team?"

"Naw," Bill answered, watching for Susie out of the corner of his eye. "I'm too busy."

But the coach wasn't about to take "naw" for an answer. He finally convinced Bill at least to give track a try.

So Bill started working out with the track team and discovered that he really could run. He changed his eating and sleeping habits and his skills improved further. He started winning some races and posting some excellent times for his event.

Finally Bill was invited to the big race at the state tournament. He arrived at the track early to stretch and warm up. Then, only a few minutes before his event, guess who showed up: sweet little Susie, looking more beautiful and desirable than ever. She pranced up to Bill in a scanty outfit that accentuated her finer physical features. In her hands was a sumptuous slice of apple pie with several scoops of ice cream piled on the top of it.

"I've missed you, Bill," she sang sweetly. "If you come with me now, you can have all this and me too."

"No way, Susie," Bill responded.

"Why not?" Susie pouted.

"Because I'm a runner."

What is different about Bill? What happened to his drives and glands? He is still the same guy who could pack away three burgers, two bags of fries and a quart of Pepsi without batting an eye. He is still the same guy who was just itching to get close to beautiful Susie. His understanding of himself has changed, though. He no longer sees himself primarily as a bundle of physical urges, but as a disciplined runner. He came to the tournament to run a race. That was his purpose, and Susie's suggestion was at cross-purposes with why he was there and how he perceived himself.

Let's take the illustration one step further. Let's say the runner is Eric Liddle, who was the subject of the movie Chariots of Fire. He was committed to Christ, but he was also very fast and he represented his native Scotland in the Olympics.

When the race schedule was posted for his event, Liddle discovered his race was to be held on Sunday. Eric Liddle was committed to God and he couldn't compromise what he believed. So he withdrew from a race he might have won. Why didn't Eric Liddle run? Because he was first and foremost a child of God and he believed that competing on Sunday would compromise who he was. His belief about himself and his purpose in life determined what he did.

Many Christians are not living free and productive lives because they don't understand who they are and why they are here. Who they are is rooted in their identity and position in Christ. If they don't see themselves the way God sees them, to that degree they suffer from a false identity and poor sense of worth. They don't fully understand the gospel and the dramatic change that occurred in them the moment they trusted in Christ.

The Example of Christ

The redemptive plan of God began to unfold when Christ, the last Adam, appeared. The first thing we notice about the life of Christ was His complete dependence on God the Father. He said, "I can do nothing on My own initiative" (John 5:30); "I live because of the Father" (John 6:57); "I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me" (John 8:42); "The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work" (John 14:10, NIV).

The ultimate test came after a 40-day fast. The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness and Satan tempted Him. "If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread" (Matthew 4:3). Satan wanted Jesus to use His divine attributes independently of the Father to save Himself. Jesus replied: "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

Near the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus prayed, "Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you" (John 17:7, NIV). What Jesus modeled was a life totally dependent on God the Father.

Jesus Came to Give Us Life

Like the first Adam, Jesus was born both physically and spiritually alive. This was made evident by the fact that Jesus was conceived by the Spirit of God, and born of a virgin. Unlike the first Adam, Jesus was tempted in every way, but He never sinned. He never lost His spiritual life because of any sin He committed. He kept His spiritual life all the way to the cross. There He bled and died, taking the sins of the world upon Himself. He committed His spirit into the Father's hands as His physical life ended (see Luke 23:46). What Adam and Eve lost in the Fall was spiritual life, and Jesus came to give us life. Jesus said, "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" (John 10:10).

John declared, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). Notice that light does not produce life. Life produces light. Jesus said, "I am the bread of life" (John 6:48) and "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies" (John 11:25). In other words, those who believe in Jesus will continue to live spiritually even when they die physically. Jesus said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). The ultimate value is not our physical life, which is temporal, but our spiritual life, which is eternal.


Victory Over the Darkness: Realizing the Power of Your Identity in Christ.----------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

 

God bless you all!

 

Join our “Victory over the Darkness” or “The Bondage Breaker” series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, and Audible.com. 

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

 

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship

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