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Category: Salvation (Page 3 of 34)

What’s in a Name?

August 12, 2024 / / 0 Comments

Shakespeare’s Juliet asked, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” A skunk, if we called it something else, would still stink. My first name gets misspelled all the time and my last name always gets mispronounced. No big deal, right? It’s just a name–it doesn’t have anything to do with who I am.

Well, sometimes a name is much more than just what you call somebody. Sometimes a name is everything.

“This is what the sovereign Lord says: ‘It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name… I will show the holiness of my great name… Then the nations will know that I am the Lord.'” ~Ezekiel 36:22-23

God’s name is not what he’s called; it’s who he is. Throughout the Scriptures, when God announces his name to his people, he says it is compassion and grace, loyalty and patience, love and faithfulness. God says, “This is my name. This is who I am. And this is why I am saving you.”

It’s got nothing to do with your good deeds or any merits you bring to the table. You and I are saved because of the eternal nature and character of our God. Who God is. His name. We are saved because God is loving and faithful and gracious. That’s his name.

And it absolutely means everything.

Peace,

Allan

Advice versus News

December 21, 2023 / / 0 Comments

There’s a difference between advice and news. Advice is counsel about what you should do. News is a report about what’s already been done. Advice tells you to make something happen. News tells you something has already happened. Advice says you need to act. News says somebody else has already acted.

Let’s say there’s an invading army coming to town. What the town needs is military advice. We need advisors. We need someone to explain to us: okay, the trench works go there and the troops need to be positioned here, you need to put snipers up there and move the tanks down here. You need to do those things to be saved.

But what if a great and powerful King intercepts the invading army and destroys it? What does the town need then? We don’t need advisors, we need messengers. And the Greek word for messengers is angelos. Angels. And the messengers don’t say, “Here’s what you need to do.” They say, “We bring you good news of great joy that’s for all the people! Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you! He is Christ, the Lord!”

In other words, stop running, stop hiding, stop building fortresses and stockpiling weapons. Stop trying to save yourself. The King has already done it! The King has come now and you are saved!

Something has happened. Something has been done. And it totally changes everything.

Glory to God in the highest! And on earth peace to all people!

Peace,

Allan

The Triumph of Faith

August 22, 2023 / / 0 Comments

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will be joyful in God my Savior!”

~ Habakkuk 3:17-18

The Way

June 17, 2023 / / 0 Comments

“Jesus has many who love his heavenly Kingdom, but few who carry his cross; many who yearn for comfort, few who long for distress. Plenty of people he finds to share his banquet, few to share his fast. Everyone desires to take part in his rejoicing, but few are willing to suffer anything for his sake. There are many who follow Jesus as far as the breaking of the bread, few as far as drinking the cup of suffering; many who revere his morality, few who follow him in the indignity of his cross.”

~Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

Authentic Christian Experience

February 5, 2023 / / 0 Comments

“When we learn to read the Story of Jesus and see it as the Story of the love of God, doing for us what we could not do for ourselves – that insight produces, again and again, a sense of astonished gratitude which is the heart of authentic Christian experience.”

~ N. T. Wright

No Solo Missions

October 24, 2022 / / 0 Comments

Our God is on a mission to save the world. But he has no interest in doing it by himself. God doesn’t do solo missions. He’s not interested in that.

When God decides to tell us how he’s going to restore the world, how he’s going to fix the problem of sin and death, he lets us know clearly that we’re in on it with him. He’s not going to do it alone. He recruits Abraham to join him. “Go to the place I will show you. All the peoples of earth will be blessed through you.”

God calls Moses. “I have come down,” he says, “to rescue my people. But I am sending you to do it.”

God calls Joshua. “I am giving this promised land to the people. But you’re going to lead them and do all the fighting.”

God saves his people Israel out of exile, not for their own sakes, but for the purposes of participating in his global mission:

“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles (nations), that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” ~Isaiah 49:6

Then God decides to show us in person exactly what he’s doing and how he wants it done by coming here in the flesh and blood of Jesus, so we can see it and understand it. Jesus says, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” Well, what do we see in Jesus? He calls the apostles and recruits the disciples to partner with him in bringing the Kingdom of God to earth. They pray together, “Your Kingdom come; your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” And that’s exactly what happens.

Jesus heals the sick because there’s no disease in heaven. He feeds the poor because there’s no hunger in heaven. Jesus raises the dead because there are no cemeteries in heaven. He turns the other cheek because there is no violence in heaven. He eats and drinks with everybody because there are no divisions between people in heaven. That’s the mission. And our God is not doing it solo. On that last night, Christ Jesus sends his disciples out.

“As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.”

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do the same things I’ve been doing. In fact, you’ll do even greater things because I will live inside you.” 

“Remember, you didn’t choose me; I chose you!”

Every one of us is on God’s mission. None of us is exempt. According to Matthew 25, Jesus says on that last day the King is going to judge us according to who was on the mission and who wasn’t. Our God is on a mission to bring the fullness of his eternal Kingdom to this earth. And he refuses to do it by himself.

Peace,

Allan

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