Epaggelia

Parenthood can be a good tool, which God uses to teach us about His nature and will.  Sometimes parents make promises of gifts for children’s good behaviour in return for the gift.  That is obviously trying to strike a deal for both parent and child to benefit.  Sometimes parents make promises of punishment for the child’s bad behaviour, trying to prevent future pain, loss and suffering. God is a great and good Father, making both kinds of promises.  We need to tell people that our Heavenly Father always keeps His promises of gifts and benefits to us on conditions, but because we are sinners, His promises of punishment are made without conditions. The wages of sin is our own physical death! Romans 6:23, 2^nd Thes. 1:8. Equally true, the wages of Christ’s death is eternal life with God in love with His creation. Here are some aims of God’s Spirit. God has many purposes and promises in His word. The Holy Spirit Himself wants to teach us about His purposeful and promise filled presence in the Christian’s daily life.

1.      Being Born of the Spirit, John 3:1-8

2.      The Indwelling Presence of the Promised Spirit, Acts 2:39, Rom. 8:9, Gal. 3:14.

3.      The Supply, Fellowship & Unity of the Spirit, Philippians 1:19-2:1, Eph. 4:3

4.      The Law and Sword of the Spirit, Rom. 8:1-5, & 1^st Cor. 2:14, Jer. 31:31-33, 2^nd Cor. 3:6 & Ephesians 6:17

5.      The Firstfruit/Earnest/Seal of the Spirit, Rom. 8:23-27, 2Cor. 1:22, Eph. 1:13-14

6.      The Love & Fruit of the Spirit, Rom. 15:30, Gal. 5:22-23, Eph. 5:9.

7.      The Sanctification of the Spirit, 2^nd Thes. 2:13 & 1^st Peter 1:2

Do you believe God’s Spirit promises the following?

1. New Life.

2. His Presence.

3. Unity with other Christians.

4. Writing His law of faith in Christ on our heart.

5. Sealing our hearts with a guarantee of an eternal inheritance.

6. Pouring out His love into our heart.

7. Helping us grow in sanctification.

“Whatever it’s glorious truths, the Bible looms as an intimidating, hard-to-understand book full of esoteric names and mystifying practices” – (G. Gallup Jr., “The Next American Spirituality”). There are five words quick becoming the mantra of the new millennium: “I’m into spirituality, not religion”… More and more people are viewing the Bible as more about feeling good and not being good, more about stress reduction than salvation, more therapeutic than theological, it’s as much about the body as it is the soul. What should a Christian’s reaction be?

“The Bible is outdated, mistranslated and not essential for learning the truth”. Many agnostics are of this view. What should a Christian’s reaction be?

“You can trust the Bible, but not it’s interpretation”. This false view is sometimes found in the Church and abounds in the denominations. What should our reaction be?

Our view of the Bible directly affects how we use the Bible. Charles Spurgeon said, “How do you defend the Bible? The way you defend a lion, open up the cage and let it out!” Remember there are two lions in the world, the lion of the tribe of Judah (Gen.49:9-10 & Rv. 5:5) and the roaring lion (1Pt.5:8) Peter mentions seeking to devour anyone of us. In the Bible, the spirit of Judah’s lion wants to exercise His power and word on your heart and the hearts of others you talk to.

The best view of the Bible is found in Hebrews 4:12. The writer claims that the Bible is alive and active. What is your view and reaction towards others? Perhaps the most interesting truth about this activity and power the Bible has, is that it’s not going to push itself into our heart. The Holy Spirit of Christ simply opens hearts when they are submitted to Him, that is what the message of the gospel does. The question is, can we submit our heart to His word? Do we ask for more faith in His promises?

Our reaction to differing viewpoints about the Bible, really ought to be a prayerful reaction. Like the apostle Paul said, my prayer and heart’s desire is for others to be saved. (Romans 10:1) Can you ask God to help your friends to submit the desires of their hearts to their Creator, Father and Lord? Of course you can. The best view is a prayerful view.

Read Mark 1:17, it is not coincidental that Jesus performed filling nets with fish miraculously at least twice, Luke 5:11, John 21:6. We cast the net; He puts the fish in!  Successful evangelism is not determined by how many baptisms we have in a year.  Good evangelism is determined by how we cast the net. 

Remember the parable of the weeds, where “the field”, had both wheat and tares, Matthew 13:24-30.

Peter used the sailor’s term for “casting” in 1st Peter 5:7, in reference to our personal anxieties.  The only thing Paul was anxious about in his prayers was the health of the church, 2nd Corinthians 11:28 and the salvation of lost souls, Romans 10:1. God teaches us that our aim is to be anxious for nothing, Philippians 4:6. So strictly speaking, scripturally, the only thing God may find pleasing about our anxiety, is directed in prayer for the lost state of other people. 

The method of learning how to catch people spiritually is to imitate Jesus as best you can. Jesus said, “Follow Me”.  What would Jesus say, if he met a visitor in the assembly? Some of us do not have a clue, and we do not feel confident enough about our faith, to put ourselves in the Master’s shoes, in order to try to emulate Him.  So we need to get to know our “net”, (The Gospel), in order to use it well. 

The Gospel of God, 1st Peter 4:17.  Is about how good God is and how bad we need Him.

The Gospel according to the power of God, 2nd Timothy 1:8, Is about how powerful He is and how weak we are.

The Gospel of the grace of God, Acts 20:24. Is about how God treats us like as if we had no sin!

The Gospel of the Kingdom, Matthew 24:14.  Is about how well God rules our hearts when we are in submission.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, Galatians 1:7, Romans 1:9, 16, 2nd Corinthians 2:12.  Is about how real and alive Jesus Christ’s Spirit is today!

The Gospel of the glory of Christ, 2nd Corinthians 4:4.  Is about how well Christ shines in the world and in the church through individual Christians that let Him shine through the expression of their faith.

The Gospel of your salvation, Ephesians 1:13.  Is about the many ways and means of His deliverance of our soul into eternal life.

The Gospel of peace, Ephesians 6:15.  Is about how God makes friends with us, even though we sometimes act like enemies.

The Gospel for the circumcised and the gospel for the uncircumcised, Galatians 2:7.  Is about how God never plays favorites and shows no partiality to race, nationality or culture. 

 How do we talk about Good News from God?

The Spirit’s job, is to convict us of sin. In order for that to happen, we need to talk about sin and how we have all become enslaved to the Kidnapper (Satan). John 16:7-11. Satan makes us spiritually sick. Sin can only be cured by believing and being IN Christ, v9. Satan owns us, we sell our selves out to him with our own sin. The consequences of sin is replaced by the righteousness of Christ, v10. Satan is condemned and we don’t want to be judged with him, v11.

Spiritual, – he came before God among the angels, Job 1:6, 2:1. He is compared to a roaring lion wanting to devour, 1^st Pt. 5:8, but not always getting to, he is not the ruling Lion of the Tribe of Judah, but the ruler of this world.

Accuser – False, This is what the word “Devil” (Diabolos) means, The father of lies, Jn 8:44, Authored sin and deceives, 2^nd Corinthians 4:3-6, blinds the unbeliever from the God of light.

Tempter, 1^st Thessalonians 3:5. Tempted Jesus, Matthew 4:1-10. Tempts us, 1^st John 2;15-16, Satan entices us into sin and breaks off our fellowship with God, Isaiah 59:2, Ezekiel 18:20, Romans 6:23.

Adversary, this is what the word “Satan” means. Matthew 12:24, Jesus taught Satan was the ruler or prince of this world, John 14:30.

Negotiator, Gen. 3:1, Lied to Eve, Gen. 3:4 in telling her, she will “Not die”? Satan often deceives us into thinking that we are getting a great deal if we will indulge in sinfulness. Ananias & Sapphira were both fooled into thinking they would get a great reputation for their deception, Acts 4:32-5:11

A few months ago, I was shocked to learn that my wife met a workmate on the job and discovered on lunch break that her workmate, really and truly did not know that Jesus was a real person. To our surprise, she really thought that Jesus was just a word, to be concise, simply a curse word, or at least that is what she said in all honesty.  What amazing ignorance!

One thing is for sure, our faith is not to be shared in a corner. Never does the New Testament talk about Christians sharing The Faith secretly. Even in the face of persecution, they were open and honest in identifying themselves with Jesus. The apostle Paul warns Timothy to beware of his own timidity and to grow in boldness. (2^nd Timothy 1:6-9). Boldness does not mean brashness. Loving a lost soul will control our boldness to be confident with out being deliberately offensive. One way of ensuring we do not put more people off, than turning people on, is to remember and believe that God is wanting to make known the riches of His glory through you, an object of His mercy, Romans 9:23.

Being ready is being prepared, As shoes for your feet put on what will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace, Eph. 6:15.

The beauty and pleasure you and God get from being prepared is known and shown in the Scriptures: And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Rom. 10:15.

Have we sanctified Christ as Lord in our hearts beforehand?

Is your defence yours, or does it belong to someone else?

Does The Hope, The Gospel of Peace live in you or just on paper?

Do we make Prayerful preparation for talking about Jesus?

Do we believe the Holy Spirit has written these principles on our heart?

Robert Louis Stevenson once wrote, “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant”. More importantly the apostle Paul encourages us to  remember that God’s purpose in giving the world the church is to  MAKE KNOWN the many faceted aspects of God’s wisdom through Jesus.

v3, Expressing heartfelt thankfulness to God, keeps us out of the center of our own attention and puts God where He should be in our heart. It is imperative to see that Paul only has God and other people in his heart and no possessions, or abilities or even his own self, v7.

v4, Paul encourages us all to share God’s love with all Christians, Eph. 1:15-16. Paul’s word for “joy” (chara) is akin to charis – grace in the Greek language. Do we really appreciate how good God is to sinners?

v5, The Philippian Christians shared God’s grace with Paul, from the beginning of their relationship in Christ, till the present time of writing this letter from prison. 1st Jn. 1:3, relates the fellowship apostles had with Jesus, and their desire to share that with us!

v6, being confident of this very thing, that He which began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Confidence brings eternal rewards, See Hebrews 10:35.

v7, How can being incarcerated for Christ be felt as ‘grace’?.

1st Peter 4:13. We may only understand this, by faith in Christ suffering with us. See Romans 6:17 where Paul places our heart at the center of obedience to God. If they had Paul in their heart, then they would have felt his pain. Never forget Hebrews 13:3.

v8, God not only sees our efforts, He is in our effort! See Romans 1:9, 1stThessalonians 2:5 & Acts 5:32.

v9, What are two gifts from God, which help our love grow? The knowledge of Christ we get from the Bible, and the discernment/wisdom we get from trying to prayerfully live out Christ’s knowledge in our daily life. This is a gift!

v10-11, Who gets praise and glory for our sincerity and righteousness? Only Jesus Christ.

1. TIME is a gift, you can’t earn it, or take it for granted. The average U.S. adult watches more than 4 hours of television a day. That’s 25 percent of waking time spent every day. Imagine if you suddenly had 25 percent more time — that’s three extra months per year! God says through Peter.  As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 1st Peter 4:10

2. The time we lose while watching TV, means that we do not get to do what we really should be doing, this causes STRESS! When we feel overwhelmed, tired, and exhausted we don’t have energy for anything but — you guessed it — watch TV. It is a dreadful cycle. So take a break from TV for a week and see what happens to your life. Even Jesus needed time to rest. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. Mark 6:31

3. Don’t believe the lie, that says we are relaxing when watching TV — your mind is still receiving stimuli from the TV, you are processing information and REACTING emotionally. Moderate exercise leads us to real relaxation. God says, “Bodily exercise profits little” and “godliness is great gain”, so get the most of life God gave us and live right. 1st Timothy 4:8 & 6:6.

4. The University of Massachusetts proved that people eat between 31 and 74 percent MORE CALORIES while watching TV. This could add, on average, about 300 calories extra per meal. When at least 40 percent of families watch TV while eating dinner. It becomes clear that TV is a big part of the obesity epidemic in the U.S. and that TV, in fact, makes us gain weight!  God’s wisdom dictates that “moderation is better than muscle, self-control better than political power”.   Proverbs 16:32.

5. Many people have whole conversations that are recaps of TV programs, sporting events, etc, don’t let your life be fake. When asked about our REAL lives, there is little or nothing to report. Life is too interesting and wonderful to spend your time either watching TV or recapping television to your friends. Find something interesting to do: volunteer at church, read to a child, paint — anything but watch more TV. God says through Paul, “For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, 2nd Thessalonians 3:7

6. Sitting together with someone and watching TV does not grow a RELATIONSHIP. Turn that TV off and find something to do together. Talk about reality! God says, “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 2nd Corinthians 5:18.

7. Watching TV can isolate us. Nothing is going to change in our world if we are watching TV. Turn off the TV, go out into the world, talk to people, and see what happens! God can use us in a greater way. God says “…as you have opportunity, do good…” Galatians 6:10. But what if we are robbing ourselves of opportunities?

8. If the idea of giving up TV for a week is horrifying, you may be ADDICTED to television. TV addiction is a habit and can become like a physical addiction. We should be able to control it once you are aware of the problem and make a decision to change. God says that we should, “destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,  2nd Corinthians 10:5.

9. By age 65, the average American has seen 2 million commercials. Need less, by watching less TV. “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 2nd Corinthians 9:8

10. A basic cable package costs $43 per month and many packages cost much more than that. That comes to at least $500 a year spent on TV. For that much money you could buy a membership to every zoo in Arizona, or donate more to church! If you invest it every year in a bank, you could have thousands! TV WASTES money! Can we afford to pretend that God doesn’t care about money?  God says “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, in their eagerness to get rich, have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with much pain. 1st Timothy 6:10.