Reaching, Teaching and Training

When Christ’s redemptive work was complete he gathered his disciples and, with “all authority in heaven and on earth”, commissioned them (and every subsequent generation) to get serious about their job of propagating the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20). The central verb of this passage is straightforward and notably uncomplicated: “make disciples!” Between the two advents of Christ, his followers are to be busy “making” more Christ-followers. The three participles that surround the central verb are helpful in showing us how this gets done. Firstly, we are to be “baptizing.” Of course the “baptism” (i.e., “placing into”) that saves is when people repent of their sins, trust Christ and, by God’s grace, are “placed into” a genuine relationship with God. That transaction is then symbolized by being ceremonially “placed into” water as a rite of initiation into God’s family. Secondly, we are to be “teaching them to observe all that Christ commanded.” All the followers of Christ with whom we associate are to be continually encouraged and exhorted to “follow Christ” in their words, thoughts, and behavior. Lastly, the first century disciples had been thoroughly equipped by Christ to “get out there” and make more disciples. (“Go” translates a third Greek participle.) The preparation to their “going” included training in the message and meaning of the gospel, and a lot of time learning all that Christ commanded. In short, to “make disciples” we must be engaged in “reaching” people for Christ, “teaching” people to be like Christ, and “training” people to serve Christ. Jesus gave us a clear assignment and promises “to be with” us until it’s done. So let’s get to work today.

For more sermons and devotionals on Tolerance, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org 

Mindful of God

The Christian life is a life that is lived mindful of God. The crux and catalyst for sin is frequently described in the Bible as thoughtlessness or forgetfulness of God (Judges 8:34; 1 Samuel 12:9; Jeremiah 2:32; et al.). Godly living, on the other hand, is prompted and motivated by a chronic remembrance of the presence of God (Deuteronomy 8:18; Proverbs 5:21; Hebrews 4:13; 1 Peter 2:19; et al.). For us as Christians, the call to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to “be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12) provides us with a practical discipline through which we make ourselves aware of the informed, active, and involved omnipresence of God. By contrast, looking around at the bustling people of this world who give little or no thought to their Maker ought to give us a chilling and sorrowful pause. The God to whom all will give an account is entirely disregarded and forgotten by so many. “As in the days of Noah”, Jesus said, so it will be that in the last times people will be “eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage” all without thought of their Creator – his demands, his desires, his mercies, or his provisions (Luke 17:27). Such a simple observation from people who are mindful of God should provoke us to intercessory prayer and evangelism. May God use you and I this week to open the eyes of a sleeping world.

For more sermons and devotionals on Tolerance, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org.

God's Calling

When we read of people in the Bible provoking God to anger we ought to take note – especially when the people making God mad are his own children. The last thing we should want is to follow in the erring footsteps of our elder brothers and sisters. One such cautionary incident took place on the day God called Moses to lead Israel’s exodus from Egypt. If you’ll remember, Moses didn’t handle the commissioning very well. His reluctance to do God’s will was irritating, to put it mildly. Moses attempted to resist God’s call by “reminding” God of all the resources he did not possess. “I don’t have the reputation!” “I don’t have the credibility!” “I can’t speak eloquently enough.” The Bible tells us that “the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses” (Exodus 4:14) because of all of his excuses. God preferred that Moses take his inventory with a different perspective. It wasn’t about what Moses didn’t have; it was about God’s ability to use what Moses did have. “What’s that in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2) and “Who has made man’s mouth?” (Exodus 4:11) were the questions that mattered. Sometimes God’s will for us may seem daunting, but remember that when we step up to do what God asks even a measly shepherd’s stick becomes “the staff of God” (Exodus 4:20). So don’t irritate God this week, stop trying to remind him of what you don’t have, and trust him to take what you do have to fulfill his calling on your life.

For more sermons and devotionals on God's Calling, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org 

God's Goodness

When joy gives way to sadness and light of good days fades into a dark season of personal pain it is common to hear God’s people questioning the goodness of God. That may be a natural response to our discomfort, but it is not the right one. Instead, Psalm 107 calls those who are hurting to purposefully “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good” (Psalm 107:1). His goodness, the psalmist reminds us, can be seen in the ways that God has delivered us from previous bouts with trouble and pain. In speaking of God’s goodness the psalmist employs a vivid word that should always prompt Christian thanksgiving, he writes: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” (Psalm 107:2) While there may be many earthly “salvations” from trouble for which to praise God, there is no doubting God’s kindness to us when we consider our eternal “redemption” from the consequences of our sins. With that in mind, Psalm 107 poignantly prompts us to consider our part in our present pain. The song proposes that many of our troubles come when we “rebel against the words of the Lord” (Psalm 107:11). Boldly the lyrics declare, “Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction” (Psalm 107:17). Yet with all of this, the goodness of God is seen in the reminder that when sinners “cry to the Lord in their trouble, he delivers them from their distress” (Psalm 107:13, 19). It may be a dark season for you, but God is good. Even if your pain is self-inflicted, remember God is gracious to deliver.

For more sermons and devotionals on God's Goodness, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org 

Tolerance

We live in a society where the advocates of “tolerance” are increasingly intolerant. We should be careful not to miss this hypocrisy. These loud and angry voices decry views and beliefs that fail to conform to their own. Under the banner of “freedom” modern secular voices emphatically denounce the freedom of Christians to assert their convictions regarding God’s written revelation, Christ’s lordship, and the biblical data regarding the coming judgment. I can sympathize with the natural tendency to recoil at the assertion of these sobering realities, but one cannot rationally claim to be “open-minded”, “accepting of diversity” or “tolerant”, while vehemently attacking those who are convinced of the reality of God and a pending accountability. For centuries the idea of “tolerance” described the peaceful coexistence of those with divergent views. Today our culture employs the word “tolerance” to justify a rancorous campaign to insist that everyone conform to their intemperate values. We can be sure that until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ we will live in a world that chafes against the authority of God and his written revelation. That will continue. But we should not buy the rhetoric that holding to an increasingly unpopular view is “intolerant.” Christians should continue to peacefully and respectfully stand up and speak up for the things that we will all be held accountable for one day. This is what our Lord desires and requires.

For more sermons and devotionals on Tolerance, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org

Health

Good health is good. It is certainly preferable to sickness and disease. Occasionally you’ll find some concern for it in Scripture (3 John 2; 1 Timothy 5:23). But we should be careful not to cherry-pick from the few biblical passages regarding good health in order to justify today’s wide-spread obsession with it. Many godly and productive people in the Bible and throughout church history have been plagued with disease, chronic pain, poor health and a variety of physical disabilities. All of which God sovereignly chose to not alleviate. And when God didn’t heal, these godly men and women concluded that even in bad health God’s “grace was sufficient” and that their diseases and disabilities were purposeful (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). They were thoroughly “content with weaknesses” knowing that the biblical goal was never good health to start with (2 Corinthians 12:10). After all, God has promised that sickness and disease will eventually prevail over all attempts to the contrary (Genesis 3:17-19). Yes, fitness and good health are preferable, but they are neither promised nor prioritized for this life. As Paul wrote to the ailing Timothy: “bodily training is of some value, but godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).

For more sermons and devotionals on Health, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org

Anger

Anger is admittedly a volatile and dangerous emotion. But it is important to note that it is not always a sinful emotion, and it certainly isn’t always expressed in sinful ways. God gives us adequate warning that “a man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression” (Proverbs 29:22). And yet the command of Scripture isn’t that we strive to be devoid of this emotion, but rather we are instructed to be careful how we get there and cautious about what we do with it. Just as God is said to be “slow to anger” (Exodus 34:6), we are commanded not to be “quick tempered” (Titus 1:7). If we were to try to never get angry, we might in fact be fighting the work of God’s Spirit in our lives. For instance, when it was reported to King Saul that the Ammonites were threating to mutilate and extort the people of Jabesh-Gilead, the Bible says “the Spirit of God rushed upon Saul when he heard these words, and his anger was greatly kindled” (1 Samuel 11:6). Knowing that there are several godly reasons to get angry, the Bible goes so far as to command that we “Be angry (!) and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). Let’s not forget that there were times when Christ himself got angry, yet he remained sinless (Mark 3:5). To get angry without sinning, will require that we are only angered by sinful things. And even then, we must never choose to express that anger in sinful ways. So let us not oversimplify our understanding of this volatile emotion, instead let us be careful to be slow to anger, discerning regarding its cause, and wise in how we respond to it.

For more sermons and devotionals on Hard Truth, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org