Life Lessons

Christianity is not about us; it’s all about Christ IN US!  How can I be so sure?  Well, the Word of God makes it crystal clear in Colossians 3:3,4 which reads “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”  Well, there it is.  The Bible clearly states we died, crucified with Christ. (Gal 2:20)  Therefore, Christianity cannot be about us; because we are dead; it’s all about Jesus Christ, living His life through our bodies which are instruments of His righteousness.  We are literally the body of Christ.

Now believing that you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God is the pure truth of God’s Word.  However, the temptation we have to add to this declaration of truth our successes, abilities, and talents is at times overwhelming to us.  Before we know it, it is no longer “Jesus Christ plus nothing”; it becomes Jesus Christ plus us and all of our good works.

For years I mistakenly believed that we should strive toward becoming more righteous by doing the things I believed were expected of us by God.  But the fact is there is nothing we can do to become more righteous.  It has all been taken care of by our Lord.  Our place is simply to receive His gift and then rest in the reality of His indwelling life.  Jesus Christ is our life and our righteousness!

But don’t we have to do our part?  Of course, we do.  Our part is to trust and obey.  It is not a passive life style at all.  If you think it is, I challenge you to try it.  Trusting Christ who is your life continues to be one of the most challenging aspects of our faith.  It is easier for us to do something on our own rather than to trust in Christ.

We are like Abraham when he thought going to Haggar made more sense than waiting on God to give him a child.

The Christian life is not a test.  It is a rest, meaning spirit-directed activity.  Jesus died on the cross for us, to give His life to us, to live His life to us.  That is why we are called the body of Christ.  Christianity is not a religion; Christianity is receiving a new life, His life in our bodies.  In I Corinthians 15:10 Paul says “…I work harder than all of you, yet not I,…”   Well then, who is it that is doing Paul’s work?  Paul would answer, not I but Christ.  That is the mystery of our faith.  “Christ in us the hope of glory.” (Col 1:27)  No passive life style here, there will be plenty of activity…who do you know that was more active than the Apostle Paul?  Truth sets you free. 

LIFE LESSON:   Please, let’s give up on trying to live the Christian life?  You heard me right.  Give up and tell Him you can’t do it.  He already knew that.  Then tell Him, “I’m trusting You.  If you don’t do it in me, it won’t get done.”  Then Watch What Jesus Does (WWJD).  Jesus is the only one who can be Jesus, and He will be glad to be Jesus in you and me when we give up and trust in Him by faith.

THE MYSTERY REVEALED-NOT I BUT CHRIST

Thank you for your continued prayers, encouragement, and support; as we boldly and fearlessly proclaim this mystery of the gospel,  You are the best!

Growing in His Grace

FROM GOD’S VIEW POINT

The world divides human history as B.C. and A.D.  B.C. meaning Before Christ, A.D. meaning Anno Domini, the year of the Lord.   But from God’s view point the cross of Christ is the dividing line of human history.  As one Italian author put it, B.C. means before da cross and A.D. means after da cross.

Please come to understand that the New Testament does not begin at the birth of Christ, truth is it begins at the cross, at the death of Christ.  Let’s look at God’s Word Hebrews 9:16-18 for proof.  “In the case of a covenant, (will or testament) it is necessary to prove the death of the one who made it, because a covenant is in force only when somebody has died; it never takes effect while the one who made it is living.  This is why even the first covenant was not put into effect without blood.”

Therefore, it is the death of Jesus not His birth that initiates the New Testament. 

Our Lord Jesus was born under the law, He lived under the law, He taught under the law, He fulfilled the law (the only one who ever did and ever will) and He also died under the law to usher in the New Testament.

Sadly, many Christians think the New Testament begins with Mathew Chapter 1 at the birth of Christ, and that is where all the confusion begins.  Christian brothers and sisters are trying to live by the teachings of Christ which are all teachings still under the law.  Remember He had not died yet, and therefore, the New Testament was not yet in force, no shed blood.  Remember Hebrews 9:16-18 above.

In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus (still teaching under the law) makes it clear that there are sinful attitudes and appetites of the mind (as a man thinks) as well as sinful actions. 

Our Lord added a whole new dimension of sin with these words:  “You have heard that it was said ‘do not commit murder’, but I tell you that anyone who gets angry with his brother will be subject to judgment…you have heard that it was said ‘do not commit adultery, but I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully is guilty of adultery.”  Then in Matthew 5:48 He says, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Well, good luck!  There is not a man alive who can live like this successfully and Jesus knew it.  That’s why Jesus came, to redeem us, to be our Savior, our Lord, our Master, and our very life.  All of His teaching in the Gospels were meant to be applied to the new (born again) life we received at salvation, after the cross!  His life in us, that is the mystery of our faith,  “Christ in you the hope of glory.”  (Col 1:27)

LIFE LESSON:  In John 6:28-29 the disciples asked Jesus “what must we do to do the work God requires?”  Jesus answered ‘the work that God requires is this:  to believe in the One He has sent’.”  That’s why we are called believers not achievers!  Romans 10:4 tells us: “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”  The gospels are the conclusion of the old Testament.

Jesus Christ died on the cross for us to give His life to us, to live His life through us.  He is the perfect Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  His death on the cross ushered in the New Testament (Covenant) and that is the DIVIDING LINE OF HUMAN HISTORY (FROM GOD’S VIEW POINT).

The old became new at the cross.  I hope this helps put it all together.

We truly appreciate your prayers, continued support and partnership in this ministry.  Thank you! 

Growing in His Grace

A woman was at work when she received a phone call from the baby sitter that her daughter was very sick with a fever.  She left her work and stopped by the pharmacy to get some medication.

In the parking lot she found that she had locked her keys in the car.  She didn’t know what to do, so she called home and told the babysitter what had happened.  The baby sitter told her that the fever was getting worse and said to look for a coat hanger and use that to open the car door.

The woman looked around and found an old rusty coat hanger that had been left on the ground, possibly by someone else who at some time had locked their keys in their car.  She looked at the hanger and said, “I don’t know how to use this.”  She bowed her head in prayer and asked God to send her help.

Within five minutes a beat up old motorcycle pulled up, with a burly bearded man who was wearing an old biker skull rag on his head.  The woman thought, “This is what you sent to help me Lord?”  But, she was desperate, so she was also very thankful.

The man got off his cycle and asked if he could help.  She said, “Yes, my daughter is very sick.  I stopped to get her some medication and I locked my keys in my car.

I must get home to her.  Please, can you use this hanger to unlock my car?”

He said, “Sure.”  He walked over to the car, and in less than a minute the car was opened.

She hugged the man and through her tears she said, “Thank You So Much!  You are a very nice man.”

The man replied, “Lady, I am not a nice man.  I just got out of prison today.  I was in prison for car theft and have only been out about an hour.”

The woman hugged the man again and with sobbing tears cried out loud, “Oh, Thank you God!  You even sent me a Professional.”

Well, God did better than that with us.  “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

LIFE LESSON:  Jesus died on the cross for us to give His life to us, to live His life through us…God did not send a Professional to live the Christian life through us, He sent the only one who ever did live the Christian life and the only one who ever could.  God sent His Son.  That’s the (secret) mystery of the gospel, Christ lives in you, the hope of glory.  (Col 1:27)      God always sends the very best.

Thank you for your continued prayers, encouragement, and support; as we boldly and fearlessly proclaim this mystery of the gospel,  You are the best!

Growing in His Grace

The Word of God tells us in II Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old life is gone, the new has come!”  Simply put…Jesus died on the cross for us to give His life to us to live His life through us (God’s plan).

Oswald Chambers wrote “If the Son of God has been born into our human flesh, then are we allowing His holy innocence, simplicity, and oneness with the Father the opportunity to exhibit itself in us?  What was true of the Virgin Mary in the history of the Son of God’s birth on earth is true of every saint…God’s Son is born into you through the direct act of God.”

Please join this ministry in prayer that all born again believers may respond to this good news as did a startled Mary, who replied by saying, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said.”  (God’s Plan)

People ask the question all the time “What is God’s plan for my life?”  The answer is God’s plan for your life is a person for your life and His name is Jesus Christ…to live in and through you as you abide in Him, wherever He places you and always remember God doesn’t make mistakes.

If you’re an electrician, you handle the power of God.

If you’re a baker, you handle the bread of life.

If you’re a farmer, you handle the seeds of God’s Word.

If you’re an accountant, you handle the ledgers of truth.

If you’re a truck driver, you handle the deliveries of God.

If you’re a pastor, you handle the shepherding of the sheep.

If you’re a realtor, you handle the properties of God.

If you’re an attorney, you handle the truth to set the prisoners free.

Colossians 3:23 says “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

When Mary questioned the angel Gabriel by asking “how will this be since I am a virgin?”, he replied, “Nothing is impossible with God.”  How many times have we all said that trying to live the Christian life is impossible?  Then one day by God’s grace we realized “the things that are impossible with man are possible with God”.

Just as Christ grew in Mary the Mother of God until He came out on Christmas day, Christ will grow in all born again believers until the same thing occurs, until He comes out.  He will come out in our words, in our deeds, and in our actions.  Every day we live can be a Christmas.  You and I, ordinary people, just like Mary can deliver Christ into the world.

LIFE LESSON:  God was with Abraham, God was with David and God was with the Apostles while He was here on earth.  However, God is not just with us today, He is in us to live His life through us bringing the message of salvation and love to a lost world.  That is God’s Plan…For Our Life and it doesn’t get any better than that!

Thank you for your continued prayers, encouragement, and support; as we boldly proclaim the mystery of the gospel which is “Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  You are the best! Growing in His Grace

You have all heard the term “food for thought.”   Well, here’s some “food for life…. it’s called PRAYER.

Prayer is how we communicate with God, and there are two parts to it, talking and listening.  We talk God listens…God talks we listen.  How does God primarily talk to us?  He talks to us mostly through His Word.

When you open up the Bible, you are opening up to the face of God.  There He is in all His glory and splendor, talking directly to you, feeding and nourishing the new creation within you.  “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  (2 Cor 5:17)   It’s Christ in you the hope of glory.

I love how Oswald Chambers explains the purpose of prayer.  He writes: “we hear it said that a person’s life will suffer if they don’t pray, but I question that.  What will suffer is the life of the Son of God in them which is nourished, not by food, but by prayer.  When a person is born again from above, the life of the Son of God is born in them, and they can either starve or nourish that life.  Prayer is the way that the life of God’s Son in us is nourished.”  FOOD FOR LIFE!

As improbable as it may seem, the one giving the nourishment is the same one receiving the nourishment.  Paul write in Galatians 4:19: “My dear children for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you…”

So when you are reading (studying) your Bible, you are actually feeding and growing the life of Christ within at the same time.  “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”  (Col 3:3-4)

LIFE LESSON:  God’s desire for our lives is not complicated in the least.  All He wants is for us to continuously learn of Him and get to know Him more and more through His Word and prayer.  As we grow in our knowledge of Christ and the Grace He has poured out on us, the rest of life’s details fall into place.  Now there’s some food for thought as well as some FOOD FOR LIFE!

Thank you for your prayers, partnership, and financial support.  They are a great encouragement to us.  You’re the best!

Here’s an illustration that should help answer the above interesting question.  Imagine that you found a ring on the sidewalk.  One friend says he thinks it is worth six or seven thousand dollars.  Another friend says it’s not a real diamond; it’s a cubic zirconium (fake).  He thinks it is worth maybe $200.00.  Then you take it to another friend who looks at it, and says that it came out of a toy dispensing machine, maybe worth $3.00.

At this point you have opinions ranging from $3.00 to $7,000.00.  How do you find out the real value of the ring?  You take it to an expert (appraiser), and he sets a value based on the price someone would be willing to pay for it.  So if someone would be willing to pay $5,000 for the ring, then the value of the ring would be $5,000.   

Now when you and I came into the world, we were born with a big question mark over our heads.  The question was “What is my value, what is my worth?”  Now unless you know your identity in Christ Jesus, you are always asking this question in one way or another.

We try to establish in our own minds what our value is based on what other people tell us.  And we will probably get varying appraisals depending on whether we ask our mother or our employer.  But there is a way we can know our true value…bring yourself before the expert.  Come to God and say, “Can you tell me my value?”  God will answer, “Yes, I can.”  God will determine your value in the same way an appraiser determines the value of a ring.  It all hinges on the price someone is willing to pay.  

God could say, “You have been bought with a price, and I am the one who bought you.   The price I paid for you is Jesus.”

Now isn’t that response biblical?  Yes, it is!  Then would it be accurate to say that to God you are of equal value to Jesus?  It almost sounds blasphemous, doesn’t it?  Yes, it does…but I want to assure you that our heavenly Father treasures you just as He treasures His Son Jesus because He sees His Son in your life.  Colossians 1:27 reveals this secret mystery:   “…which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”  Colossians 3:3,4 further clarifies: “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.”

You are now one with Him, 100% righteous in His sight.  We were born unrighteous  “In Adam”; we were born again righteous “In Christ”.  It’s a gift from God.  

LIFE LESSON:  Scripture puts it this way :  “For if by the trespass of one man, (Adam) death reigned through the one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”  (Romans 5:17)   So here is the answer to the question “What is my value, what is my worth?”     In Adam-Worthless… In Christ-Priceless.  Amen!

Thank you for your prayers, partnership, and financial support.  They are a great encouragement to us.  You’re the best…Growing in His Grace

God’s Regeneration At Christ’s Expense

Grace, Grace, God’s Grace.   Grace that is greater than all our sins…

Scripture teaches in II Corinthians 5:17:  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”  Grace is literally a whole new way of living.  (Born Again – Regenerated)  Colossians 1:27 reveals this mystery…Christ living in you, the hope of glory.

When Paul met Jesus Christ, Grace became everything to him.  Nothing else mattered.  From that point forward, he lived to tell others of this good news gospel of grace.

Paul wrote…”I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24)

Grace was not just a word to Paul.  Grace was and is the person of Jesus Christ. Paul says in I Corinthians 15:10…“I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”

Grace made him spiritually alive. (Ephesians 2:1-10)

Grace redeemed him and forgave his sins.  (Ephesians 1:7)

Grace justified him and made him right with God.  (Romans 3:24)

Grace was sufficient for him in all circumstances.  (II Corinthians 12:9)

Grace produced fruit in his life.  (Colossians 1:6)

Grace taught him to say “No” to sin and to live a righteous, upright life. (Titus 2:11-13)

This same Grace is available to us today, and it is found in the person of Jesus Christ.  He is the One who is full of Grace and Truth and the one who will live His life in and through all regenerated born again believers. It truly is amazing grace!

Here is the best definition of Grace I have ever heard.  It need not be preached but it has been proven through the experience of many believers.  GRACE:  At my point of need, God is everything to me that I thought He was not!…That’s Grace…

Moses had spent 40 years being trained to be everything…a god, a Pharaoh.  He spent another 40 years in the wilderness discovering what he was not.  Finally, he was prepared to lead, having realized that he was a “not”.  God told him what to go do and Moses accurately responded, “I am not able.”  God’s response was “What is that to ME?  I am!”

God is to me all that I am not.  First I must acknowledge that I am not.  Next He tells me what He is.  He is everything to me of which I might have need that I am not.

I am not a good father, a good husband, a good Christian, or a good witness!  This is my point of need.  Grace comes and meets me at my point of need!  I didn’t think He could be those things to me.  However, as I recognize abiding, He is to me all that I thought that He was not.  There is a life in me that is a good father, a good husband, and a good witness.  It is HIS life and He is everything to me that I am not.

LIFE LESSON: Look at what you are not.  Don’t determine to work harder.  Call on the Grace of God.  At your point of need, He is everything to you that you thought He was not…truly amazing.          

                                                G. R. A. C. E. 

                        (God’s Regeneration At Christ’s Expense)            

Thank you for your prayers, partnership, and financial support.  They are a great encouragement to us.  You’re the best…

Growing In Grace Ministries

It was below zero Christmas Eve night.  Everyone in the family was on their way to the midnight candlelight service at the community church in observance of the birth of Christ.  Everyone wanted to be there when the church bells rang out at midnight to bring in the Christmas morning.  

Everyone that is, except Nicholas, the husband and father of the family.  He believed in God all right, but he couldn’t quite grasp the Christian belief that God actually visited this planet by becoming a man in the person of Jesus Christ and then died on a cross to take away our sins.  Why would God, the creator of this universe, want to become like one of us.  To Nicholas, that made absolutely no sense.  

While waiting for his family to return from church to open their Christmas gifts – a family tradition – Nicholas sat by the fireplace in the family room reading a book.  All of a sudden he hears a loud thump against a large glass window pane in the family room.  He looks out the window and saw a bird badly injured.  The bird probably saw the light of the fire and wanted to get in out of the cold.  

Concerned for its welfare, Nicholas went outside to try and help the bird find shelter from the cold until it could recover.  When the bird saw him approaching, it scurried as best it could under a bush.  Nicholas tried everything to help, but the bird was scared and he couldn’t get to it.  

He put some bird seed out, hoping to lure the bird from under the bush.  He even tried talking to the bird, and also thought if only the bird could read; he would try to spell it out on paper so that the bird could see that he was only trying to save its life.  

Finally, Nicholas thought to himself, if only I could become like a bird I could communicate and show that I only wanted to save its life.  At that precise moment of time the bells at the community church rang out in celebration of the birth of Christ.  It was Christmas morning.

Suddenly, Nicholas had an awakening.  For the first time, he saw clearly what his family had been trying to tell him about Jesus.  At last he understood how God had tried to talk to us, but we wouldn’t listen.  He wrote to us, but we refused to read.  So out of sheer unconditional love, Jesus Christ, God Himself stepped out of heaven and took on a body of human flesh.  Thirty-three years later Jesus died on the cross to take away the sins of the world.  The Bible teaches “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.”  (Rom 6:23)

LIFE LESSON: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have ETERNAL LIFE.” 

THE GREATEST GIFT…EVER!

Thanks be to God for His indescribable Christmas gift, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth, peace and goodwill towards men.           

Thank you for your prayers, partnership, and financial support.  They are a great encouragement to us.  You’re the best…

                                                MERRY CHRISTMAS!

From all of us at Growing in Grace Ministries

While pondering this November’s Life Lesson, and with the Thanksgiving holiday just right around the corner, this old hymn came to my mind.

       Give thanks with a grateful heart.

       Give thanks to the Holy One.

       Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ His Son.

       And now let the weak say I am strong.

       Let the poor say I am rich.

       Because of what the Lord has done…Give thanks!

1^st Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to: “Give thanks in all things…”  OKAY 

“I have come that you may have life more abundantly…”   Thank you Lord.

“I can do all thing through Christ who strengthens me…”  Thank you Lord.

“I am the vine, apart from Me, you can do nothing…”        Thank you Lord.

“Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world.”  Thank you Lord

God’s Word never brings void.  Our part is to simply trust His Word, lean not on our own understanding, and be a willing vessel.  

LIFE LESSON:  Jesus is in us, living His life through us, as us!  We are not Deity, but we contain Deity.  That means that we don’t have to live the life, we must have faith to trust that Jesus will live the life in and through us, and He will surely do just that.

Thank you Jesus!

And now let the weak say I am strong.

Let the poor say I am rich,

Because of what the Lord has done…Give thanks!

We at Growing in Grace Ministries give thanks for your partnership, prayers and financial support.  Happy Thanksgiving!

As Americans we are blessed to live in the greatest country in the world, the best nation on this earth, bar none!  But God has also prepared a place for Christians for the future that is much greater.  As the song goes “I Can Only Imagine”!

Therefore, our hope and trust should be in the Lord Jesus.  Now with that being said the elections are right around the corner.  Please don’t forget to vote, but remember the following ten powerful facts about elections.

1. The greatest agent of change is still the Gospel – even after the election.
2. Christian responsibility does not change – even after the election.
3. Jesus is still the King – even after the election.
4. Our citizenship is still in heaven – even after the election.
5. The tomb is still empty – even after the election.
6. The cross is still the victor – even after the election.
7. Our family is still our number one responsibility – even after the election.
8. The greatest truth in the universe is that Christ is Lord – even after the election.
9. God is still in control – even after the election.
10. Don’t fret, but trust and wait patiently on the Lord – even after the election.

And don’t forget, in the meantime, we are to pray for our elected officials as the

Lord instructs us to, even after the election.

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving

be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all Godliness and holiness.”  (I Tim 2:1,2) NIV

            In Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase in “The Message” it reads “The first thing I want you to do is pray.  Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.  Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply in humble contemplation.  This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.”  Oh, by the way, the most fervent of prayers not followed by a trip to the polls is a sham.  It’s time to vote. 

            Now remember, regardless of the election results, Jesus is still on the throne and oh, how He loves you and me.  Whether your party or candidate wins or loses in November, the real question remains “Where is your hope and trust? 

                                    Government ____?        OR          God____?

 What’s your perspective?

LIFE LESSON:  Jesus said in John 14:1,2: “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  Trust in the Lord; trust also in Me.  In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.  I am going there to prepare a place for you.”  I vote for that! 

That’s my perspective.  Thank you Jesus.

            We appreciate your continued prayer, support, and partnership with this ministry.  Thank you for your faithfulness.

Growing in His Grace