Why the Gospel is the center and circumference of God's work in this world

1 Corinthians 1:17 "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void."

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 "And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."

Whenever we read Paul's letters to the churches he either ministered at or influenced, we turn to the Book of Acts for the background and then to the letter itself for specific instructions and applications. The church at Corinth was a church that needed to be reminded of the centrality of the Gospel. As Paul first came to the city of Corinth in Acts 18, we read of his activities in Acts 18:5 "But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ."

For eighteen months Paul labored at Corinth. When he came - he came proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A few years would transpire in the church at Corinth before Paul would write his two letters that we in the New Testament. There were indeed many issues Paul addressed with the church - but out of all the issues, none were more important than the Gospel itself. 

When we come to 1 Corinthians 1:17, we find Paul switching gears from the then present conditions at Corinth to that of their beginning days as new followers of Christ. In short, Paul makes much of the Gospel. He reminds them that when he first came to them, he aimed to proclaim this most incredible message. 1 Corinthians 1:17-2:5 truly represents the all-encompassing embrace of the Gospel that grips the soul not only at conversion, but all the way through daily Christian life and even into eternity. 

It is not an overstatement to say that the Gospel is both the center and circumference of Christianity - with Jesus Christ occupying the center of it and the boundaries of its edges. If a minister comes to a church and does not know the Gospel nor its most salient features - then that man is not fit to occupy God's sacred desk. Paul came with this message and all of its important elements. What makes the Gospel so significant? Two answers can be given by first defining the Gospel and then describing the Gospel's impact from the beginning of salvation through and into eternity.

First, the Gospel is the good news concerning Jesus Christ and His achievement in reconciling sinners who respond to the Spirit's call unto Holy God for the sake of granting them benefits of sonship and an eternity with Him.  The Gospel is based upon an event - namely Christ's death, burial, resurrection and ascension. This event spells out the achievement of salvation by the Son. The event must needs become an experience - which can only occur in saving faith. The experience of salvation is spelled out in how the Spirit applies the benefits of Christ's work, from saving faith all the way to preservation unto the end. These truths outline the definition of the Gospel.

But now what about describing all that the Gospel does? We cannot even begin to list all of the areas covered by the Gospel. Nonetheless we can at least draw out a general description. Notice how the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ's work on our behalf, is shown to be the center and circumference of spiritual life, daily life and preparation for the next life....

1. The Gospel saves by granting spiritual life through saving faith in Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:17-29

2. The Gospel sanctifies through spiritual life in union with Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:30-31

3. The Gospel sustains spiritual life into eternity by the power of God in Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The Gospel is truly the center and circumference of Christianity and God's redemptive activity. Unless we get the Gospel right, nothing else will be right. 

The significance of the Holy Spirit's title: "Spirit of Jesus"

1 Peter 1:10-11 "As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow."

Introduction

When we consider the Person and work of the Holy Spirit in the Bible, one of the more curious titles for Him is the name: "Spirit of Jesus". In addition to the designation "Spirit of Jesus", other variations ("Spirit of Christ", "Christ's Spirit") are found that relate the Holy Spirit's ministry and work to Jesus the Son. Today we want to explore a little bit the significance of the Holy Spirit's role as "The Spirit of Jesus". 

The places we find references to the Holy Spirit as "The Spirit of Jesus"

According to the late Bible scholar Dr. John Walvoord in his book: "The Holy Spirit", page 10, there are five titles relating the Holy Spirit to the Son: 

1). Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9; 1 Pet 1:11)

2). Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil 1:19)

3). Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:7)

4). Spirit of His Son (Galatians 4:6)

5). Spirit of the Lord (Acts 5:9; 8:39)

According to other Bible teachers, we find reference to the Holy Spirit over 360 times in the Bible. Of those times, we only find seven references that speak of the Spirit with the title (and its variations) as "The Spirit of Jesus". As already indicated, this specific title has to do with how the Holy Spirit points the way to Christ or in some fashion ministers Christ to people. 

The significance of the Holy Spirit as "The Spirit of Jesus"
In the opening passage of today's post, the Apostle Peter indicates that the Holy Spirit's work in the Old Testament prophets aimed to prepare and point to the Son in His first coming. Although the prophets did not fully comprehend the full picture of what they were writing, Peter indicates that the Spirit's revelatory work was centered on revealing the Son. Hence as the "Spirit of Christ", we find the Holy Spirit being associated with the work of what would be and is the Person and work of Jesus the Messiah.

Paul in his letter to the Philippians speaks of the provision of "The Spirit of Jesus Christ" in Philippians 1:19. Here we are reminded of how the Holy Spirit delivers to the saints of God timely provisions which, in effect, are the ministrations of the Lord Jesus Christ to His people. When Paul indicated in Acts 16:7 that "The Spirit of Jesus" had hindered he and his companions from entering into Asia Minor, we find not only the Spirit being directly involved, but also the Son's involvement by association. The will of the Son is at work in the passage, which of course means that in ultimate terms, the will of the Father is working behind the scenes. Such language reminds us that all Three Persons of the Godhead work together as One God.

Other texts could be cited that utilize this title "Spirit of Jesus". Galatians 4:6 states that the Holy Spirit, sent by the Son, aids us in crying "Abba Father". The Spirit points not only to the Son, but also the Father. We could reference the other passages mentioned above, but this should suffice to show that the significance of the title "The Spirit of Jesus" and its variations aims to point the way to the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, as well as the Will of the Father in the lives of His people. 

As a final thought, The Holy Spirit ever represents the interests of the Trinity. It has been said that He is the Ambassador of the Trinity - and thus in our interactions with Him, we are interacting with God Himself.  

The Maximal Greatness of God

Jeremiah 9:23-24 "Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord whoexercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord."

Introduction:

What kind of Being is God? When we think about God, we are in the words of the 11th century theologian Anslem of Canterbury conceiving of "a being than which no greater can be conceived". To speak of God means to talk about a being that is maximally great. This quality of God's "maximal greatness" categorizes God in a unique category unto His own. Today's post aims to briefly explore what is meant by saying God is "Maximally Great".

The Westminister Confession of Faith states: "There is but one only, living, and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or

passions; immutable,immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will, for His own glory."

The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 begins its discussion of God as the Maximally Great Being by noting: "There is one and only one living and true God." This first statement is not meant to stutter. To say God is "One" is to say there is no other Being that is the category of Maximal Being. To then say "and only one living and true God" is to state how this God is His own reality, separate from the reality of this physical universe. In giving further explanation the BFM 2000 notes: "God is all powerful and all knowing; and His perfect knowledge extends to all things, past, present, and future, including the future decisions of His free creatures." 

God's maximal greatness as The only Maximally Great being renders Him worthy of our worship. The BFM 2000 notes: "To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience." God as the Maximally Great Being is not just a static, abstact idea - but He is Personal, Living, Active. God's essence or Being is revealed through the Triune Persons. The BFM 2000 notes: "The eternal triune God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, with distinct personal attributes, but without division of nature, essence, or being."

As one writer has noted: God is One God, revealed in Three Persons, with each Person being truly God. As the Maximally Great Being, God is self-contained in His own self-sufficiency - a self-sufficiency that entails an eternal relationship apart from and without need of a creation. God as Triune chose to create all things to express the overflow of His presence - however He did not have to create. 

Closing thoughts

The point of today's post aimed to simply reflect and mediate a little bit on the Maximal Being of God. Such reflections can never comprehend God, but by such reflections we aim can know this God through Jesus Christ. May our thoughts be directed more towards this maximally Great God. 

Having hope in God when times are tough

Psalm 34:17-18 "The righteous cry, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles.18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit."

When David wrote this Psalm under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he was in a season of great duress. The King of Israel, King Saul, whom David had served was in pursuit of David to take his life. David was in such a desperate situation that he fled to the sworn enemies of Israel - the Philistines - to seek temporary assylum. David chose to masquerade as a mad man before the King of the Philistines so as to not to draw suspisions from the Philistines, since he had killed Goliath. One can read of these tense moments for David in 1 Samuel 21. 

As David composes Psalm 34, his observations about God's nearness derive from having observed God's faithfulness in others hard-situations. It becomes quickly apparent that David was experiencing God's incredible presence in one of the most desperate moments of his own life. It is one thing to observe God at work in other people's lives, and yet quite another when you experience it for yourself.

The Hebrew text behind the English translation speaks of David's heart literally being "distressed" and "crushed". However we are given personal glimpse of God's response to David's cry for help: God "heard him" and "delivered him". 

Certainly there are those seasons we all go through where it feels like the bottom has fallen out and we're in a free-fall. Whenever we lose a loved one, or observe a loved one going through a difficult time or experience health issues, change of location or immense pressures in life - things can seem bleak. However, it is in those moments where the cramped space of our circumstance is just enough space to draw closest to God - and He to us. The darkened skies of life are ever illuminated by the backdrop of God's goodness - even when we may be barely able to see the next step. As one writer has noted: "Absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence."

How often Jesus took the time to draw near to the Heavenly Father during the course of His earthly ministry (Mark 1:35; Luke 6:12). Even on the cross, when everything was at its lowest point, Jesus sought after the Father. Jesus, the Great Shepherd, ever awaits to walk those who have trusted in Him by faith through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23; John 10:10). 

What makes the Christian's situation more remarkable than David's is that not only is the Lord with believers, He by the Holy Spirit now lives in them to see them through the tough times (John 14:16-17; Colossians 1:27). The most severest moments of life are refining times used by God to purify faith, strengthen resolve and to encourage dependance upon Him (James 1:3-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7). 

The flame of faith may flicker in the cross winds of times like David's days, however it is shielded by the bigger and greater grace of God (1 Peter 1:5). Hope cannot ever be fully snuffed out in the Christian, since the Holy Spirit ever delivers hope shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:1-5). 

As you think about whatever trial you may be facing today or tomorrow - remember dear Christian - the Lord's nearness to you is more than enough to give you hope and light. God will and is seeing you through. Be encouraged. 

 

ABC's of discerning God's will

Acts 16:6 "They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia; 7 and after they came toMysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and theSpirit of Jesus did not permit them."

Acts 18:19-21 "They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, 21 buttaking leave of them and saying, “I will return to you again if God wills,” he set sail from Ephesus."

Introduction

In today's post we consider what is entailed in discerning God's will in everyday life. For ease of study, I will have each main point begin with a subsequent letter of the alphabet, hence the title of this series: "ABC's of discerning God's will". 

In the opening text we find the Apostle Paul being hindered by the Holy Spirit from entering into the region of Asia Minor (Ephesus, Mysia). Why would God prevent this great missionary from sharing the Gospel in that land at that time? We discover in Acts 16-17 that God had a mission for Paul to achieve first - namely going over to the region of Macedonia. The fruits of Paul's Macedonian mission can be seen in the letters he wrote to the churches in that region: Philippi, Thessalonica and Corinth. We then find after Paul had completed his assignment, the Lord had lifted the restraints and Paul was then permitted to freely enter into Ephesus.

How is it that Paul was able to discern the Spirit's leadings and promptings? I would suggest that God's way of leading His people entails a combination of interior promptings, circumstances, people and of course the objective, infallibe Word of God. We will list four major components in discerning God's Will. Notice the following ABC's of discerning God's Will:

Active obedience.  You and I dear friend cannot expect to detect God's leading and promptings if we are operating outside the known will of God. Paul was obeying God in his work of spreading the Gospel. Obedience to Christ's Lordship positions us in ready mode for sensing God's direction. 

Bible. It is impossible to hear God and know His will apart from the Bible. The Bible was revealed by God for the sake of "us and our children" (Deuteronomy 29:29). God's Word is the objective standard by which all the other methods of discerning God's will are evaluated.

Circumstances. How often do we take the time to "read" our circumstances. God is creative in the ways He guides His people. Circumstances are a big indicator of what God is doing in our lives. Certainly Paul had to read his circumstances and make an informed decision. He had Divine guidance from God for sure, but the circumstances acted as a secondary method of confirming that he and his companions had to go one way, rather than another.

Divine Promptings. This refers to the internal leadings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Person of the Godhead Who indwells us and is fully God. He speaks to us from the moment of the newbirth/conversion (Romans 8:14-16). By the scriptures the Holy Spirit inside our human spirit delivers insights and illumination (1 Corinthians 2:10-13). The Holy Spirit is the One who provides warrant or justified reasons for why we believe we are saved, Jesus is Lord and the Bible is true (1 Corinthians 12:1-3; 12:12; Galatians 4:6; 1 John 2:20,27).

All four of these elements are evident in Paul's missionary journeys here in Acts. As we noted already, he was actively obeying God (Acts 16:10). Paul had a Divine word from God, which would be tantamount to our scriptures, since he did not have a completed New Testament at that point (Acts 10:10). Paul discerned from the circumstances that he could not go into Ephesus, concluding that the Spirit was not leading them there (Acts 16:6-7). Later on of course Paul was able to go into Ephesus, recognizing that God's will was involved (Acts 18:19-21). Then we find Divine promptings at work, as demonstrated in the cited texts and by the presence of the Holy Spirit through the passages. 

So as you and I live our lives for the Lord today, let's aim to do His will. Let's be actively obedient. Let's consult the Bible in our decision making. Let's be mindful of our circumstances. Then finally, let's be listening for what could be Divine promptings from the Holy Spirit. 

How magnets and iron illustrate God and man

Proverbs 19:21 "Many plans are in a man’s heart,But the counsel of the Lord will stand."

I can remember as a child playing with magnets. One of my favorite experiments had to do with taking a piece of iron and filing off some flecks of metal. These "iron filings" would then be placed on a piece of paper, with a bar magnet placed underneath. To my amazement, the filings would suddenly be arranged in parallel lines that traced out the magnetic field lines of the magnet. 

When I would try other materials (such as an eraser or wood shavings from a pencil), the magnet had no effect. There was something about the metallic properties of the atoms in that metal that, when brought in contact with a magnetic field, caused the atoms to allign with one another. The question that always came to my mind was this: which was ultimately responsible for the lines of formation on the paper made between the magnet and the iron filings? Was it something about the metal itself, or was it the magnet underneath the paper?

The answer to the question is that both needed to be present in order for the experiment to succeed. Take away the metal and replace it with wood or rubber, and the lines won't appear. Try to place iron-filings on the paper with no magnet, and you'll have clumps of filings with no discernable pattern.

So, what is the point? When we consider God's dealings in our lives, the Bible reveals that His Sovereign will permeates all things. God as Sovereign and separate from creation exercises providence (i.e foresight) over inanimate and animate things. Governments, situations and human beings themselves are under the sway of the Sovereign ruler of the universe. God's power and authority determines the course and shape of all things. We would say that His influence is likened unto the magnet in our story.

People on the otherhand are like the various filings on the sheet of paper we call history. Whenever God's influence and working is near them, will people respond? The one property people have that iron filings do not have is the ability to respond. Many factors such as trials and triumphs, relationships and rejections, personalities and choices are all factored together in how people will respond to the Lord. 

Lest the Spirit of God has worked in the hearts of people to allign their hearts, the unbeliever will be no more inclined to God than wood or rubber would be to a magnet. However, as people lessen their resistance and freely give themselves over to the influencing work of the Spirit, allignment occurs and the person willing chooses to fall in line with the magnetic field-lines of Grace that are at work all around us. 

As the Proverb up above reminds us: truly the plans of a man are many, but it is the Lord's Counsel that has the final word. Therein is no contradiction when it comes to God's purposes and our plans. Both God's Sovereignty and human responsibility are needed to make sense of what we read oftentimes in the Bible. God certainly has need of no one, and yet has chosen to include volitional agents (human beings) as the means to fulfilling His purposes. 

All we can say is that when we freely choose Him, it is due to His prevailing grace. When we choose to ignore His promptings, we have only ourselves to blame. May you and I, dear reader, yield to the Spirit's Sovereign working and fall in line with Him. 

An invitation to listen to two podcast episodes on the subject of defending the Christian faith

Acts 17:22-24 "So Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you."

Introduction:

Today's blogpost features links to a couple of podcasts I recently did on the subject: ABC's of Apologetics and Evangelism. The podcasts are found over in the pod casting site which is an audio arm of this blog site. The first episode gives a general overview of a strategy for defending and sharing the Christian faith. The second episode features an argument for the existence of God from the standpoint of God being the Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth. Overtime I will be releasing more podcasts to round out the series, with the aim of providing a strategy for apologetics and evangelism that can be used by readers and listeners. To God be the glory! Here are the links (each episode is 7-8 minutes in length):

https://gcrpodcast.wordpress.com/2016/02/18/podcast-introduction-to-the-abcs-of-apologetics-evangelism/ 

https://gcrpodcast.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/podcast-abcs-of-apologetics-evangelism-the-almighty-god-maker-of-heaven-and-earth/