The Gospel As The Power Of God

 "We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord," (cf. 2 Cor. 4:5). 

"... when ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as in the truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe," (cf. 1 Thess. 2:13). 

"For my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should no stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God," (cf. 1 Cor. 2:4-5). 

A preacher should realize that the gospel is where the action is and should never grow weary of preaching it.  It may be milk of the Word but we never outgrow milk or any other staple of our diet such as bread.   The Holy Spirit doesn't desire to glorify Himself but to praise and glorify Jesus for what He's done to save us as a people of God and for who He is as the Son of God, earnest unto good works. 

We should strive to know nothing save Christ and Christ crucified (cf. 1 Cor. 2:3) and to spread the good word of Jesus or the gospel message and to apply it to our lives as a testimony to others; i.e, to live it out and make it relevant the only gospel others may see is in us!    If they see it in us it becomes real and a welcome mat to the infidel.  This gospel is indeed good news but there is also bad news that must accompany it: to repent of sins as a prerequisite of salvation.  We must get them lost first!  In the true gospel message, which is about what Christ has done and not we do, God reaches down to us in condescension. 

We must realize it's all about God and not about us!  We can experience salvation in real-time and have an actual encounter with God.  We are made alive (or our souls are quickened per Eph. 2:1) by the preaching of the cross because we are as good as dead in God's eyes in our sins.  God quickens and opens the door of faith within us (cf. Acts 14:27) and makes us alive in Christ tor born again. When we have the Holy Spirit, we see life with a new lens or with a Christian worldview or outlook. We have a whole new motive for living:  kingdom living for Christ's glory in God's economy as it were.  

To enter the kingdom of God, we must surrender or raise the white flag to Christ of the ownership of our lives. We become living sacrifices!  We are the salt of the earth to preserve it and give it a flavor but also the light of the world to show the way. We see ourselves for who we are and the picture isn't pretty; we need a renewed mind in the image of Christ.  Salvation brings a new identity in Christ so we can relate to Him as family; not as a second chance or new lease on life but a whole new life becoming regenerated and made new from the inside out.  We don't just turn over a new leaf, make a New Year's resolution, or an AA pledge but are given a clean slate and a new beginning, a fresh start. 

We must not ever be ashamed of the gospel as Paul wasn't and realize that it's the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes (cf. Rom. 1:16).  The gospel has convicting power and we never outgrow it as believers; it's the staple of our spiritual diet of the Word. We must remember that the Christian life is not just hard, it's impossible!  We need the grace of God to live it out and make it real to others by our witness and we should never jeopardize this.  The unconditional love of God is shown in Him reaching down to us when we don't deserve it, our worship is reaching up to Him and our fellowship is in reaching out to fellow believers.  When we reach down to those in need, it's compassion and mission.   

The Christian life is not for spectators and worship isn't passive but active because only genuine believers can share the true gospel with conviction: it's not just about do-goodery or doing good deeds but about being a witness for Christ and obeying Him in all things. God doesn't want our achievements but our obedience and the measure of our spirituality aren't our ecstasies but our obedience  Worship is not passive but active and we are participants in our own way.   Soli Deo Gloria!

A Contrite Heart

"For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret..." (2 Cor. 7:10, ESV). 

"... 'Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life.'"  (Acts 11:18, ESV).

 "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart And saves such as have a contrite spirit"  (Psalm 34:18, NKJV).  

Note that repentance (metanoia--to change your mind or "re-think"--in Koine Greek) is a recurring motif in the New Testament, mentioned seventy times and also in juxtaposition with faith so that the two complement each other and are both works of grace:  true conversion involves either believing repentance and penitent faith if you will.  True repentance has fruit as its poof:  They are "[Performing] deeds in keeping with their repentance"  (Acts 26:20, ESV).  God doesn't want your apology, but your conversion!  Note: there can be no genuine repentance without saving faith!    If you don't believe it, it's because you won't repent, and vice versa.  

According to Psalm 51:17, God doesn't despise a broken and contrite heart--no matter the sin!  We can never exhaust the mercy of God, who delights in mercy because all of our sins were paid for at the cross and God knew about them before we were even saved--we don't surprise or shock Him with new sins! Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost, and the prerequisite for salvation is to realize you don't qualify for it all; we ought to be like the publican who pleaded for mercy:  "God me merciful to me, the sinner!"  Salvation goes to the lowest bidder, i.e., the worse off we realize we are the closer we are to salvation (that's why Paul's estimation of himself was as "the chief of sinners!")--and that's why some prostitutes may be closer to the kingdom of God than respectable people who are self-righteous. 

We ought to beware of thinking too highly of ourselves than we ought to, which is pride!  Remember the Bill Gaither Trio song that goes,  "Something beautiful, something good, all my confusion He understood, all I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife and He made something beautiful of my life..." Then, the more highly we estimate ourselves to be ("some who are first shall be last!"), the further we are to heaven's kingdom--we don't need self-esteem, but God-esteem; not self-confidence, but God-confidence.

The whole point of conversion is change, and change from the inside out, not self-improvement or reformation-- a transformation of the whole person so that we become a "new creation per 2 Cor. 5:17.  After salvation, we have a change of heart, new convictions about what sin is, and a whole different worldview or frame of mind and mentality.   We don't just change our opinion, but get convictions from the Holy Spirit--there's a difference:  you hold opinions, while convictions hold you!

Repentance is one way of looking at conversion because it's the flip side of faith, whereby we turn from sin to God.  It's a turnaround, an about-face, a 180-degree turn, or a U-turn!  (Note that there is no genuine repentance without saving faith--they go hand in hand and are complimentary.)  Repentance is not remorse nor fire insurance either!  We come clean with God and own up to our sins, even being willing to right any wrong we've done by restitution. Jesus said, "that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations..." (Luke 24:47, ESV).   We must realize that repentance is granted by God leading to a knowledge of the truth according to 2 Tim. 2:25, and it is a gift of God that comes with faith in God's work and act of regeneration, which is passive on our part.

There is contrition, which is true sorrow over sin, and then there's attrition--spurious repentance like Esau and Judas had--i.e., being sorry you got caught and don't want to be punished or the consequences (like getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar!). True repentance involves the whole heart: emotions, will, and intellect.  We must be willing to resolve to turn from our sin and be aware of what they are by conviction with real heartfelt sorrow or regret.  

We must renounce sin and hate it with no excuses!   We must have relinquishment, surrender, and yielding to God's will for our life (i.e., put Him in charge)--that doesn't mean accepting the status quo in a complacent manner.  What does God want?  He wants you, and that you be faithful in what you have been given as a steward.  This is our sacrifice to God in return:  a broken and contrite heart.  Our reasonable service is to "offer our bodies a living sacrifice," God doesn't expect us to die for Him, but to live our lives for His glory per Rom. 12:1!

We can relate to David asking for the joy to be restored, as Peter said:  "Repent, therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord..."  (Acts 3:19, ESV).  Note that both the ministries of John the Baptist, Christ's herald, and Jesus both started out preaching repentance: "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand! [Jesus added that we believe in the gospel]."

We can never lose the Spirit though, for Jesus will never leave us, nor forsake us (cf. Heb. 13:8), but we can lose the joy of our salvation (cf. Psalm 51:12) and "joy of the Lord is [our] strength" (cf. Neh. 8:10).  Christ gives joy that no one can take away!   David prayed that he wouldn't lose the Spirit, as a consequence of his sin, but the Spirit never left him:  "And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward..." (1 Sam. 16:13, ESV).   We are in a similar condition since God has given His Spirit to us and Jesus will be with us, even to the end of the age (cf. Matt. 28:20).   We can lose out on fellowship with God and believers when we sin, but we can be restored (cf. Gal. 6:1) by confession (cf. 1 John 1:9).

In summation, it is important to realize that repentance is progressive--not a one-time act performed at salvation--and we are to walk in the Spirit with a continual attitude of repentance and short accounts of confession of all known and convicted sin.    Soli Deo Gloria!