Author Archives: Royce

Aug 28 2007

Running like the wind


Legalists are fond of measuring spiritual things by human means. 5 tidy steps and whamo! A Christian! Attend services on Sunday a.m., Sunday p.m. and Wed p.m. give a little, sing some, listen to the preacher some, listen to someone pray, eat a cracker, drink some juice and you are considered to be “faithful”.

The Pharisees of Jesus’ day measured spirituality in much the same way didn’t they? They decided who was in and who was out by human observation. What they could ascertain about an individual by the 5 senses, (or by the “flesh”) was how they measured the relationship of a man with God.

Can we know all about a man by what we see, hear, taste, smell, and feel? No, because man looks at the outward appearance but God looks at the heart. That doesn’t stop us from trying though does it? We observe the baptism of someone and then make the statement, “He was immersed for the forgiveness of his sins so that makes him my brother”. Oh does it? Were you able to see faith? Could you know if there was true repentance? Of course not. Never mind that other stuff, I want to believe my eyes and ears and what “they” have always said……

Jesus came to the outsiders, the down and out, the wicked, and He loved them, forgave them, and saved them. He saw their faith, knew their hearts. He taught like no other man ever had. Then He explained the law by saying “The law says….., But I say unto you……” and they were astonished at His statements. You mean to tell me that if I hate my brother I am guilty of murder? Good grief! Are you nuts? If I have a brief fantasy watching the women bathe at the river I have become an adulterer? You must be kidding!

No, God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. Those are truths not observable by human means. We can’t place them some where on a “pattern” or a “plan” can we? Remember Nicodemus? Jesus laid some truth on him that caused him to exclaim “How can these things be?” I can just imagine how shocked he must have been when Jesus said to him:

“The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8)

Unless I missed something, Jesus has just taught one of  the leaders of the Jews a lesson in theology. “Nick my friend, you can’t observe who is in my kingdom and who is not by human observation any more than you can monitor and measure the wind. They have been set free. Free to run like the wind.”

Grace to you
Royce Ogle

Aug 22 2007

God is for us!


Peter, in his first letter, began by addressing those who were, “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:

Grace to you and peace be multiplied. 

   
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

Paul, in Romans 8 says in verses 28-31, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.    
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

There is a theme in the Bible that is clearly there although it flies in the face of the doctrinal positions many of us have adopted; Or, does it? We shudder at the idea of Calvinism but what do we do with the myriad of verses that teach what we have rejected? In my view, believing these, and many other passages that say the same things, are not in conflict at all with those of us who believe salvation is of the Lord and not of us.

Even Luke in the Acts uses this terminology, “And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48b). Then there is that troubling passage in the Gospel of John where Jesus said to His disciples, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit” (John 15:16a).

Then that classic first part of the letter to the Ephesians is almost offensive to anyone who does not believe in the doctrine of election at all. I will not quote it but suggest you read carefully the first 14 verses of chapter 1.

One of the marks of deity is “omniscience”, the fact that God infinitely knows everything. If this is true (and it is) then God surely knew before time began who would and would not become obedient believers in His love gift, the Lord Jesus Christ. And, as Peter said it, we are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father“. It would be a completely different dynamic if we were elect, period! But, Peter makes it clear that in agreement with what God knows (or knew) we are elected to be His.

I am no theologian so please be kind to me. This is one way I think of these amazing ways of our great God. I have 6 grandchildren. I love them completely! I love them so much that often I will give them what I know is not best for them just because they want it. (I do have an excuse, I am not as wise or as good as God!) If the younger of my twin grandsons is offered ketchup for his french fries, he will reject ketchup every time and request mustard instead. I know this as well as I know almost anything. Howevcer, my knowing does not in any way invalidate his freedom to choose what goes on his fries. So, I can say to you that my first twin grandson is destined to be a mustard lover. Yes, this is perhaps a weak analogy but I think it makes the point quite well, at least the way I understand God’s choosing as stated by Peter in 1 Peter 1.

Just for the sake of brevity lets assume I am correct. One fact is clear, God has chosen those who are His own. Now lets examine that Romans 8 section.

  1. “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son“
  2. “whom He predestined, these He also called“
  3. “whom He called, these He also justified“
  4. “whom He justified, these He also glorified”

God knew us in eternity past, He predestined that we would be not only called but conformed to the image of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, and those He called He justified, and those He justified He also glorified! All of these things are spoken of in the PAST tense!

How many of those He forknew will be justified, or “set right” with God? ALL who are called! How many of those who have been justified will be glorified? ALL of them!

Now the following question makes lots of sense doesn’t it? “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Grace to you,
Royce Ogle

Aug 14 2007

God is faithful!


Several months ago a small group of folks in Bayou La Batre, Alabama ( the Hemley Road church of Christ )purposed to purchase a building for their permanent home. Priced at a fraction of it’s appraised value, $125,000.00 seemed like an enormous amount to pay for a baby church of about 25 members, most of whom did not have a job or were unable to work because of age, disability, etc. But they boldly started to ask God for the money to purchase the building and to make the need known to God’s people. Wednesday the 15 is the closing date and just today the last of the money needed, with money to spare, became available. They will have the building debt free because they believed God would supply the funds.

I told them again and again that if this is God’s work He will support it if we ask and trust Him. Two weeks ago when I spoke there I again said to them “Open your mouth wide and ask for big things”. They did and God is faithful. My heart is stirred and I am humbled that the God of creation listens to plain, uneducated, poor people and lovingly supplies all their needs when they ask Him.

I have read again and again the little book, really a diary of George Muller of Germany who was responsible for several orphan houses and without ever asking any person for daily needs, God faithfully for many years supplied every need in answer to ernest prayer. In my own life I have seen the faithfulness of God displayed on my behalf in ways any honest observer would have to agree were supernatural.

God is faithful! Thanks to a little group of Christians in Bayou La Batre I am once again encouraged to trust God even more. What do you need? Why not just ask your heavenly Father? He is waiting for your call.

Grace to you,
Royce Ogle

Aug 10 2007

Righteousness – God’s gift to man? Or, man’s work for God?


Are we righteous because of what we do? Or, do we do what we do because we are righteous?

Are you your father’s son because of the perfomance you put in, or because of your birth?

When Jesus’ friend Lazarus was dead, what did he initiate to come back from the dead?

What does an adoptive child contribute to the completed adoption process?

How can a man who sins on purpose because it is his nature appease a Holy God by himself?

Is salvation an act of God or the acts of God and man?

Grace to you,
Royce