Tag Archives: Jesus

Jul 18 2009

Top 10 Posts


The Palen pick, risky or brilliant? 711 More stats
How to build a 1st Century church in the 583 More stats
3 Baptisms in Acts 2 330 More stats
“…..the gates of hell shall not prevai 329 More stats
Before the Throne of God I Stand 276 More stats
About Grace Digest 264 More stats
“Churches of Christ in the Untied States 240 More stats
Urgent Prayer Request! 229 More stats
Singing off key using a pitch pipe made 219 More stats
The purpose of Pentecost 213 More stats
Christian Unity? 195 More stats
Faith 101

Over the past several months I have written what I thought were some pretty good posts and they hardly got a look. I am astounded that the number 1 post of all time on Grace Digest is one about Gov. Sarah Palen. She is still a headline maker and we aren’t done seeing her smiling face on national TV just yet.

Interestingly, most of the readers of posts ranked 2 and 3 are from the African continent, and over whelmingly so. I wonder why that is?

Just as interesting, the post ranked in 5th place has drawn mostly readers from the British Isles, perhaps as much as 85 to 90%.

Not surprisingly a short series on the Deity of Jesus and other similar posts hardly got a notice. Some of those topics I am most passionate about, and am sure are largely neglected by most Christian bloggers, are perhaps not posted for a reason; no one reads them.

One would reason that blogs in the category of “Christian” and with largely a church of Christ readership would have some posts about the foundations of the historic Christian faith but alas a cappella singing, discussions about how many ways a Christian can be lost and why, how church A does something different than church B and who is in and who is out because of it continue to get top billing.

I once asked on my blog why was it necessary for Jesus to be born of a virgin. One fellow said “I’ll have to think about it and get back to you” and that was about it. Most of what I am seeing on “Christian blogs” is at best “theology lite”; Not all, but most.

I know mine is far from being among the best blogs but I do enjoy the exercise and when I get an occasional private message or email from someone who says they have been helped or encouraged by reading I know it is not completely in vain.

Trey Morgan, John Dobbs, Patrick Mead, Jay Guinn and others have great blogs, some of them with very intersting glimpses into the lives of their families, friends, and their interests. I enjoy those very much. At 64 years and counting down, my life is far too boring  to open the window very often.

Thanks for reading and for your encouragement.

for Jesus,
Royce

Jul 16 2009

You must be born again


newbirth

When one of the most respected leaders of the Jews, Nicodemus came with questions for Jesus the answer was not what he expected. (John 3) 

Nicodemus was a Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin court, a group of select scholars whose lives and academics were above reproach, whose job it was to rule on problems among the Jewish community with respect to the Law of Moses. Undoubtedly, measured by the citizens of the great city of Jerusalem, Nicodemus was a very good man. 

He had either observed the ministry of Jesus or had heard about Him and so inquired of Jesus saying 

“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” (v2) 

Nicodemus was correct but Jesus’ reply was shocking! Jesus replied 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (v3) 

The stunned man then asked 

“How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” (v4) 

Jesus then answered the question as follows 

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (Vs. 5-8) 

Nicodemus again questions 

“How can these things be?” (v9) 

And Jesus answers in detail saying 

“Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things? Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (Vs. 10-21) 

New birth? Born again? Fact or fiction? 

1 Peter 1:3,23, John 1:13, 1 John 2:29, 1 John 3:9, 1 John 4:7, 1 John 5:1,4, 18, 2 Corinthians 5:17 and Galatians 6:15 are all references to this truth. 

In the face of the overwhelming truth about the new birth (being born from above) many people do not think this “new birth” is a real birth at all. I think the reason is that if we can’t experience something with our natural senses the tendency is to reject it as truth. This is a grave mistake. 

God is a spirit. I can’t see him, feel him, smell him, hear him with my ears, taste him, or touch him. Should I than conclude that he does not exist? Of course not! Because something is “spiritual” does not render it any less real than something physical. In fact, when talking about God and his work, the “spiritual” is even more real than the physical because it is “eternal” and everything we experience that is “physical” is temporary. 

The “New Birth” is just as real as physical birth.

The “New Birth” produces a “new creation” that never existed before.

Only those who have been “born again” can enter the kingdom of God. 

If the “New Birth” is real, and it is, some interesting questions arise that deserve honest answers. 

  • Does the one born initiate the birth?
  • Can a birth be reversed?
  • Everyone born is the son of a Father. How long is a son a son? 

Have you been born again? Have you done what Jesus told Nicodemus he must do? Read it for yourself and answer the question. (John 3:15-18) 

Christianity is not joining a church, doing good deeds, keeping a set of rules, doing rituals, and dozens of other things people do in attempts to receive God’s favor. Christianity is Christ. He has purchased a perfect salvation for everyone who will come to him, depending only on him to forgive every sin and give eternal life as a free gift.

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone, And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:11, 12) 

Royce

Jun 11 2009

The Jesus deficit…


jesus-savesI recently visited some unnamed blogs by church of Christ preachers who had their “tag cloud” visible. (A tag cloud is the group of key words used to point readers to a post) These are men whose church is so and so “church of Christ” so you would think that “Christ” would be the most often used key word on their blogs. Nope, “church of Christ”, “baptism”, and even “a cappella” were ahead of “Christ” and “Jesus”. What does this prove? Perhaps not much but it does deserve some thought.

Jesus promised that if He is lifted up He would draw all men to Himself. (John 12:32) Paul and the other Apostles preached Christ, the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24) and He was the center of the message and mission they served.

Are our churches of Christ known for their devotion to Christ? Do we put Him first? Is He and His story the center of our message? I’ll let you decide. I do know this for sure. Not one person will be in heaven because they were right about how to do communion or because they sung a cappella. There will be no saving grace extended to one person because they despised the Baptists.

There is one mediator between man and God, His name is Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5) Jesus declared “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life and no one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:6) Since these things are true why don’t we preach Christ? Why isn’t He the focus of every ministry? Why isn’t He the most talked about on our “Christian” blogs? Why do we talk far more about the “church of Christ” than the Christ of the church? Why?

I think it is because many don’t really believe He is the only way to God. They think he is a part of the way but not the way. Or, some my believe that the sum total of believing the right doctrine, having communion each Sunday, singing a cappella, being in the right church, and believing the historic stories about Jesus combined with living a good life puts one in good standing with God. What Jesus told one of the most religeous men in his day is still true, you must be born again.

 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Unless you have this right nothing else matters. Please brothers and sisters, lets put Christ in his rightful place at the center of our living, our giving, our missions, our worship, and our dying. Let us become known for making a fuss about Jesus Christ and loving people as He did. Unless we are loving the unlovable as they are where they are seeking nothing in return we are not doing what Christ wants us to do. There is no greater task, no higher honor, no more noble endeavor than to make Christ and His work for sinners known.

In Him,
Royce

Jun 5 2009

The charges have been dropped!


cri

 

Tonight I celebrated with 14 men whose lives have been forever changed by the power of the gospel of Jesus.

My friend John Grigson called me and invited me to attend the graduation tonight at Richwood Correctional Center here in Monroe, LA. I am so very glad he invited me and that I accepted the invitation and went.

God is doing some amazing things using John and Celebrate Recovery Inside (CRI). 14 inmates gave testimony to what Christ had done in their lives in the past year. They have completed the step-studies and are now discipled and matured so that now they will themselves be leaders beginning next Monday night. Also present tonight were 63 other inmates who will begin their step studies next Monday. Those who weather the storm and endure the soul searching hard work will in all probability begin a relationship with Jesus Christ if they haven’t already done so.

In the coming months, in some form, CRI will be in 7 other prisons in N E Louisiana. God is strategically using CRI to tell the captives of sin the charges have been dropped! (Col 2:13,14) When I think about the possibilities of all the changed lives of inmates and their families it seems to me that revival could be about to burst out from inside the prison walls!

The gospel is the very good news about Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished for wicked sinners. The story of His work still transforms lives and raised the spiritually dead to new life of love and obedience to the Lordship of Christ.

A hearty AMEN and Praise the Lord for what He is up to in prison ministry in our town.

The charges have been dropped!
Royce