Simple

The central focus of Scripture is God, and His personal relationship with humanity whom He created. This is seen with Adam, the first person, and Abraham, the patriarch of ancient Israel. God spared Noah and his family in the ark when He brought a global flood on the earth. God gave the Law to Moses to define the personal covenant (agreement) between Israel and Himself. God made a prophetic covenant promise to David, the great and beloved king and poet of Israel. And God’s desire for reconciliation with every person culminated in sending His One and Only Son, Jesus. 

An inherent responsibility rests upon every person in the world—to seek and know God personally. Every person is born with an innate desire for God. But along life’s way it can be displaced, to wither and die as a plant without water and sunlight. Who bears the responsibility for rescuing those who’ve lost this innate desire? God. And His means of doing this includes genuine believers as God’s agents of His kingdom.

Spiritual Journey

©tkBeyond

Severe power outages crippled the Philippines in our first year there. Power outages continued in our city as more generating stations were built elsewhere. A geothermal plant in the mountains above us generates our island’s power. The steam is harvested from natural vents from a dormant volcano, a continual source of available energy. And yet, the power outages continued because of inefficient infrastructure to deliver the electric current. They were called brownouts because the power fluctuated so low that light bulbs and fans had too little power to run. Just before the outage, lights would dim and flicker before going out.

Are You Ready?

In the book of Second Samuel, a messenger named Ahimaaz (A-hee-ma-oz) wanted to bring a message to King David. His father was an important priest named Zadok whom the King trusted. However, the news to be sent was not good, so King David’s general, Joab, chose to send a different messenger. In those days, certain messengers were sent based on the content of the message; one was sent when it was good news, another with bad news, and another who could bring either good or bad news. Ahimaaz was a messenger for good news.

The Hitchhiker and The Cross

On a hot summer day, I drove across the lower desert valley towards Palm Springs. In the lower desert, summer days can be exceptionally hot! Summer days in the southwestern desert of America are intense—like opening an oven set on high, then sticking your head inside it. If you’re out in that kind of heat it can do some harm! It dries you out quickly, causing heat stroke or worse.

I was a Christian believer involved with a nearby church and retreat ministry and spotted a hitchhiker along the road. I decided to have mercy on him. I also saw it as an opportunity to share my faith. He got in and we exchanged the usual greetings. As I drove, I asked him about his life and if he knew the Lord. I had plenty of witnessing experiences, but was unprepared for what unfolded.

The Core of the Gospel

Culture has an amazing impact upon people. It subtly shapes their worldview of everything in life, from birth through adulthood. This impact is strong and resistant to change, but it will change given sufficient cause. The change can be either good or bad depending on one’s worldview, values, or beliefs. For example, the enslavement of Africans, abducted and traded as if they were cattle, was culturally acceptable in European countries and America.

Tapestry of the Gospel

Karen conference in N Thailand ©tkBeyond

Picture a tapestry woven with five different colors of thread. Choose some bold colors like red, blue, green, and perhaps some purple and gold. Or choose your own colors and imagine someone at a weaver’s frame with five different shuttles. The tapestry begins to take shape as the weaver moves the shuttles back and forth across the frame. It may take some time before you see the completed fabric, but when finished it will be bold and beautiful.

Christian Language and Gospel Ignorance

A growing number of people in North America and Europe have no background or understanding of Christianity. One reason could be the great influx of immigrants from many nations. But an increasing segment of Western society has grown unengaged and uninterested in Christianity, the result of a shift in culture. America’s culture is becoming both post-modern and post-Christian. Many sources discuss this at length, but I won’t here.[i] Europe and Canada have preceded the US in this cultural shift, but America is not far behind. 

The Search

"The Tent Days" @ CCCM — circa early 70's

**During the sixties, I was part of the counterculture movement seeking spiritual truth. In the early seventies, I became part of the Jesus Movement.[i] This movement was neither organized, nor guided by any church or religious organization. It was the work of God in people searching for spiritual truth and encountering Jesus in a personal relationship. A common expression during that decade stated, “It’s not about religion, but relationship.” Young people, including those known as hippies who joined the developing counterculture during the 1960s, popularized the Jesus Movement.

How Do You Share the Gospel?

Over the past few years I've been writing and rewriting a book. I'm in the last major rewrite (hopefully) before I submit it for publication. I want to start posting some excerpts from time to time ahead of publication. So, here's an excerpt from the Introduction of the book...

How would you answer someone asking, “What is the gospel?”

Remembrances

This past weekend was an important time of remembrance for Christian believers. Depending on how traditional one is, it can begin with observing Lent (40 days of fasting), Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday (Easter). And don't forget Passover, which has great significance for looking at the Gospel story through a Jewish perspective.* It's the precursor to the Christian observance of communion, and gives a greater depth of meaning to Christ's death on the Cross. The most important lens of perspective is celebrating the Lord's resurrection from the dead. I especially love sunrise services!

WDJD?

Several years ago there was a flood of WWJD merchandise on the market. The WWJD stands for "What Would Jesus Do?" It's based on the classic Christian book, In His Steps, by Charles M Sheldon. The book recounts a whole town brought into revival because people began asking themselves this question in the process of daily life. It's been a while since I've read it, but the author, the pastor of a church, challenged himself and his congregation to live out the Gospel in their daily lives by answering this question. The book started out as a message preached in 1896. It's well worth the read if you haven't already done so.

The Heart of Redemption

There are many biblical truths that are only known in what I call Bible talk—words and phrases directly taken from the Scriptures. No problem with doing that, the Scriptures are the foundation for our faith being grounded in truth. The problem comes when they are used as if everyone does or should understand them, but no clear understanding is given of these Bible terms, words and phrases. Redemption is one of those terms that gets repeated often, but I wonder if it's understood very well. What is redemption from God's point of view? What does it mean for us as humans?

It's not too hard to find a dictionary definition for redemption, there's plenty of online sources for that. I like looking at things a little more "organically," that is, understanding things from a more natural sense. One way to do this is looking at the biblical context of a word. But this may lead to more Bible talk where words stay hidden in a theological form. For instance, Ephesians 1:7 gives a specific working definition right within its own context. It says that redemption comes "through His blood" and results in "the forgiveness of our trespasses," declaring that it is a work of God's great grace.

Self-Sufficiency—the American Dream and the Gospel

As a new year begins and the political season heats up in America, I'm drawn to another topic I revisit from time to time—self-sufficiency and the Gospel. Self-sufficiency, along with self-reliance, is a key character trait of Americanism, or the American Dream (however you might define it). Self-reliance was a defining element for survival as the American nation emerged from a colonial struggle with England, and the European economic powers of that era. As a nation, our culture is still defined by DIY and self-help books and blogs (it is its own industry). You can learn how to do just about anything online and on YouTube.

A cursory reading of America's emergence as a nation during the 18th and 19th centuries indicates that "God shed His grace" on us (Americans). If you've never read any history of the American Revolutionary War, you've missed out on some extraordinary stories.* I like history when it focuses on the people involved rather than dates, events, and geography. The American nation and culture is built upon personal freedoms and rights, and we have a written constitution that defines these. Although we claim a heritage of religious freedom, history reveals a somewhat different story. Today this is even more relevant.

Tapestry of Gospel Ministry

I've been out on the west coast in southern California this past week. I have some posts I'm working on, but thought I'd share a message given at Village Church in Orange County this past Sunday. I had a wonderful time fellowshipping and ministering. It was Missions Sunday and I was graciously invited by Ptr Matt Kyser and Mike and Jenni Ramsey (heading up the missions) to share at the Sunday morning service and later at home group meeting. It was a full and fun day! I was also able to share at the missions luncheon along with several others missionaries—it was great to be included with them and this very special church body. If you're in Orange County, it's a great place to be plugged into—they're on mission and very inclusive.

This message is one of a series of messages on the Essential Gospel that will be highlighted in the book I'm currently writing (actual rewriting). Please feel free to comment and share it with others. Just click on the link below and then click on either the listen or view icon (bottom right of page) to get to it.
http://goo.gl/1FGpj