Tag: They will know we are Christians by our Love

What Does it Mean for those who are Unsaved, Us as Christians that God Is Available and that God is Accessible? Psalm 90

Psalm 90 Amplified Bible

Book Four

God’s Eternity and Man’s Transitoriness.

A Prayer of Moses the man of God.

90 Lord, You have been our dwelling place [our refuge, our sanctuary, our stability] in all generations.
2 
Before the mountains were born
Or before You had given birth to the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are [the eternal] God.

3 
You turn man back to dust,
And say, “Return [to the earth], O children of [mortal] men!”
4 
For a [a]thousand years in Your sight
Are like yesterday when it is past,
Or as a watch in the night.
5 
You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep [forgotten as soon as they are gone];
In the morning they are like grass which grows anew—
6 
In the morning it flourishes and springs up;
In the evening it wilts and withers away.

7 
For we have been consumed by Your anger
And by Your wrath we have been terrified.
8 
You have placed our wickedness before you,
Our secret sins [which we tried to conceal, You have placed] in the [revealing] light of Your presence.
9 
For all our days pass away in Your wrath;
We have finished our years like a whispered sigh.
10 
The days of our life are [b]seventy years—
Or even, if because of strength, eighty years;
Yet their pride [in additional years] is only labor and sorrow,
For it is soon gone and we fly away.
11 
Who understands the power of Your anger? [Who connects this brevity of life among us with Your judgment of sin?]
And Your wrath, [who connects it] with the [reverent] fear that is due You?
12 
So teach us to number our days,
That we may cultivate and bring to You a heart of wisdom.

13 
Turn, O Lord [from Your fierce anger]; how long will it be?
Be compassionate toward Your servants—revoke Your sentence.
14 
O satisfy us with Your lovingkindness in the morning [now, before we grow older],
That we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
15 
Make us glad in proportion to the days You have afflicted us,
And the years we have suffered evil.
16 
Let Your work [the signs of Your power] be revealed to Your servants
And Your [glorious] majesty to their children.
17 
And let the [gracious] favor of the Lord our God be on us;
Confirm for us the work of our hands—
Yes, confirm the work of our hands.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

“So, Lord God, Teach Us to Number Our Days,”

Often in life we think we are heading in the general direction of our goal, our life is moving steadily along on cruise control, we finally get to that somewhere , we look around and survey the landscape of all the success, but we still end up lost.

Though we might start out well, we might achieve what we feel is the best, but we can quickly realize that the best was not in fact, the best, then lose interest in seriously considering everything but exactly the next actions we must take.

A sudden barrage of questions arise within – are we living up to our potential?

Are we being “all we can be?”

Are we being “all we can be” for those who need us to be their “all we can be?”

Living unto, into our full potential, Living up and into to a set of standards?

Have you ever felt like you are not living up to your God potential?

Ever felt like you ought to be closer to God than you are?

Or that you ought to know God better than you do?

We all get to a point in life when we have seen so much of life, where we have experienced so much of life, or where we have sinned against God and how we believe God wants us to live. 

We succeed and then we fail.

We glorify God when we succeed and when we think we have done too many wrong things, have failed one too many times for God to continue to bless us.

We conclude we have sinned too much.

We have been too disobedient and we have wandered too far.

We have grown too old and too set in our ways, too inflexible in our thoughts.

Therefore God is done with us – change and transformation are not possible.

God won’t use me anymore.

God can’t use me anymore.

God will not use me anymore

God is through with me, God is certainly going to be washing His hands of me.

God is no longer available to me because I am no longer usable, available to God.

Have you been there?

Are you there right now?

Have I been there?

Am I there right now?

Without Exception

Without Purpose of Evasion

– Resoundingly, Undeniably, Undoubtedly, Absolutely – YES! YES! YES!

Here is some good news.

God is a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week God.

God is always available – ever vigilant, no slumber nor sleep, eyes always open!

God is always accessible!

The Kingdom of God is always going to be available.

The Kingdom of God is always going to be there.

The Kingdom of God is always going to be accessible.

The Question: will we ourselves always be available and accessible to God as God and the Kingdom of God is always and forever available, accessible to us?

Is our Prayer anything close to sounding like… (Psalm 90:12)

12 
So teach us to number our days,
That we may cultivate and bring to You a heart of wisdom?

In order not to lose track of where we are going and why we are going there, the psalmist encourages us to “ask God to teach us to number our days.”

The writer is not talking about any exercise of basic, simple nor complex math—that being our counting the number of days that we might potentially live.

No one knows “the number of our days” but God himself.

Rather, the psalmist wants us to realize that nothing in this life except living for God should be our ultimate goal, or the ultimate treasure we have in mind.

Money, fame, possessions—none of that will last.

As a popular sayings go,

“When you die, you can’t take it with you.”

“Ain’t never seen any U-Haul trailers hauled behind no Hearses.”

“That We May Cultivate and Bring to You a Heart of Wisdom.”

God is not done with you.

One more time – God is not done with you.

God is not done with me.

God is not done with any of us. 

God has not quit on you.

God has not quit on me.

God has not given up on any of us. 

God is still available to you.

God is still available to me.

God is still at work.

God still speaks and God still wants to be known.

Four key insights into God’s availability from Moses’s encounter with God.

Key 1 – Avoid being so consumed with life that you miss what God is doing.

Let’s turn to the Scripture and pick up with Moses, who is still far from God.

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it.” Exodus 3:1-3

Moses wasn’t so consumed with his job that he didn’t notice the burning bush.

Now many of us might wonder what Moses has to be consumed with.

He was herding sheep, which is exhausting, mainly because they would have had some Rams in it.

Female sheep are called Ewes.

Male sheep are called Rams.

According to most farmers, the Rams are evil.

While ewes (the female sheep) are generally docile, non-aggressive animals, this is not usually the case with rams (the male sheep), especially during the breeding season.

Rams can be very aggressive and have been known to cause serious injuries, even the death of people.

Therefore, a ram should never be trusted, even if it is friendly or was raised as a pet.

It is essential always to know where the ram is and to never turn your back on him.

Moses sees this burning bush.

Common sense would tell a sheepherder to move the sheep away from the fire.

But Moses didn’t let the business of watching sheep keep him from noticing the God thing.

He did not turn away from the God thing.

Instead, he turned toward it, which leads to the following key.

Key 2 – Allow curiosity to lead you toward God – even when uncomfortable.

Our most significant victories and achievements rarely happen when we are comfortable.

Instead, they occur when we are willing to step outside our comfort zone.

They happen when we take what little faith we may have and trust God.

Moses noticed something was up.

He saw something out of place and unusual, a bush that wasn’t being consumed by the fire.

So he chose to move closer and find out what was going on.

The Scripture continues:

When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. The Lord responded, “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:4-7,10

Moses had to be freaking out that God was speaking to Him.

But he is also leaning in.

So it seems to me that there are a set of God things happening around us today.

A spiritual awakening of sorts is happening on some college campuses, in micro-church and church planting movements.

Don’t run away.

Lean in. Check it out.

Key 3 – After you begin to investigate what God is doing, expect God to speak.

There is so much in this passage.

Let’s reread a piece of it.

So, we can take a closer look.

When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” “Here I am!” Moses replied. The Lord responded, “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your father — the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Exodus 3:4-5

God did not speak to Moses until after Moses began to investigate.

Did you catch that?

God didn’t speak until AFTER Moses took a tangible step toward God. 

God often waits for us to move closer to Him before He reveals more of Himself to us.

Here is the challenge.

We can get lost in our routine.

One of my favorite sayings goes like this:

“The problem with life is that it is so daily.” 

Life in the wilderness as a shepherd would have been way routine.

First, take care of the sheep.

Next, find grass for the sheep.

Then, find water for the sheep.

Repeat.

A bush on fire would have been unusual.

But what made it way unusual?

What made it unique?

  • The bush is not being consumed – it is burning but not burning up.
  • There is a divine presence in the bush – it is holy ground.
  • God speaks from the bush. 

Moses could have run away fast and furious.

But he chose to move in instead.

He chose to move toward God.

What’s the result of his moving closer to the things of God?

That leads to the fourth and final key.

Key 4 – Assume that continually moving closer to God will help you and me discover God more fully.

Moses discovers his purpose for the next phase of his life.

Moses gets the next step of his life laid out because of this connection with God.

“Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:10

God being near to us isn’t just an old testament concept.

We see it all throughout the New Testament as well.

As Paul was reasoning with a crowd of atheists and people of other religions, he explained that God put people in specific times and places during history.

Check out Paul’s words:

“His purpose is for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him — though he is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:27

James – the leader of the early church – said it this way:

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8

Here is what it means to me:

God is as available to you and me as you and I are to Him. 

Take advantage of that.

God is available to you as you are to Him. 

Check out the promise in the Old Testament that is repeated often:

“If you seek him, you will find him.” 1 Chronicles 28:9

Jesus says this as well:

“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.” Matthew 7:7

Don’t miss this:

We serve a God who wants to be found. 

We serve a God who wants to be known. 

We serve a God who wants to be discovered.

If you and I are far from God, it is because you and I have chosen to be far from God.

If you and I are not as close to God as you and I wish, that is all on you and me.

When we discipline ourselves to number each day with God as our main focus and guide and guardian, we gain deep wisdom for this life and the life to come.

Draw close to God, and God will draw near to you and close to me.

Take a step toward God, and God steps toward you.

Of course, I can’t and wont promise that if you and I do this, all our problems, hurts, and pains will be solved.

But I can promise you that if you move toward God, God will move toward you.

God will be with you and me as we journey through the ups and downs of life.

God is available.

God is accessible.

Are you?

Am I?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm …..

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Almighty God, you are the source of all life. We know each day of our lives is a gift from your hand. Help us live each day in the light of your Word. Heavenly Father, thank You for each day of life and for the opportunities You have given me to live a life unto You. May each day of my life, from this day forward, be exercised in a way pleasing to You so that in all I say and do You may be glorified. In Jesus’ name I pray,

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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Living the Risen Life: Sharing God, Caring For Our Neighbors, Because God’s Heart Does Not Stop With Us. Colossians 3:1-4

Colossians 3:1-4 New Living Translation

Living the New Life

3 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your[a] life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

In the miracle of conversion, a number of things happen.

Our sins are forgiven, we are adopted into God’s family, and we are given the status of sons and daughters.

Not only that, but we are also given a new location with Christ in the heavenly places.

There is for the Christian a radical change in our spiritual environment as a result of our union with the risen Christ—and it is our place in Christ that securely establishes our priorities.

It is because we have been “raised with Christ” that we are to “seek the things that are above.”

This reality was important for the new followers of the Colossian church to try to grasp.

As Paul was writing to them, they were being influenced by deceptive doctrine.

False teachers were imposing man-made rules upon them, saying, “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (Colossians 2:21).

Yet these external rules, which were intended to improve their moral behavior, ironically were “of no value in stopping the indulgences of the flesh” (v 23).

The same remains true for us: even when we attempt to remove ourselves from sin, we will not ever be able to completely stop our own propensity towards that which is truly impure, unholy, and untrue.

This form of external religion was a bad virus that was threatening to embed itself within the Colossian church, combining doctrinal confusion with moral carelessness. (The two go hand in hand.)

So Paul addressed the issue by reminding his Colossian readers that the way to get to begin getting a grip with our behavior is by beginning to understand who and whose we are—what our lives have become through the Lord Jesus Christ.

As Christians, our lives are wrapped up in Jesus. We are in Him, and He is in us.

We have been raised to live outward with Christ, our lives are hidden in Him.

This fact alone is the only sure basis of our security—our confidence in the face of our own propensity to do wrong things.

Are are we trying to live the Christian life alone, the “shy Christian” the “best intentions Christian” by your own efforts and fight our sin in our own strength?

Are we seeking to be a better Christian and wondering why it is proving elusive—or, worse, are we beginning to wonder whether we are a Christian at all or whether it is worth the effort to share our Savior with another human being?

God’s Heart Does Not, Must Not, Ever Stop With Us

One of the greatest privileges as a child of God is that with our Savior Jesus Christ living in and within us, we all have the heart of our heavenly Father.

We do not have to wonder how God feels about us.

We do not have to wonder if God will guide us.

We do not have to question whether God loves us or God cares for, about, us.

Through the Holy Spirit we have continual, free access to the heart of God.

By sharing God, and caring for our neighbors our relationship with God will grow deeper, become freer as we learn how to have God’s heart in this life.

1 John 4:7-10 Easy-to-Read Version

Love Comes From God

7 Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child. And so everyone who loves knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love to us: He sent his only Son into the world to give us life through him. 10 True love is God’s love for us, not our love for God. He sent his Son as the way to take away our sins.

As wonderful and life-giving as it is to access the heart of God for ourselves, having God’s heart beating within, is not, was not ever meant to stop with us.

His heart is meant to fill us, empower us, and transform us, pour forth from us unto our neighbors, to surely live in such a way we are “light in the darkness”.

Matthew 5:14-16 Easy-to-Read Version

14 “You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden. 15 People don’t hide a lamp under a bowl. They put it on a lampstand. Then the light shines for everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, you should be a light for other people. Live so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.

As a believer you and I can reveal the heart of God to others.

We’ve been given access to a deep, revelatory knowledge of God’s love that you might shine the light of God’s goodness to a world that only knows darkness.

You and I can reveal the heart of God through the very way you and I honor yours and mine neighbors rather than speaking ill intent of our neighbors.

You and I can represent the humility of Jesus by serving our neighbor rather than being self-seeking.

Lifting the basket off of ourselves, we can reveal the light of God’s grace in our lives by offering compassion when others treat you or your neighbor poorly.

And you can display the courage that comes from a true understanding of God’s unconditional love by living authentically rather than building up a false image.

You and I were made to share God’s heart.

You and I were made to reveal God’s heart.

You and I were made to co-labor with God, our Savior Jesus and the Holy Spirit in seeing the truth of the gospel proclaimed and bear fruit in the lives of others. 

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” 

God has critically important work prepared for you and me today.

Look for opportunities to share what God, through Christ is doing in our life.

Look continuously, constantly for ways we can be that more genuine reflection of the aspects of God’s heart He is revealing to you and me every single day.

Do not let the love of God be hidden with us, contained within us like a super top classified “eyes only” secret, but “blow all whistled,” unveil it, share it freely, knowing His love never runs out, is what every human heart, is searching for.

Make a Friend, Be a Friend, Bring a Friend to Christ

Have you ever had the joy of sharing Christ with someone and actually seeing that person sit beside you and come to know the Lord as their personal Savior?

There is nothing quite the same in this world like it!

We know that resurrected Jesus said, “ye shall be witnesses unto me” (Acts 1:8).

How do we do what Jesus said?

Colossians 3:1-4 The Message

He Is Your Life

3 1-2 So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective.

3-4 Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life—even though invisible to spectators—is with Christ in God. He is your life. When Christ (your real life, remember) shows up again on this earth, you’ll show up, too—the real you, the glorious you. Meanwhile, be content with obscurity, like Christ.

He is so much a complete part of my life, I need to constantly “pray it forward.”

I need to be constantly aware of that the basket over my life needs to be lifted.

I need to be living a life which is more “God forward” than it is “me behind.”

to just go ahead and unleash this thought and this prayer from within me …

Psalm 19:11-14 The Message

11-14 There’s more: God’s Word warns us of danger
    and directs us to hidden treasure.
Otherwise how will we find our way?
    Or know when we play the fool?
Clean the slate, God, so we can start the day fresh!
    Keep me from stupid sins,
    from thinking I can take over your work;
Then I can start this day sun-washed,
    scrubbed clean of the grime of sin.
These are the words in my mouth;
    these are what I chew on and pray.
Accept them when I place them
    on the morning altar,
O God, my Altar-Rock,
    God, Priest-of-My-Altar.

Getting to the Point of Asking: “Excuse Me, How is it With Your Soul?”

This is the sort of “self talk” which constantly runs through any too shy spirit:

“Everywhere I go people say to me, it is the old familiar story –

“I really want to bring someone to Christ, but I just don’t know where to start.”

I know it is true because I can confess my own guilty thoughts in this manner.

Please, Let me give you a few ideas that you may try to put into practice today…

  • Create a soul winning prayer list. Write down the names of those that you know need Christ and commit to pray for them every day. Ask the Lord to use you to personally reach them. Remember, we cannot pray if we are not willing to obey.
  • Commit gospel Scriptures to memory. We are to be ready always to give an explanation of the gospel (Ephesians 6:15; 1 Peter 3:15). The greatest thing you can give to others is God’s Word. Begin with John 3:16 and great salvation verses out of Romans. Memorize them. Meditate on them. Minister them to others.
  • Share your story. If you are a believer you have a story to tell! It is the story of how you came to know Christ and what He means to you. Next to the Scriptures it is the most powerful resource you have. Practice giving it to someone and prepare to give it to as many people as possible. Those who will never listen to a sermon will listen to your story.
  • Demonstrate the love of Christ. The gospel message begins with “For God so loved the world that He gave…” His love breaks down barriers and removes prejudices. Ask the Lord to help you show kindness to others. A little kindness may open a big door for the gospel.
  • Give gospel literature to others wherever you go. So many people I have met through the years were brought to Christ when reading a gospel tract. Never underestimate the power of the printed Word. As available, carry literature with you in a back pack. Accompany it with a personal word. God can use simple tools to accomplish His work.
  • Bring someone with you to a church service specifically to hear the gospel. Communicate to your pastor that you are prayerfully bringing someone with you who needs the Lord. Pray God will open their heart as they hear the truth.
  • Have a Bible study in your home or on the job. Starting, Inviting, Hosting an informal Bible study will give opportunities to get acquainted, discuss spiritual truths with neighbors and co-workers. Many people who would not “feel right” going to a church service or prayer meeting would come to a friend’s home.
  • Ask people to read the Gospel of John and to tell you what they think. I have had the greatest joy of seeing people come to faith in Christ through simply reading the Scriptures. At the very least, it opens the conversation about who Christ is. The Word of God for the Children of God is living, active, dynamic, powerful!
  • Pray daily, together as much as possible for divine appointments. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you both someone to talk to. That is a powerful prayer He will answer in His time! When answered, then the both of you live expectantly, looking everywhere for people that you can share the good news with.
  • Actually Begin. (Acts 2:37-47, Acts 3:1-10)No one becomes an effective witness by only reading about it. It is time to get off the pews, our couches, and get in the game! We all get nervous, but as we obey the Lord He has promised to help us.

Ask the Lord to prepare your heart and the the heart of some soul and give you a divine appointment today!

Some will respond positively.

Some will respond politely.

Some will respond politically.

Some will respond correctly.

Still more will respond out and out with vast amounts of negativity.

As we live, love and move and have our being in this world, don’t dwell upon your failures or look to your own performance as the basis of your security.

Be encouraged, keep trying as the Apostles did through out the Book of Acts.

Perhaps a study of the Book of Acts is the encouragement needed right now.

You have been raised with Christ.

He alone is your hope.

Make His glory, and not your own goodness, the focus of your days and you will find our behavior will certainly bear testimony to His life-transforming power.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit for as it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be – risen lives, risen souls, worlds without end.

In the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on the importance of sharing God’s heart with the world. Allow Scripture to fill you with a desire to be a reflection of God’s heart.

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” 1 John 4:7

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16

2. What aspect of God’s heart can you share with someone today? What part of God’s character can you reflect to the world around you?

3. Ask the Holy Spirit to put a person or group of people on your heart that he wants you to love well today. Ask him how he wants to use you to reveal the heart of God.

An important aspect of sharing God’s heart is trusting in faith, remembering that God will surely, certainly use your heart beat to inspire other heart beats.

When you choose to live a life co-laboring with your heavenly Father you get to experience the supernatural.

It’s miraculous when people choose to accept Jesus.

It’s astounding when our service, compassion, and love tears down walls around people’s hearts that they might be more open to God.

Don’t just live a normal life today.

Live a “I Am risen in Christ life today.”

Allow God to use you by sharing his heart.

May your day be filled with an abundance of miracles, signs and wonder and a ceaseless unrelenting awe at your heavenly Father who will unhesitatingly use you, me, us, in mighty and powerful ways – to build up His Kingdom on Earth.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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Are We Really Seeking To Be More Like Our Jesus? What About Seeking After, About Loving, Our Unsaved Friends? 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Easy-to-Read Version

16 From this time on we don’t think of anyone as the world thinks of people. It is true that in the past we thought of Christ as the world thinks. But we don’t think that way now. 17 When anyone is in Christ, it is a whole new world.[a] The old things are gone; suddenly, everything is new! 18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between himself and us. And God gave us the work of bringing people into peace with him. 19 I mean that God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold people guilty for their sins. And he gave us this message of peace to tell people. 20 So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is like God is calling to people through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God. 21 Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin[b] so that in Christ we could be right with God.

The Word of God for the Children of God.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

The God of Reconciliation

Because of sin, we human beings are in constant and continuous rebellion.

From the beginning of Genesis until the final verses of Revelation, we are at war with our God, with ourselves, with our neighbors, and too with God’s creation.

By ourselves, we would never return to God.

We cannot hope to change our own heart.

We cannot hope to change anyone else’s heart.

We cannot hope to change God’s heart.

Without God, we don’t even have the wherewithal to realize that we are mired in the very worst kind of muck and stuck and lost in the lethal misery of sin.

Salvation is not a human initiative.

God took the initiative to reconcile us to himself.

God loves us so much that He sent his Son to save us not condemn us.

The absolutely innocent seeks the perfectly guilty.

The agent of reconciliation is Jesus Christ.

And now through Christ we can turn to God.

And now through Christ we can offer others the opportunity to turn to God.

Jesus is the one and only way to God.

He is the door, the gateway, to salvation.

He is the mediator who reconciles us to the Father.

To reconcile us to himself, God did not keep our transgressions on our account.

Instead, he laid the full weight of them square on the shoulders of Jesus Christ.

On the cross at Calvary, with His life blood, for love alone, the Son of God set himself aside, paid in full the debt that was against us, completely set us free.

And God credited us with the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ so that no condemnation can weigh on us any longer.

Can anyone contemplate the magnitude of that statement?

Of exactly what Jesus was bringing with Him when He came into the world?

Of exactly what Jesus was offering us unrepentant sinners when He came to us?

About Those Unrepentant Sinners

Matthew 10:1-4 Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus Sends His Apostles on a Mission

10 Jesus called his twelve followers together. He gave them power over evil spirits and power to heal every kind of disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles:

Simon (also called Peter),

Andrew, the brother of Peter,

James, the son of Zebedee,

John, the brother of James,

3 Philip,

Bartholomew,

Thomas,

Matthew, the tax collector,

James, the son of Alphaeus,

Thaddaeus,

4 Simon, the Zealot,

Judas Iscariot (the one who handed Jesus over to his enemies).

Interestingly, Jesus chose these 12 young men who, at the time, had no real relationship with God.

They resided within the fringe of religiosity.

They were Jews, yes, but not born-again believers in Jesus Christ.

That didn’t happen until after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Until that time, they were disciples (“learners”) and friends of the man they hoped was the Messiah, the one who would redeem them from Roman rule.

Does that surprise you: that Jesus chose unsaved, Jewish-born men to be his closest followers?

That was his intention, honestly.

He was sent by God to purposely “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). 

Seek in Greek (zēteō) means “to search for, to crave.”

https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/luk/19/10/t_conc_992010

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g2212/kjv/tr/0-1/

Jesus intentionally searched out, purposely sought after and deeply craved relationships with those who were unregenerate, with those who were the complete antithesis of himself: sinless, pure, and holy.

The reason I bring this up is many believers today have unsaved friends in their circle of relationships, and they may feel guilty (or even ashamed) that they do.

After all, some believers think that Christians should keep the unsaved at a distance, citing 1 Corinthians 15:33 Amplified as justification.

33 Do not be deceived: [a]“Bad company corrupts good morals.”

Yet, we, of all people, should, like Jesus, be seeking out the unsaved, craving their friendship (though not their influence), with the intention of being ambassadors for the Almighty, out of obedience to fulfilling the Great Commission of “making disciples,” and with the hope of bringing these unsaved friends to the Light, to receive the free gift of grace through faith.

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Amplified Bible

16 So from now on we regard no one from a human point of view [according to worldly standards and values]. Though we have known Christ from a human point of view, now we no longer know Him in this way. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].

What About Our Loving Our Unsaved Friends?

John 13:34-35 Amplified Bible

34 I am giving you a new commandment, that you [a]love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.”

I have unsaved friends and acquaintances.

And I believe, based on Jesus’ example with his disciples, that that’s a good thing.

From my own experience, here are a few ways (which are not exhaustive) to express our love to our unsaved friends.

These can also apply to unsaved family members, co-workers, neighbors—anyone in your relationship sphere who doesn’t know Jesus as Savior and Lord.

1. Value Them

This should go without saying, but in fact, in our culture today, which is so fraught with immediate polarization, immediate negative reactions around issues, sometimes we believers can tend to—perhaps unknowingly and unintentionally—“devalue” those who hold opposite principles than us.

We wont talk to them to avoid giving “offense.”

We will dance a waltz around them as we avoid stepping on fragile eggs that are invisibly spread impossibly far, wide, across every walking surface imaginable.

As if they are some kind of mythical vampire or werewolf, in our minds we will carry our crosses high and far out in front of us, waving them to ward them off.

We can tend to think less of them, we can tend to unintentionally dismiss them, and even pass our judgment on them out of self-righteousness and false piety.

But every person, whether we agree with them politically, morally, religiously, ethically, has value for the simple fact they are created by God, bear his image.

Even in their sinful state, they still carry God’s imprint.

Like us they bear the common-grace markings of God through the expression of their thoughts, morals, their ethics, their emotions, intellect, and creativity.

So, first off, as Christ himself did when he sought out His first twelve disciples, seek to value each unsaved friend as a God-created, God-imprinted person.

Look past their opinions, beliefs, and leanings.

Look at them through the lens of Creation,

based on Genesis 1:27: “So God created mankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (my emphasis added).

2. Accept Them

Accept them exactly where they are at.

The unsaved are going to act as, well, unsaved.

Their souls, minds, and hearts are un-regenerated.

They will think, believe, and act out of their sin-nature.

They will speak profanely, they will offend by speech or hygiene, they will drink (often to excess), they will be promiscuous, and they will slander and hate too.

They will act foolishly, irrationally, and sinfully.

Given this, we’re not to condemn them.

Frankly, we should expect them act unbecomingly in their depravity.

It should not shock us nor surprise us.

After all, we once did, too, before we surrendered our lives to Jesus as Savior and to the Holy Spirit as Sanctifier (Titus 3:3).

Therefore, God says we have no business passing judgment on our worldly-minded, worldly-living, unsaved friends, based on 1 Corinthians 5:12:

“What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?”

However, we aren’t to condone their behavior, either.

We graciously accept them as a person without condoning their sinful choices.

But when asked,

we gently and respectfully tell them we don’t agree or approve of their behavior (1 Peter 3:15-16), we use this “GOD” opportunity to share how we are compelled, because of what Jesus did for us, to now live under the guidance of God’s ways.

15 But in your hearts set Christ apart [as holy—acknowledging Him, giving Him first place in your lives] as Lord. Always be ready to give a [logical] defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope and confident assurance [elicited by faith] that is within you, yet [do it] with gentleness and respect. 16 And see to it that your conscience is entirely clear, so that every time you are slandered or falsely accused, those who attack or disparage your good behavior in Christ will be shamed [by their own words].

3. Listen to Them

Oftentimes we think the best way to show love is to talk—even if it’s about God—when in actuality, it’s to listen.

That old idiom,

“God gave us one mouth and two ears,” rings loud and true in this case.

When people feel listened to—really listened to—they feel respected, valued, and cared about.

Not to mention that God values a genuinely attentive listener.

“Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (James 1:19).

As people, they also have hopes and dreams, desires and aspirations, and pain and long-buried hurts, some of which may have been caused by the Church or other Christians.

Listening to them helps us to build commonality with them, and compassion for them, especially in their suffering.

Listening also breeds understanding.

We may not agree with our friend’s views, but listening allows us to come to an understanding of how and why they think and believe the way they do.

Furthermore,

people like nothing more than to be understood and appreciated for their opinions, values, and beliefs, even if they’re on the wrong side of the Bible.

Another benefit of listening—which was a new thought for me—is that it breeds patience in us, the listener.

Sitting and listening to someone you disagree with is difficult.

You will have to have patience.

And if you haven’t already developed the necessary tolerance for this task, just the practice of hearing others more often will gradually help you to create it.

If you find that you are struggling with the activity, try to remember you are listening to learn something new.

You can also listen with the intent to ask questions, and this will help you focus on the words the other person is saying more carefully.

So, listen to learn and understand.

Listen to show respect and value.

Listen to cultivate patience and compassion.

Conversely, listening will also earn you the right to be listened to.

Tit for tat, so to speak.

And then you have the wonderful opportunity to speak the truths of God, and your unsaved friend will likely be more apt to listen, to be a bit more receptive.

4. Pray for Them

“Prayer is the work,” someone once told me.

How true that is.

Prayer is the behind-the-scenes work in which all believers should be engaged.

Prayer is the work of seeking open doors for Gospel witnessing, of building God’s Kingdom.

James even tells us that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16).

Prayer Builds Relationship With God.

Joyful hope and patience in afflic­tion go against the grain of our own natures.

Despair and self-pity come much more easily.

In times like that, it’s important to turn to God in prayer.

We pray for many reasons: to thank God for blessings, to praise God, to confess sins, to seek God’s guidance.

In addition, we pray to ask God for help.

Asking God for help may be the most natural prayer of all. 

Sometimes God answers our requests for help exactly as we ask, sometimes not.

Either way, the Bible calls us to be unceasingly faithful in prayer.

Prayer—thanking, praising, confessing, asking for help—connects us with God.

Prayer builds relationship.

Prayer strengthens the bond between God, our unsaved friends and us.

When you have a good relationship with someone, hopefulness and patience become a little easier, especially when that Someone is the Creator, Sustainer of the entire universe.

With regards to your unsaved friends (or whomever the Lord has burdened your heart with):

  • Pray for their hardened hearts to be softened (Romans 2:5)
  • Pray that God implants a new, humble, clean, pure, and believing heart within them (Ezekiel 36:26, Matthew 18:4, Psalm 51:10, Matthew 5:8, Romans 10:10).
  • Pray that their darkened minds may be enlightened to understand God’s truths, to be renewed, transformed, and focused on things above rather than on things below (Ephesians 4:18, Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23, Colossians 3:12).
  • Pray for blind eyes to suddenly “see” the Light of this world, which saves, and the glory of God and his goodness (2 Corinthians 4:4, Luke 4:18, John 3:3, Psalm 34:8, John 8:12).
  • Pray for plugged ears become unplugged, to suddenly “hear” the Good News (Romans 1:16, 10:14, 17).

5. Be More Like Jesus: Show Them Grace

John 1:14 Amplified Bible

The Word Made Flesh

14 And the Word (Christ) became flesh, and lived among us; and we [actually] saw His glory, glory as belongs to the [One and] only begotten Son of the Father, [the Son who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, who is] full of grace and truth (absolutely free of deception).

Jesus was God’s grace personified.

He came not to condemn but to show grace to those who least deserved it: the sinners.

He extended a helping hand to those who were suffering, he likewise extended a kind word to those who were desperate, and, when necessary, he too unerringly spoke the hardcore truth in confronting the nature of our sin, and yet with love.

Grace upon grace.

We should be God’s grace personified, as well, to our unsaved friends.

We may be the only people who show them grace when they fail or sin grievously.

Our extending grace to them when all others are judging and dismissing may just be exactly what they need to experience for them to finally see their need for a Savior, to repent, to pray their sinners prayer and so to receive salvation.

What About Our “Efforts” to Love as Jesus Loved?

As believers in Christ, yes, we’re called to remain holy (“separate”) in our conduct and are not to conform to this world.

But that isn’t justification to withdraw from the world or from its people.

Quite the opposite.

Distancing ourselves from the unsaved is not an option, nor is it even biblical.

Rather, Jesus told his disciples and us to “Go” into the world (“to all nations”) and to make disciples for the transformation of the world. (Matthew 28:19-20)

And many times, only but by the grace of God, does that happen, when we all intentionally and prayerfully build up genuine friendships with the unsaved.

In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,

Let us Pray,

Reconciling Christ, by Your grace, forgiveness and mercy, bless our efforts to bring about reconciliation. Give us the strength to persevere without counting the hurts, and to find within ourselves the capacity to keep on loving.

Give us the grace to be able to stand in the middle of situations, and to be a conduit for the deep listening which can lead to healing and forgiveness.

Help us to conduct ourselves with dignity, giving and expecting respect, moving from prayer to action, and from action back again into prayer.

Grant that we may be so thoroughly grounded and rooted in your love, that our security is not threatened if we change our minds, or begin to see a better way to act.

Bless those who are called to reconcile on a large-scale –politicians, world leaders, leaders of business, and those who stand in the midst of bitter conflict.

Reconciling Christ, bless us and bless all who engage in the sacred work of envisioning new wholeness, and bringing people and nations together. AMEN.

Adeste Fideles! Laeti Triumphantes! Venite Adoremus! Dominum.

Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.

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