The Gospel Way

The Gospel Way

No human mind could conceive or invent the gospel.

Acting in eternal grace, thou art both its messenger and its message, lived out on earth through infinite compassion, applying thy life to insult, injury, death, that I might be redeemed, ransomed, freed.

Blessed be thou, O Father, for contriving this way, Eternal thanks to thee, O Lamb of God, for opening this way, Praise everlasting to thee, O Holy Spirit, for applying this way to my heart.

Glorious Trinity, impress the gospel on my soul, until its virtue diffuses every faculty; Let it be heard, acknowledged, professed, felt.

Teach me to secure this mighty blessing; Help me to give up every darling lust, to submit heart and life to its command, to have it in my will, controlling my affections, moulding my understanding; to adhere strictly to the rules of true religion, not departing from them in any instance, nor for any advantage in order to escape evil, inconvenience or danger.

Take me to the cross to seek glory from its infamy; Strip me of every pleasing pretence of righteousness by my own doings.

O gracious Redeemer, I have neglected thee too long, often crucified thee, crucified thee afresh by my impenitence, put thee to open shame.

I thank thee for the patience that has borne with me so long, and for the grace that now makes me willing to be thine.

O unite me to thyself with inseparable bonds, that nothing may ever draw me back from thee, my Lord, my Saviour.

All I have is Christ

This video is mouth dropping awesome! Jesus steps in our path to destruction and says I will die in their place! All I have is Christ! There is no greater ambition in life than laying your life down to follow the Savior who died for you! This video is the Gospel on display! So much said in this video and brings tears to the eyes as we grasp and understand his Ultimate Sacrifice!

Because of Christ Sacrifice we can have new life!

There is a fountain filled with blood
drawn from Emmanuel’s veins;
and sinners plunged beneath that flood
lose all their guilty stains–William Cowper, 1731-1800
Famous hymn “There is a fountain filled with Blood”

Gospel and Discipleship: 2 key words we must know!

The Gospel is the most needed word in our world. When I was lost in my college days and fumbling through life for purpose and meaning the one word I was in desperate need for was the, “Gospel.” The Gospel is what non-believers in Christ need. They are just walking zombies on a desperate search for self-discovery and significance until they run into Christ. My friend once told me that if he was hit by a Mac truck he wouldn’t be the same after. The same is true when we meet Jesus. We have different walk because we have found the pearl of great price, “who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:46).  There is a cost to following Christ and many need to count the Cost before they commit.  In addition the ones who have failed to count the cost often suffer from Gospel Amnesia.  This is why knowing the Gospel is the Christian’s highest goal and to be able to live it and share this wonderful message.

What is the Gospel? In a world of false gospels some false teachers and false prophets are propagating a “different gospel” centered on “another Jesus” (see 2 Cor. 11:3-4). Jesus came on a rescue mission to redeem us from our sin by becoming sin for us. He died in our place and allows us into fellowship with him through his sin-atoning death on the Cross. The Gospel is the story of redemption in how we were lost in our sins and Jesus showed up and rescued us from our sins and gave us his Holy Spirit to walk in newness of life. We can gain the world and lose our soul without the Gospel.  It is important to note that we are acceptable to God not based on our performance by obeying, nor because we have promised to give up things, but because of the death of Christ.  My favorite quote on Grace comes from Jerry Bridges, “Our worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.”

The Second word that is so important is Discipleship.
As one discovers the Gospel to the be most amazing news one could ever embrace then discipleship takes over. Discipleship is when a believer in Christ starts to live for a new master. Christ becomes the teacher and we seek out older wiser brothers to show us how to live this new life. Discipleship is where we discover our purpose and learn our mission to invite others to join us on our journey with Christ. We witness and do life with others as we live in a fallen world. We see the needs around us and seek to meet others needs. We share the Gospel and meditate on the Gospel which promotes joy and hatred of sin for how we once lived apart from Christ. It is amazing journey to deeper intimacy with Christ. Go find a church on mission and link up with some brothers to hold you accountable. The mission of discipleship begins and ends when we meet Jesus. Invite others to join you on mission for Christ.

5 Quotes on Discipleship

1. “Most people in America, when they are exposed to the Christian faith, are not being transformed. They take one step into the door, and the journey ends. They are not being allowed, encouraged, or equipped to love or to think like Christ. Yet in many ways a focus on spiritual formation fits what a new generation is really seeking. Transformation is a process, a journey, not a one-time decision.”
― David Kinnaman, Unchristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity…and Why It Matters

2. “Fortunately, God made all varieties of people with a wide variety of interests and abilities. He has called people of every race and color who have been hurt by life in every manner imaginable. Even the scars of past abuse and injury can be the means of bringing healing to another. What wonderful opportunities to make disciples!”
― Charles R. Swindoll

3. “What makes authentic disciples is not visions, ecstasies, biblical mastery of chapter and verse, or spectacular success in the ministry, but a capacity for faithfulness. Buffeted by the fickle winds of failure, battered by their own unruly emotions, and bruised by rejection and ridicule, authentic disciples may have stumbled and frequently fallen, endured lapses and relapses, gotten handcuffed to the fleshpots and wandered into a far county. Yet, they kept coming back to Jesus.”
― Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out

4. “[God says] Discipleship is not limited to what you can comprehend – it must transcend all comprehension. Plunge into the deep waters beyond your own comprehension, and I will help you to comprehend even as I do. Bewilderment is the true comprehension. Not to know where you are going is the true knowledge. My comprehension transcends yours.”
― Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

5. “The cross where Jesus died became also the cross where His apostle died. The loss, the rejection, the shame, belong both to Christ and to all who in very truth are His. the cross that saves them also slays them, and anything short of this is a pseudo-faith and not true faith at all.”
― A.W. Tozer, The Divine Conquest

Live in freedom, not by the law!

Christian Assurance is not found in looking at our-self, but in looking at our Savior.

As i posted earlier a clip by Wretched Radio ( http://youtu.be/9xW0YOZ9Mps ) in which they hit on a great issue of our day the do’s and don’ts syndrome and the law and the gospel is at the heart of the issue.  Do you have the do good syndrome? Many people stay busy and do a lot of good things but do not have time for bible reading and prayer because they are so busy doing good stuff. They play into the hands of the law of working out of one’s own righteousness, rather than living out of the freedom we have in Christ. We are free to pray and read the bible because we want to not because we have too. We should take delight in spending time in the word and prayer because we want too. Living by the law is futile and only leads to legalism and self righteousness. Living by grace gives us freedom to serve because we want/get too. Not because we have to earn our way which breeds self-righteousness by proving to yourself and to God how worthy we are. We live in Christ because he paid the ultimate sacrifice by dying on the cross in our place. He did it all. We respond to him in thankfulness and worship. Live in freedom, not by the law!

Law and Gospel

“…for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin,” (Rom. 3:20).

The Law shows us our sin are and how we do not measure up. The law is the do’s and don’t’s of moral behavior. It consists of the 10 commandments (Exodus 20), rules for social life (Exodus 21:1-23:33), and rules for the worship of God (Exodus 25:1-31:18). The Law is a taskmaster because it requires that we maintain a perfect standard of moral behavior. And who is able to maintain perfection? Which is why we are all grace cases should not brag on ourselves. Yes we may do good things but we are defined by what Christ did for us not by the good things we have done. We ought to point back to the good things we do as signposts for how God is presently working or how he has in our past. All glory is due to him and not to us Psalm 115:1. When we fail, the Law condemns us to death. Works do not earn us salvation or play any part of it. The Bible says that a man is justified by faith and not by works (Rom. 3:28).

The Law shows us what we are guilty of and the Gospel delivers us by grace! So go and live in the freedom of the gospel! If you read this and you hear I don’t have to read my Bible and pray you have missed the point. We should be greatful and take delight in following Christ because we get to not because we ought too!

By his Grace,

Donnie Nelson

The Vicious Cycle of Sin- Find your superior pleasure in Christ

The Vicious Cycle of Sin- Find your superior pleasure in Christ

As a growing Christian I have often wondered how can I remain joyful in the Christian life with this on going battle with my remaining sin.  After reading a book by Sam Storms I have found the answer.  I have been a christian pushing 10 years now, but my struggle with the pleasure of past sins often haunts me like a ghost in the closet.  Anybody else? We have all heard find your joy in Christ not in things of this world.  But practically how do I find joy in Christ with my favorite sports team or favorite pet sin is calling out for me.  Being honest I have often taken Satan’s bait and like a fish have taken the bait and have been captured by sin.  Satan does lure us into sin and sin which is toxic promises joy if you give in and dive into sin. Many of my fellow Christians can feel my struggle of taking the bait and then having Satan greet me with a Louisville slugger after my fall into sin. Yes, and then we run to the cross for forgiveness and call on Jesus to remove the stain of sin and to remove the desire for sin yet the next day run back to the same sin.

God’s grace is wonderful and he doesn’t give up on us or leave us in our sin but wants to clean us up.  Like a young child falling off their bike and getting a scrapped knee we get beat up by sin.  Then we hear God’s grace saying come to me and the parent telling the child you can do it, jump back on and try again.  We receive forgiveness for what Jesus has done and accomplished on our behalf.  We take joy that our sin is forgiven and has been taken away by his death on the Cross.  Our sin debt was huge and we cannot pay for it that is why Jesus had to be the ultimate sacrifice for us. The gospel brings us great joy and we remember that we don’t grow as a Christian by rules or prohibitions but we grow as we grow deeper in the gospel.   When we sin we feel the sting of our helpless situation but Jesus answered our prayer and our brokenness by the Cross.

In light of this glorious gospel, How am I to pursue holiness and live in the joy of my salvation?  Sam storms shares that in our cycle of sin we may have assurance that we can overcome sin by finding our delight in Christ!

“The decision to say No to sin must itself be energized by the assurance of delight in an alternative “Yes”. We must fight sin with a massive promise of superior happiness. We must swallow up the flicker of sin’s pleasure in the forest fire of holy satisfaction. The only thing that will ultimately break the power of sin is passion for Jesus. The only thing that will guard me from being entrapped by sin is being entranced by Jesus. In other words, the key to holiness is falling in love!” Storms, Sam (2012-01-03). Pleasures Evermore: The Life-Changing Power of Enjoying God (Experiencing God) (pp. 31-32). Navpress. Kindle Edition.

As we follow Sam Storms in his challenge for us to find our superior delight in Christ we will weaken the power of sin in our lives.  It may feel tough but as we do what scriptures says to put off sin and put on Christ glorifying practices found in Ephesians 4 we will become more and more tough and grow in grace.  My prayer for you and me is that we would recall to mind in the struggle what Jesus has done for us and find our superior pleasure in Christ not in the cheap substitute of sin.

By his Grace,

Donnie Nelson