A Letter Full of Good News

View from Mt. Precipice in Nazareth by Lisa @ The Warming House

“Gospel” means "good news." So what's so good about the gospel message? In the book of Romans, Paul paints a comprehensive and pure picture of this good news. He starts with doctrine/theology then explains how those teachings should take root in a person and work their way out into behavior that impacts the world. If you read this post, you'll see why this news is so good.

Righteousness of God Revealed

Paul was not ashamed to preach the gospel because “it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes” – both Jew and Gentile. (Gentiles were people who did not have Jewish parents.)

In Romans, Paul taught that in the gospel “a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written . . .”

Righteousness is the state or condition of perfectly conforming to God’s perfect law and holy character. The perfection of God has been revealed in Jesus Christ. As a result of faith in Christ, a person is declared “righteous” and given eternal life. (Romans 1:16-17)

Mankind’s Need of God’s Righteousness

Romans 1:18-3:20

Paul began his case by first establishing something that I know from my personal life to be very, very true. It’s the dilemma facing every human being who has ever lived on this planet called Earth:

• We are all imperfect and unable to live life without any mistakes or sin.
• We are absolutely helpless to do anything to make ourselves good enough to stand in the presence of a perfect and holy God whose invisible attributes, eternal power, and divine nature are clearly seen and understood through His creation. (Romans 1:20; Psalm 19:1-6) All men are accountable to God.
• Because we are flawed, the wrath of God rests on us.
• The consequence of our imperfection is death and permanent separation from God. In essence, sin is the kidnapper that holds us in bondage and separates us from the One who loves us. There is a ransom that needs to be paid or we will die apart from Him.

God's Compassion For Our Dilemma 

Romans 3:21-5:21  

In Romans 3:21-5:21, Paul goes on to explain that God was patient and longsuffering – refraining from enforcing punishment until he revealed His righteous One who could take away the sins of those who put their faith in him. So here’s His solution for our dilemma:

• In great compassion, God's Son - Jesus Christ, stepped in to pay our ransom by taking the punishment we deserve.
• He endured the brunt of God’s wrath on our behalf while we were still filthy and undeserving.
• His actions removed God’s wrath from us once and for all.
• Christ is able to do this for us because he is perfect and without sin.
• In the process, Jesus places His righteousness on us. God now sees all who put their faith in Jesus Christ through the lens of Christ’s perfection. The guilty verdict is removed and we are declared innocent. This is called justification. I am a recipient of this justification and am eternally grateful for what He has done.

Paul hammers home the message that we are saved from condemnation solely because of what Christ has done for us. Thankfully, it isn’t about us and our efforts. It’s about God’s goodness and mercy. 

God’s Righteousness Within

Romans 6:1-8:39

After putting faith in Jesus Christ and receiving a verdict of innocence, God begins to live and work inside believers with the purpose of making them look like Christ from the inside out. (Romans 8:28-29) This is called sanctification. Pretty cool!

This is how it works:

• Change comes when a believer turns away from their old way of living, lives in oneness with Christ, and allows God to reign freely and with complete authority over their life.
• Believers still struggle against sin, but sin no longer controls them. (Yes, I sometimes feel as though I’ve “sweat blood” as I’ve strained against my humanness.) Through dependence on God, His Holy Spirit inside of them provides all the power they need to conquer temptation and sin. (God is so good!)
• Failure happens – even in the lives of well-meaning Christians. In great compassion and grace, God forgives them then helps them to persevere and move forward.
• Bottom line: God never lets go. Nothing can separate us from His love. (Romans 8:35-39) I praise God for His limitless mercy.

“For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6

Israel’s Reception of God’s Righteousness

Romans 9:1-11:36

Paul urged the people of Israel (who he loved like crazy) to come to the understanding that the true “sons of Abraham” and “children of God” are those who are sons by faith – spiritual sons.

He explained that:

• Gentiles received righteousness through faith while Israel pursued righteousness through the Law and works. Israel failed because it is impossible to achieve complete righteousness through works.
• Righteousness/justification come only through Jesus Christ. The Jewish people could not accept that. They stumbled over Christ and missed him.
• God used their rejection for a very good purpose – the adoption of the Gentiles into His family. (Christ came first to save the Jewish people, but when they rejected Him the door was opened to the Gentiles.)

“But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles . . .” Romans 11:11

“. . . a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in . . .” Romans 11:25

• Paul wanted his people – the people of Israel – to wake up, recognize, and receive true righteousness through faith in Christ. He told them that God has not rejected Israel completely. Although they rejected Him, He will give them fulfillment and life through Christ when they believe.

“Now if their transgression is riches for the world, and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!” Romans 11:12

“And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.” Romans 11:23

God’s Righteousness Works Its Way Out

Romans 12:1-15:13

Those who love Jesus Christ and have a relationship with Him, abandon all that they are (heart, soul, body, and mind) to all that He is. That abandonment of self and submission to Him affects:

• Our bodies and what we do with them
• Our spiritual gifts and talents - and how we use them
• How we live out our daily lives (i.e., behavior)
• Our respect for authority
• Our convictions
• Our interactions with others
• Our worship
• Our unity with other believers

God loves us just the way we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. He works to change us into the image of His Son. Those changes are meant to work their way out into our behavior.

The believer’s desire is to glorify God for His incredible and unexplainable mercy.

In a nutshell:

“Once we too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled by others and became slaves to many wicked desires and evil pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy. We hated others, and they hated us. But then God our Savior showed us His kindness and love. He saved us, not because of the good things we did, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins and gave us new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us because of what Jesus Christ our Savior did. He declares us not guilty because of His great kindness. And now we know that we will inherit eternal life.” Titus 3:4-5 (New Living Translation)

 Thanks for sharing your time with me here at The Warming House. Glad you stopped by!

Lisa~

To the Ends of the Earth

The book of Acts is nestled in the Bible just after the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. After Jesus died and was resurrected, he appeared to his disciples and followers for 40 days. In the book of Acts, he instructs them to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit to come. He said that the Holy Spirit would give them power to be his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. I'm sure they wondered what he meant. By the way, Judea was the larger region surrounding the city of Jerusalem, and Samaria was the area just north of Judea.

Illogical Instructions


His instructions probably shook them up a bit. The apostles were from Galilee. (Acts 2:7) In the Galilean culture of that time, everything revolved around local community/village life. Villages were "inward focused" and its residents looked out for one another.  In addition, God had told the Jews that they were his chosen people. They were proud of that fact and felt tremendous animosity toward those on the “outside.”  Samaritans (a mixed race with one Jewish parent/one non-Jewish parent) and Gentiles (no Jewish lineage) were all outsiders. Gentiles were the people living at “the ends of the earth” beyond Judea and Samaria. Do you think it might have been difficult for them to do what he was asking - to go to those people they felt such animosity toward?

A New Way of Thinking

Some believe Jesus’ primary intent was to instruct his followers to minister and preach first in their hometown – then go out from there. But was there more to it than that? As he spoke his last words before his ascension, was he trying to break their inward-focused mindset? Was he trying to get them to see God’s heart? Was his intention to stretch their thinking and help them see what he had been revealing along the way – that the gospel was meant for the outsiders too? 

                                                           

The Early Church is Born


In Acts chapter 2, the Holy Spirit came from heaven and filled the apostles permanently. Through the power of the Holy Spirit they began speaking in foreign languages so that many could understand their words. About 3,000 people put their faith in Christ that day, and the church was born. Those who followed the way of Christ shared their possessions with one another. They were devoted to learning, loving, worshipping, praying, and evangelizing together. Individual churches supported and encouraged other churches. They were one in heart and mind. 


The Early Church - An Example For Today


This unity is something I don’t see much of today. Denominations divide us. Church walls divide us. People become angry when members leave one church to go to another – even when it’s for constructive reasons. Many churches in America today have adopted a “we” versus “them” mentality. It seems that a huge number of churches view each other as competition – and it’s killing us. We’ve forgotten that we’re on the same team. If we were to remember the one who links us, and love one another like the early church did, we just might see God “add to our number daily those who are being saved” - like he did back then. Unfortunately, too many people have been damaged by the church and have run for the hills.

The Gospel Spreads

Meanwhile, back in Jerusalem, a man of faith named Stephen, was stoned to death after speaking to the religious elite – the Sanhedrin. On that same day, great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem. The believers fled town to avoid being imprisoned or murdered. And guess what? They fled to the surrounding areas of Judea and Samaria. As they uprooted their lives and made their way to safer places, do you think the words of Jesus ran through their minds? Instead of questioning their faith as they endured persecution, I wonder if his words brought them comfort because things were unfolding just as he said they would. Is it possible that his words in Acts 1:8 weren't so much a command as they were a statement or prophecy of what was to come?

“. . . and you shall be my witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest parts of the earth.” Acts 1:8

As they established new lives in these areas, they took their faith with them - and shared it.

Paul - Preacher to the Gentiles

What about those at “the ends of the earth?” Well – along came Saul. Among the Jewish religious leaders, he was royalty. He had the right lineage, understood the scriptures . . . and viciously persecuted Gentiles and Christians. One day as he was traveling to Damascus to persecute Jews who had escaped to that area, he encountered Jesus and everything flipped. Instead of being a persecutor, God made him a preacher to the Gentiles. What a turnaround! His name was changed to Paul.

Paul's Journeys

Here’s a quick rundown of the places Paul traveled and the letters he wrote during that time. These letters are now “books” in the Bible.

1st Missionary Journey:

After Paul’s first missionary journey to Galatia, he returned to Antioch and wrote Galatians. He had heard that false teachers had come into the new church and were teaching a false gospel. He wrote to the Galatians defending the truth of the gospel and encouraging his readers to live the Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit.


2nd Missionary Journey:

On his second missionary journey, Paul traveled to Thessalonica, Athens, and Corinth. While in Corinth , he wrote 1^st and 2^nd Thessalonians to encourage, commend, answer questions, and call his readers to hope and greater excellence in Christian living.


3rd Missionary Journey:

On his third missionary journey, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from Ephesus to address factions in the church, immorality in their midst, unjustified lawsuits, and questions. He wrote 2 Corinthians from Macedonia to commend believers who had changed their ways, to encourage them to give funds to help believers in Jerusalem, and to defend his authority.  Paul had a strong desire to preach Christ in Rome. He traveled back to Corinth and wrote Romans – the most theological of all his letters that included a thorough explanation of Christian doctrine and its application to everyday life.


4th Missionary Journey:

Paul’s fourth missionary journey took him to Rome as a prisoner. He wrote Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians.

After his release from prison, he wrote 1 Timothy and Titus.

During his final imprisonment in Rome, he wrote 2 Timothy - his last letter before being executed for his faith.

When I look at the books of Act, I see strong faith, earnest prayer, great courage, tenacity, unity, and tremendous perseverance. Christians in the book of Acts were committed believers who boldly proclaimed Christ and loved one another well. Love that!! Want to be like that! I am so thankful for their example and for their faithfulness so that the message of the gospel could come to us today. Now it's our turn to be his witnesses even to the remotest parts of the earth, and we know Jesus will be with us as his Holy Spirit empowers us to do so. 


Blessings,


Lisa~

Sharing Jesus

Who is Jesus? Religions outside of Christianity say Jesus was a prophet, an enlightened teacher, or a spirit child created by the Father and “mother” in heaven. Some believe he was a man who displayed the Christ idea but was not God, did not suffer, and could not suffer for the sins of mankind. Others believe he was symbolic of “all the gods to which you pray,” was not crucified, didn’t really die, and did not rise from the dead.

There is clearly some confusion about Jesus. So who is Jesus? Truly, this is the most important question anyone can ever ask or answer for himself or herself; therefore, it is critically important for those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ to share the truth about who Jesus is and what he's done for mankind.

There are many ways to share the gospel message. Here are a few.

The Romans Road http://gotquestions.org/Romans-road-salvation.html#

The Four Spiritual Laws http://campuscrusade.com/fourlawseng.htm

The Bridge Illustration http://navigators.org/us/resources/illustrations/items/The%20Bridge%20to%20Life#
Evangelism Explosion   http://evangelismexplosion.org/resources/answers-to-tough-questions/

Social media (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, podcasts, blogs, etc.)

Through our lifestyle (living in such a way that others see Christ's influence in our lives)

In our relationships 

Sharing personal testimony

Street evangelism

Servanthood (acts of service/love that minister to the whole person)

Street evangelism is the most troublesome for me because it doesn’t allow others to see how we live our lives under the leadership and influence of Jesus Christ.  It’s often a forced conversation. In Matthew 28, Jesus clearly instructs us to make disciples of all nations. With street evangelism there is typically no follow-up, continued relationship, or discipleship.

In a recent study conducted by the Barna Group, there were absolutely no favorable comments about street witnessing among all the people they interviewed. Barna found that street witnessing actually creates barriers – mental and emotional obstacles – to Jesus. (Kinnaman, Dave and Lyons, Gabe, “Unchristian”, Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Books, 2007, p. 70) Barna concludes that the most effective evangelism efforts are relationship based.

Servanthood evangelism is most natural for me because I have experienced God’s compassion. It is a beautiful reflection of the solidarity God has demonstrated as he came to walk alongside us in our troubles, our pain, and the ugliness of our sin through the life of his son, Jesus Christ. In compassion, he chose to suffer with us. This reveals the sincerity of his love. Romans 2:4 accurately teaches that God’s kindness leads us to repentance. As we enter into difficult situations and serve others, our actions prove the sincerity of our love as well. “People don’t care how much we know until they know how much we care.”

In my lifetime, I have shared my faith through teaching, preaching, serving, and sharing my testimony in the local church, at Christian women’s events, during mission trips to other countries, in para-church ministries, through my blog, and in the way I live my daily life. Yes – it can be scary to share your faith and I don’t do it perfectly. I have definitely experienced anxiety in some of these situations, I certainly don’t have all the answers, and I’m still a complicated mess as a human being. BUT - I am extraordinarily grateful for all that Jesus Christ has done for me. My life has been pockmarked with some really ugly mistakes and bad choices. Through his death on the cross Jesus took the punishment for all of my sins. He did for me what I could not do for myself. He made me clean and made it possible for God to forgive me for all I’ve done wrong so that I can be at peace with myself and experience life with Him forever. He has also healed my heart from some very deep pain. I absolutely love sharing the greatness of who he is with other people.

Christ gave us two commands that impact evangelism:

1) The great commission: Go, share the greatest news the world has ever known, and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19-20)

2) The great commandment: Love God and your fellow man. (Matthew 22:37-40)

It’s so important for us to carefully steward the image of God and to be accurate reflections of his heart. My personal belief is that we are called to become the embodiment of the gospel message through our whole lives as we follow both of these commands and abide in Christ. Through our actions we bring the concepts of forgiveness, reconciliation, and love to life. (See 2 Corinthians 3:3)

Remember:

It’s God’s will for us to share what we know. (Matthew 28:19-20)

We don’t have to do it eloquently. (1 Corinthians 1:17)

We are not to hinder the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:12)

God opens the door for us. (2 Corinthians 2:11-13)

We are to be known by our love. (John 13:34-35, 1 John 3:17-18, Ephesians 4:15)

We sow the seeds, but God is the Lord of the harvest and brings growth. (1 Corinthians 3:4-7, Matthew 9:37-38)

Jesus is with us as we share His message. (Matthew 28:20)

There is no other name by which to be saved. (Acts 4:12, John 14:6)

If you have never known the joy of a relationship with Jesus Christ and would like to learn more, see my page - "Knowing Jesus".

Love you all! Thanks for sitting a while with me here at The Warming House.

Lisa~