Majoring in the Major Theme: The Gospel

Jerry Bridges has done it again! When R.C. Sproul gave his commendation of this book (from the back cover) he says, "The Christian church benefits each time Jerry Bridges takes up his pen to author a book. The Gospel for Real Life is no exception..."

So, what's so amazing you might ask? The man has lived under the liberating power of the gospel for decades. He has thought long and hard about the implications and effects of the gospel. He cherishes it and when he writes about the gospel, you feel the love he has for his Savior.

This book is not a practical how-to book on applying the gospel as you might assume from the title. It actually aims to explore the many different contours of the gospel. Then, I think the premise Bridges is operating under is; when we rightly understand what Christ has accomplished for us it changes our 'real lives.' It would serve new Christians well to sit down with this book and get a firm foundation of what Christ has done. And, it would benefit any veteran Christ follower to be refreshed once again by the gospel of grace... the old good news never gets old!

Acts 23- The Lord is Near

There is a huge theme though out all of scriptures. In the garden there was nearness with God. At the fall humanity was severed from the intimate relationship with the Almighty. God is at work the world redeeming humanity to Himself.

The people of God have always known this. They pray blessings like, "The Lord bless and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face to you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26). We eagerly desire, deep down in our souls, nearness to God. And sometimes I think we overlook the blessing that following Him can give us just that.

The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testifies about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome" (Acts 23:11).

Paul experienced that nearness. I would submit to you he experienced the nearness of the Lord Jesus Christ because Paul was so relentlessly obeying and walking in the will of the Lord.

Are you faithfully living out the desires of King Jesus in your life? Are you walking in obedience to His revealed desires for you? Are you experiencing the nearness and intimacy with Him that will One Day be fully realized? Is there any known sin that would hinder that nearness.

There is no greater blessing than to have God. Seek His face today.

Wrecked by Persecution

**Update... the video was pulled. There were some concerns that the footage was not of Christians being persecuted but of some other dispute. Cornerstone Church has pulled the videos until they can confirm the nature of the footage. Regardless, there are Christians all over the world that are suffering and dying for their belief in Christ. To learn more about the persecuted church visit the Voice of the Martyrs

*WARNING: The video embedded below is extremely graphic. It is for the mature only.

I challenge you to watch this video... It is critical that we understand perspective. This video will bring the perspective of the persecuted church. This perspective is often overlooked and dismissed by many of us. We seldom think on these things. In fact, we try not to think about it.

This video begs the question: Would you love Jesus even if it would cost you everything? Could any of us boast that we would remain faithful in such circumstances?

Furthermore, these are brothers and sisters in Christ. They deserve our prayers. To find out more visit the Voice of the Martyrs at persecution.com

Persecution in India: Francis' Response from Cornerstone Church on Vimeo.

On The Desk

Owen: Hebrews in the Crossway Classic Commentaries Series.

This commentary breaks down Owen's massive 14 volume work on Hebrews to a healthy two 'hundo' page book. I can handle it a little at a time but it takes some thinking power to stick with Owen's tough analytical mind. Well worth the work though.

Let's Study Hebrews by Hywel R Jones

Super accessible commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews. Jones breaks the book into short sections focusing on units of thought. He had some really insightful comments on the idea of Pilgrimage. It brought the situation of the Hebrews to life.

Applying the Sermon by Daniel Overdorf

I'm only a little way into this fascinating read. Let me quote the first two sentences:

"Sermon application frightens me. I find some comfort knowing that others share my fears."

I underlined these sentences and wrote a little remark beside them, "ME TOO!" Looking forward to working through this one.

The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges

Gospel 101. That is what this book feels as I open it up. Bridges has a phenomenal ability to take abstract concepts that surround the gospel and make them very understandable. A couple good examples of these are the concepts of propitiation and expiation. Bridges is able to steer the reader to understand these concepts without feeling like you're reading a seminary textbook. It is beautiful really. Earlier today I was tearing up at my desk as Bridges told a tale of a young boy running away from home after rebelling under the care of his loving parents. It was simply an illustration but it was so compelling and so vivid. When the boy pleaded for a chance to come home and brought his friend with to hear him apologize... I was gripped. Excellent job Bridges! One of my co-workers walked into my office and was taken aback by my teary eyes... "I got something in my eye man." Just kidding!

Acts 23- Fulfilling Our Duty

Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, "My brothers, I have fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day." (Acts 23:1)

How can Paul make such a bold statement? Paul is less than perfect. He recalled with honesty how he used to persecute followers of The Way. Jesus had to strike him blind and change his ways but we know that Paul wasn't without flaw even after that. In Romans 7 Paul documents his ongoing struggle with sin. Now in this moment he is on trial because of his actions and he begins and ends his defense by appealing to his conscience. The result: He gets struck on the mouth (vs. 2).

The High Priest and the others were appalled that Paul appealed to his conscience. The Jews know full well that, "the heart is deceitful above all and beyond cure" (Jer. 17:9). Conscience is tied up with the heart so how can anyone trust a faulty, deceitful, incurable, and fallible conscience? Paul even knew this! So what was he getting at?

Paul was not saying that he had never committed a wrong. Or even that he was not punishable for his wrongs. Paul was simply supremely aware of the effects of the Gospel that brought freedom to his conscience. Paul was, in fact, very guilty. He was guilty of more sins than this trial would even dare to try. He was guilty and punishable. However, Paul had already settled accounts with the Supreme Judge. Through the gospel of Jesus' death burial and resurrection, Paul has been freed from the condemnation of his sin. The penalty has been paid and freedom has been granted.

So why was this so offensive? The priest had a system for dealing with sin. It included sacrifices and ritual that could deal with sin and remove the condemnation of the punishment. But, there was always a catch. Even as the Priest was finishing up his yearly duties on the day of Atonement, people were already committing new sin. So conscience was never satisfied. Sin was always a problem. There was always uncertainty of whether or not God would accept the sacrifice.

But with Christ, the sacrifice was once for all and perfect, satisfying the wrath of God totally. Liberating mankind from the powers of sin and the fear of punishment. That is not to say we never struggle with sin, but we are free!

Paul felt that. He lived that. He preached that.

After appropriating the gospel that morning (as Paul did everyday!), he stood before the assembly totally free and totally cleansed by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ! He had fulfilled his duty, the duty of living in the beauty and grace of the Gospel of Christ. His conscience was clear! He was and is loved by the Creator of all things!

So, how you livin'? Do you feel the gospel liberation in you soul? Have you experienced today the wonder and majesty of the work of Christ on your behalf? No matter where you have been or how bad your week is, Christ is greater still! He can forgive your sins, wash your wounds, and set you totally free! Today, you can stand before not only men, but God, and say, "I have fulfilled my duty, my conscience is clear. Not on the basis of my works, but on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done for me. Praise His Glorious Name!"

Reminder to Be Missional

Ed Stetzer of Lifeway Research has some great resources on church leadership. I recommend that you check out what he has to say.

It is important that we as a youth group don't get too caught up in our youth group. God intends that we are intentional with our time at school, work, with family, and with friends too! So, think missional, be missional!

Acts 22- Testimony

In Acts 22 we see Paul roll out his personal testimony. This is one of the spots in the bible that show us the unique experience of sharing our personal stories.

Here are a couple thoughts about testimonies.

1) God doesn't give or create wasted days. There is much about Paul's story that could seem throw away. I'm sure Paul may have wished to erase the history surrounding his persecution of Christians. In the same way there may be many days of your life that you could rewrite. God aims to redeem even the most broken of our experiences.

2) There is no magic testimony formula for conversion. Sometimes the cross work in your life is the stench of death.

The crowd listened to Paul until he said this. Then they raised their voices and shouted, "Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live!" (Acts 22:22)

Criticism pt. 2

When it comes to critiquing, I am not saying that tolerance should be king. I do not believe that we should lay down convictions in order to pursue unity.That is a dangerous strategy. Jesus was realistically intolerant. He did not pursue unity with religious leaders, He pursued truth in love. When rightly understood, Jesus is very divisive and very judgmental. He says things like, "Do not suppose I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). He will not let us grow comfortable with sin. He does not leave room for half-hearted commitment or fuzzy beliefs. He calls us to full-out submission to a real and specific truth. This eventually results in unity. Unity, however, is not the first step... submission is. And that submission rests in an reality we call truth. We do not jettison truth for unity. Sometimes it is appropriate to discuss differences. Justin Taylor posted a blog on John Stott's view of christian disagreement here.

When people speak of 'Do not judge, or you too will be judged' they wrench that verse out of the context. The whole sermon on the mount is a treatise on two ways to live. Either, you are saved by grace and growing in righteousness, earning eternal favor with God, and the prospect of eternal rest. OR, you are distancing yourself from peace, living under the wrath of God, and storing up for yourself eternal punishment. Jesus is teaching us how to judge between the two. Voddie Baucham in a recent sermon points out that in the same breath Jesus says, 'judge not' he also says "don't cast your pearls to the pigs" and later says "watch out for false teachers." Okay Jesus, which is it? Are we supposed to judge or not? I thought 'judge not' means that I never judge? How is it then that I am supposed to know who a swine is and who a false teacher is? Isn't that judging? Jesus is not saying, 'don't judge.' Given the context he is actually saying judge accurately with the grace you have received. Remove the log in your eye, "then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye" (Matthew 7:5). Jesus says to judge yourself first so that you can help your brother. He does not say never ever judge.

It is important that we understand the concept of contending for the faith. I am currently taking a course through Moody Bible Institute called "The Church and Its Doctrines" and it is crazy that men were martyred for some basic tenants of the faith. Many of these tenants could hardly be recited by an average church goer these days, yet at one point they were considered so important! We must be passionate about the truth and be willing to shed a little blood over the faith passed down to us. "Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints" (Jude 1:3). This requires judging accurately.

However, I think where judging gets dangerous, and even venomous, is where we allow our wicked hearts to go beyond judging with grace, to flat out criticism (see the previous article "Criticism"). So, stand firm in the truth. But do so with reverence, grace, and humility.

Jesus, teach us to walk in faithfulness to you. Able to accurately discern truth without growing in arrogance. Guide us in faithfulness. Help us to have deep convictions. This tandem act of discernment and grace is a miraculous thing. Help it to happen with us!

Criticism

Why is it so easy to critique? Why do many Christians thrive on criticizing other Christians? This is an area where I feel I need work. Even the critique, Anton Ego, from the movie Ratatoullie, has a sobering reflection on criticism:

"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so."

The scary line from this quote is, "we thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read." Why is it that we enjoy arrogance so much? We love to put ourselves in a position of prominence. We love to set ourselves on top of the world and pronounce judgement. And others love to read and listen. Gossip and slander gain traction real quick. A harsh word gains an audience way quicker than silence and faithfulness does.

We need to check our hearts before we respond to the work of others. The web serves as a great platform to blast others from with little to no consequences and I think that is why there are so many venomous blogs out there (maybe mine included). I feel convicted that I have for sure said and wrote things about others without giving them a fair trial.

In what areas of your life are you critiquing others? Where do you struggle with gossip and slander? Even if you never verbalize your complaints, it is still a rotten heart issue. So, where do you struggle?

Jesus, help us to not be critics, but truth-tellers. Help us to major in the gospel and to let you sort it all out in the end. Help us to rightly divide the word of truth without being arrogant or hurtful to others that are attempting to grow in their understanding of You. Help us Jesus. This is an area of deep need.

Making Sense of Hebrews 6:4-6

Putting it all Together|Hebrews 6:4-6

At our youth group ignite, we are working through the book of Hebrews. This past Wednesday we came across one of the most difficult texts in the Bible to interpret and apply (Hebrews 6:4-6). We breezed over it and made some big picture observations. In light of some questions, and because some of you are thinkers, I wanted to post a little deeper article on the issue. These are the facebook messages from earlier today:

Cory,

So I'm confused. The people who can't be saved are the ones who grew up around christianity and experienced things and then deny Christ? But I thought that happens like people grow up in church then turn away completly from the faith however; later on in life they come back. Idk [I don't know] it just seems like God wouldn't not accept people. I thought like the worst sin was lying to the Holy Spirit. I know God is perfectly fair but it seems like if that were true this isn't fair to those people.

Dear Student

That is the difficulty of the text... does God actually deny people repentance? Is this a hypothetical situation? Here are few arguments for the how this can be interpreted:
1)Its a threat. The idea behind this argument is that the author wants to shock the readers into persevering. I don't buy it. I had a teacher in high school that threw around threats but never ever followed through. We ruled that class and she [the teacher] was our puppet. In the same way a parent that never follows through on a threat doesn't actually make their kids behave by threatening them. I don't think God works like that either. As if He says, "If you turn from me I will NEVER GIVE YOU REPENTANCE!" then under His breath, "not really, I don't do that." So that argument doesn't work for me. Another argument is...
2) It is a manner of speaking (vs. 9)
This argument means that the Author is proving a point argumentum ad absurdum (R.C. Sproul says it this way, I am not that smart!). Meaning, let's follow out this line of thought and see where it takes us, the end result is absurd. The bible does this in other places too like 1 Cor 15. This is where Paul writes about if you think there really was no resurrection, what are the implications? You are still in sin, you are still dead, you have no hope of resurrection, basically the end result is absurd. So, with Hebrews, what may be happening is he is playing out the premise 'let us go back to Jewish practices'. The way this would role out is: If you leave the gospel to go back to Jewish practices then you are saying the cross is useless, Jewish religion is king, there is no hope of repentance because you already dismissed Jesus, he is not coming again to be crucified again... therefore,there is no hope for you. (Something like that) The way this could happen today is somebody experiences Christianity, gets 'saved,' then turns away from the gospel to something else. Let's say that something else could be social justice, missions trips, church growth, etc... (religion). So, you have moved away from the cross and the end result is an absurd reality. None of those causes can save just like the religion of the Jews void of Jesus cannot save. 'However, in your case we are confident of better things.' So really this argument is saying, don't graduate from the gospel because that is absurd as if there is something better than Jesus. A third argument is...
3) Mixed corpus. The church is made up of a mixed bunch of people. Some are authentic Christians and some are false, professing christians. So, this is actually saying you might be a professing christian that actually turns away from God because you were never really saved in the first place. This gains steam from Matthew 7:21, "not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom," and 1 John 2:19, "They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they belonged to us they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us." So Hebrews is saying to someone who thinks they are saved (but doesn't know that they aren't) they will continue in their lost-ness. But, I would ask, 'why such strong language for false professors' because we know that God can grant repentance in the 11th hour. I do not think it is impossible for someone to repent when they never actually did in the first place. I would say very passionately, 'it is totally possible!' So, this argument also does not satisfy me.

But, it gets even more complicated, why does Peter get repentance? Then, why doesn't Judas? Why does God tell Nathan to stop praying for Saul? It is hard to know the mind of God!

4) It is referring to someone who willfully and determinedly turns from Christ and hardens their heart to the things of God. This is the view that seems to make the most sense to me. And, it seems that the impossibility of 'being brought back to repentance' rests in the nature of sin, not necessarily the judicial sentence of God (if it is even possible to separate the two?).

It is important to recognize that some people do "fall away" (same term used in Hebrews 6:4) and eventually return. Even in scriptures Peter falls away when he denies Jesus three times then again when he starts observing Jewish practices (Galatians 2:11-12). Peter was restored in John 21 and he seemed to make it out of the Galatian issue after repenting. But, I think Heb 6:4-6 might be talking about the other case of people turning away and never being brought back, like in the case of Judas. Furthermore, I think Hebrews 6 is closely tied to sinning against the Spirit that Jesus warns against. So maybe it is a matter of willfully turning from God's Spirit and hardening your heart, and hardening your heart, and hardening your heart to the point where you seek repentance with tears and cannot find it like Esau (Hebrews 12:16-17). This fits the context of "slow to learn" (5:11) and "becoming lazy" (6:12). The idea here being: not listening to, responding to, and obeying the Spirit through the Word. John Owen in his work The Mortification of Sin, illustrates the hardening of heart this way:

"Sin will grow a light thing to thee; thou wilt pass it by as a thing of nought; this it will grow to. And what will be the end of such a condition? Can a sadder thing befall thee? Is it not enough to make any heart to tremble, to think of being brought into that estate wherein he should have slight thoughts of sin? Slight thoughts of grace, of mercy, of the blood of Christ, of the law, heaven, and hell, come all in at the same season. Take heed, this is that thy lust is working towards, -- the hardening of the heart, searing of the conscience, blinding of the mind, stupifying of the affections, and deceiving of the whole soul."

Could anything be MORE terrifying than the hardening of heart that leads to 'deceiving the whole soul,' and results in eternal damnation?

I don't totally understand the contours of Hebrews 6, but I think the way we respond to this text needs to be the same no matter the argument. "So if you think you stand, be careful that you don't fall." (1 Corinthians 10:4) Then again, "We want you to show diligence to the very end in order to make your hope sure" (Hebrews 6:11). Do not assume that you are in the same case as Peter, who was able to be restored. It is a strong reminder not to bank on being granted repentance later... Nobody should hope that they can live wild then return later in life. There are certain cases where repentance doesn't happen. People fall away from God never to return... how are we to know which case is which? So don't turn from Him because you may end up like Esau. Keep following Jesus and never give up. Don't let sin harden your heart. "Be diligent to the very end, in order to make your hope sure" (Hebrews 6:11) We have a certain hope: "We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf" (Hebrews 6:19,20). Our hope is bound up in the priestly work of Jesus Christ, who is currently in heaven before the throne on our behalf. Amen.

Don't Forget about Haiti: Lecrae|Far Away

Staff Directory

We finally got staff photos on the web.... I work with some really cool and godly people. Check 'em out.

Emase

Get this guy on your radar. How does the technical gospel message of John Piper and Don Carson and many other studied "white guys" make it to 'the hood?' The answer, Eric Mason. (I'm not blowing smoke, Mason calls John Piper "The Godfather" to the movement Mason is creating.)

Mason planted a church called Epiphany Fellowship in 'Philly,' an epicenter of hip-hop culture. The concept of the church is to get the 'nutritional value' of the gospel to the ethnic minority and the culture of hip-hop. How is it going so far? See for yourself:

Interview with Darrin Patrick and Eric Mason

Advance 09: The Ultimate Shepherd

Desiring God 2010: The Role of Suffering in Sanctification

Eric Mason on Twitter

It is good for us to see how this guy is flexing the gospel to the context of Philly. I am a stones throw from the 'inner-city' neighborhood in Beloit as I currently sit in my office... Some of my favorite kids are 'camp kids.' So, how can CSM make sure the gospel is relevant to their lives?

Big Red Tractor by Chan

The Big Red Tractor from Jacob Lewis on Vimeo.

Disciplines of Grace by Bridges

Disciplines of Grace by Jerry Bridges

This is the second book that I have read by Bridges, the first being Pursuit of Holiness. He is quickly climbing my list of favorite authors. I was completely blown away by the depth of this man's understanding of the gospel. There are very few books that have rocked me to the extent that this book did and does. Simply put, this is one of the better books that I have read in a while. Bridges is very concise and readable. He doesn't waste a lot of ink with big words or confusing arguments. The book is crystal clear in its application of the gospel: “your 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 needof God’s grace.” There isn't a page in my copy without some sort of underlining or writing in the margins. As great as the authors of old are, Bridges (in my opinion) eclipses them because of his accessibility. A jr high student could pick up a copy and understand while a seminary professor could also benefit from reading this. Bridges is the perfect wedding of deep deep theological truths with readability. Well done.

Acts 21- Bound by Belt

I worry sometimes... It is easy to get a hobby horse in the bible and to ride it to the exclusion of other horses. Some people, choose prosperity to be their horse. They read the text with amber colored lenses, looking for any promise to claim as their own. Victory in all spheres of life. Sometimes, this can get ugly. When you read these truths and dismiss other realities in the bible they actually get a lopsided and false faith. This can happen in many ways, not just prosperity. But let us look at prosperity for a moment then we can apply it to some other issues.

With prosperity, if we read the text looking for verses to claim victory over our lives then we come up with a prosperity theology that says, "God wants me to be happy in everything." When I am not financially blessed, or physically blessed, or (fill in the blank), then something is wrong. What happens when a prosperity seeking person gets cancer or loses a job? The house of cards tumbles and falls. Faith waivers. Or worse yet, the person can continue to believe in a fairy tale when reality doesn't match their wish list. I contend, this is borderline crazy. It is crazy to interpret the world like this.

So, it is unhealthy to read like this. There are realities of prosperity to be experienced in this life and in the life to come, but there are also some harsh conditions that seem to be almost mandated by the Word. "In this world you will have trouble" says Jesus (John 16:33). Or where the disciples say, "we must go through many hardships to enter the Kingdom" (Acts 14:22). This may be my hobby horse of the Scriptures?

Over the past couple years I have made it my aim to develop an understanding of God that is big enough to handle the realities of this world... When I read the bible I see so many texts that justify the difficulties of life and actually fold Jesus into our sufferings. Acts 21 included:

After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feat with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.'" When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:10-13).

Why are texts like this in the Word if not to give us an expectancy to suffer and strength in the midst of it? I am comfortable to point out the difficulties and realities of persecution and struggle all throughout the Bible because I think the Bible itself, puts an emphasis on it. Then the realities of life add a big exclamation point to the text. We have a handful of students that have lost loved ones. I have a grandma that is having health issues. My fuwi's (future wife's) grandma has Alzheimer's and her grandpa has shingles. I've witnessed pay decreases and job loss. Those are simply realities of life... not even tied to persecution. If our understanding of God and His workings isn't big enough to handle those then how can we ever prepare people for persecution? How can I prepare students to lay down their lives to take the gospel to the unreached?

So, I hope to be extremely biblical... I hope that I would not shy from prosperity texts or persecution texts or holiness texts or grace texts or any texts! Lord help me to be faithful to the contours of your Word... all of them.

Acts 21- Posturing

"there on the beach we knelt to pray" (vs. 5b).

Hmmm. So they literally got down on their knees to pray?

How often does our prayer life suffer... we may have had good times of prayer pouring out of us before, but it can be like a slow inconsistent drip too. I have intentions of praying often, but most days I am distracted. Other things nab my attention and at the end of most days all my prayers add up to an insignificant amount.

I think there is something to this posture of prayer, this idea of kneeling. I remember when reading Tozer's biography that he had a pair of prayer trousers that he left at his church office... He didn't want to wear out all his pants so he had a special pair with holes in the knees from praying!?

In my travels as a sports minister I got to meet an interesting guy named Mr. Ralph Meloon. Chairman of Correct Craft Boats. He was such a man of prayer that he actually had to have the fluid in his knees drained on a couple occasions.

Maybe, prayer life suffers because we never place ourselves in a position of awe and reverence... when is the last time you knelt to pray? Try it out today.

Acts 20- Word of his Grace

"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace." (Acts 20:32)

Seldom do I ever live in this rest. Paul was bidding his friends farewell and confidently places the future of Ephesus into the hands of God who is able... and specifically commits them to the word of God's grace.

All too often, I wrestle control over to my self and operate under the assumption that God needs me... I better crank out a bomb message for the students that is biblically faithful and totally relevant. That is what is going to help these kids come to know and love Christ. In my defense, there is a lil' truth to that (We will get to that in a minute). I am constantly working as if the faith of students rests on my shoulders... or even my own faith. I had better get into the word. I had better read the right books. I had better... and on and on it goes. The sad thing is most weeks you could remove God from the equation and my life would look the exact same. It is cold, calculated, and self reliant.

Not so with Paul. He is confident to place his friends into the care of the one who can actually keep them, the one who is faithful even when we are faithless (2 Tim 2:13).

"And to the word of his grace." That is where I am partially right most weeks. I do put a lot of hope into God's Word, and its transforming work. But, when I think that the way I present it makes it either effective or ineffective, I essentially am saying, 'the way I preach is more important than God's word." This is simply not true...God's word of grace is able to accomplish all of His purposes. His word "can build you up and give you an inheritance among those who are sanctified" (vs. 32b). It is by God's word of grace that students are transformed... yet, I need to learn to trust the word more and rely less on my ability to preach it.

God is able to do his work in us, by his word, for his glory. Do you believe that? Do you trust that?