Acts 15- Men Who Will Risk Their Lives

After reading through this portion of scripture I want to ask, "what kind of man or woman are you?" In the text the disciples were sending a hand written letter crafted during the council of Jerusalem that was to be delivered to the Gentiles to encourage them... In addition to the letter they wanted to send some worthy men that would be faithful to deliver it and encourage the believers. What was the description of these men? Verse 26 tells us; "men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The early church was persecuted and they knew that it was costly to follow Christ... But, do you know that? Do you know that it is still costly to follow Jesus. That it will potentially cost you your reputation, your acceptance, your comforts? Or have you made yourselves a hybrid faith that is easy going and lukewarm? The gospel makes people uncomfortable and uneasy. It is not a set of morals. It does not say you need to be a bible-belt christian that attends church functions and does certain christian things. Following Christ costs you something. At very least it cost you your will. Remember how we lay down our lives to follow Jesus and we don't look back? Many of us have become way too comfortable with casually following Christ. What I want to ask is; would you risk your life for our Lord Jesus Christ? Are you willing to go all out even at the expense of your life? Would you be willing to set a course that says you will take the gospel to the ends of the earth no matter the cost?

Piper's Video on the Prosperity Gospel

After I posted the last blog entry I realized that some of you students that read this might not totally understand what "the prosperity gospel" is. In essence it is a distortion of what we would call the real gospel and wrongly puts the emphasis of God's goodness on His ability to bless us materially and physically. It basically makes God out to be our genie in a bottle. We say jump, He says how high... all we need is faith to make God pour out His abundance of blessings. It is heresy. It is wrong.

God does desire to bless those that follow Him. But that blessing may come in the form of suffering. God may use the taking of your health and wealth to ween you off of dependance on the things of this world and prepare you for eternity. The gosple is a call to lay down your life, not a salespitch to fill your life with more stuff.

If the prosperity gospel is accurate than all the Christians across the globe right now that are sacrificing to proclaim the gospel to unreached peoples are dumb... Maybe they can say with the Apostle Paul, "we are most to be pitied." I however think they are heroes of the faith.

Please do not buy into the prosperity gospel! It is very popular in western Christianity because it appeals to our desire to have a ton of stuff. It is what our itching ears would love to hear. And it can sneak in even to those that seem the most godly. Churches buy into it when they care more about their campuses and programs than they do the gospel. People buy into it when they would rather have Jesus give them their desires than have Him demand their lives.

Here is an insightful video from Desiring God. Hope you enjoy.

Mark 13- You Will Be Handed Over and Flogged

I was just talking to Pastor Joseph (children's minister) about how the Gospel is unpopular. There are things in the bible that make me angry and I believe them to be absolutely true. I obey them no matter how uncomfortable they make me because I believe God knows a little better than me. Now, when you tell those things to people that do not want to hear it they are offended and think your message is crap. You will receive persecution on account of Jesus. The apostle Paul says it like this, "if I were trying to please man I would not be a servant of Jesus" (Galatians 1:10). Paul recognizes probably better than anyone that the Gospel is the absolute truth, and that it makes people uncomfortable, and that it might cost him imprisonment or beatings or you name it if he continues to preach the truth. Jesus says it like this, "You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them" (Mark 13:9). This verse is talking about the end of the age but I am certain that it is a picture of trials we might suffer even today. It is unpopular to stand firm on your convictions at school. To tell people that Jesus is the only way to heaven. That people have broken the commands of God and that they stand eternally condemned and desperately in need of a Savior. It is unpopular to tell people that the world doesn't revolve around them. So expect persecution. Paul did. The saints before us all did. But please please please do not shrink back from the Gospel. Do not water it down or try to make it easier. Because Jesus didn't water it down. He died a brutal humiliating death to rescue me, the least I can do is proclaim accurately what he did.