Phlipn’ Attitudes

Our August series begins this Sunday at the Every Nation 6pm Service.
www.everynation.co.uk

Mind the Gap

 What destroys relationships? What puts distance between people? Greed, lust, pride, arrogance, insecurity, jealousy, bitterness, unfaithfulness, self-centeredness, self-sufficiency, etc., etc. These and countless others all fall within the broad spectrum of SIN. When a parent puts their own personal desires and interests before their child’s, this will always result in a separation between them; the father-son relationship is severed because of a father’s overriding self-interest. Similarly, and perhaps even more commonly, marriage relationships are severed because of sin. Both partners enter into the relationship with well intentions, but eventually one (or both) of them begin to focus more on getting their own needs met rather than working to serve and give to the other. This is sin – looking to get, rather than to give. Sin separates (i.e., divorce).

In the same way, we are also separated from God. By nature and by choice, we have all sinned, and it’s our sin that has separated us from him. Sin separates. (Isaiah 59 v.2)

 How wide really is the gap that separates us from God?

 The Bible puts it like this: We are not merely separated from God… we’re actually enemies of God, subject to His wrath. (Romans 5 v.9-10) GOD IS FULL OF WRATH TOWARDS SINNERS. This isn’t something we like to hear, but it’s made abundantly clear in scripture.

 But you might say, ‘But I thought God was loving?! How can a loving God feel wrath towards His creation?’ Imagine this… You love your baby more than words can describe. How would you feel if a paedophile abused your son? How would you feel towards that man who committed such a horrendous crime? You would feel anger, rage, offense, indignation, WRATH towards the guy! Because of your love for your child, you would naturally (and quite rightly) feel wrath towards the one who hurt him. In the same way, we have sinned against God and each other. And in the sight of God who’s infinitely holy and perfect, our sin is just as revolting and offensive as murder and adultery. (Matthew 5 v. 21-22, 27-28) Because God not only sees our actions, but He sees our thoughts and intentions as well. (1 Chronicles 28 v.9)

 So how wide is the gap??? Considering God is eternally and infinitely holy and sees every one of our deepest thoughts and intentions, the gap is WIDE. We are not just slightly estranged… from an eternal perspective, we are His enemies and deserve to suffer His holy wrath for the sins we’ve committed against Him and against others – sins of commission (doing the wrong thing) and sins of omission (not doing the right thing). The gap is unfathomably wide!

 How then can we, imperfect, finite human beings, ever possibly bridge the gap between us and God? Answer: we can’t… but God can. (Matthew 19 v.25-26) His solution is double-sided: JUSTICE and MERCY.

 Justice…

 God loves justice. God is just. (Psalm 9 v.8 & 16, 11 v.7, 33 v. 5, 36 v.6, 37 v.6, 45 v.6, 72 v.1 &2, 89 v.14, 97 v.2, 99 v.4, 101 v.1, 103 v.6, 106 v.3, 112 v.5, 140 v.12) Upholding justice is an explicit attribute of God’s goodness and power. This is great news! Anyone who’s ever abused, taken advantage of, or in any way wronged another person and simply gotten away with it WILL HAVE TO ANSWER TO GOD WHO SEES ALL AND IS A PERFECT JUDGE. This is great news, but also quite terrifying because according to God’s perfect standard, NONE of us have lived a perfect life, which means that all of us are subject to God’s judgement.

(Romans 3 v.23) By simply being born into this broken, cursed world, every one of us starts out on a path towards hell. This is the inevitable result of our sin – the sin nature we’re born with, as well as the sin we have chosen.

 Mercy…

 God loves mercy. God is merciful. (Nehemiah 9 v.31, Psalm 5 v.7, 25 v.6, 69 v.16, 79 v.8, 123 v.2, Isaiah 55 v.7, 63 v.9, Daniel 9 v.18, Micah 7 v.18, Habakkuk 3 v.2, Matthew 23 v.23, Luke 1 v.50, 1v.76-79, Romans 9 v.16, 11 v.30-32, Ephesians 2 v.4, 1 Timothy 1 v.16, Titus 3 v.5, James 2 v.13, 5 v.11, 1 Peter 1 v.3) Like justice, mercy is an inseparable aspect of God’s character. With the same intensity that God will judge sinful human beings, He also longs to show us mercy, even to those of us who deserve it the least.

 At this point you may be thinking, “Is God schizophrenic? Does He love us, or does He want to smite us?” These are fair questions. There’s only one place to look for the answer… Jesus.

 Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, and whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3 v.16)

 Jesus affirms the reality of our situation: without Him, we are doomed to suffer God’s righteous judgement – his wrath (i.e., we will PERISH for eternity in hell). (Matthew 5 v.22, 10 v.28, 18 v.8-9, 25 v.30,41&46, Mark 9 v.43, Jude 6,7&13)

 But then Jesus also declares that by “believing” in (i.e., trusting in; putting your faith in) him, we are saved from God’s impending wrath, hell, and all of the cursed effects of our sin. By God’s grace (his unmerited favour) through faith in his Son, Jesus, we are rescued from eternal death and given eternal life. (Colossians 1 v.13-14, Ephesians 2 v.8) This is God’s master plan for salvation!

 The Cross… Where Justice Meets Mercy

 Sin, separation, justice, hell, mercy, love, salvation… these are all the basic components comprising humanity’s predicament and God’s solution. As God begins to open our eyes to this reality, we will inevitably begin to find ourselves approaching a crossroads… or rather, we’ll find ourselves travelling down the road leading to the cross.

 It’s at the cross, where Jesus suffered and died, that we find God’s eternal justice satisfied and His infinite mercy given out. This is the ultimate demonstration of God’s love. (Romans 5 v.8) It’s at the cross where Jesus himself bridges the gap.

 The bible, as well as extra-biblical sources, record that at the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross, there was a massive earthquake. It’s written that the shaking was so severe that the sacred curtain within the holy temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (Matthew 27 v.51, Mark 15 v.38, Luke 23 v.45) This “curtain” was a massive barrier that served as a dividing wall between regular sinful people and the “holy of holies”, the place where the very presence of God was said to have dwelt. The curtain was meant to enforce the separation between sinful man and the holy presence of God himself. But as God’s perfect justice and mercy culminated in His own death upon the cross, that impenetrable curtain was forever torn down… one man for all. (Romans 5 v.15)

 New Life…

 But the story doesn’t end there. The cross is not the end of the road, but rather the beginning of a new one. Jesus didn’t just come to save us from death (although he did), but he came equally to save us for life. (John 10 v.10) He died not only to rescue us from sin and hell, but equally to redeem us for the sake of living a new Spirit-empowered, Christ-enriched life; a life overflowing with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and all of the qualities that reflect the very nature of Jesus himself. (Galatians 5 v.22-23) Because Jesus didn’t only die, but he was also resurrected back to life! (Romans 6 v.4)

 Many people misunderstand Christianity to be a religious rite, or moral code of conduct for gaining access into heaven. It’s not. Although heaven is a reality that every Christian can look forward to, it’s not the ultimate prize. The eternal life that Jesus saved us for is a life that’s meant to begin here and now. It’s a life of knowing and walking with God. (John 17 v.3)

 The man or woman who has acknowledged their sin and put their faith in Jesus for salvation undergoes a spiritual transformation; Jesus described this miracle as being born again. (John 3 v.3) Through the shed blood of Jesus, the born-again soul has been brought back into an eternally inseparable relationship with God. In essence, having been cleansed from their sins (past, present and future) the spirit of the born again individual is joined together with the very Spirit of God himself… thus transforming him/her into a new creation! (2 Corinthians 5 v.17)

 This understanding is HUGE. Because what this means is that knowing and walking with God isn’t about labouring and striving to keep up with him, but rather it’s going on a journey in which we allow the Spirit of God, who’s living in and through us, to supply us with the all power we need to become more like Jesus.

 Of course we’re still responsible for the decisions we make and even the unfortunate sins we may still commit from time to time (we’ll never be perfect in this life). Yet we’re no longer slaves to sin. He changes us! He heals us. He delivers us. He forgives us. He strengthens us. He restores us. He fulfils us. He guides us. He cleans us. He helps us. Just as Jesus died and then rose again three days later, through faith in Him, we too are able to die to sin and be resurrected into a new Christ-like life. (Galatians 2 v.20)

 In other words, we’re SAVED by grace through faith in Jesus, and we LIVE OUT our salvation by grace through faith in Jesus. It’s all about HIM!!! This is good news!

 Now what?

 Now you’re faced with a decision to make… Do you continue trusting in yourself, your good intentions, your noble efforts, your morality, your charitable deeds, your religion, your self-help, your philosophy, your… or Jesus? Have you acknowledged the reality of the human “predicament”? Have you acknowledged your sin? Have you acknowledged your need for salvation? Then who will you acknowledge as your saviour?

 If you’d like to turn from your sin and towards Jesus, I invite you to pray now…
If you’ve never done this, here are some words that might help you get started:

God, I’ve messed up.
I’ve sinned many, many times. And because of that I know I deserve your righteous judgement.
But Lord, even though I’ve done nothing to earn your love, you sent your own son (your only son), Jesus to die for my sins. Thank you for loving me that much.
Father God, I don’t want to keep doing life my way anymore. Today, by faith, I’m receiving your mercy through Jesus. My trust is in you, Lord Jesus… for this life and forever.
Now Father, please make me new. Change me so that I can live in a way that will honour you.
Thank you.
Amen.

John Piper breaks it down…

Monday Morning Jesus (part 2)

Following Jesus is unquestionably the hardest, most painful, joy-filled, intense journey I’ve ever attempted. It’s been full of good, hard, confusing, fun, challenging and every other kind of experience in between. And then there’s been the day after the experiences… that is, the normal days, the average days, the boring days, the Mondays.

Question: Monday morning, the day after Sunday, what does it take for the serious follower of Jesus to keep going strong?

Monday Morning Jesus (part 1)

The Sunday before last we spent the good part of our 6pm service simply worshipping and praying. We called the evening “Jesus Healed”… and he certainly did! Physically, emotionally and spiritually. One of the guys that night, Vasek, had a seriously powerful encounter with God. He shared with the congregation the following Sunday what happened. (cool stuff). If you weren’t there, you can ask Vasek about it personally at the 6pm service.

Question: After an intense encounter with God like that, how do you keep that going the next day… and the day after that… and the day after that? How do we continue following Jesus on that journey of getting to know Him when the music’s stopped, all the lights are on, and reality begins to set in? How do we keep going strong on Monday morning?

The Other Side of Jesus (part 3) – Jesus Slept

This week, as we continued our series, “The Other Side of Jesus”, we found Jesus asleep on a sinking ship. This particular incident took place on one of Jesus and his disciples’ many boat rides across the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4 v.35-41). As the disciples realized that they were about to go down, they finally cried out to sleeping Jesus, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

In our own lives, how do we deal with “drowning” in life, and feeling like Jesus doesn’t even care? Ever felt that way?

For the MP3 download go to www.everynation.co.uk

This story about Jesus sleeping while his disciples are struggling to save their lives is a great example of regular people dealing with pain while feeling like God has treated them unfairly or worse, simply forgotten about them. Where is God in the midst of our pain? And how can we find peace even when experiencing the most unjust and lonely pain?

The Other Side of Jesus (part 2) – “Jesus Cursed”

LAST SUNDAY…
We continued THE OTHER SIDE OF JESUS series (part 2) – “Jesus Cursed”. This time we found Jesus cursing a fruitless fig tree. Actually, it was a leafy fruitless fig tree… and everyone knows that if a fig tree has leaves, then it should also have fruit. But it didn’t… so Jesus cursed it, and it died.
(Matt. 21 v.18-19)

 Lesson…

1.       Jesus cursed the fig tree because it had the appearance of fruit (i.e., leaves), but actually didn’t have any real fruit at all.

2.       If we are working to create the appearance of a “fruitful” life, but haven’t humbled ourselves and asked Jesus to heal and save us, then we are just like the cursed fig tree.

3.       Our response… we must lay down our fig leaves and ask Jesus to redeem us from the curse of sin and death. That redemption only comes as a gift from God by putting our trust in His son, Jesus, and His work on the cross.

Our Greatest Strength…

Where does our strength really come from? If you’re a Christian like me, then of course you’ll say “Duh, it comes from the Lord!” But how does it come from the Lord? And if it really is, then why aren’t I feelin’ it? Why do so many of us live in a constant state of weakness when we’re supposed to be the one’s “living in victory”? Why does living for Jesus seem to work so work great for some, but for others, not so great?

Where does our greatest strength come from???

I believe that our greatest strength comes from our confidence in God’s strength.

Follow me…

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV) – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

 

Hebrews 10:35 (NIV) – “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”

 

Hebrews 13:6 (NIV) – “So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

 

1 John 5:14 (NIV) – This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.

 

2 Corinthians 3:4-5 (NAS) – “Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God…”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our confidence comes from knowing who God is and embracing how he feels towards us.

 

 

So then who is God to us?

 

A billion books could be written on the magnificence and mystery of who God is. Yet ironically, every doubt, rebellious thought, fear, or insecurity can essentially be linked back to a lack of understanding or simply doubting two aspects of God’s character: His goodness and His power.

 

His “goodness”                               His “power”…
(speaks of His character)                                    (speaks of His ability)          
His fairness                                                            His might
His justice                                                              His authority
His integrity                                                           His strength
His righteousness                                                 His ability
His patience                                                          His sovereignty
His faithfulness                                                     His omniscience
His holiness                                                           His right hand
His purity                                                               His dominion
His kindness                                                          His rule
His gentleness                                                      His glory
His mercy                                                              His grace

 

 

Psalms 27:13 (NIV) – I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.

 

Psalms 31:19 (NIV) – How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you.

 

Psalms 145:7 (NIV) – They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

 

2 Peter 1:3 (NIV) – His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.

 

Exodus 9:16 (NIV) – But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

 

Psalms 63:2 (NIV) – I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.

 

Psalms 66:3 (NIV) – Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.”

 

Psalms 66:7 (NIV) – He rules forever by his power, his eyes watch the nations– let not the rebellious rise up against him.

 

Mark 12:24 (NIV) – Jesus replied, “Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?”

 

God is good and powerful! But… does He LOVE us?

So His word says it, but how can we know He feels this way about US?!

(I.e., how do we know He’s good, powerful, and that He loves ME?)

 

1 John 4:9 (NIV) – This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

 

Ephesians 1:17-21 (NIV) – I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

 

Ephesians 2:4-7 (NIV) – But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

We know that God is all-good (omnibenevolent), that he is all-powerful (omnipotent), and that he loves us more than what we can possibly understand by looking to Jesus and his work on the cross.

 

Jesus was sent because of his love.

Jesus was crucified to show his goodness, righteousness and mercy.

Jesus rose from the dead to demonstrate his incomparably great power for us who believe.

 

The reason… His love.

The ransom… His death.

The resurrection… His power.

 

When we take our eyes off of Jesus, our confidence in His goodness, His power and His love for us, our confidence begins to wane. When we lose our confidence in Him, we lose our greatest strength.

 

The Other Side of Death

For about the last four or five weeks, my church has been doing a little summer preaching series about knowing God, being strong, and doing great exploits for Him. I was asked to give one of the talks the week we got back to London. I spoke about the great ‘exploit’ of forgiveness. Next week I’m speaking on another one of Jesus’ great exploits… His death and resurrection. I’ve actually been combing the bible over the last couple of weeks just looking for bits about His death and resurrection. It’s kind of crazy… practically everything in the bible, in one way or another, points to a mere 72 hours of history – during which time Jesus was crucified and then raised from the dead. And the more I read, think, listen, and reflect on life, the world and eternity, the more I become aware of my own existence utterly hinging upon those same 72 hours.

 

Whenever I think of Katie dying, I find myself just pondering death and what come next? Obviously, no one really knows for sure. I mean, even the guys who allegedly die, see the ‘light’, and then come back don’t give us that much to go on. Their accounts sound more like Area 51 conspiracy theories. What do we know though? And how do we know it? AND does it help us to answer our own very personal questions about life and death? And if so, so what? Does any of this actually mean anything to us in real, everyday life? Or are these just ethereal questions for the Dawkins and McGraths of the world to debate over and sort out?

 

This is what I’ve concluded:

1.       We know a lot. Specifically, we know that Jesus himself died (really died… like three days in the tomb dead… not just his heart stopped beating for two minutes – just long enough for him to see the white light dead… he was crucified dead.) And we know that three days later (Sunday morning), Jesus was alive again.

 

2.       We know this because we have the most historically significant and accurate record of this event in all of antiquity – the Bible. Now I know what you’re thinking… why should we believe the Bible? This is all I’ll say… Unfortunately, some (many) people dismiss the Bible as nothing more than a deified self-help book – written many, many lifetimes ago by only God knows who. But I’ve never met anyone who feels this way who’s also taken the time to do just a wee bit of research to verify their stance. I’ve done plenty of research (although I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface), and the deeper I dig the more utterly convinced I become of the trustworthiness of this amazing book. I suggest ‘The Case For the Real Jesus’ by Lee Strobel as a starter. But if that’s not enough, we also have mountains of circumstantial and non-Christian historical evidence for the death and resurrection of Jesus as well.

 

3.       Knowing these facts absolutely gives me the answers to my own personal questions about life, death and life after death. Fundamentally, knowing that Jesus came back after three days in the grave tells me that there IS life after death – this is not the end; not even close to it. Compared to eternity, this life is actually just the beginning. This can be a very scary thought, but also one of great hope and security. Scary because the decisions we make in this life will echo throughout eternity. Our beliefs and coinciding actions will determine where and with whom we spend our eternity. Great hope and security because Jesus didn’t just leave us guessing. He told us what to expect and how to prepare for it.

 

4.       In real, everyday life… It used to bother me in college how the Christians I’d meet on campus always seemed so overly focused on what happens when you die. They’d say things like, “Do you know where you’re going when you die?” Christians seemed so obsessed with going to heaven (or avoiding hell) that they seemed to neglect life on planet earth. However, since becoming a Christian myself just nine years ago, my view of death, and life thereafter, is now paradoxically the greatest influencing factor of how I live my life… day to day, here and now – how I care for the people around me; how I care for the environment; how I care for my wife and even my own body.

 

Habit #2 in Stephen Covey’s ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ says to begin with the end in mind. We wisely apply this to every other area in of lives. But ironically (and foolishly) we fail to apply this principle where is matters the most… eternity. Jesus said, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?” When we realize that death is not the end, that we have souls which continue to exist forever, that should radically effect our lives.

 

If we put our faith in and follow Jesus (as did Katy), then death becomes a stepping stone into a beautiful painless perfect place. Death loses its ‘sting’. It’s as the apostle Paul wrote, “To die is gain.” Not to say that death somehow becomes something to celebrate. Death sucks. Something deep inside all of us knows this. It’s as if the eternal part of us, our soul, our spirit-being, knows that we were made to live forever. Death was not a part of the original plan. Death is the result of a curse that was brought upon the world by sin – the sin of our first father, Adam; and our own death-perpetuating sin that each one of us has brought to the table ever since. And so when we experience death in this life, we hate it. Our hearts mourn it. Our sense of justice rages against it.

 

This is how I view and deal with Katy’s death: What happened to her wasn’t right. It wasn’t right for her or our family. We could imagine ways in which God might somehow use it to bring about some greater good. But that seems like a rather pathetic attempt to deny reality. The reality is that it sucks. It hurts. The thought of Amy, Wally, Dustin and Belle and the pain that they must be feeling makes my heart very heavy.

 

And yet that heaviness is countered by a weightier reality… Jesus. He also died. And his friends and family were also crushed. Absolutely crushed. (I’m sure you’ve seen the movie.) Only it wasn’t just movie. Jesus was real. His death was real. And his resurrection back to life was also real. Thomas Arnold (professor of modern history at Oxford) said, “No one fact if the history of mankind… is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort” than the fact that “Christ died and rose from the dead.” That’s where I find hope and security. Hope in knowing that the story’s not over. This world may be broken now, but Jesus promised to return and set things right. Our cry for justice will be satisfied, just as God himself was satisfied in seeing justice served on the cross. Jesus, who was perfectly acquainted with death and suffering, will himself administer justice for all. And I’m secure in this hope because Jesus himself paved the way. Unlike all other prophets, gurus, cult leaders and religious wack-jobs, Jesus didn’t just philosophize or hypothesize about what awaits us on the other side. He went there, kicked death in the mouth, and came back to say I’ve conquered sin, Satan and death! Out of my deep love for you, I came and satisfied justice by taking the punishment for your sins on the cross. And I’ve returned, thus proving my credentials. Now turn away from living out of your own strength and your understanding and your own self righteous attempts to redeem your own life… and put your faith in Me. Follow Me, your King and saviour, as I lead you into a glorified resurrected eternal life.

 

That life begins the moment we turn to Him. John 10:10. And although the battle against death rages on, the war has been won. The King will return. And while we earnestly and expectantly wait, His Kingdom is being established all around us. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Gentleness. Faithfulness. Goodness. Self-control. Justice. Mercy. Forgiveness. Hope. These are all sign posts that point to His Kingdom around us. Someday it’ll all be perfected. And Katy’s death and the pain it’s brought will be made right.

Jesus Loves Jehovah’s Witnesses

I’ve recently taken to inviting a couple of nice Jehovah’s Witnesses into my home. They come by about once every three Saturdays or so. Craig and Dylan are their names. They’re young, well dressed (they’re always wearing ties whenever they come over), and always very polite. They’re quite a likable couple of guys. And I have to admit, I’m always impressed (even a little inspired) by the fact that these guys come all the way (from who knows where) over to our flat on a Saturday morning.

So anyway, they’ll come in, sit down, and we’ll start doing a little impromptu Bible study. The last time Craig and Dylan came over we got (well, mostly I got) pretty frank. I asked them, “Why do you guys come over here? I mean, why are you going door to door trying to convert people? What’s your motivation?” They answered, “Because we care about people.”

Now I didn’t press the question then (although I kind of wish that I had). But I thought about it quite a bit since. Knowing that I wasn’t going to be around the following Saturday, I decided to write them a little letter and tape it on my door for them to find (if they came around again the following Saturday). Unfortunately, they didn’t come back the following Saturday, nor have they been back sense… it’s been about a month now. So needless to say, I still have the letter I wrote to them.

Craig… Dylan… If you guys are out there, here’s the letter I wrote you.

Dear Craig and Dylan,
So glad you came by again! Last time you guys came by, I asked you: “What are you coming over here? Or rather, why are you going door to dor trying to convert people? What’s your motivation?”

You answered: “Because we care about people.” Is that your only motivation? Are you really that concerned with the wellbeing of humanity? If you’re really honest, isn’t it just as much about your own wellbeing? That is, aren’t you at least partially motivated by your desire to earn salvation?

I’m motivated to share the good news with my neighbors (and co-workers, and people on the bus, and on the streets) because I know Him. Because He died to save me. And because I’m eternally grateful for the price He paid for me because of my sin. My motivation is to simply see Him glorified. Even me loving people is ultimately because it brings Him pleasure and glory and honour and praise.

I live my life based on a personal relationship with Him. Not one that I earned through good works, but rather demonstrated by good works… good works that flow out of my love for Him and the love that I receive from Him.

Matthew 7:21-23  – Jesus said “I never knew you…”
Do you know Him?

What is Jehovah’s will?
John 6:40 – Jesus said “For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life…”

What is eternal life?
John 17:3 – Jesus said “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

Do you know Him?

Love and Respect,
Simon