Olympic Motivation?

We are well into the Winter Olympics as I write this.  I find myself pondering the reality of the life of many of these great athletes and how much they focus and train as well as the amount that they compete.  I find myself being challenged by this concept of their lifestyle.

Don't worry, sure I try to exercise and eat right but I am not going to be writing today about some new training kick I am on to become a great athlete.  Instead I have found myself being challenged about how we as Christians are to be like those athletes in our Faith.

We are to be training and equipping ourselves and one another to be able to walk well in our lives.  We are to receive strong Biblical instruction so that our minds are renewed and we are prepared to share the Truth of the Gospel to those we encounter.  We need to practice these things with others in the Church, fellowshipping well in the Love of Christ, sharing testimony of how the Gospel has changed us, praying with and for eachother.  We are also to compete, not against each other but with each other, it is a team event.  We compete together as we put this all into practice seeking to intentionally give the Gospel to the lost around us.  This means we need to apply our lives to this endeavor, it is not a simple religion or a one day a week go to church type of idea.  Instead this is a life commitment to be an active and radical disciple of Jesus.  

So I urge you to be one who truly loves Jesus as the Lord of your life, displaying that love in your obedience to Him and His Word.  Hold fast to the community of Faith, the local Church and serve the Lord together, not in a ritualistic and empty way, not in traditions that no longer have effect, but with a fresh view to engage the culture around us with the living Truth of the Gospel as taught in the Bible.  May we actively love others and serve one another as a display of what the Gospel does in our lives.  If Jesus died for your sins and mine, if we have repented of our sin and received forgiveness through His name and placed all our faith and trust in Him, then we are to live in thankful response to this great gift by following Him and His teaching.  Do what He says, read the Bible and go to a Bible teaching Church that holds to the True Gospel as its core.  Be a part of serving Him.  

For those who have made up their minds that they do not need to be a part of a local Bible believing Church and that they do not need to actively serve Jesus or talk about the Gospel.  Read John 14 and ask yourself "If Jesus said that those who love me will do as I have commanded" then do I really Love Jesus if I refuse to follow what He has said about His Church?  About His Mission for us to make Disciples to follow Him?  

May we take seriously the life we have been given and not loose heart but apply ourselves diligently to the task we have received.

Amen

Pastor Bruce

Optional Christian?

As I ponder many things this morning, one thing that has been brewing in me lately is this issue of how many "Christians" view so much of their faith as optional.  Let me try to briefly explain.

The first thing is that so often I have found in not only others but my own ministry that we treat the Gospel as optional.  We present it as a "you decide, take it or leave it" kind of message.  Yet I am troubled by such an approach.  God has not given us options.  The message is you must embrace the True Biblical Gospel of Jesus the Christ.  To refuse it is to accept your fate of utter destruction.  Really it is not some light, flippant, choice to make.  It is the one who is in the electric chair to be executed and they are told exactly what to do to avoid what comes next.  Sure they must choose but it is not an idea of choice that has equal weight or standing, to refuse God's wonderful Grace is the choice of the fool.  We need to take the urgency of the Gospel seriously.

The second is how so many "Christians" view different parts of how they are to live out their faith as optional.  We are to take all of Jesus teaching as something we are to follow, not teachings we may choose to follow.  Our Lord gave us His Apostles to continue that teaching to ensure we have understanding.  None of this instruction is intended to be optional.  So when the Word of God teaches us about marriage, family, sin, Church, etc... We are to follow ALL of its teaching as much as we are able.  And in any area where we seem to lack ability we are to rely on Him, through the Holy Spirit to provide the ability in us so that we can be obedient.  

Repenting of sin, not an option.  Going to Church, not an option. Getting baptized, not an option.  Humbly submitting yourself to Jesus, not an option.  Living to honour and glorify God putting death to selfishness, not an option.  These things are required of the disciple of Jesus.  This is not about earning favour with God or about some form of works based faith.  Rather it is about who you are called to be as a disciple, a follower of Jesus.  Our lives are to be an out flowing of the Sprit of God in us.  

So when we fin ourselves treating our Faith as optional, we need to humbly repent of our self centred ways.  We need to acknowledge the Truth we have been given in the Bible and whether we "like" it or not, we need to receive it and respond to it.

Let us walk together.

Pastor Bruce 

--
Bruce Taylor

Optional Christian?

As I ponder many things this morning, one thing that has been brewing in me lately is this issue of how many "Christians" view so much of their faith as optional.  Let me try to briefly explain.

The first thing is that so often I have found in not only others but my own ministry that we treat the Gospel as optional.  We present it as a "you decide, take it or leave it" kind of message.  Yet I am troubled by such an approach.  God has not given us options.  The message is you must embrace the True Biblical Gospel of Jesus the Christ.  To refuse it is to accept your fate of utter destruction.  Really it is not some light, flippant, choice to make.  It is the one who is in the electric chair to be executed and they are told exactly what to do to avoid what comes next.  Sure they must choose but it is not an idea of choice that has equal weight or standing, to refuse God's wonderful Grace is the choice of the fool.  We need to take the urgency of the Gospel seriously.

The second is how so many "Christians" view different parts of how they are to live out their faith as optional.  We are to take all of Jesus teaching as something we are to follow, not teachings we may choose to follow.  Our Lord gave us His Apostles to continue that teaching to ensure we have understanding.  None of this instruction is intended to be optional.  So when the Word of God teaches us about marriage, family, sin, Church, etc... We are to follow ALL of its teaching as much as we are able.  And in any area where we seem to lack ability we are to rely on Him, through the Holy Spirit to provide the ability in us so that we can be obedient.  

Repenting of sin, not an option.  Going to Church, not an option. Getting baptized, not an option.  Humbly submitting yourself to Jesus, not an option.  Living to honour and glorify God putting death to selfishness, not an option.  These things are required of the disciple of Jesus.  This is not about earning favour with God or about some form of works based faith.  Rather it is about who you are called to be as a disciple, a follower of Jesus.  Our lives are to be an out flowing of the Sprit of God in us.  

So when we fin ourselves treating our Faith as optional, we need to humbly repent of our self centred ways.  We need to acknowledge the Truth we have been given in the Bible and whether we "like" it or not, we need to receive it and respond to it.

Let us walk together.

Pastor Bruce 

--
Bruce Taylor

Cessationist or charismatic .... Maybe there is a different answer?

With so much being discussed on the gifts of the Holy Spirit lately I have thought about what position I find myself in.   Many scholars that I enjoy and tend to agree with are sitting on either side of the discussion.   But like so many of these theological discourses it can become quickly a forming of camps and a piling of Bible verses.   I cannot in good conscience jump into either side.    So  where does this leave me?

Well I think the answer is that I will remain committed to teach the whole Bible and sick to what it says as the foundation for my belief in these matters.   This means that until I can receive a clear piece of the Scripture the speaks of the gifts ceasing  then I will seriously consider that position.   It also means that when I encounter those who talk of the miraculous gifts and works of the Spirit of God I will make sure it is fitting with the Bible before I accept it as being true.
We are not to base our belief  on experience or feeling  but on the Word and its Truth.  
So whether you have seen and experience the abuse of what some call gifts or  if you have felt that people have tried to quench the Spirit,  neither is to be how we find the Truth.
So I encourage you to stick with the Bible and what it clearly teaches.

Amen

Pastor
Bruce

Sunday a new day

Today as I ponder and prepare to teach, peach and encourage the people of God, I am reminded that no matter how prepared I feel I am still at the mercy of the Lord.   Though I study and train and pray yet I find myself often nervous with the weight of sharing God's Word.   But what ever yesterday was it is gone and today is here.

God has given us this day for His purposes and glory.   No matter if you feel prepared for it or not the day is here and it is His.   So we serve Him fully and without restraint.  

Once again I proclaim "not me, but the Love of Christ control me".  I pray that today He will be greater and I will be less.

Let us walk together today in the Love of Jesus Christ and in so doing live in humility giving glory to God.

Pastor Bruce

What compels you? What controls you?

Last Sunday I spoke about Mission and Vision for 2014 and we talked about 2 Corinthians 5:13-15.  I would encourage you to read that passage or the whole chapter and ponder the question of "what compels you?" or "what controls you?". 

The challenge we receive in this passage of the Scripture is that the "Love of Christ controls us".  As we digest this statement and how it should affect us it can be problematic if we are not careful.  While I will not take the time to be exhaustive in such a study in this write up, I do hope to share with you what God has been showing me and reminding me about in this portion of His Word.

First I want to expose some pitfalls that we need to avoid.  We must not read this or any other passage of the Bible and believe that we just need to try harder to be like Jesus.  That we need to work to show His Love better.  We must not enter into any such forms of legalism where our works become something of value in our salvation.  Always be reminded that the sacrifice of Jesus is not only sufficient for you to be saved but His righteousness is in every way superior to any form of righteousness you can do on your own.

So when we are challenged to let the Love of Christ control us, what is this to mean if it is not about works?  Well is it about works in a way but not in the way people usually think or talk about.  The works of righteousness are Jesus works.  The works of people are sinful.  If you are a Christian then the Love of Christ is to control you.  The Jesus that saved you has taken up residence inside you by the power and person of the Holy Spirit.  His Love controlling you means that He (Jesus) is working in and through you and as such you are NOT doing the works but He is.  The basic reality here is that if we are to live in submission to Jesus then we will be controlled by His Love and we will desire to live in obedience to Him and His Word.  It should be the natural state of the saved.

This is hard teaching when you think about it.  If sin and selfishness is in me and flowing out of me then it is me doing that and it is something I need to repent of.  If true righteousness is happening in me and flowing out of me, something that truly glorifies God, then it is Jesus Love controlling me through the Holy Spirit.  So when I sin, I need to quickly and with great humility repent.  Then I need to submit myself afresh to the Lord so that He and NOT me is controlling my life.

It really is all about whether we will live God centered in and through Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit or ...  we live for our own selfish selves.

At FFBC we repeated a phrase this week and I will share it here as something you can use to remind you of this Truth. 

Not me, but the Love of Jesus Christ control me!

We are called to walk together in this mission we are on under our Lord Jesus.  Let us walk on with the courage to submit to Him fully daily.

Amen

Pastor Bruce

2013 Draws to a close

2013 was an interesting year, full of blessings and challenges.  Sometimes we can get distracted from what is important.  Sometimes we get off track.  Lately I have been reminded that if we look too long at the past we will miss what God has for us today.  Sure history is important as we can learn many lessons from it.  But we are not called to dwell there, we are called to look forward and press on.   So as this year ends I find myself doing a little reflecting and then a lot of forward looking pondering.  What would God have us focus on for 2014.  What am I to focus on in 2014.  What is God doing that He wants me to serve Him in for 2014.  

Walk with me, be on the forward journey, read, study, be a person of the Word of God and prayerfully ask God through the power of the Holy Spirit to direct you for 2014.  Be open and obedient to our Lord Jesus.  May our lives be all about Him and His glory for 2014.

Let us press on together in all humility and obedience to our Lord Jesus.\

Pastor Bruce