There are those that struggle with their faith for a season for various reasons. When they return they may be experience some doubt, sometimes contributed to unwittingly by brothers and sisters.
“Oh, I walked away for awhile and my Pastor said those who waked away weren’t truly saved”.
While there are cases where somebody has a conversion experience ,burns brightly for a time and then walks away and never returns, there are many that have struggled for a time but always return. Take comfort in the knowledge that our walk isn’t perfect. While we are trapped in the flesh we can never be(perfect). If our general direction is moving ahead, no matter how slowly, be assured that you are saved..
What I am trying to get to is what Theologians call “progressive sanctification” .
Gal 5:19-23
19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. NIV
We commit fewer and fewer of the sins listed above (Gal 5: 19-21) and display more of the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5: 22-23) as we progress through our sanctification walk.
I like to think that many of those who worry about their salvation, are, by that very concern, showing that they are saved. Again, don’t look for perfection, look for direction.
Next week I hope to wrap this up by studying what the bible says in regard to eternal assurance.
Until then, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Expanding on the Basics – True Repentance: True Salvation Part II
Last week we left off with 2 Corinthians 7: 8-11
8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
A sign of our salvation is our turning away from sin and our feeling of true regret when we fail and sin again. The Holy Spirit living in us convicts us instantly when we do sin. We feel the godly sorrow and hate what we have done and we become eager to clear ourselves.
For some this is a process that takes time. It is part of our salvation walk. If you are struggling and feel you have failed, you may in fact have not failed at all but are continuing to grow. Remember the growing pains of your youth? Well, this process is very similar.
There are those that think this view is palp, that people need to be confronted and not soothed, be hit over the head with scripture, not walked through scripture and discuss their sin issues with love. This kind of overbearing self righteous attitude is devoid of love. Ironically, love is another sign of the saved. There is a balance that needs to be struck between “tough love”, which too many enjoy dishing out, and exhortation, building people up to better face their challenges.
Think about this from I Corinthians 13:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails………
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Are you striving to reflect these virtues? If you are, it is another sign of salvation.
More to come next week.
Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.
8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
A sign of our salvation is our turning away from sin and our feeling of true regret when we fail and sin again. The Holy Spirit living in us convicts us instantly when we do sin. We feel the godly sorrow and hate what we have done and we become eager to clear ourselves.
For some this is a process that takes time. It is part of our salvation walk. If you are struggling and feel you have failed, you may in fact have not failed at all but are continuing to grow. Remember the growing pains of your youth? Well, this process is very similar.
There are those that think this view is palp, that people need to be confronted and not soothed, be hit over the head with scripture, not walked through scripture and discuss their sin issues with love. This kind of overbearing self righteous attitude is devoid of love. Ironically, love is another sign of the saved. There is a balance that needs to be struck between “tough love”, which too many enjoy dishing out, and exhortation, building people up to better face their challenges.
Think about this from I Corinthians 13:
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails………
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Are you striving to reflect these virtues? If you are, it is another sign of salvation.
More to come next week.
Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Expanding on the Basics- True Repentance: True Salvation. Part 1
One of the most well known scriptures is John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. NIV
This is as basic as it gets so in light of this scripture how do we recognize when we have been truly saved? Let’s start by looking a little further along in John 3 starting at verse 19:
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. “ NIV
In summary Jesus is telling us that people love sin and won’t repent, won’t turn away from their sinful lives.
Let’s be honest, for the most part sin is fun. It is easy to fall into sinful ways and not even be aware of it we are having such a good time! Put plainly, people love darkness(sin) and they reject the light (Christ).
A couple of weeks ago I wrote in the “Judge not” series that in full context Jesus was calling for self examination to remove the beam(our sin) from our own eye so that we may see clearly to remove the speck(sin) from a fellow believer’s eye. This discussion is a natural follow up.
So, how do we know we are truly saved? Start here with these questions:
Do we hate our sin?
Do we try to avoid sin?
Are we instantly convicted when we fail?
So we now ask: What does true repentance look like?
2 Corinthians 7 : 8-11
8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
NIV
Think about it, meditate on it, and we will flesh this out next week.
Until then, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”. NIV
This is as basic as it gets so in light of this scripture how do we recognize when we have been truly saved? Let’s start by looking a little further along in John 3 starting at verse 19:
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. “ NIV
In summary Jesus is telling us that people love sin and won’t repent, won’t turn away from their sinful lives.
Let’s be honest, for the most part sin is fun. It is easy to fall into sinful ways and not even be aware of it we are having such a good time! Put plainly, people love darkness(sin) and they reject the light (Christ).
A couple of weeks ago I wrote in the “Judge not” series that in full context Jesus was calling for self examination to remove the beam(our sin) from our own eye so that we may see clearly to remove the speck(sin) from a fellow believer’s eye. This discussion is a natural follow up.
So, how do we know we are truly saved? Start here with these questions:
Do we hate our sin?
Do we try to avoid sin?
Are we instantly convicted when we fail?
So we now ask: What does true repentance look like?
2 Corinthians 7 : 8-11
8 Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it—I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while— 9 yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. 10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. 11 See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.
NIV
Think about it, meditate on it, and we will flesh this out next week.
Until then, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Answered Prayers - Waiting on the Lord
This message is deeply personal. I thought I would put it out there in case somebody needed to hear it.
I had a very tough year last year. My health was in continuous decline and nobody could tell me why. I hadn’t been right for years. I suffered from extreme fatigue; I had no stamina, had difficulty focusing and staying on task, and had several migraines a week.
I prayed for years for relief and never received any..
Then last June I was really in trouble. I had lost 20 pounds from the beginning of the year and was horribly weak. I had zero stamina. I would vacuum the rugs and afterwards would have to sleep for two hours I was so exhausted. I tried to schedule an appointment with my family doctor but he happened to be on vacation but the head of his group was available immediately so I went to see him. It appeared to him that given my history of IBS that I may have Crones Disease. I went for blood work and batteries of tests were scheduled. When the blood work came back they had the answer. I was diagnosed with CLL: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.
When I received the call this Doctor had already arranged for a former student of his who is a hematologist/oncologist to see me. I tell you that getting that call was like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat. I half heard what he was telling me but I gathered myself enough to get down to see his former student.
I was told it was the Chronic form of Leukemia and that it is a very slow progressing cancer. I was also told that while it is not curable, it is very treatable. I was still at stage zero and no treatment was required right away. CT scans showed my spleen and liver were enlarged but not beyond what is ‘normal;’ for my condition.
During the intervening months we had gathered my medical records and discovered that I had CLL from at least late 2005. The blood work I had done then indicated I had it but it was missed. We found another test from late 2006 where it was evident but not diagnosed.
Fast forward to last November: My condition and blood work started going downhill. My spleen had enlarged and treatment was now required.
I just finished treatment at the end of December and my follow up exams show my blood work much improved. The lymph count and percentage is still high but the rest of the CBC was normal or just a tad on the high side. My spleen is back to normal size but the fatigue lingers. It’s not as bad as it was. I can at least vacuum without collapsing but I still cannot work a full day, never mind a 40 hour week.
People with my condition live a fairly long time. Survival ranges out as long as 25 years but with all the new treatments available my chances for a normal life span are good.
Regardless, God is in charge and he will determine the outcome of all of this.
I have in the meantime learned what it means to walk by faith, not by sight. I have been through the deepest valley, climbed the highest mountain and faced down the largest giant. I learned what it means to wait on the Lord(I'm still learning). I prayed and prayed for years but in HIS time I received the answer.
I also learned what a movement of the spirit looked like. The whole series of events that led to my diagnosis and treatment could have been nothing else but the hand of God. Sometimes God allows things to happen, trials to take place.
Be aware of this when things get tough:
Romans 8:28
“All things work together for good for those who love the LORD and are called according to his purpose”
He is always there, always with us as believers:
Isaiah 43:2
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."
Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.
I had a very tough year last year. My health was in continuous decline and nobody could tell me why. I hadn’t been right for years. I suffered from extreme fatigue; I had no stamina, had difficulty focusing and staying on task, and had several migraines a week.
I prayed for years for relief and never received any..
Then last June I was really in trouble. I had lost 20 pounds from the beginning of the year and was horribly weak. I had zero stamina. I would vacuum the rugs and afterwards would have to sleep for two hours I was so exhausted. I tried to schedule an appointment with my family doctor but he happened to be on vacation but the head of his group was available immediately so I went to see him. It appeared to him that given my history of IBS that I may have Crones Disease. I went for blood work and batteries of tests were scheduled. When the blood work came back they had the answer. I was diagnosed with CLL: Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.
When I received the call this Doctor had already arranged for a former student of his who is a hematologist/oncologist to see me. I tell you that getting that call was like getting hit in the head with a baseball bat. I half heard what he was telling me but I gathered myself enough to get down to see his former student.
I was told it was the Chronic form of Leukemia and that it is a very slow progressing cancer. I was also told that while it is not curable, it is very treatable. I was still at stage zero and no treatment was required right away. CT scans showed my spleen and liver were enlarged but not beyond what is ‘normal;’ for my condition.
During the intervening months we had gathered my medical records and discovered that I had CLL from at least late 2005. The blood work I had done then indicated I had it but it was missed. We found another test from late 2006 where it was evident but not diagnosed.
Fast forward to last November: My condition and blood work started going downhill. My spleen had enlarged and treatment was now required.
I just finished treatment at the end of December and my follow up exams show my blood work much improved. The lymph count and percentage is still high but the rest of the CBC was normal or just a tad on the high side. My spleen is back to normal size but the fatigue lingers. It’s not as bad as it was. I can at least vacuum without collapsing but I still cannot work a full day, never mind a 40 hour week.
People with my condition live a fairly long time. Survival ranges out as long as 25 years but with all the new treatments available my chances for a normal life span are good.
Regardless, God is in charge and he will determine the outcome of all of this.
I have in the meantime learned what it means to walk by faith, not by sight. I have been through the deepest valley, climbed the highest mountain and faced down the largest giant. I learned what it means to wait on the Lord(I'm still learning). I prayed and prayed for years but in HIS time I received the answer.
I also learned what a movement of the spirit looked like. The whole series of events that led to my diagnosis and treatment could have been nothing else but the hand of God. Sometimes God allows things to happen, trials to take place.
Be aware of this when things get tough:
Romans 8:28
“All things work together for good for those who love the LORD and are called according to his purpose”
He is always there, always with us as believers:
Isaiah 43:2
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."
Until the next time, may the LORD bless us and keep us, in Jesus name I pray.
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