July 2019 – Gospel Progress

2019-07-27

Bless your people with material prosperity

Father, bless your people with material prosperity when their goal is like Gaius’s, to support the progress of the Good News of Christ.

Thank you for generous congregations and individual saints who give for the gospel rather than squirreling away their monies for savings and investments or spending lavishly upon themselves.

Help us to make proper use of our funds in our personal accounts and in our spending of funds for the use of reaching others to save them for eternal life.

Keep us from the idolatry of greed, from the love of money, from the devotion to work and earning salaries that prevent us from full devotion to your Son as Lord and Savior.

Put in our hearts your love and kindness that will overflow in good works and giving to supply needs.

2019-07-25

For the Children of Your Saints

For the children of your saints we pray,
That in all things, O Lord, they might obey,
Not ever swerving to the right or left,
And never of your righteous grace bereft;

O Father, may they humbly teach their own,
Pass on the one true gospel faithfully,
Both while they’re young and even when they’re grown,
Fulfilling all their duties joyfully.

2019-07-25

Speaking the Truth in Love

What chance does the gospel have to be heard in a world that has become so competitive with waves of noise, each more flashy and entertaining? So many have closed their ears. How can we be God’s megaphone, speaking the truth in love, and get them to listen? Should we beat the world at its own game in order to be heard?

I. 1 Kings 19:1-18. After Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel, he becomes discouraged by Jezebel’s death threats and runs away. After refreshing him, God shows Elijah His power not in the wind, earthquake, or fire but in the gentle whisper. Then, God shows him that He works in our weaknesses. It’s the same with the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:18-31). God’s grace is as sufficient for us as it was Paul (2 Corinthians 12:8-10).

II. Ephesians 4:11-16. Jesus, our Head, supplies us with truth that equips us to attain to unity and maturity in Him. This seems strange in the boisterous world that believes that truth is relative. But, the church is the pillar and foundation of the truth, who speaks the truth in love. That truth, His Word, is a living and active, double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12-13) that we wield as part of the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) as we wage war differently than the world (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

III. James 3:1-10. So, in our weaknesses, Jesus’ body, the church, supplies the tongue. What a difficulty this is with such an untamable appendage! Yet, speaking the truth in love, we reach the lost with a low whisper and grow up in Him, working together to build ourselves up. Much like an adolescent must choose healthy food for his various body parts to grow up correctly into his adult-sized head, so the church must commit to knowing and living out truth to grow up properly into Him.

It’s God’s power and work, but He entrusts His weak and fallible servants to speak His words of truth in love to lead the lost and strengthen the saved.

2019-07-24

I Will Offer It Up

God made us in His image, but so often we try to make God in ours. We want a god we can control, and so we’ll try to bargain with God by making promises or deals that usually begin with “If You will …, then I’ll ….” But, God doesn’t operate that way; rather He works through love.

I. Judges 11:1-40. Despite a similar start to life, Jephthah nevertheless had a different spirit than the judge from previous chapter, Abimelech. Jephthah tried to reason with the Ammonite king to avoid war, but war came anyway. Rather than trusting God, however, Jephthah made a rash vow to God to sacrifice the first thing that came out of his house, which sadly was his daughter, if God would give him victory.

II. Isaiah 44:9-17. In making us in His image, God put us in dominance over all the earth, but that does not include God Himself (1 Corinthians 11:3). We turn to idols even today because we can control them rather than submitting to, trusting in, and obeying God. Even Job thought he had a few points that he would like to argue with God (Job 13:3), but how can creation argue with the Creator (Romans 9:20)?

III. Romans 8:28-32. Instead of coming across as a used car salesman with God (Do I have a deal for You!), we must realize that God loves us unconditionally, will give us whatever we need in line with His will, will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), has thoughts and ways so much higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8), and has a perfect plan for the perfect time in the perfect way (Galatians 4:4-5). And sometimes we have something to learn from His discipline (Hebrews 12:7-11).

Therefore, love is the coin of the Kingdom. Just as we do for those we love without bargains, promises, or vows, how much more will God do for us as He’s already proved His love through the giving of His Son on the cross (Romans 5:6-8)?

2019-07-17

Show me love and power

Heavenly Father, show me your love and power
Your child am I — created in your image
You know my needs, my every fear and pain
I trust in you — on you I wait in silence

Still my troubled heart and restless mind
Sustain me with your every promise kept
By day I search for you till setting sun
Your name upon my lips in dark of night

Thanks I give for what I have been given,
For what I’ll still receive — Whatever my want
I’ll not complain, but think of Jesus Christ,
Who walked the lonely road to Calvary’s tree.

2019-07-13

Stand in the Breach

Like the pillar of cloud and fire separating the Egyptians from the Israelites at the Red Sea, God has always stood in the breach for us. He had to as we could not, because of sin and selfishness, stand in the breach for ourselves.

I. Ezekiel 22:24-30. At the time of captivity, the nation of Judah had so fallen into sin that God says He searched for one to stand in the breach for them but found no one. That’s mankind’s struggle as no one is righteous and all have fallen short because of sin (Romans 3:9-23). God has always stood in the breach for us (Exodus 14:19-25) through power, but He declares that He will now do so through weakness (Ezekiel 34:11-16) and states that He Himself will be a good shepherd to us.

II. John 10:11-15. Jesus, God in the flesh, is our Good Shepherd, who lays His life down for us. To stand in the breach against the forces of the enemy is a position of sacrifice for all those who He protects within the defensive fortification. Jesus fufills the “Here am I, send me” of Isaiah 6:8 by willingly laying down His life on the cross (Hebrews 10:5-10) and stands in the breach caused by our sin.

III. Ephesians 6:10-18. Through His sacrifice, we are able to love like He has loved us and lay our lives down for others (John 12:23-26; John 13:34-38) and stand in the breach for a lost world (John 15:11-17). Armed with His love as our ultimate weapon, we do not wage war as the world does (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). So, it is time to suit up!

God still stands in the breach for us with His mighty power. It’s just now that through the weakness of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18-25), Jesus has made it possible for His followers to stand in the breach in His mighty power with the same weapons of weakness–and overcome!

2019-07-11

Thank you for friends

John 15.15

Father of lights, thank you for friends, for friends who are brothers and sisters, who have the same goals, the same desire of heaven, the same need for your fellowship.

You created us for love, and in your family we can lower our guard, trust our friends to be accepted, provide that safe space that so many are searching for.

At the same time, what a blessing to be among friends who don’t let us stray from the truth, who are willing to confront us to our face so that we will be honest with ourselves about our rights and wrongs.

Help us to put high value on our friends in Christ. Keep the friendship with the world far away.

Help me to be a true friend and brother to all your children.

In the name of him who showed what it means to be a friend — Amen.

2019-07-08

Calloused Hands

Jesus the man, of calloused hands,
Of muscled arms, of work and wood;
The God of sweat and tears and blood,
At the Father’s side, you sit and rein:

Now in heaven, in power and might,
Break open our hard and painful shell
Of sin and self-reliant hell —
Put all our lonely fears to flight.

Pierce the silence — heal the pain —
O Christ who knows sharp solitude,
Whose prayers showed every human mood —
Lord save me from the curse of Cain.

You felt no lack, in perfect want;
With him who sent you, thought as one —
Surrendered glory — God’s will was done —
Raise me to your transfigured Mount.

2019-07-07