Neighbors

We all know the verses where Jesus is asked what the greatest commandments are don't we? It comes from Matthew 22:35-39. Jesus tells the Pharisees who are testing him that the great and first commandement is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind. The second, is to love your neighbor as yourself. If we all examine ourself honestly, none can say they have ever loved God this way and for sure haven't loved other people this way. It may be easy to feel like we love our parents or spouse or children like this, but no one could even trick themself into thinking they fulfill this command when it comes to neighbors or strangers. We just don't have that much love in our heart, it is too tainted with sin. I will use this post for a confession. I do not invest into my literal "neighbors", where we live, in this way at all. Considering proximity, our closest neighbor is a sixty year old Puerto Rican man from New York. I regularly see him doing yardwork on his property and give him an encouraging wave or "hey, how are ya?", but rarely do I take the time to walk over and have good conversation. What keeps me from doing this even though I do at times feel led to invest my life into his more?  Part of the reason would be that you would expect that an early 30s, semi-country boy born and raised in Georgia, couldn't find common ground for conversation with an older gentleman of his background. So the first hindrance to a relationship would be that there is the thought that we have nothing in common. That isn't totally true though. The times we have spent chatting I found out that he is a Vietnam veteran that served around the same time as my dad did. That is very cool. He is also an avid baseball fan, particularly the New York Mets. Since I have my background in baseball and have had good friends that have played for the Mets, we had that in common to talk about. Also, he has battled cancer and is a professed Catholic. He loves the same God I do. Since we are both Christians in need of daily grace, we have that in common too. My point in this is that we, in our sin, put up walls to keep from meaningful relationships that may hinder our comfort in life. We expect things out of relationships with our neighbors that may not be the case or even what God would want out of your life for them. As I grow in grace, I see the need to let that spill out to the community and for my neighbors. Yesterday, as I rushed out of the house to run some errands with the family, I saw my neighbor and his wife outside working in the yard again. I felt like God was telling me then that the gospel frees me to take time out of my life, and what I want to do, and spend it on others like my neighbor Julio. I've heard it said that Grace "makes Outsiders Insiders" and redefines community. It puts us all, Christians and non-Christians, in the same boat. We are all sinners in need of God's sovereign, saving grace. We always have that in common. Ephesians 1:3-9 talks about this lavish grace. This grace creates joyful living and freedom because of what Christ has done for us. It eventually will pour out to others in your community. In no way am I saying that I need to do more for and with my neighbors so that I can please God more, or be a "better" Christian. My point is that when the gospel of grace grasps your heart more and more this type of life will be the outcome.  God's grace is the fuel for a life centered on the gospel.  The gospel gives us the freedom to live this life because it, with no strings attached, gives us everything we need. So what have we been given by this Grace? Here is a short list of what we are and have because of God's past grace and future grace through Christ:

 - ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED
- FORGIVEN OF SINS PAST AND FUTURE
- ADOPTED INTO THE FAMILY OF FAITH
- MOVED FROM SLAVES TO SONS
- GIVEN THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST
- WILL BE PERFECTED IN THE BELOVED
- PROMISED REST
- ETERNAL JOY

When we realize that we have "earned nothing, but received everything", as I've heard Pastor Tullian say, we can freely rest in Christ's righteousness and the freedom that comes from it. This freedom will allow us to live like Romans 15 states:

"Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me."...Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God...May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope...In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me."

Speeding and the Gospel

Angie and I were driving to St. Simons the other day for her 10 year high school reunion when I looked down at the speedometer and we were traveling at 90+ mph with my beautiful wife and precious boy in the car and I wasn't even in a hurry! I then passed a sign that read "Speed Limit 65". At that moment God convicted me of my disobedience. As I slowed down I began to see that no one else was obeying the law either.

The definition of sin is any transgression of the law of God or in simpler terms doing anything God forbids. The seriousness of sin is literally life and death. We have all sinned (Rom. 3:23) and therefore all rightfully deserve our just punishment of eternity in hell. The most glorious news about all this, even while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Eph. 4:8) and wiped out the debt we have acquired for ourselves. We have been justified by faith in Jesus through grace (Rom. 3:24-25)to eternal life with Christ. Life is the most precious gift we have ever  been given, we earned death for ourselves and Gods amazing grace has reinstated our life in Christ! So what does this mean for our life? If we love Christ we desire to obey His commands(John 14:15), therefore, we will desire to be obedient once we look at obedience through the lens of the gospel. Now, will I always obey every law for the rest of my life? Absolutely not! I will repent and return to the feet of the Father for His gracious mercy on me just like he does every single day. Confessing sin and crawling to the feet of our Father is a great privilege called repentance that everyone has access to but few see the beauty repentance holds.  Praise be to God the one and only hope we have! Amen.

Fishermen

I enjoyed designing this blog to be used for God’s glory and praising Jesus.  To be sure, there will be a wide range of posts that, in time, will be written on here.  This post will be a small portion to get it going.  On the design aspect of the blog page I added a little activity towards the bottom.  It is titled “Fishermen”.  The app is made to look like a fish pond.  You can click in spots to drop food in for these computerized fish.  I went with the white background, black fish, and red fish food so that it would pop a little extra on the page.  I hope y’all enjoy it.

My reason for this post is to look at the verses and gospel truths in the Bible where Jesus uses fishermen and talks about being “fishers of men”.  In Matthew 4:18-22, Jesus calls his first disciples.  This comes at the start of His ministry.  He walks beside the Sea of Galilee and goes to Simon Peter and Andrew, both fishermen.  Jesus calls them to drop their net and follow Him and he will make them “fishers of men”.  He then went on to call James and John, also fishermen. 

We have all heard this story growing up and may have looked at it in our maturity, but I have never heard this story with a grace-alone mindset.  Jesus didn’t make these disciples fishers of men by giving them a to-do list or five-step program to catching Christians for the Kingdom.  He worked on these born fishermen by changing their hearts and minds by grace.  He showed them how all of Scripture points to Him.  He healed broken people before their eyes.  He preached the gospel unashamedly in the synagogues.  He gave them Grace!  By Jesus being able to live the gospel out amidst Peter, Andrew, James, and John he changed their hearts and opened their eyes to Him.  Jesus made them fall in love with Him.  They constantly saw His mercy, forgiveness, devotion to the Father’s Will, and grace in practice. 

In chapter 4 of Matthew, Jesus calls them.  Then in chapter 5 he gives His Sermon on the Mount.  This preaching was not to be a self-help manual.  It is to break any self-righteousness we might have been holding on to.  This sermon was meant to make them and us run to Jesus, for His righteousness.  When seen the right way, the Sermon on the Mount is about freeing the captives of sin.  If you may have slipped through by not understanding parts of the Sermon, thinking you are doing ok, the end should be the wall you crash into.  Jesus says therefore “Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect”.  As humans, in total depravity, we can’t do that.  Thank God for Jesus fulfilling the Law and satisfying the things seen in the Sermon on the Mount for us!  When we grasp the gospel more and more we then feel free to obey God and be “Christ-like” out of a joyous, thankful heart.  There is no freedom in works-righteousness, trying to please God by obeying the Law. 

The topic at hand is being “fishers of men”.  Our role in others’ salvation is just to tell them about God’s grace found in the life-death-resurrection of Jesus.  As these “fishermen”, we are to make folks wish the gospel was true and then show them that it is.  We can’t live out the gospel, even a little like we need to, to be like Jesus.  What we can do is tell of His grace and mercy as faithful believers changed by the Good News.  This is the “bait” that will change hearts through the Holy Spirit. 

My prayer is that we can believe this better.  The truth of the gospel needs to be believed in all aspects of our life.  My hope is that the Spirit will work in me where I bring this from my home to the bank and from the bank to my baseball lessons.  Everyone needs grace and the life-giving freedom that it brings.  As I deal with my wife, kids, customers, friends, young ballplayers, parents, and family members, these gospel truths should be the center of my thoughts and actions.  So to be fishers of men is to give people the truth of the gospel:  that our sin is big, but God’s grace is bigger.  You can’t outrun His love for His children.  Bring this to wherever God has you right now.  That is your mission field, given by His sovereignty.  We are empowered and freed as Christians to live our life as "sent" people within our culture (John 17:17-19).  That is living in light of the gospel.  There are people around you, including yourself, that need it everyday!  Amen.