Tag Archive for: Bible

Glory Days

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It’s so easy to cling to the glory days. Though this looks different for each of us, most people have a moment, an era, a season to look back on with nostalgia and longing.

Athletic victories remembered by a man whose back now hurts getting up from the couch. Firm teenage skin no longer taken for granted by a middle-aged woman staring into her mirror. Professional expertise and command gone by the wayside for a retiree feeling purposeless. The fun and freedom of the college years before the daily drudgery of #adulting began. Sleepy newborn snuggles cherished by the mom now parenting a rebellious teen.

Remembering our glory days can often cause us to miss the moment we’re in now and the good that can be found there. And if we’re not careful, this mindset can even bleed over into our relationship with God.

By the age of two, each of my children has been taught in our Children’s Ministry to recite Ephesians 2:8-9, which begins with the phrase, “For it is by grace you have been saved.” This verse encapsulates the heart of the gospel – we can’t do it on our own. We have no way to earn or deserve the salvation that we so desperately need. But if we only think of grace as something we have already experienced, we’re relying on our glory days all over again.

The completed work of Christ on the cross for our sins is a watershed event in human history, and every believer can look back to the time when they stepped from unbelief to belief, when their eyes were opened in faith to the goodness of the gospel. But it’s all too easy for Christians to camp out there, minimizing the extent of what Jesus accomplished on our behalf.

Christ’s death paid the penalty that our sins deserved, but the cross isn’t the end of the story. When Jesus rose again, he gives us new life in him. This life, moment by moment, is as much a gift of grace as his death. Because we live in him, grace sustains us in the present – and we can trust it to continue in the future as well.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7

This passage begins by reminding us of the glory days of the gospel which, unlike our own experiences, can never be tainted by rose-colored glasses or forgetfulness. God acted mightily on our behalf, giving us new life through his love in the resurrection and ascension of Christ, making a way for us to live in intimate relationship with him. But Paul goes on to remind us of God’s future purpose.

There is an age to come. In one sense, it has already arrived – we are one with Christ. His life is in us, and our lives are “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3).  But in another sense, we are still waiting for future promises to be fulfilled, when sin’s presence will be removed completely from the world and all things will be made new. And these verses remind us that grace will be what carries us through. We haven’t plumbed the depths of graces by crossing the line of faith. God promises to show us “the immeasurable riches of his grace” in the days to come.

Just as we began our experience of grace by placing our faith in the work of his Son, so we continue in grace daily. May each of our lives be marked by these moment-by-moment decisions to place our faith in him, whether in difficulty or delight. For our glory days are still to come.

 

Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.

– John Newton

 

Mandy Turner

Mandy Turner teaches Women’s Systematic Theology at Clear Creek Community Church. She attends the Clear Lake Campus with her husband Josh and their five children.

What You Say

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“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

– Ephesians 4:29

It’s surprising just how much pain a little bite of too hot pizza can cause the roof of your mouth, or how a sip of too hot coffee can scorch your tongue. Even more surprising is how much pain your tongue can cause you, your friends, your spouse, or your neighbor.

In the Bible, James says your tongue is like a little bit of fire that can set a whole forest ablaze!

You know it’s true. You are good at using your words as weapons. You know how to use them to start fires and fan the flames. You can flatter and you can smooth talk, and then say things that wound.

I’m guilty. That is why Ephesians 4:29 has been a significant verse for me for years. I know I sin continually with my speech, and I don’t want to. I memorized Ephesians 4:29 because it commands me to consider what I am supposed to be doing with my tongue. It’s satisfying when I am silent, encouraging, and grace giving. It is as painful as scalding hot pizza when my words are destructive.

Ephesians 4:29 gives you a simple set of purposes for the words you speak: encourage and give grace. It is a wonderful thing when you engage your obedience before you start talking.

So here’s the thing we can all change. Let’s ask ourselves, “Are the words in the pipeline between my brain and my mouth about to encourage and give grace?” When they are not, repurpose them or shut up. The world will be a better place!

My favorite part of this verse, and the most difficult, is the little phrase “as fits the occasion…” That means I’m supposed to actually be aware and considerate of all the people who will hear what I say. It means I should remember that every word I speak communicates what I value and what’s on my agenda. The kicker is, what I say paints a picture of my relationship with God.

Jesus said our words are simply fruit of our affections; he said our words are rooted in the soil of our heart. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

The scorched earth my selfish words can produce is no greater than the scorched earth from whence they come. I don’t want to be scorched earth. I want to be a grace giver. I want to be an encourager. I want to be righteously considerate of other people. Don’t you?

So, here’s a challenge for you: consider what you say.

 

The Unforgivable Sin

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Are there things we can do that God can’t forgive? Is there an “unforgivable” sin? What does it mean to blaspheme the Spirit?

These questions usually arise after reading Matthew 12:22-32,

Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to [Jesus], and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons.” Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.”

The narrative here is pretty straight forward. Jesus healed a demonically-oppressed man and the religious leaders accused Christ of accomplishing the feat by the power of Satan (referred to here as Beelzebul). Jesus highlighted the ridiculousness of their accusation by asking why the Satan would want to thwart his own agenda. The reality was, in expelling the forces of darkness, Jesus demonstrated that he was establishing the kingdom of God. In short, Jesus was clearly the Messiah sent from God the Father. Christ’s entire earthly ministry up to that point – work the religious leaders witnessed with their own eyes – undoubtedly pointed to that truth.

So, it was in that context, in the middle of those undeniable demonstrations, when Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come,” (Matthew 12:31-32).

It appears Jesus was saying that the Pharisees were blaspheming the Holy Spirit by rejecting the Spirit’s testifying work about who Christ is.[2]Even worse, not only did these religious leaders reject the Spirit’s work, but attributed it to Satan himself. It was this specific blasphemy from which Jesus said there is no return. 

This should make some sense if you consider the greater context of the passage. When the Pharisees said Jesus was from Satan, they were rejecting the only path God offers humanity for forgiveness. Therefore, denying what is really the work of the Spirit in Jesus and attributing that power, instead, to Satan, is ultimately a product of unbelief. Simply put, the Pharisees’ stubborn rejection of Jesus and the Spirit’s testimony of him was a stubborn rejection of the gospel. This is what is meant by the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. As biblical scholar Graham Cole notes, “The blasphemy against the Spirit is that self-righteous persistent refusal to embrace the offer of salvation in Christ.”[3]

This is invaluable for believers to understand. Unfortunately, we hear Christians (and sometimes Christian leaders) warn the church about the “unforgiveable sin” as if there was something we could do as believers that would remove us from the family of God. Consequently, some get nervous wondering what sins might expel them from the kingdom. However, this is where we should remind ourselves of the context of this passage. Theologian and scholar R.T. France said, 

It is [the Pharisees’] diabolical opposition to the good purpose of God which is ultimately unforgiveable. The point needs to be emphasized, since the language of this saying has been incautiously applied to real or supposed offenses ‘against the Holy Spirit’ which have nothing to do with the blasphemy of these Pharisees, and serious pastoral damage has been caused. This saying is a wake-up call to the arrogant, not a bogey to frighten those of tender conscience.[4]

Frankly, some scholars wonder if this text can be applied today at all, thinking it unique to the Pharisees, if not limited to the earthly ministry of Jesus.[5]Others believe the specific blasphemy of the Spirit isn’t so much a doubting of the truth about Jesus, but a rejection of the Spirit’s clear and direct testimony the individual knows as true in head and heart but rejects it still.[6]Thus, while there may be differences in the particulars concerning blaspheming the Spirit, the general idea is that this sin is the unbelief and rejection of who Jesus truly is and what he does. 

Therefore, when others ask, “Can a Christian commit the unpardonable sin?” the clearest answer is “no,” because to be a follower of Jesus is to believe and accept the testimony of the Spirit – that Christ is Lord – which is the exact opposite of the Pharisees’ response. Thus, the sin of blaspheming the Spirit is one which a believer cannot commit. 

It is true that Christians should live lives that seek to flee from sin, yet when we do disobey, we ought not to be so distraught as to think we’ve committed an unforgiveable sin. The gospel reminds us that Christ’s cross has taken the penalty of all our sins. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 should encourage us at this point: 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Christ is our righteousness. His redeeming work at the cross has forgiven us all our sins, where our trespasses aren’t counted against us anymore. For those who believe, there is no sin we can commit that is unpardonable. The gospel is bigger than the failure of all our sins. This is where our confidence should lie; not in us, but in Christ for us!

Theologian Louis Berkhof offers a pastoral thought for Christians who fear if they have committed the sin of blaspheming the Spirit, writing, “In view of the fact that this sin is not followed by repentance, we may be reasonably sure that they who fear that they have committed it and worry about this, and who desire prayers of others for them, have not committed it.”[7]Cole offers counsel as well, saying, “Any Christian disturbed as to whether they have committed this sin needs to be encouraged to think that they have not. Rather, such warnings, I suggest, are used by the Spirit to recover the drifting Christian and to encourage perseverance in the faith. The tender Christian conscience is a sign of hope, not evidence for despair.”[8]

Follower of Jesus, rest well in Christ. He has obeyed for you. You are clothed in his righteousness. Your sins are forgiven. This is the good news of the gospel! Know that you can never blaspheme the Spirit and commit the unforgiveable sin. On the contrary, you live by the Spirit, are gifted by the Spirit, sealed by the Spirit, and may you be continuously filled with the Spirit. 

[1]See also Mark 3:29-30; cf. Luke 12:10

[2]It could be possible that Jesus, seeing the trajectory the Pharisees are taking with him, is warning them not to commit this blasphemy.

[3]Cole, Engaging with the Holy Spirit, Crossway, 2007, 29.

[4]France, The Gospel of Matthew, NICNT, Eerdmans, 2007, 482-483.

[5]e.g., Chrysotom and Jerome.

[6]cf., Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 3, Baker, 2006, 156. See Louis Berkhof with almost exact statement in his Systematic Theology, Eerdmans, 1938, 253.

[7]Berkhof, 254.

[8]Cole, 34.

Gifts of the Spirit

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We believe the lists of spiritual gifts in the Bible aren’t meant to be exhaustive. However, we have compiled a list of spiritual gifts that are seen in operation at Clear Creek Community Church. 

Administration – working with and through followers toward achieving Biblical goals and organizational objectives.

Church-planting (Also named Missionary) – the Spirit-given ability to minister cross-culturally with the goal of planting churches.

Discernment – to distinguish between truth and error, good and evil.

Evangelism – to act as a productive instrument of God in people coming to faith in Christ.

Exhortation – to come along side another in need of encouragement, challenge or earnest advice.

Faith – to trust in the power and presence of God and to act on this trust.

Giving – to freely give for the Lord’s work.

Hospitality – to provide an open home to those in need of food, lodging and fellowship, and a refuge to a bruised individual.

Knowledge – to master God’s revealed truth in Scripture.

Leadership – to set goals and to motivate others towards their accomplishment in the Body of Christ.

Mercy – to aid the suffering or undeserving and to spare them from punishment or penalties justly deserved.

Prophecy – to report an insight brought to the mind by the Holy Spirit to assist in ministering to others.

Pastoring (Also named Shepherding) – to effectively guide, feed, and protect a flock of followers in Christ.

Teaching (Also named Preaching) – to cause the authoritative word of God to shine by giving detailed understanding and application of Biblical truth.

Helps – to provide timely assistance that relieves other Christian workers for direct spiritual ministry.

Wisdom – to apply knowledge effectively.

Spiritual Gifts Online Assessments:

If you want to learn more about Spiritual Gifts, we recommend Discover Your God-Given Gifts by Don and Katie Fortune.

 

Buy on Amazon

 

Tag Archive for: Bible

23: Judges

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In this episode, Aric convinces Lance to take another trip in the Back in Time Bus to visit some of the Judges of ancient Israel, and at least one of them immediately regrets that decision.

 

22: Joshua

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Next up in the story of Israel, a new leader, a secretive spy mission, and a big choice about the future. Check out this episode of Who’s in the Bible!

21: Aaron

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God gave Moses instructions to build a beautiful tent and to have the Levites to serve as priests. Find out what special role Moses’ brother Aaron had in this episode.

20: The Israelites

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God had a special relationship with the Israelites in the Old Testament because they were his chosen people. On this episode, Aric and Lance continue reading the Israelite’s story in Exodus and talk about who God’s special people are today.

 

19: The Passover Lamb

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What’s the big deal about lambs in the Bible, and what do they have to do with Jesus?

Tune in to this episode to find out!

18: Pharaoh

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On this episode, Moses confronts Pharaoh about letting God’s people go free from Egypt. But Pharaoh is stubborn, and takes some convincing…

 

17: Moses

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Who’s in the Bible is back for season 2! Aric and Lance jump into Exodus to learn about Moses and the fate of the Israelite people in Egypt.

 

052: Christianity and Mental Health

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During the Sticky message series, we’re sitting down with preachers right after they finish preaching to continue the conversation. On this episode, Ryan Lehtinen talks with Lead Pastor Bruce Wesley and counselor Tara Warner following Bruce’s sermon, “Christianity and Mental Health.”

Resources: 

Grace for the Afflicted by Matthew S. Stanford

Hope and Healing Center and Institute in Houston

Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation

Clear Creek Care and Support

046: Ask Your Pastor (Session 1)

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Do you have questions you wish you could ask your pastor? Like, why don’t we display crosses on our buildings? Why do we care so much about baptism? How should we think about politics as the church? Rachel Chester asks Yancey Arrington some of these common questions posed to pastors at Clear Creek Community Church in the first session of Ask Your Pastor.

RESOURCES:

Awaiting the King by James K. A. Smith

044: New Testament, New God?

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Have you wondered if God changed from the Old Testament to the New? Sometimes people might remark that he seems angry and wrathful in the Old Testament but loving and forgiving in the New Testament. Rachel Chester sits down with Yancey Arrington to discuss how we should approach Scripture with this question, what the Bible reveals about the character of God, and how all of this is fully revealed and explained in Jesus.

 

RESOURCES:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/marcion-getting-unhitched-old-testament/