VIDEO Saved and Being Saved

But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. “Acts 4:19-20

 

Peter was so scared to identify with Jesus that he denied even knowing Him—three times! And now post-Pentecost, he stood before the religious rulers of Jerusalem and said that he and John could not help but speak about the words and works of Jesus to which they had been witnesses.

Obviously, being empowered by the Holy Spirit is the primary explanation for Peter’s newfound courage and willingness to stand for Jesus in the public square. But it is also evidence of the ongoing and transforming power of the Gospel. When we refer to the Gospel, we usually think of salvation as an event: “I was saved.” But it is also a process: “I am being saved,” as in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For those of us who are being saved” the Gospel is “the power of God” (CEB).

Consider both dimensions of the Gospel in your life: saved and being saved. Is there evidence of the power of the Gospel in your life?

Faith in Jesus leads to a life transformed by Jesus. Melissa Kruger

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God Before Man – Acts 4:19-20

Blessed Routine

Without [God], who can eat or find enjoyment? Ecclesiastes 2:25

Watching the morning crowd pour onto the train, I felt the Monday blues kick in. From the sleepy, grumpy faces of those in the jam-packed cabin, I could tell no one looked forward to going to work. Frowns broke out as some jostled for space and more tried to squeeze in. Here we go again, another mundane day at the office.

Then, it struck me that just a year before, the trains would have been empty because COVID-19 lockdowns had thrown our daily routines into disarray. We couldn’t even go out for a meal, and some actually missed going to the office. But now we were almost back to normal, and many were going back to work—as usual. “Routine,” I realized, was good news, and “boring” was a blessing!

King Solomon came to a similar conclusion after reflecting on the seeming pointlessness of daily toil (Ecclesiastes 2:17–23). At times, it appeared endless, “meaningless,” and unrewarding (v. 21). But then he realized that simply being able to eat, drink, and work each day was a blessing from God (v. 24).

When we’re deprived of routine, we can see that these simple actions are a luxury. Let’s thank God that we can eat and drink and find satisfaction in all our toil, for this is His gift (3:13).

By:  Leslie Koh

Reflect & Pray

What simple blessings can you thank God for today? What can you do for someone who’s in need or is unable to enjoy life’s simple routines?

Dear God, thank You for my “usual” routines, no matter how boring they may seem at times. Help me to be grateful for Your every blessing in life.

Tuning In to God’s Will

If you want to be sure you are hearing from God, spend time in His Word daily Psalm 119:17-24

If you follow Jesus, you have likely heard the phrase “God’s will.” It’s often mentioned in the context of His having a will for each believer—or of our doing His will, walking in His will, and the like. If we love the Lord, then certainly we want to obey Him (John 14:15). But let’s take a look at some of the reasons we might miss His plan for our life. 

Handling God’s Word Improperly. When our days become jam-packed with commitments and activities, it’s easy to have trouble maintaining a steady intake of Scripture. Without spending time in God’s Word, we tend to forget what matters to Him. Then there are times that some of us will incorrectly use Scripture to support decisions we’ve already made. Or, when God’s Word does not match what we want, we might ignore it and do things our way. 

Picking the Wrong Guide. When making decisions, we sometimes rely too heavily on other people’s opinions. We think that the easiest and quickest way to get answers is to ask fellow Christians—or even unbelievers who seem “wise.”  

Making Scripture your daily companion is the best way not to miss God’s plan. Be prepared to spend time reading and listening while the Spirit teaches you what God’s will is for your life. 

The Whole Law

“Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and my judgments: which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 18:5)

The absolute holiness of God is emphasized throughout the book of Leviticus, and this is the standard for all those created in His image. This is made clear, beyond question, when today’s verse is quoted in the New Testament: “But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them” (Galatians 3:11-12).

It is not enough that a man keep most of God’s laws. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Galatians 3:10).

It is obvious, therefore, that while “the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good” (Romans 7:12), no human being (except Jesus Christ) has ever been able to keep God’s perfect law, and all are therefore under God’s condemnation. “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20).

The widespread delusion that a person can be saved by good works is dangerous, and many are on the road to hell smug in their supposed goodness. To keep the law, however, the Creator Himself had to become man, and He did fulfill the law as our representative before God. Then, when He died, Christ “redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). “Now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested…by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe” (Romans 3:21-22). HMM

Two Men Of Passion

King Solomon and the Apostle Paul.

The difference between them lay in the focus of their passion:

Solomon’s passion was directed away from God by his affection for unbelieving foreign women:

“His wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God.“(1 Kings 11:4)

Paul’s passion, by contrast, was redirected from self-righteous legalism toward knowing Christ:

“I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.“(Philippians 3:7, 8)

Solomon expended his life on pleasure:

“I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.“(Ecclesiastes 2:10)

Paul, by comparison, invested his life in making Christ known:

“We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom. To this end I labor, struggling with all His energy…”(Colossians 1:28, 29)

HOW DID THESE TWO MEN OF PASSION END UP?

Solomon became bitter and disappointed in his old age:

“I hated life… [and] I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun… “(Ecclesiastes 2:17a, 18a)

Paul, however completed his life with a profound sense of accomplishment and anticipation:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day… “(2 Timothy 4:8)

TWO QUESTIONS:

(1) Where is the focus of your passion? On yourself, or on the Glory of God?

(2) How will you end up? Like Solomon, or like Paul?

“Before Abraham was, I am.”

John 8:31-59

Our Lord pleaded with the Jewish people and set the truth clearly before them, but they cavilled at him and rejected him. Of this we have an instance in—John 8:31-59.

John 8:31, 32

The contentious party among the Jews here interrupted him, boastfully extolling themselves as freemen. They were under the dominion of the Romans, and yet gloried in never having been in bondage.

John 8:48

When they cannot argue, men usually take to railing. A bad case when hard pushed is very apt to employ abuse as its defence.

John 8:57

The sorrows of our Lord made him appear to be nearly fifty, though he was only a little over thirty.

John 8:58

Thus did he declare his Godhead and eternal existence, but they would not believe in him.

Bragging About God

That God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion. (1 Peter 4:11)

Basic beliefs about the Person and the nature of God have changed so much that there are among us now men and women who find it easy to brag about the benefits they receive from God—without ever a thought or a desire to know the true meaning of worship!

I have immediate reactions to such an extreme misunderstanding of the true nature of a holy and sovereign God, for I believe that the very last thing God desires is to have shallow-minded and worldly Christians bragging about Him.

Beyond that, it does not seem to be very well recognized that God’s highest desire is that every one of His believing children should so love and so adore Him that we are continually in His presence, in spirit and in truth.

Something wonderful and miraculous and life-changing takes place within the human soul when Jesus Christ is invited in to take His rightful place. That is what God anticipated when He wrought the plan of salvation. He intended to make worshipers out of rebels; to restore the place of worship which our first parents knew when they were created!