March 2010
From The Editor . . . by Tim Greenwood
Eph. 2:8 says, "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" but what does that really mean? We were sinners saved by grace. You were by Old Covenant standards in breach of contract, which was punishable by death, and were saved from that death sentence only through the favor that comes through being a child of God if, and only if, you received Jesus as your Lord and King and were adopted by God the Father.
Your being in breach made you "unrighteous" and caused you to have a bad reputation, which made things hard for you. Whereas after God adopted you, you no longer had to depend upon your own reputation or credibility since you could now start anew under your new family name.
This gave you a fresh record, freedom and access to many benefits but it also came with responsibilities. Now every time you breach a contract, covenant, agreement, pact, promise or relationship, it not only reflects on you, but also on Father God, King Jesus and all the rest of your brothers and sisters in the family of God.
Good faith came when we heard the good news of what Jesus provided
us in the form of an offer or new contract to supercede the old
contract in which we were in breach.
Before we ever heard this good news we were still at least somewhat
justified by our ignorance. But once someone has heard the good news
and rejects it and thereby rejects the King who offered it, their
breach become compounded and there no longer remained any credible
justification to protect them from the death sentence of their breach.
The faith that it takes to please God is not your religion, it's not
your denomination, it's not your doctrine, catechism or personal set of
beliefs. The faith that pleases God, that is to say the God kind of
faith, is what the secular world refers to as good faith. And the
acting upon that good faith refers to trusting God's Word and coming
into agreement with Him by giving and keeping your word in good faith. TGM
Window On The Word
So often we find ourselves placed into categories with hurtful labels such as "loser," "nerd" or seemingly flattering labels - "cool" or "sophisticated." The circles into which we are welcomed depend in large part on how we look and act. Parents stress and struggle over getting their child into the "right" kindergarten, so he can go to the "right" grammar/high school and ultimately wind up entering the "best" college - just so long as we/our children are considered to be a part of the "in crowd," part of the most exclusive circle. Thirty (or forty, or fifty) years from now, will all of that really matter? Please come with me on a visit to God's circles, where the stakes are eternal.
These circles are contacted from the outside in, our first experience being that of the Called:
(Matt. 22:14 and John 14:6) From these scriptures we learn that many
are called and no one of the called comes to the Father but by the name
of Jesus. When we are called, we begin to make our first tentative
steps toward an association with a church, and to begin to become
acquainted with the Word of God. When our faith is new, we need to keep
it fed and built up. How do we do that? "Faith comes by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God." Find a church with strong praise, worship
and teaching ministries and attend faithfully. It is when we are just
beginning that faith walk, that Satan finds ways to use us for targets.
He loves to shoot down baby Christians with offenses, with trials and
just everyday overworked, busy lives. It's so easy to say "Oh, I won't go
to church today - I'm just too tired!" Let God speak to your inner being,
and let His love lead you to the next level.
Our second experience is that of being Connected: Now that we have found our strong Word and Faith teaching church, we must move from just being associated with it (sitting in the pew) to being a part of it. We don't build just our faith - we also build relationships by loving other people, learning about them, their needs and dreams (and they about ours). It is through being connected that we learn to commune with those of like mind and allow "iron to sharpen iron" (Prov. 27:17). However, even in church membership we still have to go deeper to get to God's inner circle. We need to make lasting bonds, and determine we will "set our faces" to stay in the presence of God and His family, which brings us to the third level.
Committed: We have come to that point where we are mature enough in the faith that we are determined not to be moved by what we see or hear. Faith is our moving force, and we join with other members in God's family to form groups for the purpose of service to others. Eccl. 4:12 tells us that a threefold cord is not quickly broken - being in association/agreement with like-minded people strengthens our purpose and suppresses our selfishness. We encourage each other and learn to say "None of me Lord - all the glory is Yours!"
Being called, connected and committed brings us to the level of being Covered: We have fought the devil and won, in the strength and authority of Jesus. We have fought our own fears and selfishness and been victorious. God has enabled us to build on that Rock. Matt. 7:25 teaches us that, surely, the trials will come, but we need not fear them. We are covered in the blood of the Lamb, living in the fortress of God Almighty under His protection and provision. In ancient times, soldiers protected themselves by covering themselves with their shields to protect against their enemies' rain of arrows. We have our own shields of faith (and the whole armor of God) as a part of our covering.
And, when we are living in the center of His love, we have His Covenant at the very heart of these circles. That solemn agreement is His promise that He will never desert us, He will never leave us desolate, He will always provide us a Helper, a guide and a counselor. We can live in safety, peace, and plenty. He has made a way for the captive to go free, for the brokenhearted to be healed, for the blind to see and the deaf to hear. As a blood-bought child of God, that is the circle we want to live in! TGM
Your Heart
In Action For God Thank You For Loving Others!
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Is A Publication of
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Tim Greenwood & Marcia Greenwood
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