We Are Friends

We are friends

Brothers in Christ

Brother and sister in Christ

We have this partnership in the Gospel

We have the same faith

The Faither

The same Savior & Lord

The same goal

And same end 

 What happened though?
How did it come to this?
Was it something I said?
Something I did?


Come now
Let's figure this out
Let's clear the air
Let us reason together


Let us put away
Any envy, jealousy, and bitterness
Let us cast aside
Any pride, selfishness, or self-boasting


And instead let us
Clothe ourselves with
Humilty, meekness, and patience
Also with
Kindness, gentleness, and love


Not to mention
Let us forgive each other
Where forgiveness is needed
Having in mind
That our Lord
Has forgiven us in Christ


After all this
Let us continue to run 
This race together
Fighting the good fight
Striving side by side
For the faith of the Gospel

Let there be encouragement 
And mutual upbuilding
Sharpening & rebuking
Reminding one another
Of the promises & truths
In God's Word 


All this for building up
The body of Christ
For sake of 
Christ & the Gospel
And the glory of God


Yes! 
By the grace of God
We are friends! 

The Gospel Brings Humility & Joy

What should ultimately create humility and joy within me?

God, my God

You are the Creator

Of the universe

You are GREAT

Holy,Holy, Holy are You

Heaven & Earth

Are consumed with

Your Glory

I'm merely human

finite,weak, and frail

A wretch

And sinner am I

A trangressor

Of Your law

Therefore deserving

Of Your wrath

But You sent Your beloved Son

Jesus Christ

The Lamb without spot or blemish

To suffer and hang on the Cross

Bearing all my sins

And took the wrath in my place

Dying in my stead

Yet rose again the 3rd day

\

May this, the Gospel, bring me to my knees broken in humilty. May it consume my heart will with an aggresive and inexpressible joy!







What Does the Gospel Do?

What does the Gospel do?

The Gospel

Makes the blind see

The deaf hear

And cleanses the leper

Heals the wounded

Raises the dead to life

And sets the captive free

The Gospel

Redeems and saves

Pardons and forgives

Delivers and liberates

Reconciles and restores

Justifies the ungodly

Makes the enemy a friend

The Gospel

Renews and recreates

Giving new hearts

With new desires

Giving new motives

Also aims and goals

The Gospel

Changes everthing

Turning things

Upsidedown and insideout

Transforming lives

Hearts and minds

Communities and relationships

The Gospel

Humbles us

As children

God's children

And exalts

Our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ

The Gospel

Does all these things

And much more

All to the

Praise, glory, and honor

Of our GREAT God



This Freedom Song is Marching On!

 There's another line in Chris Tomlin's song "White Flag", that has got me thinking of the Cross, the Gospel, and Scripture. The line is, I believe, is the 2nd prechorus of the song; which goes like this: This Freedom song is marching on! Now, what is the freedom song, I would strongly believe that it is the Gospel itself! Here are some passages of Scripture that come to mind when I here that line in the song:

"And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jeruselem, and the were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, the apostles.....Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word."~ Acts 8:2&4

"But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of  of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life."~ 2 Corinthians 2:14-16

"and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation,"~ Romans 15:20

"because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing--as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,"~ Colossians 1:5-6

 Yes this word of truth, the gospel, is being advanced to this day liberating those who are bound by the chains of their sin and depravity! It is "delivering people from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of Christ." (Colossians 1:13). Yes, to this day this freedom song is marching on!

All I Need is Jesus

Take me to a place

That is new

And unfamiliar to me

That is fine

Because all I have

Is Christ

Take away my

My sight

My hearing

Or even the ability

To use

My arms and legs

That will be alright

Because all I have

Is Jesus

When darkness surrounds me

And my enemies

Have me against the wall

With no allies

Or friends beside me

That will be okay

Because all I have is Christ

If my family

And dear friends

Were to ever be taken

From me

And I left

As it may seem

All alone

I will have no worries

Because all I have

Is Jesus

Go ahead

Take anything

And everything from me

I will not

Lose heart

Or wallow in despair

For all I know

And all I have

Is Christ Jesus

My Savior & Lord

He's all I need

He's more than enough

He is sufficient

All satisfying

My treasure I've found

Hidden in the field

My reward

For fighting

The good fight

My prize

For finishing the race

Yes!

All I have is Christ

All I need is Jesus

We Lift High the Cross

Now I'm not too big on Chris Tomlin to be honest. I mean yes, there are songs of his that I enjoy like "Our God" and "Jesus Messiah", but he's not among the artist and bands that I love listening to. He's not among those who's next album I look forward to listening; though his recent song "White Flag" has got me putting it on repeat as I drive to work or church.
 White Flag was performed live at the 2012 Passion Conference down in Alanta, GA, but I didn't hear it until it first came on the radio. Oh my my1 Let me tell you! I'm definitely hooked on the song! It's not a deep theological song really, and that's one thing that really gets me hooked on a song. Yet, there are some songs that I like simply because of one line. Now with Chris Tomlin's White Flag, the whole song, to me, is sweet goodness, but there is one line that gets me. It's the bridge or.....refrain....whatever you wanna call it. It goes like this- "We lift the cross, lift it high, lift it high! ". What truth!
 I don't know if this is out of sync of the whole message of the song, but what I think about as that part of the song come up is the whole idea of what the body of Christ, the church, is all about. The Gospel.
 Yes, when you boil it down to its essence, we, the body of Christ, is all about Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

"Only let your manner be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel."- Philippians 1:27


 As the body of Christ, the church, the bride of Jesus, we are called to, not only individually, but also together to lift high the Cross, to advance the Gospel, to represent Jesus or Savior and Lord! To be sure that all we do as the body of Christ lifts high the Cross and serves as a means to advance the Gospel! All to the Glory of the Author of the Gospel!


http://youtu.be/e1jgD69WzMY

Powerful & Convicting: The Best Sermon on Missions Ever!

 This is the sermon that David Platt gave at T4G '12  (Together for the Gospel) in louisville, KY . Both John Piper and Ligon Duncan, who spoke at the conference as well said that it was the best and most powerful sermons on missions that they have ever heard, and I couldn't agree more. To me, it is one of the top 5 sermons I ever heard. So powerful and so convicting! For those who have a desire for mission, you "MUST" listen to this. Just take an hour out of your day to listen to it! It's that good!


Divine Sovereignty: The Fuel of Death-Defying Missions : Together for the Gospel