THE LIBERTY YOU LIVE FOR
The liberty you live for
Is a chain around your neck
Swallow hard you feel it's tightening grip
From slavery to servitude
You're much more of a wreck
Just harder to feel the sinking of the ship
You thought you were the child of a king
A prince with just about everything
You've been duped by half lies
Trusting your own alibis
The hangman holds the scaffold rope
Waiting for the sign
One small step and the knot will slip
Till you figure out your best jokes
Won't earn another set
You'll stand there with a trembling lip
You thought you were the child of a king
A prince with just about everything
You've been duped by half lies
Trusting your own alibis
The confidence you come by
Is a way for you to cope
With the demon-claws underneath your skin
So go buy a new umbrella
The sky is bellowing smoke
Hold on tight . . . here comes the wind . . .
You thought you were the child of a king
A prince with just about everything
You've been duped by half lies
Trusting your own alibis
copyright - coreypelton 2009
Showing posts with label gospel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gospel. Show all posts
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Christian Help in Economic Woes
Now more than ever the church needs to come to the aid of her brothers and sisters. With a fast slipping economy, people are struggling to maintain their jobs and their lifelines as savings accounts drop and the unemployment lines bend around buildings. How can the Christian community help? What tangible ways are there to lift someone out of the mire?
In the very early New Testament church the gospel so impacted people's hearts that one of the first signs of letting go of individual rights to serve Christ who gave himself was to share property with other fellow worshippers in need. This was voluntary, not coerced.
Again, not long after the initial Pentecost thrust, there was a famine in the land and the newly formed church immediately responded with help for the gathered church in the hard hit area.
How can you help within your particular church? In my own church we have a mortgage broker who daily wonders how secure her job might be. Others in the congregation have begun pointing their friends who are purchasing homes to her for mortgages. In the same way, if someone own a restaurant, eat there. . . many times. Does someone clean homes? Those who have the ability, hire them. Think through the contacts that you have and maybe, just maybe, that might mean life and sustenance for a hurting brother or sister.
Another practical way to help would be to post your needs before the church or post items you may have that others may need. Have an ailing lawn mower but can't afford to fix it? There may be someone in the church willing to loan or give you one that is not being used.
The gospel is not merely theoretical, but living and active and tangible. In Acts the church grew because others outside the community recognized the hearts swollen with gospel grace. May we have sharing hearts so that God may be glorified, the church may be edified, and others will "know we are Christians by our love."
In the very early New Testament church the gospel so impacted people's hearts that one of the first signs of letting go of individual rights to serve Christ who gave himself was to share property with other fellow worshippers in need. This was voluntary, not coerced.
Again, not long after the initial Pentecost thrust, there was a famine in the land and the newly formed church immediately responded with help for the gathered church in the hard hit area.
How can you help within your particular church? In my own church we have a mortgage broker who daily wonders how secure her job might be. Others in the congregation have begun pointing their friends who are purchasing homes to her for mortgages. In the same way, if someone own a restaurant, eat there. . . many times. Does someone clean homes? Those who have the ability, hire them. Think through the contacts that you have and maybe, just maybe, that might mean life and sustenance for a hurting brother or sister.
Another practical way to help would be to post your needs before the church or post items you may have that others may need. Have an ailing lawn mower but can't afford to fix it? There may be someone in the church willing to loan or give you one that is not being used.
The gospel is not merely theoretical, but living and active and tangible. In Acts the church grew because others outside the community recognized the hearts swollen with gospel grace. May we have sharing hearts so that God may be glorified, the church may be edified, and others will "know we are Christians by our love."
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
The Real Dogs
Philippians 3:2-3
"Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil doers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . ."
I think it is very telling here that, as Paul begins his conclusion to his letter to the Philippian believers, that he does not say, "look out for the murderers, the rapists, the pedophiles, the prostitutes." Instead, he piles the words up in anticipation for whom they should beware: those who trust in outward forms of righteousness (in this case circumcision) rather than fully upon Christ. Murderers may kill the body but they cannot kill the soul. Rapists and pedophiles may strip a person of dignity and, in this life, cause all sorts of insecurities and horrible and atrocious harm, but they cannot usurp gospel power which brings real security to a victim's conscience. A prostitute may provide instant gratification for a man or woman, but they cannot ultimately adulterate a person's relationship with God since God is the One who begins and perfects the eternal gospel in a person's life (Phil. 1:6).
Paul is writing from prison yet prison cannot stop the truth of God. The real enemy is those who would require some meritorious work to gain God's favor or keep people in God's favor. This is the real enemy of faith and the soul. It has eternal consequences. Al the above are bound by the temporal walls of life here. Those who are truly marked out as God's people are not the ones with a literal flesh circumcision but with the circumcision of the heart who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . ."
"Look out for the dogs, look out for the evil doers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the real circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . ."
I think it is very telling here that, as Paul begins his conclusion to his letter to the Philippian believers, that he does not say, "look out for the murderers, the rapists, the pedophiles, the prostitutes." Instead, he piles the words up in anticipation for whom they should beware: those who trust in outward forms of righteousness (in this case circumcision) rather than fully upon Christ. Murderers may kill the body but they cannot kill the soul. Rapists and pedophiles may strip a person of dignity and, in this life, cause all sorts of insecurities and horrible and atrocious harm, but they cannot usurp gospel power which brings real security to a victim's conscience. A prostitute may provide instant gratification for a man or woman, but they cannot ultimately adulterate a person's relationship with God since God is the One who begins and perfects the eternal gospel in a person's life (Phil. 1:6).
Paul is writing from prison yet prison cannot stop the truth of God. The real enemy is those who would require some meritorious work to gain God's favor or keep people in God's favor. This is the real enemy of faith and the soul. It has eternal consequences. Al the above are bound by the temporal walls of life here. Those who are truly marked out as God's people are not the ones with a literal flesh circumcision but with the circumcision of the heart who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh . . ."
Monday, December 22, 2008
Hiding Jesus in Evangelical Robes
I recently attended a neighbor's Greek orthodox funeral. When alive, my neighbor would always say to me, "You have no tradition. We have a tradition," meaning their church proclaims to go all the way back to the Apostle Peter. Over the years tradition after tradition were piled up until we have the Greek Orthodox Church of today (which they would say is of yesterday). Intense incense, veneration of Mary, repetitious chanting, icons, priestly garb, original Greek, and very specific rules of worship, like the direction the casket faced, were obvious marks of this service.
The thing that struck me was Christ was hidden beneath all of the tradition. It almost seems that they go out of their way to make it difficult to see Jesus. After the funeral a friend responded with the typical "what a beautiful funeral." I wanted to laugh. Beautiful? It was the most depressing and hopeless funeral I have ever attended.
But is it that far from modern evangelicalism . . . really? Don't we hide Jesus under own contrived garb of religiosity? Like the Pharisees before us, we cover over the hurts and pains of failure to produce a righteousness of our own (failure to be holy as God requires) and try to mask the ceaseless, tireless, positive production of sin in our lives which hounds us that we cannot be holy. Our music gets louder, our productions bigger, our church activity greater. Are we not also covering up Jesus with our modern trinkets?
In my own life it is a constant struggle to rightly apprehend the fact of Christ's life and work on behalf. It is difficult for me to fathom that Christ both accounted to Himself my sin and the wrath I deserve for my sin, and accounted to me His own perfect righteousness. It is hard for me to grasp that I stand a free man condemned no longer. I still feel I need to pay the price for my sins. But what a farse. What kind of salvation is it that requires of me a maintenance of my own salvation? That's not a free gospel. In reality I know that I fail miserably to maintain any semblance of morality or spirituality that measures up to perfection. My most religious moments are filled with mixed motives. My most elegant prayers are tinged with the pride and greed of what they will fetch from God.
What I need is gospel taught that shows me that I must live today, not attempting to correct my own account, but believing that Christ has truly and fully already paid that price for me. I need a church that teaches that kind of gospel (good news) over and over again. I don't need the prevalent moralism, or behavior modification of today's evangelicalism. That message hides Jesus behind my own works. I need a Jesus at the forefront of my salvation who is clear and concise and really accomplished my full salvation. I don't need a half Jesus who got me into heaven and now I have to work hard to clean up my act by doing good things, dressing the part, and keeping my nose clean with a cheezy smile on my face. I need a Jesus who is both the Author and Perfector of my faith. And on Him, fully revealed not covered over, is where I need to fix my eyes. And I need a church who will clearly, fully, and simply present Him and Him alone every single week.
The thing that struck me was Christ was hidden beneath all of the tradition. It almost seems that they go out of their way to make it difficult to see Jesus. After the funeral a friend responded with the typical "what a beautiful funeral." I wanted to laugh. Beautiful? It was the most depressing and hopeless funeral I have ever attended.
But is it that far from modern evangelicalism . . . really? Don't we hide Jesus under own contrived garb of religiosity? Like the Pharisees before us, we cover over the hurts and pains of failure to produce a righteousness of our own (failure to be holy as God requires) and try to mask the ceaseless, tireless, positive production of sin in our lives which hounds us that we cannot be holy. Our music gets louder, our productions bigger, our church activity greater. Are we not also covering up Jesus with our modern trinkets?
In my own life it is a constant struggle to rightly apprehend the fact of Christ's life and work on behalf. It is difficult for me to fathom that Christ both accounted to Himself my sin and the wrath I deserve for my sin, and accounted to me His own perfect righteousness. It is hard for me to grasp that I stand a free man condemned no longer. I still feel I need to pay the price for my sins. But what a farse. What kind of salvation is it that requires of me a maintenance of my own salvation? That's not a free gospel. In reality I know that I fail miserably to maintain any semblance of morality or spirituality that measures up to perfection. My most religious moments are filled with mixed motives. My most elegant prayers are tinged with the pride and greed of what they will fetch from God.
What I need is gospel taught that shows me that I must live today, not attempting to correct my own account, but believing that Christ has truly and fully already paid that price for me. I need a church that teaches that kind of gospel (good news) over and over again. I don't need the prevalent moralism, or behavior modification of today's evangelicalism. That message hides Jesus behind my own works. I need a Jesus at the forefront of my salvation who is clear and concise and really accomplished my full salvation. I don't need a half Jesus who got me into heaven and now I have to work hard to clean up my act by doing good things, dressing the part, and keeping my nose clean with a cheezy smile on my face. I need a Jesus who is both the Author and Perfector of my faith. And on Him, fully revealed not covered over, is where I need to fix my eyes. And I need a church who will clearly, fully, and simply present Him and Him alone every single week.
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