[Acts 4:10-12]
let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
{James Cha}
Saved from what?
Slavery to sin - John 8:34 (Romans 6:16-17)
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin."
Slavery to fear of death - Hebrews 2:14-16
and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
What is Islam?
Islam means submission to Allah
Muslim is someone who is submitted to Allah
Islam began with Muhammad, who lived in the 600's
He was a merchant, a teacher, and a warrior.
Who is Allah?
Jews believe in God revealed in the Old Testament
Christians affirm the God of the TO and believe in the Trinity as revealed in the NT
Muslims claim that their Allah is the same as the God of the Bible.
Islam
Allah is distant and impersonal.
Allah's loves conditional.
Salvation is based on scales. It is not guaranteed.
Muhammad himself did not know his eternal destiny.
Keep the 5 pillars.
Heaven is pictured as men sitting on couches being served wine by perpetual virgins; majority in hell are women.
Allah wants Islam to take over the world, even by force.
Muhammad viewed men as superior to women.
Muhammad had 13 wives; His youngest, Aisha, was 9 at the time of marriage.
Muhammad has no record of healing the sick or raising the dead.
Muhammad initially doubted whether the revelation he received was divine or demonic.
Muhammad died peacefully in the arms of his youngest wife, Aisha; buried in Medina.
Muhammad won a following by military victory and/or forced conversion.
Muhammad washed the swords of his followers.
Muhammad taught that Jesus was not God.
What does the Bible say about Muhammad? (1 John 2:22-23)
Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.
The Baha'i religion came on the scene at 1850 AD. They say that the previous religions have failed and they have newer revelation.
God is looking for a man or a woman
Of Conviction - John 15:1-7; Acts 4:18-20
Of Compassion - Matthew 5:43-48; John 13:34-35
"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him..." - 2 Chronicles 16:9 (ESV)
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Feb 27, 2011
Jan 16, 2011
Mercy: A Vital Sign of Living Faith
[James 1:1-17]
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
Why does our treatment of the poor and powerless reveal the state of our faith?
It identifies those who have received mercy from God.
When we treat people with partiality, we treat things at face value. This occurs with those who have not received the gospel. Why is this? This is because when we have received mercy from God, it flattens our view of people. We see them as either saved or unsaved. We do not treat people differently between rich and poor, powerful and powerless, beautiful and ugly. We should see believers as co-heirs of the kingdom of heaven; brothers and sisters in the faith. Yet, even more than that, when we see the poor and destitute, we should be reminded of our own story. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." - 2 Corinthians 8:9 The story of our salvation is one of God becoming poor so that we could become rich. Those who have been saved by God in this manner, will not treat the poor in this manner.
How you treat the poor reveals what you treasure.
If we treat the rich person better, it reveals that we want something from the rich person. We treat them better because we think they can do us a favor. If we scratch their back, they will scratch ours. But this is just selfish and worldly, not the way a Christian should act. We treat people well so that we can get what we want. It is not altruistic. It is not loving. How does this apply to us? We may not overly mistreat the poor, but we are busy... too busy to help the hurting and destitute. We ignore them. We may even give money to charities, but all we can think of is how the money has just disappeared. The money has given us no benefit. This also reveals our treasure as something in THIS world. It is still worldly treasure. We are not investing with a mind on eternity and the kingdom. Do not take this as a call to quit your job and join some organization to end poverty. Keep working. But remember that this is not just for you. Remember this money is to be used for the glory of God. Use it to further the kingdom of God and to alleviate the suffering in this world to His glory. "Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need." - Ephesians 4:28 We should earn money to share with those around us.
Reveals whether we are saved.
"So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." - James 2:12-14
We usually think of how this passage tells us that we have salvation through Christ... that through the acts of Christ, we have mercy. But that is not how this should be viewed. Those who know Christ, ACT with mercy. Those who do not know Christ, ACT without mercy. So those who have no mercy... are destined for judgment. James is telling us that mercy is a test to see whether we have a genuine and living faith.
Application
Love the poor.
Whether this means supporting a poor child or donating to a charity. We should go and meet the needs of those who are poor and needy.
Help the deacons.
Serve with those who are charged with leading our church in meeting the physical needs of those around us.
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
Why does our treatment of the poor and powerless reveal the state of our faith?
It identifies those who have received mercy from God.
When we treat people with partiality, we treat things at face value. This occurs with those who have not received the gospel. Why is this? This is because when we have received mercy from God, it flattens our view of people. We see them as either saved or unsaved. We do not treat people differently between rich and poor, powerful and powerless, beautiful and ugly. We should see believers as co-heirs of the kingdom of heaven; brothers and sisters in the faith. Yet, even more than that, when we see the poor and destitute, we should be reminded of our own story. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." - 2 Corinthians 8:9 The story of our salvation is one of God becoming poor so that we could become rich. Those who have been saved by God in this manner, will not treat the poor in this manner.
How you treat the poor reveals what you treasure.
If we treat the rich person better, it reveals that we want something from the rich person. We treat them better because we think they can do us a favor. If we scratch their back, they will scratch ours. But this is just selfish and worldly, not the way a Christian should act. We treat people well so that we can get what we want. It is not altruistic. It is not loving. How does this apply to us? We may not overly mistreat the poor, but we are busy... too busy to help the hurting and destitute. We ignore them. We may even give money to charities, but all we can think of is how the money has just disappeared. The money has given us no benefit. This also reveals our treasure as something in THIS world. It is still worldly treasure. We are not investing with a mind on eternity and the kingdom. Do not take this as a call to quit your job and join some organization to end poverty. Keep working. But remember that this is not just for you. Remember this money is to be used for the glory of God. Use it to further the kingdom of God and to alleviate the suffering in this world to His glory. "Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need." - Ephesians 4:28 We should earn money to share with those around us.
Reveals whether we are saved.
"So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." - James 2:12-14
We usually think of how this passage tells us that we have salvation through Christ... that through the acts of Christ, we have mercy. But that is not how this should be viewed. Those who know Christ, ACT with mercy. Those who do not know Christ, ACT without mercy. So those who have no mercy... are destined for judgment. James is telling us that mercy is a test to see whether we have a genuine and living faith.
Application
Love the poor.
Whether this means supporting a poor child or donating to a charity. We should go and meet the needs of those who are poor and needy.
Help the deacons.
Serve with those who are charged with leading our church in meeting the physical needs of those around us.
May 30, 2010
Fighting with the Full Armor of God: Prayer - The Summoning of Divine Power
{Ephesians 6:16-20}
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
[Rev. Dan Whang]
I will be covering the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and prayer.
When we refer to the FULL armor of God, it is the full protection... nothing is left lacking. We will be equipped for battle.
Helmet of Salvation
I would like to refer to this as the "Hope of Salvation"
"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation." - 1 Thessalonians 5:8
We differ this from our faith in that our faith is based on what has already been done for us. Hope is for what we has not yet come to pass. It is what drives us forward.
Sword of the Spirit
Everything else we've covered is for our defense. The sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon.
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12
Most of the time, we think of the sword in fighting the enemies and trying to kill them. But I would like to introduce the idea that the sword should first be used on ourselves. We should use the sword to help us reveal our own hearts. Don't get suicidal thoughts now...
Three powers of the Spirit
Power to search and convict - The spirit can reveal hidden sins that we are unaware of. It can convict us of things we should do or things we should not.
Power to comfort - When we are broken and dejected over sin, it can restore us even in the face of our most heinous sins.
Power to convert - The Spirit works to change our hearts and turn us to God.
Prayer in the Spirit
"praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints"
There is this all encompassing language. We should be praying at all times, in every situation.
Prayer as Empowerment - Prayer summons divine power. It is like the heavenly walkie talkie in the middle of the battle. We can and should call for spiritual backup, support, & supplies..
Prayer as Life - Prayer is not our focus. God is our focus. It is like having a conversation and trying to focus on conversation instead of the other person.
I have an encouragement about prayer. It is simply this...
Make prayer your #1 response to everything in life.
Like this oil spill in the gulf of Mexico. All this blame and fishing industry collapsing... What can we as a single human being do? I thought, we should pray.
Application
"...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16 (NIV)
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
[Rev. Dan Whang]
I will be covering the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and prayer.
When we refer to the FULL armor of God, it is the full protection... nothing is left lacking. We will be equipped for battle.
Helmet of Salvation
I would like to refer to this as the "Hope of Salvation"
"But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation." - 1 Thessalonians 5:8
We differ this from our faith in that our faith is based on what has already been done for us. Hope is for what we has not yet come to pass. It is what drives us forward.
Sword of the Spirit
Everything else we've covered is for our defense. The sword of the Spirit is the only offensive weapon.
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." - Hebrews 4:12
Most of the time, we think of the sword in fighting the enemies and trying to kill them. But I would like to introduce the idea that the sword should first be used on ourselves. We should use the sword to help us reveal our own hearts. Don't get suicidal thoughts now...
Three powers of the Spirit
Power to search and convict - The spirit can reveal hidden sins that we are unaware of. It can convict us of things we should do or things we should not.
Power to comfort - When we are broken and dejected over sin, it can restore us even in the face of our most heinous sins.
Power to convert - The Spirit works to change our hearts and turn us to God.
Prayer in the Spirit
"praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints"
There is this all encompassing language. We should be praying at all times, in every situation.
Prayer as Empowerment - Prayer summons divine power. It is like the heavenly walkie talkie in the middle of the battle. We can and should call for spiritual backup, support, & supplies..
Prayer as Life - Prayer is not our focus. God is our focus. It is like having a conversation and trying to focus on conversation instead of the other person.
I have an encouragement about prayer. It is simply this...
Make prayer your #1 response to everything in life.
Like this oil spill in the gulf of Mexico. All this blame and fishing industry collapsing... What can we as a single human being do? I thought, we should pray.
Application
- Make Time
- Make Lists
- Make Partners
"...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16 (NIV)
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