THE DISCOMFORT OF REASONABLE SERVICE

THE DISCOMFORT OF REASONABLE SERVICE

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

John [ESV] 3:11-21 [Jesus explained] Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."

Romans 12:1-3 [Paul exhorted] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

2Corinthians [GW] 5:14-21 [Paul explained] Clearly, Christ's love guides us. We are convinced of the fact that one man has died for all people. Therefore, all people have died. He died for all people so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the man who died and was brought back to life for them. So from now on we don't think of anyone from a human point of view. If we did think of Christ from a human point of view, we don't anymore. Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence.  God has done all this. He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships. [Ez.33:8] In other words, God was using Christ to restore his relationship with humanity. He didn't hold people's faults against them, and he has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others. Therefore, we are Christ's representatives, and through us God is calling you. We beg you on behalf of Christ to become reunited with God. God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God's approval through him.

  Fact is, socially speaking worship via reasonable service is often not a gala party. Self protection is just as natural for God’s John 1:12 family as for non-relatives. To be most specific this day, though definitely led to there’s a topic I’ve been putting off writing about for 2 weeks now, especially so with recent emphasis on Blues Lives Matter.

  In writing the brief HEROES series I knew there is something importantly compelling to remind others of: Individuals may heroically lay down their life in saving another, but if their trust is not in Lord Jesus Christ as personal Redeemer, they depart this life to eternal condemnation.

  As God’s ambassadors we must serve Him actively as agents of reconciliation!

EBB4