Entertainment-saturated people who do not treasure Christ above all are like skydivers who think that the wind passing through their fingers at 120 miles an hour is the ultimate thrill of being alive when in fact they have no parachutes and the gravity that pulls them inexorably to the ground is the wrath of God. “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” ( John  3:36 ).

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Matthew 6:5-8

 

5 “ And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

 

7 “ And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

It is a gross and shameful profanation of the name of God, when hypocritcs, in order to obtain glory from men, pray in public, or at least make a pretense of praying. But, as hypocrisy is always ambitious, we need not wonder that it is also blind. Christ, therefore, commands his disciples, if they wish to pray in a right manner, to enter into their closet. Some expositors, thinking that this has the appearance of absurdity, give it an allegorical turn, as referring to the inward recesses of the heart: but there is no necessity for such trifling. We are commanded, in many passages, to pray to God or to praise him, in the public assembly, amidst a crowd of men, and before all the people: and that for the purpose, not only of testifying our faith or gratitude, but also of exciting others, by our example, to do the like. Christ does not withdraw us from such an exercise, but only admonishes us to have God always before our eyes when we engage in prayer.

We must not literally interpret the words, enter into thy closet: as if he ordered us to avoid the presence of men, or declared that we do not pray aright, except when there are no witnesses. He speaks comparatively, and means, that we ought rather to seek retirement than desire a crowd of men to see us praying. It is advantageous, indeed, to believers, and contributes to their pouring out, with greater freedom, their prayers and groans before God, to withdraw from the gaze of men. Retirement is also useful for another reason, that our minds may be more free and disengaged from all distracting thoughts: and accordingly Christ himself frequently chose the concealment of some retired spot for the sake of prayer. But this is not the present subject, which is only to correct the desire of vain-glory. To express it in a few words, whether a man prays alone, or in the presence of others, he ought to have the same feelings, as if he were shut up in his closet, and had no other witness but God. When Christ says, thy Father shall reward thee, he declares plainly that all the reward, which is promised to us in any part of Scripture, is not paid as a debt, but is a free gift.

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Matthew 1:18-23

 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “ Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“ Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

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“And Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.”
John 12:23-26

We are all called to believe in Jesus and follow Him. He died and rose from the dead that all who entrust their lives will no perish but have eternal life (John 3:16.) If we continue to love our lives, seeking to protect ourselves from harm, loss or suffering; if we continue to build for ourselves a life of pleasure and self-wrought-contentment, we will in the end find it swept away in the deluge of God’s wrath. Jesus calls us to invest our life completely in him, for our own good and for His Father’s glory:

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Matthew 7:24-27

Have you fully entrusted your life to Jesus? Do you consider your life to not be your own, but rather belonging to God; purchased and redeemed by Jesus Christ the lamb of God? If you do, then rest in his love and obey him out of relationship. If, however, you see you are fully invested in making your life as good as you can; if you love your life then you desperately need to change direction. Christ offers eternal life to you and this starts when you surrender all to Him. Every Christian lives a new life in Christ and can say with the Apostle Paul:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20

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Chapels/cathedral thinking - “shhh be quite, this is a holy place.” The size and scale of the building is designed to overwhelmed you with the thought; God is in here. As well as sacred places, we think of holy days - and ‘hour of worship’ on Sunday.

Is sunday at 10am the hour of worship?

Jesus, talking to the samaritan woman, was breaking all the rules. It is a remarkable conversation and it’s remarkable how he reveals who he is. Its also remarkable how brillinat she is at changing the topic “you Jews claim…” Jesus is the master of spiritual conversation and he picks up on her cue. “We are on the brink of a new era in God’s plan - now there is no one right place to worship God.

OT worship was very complicated. Why? God established a people that should worship him, but because of the fall, their access to God had to be carefully structured and mediated. Sinful man cannot just rock up to God and worship him.

The new era - the place of worship no long Jerusalem in the temple. All that was a sign pointing forward to Jesus. To prepare, teach and train in sign and symbol, to point forward.

‘Salvation is from the Jews’ - it is through that OT worship system; God has been pointing forward to Him. Now all the signs and symbols would fall away, as ‘the one’ has come.

Image: Girls playing with dolls, they call them babies; when motherhood comes, the dolls will disappear. When the wonderful reality has come, the symbol drops away.

Tabernacle means tent. Jesus became flesh and tented/camped in our midst. John 1. The temple he was speaking of was his own body, when speaking of that God would raise up his temple in 3 days.

Now the holy building is God’s people. 1 Peter 2 . 1 Cor 6. Your body is his temple; his dwelling place.

“True worship centres on Jesus Christ, everywhere, all the time”

There are not nations more holy than other ones. Jerusalem is now no more holy than Launceston. The holy spirit is with you wherever you go. The holy spirit is very sensitive to what he watches at the movies. God is present in us everywhere, all the time. You cant confine him to a particular place and time.

The need to change your language. “Who is leading worship this morning?” “We are going to have a time of worship, and then there will be a time of preaching.” Even narrower: songs of praise and songs of worship.

Remember from eden: worship is about what captivates, rules and governs our hearts.

If it is always taking place, what is the essence of true worship? In spirit and in truth (John’s loaded words) spirith: John normally means capital S spirit. Not worship primarily in us - its in the Spirit of the living God. Truth needs a capital T too. the truth is Jesus Christ.

John Stott: A wonderful old building, powerful floodlights to highlight building. meant to say “what a marvellous building, not looking into the floodlight and saying, “what an amazing floodlight!” True worhsip is worship enabled by the holy spirit as we come to know the truth of Jesus Christ himself.

Of the father, through the Son by the enabling of the Holy Spirit

Jesus is the final priest - no sacrifices need to be made. Our whole lives are now to be a living sacrifice to God. Living in such a way that the Holy Spirit animates us to praise Jesus Christ to the glory of the Father.

The Practice of True Worship.

It must begin with our relationship with Jesus Christ. This begins when we first place faith in Christ. See what we are doing in terms of relationship, not duty. This is how we find ourself doing it:

1. read bible 
2. cant do it so read a 1 minute devotion book 
3. serve out of duty

Men: talk and listen to your wife. Women want to talk and guys want to do. If Jesus is the perfect man, we have no excuse. Christianty is an intensity relational religion. It’s manly to be relational, to be personal and to share and trust. Christ, living his life through and in us by the power of the Spirit.

Find time with God - walking with God whenever the cool of day is best for you. We need times to stop, turn off everything else and talk with God and hear God speak through his word. Do it with your family as well. intentional time with God. WHen it is finished - you are not finished worshiping. Now with Christ on our mind, we start to see everything else differently.

Our time with christ is what actually sets our measure. We will find things in the world jar us and things don’t grip us the same way in the world. Heading off to work to worship God, with our minds full of Christ.

Colossians 3:23, Slaves doing mundane work. Do your absolute best as an offering to God. He wants all things done well. Do it seeking opportunities to witness, opportunity to be the presence of Christ in that place, to love and care and improve the world. We seek to represent the values of God in the world, and then we come home (the most dangerous place in the world) If I’m gonna snap I’ll snap at home. If I’m gonna misuse time, goof off, etc, its gonna happen at home.

Lets enjoy the good things of His world. If you cannot enjoy something to the glory of God, don’t do it. Spurgeon on cigar smoking. Now its very hard to do it for the glory of God. Hold all things loosely with open hands, not closed fists. If we were devastated, maybe it was because that was what we were clinging to, not God.

Worship God with time and money. We all have same time, but different amounts of money. Begin to see things in the right perspective. Turn your passions into mission. See if the things you are passionate about can be harnessed to the Glory of God.

Easy and blessed corporate worship, after a week of hard worship. Gather for worship then scatter for worship.

God’s plan, he made you for himself, redeemed you that you may know him, enjoying all this you now hold up all that he has given you as a living sacrifice. Now we begin to taste real joy and satisfaction. In the world to come, there will be an absolute feast.

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Addictive behaviour? Why do we get so fanatical about stuff? Why are we so easily addicted? The first three chapters of Genesis tell us much about worship. As we look at these chapters, we learn why we are so inclined to addiction and worship of things. How are we to respond to a God who had created all things?

We go to concerts and applaud at crutain calls. Record at ballet - Margot Fonteyn: 89

Genesis 1 puts before us a God whom we are to have first and for most in our lives - The God whom we ought to worhsip.

Genesis 2 - the God who seeks our worship. God made us with a capacity to know him and relate to him Gen 2:8 A garden for the man. Gems, gold and precious stones - a fertile land. God is not mearly practical; not giving us little tablets to keep us alive - he made it intensely pleasurable and beautiful. Capacity and endless opportunity for delight and enjoyment. Eden was THE place to live. The ultimate tree-change. As paradise, it was a holy place of worship. Gen 2:15 to work and take care of it. To serve and keep it. To worship God and guard and protect

They were given one prohibition, Gen 2:16 - a test of allegiance. Their freedom must be in submission to God. It was a simple “Don’t touch!”

Image: Fish in water - if it wants to be free of the water - if he jumps out of water onto land he is dead. While in submission they could enjoy the garden and even God himself Gen 3:8 - speaks as if that was the normal thing that happened. They would end the day with fellowship and relationship.

Worship: broad sense - in the world, serving God; the stuff we do if for God, caring for people, buildings, finance, training of people, etc. Worship: narrow sense. personal relationship with God, talking and being with him. These 2 senses of worship belong together and are not separate.

Worship: this is what we are custom made to do!

Gen 3 - The God we refused to worship.

Satan came and questioned God’s word. His temptation stirred desires within the first man and woman. To be gods, as if to be with God was not enough. They deliberately defy God, and the fish is out of the water, the train is off the track - they immediately were cut off from God and died. Now pushed out into a cursed earth of pain and frustration.

They chose something in creation ahead of the creator. The thought that their life would expand, but actually their lives shrunk.

The essence of false worship: idolatry, putting anything in the world in the place of God. anything that captures our affections more than God, anything pursued to the detriment of our relationship with God. The root idolatry is self; seeking knowledge and desiring to be god.

Advertising sells not a product, but a lifestyle. We desire to have what is nice. Apple ads, Lorel - your worth it. ING - its your money. Gravox - be selfish.

The things we turn to cannot satisfy our deepest needs - they cannot regain paradise for us. They shrink our lives for ups “now my life is about home renovations, how small is that?”

Cut off from God we will fixate on anything that will give us a sense that it’s all good. “We will stuff anything into that hole hoping it will give us pleasure and satisfaction”

GK Chesterton - “When man ceases to worship God he worships everything”

Worship is about the soul - what captivates, rules, draws deepest desires hopes and passions?What do you worship? What do you look to for feeling “life’s good”? The things you pour a lot of time and energy but it never satisfies you. What drove me to take on too much? What was I thinking? What drove me?

Lang Lang - pianist. Chinese. born 1982 - father lived out dreams thorough his son. 6 hrs a day through primary years. His father’s mantra; “number 1”. Being best was everything.

Tim Keller: “What, if removed now from my life, would cause disaster?” “What do you think of when alone? What do you turn to for reward? What messes with your emotions when you’re deprived of it - makes you angry, grumpy frustrated?

What do we do to rid our lives of these idols that have captured our hearts? Well the rest of the bible deals with that.

3:15 a hint of hope. He will crush the head of Satan, but be bruised in the process. Jesus Christ is the way back to true worship. The only who can regain paradise for us and quench our soul thirst. Rules, boundaries cannot help. Idols must be replaced with a more real source of joy and satisfaction. Complete heart transformation, that comes through relationship with the living God. Jesus presents himself as the spring of living water. Jesus boldly invites us to himself to satisfy our deep desires.

“You cannot squash desires, you are made to have them - we are hard wired to worship. Only when we have jesus christ at the centre of our lives will our souls be satisfied. “

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Its great to read Christian Books and there are so many good books on a large variety of subjects. The strength of books include:

• they have undergone several stages of drafting and editing before they have been deemed suitable for publishing.
• to get published and distributed they must have something of merit to say (if it’s a good publisher.)
• Books require not charging or batteries
• Paperbaks are easy to take anywhere. 

New mobile technology and developments on internet break down a lot of these walls. Writers can now easily self publish their thoughts, opinions and ideas for very little or no cost on a
blog. They are also able to promote and reach new readers through their own social networks or advertising on other blogs. The way is also open for anyone with a computer or mobile withinternnet access to create their own blog. The result is a mass of content being added to every second of the day.

The term, ‘blog’ is a short for ‘web log’. You will often be surprised by how many of your favourite Christian authors and speakers update their current thoughts and ideas on blogs and social networks. At times, the wealth of quality christian content on the internet is quite overwhelming, with thousands of relevant blog posts, articles and pdfs to read, opportunity to discuss, comment and respond to blog posts and social networks, gigabites of sermons to download and podcasts to listen to, youtube and vimeo clips to watch and cool new web and mobile technology being developed with which to interact with all this. 

On top of this, the traditional book is being heavily challenged by cheaper ebook versions being published for mobile Kindle readers, iPads and smart phones. Now one device can hold hundreds of books.

It can be overwhelming. To help people new to reading blogs, I would like to suggest a few ways you can get started in using the internet as a ‘make your own’ christian magazine.

  Start by find a few good blogs or websites that you like. You can search your favourite book author with google and you might find they blog. You can also check their publisher’s website. Here are some worth reading:

American sites

• Desiring God - On the website you will find hundreds of John Piper sermons for download. You can even search by scripture passage. If you ‘like’ John Piper’s page of Facebook you will get lots of regular inspirational thoughts and links in your facbook news feed. You can also ‘follow’ him on twitter. 
• Head Heart Hand  - excellent from David Murry at RTC
• The Resurgence  - 
• The Gospel Coalition - 
  The Ordinary Pastor - 

Australian sites

• Nathan Bingham - 
• Sydney Anglicans
• Chrstian Reflections - Mikey Lynch is posts quite regulary on a blog that is hosted on the Geneva Push website. 
• Karl’s blog, The sprinkled blood, is worth keeping tabs on. He updates around twice a month.
• Paradoxically Speaking - Alistar Bain has blogged for several years and has a log of good things to say about leadership and christian living.

Now to how do you make reading them a bit easier? Well, all blogs will have a ‘feed’. The feed will automatically update any new posts to the blog and send the content to anyone who has subscribed to it.

• Subscribe to them by email - most blogs have a button to subscribe to them by email and you will recieve their blog updates in your inbox.
• Use a google account and use the free google reader. It is easy to subscribe to new blogs and it automatically displays unread blog posts. You can read all the blogs you like in one location.
• If you have a smart phone, you can get a reader app. A good one is called Pulse. You can also search and add the feed.

Facebook and Twitter

• As well as using a feed, most blogs also offer updates through facebook and twitter. You can find them using a search in facebook and twitter and like or follow them.
• Here is a link to some good twitter feeds

Closing

Blogs and social networks are more prone to erros and typo’s than a Christian book. Also you are not get as full and explanation as you would get if you were reading a book on the subject. A good blogger, however,  will spend a lot of time on each post, and do their best to be edifying, biblically faithful and well written. 

Finally, don’t get too sucked in. Make sure you read your bible first and last as His word is the final authority on how to love and obey God. 

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Aren’t you glad you’re not like David, Such blazoned sin,
how could he? Aren’t you glad you’re not like Saul, Making up his own
rules; what was he thinking? Aren’t you glad you’re not like Cain,
Violence against his own brother? Aren’t you glad you’re not like
Rebekah, Such planned deceit? Aren’t you glad you’re not like the
Israelites, So easily seduced by idols? Aren’t you glad you’re not
like Absalom; How could he be so jealous? Aren’t you glad you’re not
like Elijah; How could he forget God, be so depressed? Aren’t you glad
you’re not like Nebuchadnezzar; How could he be so obsessed with
power? Aren’t you glad you’re not like Samson; How could he be so
easily deceived? Aren’t you glad you’re not like Jonah; How could he
run from the Father’s call? Aren’t you glad you’re not like the
Pharisees, So religiously right yet spiritually wrong? Aren’t you glad
you’re not like Judas, Selling the Messiah for a little bit of silver?
Aren’t you glad you’re not like the Corinthians, So much better at
division than at serving the Lord? But wait. You are like them, and so
am I. There is simply no denying it. Their stories are a mirror into
which we see ourselves. We too are jealous and easily
deceived.”
Paul Tripp. “Whiter than Snow”

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It is hard to exaggerate how important it is for the mission of the church, in reaching the unreached peoples of the world, to have a fully biblical vision of the greatness and the sovereignty and the glory of God. Knowing him as he really is, as revealed in the Bible, is the foundation of mission-finishing risk and sacrifice.

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It is hard to exaggerate how important it is for the mission of the church, in reaching the unreached peoples of the world, to have a fully biblical vision of the greatness and the sovereignty and the glory of God. Knowing him as he really is, as revealed in the Bible, is the foundation of mission-finishing risk and sacrifice.

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It is hard to exaggerate how important it is for the mission of the church, in reaching the unreached peoples of the world, to have a fully biblical vision of the greatness and the sovereignty and the glory of God. Knowing him as he really is, as revealed in the Bible, is the foundation of mission-finishing risk and sacrifice.

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In the doctrines of grace I discovered that faith isn’t some mysterious detached, force-like power. Faith starts with God and fixes on God. That’s why Hebrews 6:1 calls it “faith toward God.” Faith comes from God and is quickened in us because of Christ’s death for us.

I know, there’s plenty of “faith” teaching going around that instructs people to believe that faith generates its own creative power. But that leads us inward and selfward, not upward andGodward. Our faith doesn’t create prosperity, healings, and breakthroughs. Our faith focuses fervently on God. Biblical faith confidently-even ambitiously-asks God to act according to his promises. True faith then accepts the answer. Our faith stands on the unchanging character of God. “

Dave Harvey, Rescuing Ambition, p.85

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The third unhelpful perspective I picked up in my early evangelism training concerns the gospel message itself. The particular course I studied summarized the gospel in the theological concepts of sin and grace. The goal of the presentation I had to memorise was to convince my hearers (a) that they were unworthy of God’s acceptance because of their rebellion and (b) that God’s acceptance was offered on the basis of faith alone, not good works. The gospel, in other words, was condensed to two doctrines with little attempt to connect these ideas to the flesh-and-blood story of Jesus’ birth, teaching, miracles, death, resurrection, appearances and return for judgement.

Some gospel preaching today-including some gospel conversations we have with friends-forgets that, at its heart, the gospel is the news about Jesus as narrated in the Gospels. This is why the four Gospels are called ‘Gospels’—because more than any other part of Scripture they tell the gospel. This is why the apostolic preaching in the book of Acts generally narrates the entire story of Jesus, including his birth to King David’s line, baptism by John, miracles, arrest and so on (Acts 2:22-39; 4:8-12; 10:34-43; 13:16-41). This is why when Paul explicitly summarizes the content of the gospel in his letters he does so by outlining the key events of Jesus’ life from birth to exaltation, including of course his death, burial and appearances (Romans 1:2-4; 2 Timothy 2:8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-8).

John Dickson, Promoting the Gospel

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I ordinarily begin speaking about sin to a young, urban, non-Christian like this:

Sin isn’t only doing bad things, it is more fundamentally making good things into ultimate things. Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and enslave us. Sin is primarily idolatry.

Why is this a good path to take?

First, this definition of sin includes a group of people that postmodern people are acutely aware of. Postmodern people rightly believe that much harm has been done by self-righteous religious people. If we say “sin is breaking God’s law” without a great deal of further explanation, it appears that the Pharisaical people they have known are ‘in’ and most other people are ‘out.’ Pharisees, of course, are quite fastidious in their keeping of the moral law, and therefore (to the hearer) they seem to be the very essence of what a Christian should be. An emphasis on idolatry avoids this problem. As Luther points out, Pharisees, while not bowing to literal idols, were looking to themselves and their moral goodness for their justification, and therefore they were actually breaking the first commandment. Their morality was self-justifying motivation and therefore spiritually pathological. At the bottom of all their law-keeping they were actually breaking the most fundamental law of all. When we give definitions and descriptions of sin to postmodern people, we must do so in a way that not only challenges prostitutes to change but also Pharisees.

There is another reason we need a different definition of sin for postmodern people. They are relativists, and the moment you say, “Sin is breaking God’s moral standards,” they will retort, “Well, who is to say whose moral standards are right? Everyone has different ones! What makes Christians think that theirs are the only right set of moral standards?” The usual way to respond to this is to become sidetracked from your presentation of sin and grace into an apologetic discussion about relativism. Of course, postmodern people must be strongly challenged about their mushy view of truth, but I think there is a way to move forward and actually make a credible and convicting gospel presentation before you get into the apologetic issues. I do it this way, I take a page from Kierkegaard’s The Sickness Unto Death and I define sin as building your identity—your self-worth and happiness—on anything other than God. Instead of telling them they are sinning because they are sleeping with their girlfriends or boyfriends, I tell them that they are sinning because they are looking to their careers and romances to save them, to give them everything that they should be looking for in God. This idolatry leads to drivenness, addictions, severe anxiety, obsessiveness, envy of others, and resentment.

I have found that when you describe their lives in terms of idolatry, postmodern people do not offer much resistance. They doubt there is any real alternative, but they admit sheepishly that this is what they are doing. I have also found that this makes sin more personal. Making an idol out of something means giving it the love you should be giving your Creator and Sustainer. To depict sin as not only a violation of law but also of love is more compelling. Of course a complete description of sin and grace includes recognition of our rebellion against God’s authority. But I’ve found that if people become convicted about their sin as idolatry and mis-directed love, it is easier to show them that one of the effects of sin is to put them into denial about their hostility to God. In some ways, idolatry is like addiction writ large. We are ensnared by our spiritual idols just like people are ensnared by drink and drugs. We live in denial of how much we are rebelling against God’s rule just like addicts live in denial of how much they are trampling on their families and loved ones.
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Pointing them to God, not us: Why should they (inquirers) be answered?

• It may silence their trivial objections.
• It may win them to God.
• It will do us good to give a reason for the hope that is in us.
• It will glorify God to tell of what his grace has done for his church and of what it is prepared to do.

The answers should be prudently suited to the inquirer. They should be clear, bold, truthful, and joyous. We should think before we give an answer. “What shall one answer?” Our manner in answering should be gracious (1 Pet. 3:15.). The answer should refer to God rather than to ourselves: it is so in the text now before us.

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Does your church have a smilar community newsletter? Do you have any comments or suggestions for our newsletter? Please leave a comment here or contact the Branch directly. 

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Forde rightly shows that when we stop narcissistically focusing on our need to get better, that is what it means to get better! When we stop obsessing over our need to improve, that is what it means to improve! Remember, the Apostle Paul referred to himself as the chief of sinners at the end of his life. It was his ability to freely admit that which demonstrated his spiritual maturity–he had nothing to prove or protect because it wasn’t about him!

 

...What you’ll discover is that once the gospel frees you from having to do anything for Jesus, you’ll want to do everything for Jesus so that “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do” you’ll do it all to the glory of God.

Read the full article here

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A: So the other day you said that Christianity is not about religion, but it’s about Jesus. What do ya mean about that?

B: Yeah, good question, mate I think I meant this. It you take some time to understand what any of the other religions are on about, you’ll soon discover that they are all pretty much on about what I do or what I can muster by way of spiritual excitement or enlightenment to search out for God. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, they’re all the same. They’re all variations on a theme. They’re all on about what I do. But Jesus, Christianity is all on about what Jesus has done. You see, Jesus died for our sins on a cross, and the way of salvation - the way to be forgiven - is to trust in Jesus and not in yourself. So think about opening a gift for a moment, what do ya do? Gifts are just gifts aren’t they? So you receive it and you say thank you for it.  That’s what Jesus has done for us; forgiveness is a gift. So Christianity is about what Jesus has done. Its great news.

This was transcribed from Just Start Talking (DVD) Session 3.Published in 2008 by Evangelism Ministries (now New Churches) and availible at Koorong.

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