Living Word Church, 5151 Rowan Road, New Port Richey FL 34653
THE
DEITY OF CHRIST
When
Thomas came face to face with the risen Christ he exclaimed: “My Lord and my
God!” The deity of Christ was inferred in his activity at creation (John 1:3),
insured in the virgin birth (Luke 1:35) and declared in his own words: “I and
my father are one” (John 10:30). In fact, the concept of the “Trinity” sees the
fullness of deity in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These three persons are
perfectly “one.” So complete is the oneness that the Bible prohibits any
thought of multiple “gods.”
THE
BIBLE
Some
forty men of highest integrity (“holy men of God”) over a period of sixteen
hundred years were chosen by the Holy Spirit to produce the message of God to man
in written form (2 Peter 1:21). All 66 books, Genesis to Revelation, comprise
the Bible, inspired (2 Tim. 3:16) and preserved with highest integrity by
scribes who copied each letter with greatest care. Jesus’ words, “Scripture
cannot be broken”(John 10:35) and “Thy
Word is truth” (John 17:17) are declarations that demand our trust in
everything it reveals. The Bible is our final authority for all matters
relating to our life and walk of faith.
MAN,
SIN AND SALVATION
A
despised tax collector, in contrast to the self-righteous Pharisee, cried,
“God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). Sin is part of the human
condition both by inheritance and choice. Romans 3:23 concludes, “all have
sinned.” This condition separates us from God, making real the possibility of
hell, eternal separation from God. Then came God’s mercy, love and
grace. When Christ died for our sins He showed himself merciful. He paid
the just death penalty in our stead, allowing God to respond with forgiveness
and eternal life. “But God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while
we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). All that is left is
for us, who are moved by God, to respond to his offer of salvation “by grace
through faith” and “call upon His name” (see Romans 10:13), just as the tax
collector did. Salvation is secured. And, “when we’ve been there ten
thousand years, bright, shining as the sun—we’ve no less days to sing God’s
praise than when we’ve first begun.” A testimony to our faith is seen in
the baptism experience and the remembrance of His death, which is celebrated in
the Lord’s Supper. These are the two ordinances (sacraments) of the church.
THE
CHURCH
When
Jesus said, “I will build my church,” he was declaring a whole new concept. The
wall between Jew and Gentile would come down; people from every nation under
heaven would be included. The church was born at Pentecost with a great
manifestation of power (Acts 2). In his wisdom, Jesus gave his church apostles,
prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). Local churches
would be organized with elders and deacons (1 Tim. 3). Love and unity in this
special family would be a testimony to the world. True for 2,000 years, the
“gates of hell” have not prevailed against the church. We testify to that!
THINGS
TO COME
The
beating of our hearts quickens when we think of the rapture—that “catching up”
of living believers with the resurrected dead in Christ—to meet the Lord in the
air. It gets better! We are assured we will be forever with him (1Thess.
4:13-18). Our destiny is heaven, where there are many “abiding places”(John
14:2). From the Father’s house we will return with Christ for the millennial
kingdom. Wars will cease, Satan will be bound (Rev. 20) and the earth will be
“filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”(Isa. 11:9).
Only when the earth has fulfilled its destined glory will we enter the eternal
state where, “in the ages to come,” God will continue to show his kindness to
us (Eph. 2:7).
In
view of the reality of death and the judgment to come for those who do not
respond to the salvation offered by Christ Jesus (Rev. 20:11-15), we must
pray, warn, live godly lives and share with them the good news of the Gospel
while they still live. There is no second chance.
Many Christian ministers, called primarily to be pastors, have attracted great numbers as they have sought to be “relevant” to the needs of this generation, bringing the Bible to bear upon the dysfunctions of life. But listen to them carefully. You are likely to find that most have sacrificed theology, which is vertical, for a primary emphasis on the horizontal—“meeting my needs.”
I majored in psychology in college and have great respect for men and women who are called by God, gifted and trained to help the hurting through biblical principles and practical advice. But when I was called to stand in the pulpit, I realized that my greatest role was to get the eyes of the worshipers off themselves and on the greatness, the glory, the sovereignty, the majesty and the mighty purposes of God.
It is not surprising to me how relationships and problems of life fade or are healed when we focus on God. I’ve found that Christians occupied with God find great strength in life to meet any and every difficulty.
My preaching philosophy has as its chief goal the edification (building up) of believers through the great commandment—to love the Lord with all your heart, soul and strength, and a secondary goal: to equip you for service, which comes when you begin to love your neighbor as yourself.
The second cannot happen without the priority of the first. Therefore, I must first and foremost help you love the Lord your God. (If you love Him you will not love the world—you will live right! Your priorities will be ordered properly. Your relationships will have the natural sweetness of good fruit from a well-rooted and well-watered tree.) But you can’t love Him if you don’t know Him well. And you can’t know Him well if you don’t know the Bible. I must preach the whole counsel of God. I must be a Bible preacher. The Bible is primarily a revelation of who God is and what are His purposes and plans from eternity to eternity. I readily admit that theological preaching (God-centered) is not always palatable to the carnal Christian. He is looking for experience rather than an education. He wants easy surface answers to his problems rather than answers requiring an intimate devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. I try hard to help you raise the bar and get you to know and love the deeper things of God. Even if some things are “over your head” I want you to learn to reach. But I must accept when the desires of some are more self-related. They will seek other venues. Perhaps God has had to raise up ministers to focus on the horizontal to keep them happy.
Give yourself six months of biblical education. Make theology your chief pursuit. See if you don’t cope better. See if you don’t do better as a husband, wife or parent. See if the problems of life don’t become less stressful. See if you don’t smile more. God may give you a whole new outlook on your purpose for being here. You may discover that you can do all things “through Christ who strengthens you.”
The second goal is to love your neighbor as yourself. Paul says to do good to all, especially to those of the household of faith. It is here that I am called to equip you. Again, you must get your eyes off yourself. Here you focus on the needs of others. You minister according to your ability, according to the spiritual gift(s) you have been given. You will even feel for the plight of those outside of Christ and seek ways of reaching them with the life-changing Gospel of Christ. I want to see you reach your world. I want you to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. I must be faithful to my calling and resist the temptation to altar my messages “to please men.” I do have to answer to God.