12 REASONS WHY PEOPLE REJECT RIGHT DIVISION

1. They love traditions.

2. They love religion.

3. They love the physical blessings they believe are theirs because
they think they're "spiritual Israel." (They don't particularly care for the curses, though!)

4, They love Calvinistic teaching, because they love to believe that God is controlling every little aspect of their lives. This relieves them of the responsibility to obey the word of God!

5. They love the "works salvation" message. They want to believe THEY did something to help God save them.

6. They love the success and growth of religion, with its numbers and huge church buildings.

7. They love that "kingdom doctrine" - some of it anyway - they don't particularly like the part where it says, "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on." (They get up and go to work every day!)

8. They love the entertainment.

9. They love that "you're okay and they're okay;" we just need something to generate a spark to bring forth that "goodness."

10. They love emotions and feelings, and like speaking in tongues, signs and wonders, and all the trappings that go with the religious system.

11, They DON'T like suffering and persecution or people calling them a heretic. ("What you're teaching couldn't be right; if it was, there'd be more of you!") They "go with the flow" downstream, never resisting the traditions, the religion, and the doctrinal teaching they've embraced for so long.

12. But what they really HATE is the idea that those who came before them and believed what they believe could possibly have been wrong!

Should we let this formidable list of reasons why most people won't accept the fact that Paul is the Apostle of the Gentiles - and was given a new gospel message of our complete reconciliation with God if we will only believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished it on our behalf at Calvary - cause us to shrink from declaring it? Absolutely not! We need to keep in mind that this message is God's message for today; and if people reject it, they're rejecting God's word --not US.

Religion VS Grace

The grace of God is dealing with what Christ did.

Under religion man always says, "Look what I'm doing for you, God."
And under grace Christ says, "look what I did for you, man."

Under religion mans says, "look how I went to church"
Under the grace of God Jesus says, "look how I went to Calvary"

Under religion man says, "look how I was raised in my denomination"
And under grace Christ says, "look at how I was raised from the dead"

Under religion man says, "look at how I gave my money"
And under grace Jesus says, "look at how I gave my life"

Under religion man says, "look God, at how I confessed my sins"
And under grace Jesus says, "look man, at how I took away your sins"

Under religion man says, "look God at how I stood up against sin"
And under the grace of God Jesus says, "look man at how I died for your sin"

Under religion man says, "Look God, at how I judged the Lost world"
And under grace Jesus says, "look man, at how I saved the lost world"

Under religion man says, "look God, at how I got up and marched against these evildoers"
And under grace, Jesus says, "look man at how I suffered and died for evildoers"

Under religion man says, "look God, at how I bowed down to you"
And under grace Jesus says, "look man, at how I became one of you"

Under religion man says, "look God at how I healed the sick"
And under grace Jesus says, "look man at how I raised the dead"

Under religion man says, "look God, at how I spoke in tongues"
And under grace Jesus says, "look man, at how I spoke in love".

Under religion man says, "look God, at how successful my life was"
And under grace Jesus says, "look man, at how successful my death was"

Religion is always man trying to reach up to God with self effort to be accepted by God. 
Through Jesus Christ, was God reaching down to man, with love and acceptance.

And that's why Paul said we preach Christ and Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews, foolishness to the Gentiles, but to those whom god has called, both Jew and Gentiles: 
Christ- the power of God and the wisdom of God

 

Hello everyone,

Just a short note of encouragement from the Word of God.....


Phil 2:14-18

14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:

15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

17 Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.

18For the same cause also do ye joy, and rejoice with me.

I posted this blog about 30 min. ago.  I went back and reread all of chapter 2 to make sure I was not getting any of God's Word out of context.  What an amazing chapter.  Please go and read chapter 2 for yourself.  Look closely at verses 5-8.  Maybe read them 4 or 5 times and let it sink in.  Is this saying that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man?  I think it is.  If I am misunderstanding this please leave a comment and explain how it is not saying this.  

See everyone Thursday night.

Jack

TRUE OR FALSE

The following is a list of statements made by people about what's going on with the church, the body of Christ, of today. Are you able to pinpoint any that are true?

- Abraham believed the gospel of grace.
- All apostles, including Paul, received the same gospel.
- Paul should have been Judas' replacement.
- Christ taught the gospel of grace on earth.
- Christianity developed out of Judaism.
- Christianity is a Judaic-Christian ethical religion.
- The commission to the 12 apostles is also to us today.
- Those who have been saved can be lost.
- Christ's death was that of a martyr.
- There is a covenant of grace.
- Baptismal regeneration is taught in the Bible.
- Water baptism is for the church of today.
- God will accept anyone if he will do his best.
- Obey the commandments and the golden rule and God will be
obliged to accept you.
- Christ obeyed the law for us, as our substitute.
- Christ died only for the "elect."
- Law-keeping is required for salvation.
- God saves, but we must keep ourselves saved.
- The church is the authority on earth.
- Christ made the "new covenant" with the church.
- The church today is the bride of Christ.
- Water baptism is for a witness to the world.
- There is no eternal punishment for the lost, only annhilation.
- There will be universal reconciliation of all mankind.

Did you find any statements that are true for today in this dispensation of the grace of God?

Surprise!! C. O. Griggs writes that ALL of the above arefalse statements!

Did you get hung up on any of them? I'll admit that I did. I stumbled over, "Christ obeyed the law for us, as our substitute." I had to think this one over for awhile, but finally realized that God made his covenants with Israel, not with us. The law covenant was given to Israel (Ex. 24:7), not the Gentiles, although that doesn't excuse Gentiles without the law from sin, for the moral law is written in our hearts. "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law, are a law unto themselves; Which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another:)" (Romans 2:14, 15). So, Christ fulfilled the law for Israel's sake, not ours; although he is our Saviour from sin, dying our sin death for us.

If any of you disagree with the above paragraph, or with any of the statements Griggs labels as false, please write and share your thoughts with us! We're all on the journey here; and as far as knowledge is concerned, none of us has yet arrived! Amen?