Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Dear Church Family,
You have probably heard the expression, “Good things come in small packages.” In the Bible there are several ‘small packages’ that get overlooked. These packages are books of the Bible that are short. In the Old Testament, the Minor Prophets, except for parts of Daniel and references to others that have prophesies fulfilled at Christmas or Palm Sunday, rarely get the study they deserve. If asked what Philemon, Jude or John’s epistles teach, most Christian will say they have no idea. I do not plan to do exhaustive studies of these books (I did preach through the Minor Prophets back in 2014), but will highlights some of the themes of the New Testament books that have just one chapter over the next couple of weeks.
3 John has only 14 verses. Each has a wonderful richness, so I will look at the whole book by breaking it into five sections. Johns packs so much into this letter that it deserves a deliberate look so we can soak up and apply these great truths. Even his closing words, as we will see, bring the book to a joyous close filled with hope.
John begins with words of affection to Gaius whom he deeply loves. Then he tells his friend the content of his prayers for him. Then adds these words, “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. It gave me great joy to have some brothers come and tell about your faithfulness to the truth and how you continue to walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”
First, he prayed that Gaius would be healthy and would prosper. It is commendable to pray for people to enjoy good health. It is also good to ask God to grant prosperity to His children. This could be financially, but without question it refers to the state of one’s soul and spiritual life. Here John could be thinking along the lines of what 2 Peter 3:18 instructs, “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
John then tells of the joy he has as reports have come to him of how Gaius (and it is assumed other believers with him) remain faithful and continue to walk in the truth of the teachings of Jesus. John ends the section with words that every faithful pastor yearns to say. Indeed, I have no greater joy than to know that the members of this church are walking in the faith ‘once delivered to the saints.’
John gives us great insight in this part of a small package on how we can pray. Why not stop right now to pray this for yourself and for at least two other members of our church?
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Monday, June 15, 2020
Dear church family,
We live fear-full times, surrounded by threats (disease, social unrest, violence, economic uncertainty, international conflicts, grief, etc.) whose ability to make us feel anxious is exacerbated and exploited by media, politicians, advertisers, and our own indwelling sin (i.e. unbelief). Through these circumstances, however, the Lord takes away the veil and forces us to look straight in the eyes of what our society otherwise seeks to hide from our view: man’s impermanence (i.e. mortality). Yet the Savior tells his people repeatedly in the Scriptures not to fear but to believe (i.e., trust him and his word) in the face of trials, suffering, and the end of our own earthly life.
The Scottish missionary John G. Paton went through many harrowing experiences while evangelizing the cannibals of what was then called the New Hebrides. During one particularly desperate occasion, he was given this profound insight: “My peace came back to me like a wave from God. I realized that I was immortal till my Master’s work with me was done.” (Autobiography, p. 207) As I laid in a Cambridge hospital bed in January 2017 after a close brush with death, a kindred thought pressed itself on my weary (i.e., oxygen-deprived) mind: the Lord has more for me on this earth yet!
The Christian’s faith and peace is not based on wishful thinking (“everything’s gonna be alright”) or on a fanciful (i.e., idolatrous) picture of God that turns him into a cosmic Santa Claus or a doting grandfather figure. Jesus never promised us that following him would be a bed of roses. On the contrary, he sternly warns his disciples that there are only two options: the painful path of the cross or the highway to destruction. Our hope and confidence are found in a Creator-God who can be fully trusted, who lovingly adopted us as his children in Christ, who is with/in us at all times in the person of the Spirit, who has foreordained whatsoever comes to pass, and who sovereignly controls every single event in the world and each of our lives (check out chapters 2, 3 and 5 of the Westminster Confession of Faith). Could anything be more comforting than this gospel truth?
This means we know that the day and hour of our passing through “the valley of the shadow of death” to eternal pastures is set and perfectly timed (and fore-ordained). None of us can live one second too many or one too few (who would be foolish enough to wish to, other than Hezekiah?). Neither might we miss out on any of God’s blessings and good gifts which he has allotted to each one of us from all eternity. One’s passing has nothing to do with God failing us or with our failing him. In fact, as Paul so movingly expresses in Philippians (see 1:21–30), the Christian life is one of longing to be with the Lord while patiently and expectantly pursuing the task(s) he has set for us on earth (cf. Ephesians 2:10). Paul’s desire is not suicidal, depressed or morbid. On the contrary, it is characterized by contentment, trust, hope and love for the most-precious-one who is physically absent but Spiritually present in his church.
WIth Christ's love,
Flavien
Friday, June 12, 2020
Dear Church Family,
After salvation, what is the most valuable thing that a person can have? It is not Amazon stock or season tickets behind the Tar Heels bench. It is something that is sorely lacking today and has been throughout the history of the world.
When the chosen son of King David became king of Israel about three thousand years ago God came to him in a dream per 1 Kings 3:5 and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” How would you answer that question? My guess is that most people would not answer as Solomon did. He replied, “Give Your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.”
Solomon humbled himself before God when responding to the question. He called himself “a little child” who no doubt had seen his father carry out at least some duties as king. Yet he said he did not really know how to rule effectively. He saw himself as a servant. As such he realized his duty was to honor the Creator God who had placed him in the position of earthly king of God’s people.
God granted him the wisdom Solomon requested. Children learn the story of Solomon showed wisdom when two women argued about who was the mother of a living baby. 1 Kings 4 and 10 tell of how kings from around the world “came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom” with even the Queen of Sheba being overwhelmed by his words. Even in a time when cultures esteemed wisdom, it appears to have been short supply. Proverbs 18:15 follows the theme of that book’s call to wisdom with this insight, “The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the hearts of the wise seek it out.”
God is not calling any of us to rule over Israel this side of heaven, but all of God’s people are to seek wisdom and per James 1:5 to pray for it when we seem to be lacking it. Paul prays in Ephesians 1:17, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.”
Our world needs this wisdom. May we seek it, live it and have it used to the glory of God.
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Thursday, June 11, 2020
Dear Church Family,
For the foreseeable future I plan to write on a variety of issues. I hope they will grow you in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That has been my theme in ministry for years and will continue to be.
During the three months (I actually wrote ‘years’ and have changed it) of the pandemic you may have felt like you were in a mental fog at times. Now what the social unrest in our country, we wonder even more what in the world is going on. Being in a fog makes us feel weak, mentally suspect and emotionally vulnerable. Our human pride starts to rises up and we want to be in control!
In our beautiful mountains it is common to wake up unable to see those lofty peaks due to fog. The sun may burn the low clouds away in a few minutes or it might be closer to noon before visibility improves. Every once in a while, we will have a day where the gloom remains all day. That is what life can seem like during a pandemic.
A writer by the name of Andrea observes, “Each of us is making our way through the fog right now. We don’t know if we’re walking toward a cliff or toward a ladder. Politics has exchanged truth for sound bites. Protests have erupted in our cities and a pandemic haunts our daily lives. So we cling to our tribal divisions for answers and distrust anyone outside our circle of visibility.”
These profound words reflect an artistic mind that paints an accurate picture of what resembles life even when there is no crisis consuming us. Outside of the grace of God, we are wondering aimlessly. The Bible does give us the BIG PICTURE of life. We must be ever mindful that in Christ the victory is ours! That fact provides long-term hope for us. Yet sometimes we just need something to help us take little steps. God’s Word does that as well Psalm 119:105 says it is “a lamp to my feet.” Just as our Heavenly Father gives us daily bread, so the Bible is sufficient to provide what we need to make it through each day – whether it is foggy or there is not a cloud in the sky.
I am reminded of going through Driver’s Ed years ago and being told by the instructor how to drive in the fog that would roll in from the Chesapeake Bay. He told lead-footed teenage boys to slow down. Who wants to drive slowly? Then he shocked us by telling us not to put on our high beams. The extra light would actually serve to make visibility worse. To this day whenever I have to drive in fog I follow what he taught.
Andrea notes the Bible is, “Not a floodlight for the entire road, but a path through the fog of our circumstances. It reminds us that the only way forward is by lowering our eyes in humility and taking heed to our steps, staying close to the light of God’s word as we make our way gently through the darkness. In the slowing down and paying attention, we can find a better way through than anger, and a wisdom that holds us up better than pride.”
God will send fog into our lives to grow us in dependence on Him.
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Dear Church Family,
Terry Johnson closes his book with a chapter titled, “A Faith for Living.” The previous chapters that I have condensed have had the overarching theme of “practical piety” which is the application of the doctrines of grace as taught in the Bible. Now he ends with the goal “to summarize our findings and drive these truths into our hearts and consciousness.” Note four words to describe living by grace.
The first is “Comprehensive.” All of life is Christian and Christ-centered. As renowned Dutch theologian Abraham Kuyper said, “There is not an inch in the whole area of human existence of which Christ, the sovereign of all, does not cry, ‘It is Mine.’” In other words, “Everything is for God and everything is through God. First, all I do, and all everyone does, is to be for His glory and according to His command. Second, all I do is to be through the strength He gives…God’s control of my life is comprehensive.”
Next, living by grace makes us “Hopeful.” It almost seems to just be ‘common sense’ that a life centered on the glory of God would give one hope. Yet we live in a world that is heavily influenced by culture trends, the latest news (pandemic, riots, economic data, etc.) and belief in evolution. Holding to any of these worldly ways of thinking will drain one of hope quickly. Most non-Christian worldviews are deterministic. Environment and genes set us on the path we are programmed to live. “You are like one of Pavlov’s dogs. The bell rings and you salivate.” Yet by grace the Christian lives a transformed life. Therefore, “I am made in the image of God with the power to choose. There is always hope, with the power that God gives, that I will begin to make right choices.”
Thankfully the theology of grace is “Realistic.” It takes an honest view of like in a fallen world. We understand that by faith in Jesus we are justified – a one-time act that “frees us from the enslaving power of sin.” Yet we still must be sanctified as we face “the ongoing need of mortifying the sin that remains.” We rest confidently in God’s grace since we will still face suffering as God so wills and as He uses it to grow us deeper in grace. By grace we understand that sin will remain in us until Jesus returns or God calls us home to heaven. Therefore, we value the role of God’s Law to convict us of sin and guide us in holy living.
Last, grace gives us a “Balanced” life. “It strikes the right balance between God’s part and our part…We avoid the fatalism of those who say it is all up to God and manipulative practices of those who say it is all up to us. We pray, preach the gospel, and wait for God to work.” We have a high view of God and understand that man, though made in the image of God, has sinned and must be subject to the Holy God. We look for truth to live by in the inspired Word of God guided by His Holy Spirit.
Terry distills the book into these choice words. Living by grace “gives us a framework within which to understand our identity as humble sinners saved by grace; our experiences in a fallen world – of suffering, struggle, doubt, duty, and guidance; and our duties of worship, prayer, and witness. It is the religion of the Bible in its pure, practical, and stable form.”
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Monday, June 8, 2020
Dear Church Family,
As I peruse Terry Johnson’s chapter on “Guidance” in “When Grace Comes Home,” it reminds me of what R. C. Sproul warned about when making ethical decision. He noted that many people use “Jiminy Cricket Theology” as they subscribe to the motto, “Always let your conscience be your guide.” Sproul goes on to add, “For the Christian, the conscience is not the court of highest appeals for conduct. The conscience is important , but not normative. It is capable of distortion and misguidance.”
I have no doubt Terry would agree with Sproul. Terry writes, “It seems clear enough that God leads and guides and instructs us the way we should choose.” In the beloved Psalm 23 David rejoices that God “guides me in paths of righteousness.” In Psalm 25:8-9, 12 God “instructs sinners in His ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way…He will instruct him in the way chosen for Him.” The Bible often states that God will guide His people in how they are to live. How?
Terry gives three ways of guidance. First, “God guides us through Scripture. Psalm 119 tells us this over and over again. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is the classic text showing that the Bible “is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” Therefore, “The Bible is the primary means by which God leads His people. More than any other factor, it determines the kind of life we are going to lead….Nothing illegal, immoral, selfish, or unloving can even be considered.” Simply put, we do what the Bible commands and do not do what it forbids.
Second, “God guides us through prayer.” James 1:5 makes a great point, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” Terry further notes, “When we pray, we slow down (finally) and listen. When we pray we are not pumping our minds full of news, music, conversation, entertainment, and so God has an opportunity to speak to us.” This echoes Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Third, “God guides us through godly counsel. Each step of the way in the decision making process ought to include the advice and counsel of the wise.” The Proverbs reflect this often with 11:14 just one example, “For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure.” Since grace teaches all are sinners, the thinking and decision making abilities of all people are flawed from birth. Therefore, all of God’s people must rely on guidance “given by the Holy Spirit, not through impulses, voices, or dreams, all of which are too subjective for sin-prone hearts, but through the objective criteria of Scripture, prayer and godly counsel.”
No doubt we can all look back in our lives and see multiple times when we have failed to get Biblical guidance. The mistakes have caused us and others great pain. Worse they have taken glory from God. May we all allow our Good Shepherd to guide us “in paths of righteousness.”
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Friday, June 5, 2020
Dear Church Family,
God has given many gifts to His people – one of the greatest is prayer. Terry Johnson in “When Grace Comes Home” gives two reasons as to why those saved by grace are to pray.
The first is “Prayer changes us.” Prayer is a humbling action that “brings us to the posture of spiritual prostration.” He quotes Robert McCheyne who said, “What a man is, is what he is on his knees before God, and no more.” As we grasp the depth of God’s grace, we realize, “There is no God so sovereign, so powerful, so awesome, and so inscrutable. Prayer to this God changes our stance in life from autonomous agents of self-will to humble supplicants of Almighty God.” Our focus is on our Heavenly Father and His holy rule over us. “Prayer is not a quick list of ‘gimmies’ addressed flippantly to God. Prayer is the changing, not of the mind of God but of our whole orientation from one absorbed with our own concerns, to one focused on God and his glory and will.”
Prayer further “changes us by building our faith. A quick study of the prayers of the Bible shows a focus on giving praise to God. As God’s people pray about the greatness of God they “fortify their faith and believe in the midst of trials that God, the great God, is able to do” what He has promised.” Consider using the words of 1 Chronicles 29:10-13 to start your next prayer:
“Praise be to You, O Lord; God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O Lord,
is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything
in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; You are exalted as head
over all. Wealth and honor come from You; You are the ruler of all things.”
Prayer also “changes us by cleansing our souls. This God-centered approach leads inevitably to the confession of our sins.” Too often in our prayers we want to change God, when in reality, faithful prayers with the focus on the glory of God will change us.
Terry’s second reason is that “prayer changes history. The sovereign God somehow works through the prayers of His people. “God does foreknow and foreordain all things, and we have to get out of bed, and we do have to pray.” Throughout the Bible, the writers make note of how God’s people prayed and something supernatural happened. Two examples are Moses praying “and a battle goes well. Moses stops praying and the battle goes poorly (Exod. 17:11) Elijah prays and the rains stops for three years. He prays and the rain starts up again (Jas. 5:17, 18). We may not feel like we are spiritual equals to Moses or Elijah. But James 5:16 teaches, “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” If you are in Christ, you are righteous. So pray and see what God does in and through you.
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Thursday, June 4, 2020
Dear Church Family,
Isn’t it great to live in a perfect world? Just checking to see if you are paying attention! Of course, our world is far from perfect. The effects of the curse of Adam’s sin show themselves at all times. How are God’s people to live in such a world? Terry Johnson reasons, “to a decadent, antinomian (against God’s law) age we restore the Law of God with its absolute standards of right and wrong. Yet, we do so without the bondage of legalism. We do so in a way that maintains the liberty of the Christian, the joy of the Christian life, and the graciousness of the gospel.”
Despite what the vast majority of people, even Christians, think, there is nothing good with God’s Law. Psalm 19:7 states it is perfect and gives life to the soul. What is wrong is legalism. It refers to one of three misuses of the Law: 1) “trying to be saved by lawkeeping; …2) man-made rules that exceed the requirements of Scripture; (and/or) …3) the external conformity to the law without the submission of the heart.” Terry goes on, “But it is not legalism to obey God. It is not legalism to eagerly and precisely conform one’s life to the law of God.”
Terry encourages us “to understand the function of the Law” through the eyes of the Psalmist and not those of “the Pharisee and Judaiser.” The Psalmist relished the “graciousness of the Law” while the others saw as a list of works that would make them right with God. Galatians 3 teaches us that the Law convicts us of sin and then serves as a tutor which points us to the saving work of Jesus. Now that is God’s grace in action! God gave the Law to show His people how they can live to His glory.
Then, there is the accompanying issue of the liberty which God’s people have. People love to add to the Law “a host of extra-biblical requirements” as if God did not know what He was doing when He gave the Law. Once made alive in Christ and forgiven of sins God’s people have the liberty to obey the Law. We also have “Christian liberty in areas outside of the application of the moral law.” New denominations have been formed over debates (arguments and schisms) over issues of Christian liberty. Terry rightly sums up how these issues should be handled: “Is it commanded in Scripture? If it is, we must do it, completely, precisely. If it is not, we are free to do and free not to do, as taste and wisdom dictate.”
Our world has missed the blessings of the Law like “wisdom, cleansing, purity, comfort, direction” as Psalms 19 and 119 point out. Imagine how different our world would be if all followed God’s Law. Now that is a dream that will never happen. Only the Gospel brings the radical change our world needs. “It is the whole gospel, not a truncated version of it, that provides the dynamic (to being that change). The whole gospel includes justification and sanctification, grace and duty, promise and law, privilege and obedience. It includes (let the Great Commission reminds us) ‘all that I command you’”
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Dear Church Family,
Can a person have true assurance that one is a Christian? Terry Johnson emphatically let’s us know that the Bible clearly teaches that wonderful truth. Yes, you can know for sure that you are God’s forgiven child now and forever.
In Terry’s first of two points he declares, “True believers (the ‘elect’) are eternally secure.” Indeed, if God has elected or decreed someone to be redeemed, they will be part of God’s family forever. Salvation is a sovereign work of God. Romans 8:29-30 makes it clear “God will preserve His elect.” Paul uses several verbs in the past tense such as predestined, called and justified. Remember a past tense verb means that action has already taken place. With that in mind, last verb Paul writes is “glorified.” Now we think of being glorified as something that will happen after we die or when Jesus comes again. That is correct, yet Paul puts it in the past tense as though we have already been glorified – a done deal. It is a done. Christians “already are glorified, so infallible are the purposes of God.” This is a completed action and a Romans 8:39 reminds us, “Nothing will be able separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We can join Terry in affirming “God’s people will persevere.” However we must wrestle “with the tension between God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. God’s sovereignty protects and preserves His people in the faith. They will not fall away. He won’t let them.” Jesus knew of this tension as He said to Jews who were trusting in Him in John 8:31, “If you hold to My teaching, you are really
My disciples.” God’s people are eternally secure because they are “through faith shielded by God’s power.
With all this said, Terry observes, “it is not easy to determine who is a true believer.” Therefore, “Assurance may be difficult…as the feeling or sense of assurance may not come easily.” The parable of the soils in Matthew 13 shows “it is difficult to distinguish the true from the false.” A quick read of 1 John 1:6-2:9 shows the false believer may so approximate genuine faith as to deceive himself and others.” The apostles Paul and Peter both write of those deserted the faith as they were entangled in the “corruption of the world.” We have a duty to be mindful “the criteria for assurance must be stringent.” Jesus warns against those who say “Lord, Lord,” but have little if any spiritual fruit. In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Paul posts a list of “various sinners such as fornicators and thieves and concludes that none of them ‘shall inherit the kingdom of God’” Jesus states more than once that anyone who loves Him will keep His commandments.
Third, Terry emphasizes that “Assurance is expected’ as 1 John 5:13 reminds us that this letter (and the Bible) is written “so that you may know that you have eternal life.” This is a wonderful promise of God that should drive us to read the Bible over and over. Faith in Jesus and the power of the Word will produce “signs of grace in your life. Also “the internal, immediate witness of the Holy Spirit” will “bear witness with our spirit that we are children of God” per Romans 8:15-16. As one of His sheep, one with assurance, you are called by faith to follow with joy the voice of the Good Shepherd.
If you are struggling with being assured of your salvation, I encourage you to read over this devotion again and again. Meditate on the Scripture passages cited and claim the finished work of Jesus on the cross on your only way of the forgiveness of your sins and your only hope of eternal life.
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Monday, June 1, 2020
Dear Church Family, (A special guest devotion)
Praise the Lord. Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His might heavens.
Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness.
Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre,
praise Him with tambourine and dancing, praise Him with the strings and flute,
praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. (Psalm 150)
I like Psalm 150 because it talks about praising God, how often we should be praising Him and where we praise Him. We are to praise in His sanctuary and in His heavens. Right now I along with you cannot come to our church and worship (but I really wish we could). Right now I am reminded that I can praise God anywhere we are even though we are not worshiping in His house. That cannot stop us from magnifying His name wherever we are. I am glad that we can worship virtually during this time – though being on-line is not the same as being there in person. This psalm speaks to what we are to do day by day and moment by moment – that is, to praise the Lord!
Verse two tells us we have good reason to give Him praise. God has given us so much. We must appreciate all that He has given us. We get to thank Him for all the things that we sometimes take for granted in our daily lives like food, housing and so much more. Of course, we value most of all the greatest gift of His only Son Jesus who died for our sins and has given us eternal life. Every day of our lives we praise Him for how powerful He is. In this time of panic, God remains all-powerful over the virus and over all other evil. This fact allows me to sleep well at night knowing that my Heavenly Father is watching over me. He will protect me and will take care of all things.
If I could I could play a musical instrument, I would want to play the piano. I hope I could play as well as Sarah, though I know that is only a dream. (By the way I am so glad that God has brought her to minister with cheer and excellence at our church.) Verses three and four have a list of a whole bunch of instruments that can be played in praise to God. It shows us some of the various ways that we should be praising God. Even just singing His praise, whether you can keep on key or not, is what we get to do as Christians.
The Psalm ends with calling us again to praise Him whether we have a musical instrument or not. So if you have breath, it is your privilege to praise God. It is what you and I were made to do.
Praising God with you,
Richie Olsen
Friday, May 29, 2020
Dear Church Family,
Jesus established a high standard for God’s people to live by in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 5:48 puts it clearly, “Be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect.” Just reading that should make us all realize there is no way we can meet that goal. Terry Johnson provides hope for us with some stark words first. “Take seriously your own depravity. Don’t be naïve about your own potential. You cannot live the Christian life in your own strength. It is not a ‘bootstraps’ kind of thing. If you think you can, ‘you have not yet considered how great the weight of sin is.’ Sin is too strong. Depravity is too pervasive.” You might be wondering where the hope after that quote. Please wait.
Terry reminds us that being perfect is a process. The Bible calls it sanctification – ‘being made holy.’ It must be seen in terms of warfare. Rarely does the victor win a war instantly. It can take weeks, more likely month and often years. While justification is the one-time act of being declared righteous in the sight of God, sanctification is “a day by day process of growth in grace.” As in a war, “Vigorous, even violent action is required if we are to gain victory over sin.” He quotes J. C. Ryle who wrote, “A holy violence, a conflict, a warfare, a fight, a soldier’s life, a wrestling are spoken of as characteristic of the true Christian.” Paul tells in Romans 7:15, 19 to describe the battle he waged, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do…For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep doing.” Paul goes on to lament his wretched state. Where is the hope?
The hope comes in Jesus’ words in John 15:5 “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” Terry paraphrases this wonderful, “Only as we are united to Christ can we amount to anything spiritually.” In Christ our sins are forgiven and in Christ we have and now are being made holy. Here is the hope. “In Christ the power of sin has been broken. The Holy Spirit unites us to Christ in his death to sin” per the teaching of Romans 6:5-6. In Christ the old sinful self is crucified and we are made new. Therefore, we are no longer slaves to sin.
Jesus has provided a sure power source of us in our battle against sin. Note the delightful trade made by our Savior, “Not only has something been taken away (the power of evil), but something else (the power of God) has been given. God has given us the His Spirit, and ‘where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.’” Jesus has bestowed on all His people the gift of the Holy Spirit. We do not live in our own strength, but in the strength only the Holy Spirit can give. We can pray for the fruit of the Spirit to be seen in our lives. We can claim the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “May God Himself, the God of peace, sanctify your through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful and He will do it.”
In Philippians 3:12 Paul keeps the proper focus, “Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold on me.” May that focus be ours as we glorify our Lord through the power of the Holy Spirit!
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Thursday, May 28, 2020
Dear Church Family,
Terry Johnson has much to teach us about sharing our faith with others in his book “When Grace Comes Home.” These insights will free you to tell others about the saving work of Jesus. One of the great blessings of being a follower of Jesus comes when one is used by God to bring another person to saving faith. Sadly, many miss out on this blessing.
Terry gives three reasons why we are to evangelize. In quick order, the Bible clearly commands His people to proclaim the Gospel. We need look no further than the Great Commission at the end of Matthew 28 to understand it is not a mere suggestion. Second, God’s uses people to communicate the saving message of salvation by faith alone in Jesus. The means do vary some – they include prayer, preaching, teaching, one-on-one sharing, etc. God spoke once through a donkey, but the typical way is using people. It remains a supernatural act of the Holy Spirit as seen in John 3:5-8.
Sharing our faith empowered by grace gives one “spiritual advantages.” When evangelizing we can depend totally on God. By grace we know a sinner “cannot convert himself, and we cannot convert him. The making of a Christian does not lie in the natural ability of the preacher or the listener. God must convert him.” Whenever someone is converted a miracle has taken place. A person who was dead in their sin has been raised to life through the sovereign hand of God.
There is no need to rely on some special technique. We can rest in the ordinary means of grace. The great missionary Paul often refers to his weakness, lack of persuasive words, fear and trembling, etc. Yet Paul trusted in the power of God to accomplish what no human could do. We pray for God to convert people. We speak the truths of the Bible knowing that “Faith comes by hearing and hearing from the Word of God. This frees us from any “coercive methods” that use psychological ploys, fall promises, herd mentality and even “multiple stanzas of soft music such as ‘Just As I Am.’” The holy God calls us to faithfully proclaim truth in all settings and not compromise His truth for any reason.
Last, when we grasp how deep God’s love is for sinners such as us, we must want to tell others of this love. Doing so will not diminish God’s love for us in any way. The result as God works to convert people is that more and more people around the world will be singing praise to God. We will see the coming of His kingdom in glorious ways. Our glory will be given to God for it is God alone who can work salvation!
May we be used by God to bring many to saving faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
Dear Church Family,
We move on to the next chapter in “When Grace Comes Home” where Terry Johnson addresses a “life-transforming” outlook God’s people can have during adversity. “Those who are certain that what happens happens by the hand of God look at life differently than those who don’t…The conviction that ‘God is the author of my circumstances’ enables the believer to live life with unparalleled peace and joy.” Terry points out that as we understand the sovereign work of God in our lives and then combine it with three key elements of Biblical faith, we can “rejoice in the great things He will do.”
First, we must expressed gratitude in the midst of adversity. In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul tells of a thorn in the flesh sent to him by Satan. He pleaded three times for God to remove it. The Lord did not and instead told him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Paul then rejoiced in his weakness and even delighted in it! Job, after hearing of the destruction that came on his family said with thanks, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” James 1:2f puzzles us, yet we are called to “Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds.” In a few weeks Romans 5:3 will call us to “rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance” and so much more!
Second, facing adversity with grace pushes us to contentment. Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 12:10, “For the sake of Christ, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (ESV) During the virus crisis few of us have endured what Paul suffered. We can learn from him as well as from a hymn writer who penned, “Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blessed; Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.” Paul reminded Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:6, “Godliness will contentment is great gain.”
Third, hope allows God’s people to have a “fundamental optimism.” “Our hope rests in a sovereign God. Nothing is impossible for Him. ‘With God all things are possible.’ Jesus said (Mark 9:23). This gives me confidence and hope in the midst of shadows and darkness. I am resolute in the face of defeat knowing that God is able even to raise the dead.” Our spiritual father Abraham in hope “against all hope believed and so became the father of many nations” per Romans 4:18. His hope has been realized in the work of Jesus. That hope is our hope by faith in Christ.
Therefore, we can have a grateful, content and hopeful outlook each day as we live in this fallen world, knowing that God’s grace will sustain us and He will receive all praise and glory.
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Thursday, May 21, 2020
Dear Church Family,
Except for a devotion by a special person (next week I hope) we will continue to dig into “When Grace Comes Home” written by Terry Johnson for the next ten times. Today we see a topic that all of us have, are and will wrestle with all of all lives. If this is not true for you, please check to see if you have a pulse. The issue is how we deal with adversity and Terry provides insight on the role of God’s grace during our times of trouble and testing.
Certainly the time of adversity the world has faced over since three months ago has revealed the need for something to get us through and after it is over not just be glad we survived, but that it has been good despite the bad things that have taken place. Terry opens with three stories of people in ministry who suffered great loss. He observes, “Each believed in the sovereignty of God. Each understood God’s justice, His mercy, His absolute rule, and each received their circumstances as from His hand for their good and submitted to it.” Chew over those rich words and let them sink in, especially the last four, that God’s grace make so sweet.
His insight grows as he deals with the problem of pleasure. We fail to understand the depth of grace. It is the unearned favor of God. We deserve nothing because of our sin. We have earned God’s wrath and eternal judgment. Most people turn that upside down and have an entitlement mentality. We want pleasure, not pain. Adversity “is viewed as an unfair or unjust intrusion into the life of one who is undeserving.” So if we encounter any rough time we wonder how a good God could have allowed any such thing to happen. Yet any good thing we have comes only because of God’s grace.
He goes on to explain “the problem of suffering as Jesus interprets it is not a problem of pain at all. Pain can be explained easily. We live in a fallen world that is under judgment. Terry then tells of a honeymoon trip with his bride Emily to a beach where it began to rain. She asked, “Why would God do this to us?” He quickly responded with sensitivity, “Why hasn’t it rained every day? Why did He allow us to come here at all?” He adds, “Once one understands the doctrine of the Fall and of the depravity of man the philosophical problem is not that of explaining why God allows suffering but why He shows mercy and grace.”
The suffering of Jesus provides the Biblical (therefore correct and honest) perspective on our adversity. Paul declares in Romans 8:17-18 that we by faith in Christ are co-heirs with Him “if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. I consider that our present sufferings are not worthy comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” Surely Paul’s readers knew the story of Joseph who told his brothers though they intended evil “God intended it for good to accomplish what is being done now, the saving of many lives.”
Terry closes with more words of hope. “Only when we understand that God has ordained our suffering can we begin to make sense of it. Only then can we be certain that He has a purpose I it. When tragedy comes, when adversity strikes, we will not be shaken. Yes, we will cry. Yes, we will grieve. But we will move on confidently knowing that God is on His throne, that we are in His hand, that our circumstances are His doing, and He is working them for our good.” Amen!
With great hope in His grace,
Pastor Gillikin
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Dear Church Family,
Last Thursday I wrote that I would use a friend’s book to “unpack the difference God’s grace must make in our lives as the people of God.” I like to keep my promises, so we will dig into “When Grace Comes Home” written by Terry Johnson who pastors in Savannah, Georgia. I first met Terry as he came into Central Georgia Presbytery when I was in Macon over thirty years ago. God gave him a sharp theological mind combined with a passion for the holiness of God that shows the power of the Gospel in a transformed life. Terry writes with the goal of “practical divinity.” I remain indebted to him for this point because it led me to teach that all true theology must be practical because it is the study of the living God.
The first difference that grace made in Terry’s life came when it transformed “a self-centered, pew-sitting spectator into a worshiper of God. When I first wrestled with the high doctrines of God’s sovereignty and man’s depravity and reconciled myself to the Bible’s teaching, I was overcome with awe.” God became more than the “Ultimate Helper” who in the Bible gave tips on “self-image, anger, decision-making, fear, relationships, finances, etc.” Terry learned that God “was far beyond the little boxes I had created for Him…It made me bow in adoration before the God whom I was made to glorify.” After a quick study of Romans 9-11 he noted, “The sovereign, electing love of God leads Paul to praise God for His wisdom, His knowledge, and His incomprehensibility. This is a God who is bigger than Paul. He will not fit into and Paul-sized box.”
A sober reading of Ephesians 1-3 calls God’s people to express heart-felt adoration of Him. In it Paul marvels at the richness of God’s grace that He gives to those who are dead in their sin. Terry adds, “Only when I truly understand the depth of my own depravity, my utter helplessness, and the sovereign, initiating love of God, can I understand the immensity of the grace of God…The greater man’s need, the greater must be God’s grace.” As we understand grace better, we get a fuller grasp the depth of God’s love for us. Please read these chapters and be filled with reverent awe!
Terry loves the deep hymns of the faith. Isaac Watts knew the grace of God when he penned “At the Cross.” One verse asks a question and gives an answer that should move us to worship:
“Was it for crimes that I have done He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity grace unknown! And love beyond degree!”
The hymn closes with a call to worship:
“But drops of grief can ne’er repay the debt of love I owe.
Here, Lord, I give my self away; ‘Tis all that I can do.”
Terry sums up this call to worship with profound words. As you realize “that He is sovereign over your eternity, and when you realize the greatness of His mercy and grace, you will begin to long for genuine worship, worship that prostates you and exalts God…Your soul will crave and demand worship that is God-centered, that is filled with high praise and lowly confession, and characterized by a spirit of reverence and awe for the almighty Trinity.” May we be worshipers who are in awe of the God whose grace has been shown to His called people!
With great hope,
Pastor Gillikin