evangelism

Back to the Basics – A Changed Focus

Posted on by chgruver

Last time we looked at how we are saved by grace. Today we will look at another aspect of what makes a Christian, a change in focus. Let’s start this discussion by looking at what a Christian is, looking at society some people may think that because they regularly attend church services, do good deeds, their parents were and their parents’ parents were Christians, or maybe they have actually been baptized that they are Christians. These are all good things but they are not what makes a Christian; Jesus stated in John 14:6 “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” What this means is that faith in Christ is what defines a Christian. So what does faith in Christ look like? Well there are a number of ways to describe a Christian faith.

I Am Second

The first way to describe a Christian faith would be that I take the view that I am second and God should come first in my life. On paper, or the screen, it sounds easy but in application it can be rather difficult. You see we have had an issue of seeking our own personal interest as long as man has been on the earth. Don’t believe me look at Genesis 3:6, Eve saw that the fruit was good to eat, desirable, and able to make one “wise.” You see Satan used the hook that the fruit would make them like God to get them to eat, He played to their self interest over reliance on God.

You see putting God first is not just a catchy phrase or the clever name of a movement, but a daily struggle we must face. Paul puts it this way, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” In other words we lay down our desires, wants, interests and give them to God. He will then give us what we need, His desires, and His interests. Our focus needs to change from putting ourselves first (which society tells us we should look out for only ourselves) to looking to what God wants from us.

All In

The thing is we cannot leave the description of the Christian faith at just putting God first in our lives, rather we need to make Him and His will our sole focus. Let me put it this way in a number of sports they have what is called a leader board and as long as you are on the leader board you are still in contention to take first place. What this means is that if there is anything that can take your focus it is on your spiritual leader board, God wants it so that second place does not even come close to ranking on your leader board. Now I am not saying we need to become monks and live a life of 24/7 church services but as Paul told the Colossian church in everything we do we should do it for God and give Him thanks. When working at your job, work in such a way to bring glory to God, even if it is stocking shelves at the grocery store or cleaning bathrooms. When hanging out with your friends act in such a way to bring glory to God, even if the others are treating the servers at the restaurant in a terrible manner look at them and treat them as a child of God.

Now one thing I do think needs mentioning is that this is not easy, in fact Jesus said it was hard (Matthew 7:13-14), but it is a goal we should aim towards. The secret is that the more we focus towards God the easier it becomes. Now we will never be perfect and we are all bound to slip at times but that is where God’s grace and forgiveness comes in, which we will talk about next time.

Back to the Basics – Saved By Grace

Posted on by chgruver

With our next conference coming up, where the theme is “Back to the Basics;” I figured it would be best to take a look at some of the basics. Now when thinking of getting back to the basics there is one concept that needs to be dealt with before any others. We can read Scripture and study the Bible, have a quiet time, and even attend church but unless we have given our life to Christ it is useless. The first basic that needs to be dealt with when getting back to the basics is the question of “Are you a Christian?”

So what does it mean to be a Christian?

I know those of us that are Christians, and even some that are not, are well aware of the vocabulary we use when trying to find out whether someone else is a Christian. We use phrases like “given your life to Christ,” “asked Jesus into your heart,” or “are you saved.” You see to be a Christian means that we are saved from a life of sin and spiritual death. So now the question is not what is a Christian but how are you saved? Paul probably puts it best when writing to the church in Ephesus, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Saved by Grace Through Faith

The first thing Paul tells us is that we are saved by grace through faith. So what is grace; some people will use the phrase “God’s riches at Christ’s expense” to describe what grace is. Essentially it is receiving something that was not earned or deserved. You see God bestows upon us salvation not because we have earned it or deserved it, but because since we believe and trust in Him He desires to give it to us. Paul told the church in Rome that while we were enemies of God Christ came to die for us. You see would you willingly die to save the life of someone you know that hates you? Would you lay down your life for someone that would rather have nothing to do with you? This is what God did for us.

Not by Works

As I previously mentioned God’s grace is not earned or deserved, so Paul following up his statement about being saved by grace through faith with it being a gift of God and not by works is to help explain how we are saved. You see it is not because we said a prayer, got baptized, feed the homeless, give to charity, or even attend church whenever the doors are open; our salvation is not the result of anything we can say or do. Our salvation is freely bestowed upon us by God because of our faith in Him. Paul explains it earlier in Ephesians 2 by stating that we were dead in our trespasses. Think of it this way before Christ we are each laying on a gurney dead, Christ walks up with a defibrillator charges it up and then discharges it into our dead body to bring it back to life. This is much like how God gives us the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins and turn us towards God in faith.

Now we cannot just leave it with that we are save by grace through faith and not by works, because Paul didn’t leave it there. In Ephesians 2:10 he continued, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” So we are not saved by works but we are created for good works. What this means is that while works do not save us, our salvation does get proven by the good works we do. In other words our Christian faith should result in a changed life, which we will dig into next time.

Becoming God’s Man Radio Show Episode 14 – Evangelism

Posted on by chgruver

Every week Becoming God’s Man Ministries records a radio show that is aired on Inspiration Radio 1110 AM on Sunday mornings at 8:30 in the St. Petersburg area. We usually have a number of the different pastors and leaders that are involved with the ministry there and occasionally a guy that the ministry has reached will join us.

This week we took a look at evangelism and reaching our neighbors with the Gospel of Christ. Air Date March 6, 2016.

Becoming God’s Man Radio Show – Episode 12 Discipleship pt. 2

Posted on by chgruver

Every week Becoming God’s Man Ministries records a radio show that is aired on Inspiration Radio 1110 AM on Sunday mornings at 8:30 in the St. Petersburg area. We usually have a number of the different pastors and leaders that are involved with the ministry there and occasionally a guy that the ministry has reached will join us.

This week the guys of Becoming God’s Man Ministries continued their talk about discipleship. This was aired on Sunday February 21, 2016.

 

Table Talk Episode 33 – Outreach

Posted on by chgruver

Table talk is a weekly Bible Study and Prayer breakfast located at the Egg Platter in Pinellas Park, FL. We are a group of guys from different backgrounds that meet every Friday morning at 6:30.

This week we took a look at outreach and various ministries in the Tampa Bay area that are doing some form of outreach in their communities. We also touched on how some get discouraged in outreach but how we should look past the bad and see the good that is there as well.

 

Table Talk Episode 32 – God’s Healing Power

Posted on by chgruver

Table talk is a weekly Bible Study and Prayer breakfast located at the Egg Platter in Pinellas Park, FL. We are a group of guys from different backgrounds that meet every Friday morning at 6:30.

This week we started off with one of the guys giving a testimony of how he had seen God’s healing power work in the life of his family. This then led to a discussion on how God can use this as a testimony to His power and open doors to share our faith with others.

Table Talk Episode 31 – Meeting People Where They Are

Posted on by chgruver

Table talk is a weekly Bible Study and Prayer breakfast located at the Egg Platter in Pinellas Park, FL. We are a group of guys from different backgrounds that meet every Friday morning at 6:30.

This last week Pastor Sam was going to be giving the Word to a group of individuals that are less fortunate. In preparation for this he came back to Acts 2 when on the day of Pentecost the disciples started speaking in other languages to be able to reach those of different backgrounds. This led to a discussion on how as Christians we need to be willing to meet people where they are, if needed use words and terms that they can understand to better reach them with the Gospel. We also see that sometimes we need to show it through our actions that we care before we even state a single word;  so lets watch as the discussion unfolds.