..since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1

Can you say you have peace with God? I look out on my friends and this world around me and I have to say I don’t see the peace that they claim they have. Our lives are in contrast to the world we live in. The peace we have with God *ONLY* comes from Jesus Christ as Lord. Not our stuff, not our schedule, not our jobs, not the morning cup of coffee… only Jesus. Are we living our lives at peace with God?

 God, today, help us to be faithful to share this peace with our friends, family, neighbors, co-workers and our enemies. That you God, would continue to show mercy and love to us, your creation, as we seek to do your good will.

Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Psalms 51:6-7

We KNOW that our hearts are deceitful & incurable (Jer 17:9) but what is this “secret heart”? Could it be the hidden grace that God had prepared from the beginning of time, knowing that our own sacrifice would never be whole and we would need another?

God today grant me the ability to show your grace and mercy to those around me, let me extend the Gospel in word and deed to those I come in contact with. Let my life be the reflection of your hidden heart and NOT my own. To God be the Glory.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:16-17

Does this sound like our/your church?

1.  Word of God is central to all aspects of the church:

A.  Teaching and admonishing in wisdom

1. Teach: to impart knowledge or skill

One definition read “Show or explain to someone how to do something”  Where we don’t need “self-help Jesus” we do need solid biblical based teaching of the Word of God.  A huge reason that I am called to church ministry is largely because  of the failure in the church with this very subject today.  So many people are told “now you are saved” and the teaching stops, they are given the Bible (although not always) and sometimes an invitation to a church or a class and the teaching ends.  Does your church teach the Bible and continue to disciple showing the love of God in their lives?  Do our churches continue to teach the Bible or after we are saved do we just become another social club?

2. Admonish: Warn or reprimand someone firmly

When is the last time you heard your pastor with a warning or reprimand?  I was discussing this with a pastor the fact that we were having to implement Church discipline at such a young age to some of the members of our church.  While on one hand it was making me sad, to him it was encouraging!  In the last years the church has grown lax on standards and even more lax on the warning and reprimanding of the congregation much less following biblical basis for correction and repentance.

When is the last call for repentance?  When was the word preached and a call for conviction of our sins?  When was the last time we cared enough to warn someone about Hell and wanted to share the salvation we have sealed on our hearts? This applies to the CHURCH as well as to the WORLD.  We must be constantly calling each other to live a holy life.

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?
Romans 10:14-15

 B.   Singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs

1. Singing: this is an active part of the ministry, singing as an individual and singing as a congregation.  Our world is full of music, it permeates everything from our entertainment to accompanying us as we ride the elevator.  it puts notes in our hearts as we drive down the road (no not everyone listens to talk radio) and it backs us up as we shop in the grocery store. We go to bed listening to it and our radio alarm clock wakes us up to it in the morning.  Music is around us all the time.

Singing is our active participation of corporate worship.  Its not just for the shower any more

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth;
break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
Psalms 98:4

 2.  Psalms hymns and spiritual songs:  Psalms are scripture, hymns are generally theology or heavy songs, and then there are spiritual songs.  We must be careful in both hymns and spiritual songs that are not just pure scripture to make sure they follow the guideline that is laid out for us here in Colossians: does the “word of Christ dwell in them richly?”

So often we here non-worshipful songs or songs that have lyrics contrary to the teaching of scripture.  We must be on guard for that as leaders but also as the average Joe in church!  To much we grab the latest thing off the radio and try and jam it into our churches (yeah I am guilty of this too) and we don’t take the time to evaluate the song in the light of scripture.

I was about to bring  a song to our worship team and I was gathering the music and samples of the song and I realized that the first verse of the song sounded great musically but that removed from the music it made it seem like Evolution was happening and God just made order out of the chaos and “created” us.  wrapped up in the catchy tune and a great chorus I had to stop and ask God to keep me safe in my own worship with music.

C.   Thankfulness in the heart to God

Sometimes there are some of us that need to be reminded it isn’t all about theology and the word, it has to also be our response to those things.  Our congregation is gathered in worship not just for music and preaching/teaching but also to express our joy in the Lord.  To give thanks for what he has done and will continue to do!

2.  Everything is done in Jesus Name

Someday I will expand on this but for now it is sufficient to say, “As sinful men of the flesh, we are often swept up in our own ideas of grandeur rather than the Glory of God.“

3.  Everything is done giving thanks to God

(see 1. c)  

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So much for it being just a simple verse it turned into more of a sermon in the making

1 Corinthians 2:2-6
For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration  of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.

I love that little phrase “that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men” to often we look at witnessing and ministering the Gospel as something that we need to do to convince people of the Gospel.  In reality we are told NOT to do this.  Still today in a discussion on “God” and “Religion” with some new friends it is hard t o resist what I clearly see as logic and the necessity of the Gospel in our lives.   These verses SHOULD plant enough motivation to witness since it doesn’t depend on us other than responding in the Spirit and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.  But my knees still knock and I find according to this passage I am in good company

The second thought of that phrase is “that your faith might rest in the power of God.” This is when God works through us it is our hands/feet/tongue etc but HIS power!  What an awesome release of responsibility on the Christian’s life!  That all we have to do is follow God no matter in fear or boldness (God used both) and display the Gospel and God will work the power   But still even greater still that God would use me in my weakness, my tongue in its depth of sin to speak the words of HIS Truth and HIS power.

1 Corinthians 1:27-29
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.

In verse 29 it says “so that no human being might boast in the presence of God”  This is the great equalizer for us. It doesn’t matter if we are rich or poor, or noble or lesser birth, or learned or ignorant, or weak or strong, or despised or revered… GOD works, and His Holy Spirit in us, so that He may be glorified.  We,  therefore, can not take security in our own sanctification but we can only rest our security and hope in Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:31)

Nothing except Jesus Christ and him crucified -- Photo Credit http://www.photos8.com

Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

This morning my wife asked me “Why do you post verses every day on facebook?”   My response was “So many people post their own spin of the truth, wouldn’t you rather have the actual truth?”

I follow a select group of bloggers, authors, pastors and musicians.  It saddens me how many of these godly men and women post their own thoughts and not scripture.  I dumped them and decided I would not follow in their footsteps.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love to have quotes and inspirational messages. But what would you rather be known for?  I caught myself last night writing a “twitter sized sound bite” in our Bible Study.  It was a good quote.  But I would rather be know that I spread God’s word.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

In a world full of people that are spouting their own knowledge, some good some bad, do we stand out with the Gospel?  Or will we water down the Gospel and  push our own version of a self-help Jesus.

I would contend, “We are what we preach.”