Wednesday February 1, 2017

“Leading us to humility”

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. – Romans 11:33, 36

The Plan of Grace

Practical repercussions

Having looked at a few verses and concepts as we continue this journey, and although our study has academic benefits, the hope is that we will all come away with a renewed love and appreciation for the scope and fullness of what we have in Christ. We will see more fully the pattern of the plan of God and gain an increase sense of the marks of being a Christian.

This should lead us to a deeper humility. Humility is not simply feeling small and useless – like an inferiority complex. It is sensing how great and glorious God is, and seeing myself in that light. Humility in Scripture is the fruit of grace, not a fear. It is God’s love which makes man truly humble. Now, Scripture emphasizes these aspects of the Christian life to show us the depth and length, the breadth and height of the love of God. When we see that, we are humbled by the knowledge that God cares so much about us.

Challenge: Take some time today, to get alone with God and pour out your heart in love for His great and wonderful gifts.

And when I think of God, His son not sparing,

Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;

That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing

He bled and died to take away my sin

Then sings my soul My Savior, God, to Thee

How great thou art How great thou art

Then sings my soul My Savior, God, to Thee

How great Thou art How great Thou art

This Day in Christian History:

February 1, ca. 453 – Death of Brigid of Ireland. A slave with royal blood who was stubbornly generous toward slaves and the poor. She traveled by chariot through the countryside helping the poor, preaching the gospel and organizing nunneries. Christians across Ireland place St. Brigid’s crosses of wooden straw over their doors on February 1.

Memory Verse:

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will

- Ephesians 1:11

‘io, ‘i He‘ene ‘Afio ‘a ia ne fai ‘iate ia foki homau fili mōno tofi‘a, ‘o toka tu‘utu‘uni kimautolu ki ai, ‘o fakatatau ki he finangalo ‘o ‘Ene ‘Afio, ‘a ia ‘oku ne ngāue‘i ‘a e ngaahi me‘a kotoa pē ‘i he ‘alunga ‘o e fakakaukau ‘o hono finangalo – ‘Efeso 1:11

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 5 – Exodus 10-12; Eph 2

Tuesday January 31, 2017

“Beyond blessed to be in Christ”

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the – 1 Peter 1:3

The Plan of Grace

The Plan of God – John 1:12-13 (b)

Even though salvation happens to us according to God’s mercy and grace in an instant, there are things that happen which we have come to learn and appreciate but when we list them we can see and rejoice in the magnificence of God’s plan and purpose. These three verses which we have looked at briefly give a wide range of doctrines which make up the doctrine of the Christian life. It goes something like this:

1)  God’s eternal choice (counsel)

2)  God elects and calls us

3)  God gives new birth, we enter the kingdom of God by faith and repentance

4)  God justifies us, when we believe and repent

5)  God adopts us, we live by sanctification

6)  we await our glorification

In Christ. It is in Christ we receive all the blessings of the Christian life. We are chosen in him. In him we are predestined to be like him. In Christ we are called, and in him born again to newness of life (1 Peter 1:3). In him we have faith, and receive the Holy Spirit. In him we are brought into the privileges of brotherhood in the family of God. In Christ is our sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30). When we see him, we will be made like him, for when he appears in glory, we shall also appear with Christ (1 John 3:2; Colossians 3:4). From beginning to end all blessings are ours in Christ.

Challenge: Do you remember when you came to Christ? (‘aho na’a ke tali ai ‘a Sisu?) Some people have a vivid recollection, others not so much. This was always a point of confusion for me growing up. I was constantly being told to receive Christ at every church service to the point where my being a Christian was attached to whether or not I behaved “Christianly.”  Billy Graham has a definite date of conversion, however his wife Ruth, who grew up as a missionary kid overseas, cannot pinpoint a specific time for her conversion. I have come to term with the fact that there have been many moments and events that God used to draw me to himself that led to my conversion (regeneration). I do know and am convinced that I am in Christ now and that I have a passion and desire to love and serve him.

Memory Verse: 

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will

- Ephesians 1:11

‘io, ‘i He‘ene ‘Afio ‘a ia ne fai ‘iate ia foki homau fili mōno tofi‘a, ‘o toka tu‘utu‘uni kimautolu ki ai, ‘o fakatatau ki he finangalo ‘o ‘Ene ‘Afio, ‘a ia ‘oku ne ngāue‘i ‘a e ngaahi me‘a kotoa pē ‘i he ‘alunga ‘o e fakakaukau ‘o hono finangalo – ‘Efeso 1:11

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 5 – Exodus 7-9; Psalm 105; Eph 1

Monday January 30, 2017

“Regeneration: The New Birth”

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. – John 1:12-13

The Plan of Grace

The Plan of God – John 1:12-13

Our 3^rd passage is John 1:12-13. Most Christians learn and memorize John 1:12 as part of studying the new birth. We are taught that we must “receive” Christ in order to become His children. The first two passages (Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 1:3-14) dealt with God’s “Purpose” and the centrality of “Christ.” Here, in the gospel of John, we are introduced to the concept of the new birth.

John’s teaching, like Paul’s, is that Christ is received by faith (Colossians 2:6 – 7). What John adds to Paul’s outline is that faith brings the privilege of adoption, and paradoxically, that same faith is the fruit of a birth which comes from God. Those who receive Christ and enter into adoption are those who have been ‘born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God’ .… The new life, which Paul has taught us leads to God’s plan, begun before time to its consummation after time has ended, is now expanded by John. He indicates that our personal experience of it begins when God touches our lives in his wonderful power, in regeneration.

Challenge: 2 Corinthians 5:17 is known to all of us, especially in the Mo’ui Fo’ou Fellowship. Reflect on this and consider today’s key word “regeneration.” How have you been regenerated? Are you confident that you have been? Ponder this today and reflect on your Christian journey so far.

This Day in Christian History:

Jan 30, 680 – Bathilde (word means, maid in-waiting) died on this day, one of the most noble, humble, and beloved queens of France. Thanks to her, France became the first Christian nation to outlaw slavery (she herself, was once a slave). Catholics regarded her as a saint and Pope Nicholas I agreed, canonizing her about two hundred years after her death.

Memory Verse:

purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will

- Ephesians 1:11

‘io, ‘i He‘ene ‘Afio ‘a ia ne fai ‘iate ia foki homau fili mōno tofi‘a, ‘o toka tu‘utu‘uni kimautolu ki ai, ‘o fakatatau ki he finangalo ‘o ‘Ene ‘Afio, ‘a ia ‘oku ne ngāue‘i ‘a e ngaahi me‘a kotoa pē ‘i he ‘alunga ‘o e fakakaukau ‘o hono finangalo – ‘Efeso 1:11

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 5 – Exodus 4-6; Gal 6

Sunday January 29, 2017

“Blessed in Christ”

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved – Ephesians 1:3-6

The Plan of Grace

The Plan of God – Ephesians 1:3-14

We praise God along with our text for today for the spiritual blessings we have in Christ!

We continue with our second verse to further guide us in our understanding of God’s plan of salvation. In Romans, Paul opens his letter from the starting place of man’s deep seated need under the wrath and condemnation of God. He lays out man’s condition and need, then he answers it with grace and the resources found in Christ which traces all the way back to God’s eternal purpose.

In Ephesians, he approaches the subject from the viewpoint of Christ as center: all spiritual blessings are ours in Christ. In Romans 8, the great doctrines are links in a chain (the golden chain). In Ephesians 1, they are spokes in a wheel which centers on Christ (the silver spokes). In Christ, we are blessed, chosen, predestined to be sons, engraced, enlightened, included, sealed. Paul is building out the fullness of the grace which becomes ours in Christ.

In Ephesians 1:13 – 14, Paul indicates that believing follows upon calling, and it also seems to indicate that receiving the Holy Spirit is the experience of those who have come to believe in Jesus. He has now expanded our original map of God’s purpose. If we take this new information and added to Romans 8:30, we might get a reading like this: “those God chose and predestined he also called; those he called through his Word came to believe, were justified and were sealed with the Spirit. These same also glorified”

Challenge: How cool is that? If you are in Christ, can you say that you chose Christ? Or is it the other way around? Does this affect your witness to others? How so? How will you change your mindset when praying for others and sharing the gospel?

This Day in Christian History:

Jan 29, 1535 – torch-lit procession of the royal family of France and leaders of the Catholic Church to oppose the new protestant reformers who were shaking up the establishment with their “so-called” heresies. Many were jailed, persecuted and killed.

Memory Verse: 

In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will

- Ephesians 1:11

‘io, ‘i He‘ene ‘Afio ‘a ia ne fai ‘iate ia foki homau fili mōno tofi‘a, ‘o toka tu‘utu‘uni kimautolu ki ai, ‘o fakatatau ki he finangalo ‘o ‘Ene ‘Afio, ‘a ia ‘oku ne ngāue‘i ‘a e ngaahi me‘a kotoa pē ‘i he ‘alunga ‘o e fakakaukau ‘o hono finangalo – ‘Efeso 1:11

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 5 – Exo 1-3; Gal 5

Saturday January 28, 2017

“Confidence in God’s plan of Grace”

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. – Romans 8:28-30

The Plan of Grace

The Plan of God – cont. (c)

Our text for today is not an error, it is the same verse from yesterday (unless you missed yesterday). We are finishing up on the first of three verses that deal with salvation from different perspectives.

Romans 8:28 is a familiar passage used by Christians to comfort one another in times of trouble. This is fine but in context, we saw yesterday as Paul refers to the plan of salvation is God’s purpose. And the ultimate purpose is to make us like Christ.

His goal is the complete restoration of the image of God in his child. So great a work demands all the resources which God finds throughout the universe, and he ransacks the possibilities of joys and sorrows in order to produce in us the character of Jesus. But the question arises: with such poor material, how can God guarantee the glorious finished articles? The answer is that for all the differences which mark the followers of Christ, some things are always true of them. They have been foreknown by God, and he has predestined them. He has called them into his kingdom and justified them. It is these who will bear the image of his son on the Day of Glory…. The apostle is stretching out before us the dimensions of God’s saving grace. Its full expanse is seen in the divine plan of salvation. His love for us began before the dawning of time and extends until time’s last rolling year has gone.

Challenge: our confidence is possible only on the basis of an appreciation of the basic elements in the plan of Grace.

“My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

But wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;

All other ground is sinking sand.”

This Day in Christian History:

Jan 28, 1521 – date of Imperial Congress in Worms, Germany to question Martin Luther about his teachings and to force him to retract. It was at this event that he made his famous, “Here I stand” speech, where he refused to recant on his teachings and position which opposed the Roman church, on the grounds of God’s Word and his conscience.  

Memory Verse: (Sun Jan 22)

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand – Ephesians 6:13

Ko ia, mou to‘o ‘a e mahafu kotoa ‘a e ‘Otua, koe‘uhi ke mou lava ke talitu‘u ‘i he ‘aho ‘o e fai mai ‘a e kovi; pea kuo lava kotoa pē kae tu‘u pē – ‘Efeso 6:13

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 4 – Gen 41-50; Psalm 24, 108, 25; Mark 16, Gal 1-3

Friday January 27, 2017

“The tempo and beat of God’s purpose”

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. – Romans 8:28-30

The Plan of Grace

The Plan of God – cont. (b)

Have you ever watched the Tongan “sit-down dance” (ma’ulu’ulu) and have been mesmerized and taken by the rhythm of the drums? And if you’ve ever witnessed the masters from island of ‘Uiha.. as they say, “OUAAA”!!! So what does this have to do with our text and topic of God’s plan of salvation? Verses 29-30 of Romans 8 is often referred to as the “Golden Chain.” Reading it sounds rhythmic and you can almost nod your head to a beat – even a marching beat – or even a “ma’ulu’ulu” drum beat, building to a climax of artistic dance and excitement!

Paul, in this passage, calls the plan of God, PURPOSE and it’s a great encouragement to the child of God. These wonderful words, purpose, foreknowledge, predestination, calling, justification, glorification are more than theological bullets for your Jesus shotgun. They are the beats, the rhythm of the marching tempo of God’s plan which build to the crescendo of His Purpose!

Paul is intent on explaining the rationale which lies in the divine mind. How can all things he worked together by God for good? The answer is at hand. It is because God’s ultimate purpose is to make us like Christ.

Challenge: The next time you listen to your favorite song or a song with a good beat, remember that God also has a beat…His beats always has a purpose. His purpose is to bring all things to bear and to “mix” His master work, that includes his children, for His own glory.

This Day in Christian History:

Jan 27, 1852 – death of Vermont (USA) Pastor Daniel Jackson’s wife, Mary Jackson. In a time when medical care wasn’t as advanced and early death was common. But for Christians, they “died well”. An excerpt from her obituary written by her husband gives testimony to her faith and hope in her dying moments..

Speaking of the happy state into which she was about to enter, she exclaimed, “Oh glorious day, O blessed hope, my heart leaps forward at the thought.” When distressed for breath, she would say, “Blessed Jesus, receive my spirit.” When I spake to her about her thirst, she said, “when I have been thirsty I’ve thought of that river whose streams make glad the city of God.”

Pastor Jackson ends with these words:

I am left as a lonely pilgrim with no one to count my sighs or wipe away the falling tear. But hush, my soul, what means this repining? Couldst thou look beyond the spheres of material worlds, and see the glories of thy departed one, thou wouldst say, “the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Memory Verse: (Sun Jan 22)

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand – Ephesians 6:13

Ko ia, mou to‘o ‘a e mahafu kotoa ‘a e ‘Otua, koe‘uhi ke mou lava ke talitu‘u ‘i he ‘aho ‘o e fai mai ‘a e kovi; pea kuo lava kotoa pē kae tu‘u pē – ‘Efeso 6:13

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 4 – Gen 41-50; Psalm 24, 108, 25; Mark 16, Gal 1-3

Thursday January 26, 2017

“The God who plans”

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed – Romans 13:11

The Plan of Grace

The Plan of God

As we continue our study on the Christian life, we come to this rather “foreign” idea of “planning” or plans, to Pacific Islanders. Of course, I’m being “cheeky” (as you Aussies and Kiwis would say) or “tongue-in-cheek” as we say here in the States. But really, would you agree that we don’t plan? And the sure plan would be that we would “wing” it. Impromptu, extemporaneous etc. whatever expression we use, we islanders are very comfortable with “going with the flow.”

However, our God has a plan and a purpose for everything. And His plan for the lives of His children has a fix point. In order to fully appreciate what God has done for us in Christ, we must look at His “Saving Plan.” We will learn the key words and doctrines such as Justification, Regeneration and Sanctification etc. and how they relate to each other.

This procedure has its dangers, the most obvious being that once we have established an understanding of God’s grace and its pattern in our lives, we may mistake that for the experience of God’s grace. But there is a world of difference between knowledge of the truth in this systematic sense and a personal experience of its powers. There is also the danger that we will want to fit everything into a pattern when Scripture may not provide us with sufficient information to do so. But, on the other hand, there are many benefits to be gained by such an exercise. One major blessing is that it offers us a divine perspective on our lives. It lifts our eyes up from our own small measures of the experience of God’s grace to show us the largeness of the purposes he cherishes.

Challenge: the next time you see a homeless person or a beggar, ask yourself if you would trade places with him? Praise God that Jesus did just that.. he trade places with us. What an unfair trade! But it happened. And we are the beneficiary of this great exchange.

This Day in Christian History:

Jan 26, 1800 – birth date of John Oncken (Varel, Germany), founder of the Baptist church in Bulgaria, Denmark, Finland, Holland, Hungary, Poland, Russia, and Switzerland.

Memory Verse: (Sun Jan 22)

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand – Ephesians 6:13

Ko ia, mou to‘o ‘a e mahafu kotoa ‘a e ‘Otua, koe‘uhi ke mou lava ke talitu‘u ‘i he ‘aho ‘o e fai mai ‘a e kovi; pea kuo lava kotoa pē kae tu‘u pē – ‘Efeso 6:13

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 4 – Gen 49-50; Gal 4

Wednesday January 25, 2017

“We serve a God of order”

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love – Ephesians 1:3-4

The Plan of Grace

As we conclude the section dealing the broken image of God and benefits of what Christ has done for us, we are left with two questions that will serve as blueprint for the rest of our study: 1) How do I get into Christ to receive this salvation which is in Him? This will be answered by examining the biblical teachings on entering the Christian Life. 2) How do I get the grace and character of Christ into my life? We will answer this by examining the biblical teachings on sanctification and the outworking of the Christian life.

Students of Christian doctrine used to speak about what they called the order, or plan, of salvation. They meant that in his dealings with men God worked according to a pattern… He had a plan. They meant that sinners restored to the image of God will have their experience of God’s grace in basically similar ways because ultimately their needs are the same.

Over and over again Jesus clearly referred to a pattern and goal by which his life was determined. He liked to think of it as heading towards a special hour in which everything for which he was preparing himself would be accomplished. He held back from certain activities because of his consciousness of the divine timetable (John 2:4; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27). By the beginning of the book of the passion (John 13 – 21) Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the father (John 13 one), and so he prayed, father the time has come (John 17:1).

Challenge: God’s plan is perfect. You may not be aware of it or frustrated that you “seem” or feel lost in all of it. Trust Him with your life, now and the next step. Commit everything to Him. Give thanks for where you are now because He has you in the palm of His Hand!

This Day in Christian History:

Jan 25, 1964 – Irene Farrel died a martyr as a Baptist Missionary in Zaire, Africa. Killed by a rebel group called Jeunesse (“Youth”) who terrorized the Congo countryside. They shut down schools and massacred Christians whose teachings competed with their Marxist ideology.

Memory Verse: (Sun Jan 22)

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand – Ephesians 6:13

Ko ia, mou to‘o ‘a e mahafu kotoa ‘a e ‘Otua, koe‘uhi ke mou lava ke talitu‘u ‘i he ‘aho ‘o e fai mai ‘a e kovi; pea kuo lava kotoa pē kae tu‘u pē – ‘Efeso 6:13

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 4 – Gen 47-48; Psalm 25; Gal 3

Tuesday January 24, 2017

“He is my All in All”

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 1 Corinthians 1:30

God’s Broken Image

Salvation

8)  Christ is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption

Wisdom is a personal quality that appears in the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ;

1 For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, 2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ, 3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col 2:1-3)

He is our righteousness by which we are justified;

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

He is our sanctification – the one by whose grace we are set apart to God and progressively renewed (Rom 6:1-23)

He is our redemption; the one whose death and resurrection ensures that we, body and soul, will be fully redeemed from sin’s guilt (Eph 1:7) and its penalty, death (Rom 8:23).

Praise God that we don’t have to apply these truths on our own; the Holy Spirit does this. We don’t even have to comprehend them, because He works to give light and just enough understanding to move us forward.

Challenge: select a word from these marvelous truths (wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption) and take it with you today. Hold it up to God’s Word and see what God has to say about you and your walk.

This Day in Christian History:

Jan 24, 1628 – Jonas Michaelius sailed for the New Netherlands (now the state of New York) accompanied by his wife and two of his children. The ten-week voyage was a nightmare. Storms battered the ship, food was poor, and quarters cramped. Much of the time, the captain was drunk and the sailors barely under control.

Michaelius was the first Dutch Reformed “Domine” (minister) to serve in the New Netherlands.

Memory Verse: (Sun Jan 22)

Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand – Ephesians 6:13

Ko ia, mou to‘o ‘a e mahafu kotoa ‘a e ‘Otua, koe‘uhi ke mou lava ke talitu‘u ‘i he ‘aho ‘o e fai mai ‘a e kovi; pea kuo lava kotoa pē kae tu‘u pē – ‘Efeso 6:13

Bible Reading Plan: (52 weeks; 5 days a week)

Week 4 – Gen 45-46; Psalm 108; Gal 2