Are you washed?

Romans 3:23 (NIV)
     For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

Ephesians 2:8 (NIV)
     For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God

I was having a hard job writing today, I could not think of anything to write and after the last two days at work I am drained and struggling for inspiration. So as I always do on the days when I have little or no inspiration, I went to the internet and ran a search. The search led me to the two verses above, at first I was going to just go with Romans 3:23 but as that verse alone seemed to be a little depressive I thought about looking for another and saw the verse just below was Ephesians 2:8.

I thought that this was a good pairing with the one verse telling us that we all are sinners and will never measure up to the glory of God. Then we have the second verse which tells us that through the grace of God and our faith in Him that God has given us the gift of being saved.

As someone who has spent his life growing up in and around the Church I know that we will never be anything but sinful. But I also know that this is not the problem that it first seems, I believe that through the saving grace of Christ we have all been washed clean of our sins. Through Jesus God has given us the greatest gift we could ever receive, eternal life with Him in Heaven. 

When I was thinking about what to write one thought I had and then discounted was about a song. But as I have been writing I have realised that it is relevant to what I have written and is something I should share with you guys. It is a song that I was introduced to by the young peoples band I have played in since I was 7 years old and continue to assist with now I am back living at home, they are still playing the same song 17 years on. The song is by Elisha A. Hoffman and is called are you washed;

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing pow’r?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed in the blood,
In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you walking daily by the Savior’s side?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?
Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,
And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;
There’s a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,
Oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb!

Yes we will always be sinful and we will always continually to fall short of the glory of God but we have been given the gift from God of being washed by the blood of our Lord Jesus. 

Disappointment

As I write this I don't' actually think I could feel worse. Last night I was full of energy from an amazing weekend with a group of amazing young Christians. Over this past weekend I have made a huge decision that has made me feel so calm about the future. I have talked to a number of people this weekend who are strong powerful and experienced Christians who have listened to me and been available for me to talk my worries out with. Through these discussions I have had a clearness of mind and a clarity of vision brought to me.

All of this sounds good, so why am I feeling so bad? The reason is that there is one step I need to take, one thing I need to do that will confirm I am ready to accept what it is I am supposed to do. It sounds very easy, all I need to do is tell one person the plan. The problem is that it is one particular person I need to tell, my Dad. The very thought terrifies me, it had me physically trembling last night just at the thought of it. Everyone who knows me will tell you that I am very rarely quiet, unless I am eating, yet last night I could barely string two words together. I arrived home last night so full of energy, so full of fire and determination to do what I needed to. Yet when it came down to it I sat shaking unable to say a word.

I tried looking in the Bible for verses to bolster my courage hoping that it would inspire me to go do what I need to do. While the verses I found did not instantly swell my chest and send me marching to do my set task they have helped build me up a little and I'm hoping they will resonate within me growing my courage until I can stand in front of the world (and my Dad) and announce the plans I intend to follow. The verses were;

Deuteronomy 31:6
    "Be strong. Take courage. Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you."

Joshua 1:9
    Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."

Daniel 10:19
    He said, 'Don't be afraid, friend. Peace. Everything is going to be all right. Take courage. Be strong.'
    "Even as he spoke, courage surged up within me. I said, 'Go ahead, let my master speak. You've given me courage

The step I need to take will begin a new life for me, it will take me down a route I have for years tried to avoid. I know that it is what I will do, of that I have no doubt, but when seems to be the issue. I know that this step will put me further into the Fathers hands and that the enemy will not like that, and that the enemy will do everything he can to prevent this from happening. I need the Lords help, and if you are willing, your prayerful support. It is fear that is holding me back, not fear of the future or fear of the plan. But fear of disappointing my Dad, the man who has supported me for my whole life both financially and emotionally. Everyone I have spoken to has told me that my Dad will be happy and supportive of the plan, yet fear still grips me.

At the end of this blog I feel so much better than I did when I began writing. Seeing it all on my screen written down in front of me brings me comfort as I know that at least some of the people reading this will have been through similar trials and know how I feel. I know that there are prayers being said for me about this issue and that fills me with a sense of loving support. I know this will be resolved in the right way, and soon, but getting there has been and is a trial like non I have been through before. I am going to leave you with one of my favourite verses written by Paul, it's humble simplicity is something we should all aim for.

Ephesians 6:19
    And don't forget to pray for me. Pray that I'll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time

Please pray for me, that I may have the courage to do what the Lord asks of me, that I may be everything He wants me to be. I pray that I find the strength and courage soon to follow God wherever He leads, whenever He calls.

Embarrassed to be Christian

Right, before you guys start worrying its not like it sounds. I am not talking about being embarrassed about being a Christian in general, more that there are certain circumstances in which you are shall we say challenged. The case in point which I have is fire and brimstone street preachers, the kind who stand in city centres and shout at the passers by telling them that they must repent or go to hell. Now I don't know about everyone else but this makes me very uncomfortable because I do not see this as a Christian act and it causes a negative image of Christians in the public eye. I have a few Biblical quotes that I feel support my view;

1 Corinthians 4:15
    There are a lot of people around who can't wait to tell you what you've done wrong, but there aren't many fathers willing to take the time and effort to help you grow up. It was as Jesus helped me proclaim God's Message to you that I became your father.
Luke 6:45
    It's who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.
1 Corinthians 13:13
    But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
Ephesians 4:15
    God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do.
Ephesians 6:4
    Fathers, don't exasperate your children by coming down hard on them. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.
Colossians 1:28
    We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.
1 Timothy 4:11-12
    Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don't let anyone put you down because you're young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.

In my opinion (Which may be wrong) the way Jesus wanted us to spread the word was in a loving way. Standing shouting at people trying to make them feel so bad they "repent" is not a loving way. I believe that we should be going out in to the world and living amongst these people, filling the needs as they appear and helping where we can. We should be living like Christ and serving those who need our help. In time people will see that we are just like them, yet there is something slightly different about us. It is when this intrigue drives them to question us why we are different we will be able to share the gospel with them. The preacher at my home Church uses a phrase quite regularly and it is a phrase that sums up my thoughts on this matter very well. He says "Preach always, and when necessary use words". If we want to save souls the way to do it is not by alienating the sinful people of the world, but by loving them. Again I may be wrong but to the best of my knowledge Jesus never stood in Capernaum, Galilee or Jerusalem lambasting passers by, instead he taught those who wished to hear and treat everyone else with love until they came seeking his message. If you disagree with me or have anything to add please leave a comment as I would be glad to discuss this with anyone, I always have more to learn.

Two sides to every story

I was discussing blogs with a friend on Saturday and we both expressed how interesting we have found it reading each others posts. It has been a way of seeing each other in a new light we otherwise may not be aware of. Through this discussion we decided an interesting thing to try would be a linked blog. That is to say we would both blog on the same thing and see how they compare. I would invite you to read the other blog here and hope it turns out to be as interesting as it sounded when we first thought of it.

So here it goes; Ephesians 5:21-33, in this passage Paul is writing giving instruction on how to submit and whom should submit to whom. For me this passage is one that can be and is often misunderstood. And by its misinterpretation some very unchristian actions and behaviours could be justified. It is what gives credence to the old adage that a man is the head of his household and all shall do as he commands. However in the passage it does give clear guidance, if you are head of the household you should act the way that Christ acts as head of the Church. Jesus told us clearly that if we wished to be first we must first make ourselves last, that we should serve others and not seek to be served. After all we do call Jesus the servant king. For me though it is not just about the Biblical aspect or the Christ like nature that we should take from this. At the end of the day this passage could be a very helpful secular piece of marriage advice. Having experienced a couple of serious long term relationships in the past I can see that the times that were happiest we followed the advice given very closely. Though the times which were bad we were as far from it as we could be. In a relationship there will always be a dominant partner and a submissive partner and as such one will naturally take charge. Both roles are important and both partners should know which place they are in because their roles will be very different. The role of head of the household is not one of obey me or else, it is a position that requires respect from both parties. Respect should be given to the head but then also he should act in a respectful way or why else should he be respected. As with all aspects of life we should lead by example, we should act in the way we wish to see others act. We should seek to make the world a better place not just for ourselves but for those around us and those in the wider world. The Biblical teaching is that a wife must submit to her husband the way we submit to Christ, but that therefore requires that a man serves his wife in the same way that Christ serves us. This is not a passage seeking to subjugate women or to press home a patriarchal agenda it is a guide on how to live in a Christian partnership. Paul is not telling women to be a door mat any more than he is telling men to tread all over their wives. The message is that we should love and respect each other in the same way that Christ does. So should a wife submit to her husband? In my opinion yes, it is as the Bible commands and if we hold the Bible to be true and holy then that means the whole Bible not just the parts we like. But when we follow the scriptures it is very important to understand them and not take them out of context otherwise we do not end up living in a Christ like manner.

Anger

There is a lot going on in my life right now which I have yet to talk about on here and which very few people know about anyway. This coupled with living at home with my parents and next door to a very unpleasant family with unsocial tendencies has led to me harbouring a lot of anger and negative feelings recently. Because of this I decided to look at how Jesus reacted if and when he became angry to try and learn how to react in a Christian way. I know there are situations in the Bible where Jesus lost his temper such as in the temple, Matthew 21:12-17. But is our anger the same? The anger I am feeling currently is due to other people and the faults I perceive them to have. In these situations it is not Christlike to feel anger, but to try and forgive. It is very hard and I know with my personality it is something I am likely to struggle with for the rest of my life. But the scriptures do help; Ephesians 4:26 Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry-but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to bed angry. And also; James 1:19-20 Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God's righteousness doesn't grow from human anger.

Ephesians 6:10-20

    And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
    Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.
    And don't forget to pray for me. Pray that I'll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.