Getting Started again

"Getting started with what" you may ask. To talk about holiness you must first see the need for it and that will not happen unless you become saved or are saved. So this first blog will talk about the basics.
1. Salvation. Acts 16:31 says, "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." Certainly sounds easy doesn't it? However, God's Word also says, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." James 2:19 So exactly what does to believe mean? Throughout the next series of  blogs I hope to clarify exactly what believe means and how to incorporate it into our lives. Consider the following scriptures and their meaning.

Tit 1:16 They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. {reprobate: or, void of judgment}

Ga 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Salvation is simply the act of asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins and accept that forgiveness as the free gift of a loving God who gave up His only Son to die for our sins, yours and mine. It is that easy. "Repent, repent and sin no more!!" cries the preacher man from the street corner. Part of salvation is repenting. Simply put this means to turn away from your old life style and follow Jesus. In the Holiness movement there is what is called two works of grace, salvation and sanctification. Salvation being the first work of grace and sanctification being the second work of grace. Since I have barely covered the bare basics of salvation let me just hit real quickly on the bare basics of sanctification.

It's been over a year since I wrote about Holiness and in that year I have done a lot of soul searching and have come to the conclusion that neither the extreme Holiness nor the extreme "once in grace always in grace" are correct. I started this blog with the purpose of venting my book writing need. I am no writer but I was vexed with so much distress over what I see as the lack of discernment in the lives of fellow Christians and the concern of judgementalism from both "loose" Christians and non-Christians alike that I felt the need to clear the air, as it were.
In Hebrews we are admonished to "lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us." We all too often do not want to set aside our sin. In James 5:9 we are told, "Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!" With this in mind, I ask one question. If James was talking to Christians, how could they be condemned? Throughout the book of James we are admonished to do good works. Taking one side or the other on this issue of Holiness, judgementalism or grace is not so cut and dry. We each need to mature in Christ and live a life pleasing to Him alone, looking at the whole Word of God, not dividing out what we feel or think is right or what we've been taught.
I hope to do a monthly letter and as a radio program says or used to say, "grow in grace so I don't groan in disgrace."

Seeds, What do I plant?

Once a person has accepted Jesus they should follow Him in their daily lives. All too often we find that hard to do because we have only been following what we want to do and are not used to letting anyone else lead us. We want to have things our way, do things our way, in our time, using our methods. Do you see a pattern here? It is easy enough to see when we stand back and look, but when we are in the middle of the process we can’t or won’t see how self-centered it is.

Once we become Christians, we should no longer be the ones in control of our lives. We have ask the Messiah, Anointed One, Savior, Son of God (all names for Jesus) to forgive us of our sins and thereby saving us. Now what? We flounder like a fish out of water, like a person who wanders into an area of town strange to them. We are virtually lost as what to do with the temptations that come our way. Once we would have welcomed them in with open arms, now we don’t feel right about them but just do not know what to do. And to make matters worse, no one has told us what to do with or about these things. Our churches are not much better it seems. All meaning to do well, one says, “all things in moderation”, another says, "You are not bound by the law" (rules), another says, “Christians don’t do that”. You fill in the “that”. Where do we turn!?!?

The answer is in God’s word. You see there is a second work of grace. Some think it was received at the time of salvation. Some think it is not necessary. Some have never heard of it and have no idea that it exists. In the city of Ephesus, Paul ask the believers he found, “’Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ So they said to him, ‘We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’" Ac 19:2 As you read the whole story you will find out that the people were baptized again and then received the Holy Spirit.

Think of a glass of milk, old, souring, curdled milk. Would you drink it or even drink out of the glass after dumping the nasty out and refilling it with fresh milk? NO! You wouldn’t think of it. You would take time to wash out the glass and clean it up before ever even thinking of refilling it with some fresh milk. This is a word picture of what God does for us when He saves us. Forgiveness is the dumping out and the cleansing of our lives. The second work of grace is the refilling of our lives with pure clean stuff, a fresh start as it were. When we ask God to forgive us he does. What we do with our lives after that is still up to us. We may choose to go back and fill our glasses with more curdled milk. Check out 2Peter 2:22. That choice is ours. It is a choice that we make daily. Depending on our life before Christ, it may be easy to change our lifestyles to glorify Him or it may be hard. Whether it is easy or hard it is still our choice and we all need to depend upon Him for daily guidance. I have been reading a book by Max Lucado and in it he gives the illustration of an owner of a greenhouse cleaning out the greenhouse and wanting to put in new fruits and flowers but going out and getting weed seeds to plant. When questioned as to why he would go to the trouble to clean out the greenhouse and then not go purchase flower and fruit seeds the owner replies, “Do you have any idea how much those seeds cost? Besides, you have to drive all the way to the garden center to get them. No thanks, I’m taking the cheap and easy route.” Everybody know you harvest what you sow. We know that about our flower gardens and our vegetable gardens and even our lawns, yet we tend to forget this principle when we cultivate our hearts. Our thoughts are the seeds which are brought to the garden of our hearts and minds and lives. We choose to allow them to be planted or not. Sure, the salesmen keep bringing them to us but it is still up to us to accept them or not. With Jesus in our lives He will now meet the salesmen and help us select only the right seeds.

Jesus was like us in the fact that He “ was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” Heb 4:15  We are not Jesus, perfect in every way, never yielding but God’s word tells us “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. 1Co 10:13(RSV)

God loves and understands us. He will protect us from the evils of the world if we will seek Him and His guidance. Will life be without problems or incidents? No, we will go through circumstances that we do not understand and may never understand this side of eternity, but in allowing God to pick out what is planted in the greenhouses of our lives, we will be better prepared to face the world and with His strength live for Him, glorifying God through living a life pleasing to Him.

Salvation is free to us but it wasn't cheap.

Merry Christmas

One week before Christmas. I hope that Christmas this year brings new joys in each reader’s life. Christmas is the time, of course, where we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus of Nazareth. May you follow Him according to your hearts dictates and continue to grow closer to Him through a daily walk with Him.

This is the time of year when each Christian has the chance to become better witnesses to those around them. It doesn’t matter if it’s at the gas station, the mall, office, shop, school or even church. We can show an attitude that would be pleasing to God and Jesus as we live our daily lives. The beauty of that is if we start better habits early in the season maybe they will become permanent habits of ours, a kinder heart, more patient spirit, better listener, etc.

What do you change about yourself at Christmastime that is for the better? What do you change about yourself at Christmas time that is for the worse? We may be mild mannered all year long but when it come to shopping for that special gift we become something that most people would not recognize in us, be it good or bad. The extra money, stress, family and such can put such a strain on us that we’ve lost our unique witness to those around us. Above all things Christmas ought to bring out the true joy that is ours as children of God.

May you reflect on your life this joyous season and let Christ be the true and only reason for the season in your life. Gifts are good but if they make us lose sight of Christ then we need to reflect on how and why we do them. Don’t quit giving gifts but give them with a new heart and a mind for Christs birth.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2 Basics

I guess the best way to start a blog on holiness is to do two basic things. First, tell you a little about me. And second to answer the title question by starting with the basic premise of before you can seek holiness (if indeed it is necessary) you need to be saved.

Well to address the first thing. I am a layman. For those of you who will read this and not know what a layman is this is what a person is known as who is not a clergyman, preacher, priest, vicar, etc. I have a job in a factory and am a skilled tradesman. I have been a Christian for almost 40 years as of this writing. I am not the most avid student of God’s Word but I do read it daily and believe that Christians should seek to do the will of God in their everyday lives.

The second portion of this blog is not as easy as the first but since it is necessary to be saved before seeking holiness and so I will start this with a primer on Christianity and salvation. Much of what I will blog will be up for interpretation by many readers and therefore I will always try to use the Word of God as a final authority for “things in stone”. Other ideas, definitions, etc. may be gotten from studies, dictionaries and so forth.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines a Christian as "one who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or lives the lifestyle based on the life and teachings of Jesus; one who lives according to the teachings of Jesus."

A wide range of beliefs and practices is found across the world among those who call themselves Christian. A 2007 survey in the United States identified the following five typical American categories:

• Active Christians: Committed to attending church, Bible reading, and Sharing their faith that salvation comes through Jesus Christ. They also accept leadership positions in their church.
• Professing Christians: Are also committed to "accepting Christ as Savior and Lord" as the key to being a Christian, but focus on personal relationships with God and Jesus more than on church, Bible reading or sharing faith.
• Liturgical Christians: High level of spiritual activity, mainly expressed by attending and recognizing the authority of the church, and by serving in it or in the community.
• Private Christians: Believe in God and in doing good things, but not within a church context. In the American survey, this was the largest and youngest segment.
• Cultural Christians: Do not view Jesus as essential to salvation. They are the least likely to align their beliefs or practices with biblical teachings or to attend church. They favor a university theology that sees many ways to God.

Other countries may not show the same variety, especially where there is active persecution of Christians.

My next blog will deal more directly with Biblical Salvation and how to be saved.

Survey says

This is an old study done by the Barna Research Group and it makes you kind of wonder if the people in the survey are reading the same Bible. I don't just mean the KJV or the RSV or The Message but the same Bible. The Holy Word of God as accepted by the Catholic and Protestant faiths in the west and much of the world today.

Beliefs  

1. Compared to 72% of all adults, 92% of born again Christians believe "the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches." (2007)
2. Three-quarters of born again Christians (74%) believe they "personally have a responsibility to tell other people their religious beliefs" compared to 52% of all adults. (2007)
3. Nearly all born again Christians (99%) say their religious faith is very important in their life, compared to 87% of all adults. (2007)
4. Half of born again Christians (46%) agree that Satan is "not a living being but is a symbol of evil." (2007)
5. 37% of born agains believe that if a person is good enough they can earn a place in Heaven. (2007)
6. 26% of born agains agree that "while he lived on earth, Jesus committed sins, like other people," compared to 41% of all adults. (2007)
7. Born again Christians are more likely than non-born again individuals to accept moral absolutes. Specifically, 36% of born agains said they believe in moral absolutes, compared to just 16% among non-born agains. (2006)

Think about it, if you are a Born-Again Christian and are in the 92% of the first statement then how do you believe survey numbers 5 & 6? It says in Eph 2:8 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:..." and 2Co 5:21 plainly states, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Not attempting to pull these two scriptures out of context, go to the Word of God and read these two  passages and the ones around them. 

I guess my next question would be where in line do you fall according to the survey? And do you even really know what you believe and why you believe it?

Just Starting

Holiness: Necessary or not? This question has come up in my life through those I love who are intent on hurting themselves and when approached about their inconsistant lifestyles they accuse the questioners of judging.
Because of this I had decided to write a book on the subject. Not being a writer and collecting about 200 pages of material I thought I might start a blog just to get the subject going somewhere besides my head and computer.
I need to give you, the reader, some of my background. I am a Christian and consider the Holy Bible the Word of God and therefore will use the Bible as my authority on the subject. I am not a preacher or any type of clergy. I am not perfect and therefore do not think perfection is in itself part of Holiness. Holiness, however, is something to be desired and sought after as Christians. Thus, this blog.
I will write as I get the opportunity and if someone asks a question, will do my best to answer in a proper manner. I will try to enlighten those who read this blog to what God wants from us as Christians, but that is getting into one of the future chapters.