True Grace

"John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." (Revelation 1:4-6, NKJV)

The first word that John writes to the seven churches is "grace." What a beautiful way to begin this book of prophecy concerning the end! Grace is a wonderful word. The best definition I have heard is by Warren Wiersbe who writes: "Grace is love that pays the price to help the undeserving one." There are those who speak of free grace, but grace is not free. It may be free to us, but it cost Jesus His own lifeblood. Others speak of new grace, but grace is not new. God demonstrated it in the Garden of Eden when provided animal skins to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve. I would like to talk about true grace as demonstrated in the passage above.

First, true grace comes from the eternal Father, the sevenfold Spirit (Isa 11.2), and Jesus Christ. It is embodied in the sacrifice of Jesus. Jesus demonstrated His love to undeserving ones like us by paying the price for our sins with His own blood.

Second, true grace is transformational. It takes poor sinners like us and makes us into kings and priests before our God. Not only does amazing grace save a wretch like me, but it lifts me up and seats me with Christ in heavenly places (Eph 2.6). It makes me a priest to my God (a servant who represents man to God and God to man). And in the future it will enable me to reign with Christ as a king. This is the heritage of every believer in Jesus Christ who has been saved by grace!

Third, true grace results in praise and glory to God. "To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." We have been saved by grace so that no one can boast. All we can do is to freely receive this gift and worship God for what He has done.

Isn't grace a wonderful thing? No wonder it was the common greeting of the early church. But sadly those who are the first to claim grace for themselves are often the last to give it to others. Grace is twofold. As we have freely received it, so we must freely give it. Many times those who are quick to seek pardon for their own sins are slow to pardon others. They run to the cross for "no condemnation" for themselves, but then they turn around and condemn their brother or sister. Jesus identified this inherent problem in people. He taught us to pray, "And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matt 6.12). Do we really take that to heart? Do we really forgive those who have sinned against us in the same way that we want God to forgive us? Receiving true grace means that we must also give it to others--especially to those who have hurt us the most. Jesus knew how much we struggle with this, for this was the only part of His prayer that He amplified.

"For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15, NKJV)

Wouldn't it be tragic if the one thing separating us from God, the one thing keeping us from receiving the fullness of His grace, peace and pardon was our unwillingness to forgive from the heart our brother or sister? Yet that is exactly what Jesus said will happen if we receive grace but do not freely give it to others by forgiving them from the heart. Remember, true grace pays the price to help the undeserving.

May God help us receive and enjoy the true grace we have in Jesus Christ! But may He also help us give it away!

But We See Jesus...

I love the book of Hebrews. It is packed full of incredible passages of scripture proclaiming the supremacy of Jesus the Messiah. There is a certain fragment of one verse that jumps off the page at me every time I read through this particular book. It comes in Hebrews chapter 2, verse 9. Leading up to this particular passage is the admission that the world as they saw it then (and as we see it now, for that matter) does not look like at all like it is under the control of Jesus, even though it is proclaimed to be. I find this same line of thinking around me constantly in the world today. If Jesus is really supreme, why all the evil in the world? If Jesus came to bring peace, why is there war? If Jesus came to bring love, why do so many people hate each other so much? If Jesus came to bring the kingdom of God, why are there still such huge political battles still raging? If Jesus came to bring truth, why all the different theologies, false religions, and corrupt evangelists? We today are asking the same questions these Christian Jews were struggling with.

Hebrews 2, verse 9 answers this issue by using these four amazing words… but we see Jesus. I get chills every time I read it. It screams to me of the dramatic lapse of focus, not only in the world around us, but in the church as well. It seems to me that we are often so concentrated on the battles of this world that we forget that Jesus really is in control of all of it. It doesn’t always make sense, in fact it rarely does, but it is the truth. I have to think that the way Jesus brings us to completion by taking us through the refiner’s fire is the same way He is working in the world around us. I am trying to remember these four beautiful words when I begin to lose focus of Him and start placing it on the issues and battles of the world instead.

The world sees freedom hanging in the balance in violent wars… but we see Jesus. The nation sees a failing economy that threatens our ability to survive and provide for our families… but we see Jesus. The world tells us our path to happiness is sex, money, and fame… but we see Jesus. The nation sees power as being held by either Republicans or Democrats… but we see Jesus. The world sees the battle between right and wrong as something for courts, judges, and supreme court rulings… but we see Jesus.

Jesus is supreme… over politics, over presidents, over terrorism, over the economy, over your checkbook, over your health, over your failings, over your addictions, over your disappointments… over everything. Do we truly see Jesus in all things? I know I, for one, struggle with this, but I also know that the only times that I experience the peace that surpasses understanding are the times when I can truly say, but I see Jesus.

- Brad

An Introduction

Hello Everyone!

I'm thrilled that Pastor Daryl has asked me to be a contributor to the CCTV blog, and figured I should briefly introduce myself. If you've been out to fellowship with us during services over the last few months, you'll know me as the "new guy" leading worship for Sunday morning and Wednesday night services, along with my wife Becky. I'm also currently doing an internship at CCTV after completing the CCBoise School of Ministry program last year. My family and I are loving our time at CCTV and looking forward to getting to know many more of you.

I am very excited about the 40 Days of Prayer -- also known as "Treasure the Valley" -- that starts tomorrow (Wednesday the 25th). I hope you've all had a chance to get a hold of one of the "Seek God for the City 2009" books and are ready to be a part of something powerful and amazing. I would challenge you to not only embrace this opportunity individually and within your own families, but to use it as an opportunity to reach out and connect with others. Consider getting together with other people and families to pray. Consider prayerwalking around your community or specific areas of town. Consider sending some of the prayer items out via email to others who have ties to our community and ask them to join with us in prayer as well. Consider asking those you know who may be community leaders, business owners, teachers, police officers, and others in our valley how you can be praying for them specifically.

Something very powerful happens when we pray together as the united body of Christ, especially when we are praying outside of ourselves. To quote Steve Hawthorne from the "Seek God for the City 2009" handbook;

"We tend to pray just enough to get by. Many of our prayers focus on fixing our own personal problems. But when dramatic and perilous times fall upon us, that is the very time to pray beyond ourselves and beyond what we may have seen God do in our lifetimes... As you pray with hope, you'll find yourself drawn into the purpose that God has long been pursuing in the lives of friends and neighbors. He loves to be asked before He acts so that He can be honored. You'll find yourself praying with increasing anticipation. You'll find yourself praying your way into something great."

These are, no doubt, "dramatic and perilous" times for our valley. What perfect timing for a movement of dramatic and powerful prayer!

-- Brad

Hope Deposit

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you
may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:13, NKJV)

All you have to do is turn on the news to see that there is a great deficit in our country. It isn’t the federal, banking or job deficit that concerns me so much as the deficit of hope. Hope is a rare commodity these days. While I realize there are certain practical realities we must all face, we cannot effectively face them without hope.

The good news is that there is no hope deficit with God! Paul calls Him the God of hope, which means that His hope is as infinite and eternal as He is. Now when the Bible speaks of hope it means joyful, confident expectation. Consider these three words. Does that describe your current mental attitude?

Despite what you may hear, there is great reason for hope. It is not the “pie in the sky”, “wishful thinking” variety but a hope based on the unchanging, trustworthy nature of our God. You see, it is impossible for Him to break even one of His promises. Therefore, when we believe in what He has said it fills us with all joy and peace. Then from His vast treasury God imparts to us abounding hope by the Holy Spirit! As believers in Jesus Christ, we can face anything with joyful, confident expectation that God is for us and not against us. He will never leave us or forsake us. He is working all things together for our ultimate good. Now let me ask you, do you have this hope?

If you find your hope account running low or even overdrawn, then come to the heavenly treasury. The God of hope is ready to make a BIG deposit!

The Power of Peace

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." (Colossians 3:15, NIV)

Peace often seems an elusive goal. We seek peace but conflict ensues. How can we know true peace? Paul gives us three steps.

First, peace begins in the heart. We must first receive the peace of Christ before we can be at peace with ourselves or with others. This peace comes as a result of trusting in Jesus Christ who gives us peace with God (Rom 5:1). But we must choose to let this peace rule in our hearts. At any given moment numerous and conflicting desires compete for attention. The peace of Christ is a still, small voice in the midst of this clamor. We must discipline ourselves to listen to this voice and ignore the others.

Second, peace is a function of the body of Christ. The Lord has called us to live in peace and to be diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph 4:3). This requires hard work. Many times it is easier to let things go or to gossip against others than to labor for real peace, but these are not options.

Third, we are to be thankful. It’s amazing how giving thanks to God can cultivate peace in the heart. It’s wonderful how expressing our gratitude toward others can promote peace in our relationships.

Let’s seek to put these three things into practice today and discover the marvelous power of peace!

Blessings out of Buffetings

I came across the poem that I thought I'd share with you.

Daryl


Oh tried and tested Christian,
Beset on every hand
By storms of strife, remember
Thy Father holds command!
E'en though the tempest rages,
Thy chastened heart may sing,
For He doth purpose blessing
Through all thy buffeting.

Be strong and of good courage,
Though foes thy soul assail.
No weapon formed against thee
Hath power to prevail;
For thou shalt share the triumph
Of Christ, thy conquering King,
Who purposes a blessing
Through all thy buffeting

Rejoice to be found worthy
Of suff'ring for His name,
Who on the cross of Calvary
Bore all thy weight of shame.
When He shall come in glory
His ransomed Home to bring,
Thou'lt know in full the blessing
Attained through buffeting!

Avis B. Christiansen

Your Love

I just returned from a prayer summit in McCall where about 40 pastors from Ontario to Boise to Twin Falls gathered for three days. Tuesday morning was spent meditating on and praising God for His love. We were given an assignment to write down what He showed us. This is what I wrote:

Your love is the fount of every blessing, the source of every healing, the wellspring of all forgiveness and all comfort. Your love is too vast to measure, too grand to comprehend, and beyond all comparison. How can we understand how You could love each one of us as You love Your own perfect Son? You have forever demonstrated Your love to us through sacrifice. How can we know the depths of pain Your heart endured to see the suffering of Christ? How can we know what self-restraint You exercised while they beat Him, mocked Him, and crowned His head with thorns? Yet You withheld Your wrath for objects of Your love who drove the spikes through His hands and feet. Had I been the one with hammer in hand You would love me no less than the One I nailed there. Indeed my sins fastened Him, yet You have attached Your love to me for all eternity. With this love You have accepted me in the Beloved, You have forgiven me of all my iniquities, You have justified and sanctified me. In Your love You have given me the desires of my heart, You have blessed me with blessings of wife and children and family of God. While I yet wait in sin-darkened corridors of this world for the fullness of redemption, I have only begun to taste these rich delicacies. What treasures of lovingkindness beyond all comprehension await us who have been the unworthy objects of Your affection? If in the land of shadows our heart beats with devotion at these things, then what will we experience in the New Jerusalem when Your glorious presence radiates day and night and Your lovingkindness is never obscured by sin, trials or demons? How will we ever measure the width, length, depth and height of Your love? Such questions are too great for man to answer. Yet I know that if I can but touch the hem of Your love I shall never be the same, and others I touch will feel the only force which exists that can transfigure slaves of sin into glorious sons of God!