This glorious gospel

1 Timothy 1:11 according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. 

Here is an outline Daniel suggests to help a believer be intentional in sharing or proclaiming the gospel.

A Summary of the Gospel 

God

Creator (Genesis 1:1)

Lawgiver (Exodus 20:1-11)

Holy (Isaiah 6)

Judge (Acts 17:31)

Man

Creature (Genesis 2:7)

Rebel (Romans 1:18-32)

Sinful (Romans 3:10-18)

Deserves hell (Revelation 21:8)

Jesus 

Eternally God (John 1:1-18)

Born as human 2000 years ago (Galatians 4:4-5)

Fully God and fully human (Philippians 2:5-11)

Experienced all temptations we face (Hebrews 4:14-15)

Never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Crucified – the death we deserve (Romans 3:23-26)

Died and buried (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

Rose from dead on third day (His payment was sufficient, none of God’s wrath remains) (Romans 4:23-25)

Ascended into heaven, sits at God’s right hand (authority, interceding) (1 Pet 3:22, Romans 8:34) 

Respond (Mark 1:15)

Repentance (Luke 13:5)

Change of mind (Luke 23:39-43)

I’m not a good person, I’m a bad person

I don’t deserve heaven, I deserve hell

Change of emotion (Ezek 36:26-29, 1 Cor 16:22)

Hatred for sin, love for obedience (Proverbs 8:13)

Change of will

Yield / surrender control of life to Lordship of Jesus (2 Cor 5:15)

Faith (trust) (Acts 16:30-31)

Stop trusting in / relying on doing good things to earn God’s favor (Eph 2:8-9, Titus 3:5)

Rely completely on Jesus’ righteous life, substitutionary death, and resurrection for access to God’s favor. (Romans 4:3-13)

Embracing the gospel is:

Costly (it will hurt) (Luke 14:25-33)

Urgent (don’t wait)  (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

Worth it (the benefits far outweigh the costs) (Matthew 13:44-46)

Peace is found in a Person

This month as I have for over 20 years I'll be praying for the King to make Himself known to others who like Fatima were set free by the revelation of the glory of God as seen in the face of Jesus Christ .

To the King

To the Kingdom

To the restoration 

Mutair Tribe قبيلة مطير Fearless in Battle Western to Central Saudi Arabia

People to Know Amir bin Awād Al-Luwaiḥaq Al-Muțairi Member of the Shura Royal Advisory Council to the King. Fațima Al-Muțairi Martyred in August of 2008 by her brother for her faith in Jesus Christ.  (See her poem below prayer points) Interesting Facts The Muțair's original homeland was the highlands of northern Hejaz between Medina and Mecca. The tribe migrated eastwards into northern Nejd during the 18th century, displacing many other Bedouin tribes in the area, such as 'Anizah who were forced to move northwards. By the 20th century, Muțair's tribal lands extended from the highlands east of Medina, through the region of Al-Qasīm, to the borders of Kuwait. The Muțair were renowned for a herd of black camels that they drove before them riderless into battle. The tribe has historically been mostly Bedouin (10,000 tents counted in 1937), with only a few representatives among the settled (ḥadhari) families of Nejd at the turn of the 20th century. Prayer Points The Muțair were known for their fearlessness in battle. Pray for the Muțair, that they would not be afraid to carry their cross in a country where it is capital punishment to be a follower of Christ. Pray for boldness, seasoned with great wisdom and love. Just as Fatima Al-Muțairi prayed in the poem she wrote before her martyrdom:  We pray to the Lord of the worlds, Jesus the Messiah, the Light of Clear Guidance, that He change notions, and set the scales of justice aright, and that He spread Love among the Saudi people. And We for the Sake of Christ all things Bear by Fatima Al-Muțairi May the Lord Jesus guide you, Oh Muslims And enlighten your hearts that you might love others The forum does not revile the Master of the prophets It is for the display of truth, and for you it was revealed This is the truth which you do not know What we profess are the words of the Master of the prophets We do not worship the cross, and we are not possessed We worship the Lord Jesus, the Light of the worlds We left Mohammed, and we do not follow in his path We followed Jesus Christ, the Clear Truth Truly, we love our homeland, and we are not traitors We take pride that we are Saudi citizens How could we betray our homeland, our dear people? How could we, when for death for Saudi Arabia--- we stand ready? The homeland of my grandfathers, their glories, and odes---for it I am writing And we say, “We are proud, proud, proud to be Saudis” We chose our way, the way of the rightly guided And every man is free to choose any religion Be content to leave us to ourselves to be believers in Jesus Let us live in grace before our time comes There are tears on my cheek, and Oh! the heart is sad To those who become Christians, how you are so cruel! And the Messiah says, “Blessed are the Persecuted” And we for the sake of Christ all things bear What is it to you that we are infidels? You do not enter our graves, as if with us buried Enough---your swords do not concern me, not evil nor disgrace Your threats do not trouble me, and we are not afraid And by God, I am unto death a Christian---Verily I cry for what passed by, of a sad life I was far from the Lord Jesus for many years Oh History record! and bear witness, Oh Witnesses! We are Christians, in the path of Christ we tread Take from me this word, and note it well You see, Jesus is my Lord, and He is the Best of protectors I advise you to pity yourself, to clap your hands in mourning See your look of ugly hatred Man is brother to man, Oh learned ones Where is the humanity, the love, and where are you? As to my last words, I pray to the Lord of the worlds, Jesus the Messiah, the Light of Clear Guidance, that He change notions, and set the scales of justice aright

Map Photos Black Camels

The Source of Significance

I've been thinking about how the source of one's identity and significance shape one's worldview.

Do we define ourselves by our work or perhaps by who we know or are related to ? 

Do we find meaning , purpose , or significance by these things? 

Let's explore a couple of Scripture passages that shed light on these things.

Colossians 3:1-4 You were raised from death with Christ. So live for what is in heaven, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God. Think only about what is up there, not what is here on earth. Your old self has died, and your new life is kept with Christ in God. Yes, Christ is now your life, and when he comes again, you will share in his glory. "

Notice this passage says that "Christ IS our life " - not that Christ GIVES us life ( which He does also)

So we have a new source of identity. Our good works cannot save us or be what we look to for meaning , purpose or significance . 

The following passage of Scripture shows us that it is what Christ has done for us gives us significance. 

We can never find significance in the works of our own hands , even the things we do in obedience to Christ's commands .

Ephesians 2:1-10 At one time you were dead because of your sins. You followed the sinful ways of the world and obeyed the leader of the power of darkness. He is the devil who is now working in the people who do not obey God. At one time all of us lived to please our old selves. We gave in to what our bodies and minds wanted. We were sinful from birth like all other people and would suffer from the anger of God. But God had so much loving-kindness. He loved us with such a great love. Even when we were dead because of our sins, He made us alive by what Christ did for us. You have been saved from the punishment of sin by His loving-favor. God raised us up from death when He raised up Christ Jesus. He has given us a place with Christ in the heavens. He did this to show us through all the time to come the great riches of His loving-favor. He has shown us His kindness through Christ Jesus. For by His loving-favor you have been saved from the punishment of sin through faith. It is not by anything you have done. It is a gift of God. It is not given to you because you worked for it. If you could work for it, you would be proud. We are His work. He has made us to belong to Christ Jesus so we can work for Him. He planned that we should do this. "

Comments or Questions? 

Man's Creation : God's Purpose

 

Can you imagine waking up for the first time as an adult man? 

The first thing you are aware of is an unseen Presence, the infinite Being we call God? 

Let's look at the creation of mankind in more detail .  First day by day we will unfold how creation came into being . 

Here are some questions after you read about day 6

1. What is the difference in the way the beasts are made and mankind?

2. What do we learn about God ? What did God say and do ? 

3. What does it mean to be made in the image of God ? 

4. What instructions did God give the man? 

5. Was the woman present at the time God explained the ways of the kingdom to the man ?

6. What can we learn about authority in the kingdom ? 

Now let's turn to the word of God regarding The Beginning 

Genesis 1:1-5 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. "

What do we notice here ? 

1. There is no explanation of where God came from! 

2. God is the creator . God is Not a created being, God is "other", self existent . Everything was created by God and for God's pleasure . By virtue of being the creator , God "owns " everything . 

3. God , the Spirit was present and involved in creation 

4. God , the Word , spoke something called "light" into existence .

5. God separated the light from the darkness . 

6. God saw the light was good. 

7. God gives names to both light and darkness . The one who names has authority or rule over what is named. 

8. Man was not present on day one. 

Day 2

Genesis 1:6-8 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. "

The Voice or Word of God continues to speak into existence that which did not exist . 

Day 3-5

Genesis 1:12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Day 3

Genesis 1:14-18 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. Day 4

Did you notice that light was created on day 1; but not until day 4 do the stars and sun ( a star) (the greater light) and moon (the lesser light)!appear. The moon of course can only reflect light; later we will draw some spiritual analogies and learn more about "light" and "darkness".

Genesis 1:21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Day 5

Day 6

Genesis 1:24-31 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image,in the image of God he created him;male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. " 

Let's look at a more detailed description of the creation of humans then identify what we can learn about God. 

Genesis 2:4-9, 15-25 These are the generationsof the heavens and the earth when they were created,in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground, and a mist was going up from the land and was watering the whole face of the ground— then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,“This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;she shall be called Woman,because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. "

So our questions at the beginning 

1. God formed the land animals and the birds from the ground. God formed the man from dust of the ground . Both animal and human formed from common dirt. Both had the breath of life. 

But there significant differences . God breathed directly into the nostrils ( nose ) of the man He had shaped from dust; and man - but not animals - was created in the image of God.

That shows intimacy and relationship ! 

We learn God is a relational God with man in a special way that is different from all of creation - living things on the earth ; angelic beings , or non living creation .

But what can it mean that man is made in the image of God? God is a spirit being  so it can't mean physical likeness. 

God could communicate in language with the man ( God gave the man two commands and gave the man authority to take care of the garden , to guard and tend the garden , to name the animals , and to name his wife) . 

A side note about the word translated as "God" or the words translated as "LORD God". 

We will talk about this more later as we think about how God can be relational in His nature, independent of His creation . God IS relational ; God did not BECOME relational when He created all things . Remember , God is self existent , not created , so all of His attributes are present. However, the demonstration of His nature, God for His own purposes , is seen in how God interacts with His creation .

So from a commentary :

b. God: This is the ancient Hebrew wordElohim. Grammatically it is a plural word used as if it were singular. The verbs and pronouns used with Elohim should be in the plural, but when Elohim refers to the LORD God the verbs and pronouns are in the singular.

i. Rabbi Simeon ben Joachi, commenting on the word Elohim: "Come and see the mystery of the word Elohim; there are three degrees, and each degree by itself alone, and yet notwithstanding they are all one, and joined together in one, and are not divided from each other." Clarke adds: "He must be strangely prejudiced indeed who cannot see that the doctrine of a Trinity, and of a Trinity in unity, is expressed in the above words."

More commentary from David Guzik

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

a. Let Us make man in Our image: The use of the plural (Let Us … in Our image, according to Ourlikeness) is consistent with the idea that there is One God in three Persons, what we know as the Trinity.

i. Leupold does a good job showing that the plurality of let Us make cannot be merely the plurality of royalty, nor can it be God speaking with and to the angels. It is an indicator of the Trinity, though not clearly spelled out.

b. In Our image: An understanding of who man is begins with knowing we are made in the image of God. Man is different from every other order of created being because He has a created consistency with God.

i. This means there is an unbridgeable gap between human life and animal life. Though we are biologically similar to certain animals, we are distinct in our moral, intellectual, and spiritual capabilities.

ii. This means there is also an unbridgeable gap between human life and angelic life. Nowhere are we told the angels are made in the image of God. Angels cannot have the same kind of relationship of love and fellowship with God we can have.

iii. This means the incarnation was truly possible. God (in the Second Person of the Trinity) could really become man, because although deity and humanity are not the same, they are compatible.

iv. This means human life has intrinsic value, quite apart from the "quality of life" experienced by any individual, because human life is made in the image of God.

c. In Our image: There are several specific things in man that show him to be made in the image of God.

- Man alone has a natural countenance looking upward

- Man alone has such a variety of facial expressions

- Man alone has a sense of shame expressing itself in a blush

- Man alone speaks

- Man alone possesses personality, morality,and spirituality

d. In Our image: There are at least three aspects to the idea that we are made in the image of God.

- It means humans possess personality: knowledge, feelings, and a will. This sets man apart from all animals and plants

- It means humans possess morality: we are able to make moral judgments and have a conscience

- It means humans possess spirituality: man is made for communion with God. It is on the level of spirit we communicate with God

e. In Our image: This does not mean that God has a physical or human body. God is a Spirit (John 4:24). Though God does not have a physical body, He designed man so man's physical body could do many of the things God does: see, hear, smell, touch, speak, think, plan, and so forth.

i. "It will hardly be safe to say that the body of man is patterned after God, because God, being an incorporeal spirit, cannot have what we term a material body. Yet the body of man must at least be regarded as the fittest receptacle for the man's spirit and so must bear at least an analogy that is so close that God and His angels choose to appear in human form when they appear to men." (Leupold)

f. In Our image, according to Our likeness: The terms for image and likeness are slightly different.Image has more to do with appearance, and likeness has more to do with an abstract similarity, but they both essentially mean the same thing here in this context.

Destination: the Kingdom of God

MY Last post we talked about the Book of Life. 

In order to understand whose name will be entered into this book, we must go back to the beginning of what we know about mankind .

Do you remember playing a game where there were clues hidden that if properly understood led to the next clue and finally to the prize or reward ? 

That's how we are going to learn about this Book of Life.

We will discover along the way there is a kingdom , unseen by human eyes, but real nonetheless . 

This kingdom is a very important clue as we seek our prize.

Let's begin with what we can know about God and mankind . Mankind means both men and women genders . 

As we look at creation around us, we are filled with a sense of awe and wonder. 

We might think something like this : 

("Your" means the LORD God)

Psalm 8:3-8 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. " 

Let's unpack the above and see what we learn about "kingdom" rule . Remember to have a kingdom we must have a king, subjects under the rule of the king , and a  place where the king rules . 

I will put my observations to the questions in parentheses. 

Who is the king? (God, the LORD)

What did God do ? ( created and set in place the moon and stars and the heavens where God put the stars and moon; created the earth and all the creatures that live in the seas, on land or fly in the air; created "heavenly beings" or angels ; created man - meaning male and female ; ) 

What do we learn about man and man's relationship to God and creation? 

(Have you ever been overwhelmed looking into the night skies on a clear , moonless night? If not , come visit me! The immensity of the universe makes me feel very small ! But look what we see about God , our creator ! 

God is mindful of us- of you! 

God cares for us- for you! 

God crowns us with glory and honor ( I don't know about you, but this amazes me)

What does it mean " put all things under his feet "? ( under the authority or rule - must obey ) 

God honors man by delegating authority to rule over all things on the earth ! Dominion to take care of what God made! 

Sum up these observations. 

God created everything . Only God is self existent . 

God delegated to man ( not to heavenly beings ) the stewardship of the earth 

God created man desiring intimate relationship with man ( God is always thinking of us and cares for us ) 

So God is the king . Man is the subject. The heavens and the earth are the kingdom . 

But I think we need a closer look at this subject of kingdom rule and why today things on the earth are such a mess . 

Join me for the next clue as we take another look at man's creation . 

Next post:

Man's creation and what went wrong 

Database entry

Imagine this scenario : 

You are invited to be a delegate representing your nation at a conference where persons from many nations will meet to discuss issues of great significance to mankind .

Of course you must make travel arrangements which include having a valid passport as well as a visa which permits you to legally enter the other nation . 

A business handling registration of delegates would see that you would be given information on how to get a visa .  

Now imagine this : 

You submitted all the proper documentation proving your identity and that indeed you were asked to be a delegate to the conference .

You received an email stating your documentation was in order , along with a verification code number.

You were asked to request via Internet the required visa. Your verification code number  &  proof of a valid passport would be all you need for the nation you wish to visit to issue the visa . You would be notified by email and furnished a paper visa. 

So after entering the required information you received a message online thanking you and saying "congratulations , you have successfully completed the visa request form and check your email in a few days for the paper visa ."

Sounds secure yes? A done deal.

Next imagine this:

The following day after being notified that your visa application was successfully completed, you get an email marked urgent from the nation you wish to visit stating  they have no record of you as a confirmed participant for the conference; therefore they can't issue you a visa. 

Shocked you sent an email to the business making the travel arrangements for the conference .

You received a return email and 

were told that the required information you had previously submitted so that you could get registered for the conference as a participating delegate "could not be found in the database." 

A new verification code would be issued that you would need to use to request a visa .

No explanation of how already you had used the registration code this same business had issued to you which you had already used and were given a message online stating your visa application was verified! 

Do you feel a bit confused about this? 

Allow me to share with you one trip you will make where there won't be any problems with a missing name in a database . No system in the sky such as iCloud will be monitoring your data. 

I'm talking about who after death will enter heaven. 

Where will you spend eternity ? 

THE BOOK of LIFE

The Bible talks about a book that records who will or will not be in heaven, 

Revelation 13:8 and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. 

Also

Revelation 20:15 And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. 

So how does one's name get written into this "book of life" so they will escape bring thrown into the lake of fire ? 

Does God look at our good deeds and weigh them against our bad deeds? 

The short answer is "NO", 

Jesus answered this question : 

John 14:5-6 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

Also 

When questioned by the religious authorities how or by what name Peter and John, two of the followers of Jesus , had healed a crippled man , this was the reply:

Acts 4:7-12, 14 And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition. "

But how can the name of Jesus or anyone else keep us from the lake of fire? 

How exactly DO we get our name written into the Lamb's Book of Life? 

How does God establish His database ? Do we need a visa and/or passport to get into the Kingdom of God? Aren't all religions ok as long as the person tries their best ? 

Next post we will see the answer. 

The answer is found in understanding and trusting in the message of the gospel of Jesus the Christ Who is the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world . 

And we will also find out if once someone's name is entered in the Book of Life , can their name be removed ? 

Can a person THINK their name IS in the Book, but at the judgment will hear the chilling words : 

Depart from Me, I never knew you . 

Revelation

God never removes something or someone from our lives ...

unless God intends to reveal to us more about Who God is or who we are . 

Jesus talked in John chapter 8 about Truth that sets us free. Verse 32 says :"You will know the truth and the truth will set you free." 

Jesus meant know the truth about sin.

But how can lack of knowledge about sin cause us to not be "free"? 

That's the whole problem . 

Sin today is whatever I (or you or anyone) defines as sin . 

Thus the remedy for sin is determined by how the individual wishes to get rid of or cover up sin --not by truth. 

Truth (if considered at all) is what the person believes to be true. The concept of "absolute" truth seems archaic at best and intolerant and repressive of individual "rights of conscience ." 

How about you? 

Are you free? 

Or living in self deception? 

Do you value "honor" above "truth"? (Would you remain locked into your wrong beliefs about God, sin and self if to change required you to suffer loss of something you

want more than freedom?)

Adam , the first man, acted on

a lie from Satan that Adam could determine for himself what is truth independently of God.

Loss of relationship to God was the result ; "death" , not greater "freedom" was the result. 

Next post: 

HOW can the "truth" set you free? 

WHAT or WHO is truth?