Soli Deo Gloria

“‘Not called!’ did you say? ‘Not heard the call,’ I think you should say. Put your ear down to the Bible, and hear Him bid you go and pull sinners out of the fire of sin. Put your ear down to the burdened, agonized heart of humanity, and listen to its pitiful wail for help. Go stand by the gates of hell, and hear the damned entreat you to go to their father’s house and bid their brothers and sisters and servants and masters not to come there. Then look Christ in the face — whose mercy you have professed to obey — and tell Him whether you will join heart and soul and body and circumstances in the march to publish His mercy to the world.”

- William Booth, Founder of the Salvation Army

As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. “You know the commandments, ‘ DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, Do not defraud, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.’”And he said to Him, “Teacher, I have kept all these things from my youth up.” Looking at him, Jesus felt a love for him and said to him, “One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property. And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “ How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! “ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” They were even more astonished and said to Him, “ Then who can be saved?” Looking at them, Jesus said, “ With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” Mark 10:17-29

We now come to a staggering scene in Scripture that teaches many great theological and evangelical truths. As Christ is on His way a man runs up to Him. We learn from other gospel accounts that this man is rich, young and a ruler. That being said, it’s striking to see such a man run. It was thought improper for a man of nobility to run in Biblical times so this no doubt shows this young mans great interest in Christ and probably a true and genuine desire to be with Him. Like many in the world today there may be many who have a genuine desire to be with Christ and even to have eternal life as this young man did. However, they want it on their terms and not Christ’s. This is the great lesson we learn from this passage and one that is so important for us to glean from today since there are so many in the world who are coming to Christ on their terms and not His. Christ makes it clear that we can come to Him only on His terms – any other way is to climb over the wall! (John 10:1)

As this rich young ruler asks the very important question on what it takes to have eternal life Christ then answers his question with a more important question. The man needs to understand two important truths. First, only God is truly good. There is none good in this world and we all fall short of His perfect glory. (Romans 3:23) In addition, Christ is also teaching this young man that he needs to understand that he is speaking with God in the flesh. If only God is good and this young ruler is addressing Christ as good he must understand that Christ is God. Only Christ is perfectly good and meets the holy requirements as the God-man to enter heaven and stand before God on our behalf. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Knowing this young man’s heart that he is trusting in himself Christ takes him through some of the commandments in the second table of the Law. These are the commandments that deal with our relationship with others and of course our relationship with others is only possible if the first table of the Law is first upheld.

The young man responds to Christ that he has kept all the commandments of the second table since he was a child. While it may be possible that he has kept them in a sense externally (although highly unlikely) the point Christ drives home is the heart condition of this man. Here we see the great love of Christ in this young man by revealing to him his true problem – idolatry.

Christ told him that he would need to sell everything he has and give it to the poor. This statement drove home the condition of his heart since it’s evident that upon this request of Christ the young man walks away sad since he owned much. His god was money and possessions. While he may have (in his own mind) kept the commandments of the second table of the Law he has in fact broken the first and highest commandment of the Law and therefore failed at all of them.

It’s important to note too that the religious leaders of the day taught that those who were rich were more blessed of God and had a greater chance of entering heaven. So the next thing Christ says to His disciples and the crowds was staggering. Looking around He says to His disciples that it is just about as possible for a camel to go through the eye of a needle as it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

This rich young ruler was trusting in himself and his works to make it into heaven and he also wanted to enter it on his own terms. When Christ demanded the relinquishing of all that he had his response was a firm no. Christ is not teaching that we must work our way to heaven by giving up all that we own. (He may very well ask us to do that and we must be willing to do so since He alone is Lord.) What we learn from this amazing account is how easy it is for idolatry to setup in the hearts of people. This young ruler thought himself to be doing quite well but he lacked the proper understanding of who Christ is, that God is perfect and requires absolute perfection and that God is a jealous God and will not allow any other gods anywhere in our lives. Sadly, we do not see the young ruler asking Christ the question the disciples ask. Instead this man walks away from Christ loving his riches and wealth more than the very One he claimed he obeyed and sought to spend eternity with!

However, there is a wonderful ending to this passage. The disciples, like we should be, are dumbfounded by this teaching and have come to the conclusion that it would be impossible to be saved! All along they believed (and were taught) that following the Law and being blessed with riches was their ticket to eternal life and here Jesus turns that entire belief upside down. Christ then reminds them and us that it truly is impossible for us to work or merit our way to heaven. But what is impossible with man is possible with God and miraculously it is made possible through the very One speaking to them!

You see, if we could obey the Law and work our way to heaven then Christ died needlessly. The cross of Jesus Christ demonstrates not only the love of God but also His perfect justice and holy requirements. On that cross Jesus bore the wrath that we deserve from God. Not only that, we have failed in keeping God’s holy Law perfectly – a requirement to stand before Him. Christ fulfilled the Law, not only prophetically but also by following it perfectly the thirty-three years He walked on this earth. So through faith and repentance in Christ we are forgiven of our sins and we are also given the perfect righteousness of Christ so that when God looks on us He sees not our sin but His Son! What glorious truth.

Sadly, like the rich young ruler, many today believe that they can work their way to heaven or do enough good things to please God. This is a lie of Satan. Let us recall the words of Christ to that young ruler that there is none good but God. That should wake us all up that only God is good and there is none who are good enough to stand before Him. All those outside of Jesus Christ will one day stand before God but only to receive the punishment, judgment and wrath that they truly deserve. Let this not be you. Repent from trusting in your own works and thinking you are good enough and instead of walking away from Christ like that young ruler run to Him and embrace Him in faith knowing that all who come to Him He will in no wise cast out. (John 6:37)

The true believer’s desire to obey the Law is not to merit anything before God but to seek to obey Him (albeit imperfectly) out of sheer gratitude for all that Christ has done.

Oh may we rejoice in the glorious truth that while we are dead in our sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1) and absolutely unable to come to God that He has come to us in His Son and provided the only way to eternal life and forgiveness. Christ Jesus is not a way, but the way, the truth and the life and no man can come to the Father but through Him! (John 14:6) Is this not the wonderful truth that Christ taught this young ruler and us? Don’t be like the young ruler! Relinquish all that you are and all that you have to all that He is and all that He demands – for He is worthy!

Soli Deo Gloria!

This is one of many stories from Gospel for Asia that just breaks my heart. Our prayer should be for these bold missionaries as they preach Christ and lift high the cross often at the expense of their lives and their families lives. May we pray that they remain bold and persevere amidst persecution and may Christ’s love and grace be felt among them. May we in America also allow this to show us just how blessed we are to be able to freely share Christ and how spoiled we are in that very few of us are bold at all in our witness.

Ajit Bansi, a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary, dreamed of the day he could dedicate a church building for his growing congregation. But just days before it was to take place, his dream was crushed. An extremist anti-Christian group cruelly ended his life May 20.

Pastor Ajit served the Lord in Assam, India, knowing the very real possibility of incredible personal danger. Risking everything to share the hope of Christ, he led many people to the Lord and served as pastor of a church with about 60 believers.

Pastor Ajit saw his dream of a church building unfolding before him as God provided for the land and construction. He went to a nearby town to purchase the final building supplies for the church, but he never came home.

During his journey, a violent anti-Christian group ambushed Pastor Ajit and three other travelers. Leaving no option for escape, the extremists brutally shot and killed all four of their hostages, dumping the bodies on the roadside.

Source: Gospel for Asia

I hear it all the time. People who profess Christ will tell me that they do not need to go to church. That the church is full of hypocrites and that they would rather worship from home and not go to church. You see, their lives may be too busy on a Sunday morning to attend church and forsake the fellowshipping of believers. There is a problem with this statement though and it is one that demonstrates a sickness within evangelicalism today.

Churches today are doing everything they can to get people in the door. I just recently read about a church in California that is giving away cars, x-boxes and even jewelry to people who would enter their doors on Easter Sunday. Or maybe the church down your street holds entertaining concerts on Sunday morning in lieu of worship in order to attract the world. The problem with all of this is that I believe we are overlooking the real problem. You see, a true believer will not need to be convinced or enticed to come to church. They will want to since they are new creations – indwelt with the Holy Spirit who gives us new longings and affections. One of those affections will be a love for the brethren and a God-given desire to be around them – especially in corporate worship. We’re also missing the important truth that when a soul truly is regenerated they will also have a desire to obey their Lord, and of course that would include having a desire to go out into the world as lights and share the gospel with the world.

Let us not forget that the world’s biggest problem is not cancer, poverty, politics, health care or a recession. The world’s biggest problem is God. God is rightfully angry at every single human being because we have all broken His law and sinned grievously and willfully against the Creator. Would not one who has been showered with the riches of Christ’s grace which He lavished on us not have a burning desire to share that glorious good news with the world? Why is it that most leaders in the church today find it necessary to lure the world in when they should instead be spending their time preaching the Scriptures to the regenerate flock within the church calling them to holiness and equipping the saints to go therefore and make disciples. Christians will then be out in the world heralding the gospel making disciples and these converts will then have a desire to look for a church – for if they are truly regenerated they will now have a new disposition craving the corporate worship of Jesus Christ and a desire to be around their eternal brothers and sisters adopted into the kingdom through Christ Jesus. And if an unbeliever does come into our churches should they not see and experience something so unlike the world that it should cause them to pause and wonder who this Jesus is that these people are so in love with and how much they are unlike the world? Sadly, this is rarely the case in the typical church today.

I am saddened by what I hear week after week when I am out on the streets witnessing to folks alongside my brothers and sisters in our evangelism team. Professing believers tell me time and time that they believe they are saved because of a prayer they repeated or because they have been baptized and all-the-while they have absolutely no love for the Church – no love or desire to be in the company of believers. (Much less a love for Christ.) Scripture is strikingly clear – if there is no love for the brethren the love of God is not in you. (1 John 3:14) This is simply saying that if you have no love for other believers, you cannot be a believer yourself.

Allow this quote from Jonathan Edwards on True Christianity to speak to this better than I ever could:

“A common argument of many nominal Christians is that they love Jesus but don’t care for the church. The teaching of 1 John exposes the flaws of this argument, revealing it to be an unbiblical dichotomy. All who are saved by God possess the Spirit, which links them to all other people who possess the Spirit. The local church, of course, is not perfect, and some have had difficult experiences with churches they have attended. But when God saves a person, He gives them a love for His people. His people are the church.”

We need to return to the truths of God’s Word and return to the preaching and teaching of the full counsel of Scripture. Have we completely forgotten that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation and not the latest gimmick, concert or pragmatic approach to increasing church membership. I will borrow a great truth from Dr. Mark Dever and state that the biggest problem with the church today is lack of regenerate membership. May the Lord forgive our foolish ways and may we repent and turn back to heralding the full counsel of God’s mighty Word as we lift high the cross of Christ and determine to know nothing but Christ Jesus and Him crucified! (2 Corinthians 2:2)

Soli Deo Gloria!

“The nature of Christ’s salvation is woefully misrepresented by the present-day “evangelist.” He announces a Saviour from hell rather than a Saviour from sin. And that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes who wish to escape the Lake of fire who have no desire to be delivered from their carnality and worldliness.”

A. W. Pink (1886-1952)

Gospel for Asia is a wonderful missionary organization that reaches many of the areas of Asia that desperately need to hear the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We in America just have no clue as to the persecution and distress Christians are under in many regions of the world. While we enjoy plush pews in mega churches and can freely carry our Bibles out in public our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ are tortured, killed and harassed for even mentioning Christ’s name. They need our prayers. Not to be taken out of the situation but to endure and persevere through God’s grace and His power – for that is how the Church of Jesus Christ grows.

I encourage you to consider giving to Gospel for Asia. They are undoubtably the most gospel centered missionary organization I have ever encountered and their president’s passion for Christ is amazing. (Listen to a moving sermon by K.P. Yohannan, GFA’s president.)

The following article is from GFA’s web site and really gives us a brief insight into the condition in India. Please pray for this family and this pastor as they seek to bring glory and praise to the Lamb who was worthy to be slain!

The Choudhury family in Assam, India, is paying a heavy price to follow their new life in Christ. They have been forced to flee their home by the harassment and threats from other villagers, including their own relatives.

Lalit, Anjali and their three children chose to follow Jesus after hearing about His love from GFA-supported Pastor Samir Datta. When the couple recently made a bold proclamation of their new faith in the community, their relatives and others in the village reacted strongly. In fact, they launched an intense campaign of harassment to try and force the family to come back to the area’s traditional religion.

Because of the pressure, Lalit and Anjali realized they couldn’t stay in their own house. They took refuge in Pastor Samir’s home, but now some in the village are threatening him, saying they will beat him for “converting” the Choudhury family and giving them shelter.

In the area where the Choudhury’s and Samir live, there is the added tension of tribal-related conflict. Their state has witnessed much bloodshed and strife over the past several decades as political and ethnic groups—particularly differing tribes—have warred against each other. The situation has been quite volatile at times, and some have feared that the conflict could explode like it did in the early 1980s when more than 3,000 lives were lost.

In this environment, Christians live with both the tension of tribal conflict and the risk of persecution for their faith.

GFA leaders ask for prayer for the Lord’s divine protection for the Choudhury family and Pastor Samir as they suffer under threats and pressure from the local community. They also request prayer that those opposing the family for their faith will have their hearts changed toward the Gospel.

From Gospel for Asia

After four and a half years of vigilantly fighting breast cancer, Rachel Barkey, the 37 year old wife and mother of two was diagnosed with terminal cancer. But for Rachel the essence of life is found in her relationship with God through Jesus. And that’s why Rachel is convinced that death is not dying.

I encourage everyone to watch this video. Watch it together with your family and children. This is the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the result of a changed, God glorifying life that is transformed and made into the image of Christ through the power of the glorious Gospel of God.

Watch the video on her web site.