death is gain

Does my life demonstrate that I am ready and willing to die for the sake of Jesus?

A true Christian must be willing to say, "I will not renounce Christ, even if it costs my life." But as soon as we say that, it makes a whole lot of things in our lives look ridiculous. I will die for you, but I can't find time to sit and read your teaching each day. I will die for you, but prayer doesn't seem real. I will die for you, but I can't talk to Jim about you at work. I will die for you, but I can't support your cause with more than 10% of my income. One of the best ways to bring wonderful Christ-honoring changes into your life is to measure your way of life by your willingness to die for Jesus.

John Piper

May I not be ashamed of the gospel! May I not forget the gospel! May Jesus be everything! May I not only be able to say, "I will not renounce Christ, even if it costs my life," but also "To live is Christ; to die is gain!"

Amen.

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i must die

As I was reading part of a book titled, "The Gospel Primer" tonight, there were a few things I read that were so rich that I couldn't not share them.

"The gospel is not simply the story of 'Christ, and Him crucified'; it is also the story of my own crucifixion...Truly, Christ's death and my death are so intertwined as to be inseparable."

"Crucifixion hurts. In fact, its heart-wrenching brutality can numb the senses. It is a gasping and bloody affair, and there is nothing nice, pretty, or easy about it. It is not merely death, but excruciating death. Nevertheless, I must set my face like a flint toward the cross and embrace this crucifixion in everything I do...I must seize upon every God-given opportunity to be conformed more fully to Christ's death, no matter the pain involved."

"When my flesh yearns for some prohibited thing, I must die. When called to do something I don't want to do, I must die. When I wish to be selfish and serve no one, I must die. When shattered by hardships that I despise, I must die. When wanting to cling to wrongs done against me, I must die. When enticed by allurements of the world, I must die. When wishing to to keep besetting sins secret, I must die. When wants that are borderline needs are left unmet, I must die. When dreams that are good seem shoved aside, I must die."

It's so easy and comfortable to live with no dying. It's so typical and American to refuse to willingly suffer and deny self. It's so unchristian and Christ-belittling to imagine that we can look to the Lamb who bore the cross and not take up our own.

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me..." Galatians 2:20

Just as we have been crucified with Christ, and we are to die to ourselves, we have come alive with Christ, and are to live to and through Him! The good news of the gospel is not only that Christ died, but that He also rose again!

Oh that I may learn to "take up my cross" and die to myself, that I may live to Christ!

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an invitation

"If we are faithless, He remains faithful." :: 2 Timothy 2:13

O me of little faith! :: Me

I must preach the gospel to myself daily. That I may ever be mindful of Christ, trusting His promises, walking in His footsteps, and fixing my eyes on Him.

You must preach the gospel to me daily. That I may always rest in its sufficiency and act in its power; that, in preaching to me, you are reminded of the character and work of God in the gospel.

This is a public invitation. Please send me a message anytime you think about it, reminding me that Jesus has atoned for my sin, justified me, and is forever my Great High Priest and King; reminding me that the Father is faithful, sovereign, holy, and gracious; reminding me that the Spirit is active, leading, teaching, sanctifying, and present within me.

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the best short story

I've been reading through Mark Dever's book, The Gospel and Personal Evangelism, and just read something that I found helpful in communicating God's story.

In our church in Washington (D.C.) I always ask our prospective members to tell me the gospel in one minute or less. How would you do that? What would you say the message is? Here's what I understand the good news to be:

The good news is that the one and only God, who is holy, made us in His image to know Him. But we sinned and cut ourselves off from Him. In His great love, God became a man in Jesus, lived a perfect life, and died on the cross, thus fulfilling the law Himself and taking on Himself the punishment for the sins of all those who would ever turn and trust Him. He rose again from the dead, showing that God accepted Christ's sacrifice and that God's wrath against us had been exhausted. He now calls us to repent of our sins and to trust in Christ alone for our forgiveness. If we repent of our sins and trust in Christ, we are born again into a new life, an eternal life with God.

That story is 138 words long.

A few observations:

1. Time is of the essence. Attention spans are short. People are not by nature "listeners." You do not often have all-day to sit down with a friend and talk about the gospel in detail. This is, of course merely a tool to help, it is not a rule; it is not a law; it is not the right way to share the gospel. But I think it will help.

2. Evangelize in bullet points. As I read the story quoted above, I felt like I was reading bullet list, and that a lot of meat was missing. Funny--but that was the case! With a bullet point list, it does leave the door open for question--for further conversation. I have something else to talk about if a question is asked--something meaningful. This will help in your discourse with a non-believer.

3. Write it out. Writing something will really put your thoughts and word choice under a microscope. You will notice things as you write, that otherwise would fly under the radar. It will help your conciseness and your clarity.

Just a thought...

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