Defined by Christ, Not Sin

Have you ever heard someone say they are an drug-user, an alcoholic, gossiper, liar, abuser, porn-viewer, cheater, adulterer, or the like? Have you heard Christians define themselves in these terms?

What does it mean to have a besetting sin, a secret sin, or any sin at all that reaches its arms and continually tries to grab at us once again? What it means is that we are human, so take a little sigh of relief - but not for to long, because staying complacent, staying in the same place not only does not help us grow in Christ but also only helps to facilitate and fuel the attacks of the evil one, of this world, and even of our flesh.

So, who helps us with these problems? Romans 7:14-27, says that we face two selves, the one who wishes to follow God and the one who doesn't, these two are continually in a battle. Romans 6 speaks of us only being able to serve one master, either God or "not-God." These are our only two choices. With God, if you haven not noticed, there is no in between, in serving God there is no grey areas of life, for we are either serving God for his glory or serving for self, which leads to "vain glory".

Ok ok, so there is this battle waging within us, around us, inside and outside the church between good and evil, flesh and spirit, between being tempted and falling into temptation, between sinning and not sinning. What are we to do? Are we to give up? No. Are we to give in "so that grace may increase"(Romans 6:1). Of course not. Yet, we are also called to be holy, righteous, and set-apart.

What is a Christian to do?

The answer is that there is nothing that we can do in and of ourselves. We cannot rid ourself of theses sins on our own, nor can we ever be completely rid of them in our life. Yet, there is hope! It is the same hope that brought those who believe from death to life, from a trip to hell and now up towards the clouds of heaven - it is Jesus Christ. Yes, in Jesus we find hope to survive just a little longer until this life is past or we meet him in the sky after his return.

So, the answer is Jesus.. great thats a lot of help, right? I'm sure you already knew the bible or sunday school answer; however, did you ever consider the way that you define yourself. Many times when we have problems and difficulties we sort of take them on, we almost develop an identity with a certain problem, sin or with sin itself; we feel that we are chained to this sin, that it will ever be with us and we shall never be free of it. Oh, but Christ has released us from those chains. It is really only an illusion that you are chained, one created by satan to hold you down. While you, while I too, am so concerned with being chained, with not being good enough there is work out there that needs to be done, people who need to hear the name of God. Yet, we are so preoccupied with our own sin, with our own life and self that we are too blind to see it.

We must begin to see something new. We must begin to see that we do not define ourself anymore by the way this world may define us, or even how we would define ourselves - No, we are now bought with a price, we are not our own. We are now defined by Christ. We have power and strength in and through Jesus Christ, though the Holy Spirit that we so rarely know, think about, or tap into. When we define self by Jesus we are now shifting our focus from a mind stuck on sin and evil, now to a mind stuck on Christ and his goodness and glory. With our mind now on Christ we will slowly begin to find ourself not desiring to sin, not to follow the evil of this world and of self - no, we now will be immersed into the hope and goodness of Christ.

Will this be easy? of course not, anything worth having is never truly easy - but it is always worth striving for, persevering for, committing too, being accountable too... and that is what Christianity is all about. It is not just that first spark, that first moment of salvation but the ongoing process of sanctification, of pursuing holiness, that journey that takes us from being a naive child of God into being a man or women after God's own heart. Many times we are going to have to force ourself to read our bible, to pray, to go to church, and to stay morally right and pure before God in our decisions, remembering that we are witnesses of the most high God, who knows the intensions of our hearts. In the beginning training is hard, it requires much discipline and work - but later we will see the fruits of this in our life, in our relationships, and in our relationship with God the Father, Christ our Savior, and the Working of the Holy Spirit.

"To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2nd Corinthians 12:7-10

For the Glory of God,
Your brother in Christ,
Daniel

Grenz & Conversion

"Conversion occurs as an individual responds to the gospel. in repentance we see ourselves as sinners: as alienated from God, justly condemned, and enslaved by sin. We acknowledge that our life's direction is misguided, we feel remorse for this condition, and we desire to follow a new direction. but we know that we are ultimately helpless. We are unable to begin anew and powerless to remedy our situation. Faith works hand in hand with repentance. We become aware of the good news of God's action in Christ: Jesus, God's Son, died for human sin and rose again by God's power. We acknowledge this gospel message as true, not only in some general sense but also as applicable to our situation. Finally, we appropriate the work of God in Christ, trusting Jesus alone for salvation and confessing him as Lord. As the working together of repentance and faith, conversion marks a great turning point. it is our personal break with the old life and our entrance into the new. Above all, conversion consists in a turning to God. In this great transaction God draws our face toward the one who in Christ has loved us and made salvation available. Through repentance and faith we dedicate ourselves to a new Master, the Lord Jesus Christ. Linked to this turn toward God is a turning to others. in repentance and faith we leave behind the old self-centered way of living and dedicate ourselves to follow the example of Jesus, the man for others. We seek the good of all persons, knowing that acts which minister to people in their need are acts of service to Christ (Matthew 25:40)." (Stanley J. Grenz "Theology for the Community of God." 409, 410)

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Are we truly changed after salvation?
Are we perfect?
Why are so many of us not changed and transformed like we should be?

I pray this week that we all take time to pray to God to teach us about himself and ways we fail him, ways we can change and tranform our self. In the end, we are responsible most for our own personal relationship with God and our own responses to others. Also, lets all take time to read Gods word, to "Search the scriptures" intently, not merely glancing and skimming but truly soaking in and absorbing God's word and looking for application and relation into our life.

What will I change?
What will you change?
What will our church change?
What will the American Church Change?
The Church as a whole change?

Will we minister?
How will we minister?
How can we allow God to use us?
Will we allow God to use us?

Your Brother in Christ,
~ Daniel Brockhan

Why Are We Sad?

In looking at the lesson this week about Paul and his Joy serving Christ
in the midst of jail and persecution I am struck by the question:

Why was Paul so joyful?

and then:

Why are we so sad?
Why is humanity so sad?
Why are Christians sad?
Why am I sad?

Well, I'm not always sad i guess - but i don't often feel happy and joyful, unless I am in the midst of all my friends. But Paul wasn't in contact with his friends all the time and he was being beaten and starved for his faith. Here I am nearly 2,000 years later and i have all this "stuff," all these "things" - but do these really make me happy, do these make me joyful?

There is something very vital about having relationships with people, about connecting with others. People who do not connect with people, those who have no one to open up too not only usually are depressed and lonely but also mostly they have no accountability in their faith, no friends, no mentors, maybe no mentees. I guess sometimes i feel like i am in the middle, somewhere between happy and depressed, some kind of calm middle - stoic ground. I am not really an emotional person, but i will show my different moods and emotions when i feel i want or need too - other than that I am just kinda there, just kinda going along and doing whatever it is I'm doing.

but there has to be something different between being stoic and having this joy that Paul had, and that i believe Jesus had as well. I think it is because Paul and Jesus opened themselves up fully to those around them. They both shed everything that no longer matted, they were no longer attached to certain things and objects but knew that the person and their relationship with God, with the church, and with others were the only vital things in life.

Why was Paul full of Joy?
Why does humanity not have this joy?
Why are Christians not joyful?
Why am I not joyful?

These are all good questions... I think a lot of it has to do with sometimes envying others, maybe sometimes feeling like an outcast because i am big or because i am single or because i just got my drivers license or because i have never had a girlfriend or because part of me wants to follow God in whatever he desires, yet i desire at the same time to follow myself and what i want.

Where is Joy????

We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23 but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! - Romans 7:14-25a

- Daniel