Wednesday's Word

God isn't into making people moral; He is into making people worshippers of Him.

John 4:23

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

Wednesday's Word

Bittersweet [bit·ter·sweet]: Both pleasant and painful

A real tearjerker today, as well as a pleasant surprise! I had a full day over at ASU - meeting with advisors, meeting with a professor, study sessions, and chats with friends. In between one of the meetings I had some time so I went to the Memorial Union to get a bagel. Sitting all alone I looked up from my bagel to notice that there was not a single person in the MU. Outrageous...not quite; it is the end of the semester. As I about teared up a smile of joy permeated my face...the semester is over! Only 3 more semesters to go!

Wednesday's Word

For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, "My counsel shall stand,
and I will accomplish all my purpose."
- Isaiah 46:9-10

The Joy of Laughter

Hope you find these questions as humorous as I did!

"Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it."

-Bill Cosby

Why doesn't glue stick to the bottle?

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are getting weak?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

If people evolved from apes, why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, "It's all right?" Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, "That hurt, you stupid idiot?"

Sunday's Saying

No, this is not a new weekly post to replace Wednesday's Word, but just something I heard tonight at church that I wanted to share.

"I am nothing, BUT this nothing gets to show off the greatest being in the universe."

- Pastor Chris Mueller

Give Thanks!

With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, I thought it would be appropriate to do a Thanksgiving blog. What is Thanksgiving? Is Thanksgiving the only time of year we stop and count our blessings? Is Thanksgiving just one of those holidays that you are stuck around family and the only enjoyable thing to do is stuff your face? I surely hope Thanksgiving is NOT just a day or a time!

Thanksgiving is an ATTITUDE or EXPRESSION!! Webster defines thanksgiving as the act of giving thanks; an expression of thanks, especially to God; grateful acknowledgement of benefits. Thanksgiving is more than a day, it is an attitude, it is a way of living!

1 Thessalonians 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Salvation-------Grace
Holy Spirit------Reconciliation
Faith-----------Adoption
Justification----Sanctification
Eternal Life-----Heaven
Cross-----------Blood
-JESUS-
Truth------------Beauty
Bible-------------Love
Joy--------------Peace
Trials------------Tears

Things I am Thankful For:
Grace = unmerited favor. There is nothing I can do, could do, or did do for God to save me. He covered me in Jesus’ righteousness and cast the full weight of my sin on His son, Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, I live!

Some other great things that I am thankful for:

Family; Brother’s and Sisters in Christ; Friends; Job - $; Shelter; Food; Clothing; Health; Cultures; A Christian Boss; Mountains; Clouds; Ocean; Rain; Arizona Sunsets; Stars; Snow;
Music; Dance; Soft Bed; Comedy; Movies; Clean Water; Encouragement; Seven:Ten; ASU; East Valley Bible Church; Technology; LifeGroup; Football; Starbucks Coffee; Creativity; Seven:Ten; Godly Male examples; Professors; Women.

Sanctification - A simple man's ramblings

This week my life group leader presented this question:
Describe sanctification.

My response may seem sarcastic, but it is not meant to be and it is truly what I have been experiencing lately.

Brian's response - "Sanctification: it hurts like hell, but you end up with heaven."

Thinking about this comment, I think I would now re-phrase it as,
"Sanctification: hurts like hell during this life (God continually pruning you and continually transforming you into the image of His son), and the process finds its completion in heaven. (glorification)

Tell me your thoughts!

Wednesday's Word

Persevere

Webster's Definition: to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement.

Ahh, Romans 5!
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

How I would love to continue on in this chapter because it is so rich with gospel truths!

Yesterday I was encouraged to persevere through school (only 3 semesters left!) If you are currently in school and feeling down, stick with it! The payoff is worth it, just ask any adult who either did not finish school or never started. I was also reminded that there is a prize to those who finish...a diploma. I know, I know - a diploma doesn't sound all that great right now, but think about the opportunities having a diploma opens up for you! Work hard today and you will be rewarded later!

Happy Reformation Day!

Today marks the 489th anniversary of the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the church at Wittenburg. In so doing he struck a match, beginning a fire that quickly spread throughout Europe and throughout the world. Having become increasingly disillusioned with the doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church, and in particular the sale of indulgences, Luther wrote his Theses to try to begin the process of reform. While he was unable to bring reform to the entire church, he did trigger the Protestant Reformation by rediscovering the Gospel - the good news of salvation by grace through faith.

From the Protestant Reformation we get five Solas:

Sola Gratia (Grace Alone)

Sola Fide (Faith Alone)

Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone)

Solo Christo (Christ Alone)

Soli Deo Gloria (Glory to God alone)

I would encourage anyone who doesn't know much about the Protestant Reformation, Luther, or his 95 Theses to research them. You'll come away with a better understanding of church history and much more.

Soli Deo Gloria!

My Debt - Paid In FULL

The other day someone in one of my classes asked me why I became a Christian. Thoughts quickly raced through my head. My response was: Before I became a Christian I was a self-righteous puke who thought by living a certain way I would be accepted by God. I repeatedly failed to meet that standard – my own standard. Oh, how much more did I fail to meet God’s standard – Holiness/Righteousness. I was reminded that Jesus Christ paid the full penalty for the sins of those who would believe in Him. I gave my life over to Christ because I saw what my life was like when I had control; it was a mess. I realized the things that I thought were “messed up” or “marred” are actually sin against a holy God. Pride, Deceit, Lust, Un-forgiveness, Self-Righteousness, Disobedience; all of these sins stemmed from me dethroning God of his proper place as ruler and King and exalting myself to that place. I asked God to forgive me for living so long with Brian being king and to change my heart to one that desires to long after Him. I then explained that God exposed me as a sinner and the only one who could measure up to God's standard is his son, Jesus. Through Christ’s death – my sin was poured out on Jesus and his life and righteousness covered me. So now when God looks at me, he sees Christ’s righteousness.

Because of what Christ did on the cross and God’s love, I read the bible to get to know the God that called me into adoption as His son, I pray to grow closer to Him and ask that He will continue to expose sin in my life, I have fellowship with His people (the Church), and tell people about His saving grace. I am accepted by Him, therefore I work towards seeing Him glorified. I still sin and I hate it more than ever. And yes, I daily need a savior more than you can imagine. All praise be to Jesus Christ.

Galatians 2:20 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.

Wednesday's Word

And Jesus answered them, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
Luke 5:31-32

Wednesday's Word

That's not fair!

Since the time I have become a Christian I have grown to hate the above sentence, especially when people use it in a conversation about God's sovereignty. I am also learning that fair in the world of economics is also absurd. Recently I have been reading a book by Paul Thorson titled, "Painting In The Dark". It's a short 160 some pages and filled with real life and real truth. The excerpt below is Paul's analogy to a girl in one of his classes who asked, "How is it fair for God to randomly pick and choose some and let others just fly right by and into hell."

Here is his reply/analogy that can be found on pages 68-69:

"So, all of humankind is gathered on a cliff. But standing there, we suddenly feel someone else is present. Like the feeling we have when walking at night and we sense that there is someone closing in behind us. A foreboding type of feeling. Our heart is pounding, our pulse racing, we don't know who or what is there and we are afraid to look over our shoulder and see. As we turn around to see who it is we let out a collective scream. 'Aiii! Quick, jump! It's a holy God!' We don't fall; we jump off the cliff together, to escape God.

"You see, I don't want to go to hell, but in that moment, staring into those holy eyes, I'd rather be anywhere else. Heaven only feels like heaven to those who are at peace with the King of heaven. In Romans 5, we read that those who are justified by faith have peace with God.

"But this is unthinkable for enemies of God. And Paul calls those who don't know Jesus 'enemies' just a few verses later in this same chapter in Romans (v.9). At the time God found us, we were not longing for peace with God; we wanted victory over God, or at least protection from the wrath of God. We weren't looking for Him; we were hiding from Him."

"This is where your analogy becomes so interesting", I said. All of humankind has jumped off the cliff and we are falling into hell. And yes, God reached His hand down to catch some people. Suddenly the hand catches a woman falling near me. I instinctively curl up, hoping He won't notice me. And as the woman vanishes, I turn to a guy near me and wipe my forehead, 'Whew, that was close. For a second there I thought He was after me!' He nods his head in agreement, never taking his eyes off that spot where the woman had been moments before.

"Once again the hand appears; the man I was talking to is gone. Oh, no! Again, I feel real terror. 'The poor guy...' No sooner do the words escape my lips than the hand appears again. But this time I feel a sudden change come over me and I realize two things at once: The hand is coming for me; there is no escape. And, My heart is willing; now I want Him to catch me. And he does! And it is wonderful, not terrifying, and it is perfect, not terrible."

Our arguments for "fairness" presuppose that we are wiser than God. We think that we deserve a chance to know God. But even the idea that we first wanted to know Him is a deception. And when we realize this, we realize the foolishness of believing we have a reputation worth protecting in the first place.

We have missed the point in our arguments about whether it is fair of God to choose some people for Himself but not choose others. We assume that everyone wants to be chosen and those who are not feel somehow cheated.

Wednesday's Word

I have been meditating on the following question for some time and will be answering it in an upcoming blog, but for now I need more time to develop my thoughts and not give the superficial or typical "churchy" remarks. Here it is:

What is the TRUEST thing about you?

JESUS PAID IT ALL

I want to start by saying sorry to anyone I have come into contact with in the past couple of days for my attitude. There has been a lot going on lately and I have more to think about lately than I would care to think about. I have been stressing over many things and instead of praying I have been worrying.

I'll admit that it is hard to trust God. I try to recite scripture to myself thinking that it will help. There is a disconnect between my knowledge of the sovereign God and my complete trust in Him. By placing trust in my own hands I am taking away something that is reserved for my Creator. No wonder I feel this unstable, nervous, and scared.

Today my heart was pierced by scripture:

He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us
all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
-Romans 8:32

God broke through my self-sufficient thought pattern to show me that He is trustworthy and in control. I surrendered my thoughts, my worries, and my control to the Lord. This morning I sang "Jesus Paid It All" as the traditional hymn and ended the day by worshipping God singing the same song in the modern rendition. Praise Him for paying our debt, raising our lives up from the dead, and being our righteousness!

I hear the savior say,
"Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in me thine all in all."

Jesus paid it all
All to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

Jesus paid it all
All to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
"Jesus died my soul to save"
my lips shall still repeat

Jesus paid it all
All to him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead
O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead

O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead
O Praise the one who paid my debt
And raised this life up from the dead

JESUS

Passive vs. Active Righteousness

Over the past week I have been studying Martin Luther's Introduction to his commentary on Galatians. I've enjoyed reading Luther's commentary and feel many convictions that I'll share with you here. Please take time to read and comment as I would like to hear what you think!

ACTIVE VS. PASSIVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Webster's Definition of Active and Passive
Active- engaged in action; characterized by energetic work, participation; involved in physical effort and action.

Passive- not participating readily or actively; inactive; not involving visible reaction or active participation.

Luther's explanation of active and passive Righteousness
Luther states that most Christians have a hard time understanding passive righteousness, to which I shout, "AMEN!" But, I must admit that I do not fully understand nor grasp the full concept of passive righteousness. If I did, my life would look completely different - ALL the time.

Active righteousness is just as the definition states, it is identified by YOU, US, WE, ME, I. What I mean by that is active righteousness is my doing; it is my physical effort, energetic work, or participation that makes me righteous. I would normally stop here and think to myself about the many religions and people who are trying to please God with their actions, their good works, their righteousness. Groups that come to mind are mormons with all of their striving and trying to attain a position or follow an estate (right path), catholics with their worship towards Mary and good deeds, and muslims with their peaceful bowing and reverence towards Allah. What I have realized is that I often participate in active righteousness.

I'll let Luther explain passive righteousness, also titled Christian righteousness: But the most excellent righteousness of faith, which God through Christ, without any works, imputeth to us, is neither political, nor ceremonial, nor the righteousness of God's law, nor consisteth of works, but is clean contray to these; that is to say, it is a mere passive righteousness, as the others are active. For in the righteousness of faith, we work nothing, we render nothing unto God, but we only receive, and suffer another to work in us, that is to say, God.

A little later Luther continues...
I seek not active or working righteousness, for if I had it, I could not trust in it, neither dare I set it against the judgment of God. Then I abandon myself from all active righteousness, both of my own and of God's law, and embrace only that passive righteousness, which is the righteousness of grace, mercy, and forgiveness of sins.

On the next page Luther offers what I would call a pattern for evangelism and/or a call to fellow believers to continue in the gospel that was taught to them: righteousness by faith. Since Luther's commentary is on Galatians his writing concerns the latter more than the former, but can still be applied (Maybe a future blog post!).

Luther continues explaining Christian righteousness as us doing nothing. At church we are studying God's Plan for Salvation. The statement that God saved us not because he looked down the corridor of time and saw that we would "accept" him and be of value for his kingdom, but in spite (in disregard of our doing anything), he saved us.

Luther: Why, do we then nothing? Do we work nothing for the obtaining of this righteousness? I answer, Nothing at all. For this is perfect righteousness, to do nothing, to hear nothing, to know nothing of the law, or of works, but to know and believe this only, that Christ is gone to the Father, and is not now seen; that He sitteth in heaven at the right hand of His Father, not as judge, but made unto us of God, wisdom, righteousness, holiness and redemption; briefly, that He is our high priest intreating for us, and reigning over us, and in us, by grace. In this heavenly righteousness sin can have no place, for there is no law; and where no law is, there can be no transgression. (Romans 4:15)

Christian/passive righteousness brings peace. Why? Good question! It brings peace because we have no part in it! Our conscience does not fear and will not become depressed, because it is NOT of us! Luther explains it better: Although I am a sinner by the law, and under condemnation of the law, yet I despair not, yet I die not, because Christ liveth, who is both my righteousness and my everlasting life.

Brian's final thought
As I continue to preach the gospel to myself and realize that my position with God is not based on what I do, but what Christ did, I move towards a better understanding Christian righteousness. Both Christian (passive) righteousness and active righteousness will remain while I live here. I'm not out to find a happy medium because passive and active are at separate poles. When the law creeps into my conscience, overstepping its bounds as to intice me towards active righteousness, my prayer is that through reading, studying, and meditation, I might be able to rise against and say: conscience, you do guide my behavior, but you are not my Savior and Lord, for HE is my righteousness and peace.

HE...CREATED

HE...DIED

HE...LIVES

HE...SAVES

HE...IS OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

Wednesday's Word

Today as I reflected upon what Christ is doing in my life and all around me, I was speechless. For what He has done, what He is doing, and what He has yet to reveal, He is: INDESCRIBABLE

Wednesday's Word

"There is one free thing in the world, and that is the free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ."

"Capitalism is the only market system that recognizes our sinful nature"

"All of us are born sinful, greedy, and want to do whatever it is to please ourselves, that is what sinful nature is"

"The Bible is TRUE; for the love of money is the root of all evil."

-- Economics Professor Stephen Happel
Fellow Partaker in the Gospel and Grace of Jesus Christ

Hump Day Updates

Updates...

School - ASU Rocks! I love my professors and one of them even laid out the gospel in 5 minutes during a lecture! I have new experiences everyday and pray that God uses me at ASU this semester (read salvation:redemption poem post below).

Wednesday's Word - new weekly posting where my goal is to get people thinking about the quote or phrase. Hopefully more than just thinking will take place, but meditation and maybe even be moved into action.

Welcome New Blogger - If you haven't had a chance to, welcome Jonathan Schultz to the blogging world. There is a link on my page or click here: Jonathan Schultz

Mill Avenue - I may do a complete post about this later, but for now, a blurb. I was at the Border's on Mill today buying books and that is an interesting place! Last time I was there, there was a female prostitute feeding her bird in the men's restroom. This may be one reason Border's has privatized their restrooms; now a token is necessary for entrance. Today I saw a homeless man sitting on the curb and with Starbucks in hand I took a seat next to him. I said "Hello, how are you today?" To which he replied, "Not so great." Our conversation took off from there and no, I did not get to share the gospel with him, but did get to develop a relationship and give him some lunch money. After the discussion I sat in the cool shade and pondered, "Could revival on Mill start with the homeless?"...just a thought

And Finally - Hope you all have a great week at school or work or wherever.
1 John 4:13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

Wednesday's Word

If you were put on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

Salvation:Redemption Poem

Let me give you some quick background information to lead into the poem and why I wrote it. As many of you know I am a talker, not a writer. So when the assignment came up to write a poem about a certain event or time in my life that has significant meaning to me, I wrote about God giving me the beautiful gift of salvation. What's even better then getting to write about this topic just to turn it in, was to share it with the entire class. I am not into writing poetry, but this is my attempt to capture the greatest event in my life. Here goes...

The back pew
So comfortable and safe.
I hear of a savior
Who came to take my place.
I’ve heard of him throughout my life,
Yet my selfishness continues to be my vice.

Thirsty for acceptance,
Alcohol satisfied.
With beer in hand
Relating became a breeze.

Sunday came, Sunday went.
Sunday came again and
Brought meaning to this life.

Hung over and tired
I go to check a box.
Head splitting the car comes to a peaceful stop.
There’s always another Sunday, I thought.
The Bible in the passengers’ seat sits idle
Piercing directly into my heart the word became alive.

Being exposed, these words came to my lips,
“I’ve lost control!!”
I scream “give it back to me!”
Oh what a hypocrite I had become
Looking just like the world,
Although I had heard of the ONE.
I recant my previous words, saying
“I had control and look at where it got me,
Right here in this mess.”
Now I plead, take control
And deliver me!

REDEMPTION