Calvin Synod Herald, 2007 (108. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2007-07-01 / 7-8. szám
CALV IN SYNOD HERALD 5 WE SHORTCHANGE OURSELVES WHEN WE WISH TO LIVE “WITHOUT” . .. We wish to be happy, however, is there happiness without understanding; understanding without principles; principles without moral standards; moral standards without belief in judgment and rewards, and final judgment without God? We wish to live in peace, but there will be no peace without realizing that we share the same goal and future, without seeing the interests of others, and without knowing that peace begins in the heart. No doubt science, technology, entertainment, sports, and arts can make our lives easier and richer but one cannot go as far as to forgive without faith in God and salvation. Please read Hebrews 11:6. We wish to be successful. A couple of us have made it who were fortunate enough to accumulate wealth, become well-known, enjoy all the luxuries and comfort; yet he/she will not feel that he/she reached the top without realizing that God has the highest authority and He makes the ultimate decision. The tragedy is that it is possible to exist WITHOUT ... for the time being. Mankind has tried repeatedly and has failed to live without God for a longer period. Communism, an atheist system, collapsed after about eighty years of existence and terror. We cannot be and remain the crown of creation without observing God’s laws, respecting each other and claiming authority without accepting responsibility. To live as God’s children and become what He intended us to be, we must accept that it is true what Christ said; “for WITHOUT ME ye can do nothing.” John 15:5. King James Version. In the New International Version: “apart from me you can do nothing.” Rev. Mr. Alexander Jalso Here is an interesting tool for evangelism. Chuch Huckaby has uploaded the ebook, “Winning the Winnable,” to the “files section” on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CalvinSynod/files/ Let It Shine “Let your light so shine before men} that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. ” (Matthew 5:16) I. Changed People Should Live Changed Lives A. Genuinely repentant people want to be rid of what was wrong in their lives and to live in new ways. “Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:” (Matthew 3:8) B. Jesus used the example of wheat farming to illustrate the way in which changed lives are affirmative and expansive; more is under way than the simple exchange of one behavior for another. “And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.” (Mark 4:20) C. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever; and that is expressed in works of repentance. “Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.” (John 15:8) D. The Father saves people precisely so that they can lead new, productive lives. “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” (John 15:16) II. New Life Grows on People A. The new life grows with the force and inevitability of dawn. “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:18) B. Just as sin devastates, faithfulness yields new opportunities, new abilities, and increased expectations. “Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward.” (Isaiah 58:8) C. Begin and God’s intentions will become obvious. “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” (Isaiah 60:1) III. Get On With the Task A. When a believer hears what God is saying about the changed life, the believer knows the time has come to change and to expect plentiful fruit. “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” (Romans 13:11-14) B. The past had its day and now believers must move on to Continued on page 6
