October 11, 2013
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ…” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
The third level of commitment to Christ is identified by the preposition “for Christ.” Paul concludes that when we understand all that we have available to us “by Christ,” and we fully appreciate what it means to be “in Christ,” we are therefore ambassadors “for Christ.”
Paul writes:“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18) According to Paul, everyone who has been reconciled to God by Christ has been given the message and the ministry of reconciliation. This means every believer is a minister. The seventh beatitude “blessed are the peacemakers” is another way of saying the same thing. As conduits of God we should plead with people to be reconciled to God.
There is another application to this third level of commitment as demonstrated by the legendary missionary David Livingstone. On one very hot day in Africa, he faced a stream he had to cross. Holding his gear over his head he waded through sewer-like water that had a terrible odor. Covered with decayed plant life up to his chin, when he reached the other side he laid down his gear. Falling prostrate on his face, David Livingstone cried out, “Father I thank you for the privilege of going through this putrid jungle stream for You!”
I was once asked as a pastor to visit a missionary couple who returned after 48 years in China without any welcome or appreciation. Although living in tenement housing and in poor health, they were in wonderful spirits. When I inquired about their attitude they said, “You have to know Who you are doing it for.”
Do you know Who you are doing it for?
3 Comments | 
Uncategorized | Tagged: 2 corinthians 5, ambassadors for Christ, commitment to Christ, David Livingstone, faith, Faith in action, Jesus Christ, living the Gospel, missionaries, The Gospel | 
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Posted by Dick Woodward
October 9, 2013
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I’m indebted to E. Stanley Jones, a missionary who served in India for 50 years, and his superb daily devotional, In Christ, for showing me the importance of this phrase in the New Testament. I highly recommend his book which highlights the use of this phrase by all the New Testament authors.
According to Dr. Jones, when we think about being “in Christ,” we should realize that Paul was not talking about being in religion. Few people have been more into religion than Paul before he met Jesus. Paul was so religious he fervently persecuted followers of Jesus, sure that he was pleasing God by trying to snuff them out.
It is possible to be in religion, but not be in Christ. It is possible to be in church, and not be in Christ. We can be in doctrine, or theology, and not be in Christ. We can be in the ministry and not be in Christ. We can be committed to Christ, and believe a lot of things about Christ, and still not be in Christ.
To be in Christ locates us in a Person, right now.
Unless we are ‘in Christ’ it’s like we have a powerful engine in our automobile but we cannot find our ignition key that turns the engine on. Being ‘in Christ’ is the ignition key, opening us up to experience “all spiritual blessings in Heavenly places.” (Ephesians 1:3) Paul essentially writes: I live because Christ lives in me and I live in Christ.
Just as you sometimes cannot find the keys to your automobile, have you misplaced this critical spiritual key – are you living by and in Christ?
4 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: 2 Corinthians 5:17, E. Stanley Jones, faith, following Jesus, Jesus Christ, religion, Saint Paul, spiritual blessings, spiritual keys, theology | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
October 5, 2013
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The Apostle Paul’s favorite description of committed disciples is found in the two words “in Christ.” Paul uses this expression just under 100 times in his inspired letters. “By Christ” means that by faith we are saved and have access to many blessings. “In Christ” means we are not taking Him into our plans but He is taking us into His plans. It means we can have a relationship with Christ, be united to Him, and draw strength from Him.
Paul also wrote that we have “all spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3) The heavenly places refer to the spiritual dimension of this life.
While living in Palo Alto, California, I had a friend with a Ph. D in paleontology from Stanford University. He told me that, as a devout believer, when he finished his master’s degree and started work on his doctor’s degree he surrendered to those teaching him by agreeing that there is no God.
He did not want to live if there is no God. He therefore decided to commit suicide. Just before he drank cyanide he bowed his head to pray. He then laughed at himself. He was taking his life because there is no God and the last thing he wanted to do was talk to Him. He then remembered a verse: “God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
He realized we do not find God in a fossil or a test tube. We find God in the spiritual dimension of this life, “in Christ.”
Are you seeking God in the right places?
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: 2 corinthians 5, faith, in Christ, Jesus Christ, Seeking God, spiritual blessings, the Apostle Paul | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
October 1, 2013
“And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18 KJV)
In the fifth chapter of Second Corinthians we find one of the most profound passages of Scripture in the New Testament. In this chapter we have a window into the heart of the Apostle Paul as he writes about what motivates him. It is a passage that clearly defines the Gospel. Paul gives us here the vision absolutes that defend why he lived like a madman. He then clearly writes that every believer who has been reconciled to God by Christ has been commissioned with the message and the ministry of being a peacemaker and a minister of reconciliation. The passage concludes with a very clear description of the meaning of the death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
This profound passage also describes three levels of commitment to Jesus Christ that are identified by prepositions. In the verse quoted above the first ‘entry’ level of commitment to Christ is described as Paul uses the preposition “by Jesus Christ.” We are saved “by Christ.” When He saves us He often fills our life with good things the way He filled Peter’s boat with fish (Luke 5: 1-11). It doesn’t take us long to realize that the changes taking place in our lives are by Jesus Christ. We also discover there are many things we can only do by Jesus Christ.
Study this passage (verse 13 through 21), and see if you can identify two more levels of commitment to Christ. What are they and what would they look like if you applied them to your walk with Christ?
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: 2 corinthians 5, by Christ, commitment to Christ, faith, Jesus Christ, reconciliation, the Apostle Paul, The Gospel | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
September 27, 2013
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16)
The gospel Paul proclaimed was the good news that God will not only pardon and forgive our sins, but through our faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ God will make it just as if we had never sinned. God will also declare us to be as righteous as if we had never sinned.
In Psalm 51 David literally asked God to un-sin his sin. David was a prophet and when he prayed that petition he knew the fulfillment of the answer would be in the word “justified.“ It literally means that God makes it as if our sin never happened and He declares us to be righteous. If you have ever grievously sinned, you know that the cry of your heart is wishing your sin had never happened!
That is precisely what the good news of the gospel proclaims. Imagine two men convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. After 25 years one of them is pardoned by the governor. Evidence is discovered that proves the other man is innocent of his crime. He cannot be pardoned, he needs to be exonerated as if he never committed the crime.
Man’s law can do that. Only God, however, can declare a guilty man as innocent as if he never committed a crime for which he is in fact guilty. That is what God has done and is God’s only remedy for His wrath.
If you believe the Good News of the Gospel, then open your heart to receive this remedy.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: faith, Forgiveness, Gospel faith, justification, pardon, Psalm 51, religion, resurrection of jesus christ, Righteousness, Romans 1:16, The Good News, theology | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
September 24, 2013
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men… ” (Romans 1:18)
‘The wrath of God’ is the most unpopular phrase in the Bible. The best definition of this concept I’ve ever heard is: “The wrath of God is the annihilating reaction of a loving God toward that which is destroying His love objects.” Sin and unrighteousness destroys God’s love objects. God therefore hates sin because sin will destroy us.
If you are into history you know that many nations have tried to destroy the Jews. Modern nations like Nazi Germany applied a horrible genocide holocaust against the Jewish people. Nazi Germany was destroyed. I’m proud to be a citizen in a country that was one of many which were the vehicle of the wrath of God that destroyed Nazi Germany.
Throughout history nations that tried to destroy the love objects of God were themselves destroyed and the Jewish people are still here with us. Some ask if it is not inconsistent with the love of God for Him to express His wrath.
As a social worker one night I saw a loving father express great wrath toward a man who had raped and murdered his seven year old daughter. When that perverted rapist was brought into the police station it took every policeman in the station to hold that loving father down and keep him from trying to destroy the man who had destroyed his love object. You see, great love gives us the capacity for great wrath.
The original language tells us that God is love but He can cross over from love and express His wrath until He has completely destroyed what is destroying His love objects.
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: faith, god is love, God's justice, God's love objects, human-rights, justice, Love of God, religion, Romans 1:18, wrath of God | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
September 18, 2013
“We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” (2Chronicles 20:12 NLT)
Have you ever faced problems that confronted you with the intolerable, the undeniable, the unthinkable and the impossible? Throughout Hebrew and church history the people of God have often been confronted with these overwhelming realities. Scripture supports the thought that God sometimes not only permits but creates these circumstances (Isaiah 45: 7). According to Isaiah He does this because He wants us to learn that He is our only hope and our only help as we live for Him in this world.
The Word of God teaches that God is our Mentor and He does His most effective mentoring when we are coping with calamities and trials of every possible description. The confession quoted above is proclaiming that the people of God have two problems. They do not know what to do and they do not have the power to do it when they know it.
Scripture tells us God will give us all the wisdom we need when we confess that we do not know what to do (James 1:5). And Scripture teaches that God will give us the power to do what He wants us to do because He is God and He always completes what He begins in us (Philippians 1:6; 2:13).
There are times when it is wrong for us to put God to the test. Then there are times when God invites us to prove Him. God wants to give us the gift of faith. He also wants to give us immeasurable degrees of the grace to overcome the greatest possible obstacles. That’s why He permits and designs calamities or trials that force us to access His all sufficient grace.
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: 2 Chronicles 20:12, effective mentoring, faith, Gift of Faith, God's grace, Grace, religion, spirituality, test of faith, testing God, theology, Trusting God | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
September 14, 2013
“but, speaking the truth in love …” (Ephesians 4:15)
It is possible to devastate people with the truth. One difference between Jesus and the Pharisees was that before Jesus applied the law of God to the people of God He passed the law of God through the prism of the love of God. The Pharisees just threw the book at people. Paul called that “the letter of the law” and he wrote that the letter of the law kills but the spirit of the law gives life.
When I first discovered this in my private study of the Gospels a counseling appointment that same day was with a woman who had great respect for me as a pastor. After she shared her complicated life problems I passed the law of God through the prism of the love of God before I applied the law of God to her life. Just before she left she told me, “Pastor, if you had thrown the book at me today I was going to go home and kill myself!”
I have been told by those who mentor pastors that we should counsel with our head and not with our heart. As a veteran pastor I totally and emphatically disagree! Taking Jesus as our supreme Example and Mentor I believe we should preach, teach and counsel in the spirit of the law and not the letter of the law.
The bottom line is often that we should follow the example of Jesus and not of the Pharisees. All the law of God was born in the heart of God’s love. God gave us His law because He loved us so very much He did not want us to suffer the consequences of lawless living. Never forget what Jesus always remembered.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: Ephesians 5:25, faith, Jesus, Love of God, speaking the truth, spirit of the law, spiritual accountability, the Gospels | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
September 12, 2013
“He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness…” (Psalm 23: 3)
What is considered by some to be the greatest chapter in the Bible is the best description ever written of what the relationship of a human being with God can be. I call this psalm “Sheep Talk” because it’s like a sheep is telling us what a great Shepherd he has. The opening statement of the sheep is the key to the relationship. When the Lord is his Shepherd he has multiple blessings. According to the second verse this relationship is established when his Shepherd makes him lie down. When he gets up again he loses those blessings.
He is telling us this has happened and he needs a spiritual comeback. The prescription for his comeback is that his Shepherd leads him in the paths of righteousness. This is the second time he uses the word “leads.” His Shepherd not only leads him beside still waters but when he needs restoration he is led in the paths of righteousness. The second time he uses this word it is a Hebrew word for “drives me” into what is right.
By application, when we need a comeback we should not seek a cheap one. We should cooperate with our Shepherd as He drives us into the paths of what is right, perhaps for several years, until He restores our soul. I personally experienced this kind of comeback in the early eighties that lasted nearly a decade.
Rick Warren said “We’re all in recovery. What do you think the word ‘salvation’ means?” Do you need a spiritual comeback? Don’t look for a cheap one. Ask God to show you the paths of righteousness that will restore your soul.
1 Comment | Uncategorized | Tagged: faith, Psalm 23, religion, restoration, Rick Warren, Sheep Talk, spiritual formation, spiritual relationships, spirituality, the Psalms, theology | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
September 7, 2013
“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.” (Psalm 5:3)
In one sentence in this beautiful psalm David twice emphasizes the reality that he will pray to his God in the morning. There are three directions of life we must master. We must learn to look up. We must learn to look in until our Lord shows us things we need to know about ourselves. Only then are we prepared to look around in all our relationships.
Anytime we are having difficulty in our relationships with spouses, children, parents or those who are outside the home we should always ask ourselves if we have looked up and looked in sincerely. Knowing ourselves as God wants us to know ourselves is crucial preparation for relating to others.
Smart people are very often right and so they sometimes think they are always right. It is very difficult to live with those who think they are always right. In the same way it is difficult to relate to those who think they never sin. When God helps us look in and see ourselves as He sees us it gives us a humility that is a tool we need to face our relationships.
What would you think of a concert violinist who plays a beautiful concerto solo and then instead of an encore comes out and tunes her violin? In the same way we should not play the concert of our day and then tune the instrument of our lives.
We should begin ‘in the morning’ tuning our lives through our prayers to God as the Psalmist directs us, so that we can look up, look in and then look around.
2 Comments | Uncategorized | Tagged: christianity, daily prayer, faith, knowing god, morning quiet time, prayer, Psalm 5, relationships, religion, spirituality, Trusting God | Permalink
Posted by Dick Woodward
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