What are we to Pursue?

 "...pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, with all who are calling upon the Lord from a clean heart." (2 Timothy 2:22-23)

Righteousness: Pursue things that are right for yourself and those around you.

Faith: Expect things God has promised to come to pass even if you cannot see how they could happen.

Love: Do for others what they cannot do for themselves, and do it without requiring anything in return.

Peace: Attempt to get along with others, and get away from those you cannot.

Good Works Follow Faith

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you... I will save you from all your uncleanness... I want you to know that I am NOT doing this for your sake... I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it." (Ezekiel 36:26-36)

The above was written to Israel who was promised a New Covenant where God would save them by his GRACE after they learned they could not save themselves by doing the WORKS required in the Old Covenant. 

God saves ALL people the same way…by His Grace. When he gives us the FAITH to realize we have been saved, our hearts are "established" by His grace, and we experience the peace and joy of the salvation freely given us by GOD through CHRIST JESUS. 

"…it is good that the heart be established by GRACE." (Hebrews 13:9)

Salvation does not follow good works…but what tends to follow the realization of our Salvation is good works done in appreciation to God.

"For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Mega Church Pastors

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forevermore.” (Galatians 1:3-5)

I wonder sometimes at the pastors of the many mega churches who draw thousands upon thousands to their services. They are charismatic and I can see why people are drawn to their books and speaking engagements. Personally I can’t help but like most of them and I think they really eat from the same menu they are dishing out. People want to hear that all our troubles can be overcome and that all is going to be alright…and IT IS…but not NOW! The error in those messages is that God is obligated to bless us now IF we would only LET HIM or ASK HIM or be more FAITHFUL. No, the truth from Jesus, the Son of God is as follows:

“…in the world YOU WILL HAVE TRIBULATION…but take courage I have overcome the world”. (John 16:33)

Our hope should not be on getting blessed from the omnipotent bounty of God in this present age, although we are often blessed more than we deserve and he never leaves us or forsakes us. Our blessed hope is what follows this “present evil age” as Paul calls this time in which we live…we are to set our minds and hope on what follows this age. It is hidden, yet waiting for us in the coming ages…

“Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, WHERE CHRIST IS, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the THINGS ABOVE, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God…” (Colossians 3:1-3)

So if we or others cannot pray blessings upon ourselves and since we cannot even be sure that we have another day to live…how do we find peace in this “present evil age”?

“…live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed HOPE and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus…Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the PEACE of GOD, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Titus 2:12-13; Philippians 4:5-7)

Do Not Be Afraid

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men… Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed…These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority.” (Titus 2:11-15)

The Greek word for "grace" is “charis” and the Greek word for joy is “chara”. They are both from the same root. I have been told that there was not a great distinction placed between them in classical Greek. And the idea of joy includes thankfulness.

“Charis” (grace) is unexpected and undeserved favor joyfully given to another. “Chara” (joy) is the feeling experienced by both the giver and the recipient.

Christianity has so screwed up the gospel message that it is a wonder anyone experiences the joy of it so they can give God thanks for it. It is a simple message of "GOOD NEWS" for all.  When shared it brings "GREAT JOY"…not FEAR.

“But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”. (Luke 2:10-11)

We are to "exhort and reprove folks" with this gospel message of "great joy"…when folks grasp the grace of God in saving them, they thank Him.

“…one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift…And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers…” (Ephesians 4:6-11)

The bible says that God is the Father of all and in us all. And that he has gifted some among mankind to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. Why the gift of these persons?

”…for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13)

Equip and edify (build up) saints with the TRUTH of what God has done through Christ Jesus until we "ALL" come to unity of faith in and knowledge of God. And minister the good news message of reconciliation?

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us (apostles, etc) the MINISTRY of RECONCILIATION.” (1 Corinthians 5:18)

And what is RECONCILIATION? It is to be at PEACE with God because He is at peace with the world...

“…that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)

It is interesting to me that the Greek word translated “reconciliation” and “reconciled” is “katallasso” in the above verses. It has reference to God changing the way he looks at mankind as a result of the blood of Jesus. God is now AT PEACE with the world “not imputing their trespasses to them” as a result of the cross. BUT it is a one-sided peace (God toward mankind) UNTIL creatures change the way they look at God…and ALL mankind will do so eventually.

In Colossians the Greek word for “reconciled” is “apokatallassó”. Notice the “apo” before “katalllasso”. I think it means a two-sided peace because this word is only used in Colossians where it is written that all on the earth and all in the heavens will be reconciled to God…

“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile (apokatallasso) all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.” (Colossians 1:20)

TWO SIDED PEACE! When created beings change their view of God as an angry God who in His wrath will torture them for their sins to the correct view of a loving Father who has saved them from sin, they have peace toward God. They trust Him and love Him and rest in that peace.

One day the whole creation will be at peace with God and apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are to minister THIS TRUTH to others. Paul was the first to receive and minister this truth to the world…
“Now then, WE (apostles, etc.) are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore YOU (mankind) on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might BECOME the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

The Apostles, etc are no longer to plead with mankind to be saved…that is a done deal and is a free gift from God Paul tells us in Romans 6:23. They are to plead with mankind to be at peace with God because He has “made him who knew no sin to be sin for us” so that the world might become the righteousness of God in CHRIST JESUS.

I have said this before but it is on my mind again this morning. Biblical FAITH is not a commodity that is manufactured and traded for stuff we ask for in prayer, including our personal Salvation.

Biblical Faith is a lifestyle of confident dependence on the promises of God as directly expressed in his Word. The writer of Hebrews defined it as follows, taken from what I consider to be the most accurate English translation of the Bible which you can access through this blog…

“Now faith is an assumption of what is being expected, a conviction concerning matters which are not being observed.” (Hebrews 11:1 CLNT)

When we have a promise from God we “assume”, “expect” and have a “conviction” that the promise will manifest itself even if at present it is not being observed. Whether the beneficiary of that promise has PRAYED about it does not change the fact that God will do what he promised. And, FAITH in a promise God has NOT MADE will not get us anything whatsoever…no matter how much prayer is offered up – even if made fervently by a righteous man (assuming there is such a man living today other than Jesus himself).

Our effort should be to determine what God has clearly promised in His completed Word, and have FAITH in those promises. Some are negative such as…

"It is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:22)

But beyond those troubles rests the promise of Jesus himself…

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 14:22)

My prayers and faith are of utmost importance to me, but not to get stuff FROM God, but to give stuff TO God that I just can no longer handle on my own. I just need peace and I get it when I do what the Scripture tells me to do when I need it…

“Don't worry about anything Robert; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you think you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your heart and mind and just keep trying to live in Christ Jesus the best you can.” (Robert’s Own Paraphrased Version of Philippians 4:6-7)

The gospel (good news) is for every person and it is really simple. Intellectual religious types stumble over its simplicity and twist it to try to control behavior by bringing guilt and shame. Take the following verses in Hebrews…

“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2)

SIMPLE EXPLANATION: The book of Hebrews presents Jesus as the Savior of the world and the Great High Priest of Israel. He is the AUTHOR of our faith that God will save mankind and that God will FINISH what He promised. We have a great cloud of witnesses that died without having experienced what they had been promised. All those promises will be fulfilled when Jesus returns to resurrect the dead.

RELIGIOUS EXPLANATION: We have a great cloud of witnesses who are looking over the balcony of heaven and watching our every move and cheering us on when we do good and shaking their head in horror when we sin. So we better go to church, quit drinking, smoking, chewing, cursing and having too much fun in the world because Grandma is watching our every move. We are in a race for our eternal destiny and how we live and the choices we make will determine whether we are saved to sit with Jesus at the right hand of God in heaven or burn in hell for all eternity.

One explanation gives peace and hope and is the promise of God - the other is an attempt to scare the hell out of us. Paul, however, opted for peace and hope…

“For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us” (Romans 5:6-11; Romans 8:30-21)

"Yet now, in Christ Jesus, you, who once are far off, are become near by the blood of Christ...that He should be creating... in Himself...one new humanity, making peace...reconciling...in one body to God through the cross...And, coming, He brings the evangel of peace to you, those afar, and peace to those near...for through Him we...have had the access, in one spirit, to the Father. Consequently, then...you belong to God's family, being built on...Christ Jesus Himself..." (Ephesians 2:13-21)

Paul is addressing everyone who is not an Israelite.  They are called in Scripture "Gentiles". He clearly says that through the blood of Christ ALL are now "one new humanity" and have access to God our Father because we ALL, both Jew and Gentile, belong to God's family.

Even thou ALL are mankind are part of God's family...some admittedly are evil jerks and losers. Nevertheless, in time God will complete us all in Christ Jesus as a new creation...in His image. So be patient for God is not finished with any of us yet...even the jerks and losers.

"For even as, in Adam, all are dying, thus also, in Christ, shall all be vivified.Yet each in his own class...For He must be reigning until He should be placing all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy is being abolished: death...that God may be All in all." (1Corinthians 15:22-28)

"In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Psalm 56:11).

"Without faith it is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6)

Faith does not save anyone from the wages of sin. The Grace of God took care of that at the cross of Christ Jesus. However, Faith that God loves and saves sinners does deliver us from the fear of death and enables us to have peace and joy in the midst of difficult circumstances. And of course, that kind of faith pleases God. 

Faith in what men say about God generally leads to doubt, guilt, and depression. If you get that from those you hang out with on Sunday, find some new friends.

"All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

“…it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

It is interesting to me that some otherwise intelligent Christians actually think God gave humans “free will” in regard to their eternal destiny. And have the foolish idea that if He did not, then humans are merely automatons. They speak of “free will” as if it is a doctrine found in Scripture and yet cannot produce one verse which says so.

God is the only being with absolute free will. Those who believe God gave mankind “free will” or “free moral agency” in relation to eternal destiny do not believe God…they prefer to trust men.

Now let’s get something clear. By “free will” I am referring to “self-determination” which means being free to choose without regard to ANY outside influence.

Tell me, you who think you are saved as a result of your “free will”, did you get up one day, and apart from any influence whatsoever, just decide to ask God to save you. Of course not, you were influenced to become a believer by God’s Spirit….and to think it was your own self-determination or the influence of others would make you or someone else your savior…yet the Bible says that Jesus is the Savior of the world.

God “gives” the faith to believe that your ultimate salvation is a result of what God has done through the His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. It is God at work in mankind “both to will and to work for His good pleasure"….and His pleasure is to save mankind…all of them.

It does not matter what your so called “free will” decides about the matter, influenced as it is by the false teaching of men…He is going to save you anyway….might as well believe Him and rejoice!

“It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.” (1 Timothy 4:9-10)

NOTE: it says God “IS THE SAVIOR OF ALL MEN” ….not “offers” to save, or will save if we “choose” to allow Him to do so by our “free will”. Believing is important for when we believe God has and will save us, we have JOY and PEACE...which is special.