life in christ

Separation

Dr. Mike Kingdom Paradigms, Life in Christ ,
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-8 ESV

separate 1

Sometimes people remark that I may confuse the issue because of little details that don’t tie up all the loose ends. For example, the concept of sin and separation from God.

I grew up believing when I sinned God was angry at me. That sin was repulsive to God. That He would turn His back to me. That sin prevented God from blessing me. In some ways, it seemed that Sin was bigger than God. That God didn’t want to have anything to do with me because of that sin I committed last night without even being aware of it. Somewhere, someplace I was led to believe that I was the problem of sin. That when I sinned, God separated Himself from me.

It now amazes me more than ever what happens when the truth becomes known. For example, Father/Son/Spirit God is truly greater than any sin ever committed or known on planet earth. Jesus, who represents God on earth for humanity to witness, walked among sinners. He worked, played, and ate with sinners. He deliberately spent time with them. He didn’t separate himself from sinners. Instead he conquered sin for us.

When we sin, God doesn’t walk away from us. He doesn’t turn his back to us. Instead, he pursues us even more so. He knows the ramifications of sin. He witnessed it with Satan. Yet He still allowed Satan to hang around heaven (Job 1:6). When Adam and Eve sinned, He didn’t walk away from them. Instead he came looking for them. It was they who hid from God. It was they who became afraid and sought to hide from God.

When we sin, we hurt ourselves. We hurt those around us. Our mates, children, parents, friends, and associates all are recipients of sin’s poison. God doesn’t turn away from us. Those around us may, but God doesn’t. He wants us to realize his forgiveness. And because of his forgiveness, he wants us to repent. He wants us to be truly thankful for what He does for us. Showering us with constant grace and care.

Whenever the nation Israel fell into the practice of idolatry, God would patiently wait for the proper moment before he would intercede and bring the nation back into the fold. Whenever we sin, God likewise waits patiently for us before he intercedes and brings us back to him. When King David committed adultery and murder, God used the prophet Nathan to bring the sin to his attention. When realizing his sin, David quickly repented. God didn’t disown David. Instead, He helped David to grow in maturity and responsibility. He does the same for you and me today.

Sin doesn’t separate us from God. It blinds us from seeing God. It may block God’s Spirit from freely flowing through us. But God is always there. He loves us. Wants what is best for us. In some ways, He uses sin to help us appreciate and grow in his grace. Like King David, when we are convicted of sin, we quickly repent. In repentance, we are thankful for the life He shares with us, His grace, His mercy, and everything else he has reserved for us.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, Encourager
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married

Learn. Integrate. Grow.

Theology 101

Dr. Mike Ministry, Scriptures, Shaped By The WORD , ,
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” 2 Timothy 3:9

theology 1

Why is theology important?

Recently we had a lively discussion regarding the importance of theology. The majority of the group believed that the Bible was all that they needed. That theology was man’s attempt to lead people astray. They looked at the Bible through the eyes of one simple worldview. They admitted that all they knew was what they initially learned. They didn’t want to take the time to understand why their brothers and sisters in other denominations believed what they do. As far as they were concern, what they believed was right and others were wrong. They didn’t realize that everyone already has a theological belief. The question is “what is yours?”

First, theology is simply the study of God. It studies the Bible from a wholesome point of view. Instead of extracting pieces of the Word at a time, it looks to bring all the pieces together to form a coherently understanding of God’s hand in the matter.

There is a study of God for a multitude of different subjects. For example, the theology of salvation, the theology of grace, the theology of creation, the theology of the Kingdom of God, the theology of (add whatever subject you can think of and there probably is already a formal study on the matter).

The thought that what one believes may not be absolutely correct bothers some people. The idea that others may have more truth on a subject matter may also be humbling for a few.
The relevancy of any theological belief is simply the Christ-like fruit it bears. If love, joy, and peace is the mainstay of a person’s life, then maybe one may want to listen and learn. We all have a theological belief system in play. The question comes to how close is the study to reality and truth. Of course reality and truth is measured through one person: Jesus Christ. And yes there is a theology of Christ, called Christology.

The more we come to know and understand God, the more we are humbled and at awe of His divine work and physical masterpiece. The better we understand the beliefs of others, the easier it becomes to communicate and relate with them. Therefore, when one’s theology is grounded in Christ, His Word, and Spirit, the journey through life becomes more immeasurable with gratitude, love, and joy.

I may not agree with others theological position at times, but I do love and respect them. My heart fully understands that whoever may be closer to the truth, God in His time will reveal that to us too. The important thing is to continue grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. That is a simple theological position that every mature believer I meet quickly agrees too. And so do I.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, Encourager
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
* Great Business Emulates a Good God
* Be Radical…Follow Christ!
* Simply The Messenger
* Unequally Married

Learn. Integrate. Grow.

 

Beaten, Busted, Broken

Dr. Mike Journey in Christ, Life in Christ , , , ,
” For the thing that I fear comes upon me, and what I dread befalls me.
I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes.” Job: 3:25-26 ESV

job 3

Life has a tendency to throw us lemons. Those who are positive thinkers, state that we need to transform the lemons into lemonade. Yet what about us who are not equipped to make it happen? Not everyone has the talent or character to pick up one self and rise up to the occasion. Or maybe this time the challenge is larger than anything we have faced before and we don’t know where to turn to. Now what?

At times like this I am comforted by God’s reply to Job’s challenge. Job was the wealthiest person in his neck of the woods. He had a large family and was known throughout the community for his philanthropic work. He was the picture of success. Even God claimed that He was blameless.

Yet bad things do happen to good people. In Job’s case, he was the pawn in a wager between God and Satan. God gave Satan authority to do whatever he wanted but spare his life. So with his walking papers, Satan destroyed Job’s business, family, and health. By the time Satan was done, Job was beaten, busted, and broken.

He was physically disabled with chronic pain. He was financially ruined. His wife deserted him. His immediate family taken away. He was left alone beaten, busted, and broken. Yet he never disowned His God. In fact, besides his three companions who tried to comfort him, but ended up throwing spiritual daggers into his side, he spent the time seeking answers from God. As the events unfolded, God finally granted him his day in court where Job eventually repented from his thinking and acknowledged God’s greatness and faithfulness.

God restored Job with more at the end of his crisis than before his broken, busted, and beaten state. What is it that I find encouraging about the entire ordeal?

Simply that God was always with him. Even when God wages a bet with others, he does so knowing that the final outcome is going to be better than if He did nothing. For most of us, we shall experience a Good Friday event in our life. Hopefully, if we hang in there long enough, we shall also experience a Resurrection Sunday.

God is good. He wants what is best for all of us. The immediate future may look bleak. But God in all his glory will carry us through the situation and bless us with character, virtue, and reward.

Yes we may be beaten, busted, and broken at this time. But it only allows us to place our trust in the hand of who will rise us up and restore us to a place for his glory. With Job, his story has become an inspiration for millions throughout history. For us, our story may likewise become a living testament for others on the grace of God.

Again, being beaten, busted, and broken isn’t bad unless we neglect to lean on Him. Then pity on us. I choose to trust Him who raises the dead, walks on water, and turns water into wine.

There is a purpose and meaning behind the BBB of life. As we learn from it, grow from it, and glorify God through it, in hindsight, we may have a better understanding of why we went through it. But for today, let’s just be pleasantly surprised on how He will intervene and save us from ourselves, for the sake of others, and for His glory.

Rooting For You in Christ!

Dr. Mike

Executive Chair, Consultant, Encourager
Marketplace Bible Institute
& Resource Center, Inc
Author of e-Books:
 *  Great Business Emulates a Good God
 *  Be Radical…Follow Christ!
 *  Simply The Messenger
 *  Unequally Married