The Raptor

Matthew 24

36"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

If you are anything like me then you probably have the same reaction when someone that you enjoy talking to says those lovely words “what do you believe about end time events” or something of the like. For the most part everybody seems to feel the same way, which I have found that to be either that they are alone in their belief (or at least that there are few that totally agree with them). Or they think everyone is on the same page with them which seems to come from people who haven't looked into it very much. The age old argument of the timing (pre, mid, post), is relevant (in the proper times) because often times it is shaped by or from your view of other scriptures. However, it doesn't seem to be wise to use all your energy on these points missing the end result entirely.

I am no scholar in this area (or most areas). There is little for me to offer except the wonderful words that Christ will return. So many of us dive into end times hoping to find a great ending or more to the story than we knew was there, when yes, we do have the end of the story! Christ returns Triumphantly (1 Tim. 6:14-16). He comes to bring a glorious end for His glory (not for ours, which is a way better party to attend). He does not create earth, manage it for a bit and then leave it as it is. Christ returns, and when He does it will be a day of celebration when our blessed hope comes to redeem His people and we can worship Him in His presence.

Our belief on the end times might be irrelevant for this post (Since I'm not going to tell you my belief's), but I am in no way attempting to direct your attention away from the passages that speak on end times. In fact quite the opposite, if it is in the bible it needs to be studied. I will say that I find it beneficial while looking into the end times to keep the rest of the passage from Matthew 24 in mind which is where I personally was attempting to direct attention to.

45"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 47Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' 49and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, 50the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know 51and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

This is the encouragement that I get... The Master will return. Glory will be given to Christ, Justice and Mercy have met at cross and will be reflected upon on that day when it is in the final state.

Lets work hard for Christ. I find time moves faster when I'm doing productive things.

The Power of the Cross

So after reading Steven's post yesterday I was thinking a bit about the power of the cross. So, this post is just a response to yesterday's thoughts with a hymn from keith and kristen getty.


Oh, to see the dawn
Of the darkest day:
Christ on the road to Calvary.
Tried by sinful men,
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood.

This, the pow'r of the cross:
Christ became sin for us;
Took the blame, bore the wrath—
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh, to see the pain
Written on Your face,
Bearing the awesome weight of sin.
Ev'ry bitter thought,Ev'ry evil deed
Crowning Your bloodstained brow.

Now the daylight flees;
Now the ground beneath
Quakes as its Maker bows His head.
Curtain torn in two,
Dead are raised to life;
"Finished!" the vict'ry cry.

Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.

This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Wisdom, Folly, and Truth

If you have ever attempted to give testimony of the gospel to a lost person you have probably heard something like the following response, “Well, that may be true for you but I have my own beliefs and they are true for me.” This kind of response comes from a post-modern worldview; which tells us that any non-testable truth claim is subjective and, therefore, cannot be applied to every person universally.

In some ways this way of thinking is a good thing. Every time we see or experience the rotten fruit of Islamic fundamentalism we should be glad that America allows the freedom to adhere to any truth as long as it doesn’t break certain moral laws. The belief in relative truth has its own way of encouraging some humility in the public square where ideas are shared.

On the other hand, this view of truth mostly comes straight out of secularism which says that God does not exist (or at least we cannot know that He exists) and man is the authority for judging truth and falsity. It is a view that comes straight out of Romans 1:21 by which man suppresses the truth about God by claiming ignorance on the most important matters.

What I want to do here is spend a little time looking at one example in Scripture of the interplay between subjective and objective truth. Perhaps I do have my own truth and you have yours but what I want us to see is the truth that really matters. I also want us to see how we might apply that truth to our evangelistic ministry.

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor. 1:18 ESV)

Notice how Paul addresses things throughout this chapter and especially in this particular verse. There are wise people and there are fools. The strange thing about these two types of people is that they are exactly the opposite of what one would expect to read. The bad guys with whom Paul completely disagrees are called wise. The good guys who have given up everything to follow Christ are called fools. Why is that?

The reason is because Paul is looking at these two kinds of people from the perspective of the lost. They are wise in their own eyes and have, according to Romans 1:22, become fools. So subjectively Paul is able to say that the message of the cross is folly in the eyes of the one group.

On the other side we have the fools. Why are they fools? From the standpoint of the lost it is because they have given up their lives in service to this mysterious God of the low and despised. From another perspective we can say that they are fools because that is what they are apart from Christ who chose them in order to shame the wise (see 1 Corinthians 1:27). To these foolish people the message of the cross is the power of God to save them.

So here we have two groups with opposing truth claims. They are completely at odds and there appears to be no way of reconciling their worldviews. However, we can consider that someone is writing this story. There is one who is telling us about these two groups and how they think. In the same breath by which Paul tells us what the wise man says and what the foolish man says he tells us what is really happening to them…objectively! The truth is that the wise man is in reality the perishing man and the fool is the one being saved.

Unfortunately in our day we will do almost anything to convince the wise man of the truth of the gospel by using his own “wisdom.” Some appeal to scientific evidence while others try philosophical arguments. Others just do whatever they can to get you in the doors of a church so they can show you how much better Jesus is for your emotional well-being. But verse 17 says “Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.”

The power of the cross is its ability to save. If we try to take the form of a fellow truth-suppressor we will only convert them to a slightly different form of rebellion against God. We might have more theistic heathens but in the end there won’t be anymore knees bowing to Jesus (unless God is so kind as to convert them despite an unbiblical presentation of the gospel).

My encouragement to you is to remember as you do apologetics and try to reach out to people that you don’t try to do it in a cunning persuasive way. Show people you care about them, show them that the Bible answers the questions they have (even the deep ones), but in the end let them accept or reject the truth of the cross. It isn’t up to you to convert souls, it is up to you to speak the truth of the gospel. The rest is up to God.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Go Hard or Go Home

As I looked at the areas of my life within my youth group, I saw something that concerned me; people (myself included) seemed to have lost their view of ministry. I mean every Wednesday we go to youth group, every Sunday we go to church, and occasionally we might visit a detention center. But it seems that for the most part we do not have the right definition of ministry.

When we hear the word ministry, we think of missionaries or of when we go on short-term mission trips; but that's only a part of what ministering is about. Ministering can be done anywhere.

I think most of us think that when we show up on Wednesdays and Sundays that we are there for ourselves; so that we can learn. That's not the case! Yes, God wants you to learn about Him and draw closer to Him, but that time is about ministering as well. Sometimes we fall into the thinking that everyone in our church is a Christian. This is a false thinking, and they need God just as much as the people in a detention center or someone in Africa who has never heard the name of Christ.

So what do we do? First you need to change your view. Sundays and Wednesdays are not just for yourself. Paul, when stuck in jail was sending letters, not to unbelievers, but to churches that needed to be reminded how to rightly think about God! Ephesians is a great example of that. In chapter 4, he talks to them about the unity in the body. He is ministering to other believers telling them to minister and serve their brothers(other believers)!

This is not to say that being a missionary or going on short-term missions are not important; they are, but so is serving your brothers and sisters in your church. Lastly I want to post two verses of Lecrae's "Go Hard". He gives examples of ministry over seas and how our view of ministry should be wherever we are.

Chorus

Go Hard or Go Home
Lord Use Me Up


Verse 1

Lord kill me If I don't preach the gospel
I'm still in my 20's- but I'll die if I got to
Already dead- so forget my flesh
I done been crossed over see the full court press
I'm a full court mess if the Lord don't use me

Running from my trials thinkin everythangs groovy
If the Cross don't move me then I don't wanna breath no mo

If I ain't seeing Christ potna I don't wanna see no mo
Rep every day withouth worrying about bruising
I been to china mayne I seen some real persecution
If U didn't know em would ya life look the same
Can they tell you value Jesus by the way you rep his name?
Man what's the point of living if I'm living for myself
Lord empty out my life before I put you on the shelf So for God I got Hard I don't' wanna die tonight
It's too many people living who ain't heard about my Christ


Verse 2

Went to Asia had to duck and hide-for Sharin my faith
They tell me water it downwhen I get back to states
They say tone the music down you might sell a lot a records
But it's people out here dying and none of em heard the message
Took my wifey on mission trip - central america
Shared her testimony 40 people stood and stared at her
When she said Jesus shoulda seen it was insane cause 40 out of 40 never heard of Jesus name
Aw mayne we ain't focused on the war we just kickin it
Worried bout our image and our space up on the internet

Take me out the game coach
I don't wanna play no mo
If can't give it all I got and leave it out there on the court
Thank you for the Grace for the will and the desire
Got me
Living for your glory stead of living to retire
But I pray I'll never tire of Going hard for Messiah
I don't need no motivation You the reason I'm inspired.

Love and Wrath

Exodus 34: 6."The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, 'The Lord, The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfullness'". Isaiah 5:25. "Therefore the anger of the Lord was kindled against his people, and he stretched out his had against them and struck them, and the mountains quaked; and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets. For all his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still." Before i start out i would like to mention that both of these texts were in the midst of events happening in the Old Testament. I am using them today not as a part of the stories that they are in, but more so as examples to point out, the love and wrath of God.


To put it simply, the love and wrath of God go together, you can't have one without the other. If you take away the wrath of God then you have watered down christianity, and if you take away the love of God i don't think may people would want to be christians. it is more common to have the idea that God is all love and He couldn't possibly have wrath as an attribute. If that were the case, it would look like this: God is ok with sin, and feels no need to rebuke sin, and ultimately that God is no God at all. Why? because God can't be ok with sin. If we think this, then we have a distorted view of God...righteousness can't have any dealings with unrighteousness. It isn't possible for a Holy and Righteous God to have any part with sin. So now heres a dilema...


We are by nature sinners and deserving of Gods wrath! oh my goodness what are we going to do? Nothing. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves. So the story gets a little depressing at this point because we can' t do anything to make God change His mind about our sinful state and we certainly can't will Him to take away His wrath. But He can do something. He can satisfy His Wrath, by giving us his Son as a sacrifice, thus by giving us this sacrifice we are introduced to God's Love. Romans 8:3 "By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." So Christ, who knew no sin, became sin for us, so that we might be saved. Jesus satisfied the wrath of God by taking on man's sin. and Gods love is shown by giving us Christ as our covering.


and hence the love and wrath of God.

The Glue

This above image is not designed to poke fun at anyone (except maybe the occasional poorly crafted "as seen on tv ad")

Colossians 1:15-20
It’s amazing to sit and dwell on Colossians covering a multitude of subjects regarding the Christian Church. My most commonly visited section is typically Chapter 3 (Colossians 3:12-17) in study through putting off the old self and placing on the new and then continuing into an out pouring of worship (16-17) in everything you do.


While reading through John Pipers book Spectacular Sins I came upon something that really intrigued me and was not a new thought but simply something I’ve heard many times that just astounds me. Piper was going through Colossians 1:15-20 and began going through verses 16-17. “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”


What a thought to dwell on during the day as the clock slowly ticks away (or speedily zooms as mine tends too), Christ created everything for Himself. Nothing was created as a stand alone. I was thinking back to when Sarah (my wife) and I went to the aquarium in Dallas we went to see the Jellyfish. Those creatures that are unseen in the wild most of the hours in a day are not stand alone creations to glory in themselves or to gain glory. These were made for Christ and for His Glory alone.

This was even further enhanced when I looked at the new Hubble space photo’s after they gave it some new technology (its like the difference you see when you get your first pair of glasses). The earth isn’t big enough to tell the story of God’s greatness.

The rulers and authorities are simply created beings... all created for one purpose, to glorify the King whether they acknowledge it or not.
And not only is it created through Him and for Him, but there is nothing to fear because He holds it all together. Nothing goes uncreated, unnoticed, unknown to the triune God of the universe.

In Christ

Comforts

In light of all the blessings that have been showered upon the children of God; how thankful should we be? We should be people who are overflowing with praises to the Father of Lights. We should be known for our gratitude! Here is a passage from the collection of Puritan prayers, "The Valley of Vision", that has helped in stirring up my heart to gratitude.

"Giver of all good,
Streams upon streams of love overflow my path.
Thou hast made me out of nothing,
hast recalled me from a far country,
has translated me from ignorance to knowledge,
from darkness to light,
from death to life,
from misery to peace,
from folly to wisdom,
from error to truth,
from sin to victory.

Thanks be to thee for my high and holy calling.
I bless thee for ministering angels,
for the comfort of thy Word,
for the ordinances of thy church,
for the teaching of thy Spirit,
for the holy sacraments,
for the communion of saints,
for Christian fellowship,
for the recorded annals of holy lives,
for examples sweet to allure,
for beacons sad to deter.

Thy will is in all thy provisions
to enable me to grow in grace, and to be meet for thy eternal presence.
My heaven-born faith gives promise of eternal sight,
my new birth a pledge of never-ending life.

I draw near to thee, knowing thou wilt draw near to me.
I ask of thee, believing thou hast already given.
I entrust myself to thee, for thou hast redeemed me.
I bless and adore thee, the eternal God,
for the comfort of these thoughts,
the joy of these hopes."
- "Comforts", pg. 166 from "The Valley of Vision"

Reflections on a Shadow

Looking at the calendar above my desk I see a lot of holidays that are meaningless to me. I would list them out but you know what they are; pretty much any holiday that doesn't get me out of work or school. But this year I saw one of those days and it made me pause and think.

This time next week is the celebration of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. It is described in chapters 16 and 23 of Leviticus as well as some other places. I'm not, however, suggesting that we celebrate this Jewish holiday. But when we see a day like this on our calendar it can be helpful to reflect back on what its purpose was for that time, namely a type and shadow of Christ (Col 2:17).

So I just thought that in honor of this shadowy holiday I would post the lyrics to Shai Linne's "High Priest."

Verse 1

There’s commotion in my brain, strange is the notion

Words cannot explain my range of emotion

I’m speechless, my flaws exposed and my weakness

Each breath draws me closer to a deep test

It’s month number seven, it’s been ten days

I’ve been awake all night reflecting on my ways

A threat to my peace in this greatest of moments

Because I’m the High Priest and it’s the Day of Atonement

The LORD is so holy and perfect, I’m nervous

I’m floored that He chose me to worship through service

Don’t ask me why the God who crafted the sky

Drafted this weak guy from the clan of Levi

Preceding generation taught me to read the regulations

Deep meditation on decreed revelation

Extreme trepidation breeds hesitation

Yet I must lead and be the representation

My occupation- to intercede for the nation

But indeed my own sins need expiation

The wrath of Jehovah’s grim, sin is no joke to Him

The hope is slim for unholy men coming close to Him

He’s spoken in His Word the proper way of approach to Him

Nadab and Abihu got it wrong and He roasted them

These things I weigh as I sigh

This could either be the greatest day of my life or the day that I die!

Chorus

So you say that you wanna know the LORD?

Do you really wanna stand before the LORD?

Do you know what it takes to meet the LORD?

God is an all-consuming fire

So you say that you wanna know the LORD

Do you really wanna stand before the LORD?

Do you know what it takes to meet the LORD?

Be careful what you desire

Verse 2

For now, no time to focus on my sinning

I bathe in the laver though it seems extreme

I put on the holy coat made of white linen

Craving His favor- I’m ceremonially clean

I check to inspect- no tangible faltering

Next I must collect the animals for the offering

A spotless ram and a bull- the components

God gives to make atonement for my own sins

This part of the ritual makes me real cautious

Because the very sight of blood makes me feel nauseous

Still I proceed by snatching him close, slashing his throat

when his blood splashed on my coat

Reacting, I choke- gasping that’s when I’m grasping

God’s reaction that sin provokes

I take a moment to reflect on the blood spilled in this

Staring at the goat to be sent into the wilderness

I’ll confess Israel’s sins with my hands on his head

Symbolizing guilt transferred instead

to a substitute the living God provided and stamped

guilty of our sin, driven outside the camp

This beautiful picture of hope and grace motivates

And I don’t want my fear to make this dope occasion go to waste

Change my outer garments, slow my pace- yo I brace

myself to stand before Jehovah’s face in the Holy Place

Verse 3

The time has come, the great moment has arrived

About to enter in- what a lonely enterprise

Look at the other priests, they speak only with their eyes

Rope tied around my ankle just in case I don’t survive

I enter through the first curtain to a dark room

I’m standing in the Holy Place, my thoughts consumed

I’m caught off guard, I’m unraveling at this stage

My heartbeat so hard it’s rattling my ribcage

Feeling like I’m disintegrating and I can’t stand

Comforted by the light emanating from the lampstand

This helps my vision- I can see the showbread

I think of God’s provision, that helps me go ahead

I need courage to worship! Man, this is intense

I take burning coals off the altar for the incense

The sweet aroma fills the room

The smoke protects my eyes- one sight of Jehovah seals my doom

It’s no mere coincidence I’m here surrendering

With fear and trembling I’m nearly entering

I feel like running scared, hoping I’m not unprepared

Stunned with fear- no one comes in here but once a year

Nevertheless I’m at the point of no return

Besides, I don’t want my anointing to be spurned

After counting to three, next time I inhale

I’m in the Holy of Holies beyond the veil!

The first thing I realize is I’m thrilled that I’ve

entered into God’s presence and yet I’m still alive

I’m awestruck by the weight of His terrible beauty

It’s almost unbearable but I must fulfill my duty

Approach the ark, the first part of my work’s complete

when I sprinkle blood seven times on the mercy seat

Quickly I exit, impressed with the Hesed

that rescues the wretched and left us accepted!

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

The Wonderful Cross

When I survey the wondrous cross,
On which the Prince of Glory died,
My richest gain I count but lost
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Oh, the wonderful cross.
Oh, the wonderful cross,
Bids me come and die
And find that I may truly live

Oh, the wonderful cross.
Oh, the wonderful cross,
All who gather here
By grace draw near and bless your name.

See from his head, his hands, his feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did 'ere such love and sorrow meet?
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That be an offering far too small.
Love so amazing so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all


This beautiful hymn depicts the life given to a believer. It is completely Christ's, bought by his blood. The hymn writer is only looking upon the scene, when he says "When I survey the wondrous cross" and "See from his head, his hands, his feet." He knows that Jesus is the one that died for our sins and asked us to follow Him. We just stand in awe of His gracious gift and praise Him for even considering us.

Christ did not have to do anything for us. He did not even have to look at us as He judged us. But instead the Prince of Glory came down and died for us. This should humble us so much that our "richest gain we count as lost" and we "pour contempt on all of our pride."

The hymn writer restates his humbleness by saying that even if all of nature was his, that would too small a gift to even consider giving God. Instead He demands my soul, my life, and my all. His death is the best gift that anyone could ever receive. He died for us, so should not we give our lives to serve Him?

Oh the wonderful cross of Christ that bids me come and die that I may truly live in Christ. Give your entire live to Him. Give everything to Him. We will fail at times and He knows that, but that is what makes Him a gracious and loving God. Praise His Name!

Introduction and Learning

i was recently asked by my husband if i wanted to be a part of a group that writes on a blog called "grace and peace." I enthusiastically replied that "i would love to!", and now im at the point where i have to figure out what i want to write about. As time has progressed i am realizing that this is all too sudden and i dont want to be a stranger or just some random person who has an opinion on the web, which i know that will be the case, anyways. no i would much rather have some kind of an introduction. hence, my introduction....My name is sarah bean. i am married to a wonderful man who loves God more than he loves me, which i wouldn't have any other way, whose name is jonathan. we are nine months into marriage, learning alot and loving each other more and more with each passing day.

i have recently graduated college with a degree in international studies and a minor in french and after eight months of being a server i now have my "big girl" job, and all glory goes to God because there's no way i did it on my own. i like animals (and they like me back), i love trees, elephants, reading, cooking (but im trying to get better at it), sleeping, and laughing. i love the family i married into and i miss my parents who now live in washington state. the most important thing in my life is my relationship with jesus christ, if that wasn't already recognizable, and im seeking each day to bring glory to God by being satisfied in him. other than that i like ellipses(sp?) and i don't like to capitalize things if possible.

In the future I hope to write about different topics that relate to jesus christ and living for him, and for this post ill make it as short and sweet as possible with what i am learning right now. the most important thing God is teaching me is to trust him when he wants me to search out things in my heart to see if there’s sin or potential sin that is lurking around. its hard to do because i really really like to think that "im ok" and "im doing good" when in reality i could be hiding from sin or justifying sin or there could be no sin at all, God just wants me to be surrendered to him and allow him access to what’s already his. there’s a struggle that comes if i do see a sin in my life or the potential of one that means that i have to admit it and face it rather than being comfortable, continuing to sin, and ultimately dying because of it.

Romans 6:11-14 says “So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passion. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” its amazing how God wants us to constantly be making sure that sin isn't breeding around in our lives because he knows that it robs us of all joy and pleasure in him. No our God, the God of the Bible, wants us to have no part in sin but rather be filled by him for him. God would much rather make us go through the painful process of confronting sin in our lives...so that we have life.

Set Apart

The image in this post is a graphic for a youth group called set apart ministries. The intent behind it is to show that these students are in the world but not of the world. A transformed people in a radical world Romans 12:1-2.
They are to be radically set apart including their minds and continually thinking about what they are being set apart for Colossians 3:1-3.

There are many examples of men and women set apart for Jesus Christ. One of them is Paul.
In Romans 1:1-5 he describes his “set apartness”.
Romans 1:1-5
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

Paul is a great example of a man who was radical, and it seems that it is not just for the sake of being radical but simply because he saw no other action that would follow Christ’s teaching. I know that I didn’t have a radical blinding experience on the way to murder Christians. But through the sudden life change in Paul, I do see the radical life that Christ has called us to live throughout his ministry. So why bring this graphic on to the blog? It was created a couple years ago but through reading 1 Timothy 1:8-17 several times these last few weeks. This passage and message spurs me to worship and to live set apart for Christ, to the Glory of Christ.
Enjoy

Nothing but Christ

"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."

- 1 Corinthians 2:2



"Christ, in his person and offices, is the sum and substance of the gospel, and ought to be the great subject of a gospel minister's preaching."

- Matthew Henry



Jesus Christ is...

our Righteousness,

our Redeemer,

our Mediator,

our Peace,

the true Light,

the Word made flesh,

the Great High Priest,

the image of the invisible God,

the Head of the Church,

the radiance of the glory of God,

the founder and perfecter of our faith,

the bread that came down from Heaven,

the Good Shepherd,

the Resurrection and the Life,

The Way,

The Truth,

The Life,

the Lamb that was slain,

the death-conqueror,

The King of Kings,

The Lord of Lords.



Son of God, truly you are the only Savior. Jesus, You came to save Your people from their sin, we love You. You did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but you made yourself nothing, taking the form of a servant. You, the Author of life, became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God for the glory of God. After making purification for sins, You sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. You have lavished your love upon us; a perfect love that has cast out all fear. Jesus You are Lord, You reign, and You uphold the universe by the word of Your power. You are our Salvation, and You are our perfect example of love and obedience as we seek to express our gratitude and adoration to You for who You are and what You have done. Blessed Savior, by Your empowering Spirit may we decrease as You increase in our lives. May our thoughts, words, and deeds reflect your image more and more. In Your holy name, Amen.

Grace, Peace, and a Few Things of Lesser Importance...

In this world of new media there are millions of voices vying for the opportunity to be heard. Nothing guarantees that any of these voices will be worth your time, in fact, most of them aren’t worth the cost of the computers by which they communicate their opinions, but they are still there and you have the choice to give them your time and attention or not.

After having said all of that, allow me to introduce the Grace and Peace blog. Several new voices added to the blogosphere: myself (Stephen), Lukas, Jonathan, Sarah, JD, and probably some others from time to time. But what could we possibly add that hasn’t already been said? Hopefully nothing. It is not the goal of any person writing on this blog to blow your mind with some sort of new wisdom. Instead, we are only as wise as we have given ourselves to the guidance of Scripture.

Finally, why Grace and Peace? Well, we needed a name. But this term has great significance in Scripture. It is the term Paul used to greet the recipients of all thirteen of his letters. In addition we find the term used by Peter in both of his letters and even John at the beginning of Revelation. What makes this greeting especially great is that it serves as a summary of the gospel.

Matthew Henry writes:

“All gospel blessings are included in these two: grace and peace. Peace, that is all good; peace with God, peace in your own consciences, peace with all that are about you; all these founded in grace. “(Matthew Henry’s Commentary, Romans 1:7)

This blog will only be helpful inasmuch as it points people to God’s Word and the redemption that is found therein. Just as Paul had this way of opening his letters he frequently closed them in similar fashion with the phrase “grace be with you.” Hopefully you will find these posts to be gospel saturated, even when the topic being addressed is seemingly irrelevant to the gospel.

There is diversity in this group and that will be reflected in the kinds of posts this blog will contain from day to day and the subjects that will be addressed. But one thing, if nothing else, holds this group in complete unity, the gospel. So please subscribe or stop by occasionally for some good discussion, quotes, song lyrics, and probably even some designs. New content will be added every week day.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen