. The Gospel according to Western Theological thinking of Dualism and the separation position of humanity and God is so convoluted with all the do's and dont's that it is anything but simple. So, whenever the true Gospel of Jesus Christ is presented to someone often times it is met the response of, " Well, that is TOO Simple." OR, " Well, that is too EASY."
Let me ask you a few questions. What is too simple to be understood about the following points:
God is Love.
God Loves you.
God designed His original plan to be successful for everyone whoever lived.
God knew you and adopted you into his life, in Jesus, before creation. ( Eph.1:3-14).
Adam sinned and brought death on all humans. But, Jesus voided that and brought life.
God has always known you and always wanted you to be with Him forever.
Jesus came to make it all happen for everyone who would BELIEVE.
Jesus forgave all of your and my sins before we were BORN.
There is NOTHING ELSE we can do to make salvation true for us. We can believe or not.
Our sins ( all FORGIVEN IN JESUS ) have NO bearing on our eternal life with God.
You and I were saved before the creation of the world in Jesus who was slain before the creation of the world.
Repentance has NOTHING to do with being " sorry " for past sins.
Repentance ( Gk. Metanoia ) is simply a change of mind of WHO we are in Jesus.
The plan of God was a done deal before it ever got started to begin with.
There is NO such thing as an ever burning , torturing hell fire.(That's Plato's idea)
( Email me and ask for our paper on "Lazarus and the Rich Man".
Oh, you say , "Well that is Universal Salvation." Well, NO IT IS NOT. It is, however, Universal Salvation in HOPE. And, if all humans ever come to the point of believing this truth and accepting it, even 'Post Mortem', then at that point it will be universal salvation for all. But, scripture allows for that to never happen whether it does or not.
Now , I am getting a little deeper than I intended here in this blog. The point is that the Gospel is really GOOD NEWS for all humanity and it IS simple. To make a long story short as we say:
GOD LOVES YOU AND SAVED YOU IN JESUS TO BE WITH HIM FOREVER. The End of story.
Too simple?, Well, yes for some folks. But keep studying and learning and sooner or later the light will go on for you and you WILL see it.
Blessings,
Paul Kurts
www.newlifewcg.org
.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
SHAME, GUILT AND EMBARRASSMENT
.
SHAME. GUILT. EMBARRASSMENT. All of us living in the fallenness of Adam with our darkened minds suffer with shame and guilt. Needlessly!!!
We look back on sins of actions and sins of thought and these make us feel distanced from the Holy God. We feel that this is who we are, or were, and that this person is not good enough or worthy to be mentioned in the same sentence with Jesus Christ.
Shame is a heavy load, indeed, carried around by us. We have hidden sins, closet habits, weaknesses of all kinds and shame. No one is immune to these feelings.
So what is the solution? What is the answer? Where was or is Jesus in all of my garbage can of life? ANSWER: He is IN the can with us! Jesus meets us IN our darkness revealing Himself to us as comforter and Saviour. As friend and companion. As forgiver and deliverer. As friend.
Jesus knows the power of His sacrifice and the power of His becoming sin for us and tasting death for all of us. ( II Cor.5:21; Heb.2:9). Even in our darkness and while we are still sinners Jesus is NOT ASHAMED to call us brothers and sisters. Why? Because He has taken all the sin, shame, guilt, suffering, and death upon Himself FOR all of us FREEING us to live in Him the Abundant life of freedom in total forgiveness, acceptance, and love. How good is that?
Yes, in my life in the fallenness of Adam I have done many things, thought many things that caused my death in the first Adam. But Praise be to God, IN Jesus I, and you, have been made ALIVE---FOREVER. ( I Cor.15:22). God is Good. Thank you Jesus.
Amen
Paul Kurts
www.newlifewcg.org
.
SHAME. GUILT. EMBARRASSMENT. All of us living in the fallenness of Adam with our darkened minds suffer with shame and guilt. Needlessly!!!
We look back on sins of actions and sins of thought and these make us feel distanced from the Holy God. We feel that this is who we are, or were, and that this person is not good enough or worthy to be mentioned in the same sentence with Jesus Christ.
Shame is a heavy load, indeed, carried around by us. We have hidden sins, closet habits, weaknesses of all kinds and shame. No one is immune to these feelings.
So what is the solution? What is the answer? Where was or is Jesus in all of my garbage can of life? ANSWER: He is IN the can with us! Jesus meets us IN our darkness revealing Himself to us as comforter and Saviour. As friend and companion. As forgiver and deliverer. As friend.
Jesus knows the power of His sacrifice and the power of His becoming sin for us and tasting death for all of us. ( II Cor.5:21; Heb.2:9). Even in our darkness and while we are still sinners Jesus is NOT ASHAMED to call us brothers and sisters. Why? Because He has taken all the sin, shame, guilt, suffering, and death upon Himself FOR all of us FREEING us to live in Him the Abundant life of freedom in total forgiveness, acceptance, and love. How good is that?
Yes, in my life in the fallenness of Adam I have done many things, thought many things that caused my death in the first Adam. But Praise be to God, IN Jesus I, and you, have been made ALIVE---FOREVER. ( I Cor.15:22). God is Good. Thank you Jesus.
Amen
Paul Kurts
www.newlifewcg.org
.
Friday, December 11, 2009
TIGER WOODS AND THE GOSPEL
Tiger Woods has taken the spotlight in the news for the last few weeks. The most recognisable sports figure in the world has fallen from the graces of his sponsors and his fans. He has been judged, ridiculed, condemned and crucified by the media and some individuals as well. True, he has been found out to be a wandering package of hormones looking for release outside of his God provided wife. He apparently is guilty of all charges. Now how do you look at Tiger Woods?
Some look at him with envy wishing that they could with his money do the exact thing he did yet without being caught. Some look at him condemning him for his very human and base actions. Some look at him with jealousy knowing that they could never have garnered the ability to have that many beautiful women in their life. Some point fingers at Tiger with a feeling of letdown. Whatever your emotions are towards Mr. Tiger Woods, let us remember that he is a man. He has feet of clay. He has human nature and a good dose of it like so many of us have. According to God's law of love, he sinned. He IS guilty.
Jesus ran into this same situation in John chapter 8 when he was faced with a woman who was an adulteress and fornicator and sinner. Jesus had any number of men around her that judged, condemned her, and "sentenced" her. Jesus just knelt down in the dirt and wrote on the ground, apparently the sins of those men, and then looked up at her with all of her accusers gone and said, " Woman, I do not condemn you, go and sin no more." Jesus is all about second chances. All about forgiveness even if the second chances take the form of 70 times 70 . They are all forgiven and another chance is held out. Perpetually. Forgiveness is a permanent thing with Jesus. He died for all of our sins and weaknesses including Tiger Woods'.
Being a man, I can understand Tiger's raging hormone battle and desire for fruit on other pastures. That doesn't make it right, but then again I do understand.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit accept all us where we are at all times. They do not always APPROVE of all that we do. But, in Jesus with all sin forgiven we all stand holy in God's presence through the great work and life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, our SAVIOUR.
Tiger was loved, adopted, and included in the life of God from before the foundation of the world. Eph. 1:3-14. God will always love him and desire to live forever with him. Tiger just needs to come to the point where he believes this and accepts it.
How Tiger and God work things out is their business. All we need do is pray for him and his family.
God bless,
Paul
Some look at him with envy wishing that they could with his money do the exact thing he did yet without being caught. Some look at him condemning him for his very human and base actions. Some look at him with jealousy knowing that they could never have garnered the ability to have that many beautiful women in their life. Some point fingers at Tiger with a feeling of letdown. Whatever your emotions are towards Mr. Tiger Woods, let us remember that he is a man. He has feet of clay. He has human nature and a good dose of it like so many of us have. According to God's law of love, he sinned. He IS guilty.
Jesus ran into this same situation in John chapter 8 when he was faced with a woman who was an adulteress and fornicator and sinner. Jesus had any number of men around her that judged, condemned her, and "sentenced" her. Jesus just knelt down in the dirt and wrote on the ground, apparently the sins of those men, and then looked up at her with all of her accusers gone and said, " Woman, I do not condemn you, go and sin no more." Jesus is all about second chances. All about forgiveness even if the second chances take the form of 70 times 70 . They are all forgiven and another chance is held out. Perpetually. Forgiveness is a permanent thing with Jesus. He died for all of our sins and weaknesses including Tiger Woods'.
Being a man, I can understand Tiger's raging hormone battle and desire for fruit on other pastures. That doesn't make it right, but then again I do understand.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit accept all us where we are at all times. They do not always APPROVE of all that we do. But, in Jesus with all sin forgiven we all stand holy in God's presence through the great work and life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, our SAVIOUR.
Tiger was loved, adopted, and included in the life of God from before the foundation of the world. Eph. 1:3-14. God will always love him and desire to live forever with him. Tiger just needs to come to the point where he believes this and accepts it.
How Tiger and God work things out is their business. All we need do is pray for him and his family.
God bless,
Paul
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