Ten Reasons Why Christians Should Focus More on the Gospel than Politics by Greg Stier

1. Politics change. The gospel doesn’t (Matthew 24:35.)
2. The gospel will transform our politics, not vice versa (Romans 12:1, 2).
3. It’s what Jesus calls us to do (Acts 1:6-8.)
4. We are citizens of a different kingdom (Philippians 3:20.)
5. It’s what the early church focused on (Acts 4:23-31.)
6. It attacks the root of evil and not just the fruit of it (Romans 1:16.)
7. Politics can divide the body of Christ while the gospel will unite us (Philippians1:27).
8. The gospel calls us to pray for politicians we disagree with, not hate them (1 Timothy 2:1-4).
9. The gospel brings political action soaked in love and humility, not pride and arrogance (Romans 13:1-8.)
10. Politics are a reflection of the moral compass of a society. The gospel gives society a new compass that is accurate (Titus 3:1-5.)

*My point is, not that we should avoid politics as Christians, but that we should focus more on the gospel (Greg Stier, 10 Reasons Why Christians Should Focus More on the Gospel Than Politics, The Christian Post, May 16, 2012).

WE ARE A PEOPLE FOR GOD’S OWN POSSESSION

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:9-10).

Someone called me last week and, in true humility, spoke about his unworthiness as a believer. He didn’t want anyone to think of himself higher than they ought to think. I read him this passage. Think about this for a moment.. God knows us. He knows what we have done. He knows the true condition of our hearts. He knows that we are prone to malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, slander (verses 1-3) and every other sin that’s out there. He knows that we do these things habitually, even after we have believed in his Son. Yet he caused us to be born again; he called us; he gave his Son for us who purchased us with his precious blood. And now he looks upon us as a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession.

Just think that as unworthy as we are, Christ redeemed us with his precious blood. God chose us. God treasures us. We were not his people and he showed us mercy. We are royalty to him. He considers us a holy nation. We are his possession. He called us out of darkness, that is, everything that is opposed to him and called us into his marvelous light, everything that characterizes him. He has called us to proclaim his excellencies. This is our God!

When you are going through the dark valleys, these words give us hope. We are children of the king. We belong to the sovereign God of the universe. The creator of the universe laid down his life for us and shed his precious blood on the cross for our sins.

WHY BIBLE STUDY DOESN'T TRANSFORM US http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/tgc/2012/05/07/why-bible-study-doesnt-transform-us/

The Man Behind the Ministry

The Man Behind the Ministry

OF FIRST IMPORTANCE

To a church full of believers, Paul wrote to remind them of that which he considered to be of first importance…that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…(1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Foundational to our faith is the message of this good news, a message Paul received from the Lord himself (I Corinthians 11:23). Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures. The Scriptures are saturated with this truth so much so that we can say that this is at the center of everything God has communicated to us. All Scripture points to the cross of Christ. From the first redemptive promise in Genesis 3:15 to the well-known prophetic promises of Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, the Old Testament looks forward to God incarnating himself through the Son. The Gospels begin with, focus upon and conclude with Christ, who clearly communicated his sole purpose in coming into the world: to give his life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).
He was buried. This statement simply attests to Christ’s death. He died; therefore, he was buried. They made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death… (Isaiah 53:9). Paul used Christ’s burial as an analogy of our spiritual death to sin as we were resurrected to a new life though Christ: We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. Simon Kistemaker makes the following point: “The Greek uses the past tense to describe in a single action in the past for Jesus’ death and burial. But for the verb to be raised the Greek has the perfect tense to indicate an action that occurred in the past but has lasting relevance for the present…That is, Jesus was raised from the dead and continues his life in the resurrected state” (Simon Kistemaker, New Testament Commentary, I Corinthians, page 530).
The gospel, Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, is at the heart of apostolic preaching. Paul went so far as to say this: if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain (I Corinthians 15:14). He continues with the sober reminder that apart from the resurrection, we are still in our sins and of all people most to be pitied (I Corinthians 15:17, 19).
Tim Keller writes the following: “The gospel has been described as a pool in which a toddler can wade and yet an elephant can swim. It is both simple enough to tell to a child and profound enough for the greatest minds to explore. Indeed, even angels never tire of looking into it (1 Peter 1:12).”
May the Spirit of God give us a love for the gospel and the proclamation of this good news. It is our only hope and the only hope of those God has placed in our lives.

SHEPHERDING THE FLOCK OF GOD

Two weeks ago our elders communicated with our church family that we are making a commitment to a more organized and better effort in shepherding the people of God at Patterson Park. In our worship services on Sunday, January 22, we began a short series of sermons on the subject of Shepherding God’s Flock. In the final chapter of John’s gospel, Jesus told Peter to shepherd his flock; feed my sheep. In Paul’s final words to the Ephesian elders, he spoke of his own example to them and admonished them to: Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood (Acts 20:28).
What I want you to notice in that statement is not so much the responsibility of the elders, though we will talk about that, but the reference to whom the elders are to care: the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. Though we probably know the facts about the death of Christ, his blood that was shed for our sins, the fact that our redemption from sin was accomplished at the cross, I think we sometimes still lose sight of the fact that we are so treasured by God, so loved by him, so precious to him, that he bought us and made us his very own by the price of the blood of his Son, Jesus Christ, who died for us. By virtue of Christ’s death on the cross for our sins and our faith in him as our only Savior, we are the church of God. We belong to him. He obtained us with his blood.
Patterson Park Church is not our church, though we often refer to the church we attend as our church. The church does not belong to us, though many of us have supported the church financially. The church does not belong to the leadership, though we in leadership carry a responsibility for the well-being of the church. We are the church of God and so treasured by him that he obtained us by the blood of his Son.
Scripture describes those who belong to Christ the following ways: God’s chosen people; the bride and the body of Christ; a people for his own possession; members of the household of God; a dwelling place for God by his Spirit.
Therefore, the role of Christ’s under-shepherds is incredibly important. We are called to care for, feed, nurture, and lead those whom Christ has obtained by his blood. It is a weighty and sobering responsibility. As our Shepherd, everything God does in our lives reveals his loyalty to us and how deeply he cares for us and for our spiritual well-being. Consequently, the goals and roles of shepherds ought to be the same; to work toward the spiritual well-being of those God has entrusted us to serve.
Our elders look forward to a renewed effort to serving the people of God at Patterson Park Church as Christ’s under-shepherds.

RESOLUTIONS

Making resolutions for the New Year is a common practice for many of us. Many of our resolutions are an attempt at correcting bad habits of the past year. One web site suggests that the most common New Year’s Resolutions are related to eating habits, physical exercise, financial and time management, etc. For most of us, changes in regard to bad habits in those areas will be healthy and productive.
For followers of Christ, resolutions center around spiritual matters. We resolve to read through the Bible, pray more, get involved in a ministry, and focus more on that has eternal value and brings glory to God.
At the young age of 18 to 19 years old, Jonathan Edwards, a relatively new believer, wrote 70 purpose statements for his life that have commonly come to be known as “Resolutions.” Below are the first of his resolutions, which speaks in a comprehensive way of all his resolutions. Thought the language is characterized by the day in which he lived, 1703 to 1758, the truths he communicates are worthy characteristics for us to embrace.
“ Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God’s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriad’s of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever.”
May God grant us all the wisdom to know what glorifies him most, and pursue that with all our might.