By: Undre Griggs, Jr. Through Jesus Christ, Christians have the ability to accomplish many feats. Sometimes these achievements are common and admirable, but other times they will be seen as impossible and arduous. Hebrews 13:15-17 (ESV): Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. No matter the situation, Christians are expected to “continually” offer “sacrifices of praise to God”. When providing a few examples of what these sacrifices may look like, the first is the words we speak. It is tempting to get into debates and arguments over matters we believe we have the advantage, but it that bringing glory to God? When we accomplish something amazing, do we take credit or do we give the credit to God? Even when we are singing praises in His name, are we singing with all our heart, or are we just reciting the word without considering about the meaning? To constantly commit to using our voice to provide glory to God’s name is a sacrifice of praise to God. Galatians 6:10 (ESV): So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. The next two are examples of sacrifices you make for others in the name of Christ. When we find ourselves with the opportunity to help someone in need, we are encouraged to make that sacrifice. We see the consequence of someone unwilling to do so when we look at the parable of the Sheep and Goat. Jesus said how we treat the least among us is how we treat Him (Matthew 25:45). So when someone calls you because they need help moving, think of it as if Jesus were asking for your help. The second example is the sacrifice of “obeying your leaders and submitting to them”. To submit to anyone requires a touch of patience and a lot of humility. You must be humble in your interaction and respect their wishes more than your own. Keep in mind that sacrifices are not easy (that is what makes them sacrifices), but it does not mean that they are impossible. Stay focused on pleasing God and everything else will take care of itself.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. Stealing and taking from others is wrong. We all understand we should be willing to work for what we want in life. The apostle Paul takes it a step further when explaining why stealing is wrong. Ephesians 4:28 (ESV): Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. The apostle Paul wants the church to understand it is not enough to make an honest living. Those who have are expected to share with those in need. Paul wants to make sure Christians understand it is not enough to abstain from wrongdoing, but we are to live a righteous life. As James says under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works”. By faith, we will share our blessings with others in need. It is faith in Jesus Christ that reminds us all of our blessings come from above, and that we have an obligation to use it to further His kingdom. When we give to those in need, we provide a testimony to the righteousness of God. Acts 20:35 (ESV): In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ We have the ability to help on an individual basis or through our donations to the church. The church uses the money it receives to spread the word of God. This can be accomplished through support of local shelters and Christian schools; as well as supporting the needy within their congregation. We also have the ability to provide support on a personal level. We can see someone in need and contribute to that need. Individuals may choose to raise money for someone who was in a car accident and needs surgery. They may bring food or fill up the gas-tank of someone who recently lost their job. Someone may support training or paying down a hospital bill of a member who cannot afford to pay for it on his or her own. The best way I have heard it stated is this; getting into heaven is not as much about what you are not doing as much as it is about what you are doing. We do not have the ability to earn our way into heaven on our own. It is not about sinning fewer times than another, as the wages of all sin is death. It is the action of accepting Jesus Christ in baptism that provides us the ability to be saved. Naturally, abstaining from wrongdoing is a good thing and expected from God. However, the expression of our faith through our actions is what truly reflects Christ to others.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. As Christians, we understand the cost of sin to be death. As people who live in the world, we understand that all sin is not seen as equal. The world will say that nobody is perfect to justify the complacent response to sins that “everyone” commits. One of the more downplayed sins of the day is the sin of gossiping. When asked which is worse: gossiping or murder; gossiping or adultery; gossiping or stealing – the answer rolls off the tongue in each case. Gossiping can be seen as a small thing, but in actuality its consequences are just as great. Instead of which is worse, what if the question were... Which sin will erode trust among peers? Proverbs 11:13 (ESV): Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered. Which sin could make your religion worthless? James 1:26 (ESV): If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Which sin does God consider wasting time? II Thessalonians 3:11-12(ESV): For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Which sin will ruin friendships? Proverbs 16:28 (ESV): A dishonest man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends. Gossiping is saying something that we should not be saying (1 Timothy 5:13). We often find gossiping comes when we believe someone mistreated us, or someone is getting away with something. We feel compelled to take matters into our own hands, but the Bible says vengeance belongs to the Lord (Romans 12:19). We have to trust Him when He says all things done in darkness will come to light (Luke 8:17). We do not get a license to sin because we believe someone mistreated us. We do not have the ability to categorize sins as small or large. We are commanded not to let corrupting talk come out of our mouth and there is no exception for, “unless you have a good reason”. If you encounter a problem, you have to speak with that person first; if that doesn’t work add a witness; and if that doesn’t work, bring it to the congregation (Matthew 18:15-17). Too often we start by speaking to the masses instead of the individual. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. Cain, like so many of us, wants God to be pleased with the work he is doing. Also like so many of us, Cain was trying to do things according to his own preferences, instead of obeying God’s will. Genesis 4:3-5 (NIV): In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. We find from the account in Hebrews 11 that Abel’s faith was the reason his offering was better than Cain’s. Abel provided God the “firstborn of his flocks”, while Cain offering God “some of the fruits”. Hebrews 11:4 (NIV): By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. While it is not explicitly stated, it would seem God believed Cain understood what was expected of him. Like any parent, God is not pleased when His children do not obey His directions; even if they complete the task. If we want our children to buy a loaf of bread, they cannot take it upon themselves to purchase a pack of cheese with the change. As Christians, we cannot add or ignore the guidelines found in the Bible and expect God to be pleased with us. We have an understanding that obedience to God is how we show Him that we love Him. John 14:23 (ESV): Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. If we ignore His words and fail to meet His expectations, God wants us to know He is not pleased with us. Jehovah is a just and fair God, and as such, He will reward us if we do right and walk the path of righteousness. If we do wrong, like Cain, we open ourselves up to sin and that can lead us down the path of destruction. Stay strong, show your love to God through obedience, and do not lean on your own understanding. Genesis 4:6-7 (NIV): Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
By: Undre Griggs, Jr. This is the question that God asked Jonah after he was not happy with the mercy God showed the people of Nineveh (Jonah 4:4). Jonah was a preacher who believed his personal feelings about sinners were more important than God’s longsuffering that all should be saved. Jonah seemed to believe if the people of Nineveh were informed of God’s displeasure with them, they would surely repent… and he was right. Jonah 3:7-10 (NKJV): And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying, Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it. The story of Jonah is a lesson of obedience, humility, and understanding what we are trying to accomplish. If our goal is to save the lost, then we shouldn’t be upset when an “enemy” becomes an “ally”. As Christians, we may occasionally find ourselves judging an action (even against the faith) as unforgivable. When that happens, we may stop thinking about how to save him or her, and start thinking about what fiery judgment awaits them. Vengeance belongs to the Lord, but we should not be hoping or find pleasure waiting for anyone’s destruction. We shouldn’t feel so comfortable that we say, if this Bible study doesn’t work, there is nothing else I can do to help them. Imagine if God had that same attitude. Imagine if God said, if I take them out of the land of Egypt and they still worship idols, I don’t know what to do? We must remain humble and understand how fortunate we are that God sent His son to die in our place. We must celebrate every time a soul is saved and mourn every time a soul is lost. We must find joy, not frustration, in the fact that our God is gracious and merciful towards all His creation. Jonah 4:1-2 (NKJV): But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in loving kindness, One who relents from doing harm.
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Dean Road
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