Good Things To Constantly Remember...Gospel Things...

I read a quote today that reminded me of the Gospel of Jesus' gracious love.

"The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good,
but that God will make us good because He loves us."
-C.S. Lewis

As I read it I was reminded of a similar quote by Andrew Murray...

"God does not love us because Jesus died on the cross for us...BUT...
Jesus died on the cross for us BECAUSE God loves us."

...and last but not least a paraphrase of a quote from Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Church in New York City.

"The Christian doesn't obey in order to be accepted by God...but because he is already accepted by God, because of what Jesus has already done [suffering, death, and resurrection], the Christian is empowered to obey..."

Man-made religion is what man offers to God, his good works, his efforts, his righteousness...

Biblical salvation is what God does for man...God becomes man, God suffers, God dies, God raises from the grave, God gives us a new heart, God forgives, God empowers, God restores, God renews...God Reigns!!

City Of God versus City of Man

Have we learned the lesson that Saint Augustine tried to teach Christians 1600 years ago?

We cannot equate the city of man [good ol U.S of A] with the City of God [Christ kingdom/church]...

Rome was beginning to be greatly influenced by the City of God...but it wasn't that City...

Is Rome a superpower today...HA, ha, ha...yeah right...far from it...

And yet the city of God continues to grow...continues to gradually put all of Christ's enemies under Jesus feet.

Do NOT put your trust in the U.S.A's political structure...salvation and peace will not come from there.

Christians need to once again put their trust in the Lord...to invest in Christ's kingdom...the Church...believing Jesus' words that He is building His church and the gates of hell will not be able to withstand the churches onslaught...

This building is accomplished in and through God's people...

The church is built by Christians remembering their Lord's mission...to reach out to a lost world that is dire need of a Saviour...loving the unlovely...being patient with them in all their faults [as the Lord is with His people], befriending them, sharing with them the Bread of Life..

This building is also accomplished by Christians striving for unity within the church...a unity that is founded upon the Truth of God's word...and worked out in the Spirit of that Word [love, gentleness, patience]...

The onslaught of the church will not be the Church exalting herself over the culture...or separating herself from the culture...

The church will triumph by loving her enemies...seeking their well being...serving them and doing them good...just as her Head has done before her...