Live the Gospel!

“God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone, but also on trees and in the flowers and clouds and stars.” ~Martin Luther

Brothers,

The quote above tells of how we can see the work of God all around us. Mark 16:15 says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” We are clearly called to share the “Gospel” with unbelievers, but what is the Gospel? It can be summed up in two words: Jesus Christ. Whenever we evangelize, these two words should be the words we speak the most. Without them, there is no good news. The Gospel starts with the creation of the world and the Fall. Sin entered the world, but salvation was promised one day through a descendent of Adam. This Savior was Jesus Christ who was incarnated in the flesh, was crucified, and rose again on the third day to pay the penalty for man’s sin. The Gospel, Jesus Christ, is the cornerstone of our lives and He should permeate our speech, lifestyle, dress, actions, thoughts, and ideals. Remember the Gospel. Live the Gospel!

Your brother in Christ,

Nick

“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary, use words.” ~St. Francis of Assisi

"He who hates correction is stupid"

Dear Corey,

Proverbs 12:1 says, “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” We must learn to love correction. Only those who love knowledge will receive instruction. Sometimes we feel that we will appear stupid if we ask how to do things. But if we don’t ask, we are already stupid. We need to be able to set aside our pride and learn. God hates the proud. Proverbs 11:2, “When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom.” We see that to have the wisdom that is from above we must be humble. If we are proud we not only care about what we look or seem like, but we can also cause problems; by not doing the job right, etc. We need to set aside our pride to gain wisdom. Think of someone you know that is wise. Is he proud or unwilling to receive correction? No. That person is probably humble and willing to receive correction. Examine yourself; are you willing to receive correction?

Your BIC,

Nick

He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins

Corey,

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” ~1 John 1:9

God is great; He has saved us from condemnation. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23) He sacrificed His Son so we could be saved and He forgives our sins. Not only does He forgive our sins, but He washes us pure with His blood. But at the same time, we need to repent of our sins. 1 John 1:10 says, “If we say we have not sinned we make Him a liar and His Word is not in us.” One of the best prayers in the Old Testament is Psalm 51. It’s a long passage, so I won’t put it all in here, but it is the prayer David prayed to ask forgiveness for taking Bathsheba and killing her husband. It is a great example of the type of prayer we should pray to ask forgiveness for our sins. David admits his sin, he regrets his sin, he pleads for forgiveness, and he believes God will forgive and forget his sins. While we know God will forgive our sins, we need to repent of doing them.

Your brother in Christ,

Nick

Faith is the substance of things hoped for...

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for. The evidence of things not seen.” ~Heb. 11:1

Dear Corey,

Throughout the Bible we are told that faith is vital. Matthew 17:19-20 says, “Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it [the demon] out?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’” A long passage, but it shows that we must have faith. Throughout his ministry, Jesus said, “Because of your faith, you have been healed.” Hebrews 11 shows major characters in the Bible and their faith. Here’s a partial list:

Abel – By faith he offered a more perfect sacrifice than Cain.

Enoch – By faith, Enoch was taken away without death.

Noah – By faith, built the ark.

Abraham – By faith, offered up Isaac.

Isaac – By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau.

Jacob – By faith, blessed Joseph’s sons.

I leave you with Hebrews 11:6,

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

Your brother in Christ,

Nick

Trust in the Lord's strength, and His alone

Dear Corey,

“No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by the strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.” ~Ps. 33:16-17

Our strength is not in any material thing. Not armies, not in strength, not in knowledge, not in anything except the Lord. We cannot trust in ourselves. We can trust in God; He is our only hope of salvation. Our sins are forgiven and we are saved by the grace of God.

“Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.” ~Ps. 33:20

Just remember, our strength is not in any possession that we own. It is only in God.

Your BIC,

Nick

Trust in the Lord

Dear Corey,

This week when I was reading my Bible, I came across this verse, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Prov. 3:5) Sometimes we can believe in God, but still trust ourselves to be able to do the job. Whatever comes we need to trust in the Lord and not in ourselves. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find myself thinking, “I can do this.” (Note the “I”) But then later I will realize that I had the wrong attitude. We need to not lean on our own understanding, but realize that even what we know is from God.

Your brother in Christ,

Nicholas