GOSPEL NUGGET #323

Edsa Revolution

I was a youngster when Edsa happened. I could remember people going out of their homes and streaming the streets of Cebu.

They have had it. They braved the streets and boldly and openly censured the former Philippine strongman, Ferdinand Marcos. They took umbrage at Marcos for his abuses. They all had this enough-is-enough look on them.

They were carrying banners, placards, posters and a number of other things. They were one voice in crying him down. Emotions were running high. Written across their faces were the marks of anger and disappointment.

I never saw anything like it. It was radical and revolutionary. It truly shook the foundations of the Philippines. They rocked Marcos' boat and he really felt it.

My friend, repentance is like that. That was a good illustration of repentance. Repentance is a revolution against sin. It is a radical change of attitude against the sin that so gripped and dictated our lives.

It is not a mere superficial, moral, surface and external reformation. No, but a change of attitude towards sin that you go from loving it to hating it and desiring deliverance from it.

Have you experienced an "EDSA revolution" in your heart against sin? And did you, as a result, come to Christ, trusting in Him alone and what He did on the cross for salvation and deliverance?

GOSPEL NUGGET #322

Laying On A Bed And Saving Faith

Saving faith is much like laying on your bed. You did not break a tad of a sweat in the construction of your bed. Someone else (the carpenter), not you, made it. You did not even earn it. Somebody paid it for you if you are a youngster. It was simply given to you for free, say, by your parents.

After a long day in school, you go home and then lay there on your bed and enjoy the soothing rest it brings. And that is exactly an illustration of saving faith!

You don't work to get saved. The Lord Jesus Christ said to God the Father: "I have finished the work which You have given Me to do." (John 17:4) As to the work of salvation, He further guarantees: "It is finished!" (John 19:30)

The blessed Carpenter of Nazareth was the one who worked and finished the "bed" for you. Now, all you have to do is REST ON IT. SIMPLY REST ON THE FINISHED WORK OF ANOTHER! Put the whole weight of your soul's salvation to it and rest on His finished work completely!

Tit 3:5 NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us...

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been SAVED THROUGH FAITH, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
9 NOT OF WORKS, lest anyone should boast.

Ro 4:5 But to him who does NOT WORK but believes/trusts on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness...

GOSPEL NUGGET #321

Blessed For Joseph's Sake

Ge 39:5 So it was, from the time that he had made him overseer of his house and all that he had, that the LORD BLESSED THE EGYPTIAN'S HOUSE FOR JOSEPH'S SAKE; and the blessing of the LORD was on all that he had in the house and in the field.

The Egyptian here whose name is identified as Potiphar (you will know if you read the entirety of the chapter) was blessed not because he earned it. Not because he deserved it. Not because he worked hard for it. No, he was blessed by God on account of Joseph. The reason for his being blessed lies in someone else not him.

Many have yet to learn that God can bless someone not because of who and what they are, but simply and entirely because of another. This is nothing but the rudiment of salvation!

Many attempt to earn God's blessing of salvation through religious efforts, charitable works and great sacrifices. This could never be.

God only saves sinners like us not because of what we do but because of the greater Joseph, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was He who died on the cross and earned and made salvation available for us for free.

Now, all we have to do is receive it by faith in Him. And if you do receive it, you will be saved not because of you but because of Jesus!

GOSPEL NUGGET #320

What's It Being A Christian? 

Many people have this common misconception that being a Christian is primarily about adopting certain precepts, principles and practices to live by. That it is about embracing a certain moral code, ethic or behavior as a lifestyle. A sort of moral reformation that one implements on one's own self. 

That's like training a dog to act like a human being in order to be one. That's like tying apples on a mango tree so that it might become an apple tree. That's like equipping a dead person with mechanical devices in order to make it robotically move and act like its alive. That's like a guilty criminal inside a prison cell acting like he's free.

No. No. No.

* The dog must become a new creature (a human being) so that it can truly act like one.
* The mango tree must become a new creation (an apple tree) so that it can truly bear apples.
* The dead man must be given life before it can truly act and move like a living person.
* The guilty criminal must be pardoned in order for it to be truly free.

Being a Christian is being truly born again (John 3:7). It is becoming truly a new creation created anew by God, a transformation (2 Cor. 5:17). It is having a new divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) It is being truly alive from the dead (Eph. 2:5) It is being truly pardoned and forgiven and redeemed and set free (Rom. 8:1, Eph. 1:7) It is a supernatural work that only God can do (Eph. 2:10).

These are spiritual realities that cannot be seen but are nevertheless real in the eyes of God. As real as the material things we see around us.

All these become real to us the moment we repent and trust in Christ alone for salvation. Be a Christian by putting your trust in Christ in order to truly act like a Christian. Do not act like one to be one. That's impersonation.

GOSPEL NUGGET #319

1Co 13:5 (Love) does not seek its own...

There are many who claim to love God and yet seek their own.
* Many people do good works for God because they want salvation in return for SELF.
* They make huge sacrifices in their lives because they believe that somehow they can earn a place in heaven for SELF if they do it. 
* They give donations to charity, make pilgrimages, do fasting etc to somehow gain brownie points so that SELF can escape the fires of hell.

This is "loving" God not for the sake of God, but for the sake of self. The motivation behind all these things is to seek one's own advantage. It is actually tossing bouquets of flowers heavenward to God, knowing fully well that it will land back to you.

This is not really a love relationship, this engaging in trading business! This is saying: “I love you because I need you. I want to get something from you in return.” This is simply using God for SELF.

And that is why God’s salvation is never given this way. God wants a true love relationship with us.

One of the reasons why salvation is given freely as a gift by His grace, by His undeserved favor, through faith, and not of works, is because after receiving this kind of salvation, we can truly focus fully and wholly on pleasing God for God’s sake.

When you as a sinner, worthy of God’s judgment, will be given salvation freely as a gift, as an undeserved favor from God, your response will only be that of gratitude towards Him. You will be melted by His goodness and His love. You can’t help it but love Him back.

This time, you will want to please God for God’s sake. You will want to obey His commandments to solely please Him and not to get something in return for self.

GOSPEL NUGGET #318

What Is The True Church?

"Church" comes from a Greek word that refers to people who were called out for a purpose. Church of God simply means the called out ones of God. From what and to what are they called out?

1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who CALLED YOU OUT of darkness INTO His marvelous light

They were called out from a life of spiritual darkness of sin and ignorance of God. But now, having heeded the call, they are now transferred into His marvelous light. The light of salvation and knowledge of God in Christ Jesus.

How were they called out?

2Th 2:14 to which He CALLED YOU BY OUR GOSPEL, for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God calls through the preaching of the Gospel. The Gospel refers to the good news that Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead (see 1 Cor. 15:1-4). Every time to you hear this message, God is calling you to come to Christ in repentance and faith. He is calling you to put your trust in Christ and what He did on the cross.

When you do that, you have heeded His call. You become part of a people who were called out from spiritual darkness to the light of God's salvation and knowledge of Him. You have become part of the true church.

Are you a part of the true Church? In other words, have you repented and trusted in Christ and what He did on the cross alone for salvation?

Be a part of the Church of God now. Membership is free. All you have to do is repent and trust in Christ alone for salvation.

GOSPEL NUGGET #317

Having eternal life is similar in a lot of ways to having natural life. God gave us natural lives as a gift. We never earned our natural lives. 

We never contributed anything to God to make it happen. We never worked for it.

Our natural lives are not rewards for something we did before we were given it. God never said: "I am going to create you and give you life because you were religious, you did a lot of good works, you did charitable deeds etc."

How could we do these things when we never existed in the first place?

In the same way, eternal life is a gift from God. In the eyes of God, a sinner is spiritually dead. He can never contribute anything to effect it. He can never work for it. It is not given as a reward. It is offered free. And you can have it by faith in Christ.

Ro 6:23 ...the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Joh 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes/trusts in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

GOSPEL NUGGET #316

Abandoned To Sin

Ho 4:17 "Ephraim is joined to idols, Let him alone.

God has no obligation to save sinners. When He saves, it is always from a gracious heart. Salvation is His undeserved favor to a sinner, not His duty to a sinner.

As such, He can justly leave and abandon a stubborn sinner to his sins, after exercising long-suffering and patience. God does not always strive with man to bring him to repentance. A time comes in a stubborn sinner's life that God withdraws from him and abandons him to his sin.

Re 22:11 "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still..."

Ro 1:24 "...God also gave them up to uncleanness..."
Ro 1:26 "...God gave them up to vile passions..."
Ro 1:28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting

As someone said: "There are two kinds of people in the world today. Those who say to God: 'Your will be done' and those to whom God says: 'Your will be done.'"

Know that it is God who grants repentance (see 2 Tim. 2:25). The reason why any sinner can repent is because of God's granting. He illumines your mind, He grants you the desire to repent and frees up your will in bondage to sin and grants you the ability to repent.

But if you stubbornly refuse to repent, God can justly remove these things and He will leave you to the sin you have chosen and embraced.

Do you still feel the tug in your heart to repent? Do you have this desire to repent and come to Christ in repentance and faith? Don't put it off. Don't delay. You maybe a step away from crossing the red line.