Grace Digest

I once spoke in a small church in Alabama and after my address I was approached by a man (whom I would learn later was the least spiritual church member I had met in years) and he declared I was “sound”. I am still not sure what he had in mind when he made that pronouncement but I have an idea. I didn’t know if I should consider it a compliment or not. I have since learned that most of the time the word “sound” applied to a preacher, teacher, or writer in church of Christ circles is simply code for saying “this fellow adheres to the tenants of the traditions and doctrines of the church of Christ”. I hardly fit the pattern, (no pun intended)

Many of those of us “with like precious faith” speak in code and for the uninformed it can be tricky. The term “like precious faith” is also a reference to compliance with church of Christ traditions first, and perhaps sometimes secondarily means what Peter intended when he penned those words in 2 Peter 1:1. The first time a gentleman used that term while speaking to me it was clear that he did not have in mind the righteousness that comes from God through Jesus Christ but rather another church of Christ. Trust me; they are not necessarily the same.

Following this same train of thought, what do you suppose is usually means when someone references “the Lord’s church”? My limited experience indicates that it always means only the churches of Christ. “The Lord’s church” is the church universal or “catholic” to be precise, which consists of ALL of those who have been saved. In that church there are no labels, but only that whose whole trust was, or is, in Jesus for eternal life and forgiveness of sins. I have a shocking news bulletin for you! There will be folks in heaven who were not members of a church of Christ on earth or any Restoration Movement church for that matter.

One of my favorite code phrases is “change agent”. I proudly wear that one myself. I was given that distinction by a fellow whose whole life it seems is given to defending a cappella singing in worship with a few less weighty matters thrown in for good measure. I dared to send an email disagreeing with him and that made me a “change agent”. I am in good company with two of the most famous being Max Lucado and Rubel Shelly. A “change agent” is not one who is leading folks into apostasy and unbelief but rather one who is preaching salvation through Christ alone sans any good works. How dare they! Recently a fellow spotted a book or CD by Lucado in a church and quickly informed the shocked brother that Lacado had “left the church”, again using church of Christ traditions interchangeably with the body of Christ universal.

Isn’t it odd that the labels sometimes appear to be backwards? For instance, Max Lucado preaches salvation by grace though faith in Christ alone and is labeled a “change agent” or “liberal”. While on the opposite end of the spectrum someone who teaches another gospel, which is not another, and teaches a mixture of trusting Christ and good works for salvation is called a “conservative”. That is strange to me. Is it conservative to abandon the historic, biblical, gospel of Jesus Christ just as those men Paul dressed down in his letter to the churches of Galatia? I think not. Back in the 1930’s it was “liberals” who were denying the deity of Jesus, teaching a works based salvation, and even denying the resurrection of Jesus. Now those same sorts of folks are labeled “conservative”. Odd at best in my view.

Time and space is limited so I will not attempt to mention all the labels people if our faith community have given each other over the last several decades. There are many of them. What are some of your favorites? Or, perhaps I am wrong, where?

Thanks for reading,

Royce

It is pretty clear that readers of this blog have no stomach for the fact that some church members are likely not really Christians. I know the hot button topics that garner lots of comments, like for instance weighty subjects like music in church. So I have decided to alienate the other two readers of Grace Digest by publishing a column by Ann Coulter. I am aware that it is not chic to be a conservative but then whose keeping score?

BUSH’S AMERICA: 100% AL-QAIDA FREE SINCE 2001

In a conversation recently, I mentioned as an aside what a great president George Bush has been and my friend was surprised. I was surprised that he was surprised.

I generally don’t write columns about the manifestly obvious, but, yes, the man responsible for keeping Americans safe from another terrorist attack on American soil for nearly seven years now will go down in history as one of America’s greatest presidents.

Produce one person who believed, on Sept. 12, 2001, that there would not be another attack for seven years, and I’ll consider downgrading Bush from “Great” to “Really Good.”

Merely taking out Saddam Hussein and his winsome sons Uday and Qusay (Hussein family slogan: “We’re the Rape Room People!”) constitutes a greater humanitarian accomplishment than anything Bill Clinton ever did — and I’m including remembering Monica’s name on the sixth sexual encounter.

But unlike liberals, who are so anxious to send American troops to Rwanda or Darfur, Republicans oppose deploying U.S. troops for purely humanitarian purposes. We invaded Iraq to protect America.

It is unquestionable that Bush has made this country safe by keeping Islamic lunatics pinned down fighting our troops in Iraq. In the past few years, our brave troops have killed more than 20,000 al-Qaida and other Islamic militants in Iraq alone. That’s 20,000 terrorists who will never board a plane headed for JFK — or a landmark building, for that matter.

We are, in fact, fighting them over there so we don’t have to fight them at, say, the corner of 72nd and Columbus in Manhattan — the mere mention of which never fails to enrage liberals, which is why you should say it as often as possible.

The Iraq war has been a stunning success. The Iraqi army is “standing up” (as they say), fat Muqtada al-Sadr –the Dr. Phil of Islamofascist radicalism — has waddled off in retreat to Iran, and Sadr City and Basra are no longer war zones. Our servicemen must be baffled by the constant nay-saying coming from their own country.

The Iraqis have a democracy — a miracle on the order of flush toilets in that godforsaken region of the world. Despite its newness, Iraq’s democracy appears to be no more dysfunctional than one that would condemn a man who has kept the nation safe for seven years while deifying a man who has accomplished absolutely nothing in his entire life except to give speeches about “change.”

(Guess what Bill Clinton’s campaign theme was in 1992? You are wrong if you guessed: “bringing dignity back to the White House.” It was “change.” In January 1992, James Carville told Steve Daley of The Chicago Tribune that it had gotten to the point that the press was complaining about Clinton’s “constant talk of change.”)

Monthly casualties in Iraq now come in slightly lower than a weekend with Anna Nicole Smith. According to a CNN report last week, for the entire month of May, there were only 19 troop deaths in Iraq. (Last year, five people on average were shot every day in Chicago.) With Iraqi deaths at an all-time low, Iraq is safer than Detroit — although the Middle Eastern food is still better in Detroit.

Al-Qaida is virtually destroyed, surprising even the CIA. Two weeks ago, The Washington Post reported: “Less than a year after his agency warned of new threats from a resurgent al-Qaida, CIA Director Michael V. Hayden now portrays the terrorist movement as essentially defeated in Iraq and Saudi Arabia and on the defensive throughout much of the rest of the world, including in its presumed haven along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.”

It’s almost as if there’s been some sort of “surge” going on, as strange as that sounds.

Just this week, The New York Times reported that al-Qaida and other terrorist groups in Southeast Asia have all but disappeared, starved of money and support. The U.S. and Australia have been working closely with the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, sending them counterterrorism equipment and personnel.

But no one notices when 9/11 doesn’t happen. Indeed, if we had somehow stopped the 9/11 attack, we’d all be watching Mohammed Atta being interviewed on MSNBC, explaining his lawsuit against the Bush administration. Maureen Dowd would be writing columns describing Khalid Sheik Mohammed as a “wannabe” terrorist being treated like Genghis Khan by an excitable Bush administration.

We begin to forget what it was like to turn on the TV, see a tornado, a car chase or another Pamela Anderson marriage and think: Good — another day without a terrorist attack.

But liberals have only blind hatred for Bush — and for those brute American interrogators who do not supply extra helpings of béarnaise sauce to the little darlings at Guantanamo with sufficient alacrity.

The sheer repetition of lies about Bush is wearing people down. There is not a liberal in this country worthy of kissing Bush’s rear end, but the weakest members of the herd run from Bush. Compared to the lickspittles denying and attacking him, Bush is a moral giant — if that’s not damning with faint praise. John McCain should be so lucky as to be running for Bush’s third term. Then he might have a chance.

COPYRIGHT 2008 ANN COULTER
DISTRIBUTED BY UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE
4520 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64111

Religion by any name is not acceptable by the Holy God of the Bible. If you examine all of the well known religions of the world, and those not so well known, thee have one commonality. At the center is the human ego who wants to take credit, wants approval, wants “self” to be the center of attention. I know of no exception to this.

All egocentric efforts to be approved and accepted by God are in direct contradiction to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The only people God approves and accepts are those who have put their whole trust in His promises, who have taken Him at his Word. All whom God accepts are accepted only upon the work and merit of Jesus whose righteous life was given for those with unrighteous lives, whose body was a perfect sacrifice prepared to die the death required of everyone whose sins offended God, and upon Whom the angry wrath of God against sin was completley exhausted, so that when He rose from the dead, death, hell, and the grave were defeated. Now God declares “right” or “righteous” those who receive His gracious offer extended in the gospel. Never has God compromised his hatred and punishment for sin, the price has been fully paid.

Of this righteousness which is by grace through faith Paul asked, “Where is boasting? It is excluded”. Or he could have asked, “Where is religion? It is uselss”. Religious but lost. Who are they? Perhaps it is you or the man who has been on the same pew with you for decades. It is really simple to understand. All one must do is honestly answer only one question. On what basis do you expect to be given eternal life? If that answer includes anything that is acheived by human effort, anything that satisfies the human ego, anything that assumes the glory that only Christ deserves, you have given a wrong answer.

Jesus made a starteling statement in Matthew 7. He said in regard to the day of judgment, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.‘ (Matthew 7:21-23)

First, consider what He did not say. He never hints that they are backsliders, that they were once saved and became apostates. He does not say they were not religious folks, or not “good” people by the worlds standards. Perhaps they were “good” people even by the local church’s standards. Just what did He say?

Not everyone who claims to be a Christian is one. Not everyone who makes a profession of faith in Christ, not everyone who cries out “Lord, Lord” is saved. Also not all who do good works, even “mighty” works, or “wonderful” works are saved. And, not all the preachers and teachers will be saved. There are those who prophesy and cast out demons in Jesus name but are lost. Now, do you suppose these folks Jesus described were religious or not religious? Of course they were religious folks. They attended church, they said all the right things, they did all the right things. but were damned for hell. Why? Because they had failed to do the will of the Father in heaven. Strange you say! They had seemingly done the right stuff, perhaps they attended the “Lord’s church”, they had heard teaching, they had sung songs, they had prayed, they had given, they had taken the Lord’s Supper, but they had depended on themselves and not upon Jesus. They were religious but lost.

How many of these religious imposters are there? According to Jesus “Many”. If there are “many” who are religious actors why would you suppose that there are not some in my church or yours? It is the will of the Father in heaven that all men everywhere repent and put their whole trust in Jesus Christ the Lamb of God. Hear Jesus’ answer when asked, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:28,29) And then He explained, “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:35-40)

“Everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life.”  At hearing these words many of His own disciples turned away, they chose religion over Jesus alone. How wonderfully clear has Christ made His promises to hopeless and helpless sinners? Again and again He makes the gracious offer of Himself. Only those who trust Him alone and forsake everything else are secure for eternity.

Jesus characterized the way to heaven as “hard” and “narrow” and said that only “few” will find that way. The contrast is the road to hell which is “easy”, “wide”, and “many” are traveling on it. Yes, more lost than saved, more who trust themselves than Jesus. Remember “There is a way that seems right to a man but the end thereof is death.” That statement is still true in 2008.

What a sad condition! Religious but lost. “The wages of sin is death but the FREE GIFT OF GOD is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

Please, don’t cling to good works, religious ritual, saying all the right things, being in the right church, at the expense of the sacrifice of Jesus on your behalf. Throw yourself upon the mercy of God and trust Christ will all your heart. He will not always wait for you.

Great grace,
Royce Ogle

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31, 32)

Knowing about a person is quite different than knowing a person. I know quite a lot about Sen. John McCain but I absolutley do not know him. So it is with truth. Many of us know about the truth but do we know the Truth? Jesus said “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”  (John 14:6) Knowing dozens of facts about Jesus Christ, memorizing His words, bieng able to recite all of His recorded acts, does in no way mean that one actually knows Him. He went on to say in John 14:6 “No one comes to the Father except through me.”

No person will be rewarded with eternal life and become a child of the Father in heaven based on what they know but rather exclusively based upon Who they know. Many of us have taken great pride in our knowledge of the Bible, our ability to win a debate about it, and being adorned with the label “sound”. Sadly there will be people who will perish being “sound” in doctrine never knowing the Truth that sets the spirit free.

In the context of Jesus words above knowing Him (Truth) is a life and death matter. There are many imposters, many professors, wolves in sheep’s clothing, but few who know Jesus Christ. Do you know Him?

His peace,
Royce Ogle

A full three hours before time for church Billy Spaulding’s phone rings and when he answers a teen’s voice asks expectantly “When will you be here to get me?”  This story is repeated each Sunday morning and night as children in Bayou La Batre anticipate going to the Hemley Road church of Christ where waiting for them is warm embraces, smiles, food, and unconditional love. Billy recently told me they could have 200 perhaps each time the doors are open if they had the means to round them all up and then to care for them when they arrived.

Recently when well over a dozen of the children who are regular attenders at HR were to graduate from the eighth grade, again the phones rang and rang, and Billy Spaulding and Daphne German assured each excited caller, “Yes, of course we will be there to see you graduate”. Unfortunately, most of the parents of these kids couldn’t, (or wouldn’t) make it to the school.

On Sunday morning the first two pews are packed with bright, eager faces of teens and pre-teens, anxious to sing loudly the praise songs they have been taught, and to praise the God they are getting to know. Just a few adults and one young summer intern are there to help these kids find their way in the world, and hopefully in God’s kingdom. With very, very limited resources, the folks at Hemley Road church in Bayou La Batre have accomplised the impossible again and again but are stretched to the limit. They need other adults to come along side them, they need money for food, (the kids are seriously hungry when they come), and they need  emotional/moral support. “When will you be there?”

In a communtiy where poverty is the norm, where adult illiteracy is very high, where substance abuse is also normitave, a small group of believers are loving the people, repairing homes, feeding the hungry, and making a quiet impact on their communtiy for time and eternity. Against impossible odds they have acheived so very much, but the work ahead is enormous. “When will you be there”?

If you personally, or your church or civic group, want to reach out in a meaningful way to the poor, the broken, the truely needy, please consider a generous gift, or even better perhaps, go there and see for yourself how you can make a difference.

“When will you be here?” What will you answer?

His peace,
Royce

It saddens me to pass the news along that our friend and fellow blogger, John Dobbs, lost his 18 year old son in a tragic accident in the last several hours. John recently moved to Monroe where he is the preaching minister at Forsythe Ave church of Christ. John’s wife Maggie and his son stayed in Mississippi until he could graduate high school. John was back on the coast for his graduation this weekend. I don’t have any details at this time.

Please pray for John and Maggie and the other family members, for the Central church where John raised this young man, and for the Forsythe family as well. All of us who know John are broken by this tragic loss.

Thanks,
Royce

Have you heard these words? “I’ll never forgive him….” Or “I will never be able to forgive her for what she has done to me…” Have you heard those words? Said those words?

“Forgive” is a verb, a word that requires action. One who forgives releases resentment, or a claim against another for a wrong. One who forgives grants relief from a debt owed to him by another.

For a Christian, to forgive is not optional. God’s commands are never up for debate. And, in some way I don’t pretend to completely understand, your forgiveness and mine is tied to the way we forgive others.

“Forgive” is a verb, it is an act of the will. God has said “forgive” so don’t say “I can’t”, or “I’m not able”, or “I can never”, be truthful and say “I choose not to”. That is the truth isn’t it? God says do it and you say…….”no”?

Forgiveness is love in a different container. Love is not complete until it is given by an act, like faith, love if alone is only a warm emotion. Only when the object of your love is able to appreciate it is it complete and full. Try to forgive in the same way. Treat the person you want to forgive as if you have. Acts of kindness, greeting with a smile, never mentioning wrongs (real of imagined), but speaking only what is pure, true, and uplifting, and before you know it your heart will catch up with your mind and you will find that you have really forgiven. What a cleansing release!

Forgiveness freely given, expecting nothing in return, given even to one who is undeserving perhaps in your view, is God’s way of wiping bitterness out of your heart and mind forever.

“Forgive” as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you. Can you hear Jesus say from the cross? “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing”. The next time you are faced with the opportunity to be Christ to someone in the wrong, just forgive.

His peace,
Royce Ogle

“For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14

One sacrifice for sin all time. The offerings for sins carried out by the priests were unable to “perfect” those for whom the sacrifices were offered. The daily offerings of the priests and the annual offerings in the holy of holies could “never take away sin“ but only cover it for a while. Christ offered his own body, (prepared for him specifically for this purpose ) “once for all time and sat down at the right hand of God. His work was finished. The sacrificial system was but a shadow of the true sacrifice who would come and offer himself on the cross as final and complete payment for the sins of undeserving people.

Our eternal standing is secure. “He has perfected for all time” those who are his own. All of our sins, past, present, and future have been judged. “The wages of sin is death” Paul said in Romans 6:23. God, because He is holy and just, can not overlook sin, it must be paid for and the payment is death. Jesus died that death. All of God’s wrath against sin was poured out on Christ on the cross and the shameful events that led up to the death of the Lamb of God. The shame, the humiliation, the mocking, the spitting upon him, the beating, and finally the blood poured out, completely satisfied the justice of a holy God who hates sin and must by his very nature punish it. By this one offering of this perfect sacrifice sin is forever paid for and no other sacrifice is ever needed. We are “perfect” in Him.

God is at work in us so that we will better reflect our perfect standing with him. We are “being sanctified” Salvation is in reality a process. We have been saved from the penalty of sin, (There is therefore no condemnation..) we are being saved from the power of sin ( He who began a good work in you will complete it - sanctification), and at the resurrection we will be saved from even the presence of sin. (and so shall we ever be with the Lord ). Every benefit of salvation rests solely upon the person and work of Jesus. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.” The reconciliation is complete. The sin offerings complete. Salvation is complete.

What is our response to this grace? This verse, and this rich book of Hebrews, are only one of scores that clearly teach human effort, religious activity, and all good works are futile in gaining God’s favor. Paul said to the believers of the churches of Galatia “Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified”. In spite of this crystal clear teaching many of us live as modern day Pharisees going about trying to establish our own righteousness expecting God to grant us added favor because of what we do. Paul called depending on what you do or “works” for salvation “another gospel, which is not another“. It is a lie presented as the “good news” but it is not the “good news” for the only true “good news” is that by the offering by Christ of himself, once for all for “whosoever will” is all God will accept.

Our correct response to God’s amazing grace is to surrender all that we are to His glory and eternal purposes and to give ourselves wholly to His pleasure. In sickness and in health, in poverty and wealth, we are married to another and even death will not separate us. It is this goodness of God toward sinners that teaches us to say NO to unrighteousness and YES to what is pure and holy.

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:19-23 )

His peace,
Royce Ogle

One of the reasons we church members should give generously is so that the preacher can be paid well. I find it very odd indeed that some fringe groups do not believe in paying a preacher at all. They didn’t get that zany idea from Paul the Apostle.

“One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal 6:6-9)

I am sure that many Christians who are familiar with the passage “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap” have no idea it was written in the context of paying the preacher.

1. “The one who is taught must share ALL good things with the one who teaches.” The principal is clear, take care of the man who teaches you God’s word. One who does the work of preaching the Word invests lots of time, time that could otherwise be used to get gain.

Are you one who is taught? Then it is your Christian duty to share what you have with the person who teaches you.

2. Not doing so mocks God and is selfish. “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption.” It is clear, not sharing your bounty with the one who teaches you is a dangerous course. One who consumes all that he has upon himself and “his” own is a foolish and selfish person. His end will not be what he had hoped.

3. The one who gives is sowing to the Spirit and is doing right. “the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”  Do not become weary of giving, you are doing good. There is a reward for those who sow to the things of God, we must never give up.

What about you? Do you give as you should, and for the right motives? Someone said “The water of life is free but someone must put in the plumbing”. How true. Preachers are people too. They have the same kinds of expenses the rest of us do. Houses, cars, food, children’s educations, etc.,etc. cost the man of God just the same as you and I. If you have a good man (or men in my case) who are fulltime, faithfully doing God’s work and weekly telling you what God wants you to know, then dig a little deeper and do your part in assuring that he is taken care of.

In my view you will pay one way or another. You might pay the transmission shop, or the emergency room, or the plumber… Or you can pay the preacher. Remember, God doesn’t settle his books in December.

His peace,
Royce Ogle