The Main Thing
There are two things to remember in order to keep our theology in the right perspective. The first is that God is Sovreign overall. He’s still in control. God has a wonderful plan for your life. He had a wonderful plan for his son’s life… his plan for Jesus’ life was for our redemption. This plan included the Jesus’ righteous innocent death in exchange for our sinful life.
The second thing is that God is good. He’s a good, good father. Even though the sea billows roll, it is well, it is well with my soul. Despite trials and tribulations of this world, count it all joy when you encounter trials, for the testing of your faith will produce endurance and maturity in Christ. Therefore let tribulation have its perfect work. Peter needed to be tested to find out that in himself, he was not sufficient to serve his Lord.
Would God’s plan for America be better if God blessed America… or would his plan be better if America realized her demise. Isaiah 55 says, My ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the Apostle Paul said, “my purpose whether life or death is for the further progress of the gospel.” Therefore count it all joy to endure suffering for the Lord.
The purpose of our lives is the “great commission.” Jesus said before his ascension, “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them…and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.” Making disciples is the purpose and the calling of the church, the called-out of God. Our Lord’s question is, “Can I trust you with the gospel?” Paul said, we have been given the gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Salvation is the free gift of God. The gospel of the good news is that Jesus came to rescue and deliver those who are perishing.
When the trial comes, Jesus said, “I will see you through”… He said, “my peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. Not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Therefore in the words of Paul, “I press toward the mark of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
We are the church, the called-out of God as His living epistles. We are God’s love letters, written not with ink or in tablets of stone, but engraved in the tables of our heart. Our profession or “confession” means to “speak the same thing.” Profession means to walk the talk and talk the walk. As men of God, our calling is to “practice what we preach.” We’re the only sermon some people will ever see and hear.
Men of God place themselves under authority and order ordained by God. Our loving Heavenly Father will “break us from the world.” Therefore count it all joy when you fall into diverse trials and temptations. For when tribulation has its perfect work you shall be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. Jesus said, blessed are they when men shall revile you and persecute you for my sake, for great is your reward in heaven.
Our purpose and our calling is to make disciples of all men. We are the plan. For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which he has prepared beforehand for us to walk therein. For it is God who works in you to will and to do of His good pleasure.
William Booth had trained his troops in the Salvation Army for two years to teach and preach in India. At their commencement he said, “It would have been better to have shown them five minutes in hell.” We need to be shaken to confront the reality of impending death before we can focus on the solution. To understand the solution we must first acknowledge, “Houston, we have a problem.” The main thing as fellow laborers with Christ, is our great commission… to “snatch God’s elect from the jaws of hell” by sharing the gospel message of salvation with urgency. The gospel message is that Jesus Christ is the solution to the problem of sin and death… for he who was without sin was made the perfect sin sacrifice on our behalf that we may be made the righteousness of God in him.
May we ever live to the praise of the glory of his grace!
Your brother in Christ,
Michael