"And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
- Matthew 28:18-20
I had the great privilege of hearing from a man I may be studying under at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in the Fall. His name is Dr. Alvin Reid. As I listened to him talk about being relevant to our generation I was amazed at how easily he related stuff and how easy it was to understand. This is one of the stories he told:
"Think about when you go on a mission trip. You pack your bags, you get all of your stuff ready to go and you're excited to share Jesus with people. You realize that you only have about a week or maybe a few weeks at the most to reach as many people as you can for the Gospel before the mission trip is over. Well, as Christians, imagine how great it would be if we could live with that sense of excitement and urgency every day of our lives. That we realize that we should reach out to as many people as we possibly can for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Every day is a mission trip."
When he told that story I just sat there in utter amazement as my heart sped up when I was reminded of how excited I was to go overseas to do missions. It is very true that we so often get excited about the week long or even month long trips that we go on to share with people, but that we do not have that same sense of excitement and urgency to reach out to the very people that are only an arms length away.
I have been reading many different stories of early church fathers and missionaries who gave up their very lives for the cause of Christ. One story in particular that I am reminded of involves the missionary literally having his fingernails pulled out in the enemies effort to get him to recant of his faith. But, the missionary never once denied Christ and was ultimately killed because of his faith. How cowardly are we? To live in a nation as free as the United States (although a day is coming when that may not be so) and to not be able to share the Gospel with a single soul. I pray for a huge shift in our hearts towards the evangelism of America and this world. I pray for the persecuted church as well as the church in America because we are all facing our own heartaches and trials. God will bless us if we do the work, even if it ultimately results in death.
Friends, I leave you with this last statement said by the father of the modern missionary movement, William Carey: "Expect great things (from God), attempt great things (for God)."
Let us be ever so diligent in trusting the Father's love and doing the work that He has called us to do, knowing that He always provides.
Preaching Christ Crucified,
Timothy R. Stokes
Friday, April 2, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
The Love of God and Regeneration
"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit."
- Titus 3:5
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless."
- Ephesians 5:26
"Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
- John 3:5
"And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you - not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
- 1 Peter 3:21
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
- Romans 12:2
Now, why do I start out a post with verses from the Bible when I want to speak on an issue? Well, it is because any answer that I could ever give would be insufficient otherwise. To truly understand what regeneration means and how to approach any understanding of it starts in the Scriptures - God's Holy Word.
When you look at these passages there are 4 things that you can see regeneration means:
1. You must be baptized in it
2. The Holy Spirit must be involved in it
3. It is an appeal for a good conscience through the resurrection of Christ
4. It is also the renewing of your mind
Understanding what it means to be regenerated or "born again" starts at understanding these 4 things I just mentioned above. You must be baptized in it. What does that mean? Well, you must be washed from all of the filth in your life. When you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and Him crucified and resurrected then you must be washed from all of your former nastiness and iniquities and come to the Father. These verses say that regeneration is not about the washing of the flesh, but it is a washing of the heart.
This washing of the heart, how does this take place? Well, that is through the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that He must go so that the Comforter/Counselor might come. After Jesus' atoning death on the cross you start to see the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of the believers. That is how that heart change occurs. You are washed in the Spirit. It is not just an outward change (like the hypocrites) but it is an inward change. A change far deeper than an image you could possibly portray without the inward transformation and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Regeneration is also the renewal of your mind. Many people this day and age are talking about not needing to know a whole lot about the Bible. They do not care much about doctrines and theology, but simply just want to know the basics. They do not come to church to be challenged and some do not even go to church at all because of laziness or any other excuse Satan can throw in their heads at that moment. But you see, the Bible says that we must have our minds renewed. We should always learn things for ourselves and not just blindly follow what people tell us about any given subject. But we should take what they say and digest it, think about it, study it, and find out if what they are saying is true. In order to become fully mature in our faith we must renew our minds. What is the most efficient way to do that? By reading the very Word of God. Are other resources helpful, yes, but they will never be able to transform you or inform you the way God's Word can.
Last, but certainly not least in the process of regeneration is appealing for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. No matter what we do, we must keep the resurrection in focus. The resurrection of Jesus is the central theme of the Gospel. Without the resurrection there is no Christianity. The apostle Paul says that if Christ did not resurrect from the dead than we should be considered the biggest fools on earth! We appeal to God for a good conscience and trust in Him that He can work regeneration in our lives, because if anybody can, He can. If He can raise Christ from the dead then He will stand beside us and shield us from any dart or arrow the devil will try to hurl our way. No temptation will ever be able to pierce the armor of Christ and Him crucified. Sin has been defeated...death has no more sting...and we are called to eternal life through Jesus Christ. Let this be our confession! Let us hold fast to Christ and learn to truly be regenerated day after day through the washing of the Spirit and the Word.
Preaching Christ Crucified,
Timothy R. Stokes
- Titus 3:5
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless."
- Ephesians 5:26
"Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."
- John 3:5
"And corresponding to that, baptism now saves you - not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
- 1 Peter 3:21
"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
- Romans 12:2
Now, why do I start out a post with verses from the Bible when I want to speak on an issue? Well, it is because any answer that I could ever give would be insufficient otherwise. To truly understand what regeneration means and how to approach any understanding of it starts in the Scriptures - God's Holy Word.
When you look at these passages there are 4 things that you can see regeneration means:
1. You must be baptized in it
2. The Holy Spirit must be involved in it
3. It is an appeal for a good conscience through the resurrection of Christ
4. It is also the renewing of your mind
Understanding what it means to be regenerated or "born again" starts at understanding these 4 things I just mentioned above. You must be baptized in it. What does that mean? Well, you must be washed from all of the filth in your life. When you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and Him crucified and resurrected then you must be washed from all of your former nastiness and iniquities and come to the Father. These verses say that regeneration is not about the washing of the flesh, but it is a washing of the heart.
This washing of the heart, how does this take place? Well, that is through the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that He must go so that the Comforter/Counselor might come. After Jesus' atoning death on the cross you start to see the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of the believers. That is how that heart change occurs. You are washed in the Spirit. It is not just an outward change (like the hypocrites) but it is an inward change. A change far deeper than an image you could possibly portray without the inward transformation and the work of the Holy Spirit.
Regeneration is also the renewal of your mind. Many people this day and age are talking about not needing to know a whole lot about the Bible. They do not care much about doctrines and theology, but simply just want to know the basics. They do not come to church to be challenged and some do not even go to church at all because of laziness or any other excuse Satan can throw in their heads at that moment. But you see, the Bible says that we must have our minds renewed. We should always learn things for ourselves and not just blindly follow what people tell us about any given subject. But we should take what they say and digest it, think about it, study it, and find out if what they are saying is true. In order to become fully mature in our faith we must renew our minds. What is the most efficient way to do that? By reading the very Word of God. Are other resources helpful, yes, but they will never be able to transform you or inform you the way God's Word can.
Last, but certainly not least in the process of regeneration is appealing for a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. No matter what we do, we must keep the resurrection in focus. The resurrection of Jesus is the central theme of the Gospel. Without the resurrection there is no Christianity. The apostle Paul says that if Christ did not resurrect from the dead than we should be considered the biggest fools on earth! We appeal to God for a good conscience and trust in Him that He can work regeneration in our lives, because if anybody can, He can. If He can raise Christ from the dead then He will stand beside us and shield us from any dart or arrow the devil will try to hurl our way. No temptation will ever be able to pierce the armor of Christ and Him crucified. Sin has been defeated...death has no more sting...and we are called to eternal life through Jesus Christ. Let this be our confession! Let us hold fast to Christ and learn to truly be regenerated day after day through the washing of the Spirit and the Word.
Preaching Christ Crucified,
Timothy R. Stokes
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