People want to feel supported and safe at work – and inspired to innovate. What can people working at large corporations do to create this kind of environment? Saskia Mureau is the Director of Customer Digital at the Port of Rotterdam where she is harnessing digital systems to reduce emissions. She is passionate about creating inclusive workplaces where psychological safety and collaboration drive meaningful change. In this episode, Kamila sits down with Suchi to talk about why she chose to work at large corporations rather than startups. Saskia also reflects on her personal experiences, including navigating IVF while at work, and discusses how organizations can foster environments where employees feel empowered to bring their whole selves to work. Links: Saskia Mureau on Linkedin WHO infertility research BCG 2024 report on psychological safety in the workplace Suchi Srinivasan on LinkedIn Kamila Rakhimova on LinkedIn About In Her Ellement: In Her Ellement highlights the women and allies leading the charge in digital, business, and technology innovation. Through engaging conversations, the podcast explores their journeys—celebrating successes and acknowledging the balance between work and family. Most importantly, it asks: when was the moment you realized you hadn’t just arrived—you were truly in your element? About The Hosts: Suchi Srinivasan is an expert in AI and digital transformation. Originally from India, her career includes roles at trailblazing organizations like Bell Labs and Microsoft. In 2011, she co-founded the Cleanweb Hackathon, a global initiative driving IT-powered climate solutions with over 10,000 members across 25+ countries. She also advises Women in Cloud, aiming to create $1B in economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs by 2030. Kamila Rakhimova is a fintech leader whose journey took her from Tajikistan to the U.S., where she built a career on her own terms. Leveraging her English proficiency and international relations expertise, she discovered the power of microfinance and moved to the U.S., eventually leading Amazon's Alexa Fund to support underrepresented founders. Subscribe to In Her Ellement on your podcast app of choice to hear meaningful conversations with women in digital, business, and technology.…
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เนื้อหาจัดทำโดย Gary Henry เนื้อหาพอดแคสต์ทั้งหมด รวมถึงตอน กราฟิก และคำอธิบายพอดแคสต์ได้รับการอัปโหลดและจัดหาให้โดยตรงจาก Gary Henry หรือพันธมิตรแพลตฟอร์มพอดแคสต์ของพวกเขา หากคุณเชื่อว่ามีบุคคลอื่นใช้งานที่มีลิขสิทธิ์ของคุณโดยไม่ได้รับอนุญาต คุณสามารถปฏิบัติตามขั้นตอนที่แสดงไว้ที่นี่ https://th.player.fm/legal
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Obeying the Gospel: How (and Why) to Become a Christian
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เนื้อหาจัดทำโดย Gary Henry เนื้อหาพอดแคสต์ทั้งหมด รวมถึงตอน กราฟิก และคำอธิบายพอดแคสต์ได้รับการอัปโหลดและจัดหาให้โดยตรงจาก Gary Henry หรือพันธมิตรแพลตฟอร์มพอดแคสต์ของพวกเขา หากคุณเชื่อว่ามีบุคคลอื่นใช้งานที่มีลิขสิทธิ์ของคุณโดยไม่ได้รับอนุญาต คุณสามารถปฏิบัติตามขั้นตอนที่แสดงไว้ที่นี่ https://th.player.fm/legal
Why would a person want to become a Christian? And what actually goes into making that commitment? For the non-Christian, the podcast talks about the commitment required of those who seek salvation in Christ, and for the Christian, it emphasizes the need for an ever-growing faithfulness to the commitment that was made in the past.
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32 ตอน
ทำเครื่องหมายทั้งหมดว่า (ยังไม่ได้)เล่น…
Manage series 2848197
เนื้อหาจัดทำโดย Gary Henry เนื้อหาพอดแคสต์ทั้งหมด รวมถึงตอน กราฟิก และคำอธิบายพอดแคสต์ได้รับการอัปโหลดและจัดหาให้โดยตรงจาก Gary Henry หรือพันธมิตรแพลตฟอร์มพอดแคสต์ของพวกเขา หากคุณเชื่อว่ามีบุคคลอื่นใช้งานที่มีลิขสิทธิ์ของคุณโดยไม่ได้รับอนุญาต คุณสามารถปฏิบัติตามขั้นตอนที่แสดงไว้ที่นี่ https://th.player.fm/legal
Why would a person want to become a Christian? And what actually goes into making that commitment? For the non-Christian, the podcast talks about the commitment required of those who seek salvation in Christ, and for the Christian, it emphasizes the need for an ever-growing faithfulness to the commitment that was made in the past.
…
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32 ตอน
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×THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (JANUARY 17) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/light-world-january-17/ "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'" (John 8:12). SINCE THE BEGINNING OF HISTORY, LIGHT AND DARKNESS HAVE BEEN UNIVERSAL SYMBOLS. Light stands for truth/goodness; darkness stands for untruth/evil. When Jesus said He was the “light of the world,” He was claiming to be the only truth through which the darkness of evil can be dispelled. If it was untruth that led us away from God, we can’t come back to Him without coming back to the truth. So Jesus boldly said: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). To receive God’s forgiveness, we must believe the truth found in His Son, Jesus Christ. Certainly, we must embrace the truth of who Jesus is. But we must also believe the truth that Jesus revealed about God, His Father. And what is more, we must accept the truth about ourselves and our need for reconciliation with God. The joyful truth about God’s salvation will have little impact if we haven’t digested the sorrowful truth about our alienation from Him. Both the sinful truth about ourselves and the saving truth about God require honesty and courage. We must be willing to know the truth (this requires honesty); then we must be willing to obey the truth (this requires courage). At all costs, the truth must be accepted — the truth must be acted upon, no matter how hard it is. And for this very reason, not many people are willing to be saved by the truth. “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). Many of us have been quick to point out the failures of other people’s honesty and courage. But what about us? Even more to the point, what about me personally? Am I willing to hear whatever I need to hear, and am I willing to go wherever I need to go? Confronted by the Great Physician (both His diagnosis and His treatment plan), a bold choice has to be made. We can have the comfort of staying in denial (and be lost) or we can accept the discomfort of the truth (and be saved). Initially, reality can be hard to deal with. But our only alternative is to stay in denial and die in sin. "Darkness is my point of view, my right to myself; light is God’s point of view" (Oswald Chambers). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
WITH WHAT ATTITUDE SHOULD WE COME TO JESUS? (JANUARY 16) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/what-attitude-come-jesus-january-16/ "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28). THE GOSPEL ALWAYS HAS AN INVITATION ATTACHED TO IT. Jesus’ invitation is, “Come to me.” In His day, however, some came to Jesus seeking things other than what He offered, some came for wrong motives, and some were simply unwilling to accept Jesus’ conditions and commandments. In our day, people still “come to Jesus” for a wide range of reasons. So let’s ask this: in the New Testament, who were those who came to Jesus and were received by Him? If we expect Jesus’ welcome, how should we come? SEEKING THE FORGIVENESS OF OUR SINS. Jesus could not have been clearer about the purpose of His mission. His blood would be “poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). God is certainly the Giver of many gifts, but the forgiveness of sins (and consequently the hope of heaven) is the only blessing promised to all who are in Christ and only to those in Christ. If we come looking for “loaves and fishes,” we will hear Jesus say, “Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you” (John 6:27). COMMITTING OURSELVES TO JESUS’ LORDSHIP. If treason is the problem, fixing it surely requires that we lay down our rebellion and return to God as our rightful King. Doesn’t that make sense? If we’re not ready to quit saying My will be done and start saying Thy will be done, we’re not ready for what Jesus offers. As a Christian, Paul went so far as to say, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). This is life’s greatest commitment. But as I’ve said, the gospel is always framed as an invitation. God doesn’t force us to accept His forgiveness — He invites us to do so. Yes, a most serious commitment is required in order to receive His gift, and yes, if we refuse the gospel, we won’t escape the justice of God’s penalty for our sins. But may we never forget what we have lost and what God wants to give back to us. In Christ, our Father is offering to give us nothing less than Himself. Forever. "In commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy him" (C. S. Lewis). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
SHARING THE FAITH (JANUARY 15) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/sharing-faith-january-15/ "Tell everyone God’s message. Be ready at all times to do whatever is needed" (2 Timothy 4:2 ERV). IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, ORDINARY CHRISTIANS WERE EVANGELISTIC. It wasn’t just the evangelists — everybody “preached the Good News about Jesus wherever they went” (Acts 8:4 NLT). Even under persecution (especially under persecution, it seems) the followers of Jesus spread the word of forgiveness and eternal hope. Today, it is tragically true that we who follow Jesus are not as evangelistic as they were. We are reluctant to talk about the gospel, and most of us rarely do it except when we’re in the company of fellow believers. We have disengaged from the world in such a way that we have little evangelistic impact in our communities. To be sure, not everyone is equally adept at talking with strangers, nor is every member of the Lord’s church equally skilled at teaching. In the body of Christ, as in a human body, “the members do not all have the same function” (Romans 12:4). But how can we enjoy the benefits of the gospel ourselves and not want to do something to share those benefits with other people? In some kind of personal way, we should want to reach those around us with the message that has brought us such great joy. We can at least do what Jesus told the man to do in Mark 5:1-20. In that account, Jesus had healed a man of his demonic possession, and in profound reverence and gratitude, this man wanted to get in the boat and accompany Jesus back across the Sea of Galilee. But Jesus wanted him to do something even better: “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you” (v.19). If nothing else, we can explain what convinced us the gospel is true. “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15 NIV). If we had our own doubts, we can tell others what truths overcame those doubts. For those forgiven of their sins, sharing the faith is not optional. There is no alternative. If we bottle up our faith and keep quiet about it, as if we were ashamed of Christ, our faith will die. "Our faith grows by expression. If we want to keep our faith, we must share it" (Billy Graham). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
KEEPING THE FAITH (JANUARY 14) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/keeping-faith-january-14/ "When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose" (Acts 11:23). SADLY, SOME PEOPLE MAKE A COMMITMENT TO CHRIST, BUT THEY GET TO WHERE THE COMMITMENT DOES NOT MEAN ANYTHING TO THEM. They do not “remain faithful to the Lord,” as Barnabas urged the new converts in Antioch to do. And the New Testament is clear about the consequence of unfaithfulness: to go back on our commitment to Christ is to go back to being lost. The writer of Hebrews said that ”we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:14). Jesus did not mince words about our commitment to His salvation. He said, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62). So anytime we talk about obeying the gospel, let’s also talk about continuing to obey it. “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). Until the victory is fully ours, we must . . . continue. Few of the virtues we might adopt are more important than faithfulness. To be reliable is one of the finest things in life. And, of course, to be a traitor is one of the most despicable. So we should aspire to trustworthiness and steadfastness in our commitment. We can count on God; He should be able to count on us also. For persons broken by sin as we are, learning God’s character — allowing Him to remake us — is a growth process that takes time. In Christ, we “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Surely we must not give up before the process has reached its goal. Ultimately, it is love and gratitude for grace that will keep us faithful. Forgiven, we want to grow. We want to continue. Our most fervent desire is to be all our Father wants us to be, forever. Thine am I, I was born for thee, What wouldst thou, Master, make of me? Give me death or give me life Give health or give infirmity Give honor or give obloquy Give peace profound or daily strife, Weakness or strength add to my life; Yes, Lord, my answer still shall be What wilt thou, Master, have of me? (Teresa of Ávila) Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
DYING WITH CHRIST (JANUARY 13) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/dying-with-christ-january-13/ "The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him" (2 Timothy 2:11). THE LITTLE WORD “IF” IS A POWERFUL WORD. If salvation depends on dying with Christ, it’s important to know what this means. BAPTISM. If it is in baptism that we die with Christ (Romans 6:3,4), we should not expect the benefits of Christ’s death unless we’re willing to die with Him in this way. But there is more. INTENT TO DIE TO SIN. The objective fact of God’s forgiveness of our sins at baptism is accompanied by a subjective fact in our hearts: we intend to die to sin. That is, we commit ourselves to walking “in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). Just as Christ died on the cross, the condemnation for our sins is removed when we die with Him in baptism. But it is not only the guilt of our sins in the past that must be done away with; the practice of sin in the present must also die. This part of dying with Christ must not be left out. We must decide that our old practices are dead and gone. PUTTING SIN TO DEATH DAILY. Having died with Christ in baptism and committed ourselves to living rightly, we must carry out that commitment on a daily basis. Our dying with Christ is a fact (it happened when we were baptized), but it is also a command. It was not to the unbaptized but to those who had died with Christ that Paul wrote, “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you” (Colossians 3:5). We may have been quite sincere in turning to Christ, but Satan will keep trying to destroy us — so “put to death what is earthly in you” is a command we will never get finished obeying in this life. The older devotional writers used to talk about the “daily mortification of the flesh,” and perhaps we need to get back to that kind of thinking. You may prefer more modern words than “mortification,” but don’t ever underestimate this aspect of dying with Christ. So let’s come back to that little word “if.” According to Paul, we will live with Christ “if” we have died with Him. We would not have been baptized into Christ “if” we had not decided to die with Him. It was a choice. And our old self will not stay dead “if” we refuse to let go of what used to be important to us. We must deny ourselves and take up our cross. That is also a choice. "You will be dead so long as you refuse to die" (George MacDonald). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
MAKING THE COMMITMENT (JANUARY 12) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/making-commitment-january-12/ "Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, 'See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?' And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him" (Acts 8:35-38). IF (1) GODLY SORROW IS MOVING US TO SEEK GOD’S FORGIVENESS, (2) WE BELIEVE JESUS CHRIST IS THE ONE SENT BY GOD TO SAVE US, AND (3) WE ARE WILLING TO BEGIN A LIFE OF REAL TRUST, WHAT SHOULD WE DO? A commitment to God must be made through Jesus Christ, and we have talked about counting the cost of that. But if we are ready, what must we actually do to make the commitment required by the gospel and receive all its joyful benefits? REPENTANCE. It would make no sense to seek the forgiveness of sins which we refuse to give up, so God requires that we lay down our rebellion and pledge allegiance to His rule. The gospel is a message of “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 24:47), and that means committing ourselves to a changed life. CONFESSION OF FAITH. Christ’s acknowledgment of His true identity cost Him dearly, and He requires that we be equally open about our faith in Him. The apostle Paul wrote, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). BAPTISM. In Colossians 2:12, Paul wrote that we are “buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.” If we are presently “in Christ,” it was in baptism that we moved from condemnation to salvation — our forgiveness was not the result of the water itself or any meritorious quality of our obedience; it was our “faith in the powerful working of God.” As you can see, there is something special about the act of baptism. Whether we understand God’s purpose in this or not, He has made baptism the doorway, or division, that separates the old from the new. In the gospel of Christ, it is in baptism that our sins are washed away (Acts 22:16). Urgently viewing Christ’s command to be baptized, and trusting the Father to forgive us, we commit ourselves to Christ by dying with Him in baptism (Romans 6:3,4). "Baptism points back to the work of God, and forward to the life of faith" (J. Alice Motyer). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
TRUSTING OUR FATHER (JANUARY 11) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/trusting-our-father-january-11/ ". . . for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13). SIN IS THE RESULT OF FORSAKING THE TRUST WE WERE MEANT TO HAVE IN GOD. We see it first in the Garden of Eden, where as soon as Adam and Eve’s confidence in God’s goodness had been broken, they were willing to violate His will to get what they wanted (Genesis 3:1-6). Since then, the problem of sin has always been the same, and we’re all guilty of it. Failing to trust that God’s way is best, we’ve rebelled and committed treachery to get satisfactions we think are better than those God’s way would allow. If a broken trust in God is the root of sin, it makes sense that for the problem of sin to be fixed, trust is going to have to be put back in its rightful place. That is why faith is so important in God’s plan for our restoration to His fellowship through Jesus Christ. Faith begins with simple belief, an acceptance of the factual truth about God. But based on belief, faith also means trusting that God is good, His commands are always going to be better than our will, and in the end He is waiting for us in heaven if we will adhere to His plan for our redemption. When our immediate circumstances seem to cast doubt on these truths, it is only trust (based on the solid evidence of God’s trustworthiness, especially in Jesus’ resurrection) that will keep us faithful to our Father. I love Adam Litmer’s definition of trust: “unwavering belief that God’s way is always the right way, without exception . . . and that our lives will always be best lived when lived for His glory.” If we reject the “obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5), there is no salvation for us. We must dispense with the doubts about God and His law that started us down the path of disobedience in the first place. Abraham is the great example of trust. “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8). Because he believed, Abraham obeyed. At God’s bidding, he risked everything he had in this world because he trusted God’s promise. And today, we can’t be God’s friends without banking on the promises of God as Abraham did. "The pith, the essence of faith lies in this — a casting oneself on the promise" (Charles Haddon Spurgeon). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
COUNTING THE COST (JANUARY 10) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/counting-cost-january-10/ "For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?" (Luke 14:28). BEFORE EMBARKING ON A PROJECT, MOST PEOPLE THINK ABOUT WHETHER THEY ARE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE. Halfway through the work is not a good time to start wrestling with whether the results are going to be worth the sacrifice. We should have already done that. So Jesus said those considering obedience to His gospel should “count the cost.” It is disastrous not to do so. When it comes to following Christ, however, we don’t know what the cost is going to be, at least not specifically. We know that it may be very costly — in fact, it may cost everything that’s valuable to us in this life — but when we are baptized into Christ, we can’t see very far down the road. All we know is that Jesus requires a commitment that holds nothing back. “If anyone would come after me,” He said, “let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34,35). So to “count the cost” would be to ask whether we’re willing to make that kind of commitment and then keep the promise even if it kills us. Are there limits to our submission to His authority? Are there any conditions or fine print in our contract with Him? Is there anything we wouldn’t do if following Him required us to do that? These are deep, heart-probing questions, and the serious disciple is one who answered them decisively before he made his commitment. Solomon said about promises in general, “It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay” (Ecclesiastes 5:5). If all we can say is “maybe,” we insult the God who is our Savior. We shouldn’t be surprised that there is a cost to be counted. If rightful love for God is what the gospel calls for, that response will be costly. Love requires sacrifice, and the higher the love, the bigger the sacrifice. But what is the alternative? If we turn away from the gospel because of the costliness of the love it requires, there is nothing left but lesser loves — counterfeits that offer little more than disappointment, having cost us little more than what was convenient. So will we rise to the highest love, pay its price, and receive its joy? There is no more fundamental or far-reaching question in this world. "True love is always costly" (Billy Graham). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
GRIEVING OUR SINS (JANUARY 9) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/grieving-our-sins-january-9/ "For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death" (2 Corinthians 7:10 NKJV). IN AN AGE WHEN “FEELING GOOD” OUTRANKS EVERY OTHER VALUE, IT IS HARD FOR MANY TO SEE THAT OUR FIRST RESPONSE TO THE GOSPEL MUST BE GRIEF. Yet if the gospel is about redemption from our sins, we are not ready for what the gospel offers until we see our sins for what they are and grieve them in a godly way. Nowadays, the purpose of the gospel is often perverted. No longer do people understand it to be about the remission of sins and the restoration of a right relationship with God. It is no wonder, then, that godly sorrow and repentance are minimized in modern preaching. Nevertheless, the gospel is about sin. Godly sorrow grieves the treachery we have committed against God. And it alone produces the repentance that leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10). In the life of Christ, it is interesting to note who the people were whom Jesus welcomed. It was not the poor, the underprivileged, or the oppressed per se. These social statuses meant little to Jesus unless people in these conditions came penitently — seeking His forgiveness with godly sorrow. If they came with this attitude, they were welcomed, but no more than people from any other status who came with the same penitence. Jesus was looking for those who saw their need for His forgiveness, regardless of their external circumstances. So if we ask which people would be “blessed,” Jesus said it was “the poor in spirit . . . those who mourn . . . those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:3-6). To those whose hearts were not broken by sorrow for their own sins, Jesus had nothing to offer of any unique or lasting value. But if the first thing the gospel produces is sorrow, doesn’t that “negative” message turn people away? For some, it certainly does. It did in Jesus’ day, and it does now. But let’s not misunderstand. The gospel is the most positive “good news” the world has ever heard. But it produces the joy of forgiveness only when a person has first gone through the process of godly sorrow. It gives us a new beginning, nothing short of a “new birth.” But the new life comes only after a conversion that is bathed in bitter tears. "Repentance is not a fatal day when tears are shed, but a natal day when, as a result of tears, a new life begins" (Ilion T. Jones). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
HEARING THE TRUTH (JANUARY 8) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/hearing-truth-january-8/ "Take care then how you hear" (Luke 8:18). IF THE GOSPEL HAS A PREREQUISITE, IT IS THAT WE MUST BE WILLING TO HEAR IT. The process that the gospel was meant to initiate can go no further if there is anything that filters it out of our thinking. Whatever else it may be, the gospel is a message, and like any message, the gospel requires not just a hearing but a fair hearing. First, we must be open to being persuaded. No amount of evidence will be enough if, deep down, we are simply unpersuadable. The adage is true: there are none so deaf as those who will not hear. So we must be “easy to be entreated” (James 3:17 ASV) or “open to reason” (ESV). The gospel won’t have a chance if we don’t give it a chance. So how open are we? Will prejudicial filters block the gospel out of our hearts? Are there any up-front limits on how far we would follow Jesus if the gospel is true? Truth demands from us two qualities of character: honesty and courage. The question “What is true?” has to do with the facts. Getting the right answer to that question requires honesty. But the more important question is “What are we going to do with the truth?” Responding to truth takes courage, and here is where we stumble. When the truth calls for a difficult response, we hide from it, as Adam and Eve did following their sin (Genesis 3:8-10). There are two different truths we must hear: the sinful truth about ourselves (the gospel’s diagnosis of our malady) and the saving truth about God (the gospel’s plan for our restoration). The second will mean little to those who have rejected the first, and the first is extremely uncomfortable. Confronting our sinfulness is painful, but the truth can’t save us if we’re unwilling to face the problem. Without the bad news, the good news will not be good. Above all, we must guard against defining truth in terms of what we want the truth to be. Without recognizing it or admitting it to ourselves, we often reject ideas as untrue when there is no objective reason to do so. We simply don’t prefer them to be true. But the truth is what it is — regardless of our preferences. And the more painful a truth may be to accept (at least in the short term), the more we must be adventurers — going wherever the truth leads us. "The truth is not always what we want to hear" (Jewish Proverb). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
THE HOPE OF THE GOSPEL (JANUARY 7) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/hope-of-gospel-january-7/ ". . . if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven" (Colossians 1:23). HOPE IS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL TRAITS WE CAN POSSESS. Without it, we languish, but with hope, almost no obstacle can keep us from our goal. And one reason the gospel of Christ is the greatest of all messages is that it offers the greatest of all hopes. In Christ there is the prospect of a perfect, eternal relationship with God when our lives right now have run their course. Unfortunately, the hope of the gospel is often misrepresented in modern evangelism. Rather than the forgiveness of sins and the restoration of a right relationship with God, the point of the gospel is often said to be the diminishing of injustice and suffering in the world. Even worse, some say the gospel is about “health, wealth, and happiness” — as if God’s primary intent in the sacrifice of His Son was to provide us a path to prosperity and earthly comfort. Make no mistake, the Christian will help anyone who is suffering, if he can. In the words of C. S. Lewis, “[The gospel] does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history, you will find that the Christians who did the most for the present world were those who thought most of the next.” But the gospel is not about our secondary problems; it’s about our sin. Fixing that problem, the gospel offers the thing we need more than anything else: eternal fellowship with the God who made us. In an age like ours, we need to grasp anew the grandeur of the gospel’s hope. We must cherish it for the treasure it is, maintain it at all costs, and reach forward to it every day. Our beloved brother Paul had his priorities straight: “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13,14). May heaven mean no less to us than it did to him. "God speaks to the crowd, but his call comes to individuals, and through their personal obedience he acts. He does not promise them success, or even final victory in this life. The goal of the adventure to which he commits them is in heaven. God does not promise that he will protect them from trials, from material cares, from sickness, from physical or moral suffering. He promises only that he will be with them in all these trials, and that he will sustain them if they remain faithful to him" (Paul Tournier). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
CONTINUING TO OBEY THE GOSPEL (JANUARY 6) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/continuing-obey-the-gospel-january-6/ "You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth?" (Galatians 5:7). PAUL’S QUESTION “WHO HINDERED YOU FROM OBEYING THE TRUTH?” WAS ADDRESSED TO A GROUP OF CHRISTIANS. He was concerned about some in Galatia who, having been baptized into Christ, were turning away from the truth. They were no longer obeying the gospel, and Paul was worried about their salvation. Beginning with the initial response to the gospel that brings one into a forgiven relationship with God, the Christian embarks on a lifetime of obedience. It is not too much to say that “obeying the gospel” defines everything the Christian does. Every obedient thought, word, and deed is a grateful response to the good news of what God has done in Christ to save us. But if it is possible to obey the gospel, it is also possible to quit obeying it. Faithfulness to God and gratitude for His grace are not automatic; we have to choose to live this way. And the Scriptures are clear: if we quit living in obedience to the gospel, we will go back to being under condemnation for our sins. The Letter to the Hebrews, for example, is a powerful warning against apostasy and a plea to remain true to Christ. It was written to some in the first century who were becoming unfaithful and were in danger of losing their hope of heaven, just as many in Israel left Egypt in the Exodus but failed to reach Canaan because of unfaithfulness (Hebrews 3:12-4:11). So becoming a Christian involves making a commitment. To “confess” Christ is not merely a statement that we believe the truth of the gospel — it is a promise of obedience to His will for the rest of our lives. That is a serious commitment, obviously, and Jesus urged us to “count the cost” (Luke 14:25-33) before we make it. Reading the New Testament even briefly, we can see there are two phases or stages in obeying the gospel: first, we accept God’s forgiveness on His terms, and second, we live the rest of our lives under the lordship of Christ. To do the first but not the second is to deny Christ. Paul put it succinctly: “As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him” (Colossians 2:6). So the question is not just whether we’ve accepted Christ at some point in the past — it’s also whether the gospel is what we’re obeying right now. "There are two things to do about the gospel — believe it and behave it" (Susanna Wesley). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
OBEYING THE GOSPEL (JANUARY 5) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/obeying-the-gospel-january-5/ ". . . in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thessalonians 1:8). THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST IS THE “GOOD NEWS” OF GOD’S SALVATION. But at this point, we encounter a misconception that is firmly lodged in the minds of many people: the notion that the gospel is unconditional and requires no response on our part. Now certainly, anything we might do would be no more than a response to what God has done. Having cut ourselves off from God by our sins, there is absolutely nothing we could do to work our way back to Him. Paul says that “while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6 NASB). That, however, does not mean the gospel requires no response. It is a message, but it is a message that must be responded to. In the absence of the response required by God, the benefits of the message should not be expected. As I remember hearing preachers say when I was a child, “The gospel contains facts which must be believed and commands which must be obeyed.” If we leave out either the facts or the commands, the gospel is no longer good news. The expression “obey the gospel” should not be scoffed at or minimized. It is biblical language. More is involved than just our initial obedience (see tomorrow’s reading), but if we’re lost in sin, our initial obedience is our most urgent concern. We are wanting to enter the realm of God’s grace, so in the New Testament, what does the gospel say we must do? First, we must believe the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (John 8:24; 11:27). Then, we must repent of our sins (Acts 3:19), confess our faith (Romans 10:9,10), and be baptized in order to receive God’s forgiveness (Acts 22:16). The gospel confronts us with a decision that is nothing less than life’s biggest decision. If we refuse God’s terms of pardon, we will have condemned ourselves by the stand we’ve taken. Jesus said, “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day” (John 12:48). The gospel is a gracious invitation from God, and it is open to every person. But the invitation has to be accepted, and God has not left it to us to decide what the conditions of that acceptance will be. "No one is excluded from the gospel. But many are excluded by the gospel" (Karl Barth). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST (JANUARY 4) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/gospel-jesus-christ-january-4/ "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God" (Mark 1:1). WHEN THE TIME CAME AND GOD BROUGHT TO COMPLETION HIS PLAN TO PROVIDE SALVATION, THE PLAN WAS COMMUNICATED IN WORDS. In the Scriptures, this announcement of the deliverance from sin that God made possible is called the “gospel.” It is an interesting fact that God chose to use the medium of human language as He did. Crucial to His rescue plan was its communication by means of words from one person to another. In 2 Corinthians 5:18,19, Paul refers to the work of the apostles as the “ministry of reconciliation,” and he calls the gospel the “message of reconciliation.” The NIrV aptly paraphrases this as “the message that people may be brought back” to God. And in Ephesians 1:13, Paul said the joys of salvation came to his readers only after they heard “the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” The gospel, then, is not a magical or mysterious feeling — it is a message. But here is the important (and indispensable) point: the message is about Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus that God is offering salvation. In 2 Corinthians 5, we hear Paul affirming that “in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself” (v.19). And concerning Christ, God “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (v.21). The message that God has opened up the way for us to be forgiven — and that Jesus is the Messiah (or Christ) through whom this was accomplished — is “good news.” Indeed, it is the best news the world has ever heard. In the familiar story of Jesus’ birth in the Gospel of Luke, we hear the angel saying to the shepherds in the field, watching their flocks at night, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (2:10,11). These are wonderful words. “Though you do not now see him, you believe in him,” Peter wrote, “and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8). What could make our hearts sing with greater joy than knowing God has made it possible for us to come back to Him? "Euangelion (which we call gospel) is a Greek word, and signifies good, merry, glad, and joyful tidings, that makes a man’s heart glad, and makes him sing, dance, and leap for joy" (William Tyndale). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
SALVATION (JANUARY 3) View on Website -- https://wordpoints.com/salvation-january-3/ "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:15). EVEN BEFORE SIN BROKE THE PERFECTION OF GOD’S CREATION, GOD HAD FORMULATED A RESCUE PLAN. A descendant of Adam and Eve would crush Satan, the one who had lied to them, enticing them to sin: “he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” As it turned out, this One would live a perfect life and then die a sacrificial death. Not deserving death, He would die anyway, “that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery” (Hebrews 2:14,15). To hear that God has provided a way for us to be rescued is “good news” indeed. The New Testament uses the word “gospel” (“glad tidings”) to refer to this plan. But it will not seem like particularly good news until we have understood the seriousness of the problem it proposes to solve. Unless we see what it means to have rebelled against God, to be separated from Him, and to be under the penalty of death both now and forever, we will not be receptive to the message of salvation. The terribleness of the problem is what makes the solution so amazing. We must hear the fearful news of our doom before we can rejoice at the good news of our deliverance. But once we face the eternal tragedy — and utter agony — of being lost, the fatherly love that moved God to provide for our deliverance will bring us tears of joy. He could have abandoned us to the consequences of our choice, but He was not willing to do so. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We can’t fathom the kind of love that would prompt such a sacrifice — we can only respond to it thankfully. But let us be clear: it is from sin that God proposes to save us. Sin is the root from which all the lesser problems in the world grow, and sin is what the gospel is about. In the gospel, salvation is not about the amelioration of social ills or earthly maladies. It’s about the forgiveness of our sins, and after that, learning to live again in reverence and gratitude toward the Creator who loves us. "Salvation is bringing back to normal the Creator-creature relation" (A. W. Tozer). Gary Henry - WordPoints.com + AreYouaChristian.com For more information, visit http://AreYouaChristian.com…
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