For years, because of budget limits, we just kept patching
up the old heating and cooling systems at our Christian school property. “Bubble gum and Band-Aids” was my name for our
‘maintenance plan.’ We fixed a motor
here, a burner there, a relay switch again – and for a decade we made it work. The
nearly $100, 000 required for new equipment was out of reach. There were
failures of equipment when the load was greatest. We knew the old units were inefficient.
The biggest concern for the 30 year old equipment was that one day there would
be a breakdown beyond repair. I was a
joyful Pastor on that day when the resources for replacements finally became
available. In one week all the old units
were torn out and replaced with new ones. No more worries, at least for now!
Are you trying to live your Christian life with incremental
adjustments to your life, a kind of “Bubble
gum and Band-Aids” approach to discipleship? Are you patching up your prayer
life, only to sense a lack of worship? Then, you make a valiant effort to get
to church, only to find that you are unable to focus? So you work on fixing that, only to become
more aware of temptation… and so it goes.
Jesus gave us words that some find hard to understand that address this very
issue. “No one sews a patch of unshrunk
cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old,
making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he
does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will
be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.” (Mark 2:20-22, NIV)
What does the Master mean?
We cannot experience the fullness of God’s salvation by patching
ourselves up here and there, by trying to squeeze a little “Jesus” into our
lives that are still lived around the values and loves of the old Self. We must
be made new, transformed by the power
of God, so that we are fit to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The old religion
of sin and guilt is replaced with a whole new experience of love and devotion. A
lot of “Christian” teaching is just self-help psychology repackaged. What it
comes down to is try harder, think positively, and work on strategies to
restrain harmful habits. There is
nothing wrong with working at being a ‘better’ person. But, that is not to confused with the Life of
Christ.
The Gospel is the message of the Kingdom come, of a whole
new way to know God – one that does not rely on doing good things, but rather
receives the grace of the One, Jesus Christ, who IS Good. It’s not an earned
accomplishment, it is a gift of faith. It is not about patching ourselves us
but about the work of the Spirit transforming us from the inside out. "What this means is that those who
become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the
old life is gone. A new life has begun! All
this newness of life is from God, who brought us back to himself through what
Christ did. And God has given us the task of reconciling people to him. For
God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting
people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to
tell others." (2 Corinthians 5:16-19, NLT)
The Christian life is about glory not guilt. We are people fully assured, because of
Christ’s work on our behalf, of God’s love and acceptance. From that Truth we grow into beautiful
people, whole and holy!
Are you new in
Christ or just patched up? On this
Monday morning, let the Spirit make you
new. You need not settle for religion
when God holds out the offer of a relationship!
Here is a word from the Word. "Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink,
or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath
day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however,
is found in Christ." (Colossians 2:16-17, NIV) “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These are all destined to
perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings. Such
regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed
worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they
lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence." (Colossians
2:21-23, NIV)
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1-2, NIV)
"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1-2, NIV)
____________
This Is Amazing Grace
Who breaks the power
of sin and darkness?
Whose love is mighty
and so much stronger?
The King of Glory, the
King above all kings!
Who shakes the whole
earth with holy thunder?
Who leaves us
breathless in awe and wonder?
The King of Glory, the
King above all kings!
Who brings our chaos
back into order?
Who makes the orphan a
son and daughter?
The King of Glory, the
King of Glory!
Who rules the nations
with truth and justice,
Shines like the sun in
all of its brilliance?
The King of Glory, the
King above all kings!
This is amazing grace,
This is unfailing love,
That You would take my
place,
That You would bear my
cross.
You laid down Your
life
That I would be set
free,
Oh Jesus, I sing for
all that You've done for me.
Worthy is the Lamb who
was slain.
Worthy is the King who
conquered the grave.
Worthy is the Lamb who
was slain.
Worthy is the King who
conquered the grave.
Worthy, worthy, worthy!
Jeremy Riddle | Josh Farro | Phil Wickham
© 2012 Phil Wickham Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
Seems Like Music (Admin. by Music Services, Inc.)
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