Talk of JESUS .com

Tag: salvation

  • This is my son

    This is my son

     “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

    I am well pleased in some things: like how hard he has worked and what he has achieved as part of his football team. In other things: I am not so well pleased.

    We know that this quote is not mine alone and that the original speaks of another Son.

    Yet I would like you to think of God our Father in a more Personal way.  I would like you to have a more personal picture of God’s only son Jesus.

    Imagine that Jesus grew up doing other things (like football) that boys and young men do as part of their preparation for what God, our Father has planned for their life.

    Can you picture our Heavenly Father saying, “I am well pleased,” when He watches every play of that football game? 

    Of course, God our Father witnessed this of his only Son: Jesus.

    You probably haven’t thought much about Luke 2 past the familiar Christmas pageant scriptures.

    Jesus of Nazareth, as he was known, was born of a virgin… And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. – Luke 2:40

    You know the story that follows: Jesus was twelve and remained in Jerusalem after His parent’s left for Nazareth without Him. We don’t know every detail of Jesus’ youth.

    God did not reveal much about this young man; but the Father watched over every game and all the challenges of His growing up in obedience to His Father and His step-father, Joseph.  Turn the page in Luke’s Gospel and Jesus’ story now continues in about his thirtieth year.  

    This is one source of our familiar quote when Jesus was baptized AND born again in the Holy Spirit (as we say; but that is a different conversation).

    Luke 3:22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

    Returning to our personal picture:

    Just like I am far from the example of a Perfect Father, our son is not the Perfect Son, either.  I am not so pleased in other things with my son; but I love him and pray for him that he will look to the Perfect example of Jesus, with whom our heavenly Father is well-pleased with all things.

    We’re thankful that David is not a ‘prodigal son.’ (We know Jesus’ story is a parable about our Heavenly Father.) Our son is not a rebellious prodigal anymore than King David was a prodigal when he sinned against God with Bathsheba.

    Our David is not the resentful son who would not rejoice with the father when the prodigal son was welcomed back to the family.  I don’t think my son resents anyone, but loves his family and friends.

    While I’m at it, David is my step-son. I am no more his father than Joseph, husband of Mary and father to Jesus’ brothers, was father of Jesus, born to Mary when she was a virgin.

    Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (you may remember) was about adoption.

    The resentful son is Israel, chosen sons of God. The prodigal son is the gentiles, nations rebellious to God before Abraham; and their descendants include most of us.

    When Jesus was born of Mary, God our Father was not pleased with the Jews.

    God was not pleased with the Gentiles (or Nations).

    Yet God through his mercy and grace, gave Jew and Gentile alike the welcome of a loving Father to the rebellious sons of the Nations AND of his Chosen family.

    “The means of grace is Christ Jesus, in whom God our Father is well-pleased.

    So why my picture of David?

    Two reasons:

    1. The Jews had become comfortable in the nostalgia of their past and worshiped King David more as the Son and the Temple as their heritage.  Jesus IS the Son AND our heritage. The Father has adopted followers of Jesus.
    2. We often fail to think of God in the way that Jesus taught – as a Personal Father to a Personal Son.  Picture our David and think of me sending my only son to the cross. This is how personal God’s love is for us.

    David is my beloved son.  His soul is a personal concern of mine.

    The Apostle Paul had adopted or mentored a son of the faith, Timothy, who followed his earthly example of righteous leadership of the church, people he loved personally like a father.  Paul writes: 

     Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 

    16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

    Imagine: Christ Jesus came into the world to save you and me. How Personal.

    Imagine: The Father condemning His only Son to the suffering and Sacrifice of the Cross for you and me. How personal.

    And imagine the confidence we have knowing that the Father will send the Third Person to His obedient children in the HOLY Spirit who follow His Son our Savior.

    (Imagine Paul writing to Timothy about his Personal God… imagine me, a step-father to David writing about our Personal God… Imagine God your Father sending the Holy Spirit to you.

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    Our Father will always be Personally with you IF you will call on His Son Personally.  Christ Jesus.

    God will do much more than just watch over you, as He watches your every game (mine too).

    Remember, our Heavenly Father, His Heavenly Son and His Holy Spirit all want to hold us very near.

    “God’s love for us is Very Personal.

    1 Tim. 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

  • Grief: A Picture of Heaven – Prologue

    Grief: A Picture of Heaven – Prologue

    With real life comes real death.  With death comes grief.  Sometimes immediately, sometimes later… always lasting for loved ones.

    And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection. – Luke 20:36 NLT

    This story is not a real picture of heaven.  It is a story about grief.

    We need to look to scripture to see the true picture.  We need to READ what the Bible has to say about the NON-fiction of eternal life.  We will one day see the urgency of understanding the picture of the alternative beyond death of this decaying flesh.  This story, however, is fiction.

    I tell A Picture of Heaven as wandering thoughts about death which do ambush us from time to time.  The origin of my wanderings emanate from at least one real life/death experience.

    A little more than thirteen years ago, we sat through a similar scene… when my former wife died.

    Not too long before her death, a friend and neighbor had met with instant death in an accident.  One evening his daughter, our babysitter, pointed toward a star in the sky as my daughter looked up and comforted her with the thought that every time she looked up she could see her dad.

    It was not a Biblical picture for our six year old daughter, but it was helpful.

    When you and I want a true picture of heaven we must look much higher than our own experience to a God we cannot see and do not understand except through scripture and prayer.

    Faith in Jesus Christ is the only way anyone will get to heaven, where there will be no more death and no more tears – NO grief.

    I would like to point you to the place where you fit in the scene of our 14-part serial story.  At one time or another you may experience most of these perspectives.

    What will you do now…

    to face the eventual last episode of your story?

    You might want to pause for reflection and prayer as you consider each episode.

    To be continued… God willing… tomorrow, 3 September, 2013, M-F until the conclusion.

     Job 10:9

    Remember that you made me from dust—
    will you turn me back to dust so soon?
  • Roger Harned – a history of faith

    Roger Harned – a history of faith

    As you will find elsewhere in my ‘online profiles,’ it’s not about me.  This website is NOT a blog about me. Obviously this site is about Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. 

    http://talkofJesus.com is a place for ALL to COMMENT & SHARE about Christ Jesus and anything that will help you and me talk of Jesus to others. 

    Talk of Jesus.com fills a void for Christian Social Witness.  Think of it as a place where you can talk of Jesus openly.

    (It’s more user friendly than facebook and other popular sites and not my blog anymore than facebook is Mark Z’s blog.)

    All you have to do is copy and paste what you want to SHARE & Add your Comment.

    However when I visit a corporate or church website, the FIRST things I want to know are:

    1. Who they are (really, as people, not just what they do). AND
    2. What they believe – what they stand for – OR in the case of a church of a “Christian (preaching) Author,” A STATEMENT OF FAITH. Where are they coming from?
    3. What do they REALLY believe?  Do I agree OR understand their honest theological positions enough to trust that they are never-the-less FOR JESUS, and NOT against our Lord?

    These are the kind of things I want to know about people trying to influence my thinking and my faith.  Therefore, so that I might DO UNTO YOU as I would have done unto me, I will attempt to answer some of the obvious questions about my faith.

    I was raised in the Methodist Church (which later became the United Methodist Church).  An ugly incident on a ‘Youth Sunday’ led to my rebellion against ‘attending church’ every week.  My mom, a faithful believer, made arrangements for me to attend a couple of different churches: one, a Disciples of Christ, and the other a ‘Federated Methodist Church’ (whatever that is). The unfortunate witness of our Pastor against Christ and his marriage caused a scandal not too much later.  His children were my age and I was very grieved over them.

    I began work on my music degree at Ohio State University and joined the campus Episcopal Church, because a friend asked me to come for the music. (I majored in instrumental music, but loved to sing.)  It was great.  I stayed in the Episcopal Church for years.  I was born again when a moving of the Holy Spirit began a short stay at our church in Gainesville FL.

    We read the Creeds. I believe and affirm the Creeds.  Trinity. Jesus Christ crucified and risen and coming again: SOON.

    I was a Lay Reader and Lay Eucharistic Minister.  Just prior to the public infilling of the Spirit (which made some of our services look rather Pentecostal), I was brought to my knees at the foot of the cross in a contemporary rendering of the Good Friday Stations of the Cross. I WAS BORN AGAIN!

    When the Pastors were unable to keep authority over some false followers who quickly worked their way into the honest worship of our church, we left for another Episcopal church across town   (I should mention here that my wife of twenty-three years died and her funeral witnessed and celebrated our certain hope of the resurrection.)

    I later left the church in another town over a failure of member coldness and an increasing embrace of liberal doctrine seeping into the denomination.  (Some faithful Bishops of the Lord actually broke away from the denomination to stand up for the Truth of Biblical faith in Jesus Christ.)

    I joined a Southern Baptist Church, a wonderful fellowship of Bible believing lovers of Jesus and now dear friends – brothers and sisters – of mine.  I taught middle school Bible Study. (In another church, wouldn’t that qualify me for sainthood?)

    Prior to that I nearly joined a Presbyterian Church (USA?), but a job change brought about another move.

    I have since avoided a large local church with false teaching and non-Biblical embracing of sin by a divorced Pastor and others.  We joined the Methodist Church (again, for me), but when my current wife of blessing was uncomfortable with ‘the women’ there we followed the pastor’s suggestion to attend a local Mennonite Church, where I remain an active member.

    There you have it. Good luck putting me into some theological box, but anytime you want to discuss theology, I’m all for it.  Let’s talk of Jesus – that’s what this is all about.

    (Like most preachers, I have gone on too long; but due to the urgency of providing this to you, the next sermon will not continue next week.  You have the potatoes.  Read on for the meat.)

     

    I might add that MANY Christian websites and Christian Authors tend to avoid anything that could look “controversial” in what they say publicly.  (Wouldn’t that be hypocrisy?)

    Since I have already been called a scoundrel for a negative comment about a denominational leader who failed to mention Jesus or use even one scriptural verse in his public non-witness for Jesus, you can trust that I will not avoid any possible mention of my own opinions, hopefully guided by the Holy Spirit.

    What we should have in common is a willingness to witness – to talk about Jesus Christ.

    I am NOT an evangelist at heart.  I don’t really enjoy social networking online or in person, either.

    You might even say that I am too timid with my mention of Jesus in the crowd at the football game.  My heart for ministry has always been teaching.  It is a gift of God.  I do love to preach, as well; however I am NOT QUALIFIED as a Pastor.  (You can pray for my wife, who asked me to leave long after she turned from the Lord.  I have faith that the Lord will draw her back to Him first.  She is my Blessing.)

    Like so many, my wife’s salvation is MORE IMPORTANT to me than witness to ten thousand strangers.

    “Many sins are swept under the church carpet rather than confessed and cleansed by grace.

    Our small church, pastor and elders are working hard toward accountability for the fruit of our faith for which we pray.  Broken christian marriages are the church’s worst-kept secret from the worldly.  Although ALL churches need attention to this, witness against divorce is not top of my list, either.

     The driving purpose of http://talkofJesus.com is opportunity for Christians to GROW in our faith through social interaction.

    If we do NOT SHARE Jesus Christ as part of our increasing time in SOCIAL time on the Internet, we are hypocrites in the eyes of our SOCIAL NETWORKING ‘FRIENDS.’

    Are we ‘FRIENDS’ of the world?  NO.   Then let’s witness Jesus Christ in our SOCIAL circles online.

    We want ALL of you to SHARE your faith HERE.  Lets’ share our CHRISTIAN SOCIAL WITNESS from http://talkofJesus.com  on your other social sites as your witness that Jesus IS Lord.

     

    We do NOT require the limitation of a particular church (building), a carefully-crafted doctrine of a particular denomination, or a watchful oversight of a power-loving leadership.  NO, I’m not a rebel and this is not a place for personal crusades; but Jesus had radical faith. Our Lord would probably not fit in with most of our ‘christian’ churches and in some ways, neither do I.

    I’m welcomed with the same caution of having an Old Testament Prophet present to sit under your preaching.  I listen, study, pray to the Lord, consider what Jesus would do in hearing this… and sometimes say what a Prophet must say to those responsible for the Flock of the Lord.  You might say that at times, I stick in the craw of a complacent church.

    Our church leaders allow me to teach Bible study and actually encourage it sometimes.  (Too bad more members refuse to drag out of bed an hour earlier.)

    Complacency in our faith is a cancerous sore in every church.

    All of this said, the bottom line (for now) is that the Lord led me to another calling prior to any inspiration for http://talkofJesus.com – the inspiration of a book.  For that reason, this site is a secondary outlet for me to share my writing and witness of Christ Jesus, which I have done for many years in many formats and media.

    Like so many other writers, I have SHARED much witness to be read by few.

    For that reason, I pray to have AS MANY OF YOU AS POSSIBLE participate in our posts.

    • NOT ENOUGH christians read the BIBLE.
    • NOT ENOUGH christians read about the BIBLE.
    • NOT ENOUGH christians read books by other Christians, rather than all of the worldly garbage that fills our immature christian minds and influences our ineffective lives of cheap grace.

    (Is that doctrine enough for you?)

    • NOT ENOUGH christians – yes, ‘christian’ with a small ‘c’ – talk of JESUS as IF HE matters in our daily lives.
    • And certainly NOT ENOUGH christians SHARE our witness with our SOCIAL “Friends.”

    It is time for ALL of us to GROW UP in our faith.   Why not join us?

     

    May our Lord, Christ Jesus, lead you to participate and GROW UP in your own faith, and to help those whom you love to do so as well.

    I pray for much more building up in our faith through

    talk of Jesus.com

    your HOME for Christian Social Witness.  SHARE your faith.

    Pray also for me.

    Roger Harned