How was Abraham Saved in the Old Testament?

“Just as Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness” (Galatians 3:6)

A common misconception about salvation for Old Testament believers like Abraham centers on how they were saved.  We know that the New Testament era has brought salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (John 1:12; Ephesians 2:8-9). But what was the way before Christ died on the cross?

Abraham represents the beginning of the Jewish people. It would be through his family that all people of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 22:18). In many ways, Abraham was the first Jew, the earthly father of their nation. But Abraham was not always a God-fearer! God change his Abraham. Abram’s name to  In fact, Abraham was born and raised in Ur of the Chaldees, which is in modern Iraq, near Nasiriyah in the southeastern part of the country. Joshua 24:2 says that Abraham and his father worshiped idols. So Abraham was a gentile, who became a believer, but how did this happen?

Following a struggle with the promise, God gave Abraham over his heir. In Genesis 15, Abraham suggested that God use Eliezer of Damascus. Eliezer was born as a slave in his house. He must have been like a son to him. But this was not God’s plan. God reaffirmed his promise to Abraham, and Genesis 15:6 says, “Abram BELIEVED the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” Salvation came to Abraham the same way it comes to us, by believing the Lord’s promises. Notice the verse does not say:

•    “Abram offered burnt offerings to the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.”

•    “Abram prayed harder to the Lord, and He credited it….”

•    “Abram kept the commands of the Lord, and He credited it…”

The verse reads he BELIEVED! What was required for Old Testaments to be saved? It was salvation through belief in God’s promises. The Hebrew construction translated “Believed” means to place trust in someone with confidence(Exodus 19:9; 1 Sam 27:12). In this verse, Abram’s trust is placed in the Lord, whom he believes will carry out his promise. Genesis 15:6, emphasizes that Abram “entrusted his future to what God would do for him as opposed to what he could do for himself to obtain the promises.”[1] Abraham had continued to believe in the Lord. Abraham received salvation the same way we do, by trusting God and his promises. He was not saved through law-keeping, he was saved through belief in God and believing God’s promises. What about you do you believe and trust God?

---

[1] K. A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26, vol. 1B, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 166.

Common Ground One Year Later!

“To reach our communities with the unchanging truth and love of Jesus Christ, we may be required to remove the cultural wrapping in which we have cloaked the Good News. Frequently it is not the Word of God people are rejecting as irrelevant. It is the outdated clothing in which we have dressed our Lord.”’ -Arnell ArnTessoni

It's hard to believe that we launched Common Ground a year ago. The Lord has done some amazing things since the launch. I would like to take a moment to reflect on what the Lord has done since it has been launched. I will do this by reminding us why we did it in the first place. And here it is:

1.    We planted Common Ground to Reach the Unchurched, and we did!
We baptized eight people in July 2017 (half of which came from Common Ground), double the mouth of last year which was 4! We doubled the number of individuals we effectively reached through the new worships service.

2.    We planted Common Ground to minister to more people, and we did!
Our average Sunday morning attendance at the end of 2016, measured before we had common ground was 187 on Sunday Morning. Since we added Common Ground the traditional service averages, 158 people on Sunday Mornings and Common Ground averages 45 on Sunday Mornings bringing the combined total to 203 average Sunday morning attendance. It may not feel like it if you are in the traditional worship service every week, but we have experienced an 8.6% growth in overall Sunday Morning attendance! Most churches would love to see that kind of growth over a year’s time in their average Sunday Morning attendance, and don’t forget that is in the face of those who have passed away, moved, or fallen out of fellowship.



3.    We planted Common Ground to reach new kinds of people, and we have!
We have not only reached more people but some who would not have joined our church family otherwise! See above for confirmation of this.

4.    We planted Common Ground to help break the normal life cycle of the church, and we did!
Based on the growth in Sunday morning attendance we are not headed in the right track to begin a new growth curve! Praise God!

5.    We planted Common Ground to allow for change while retaining the familiar, and it has!
Traditional Worship holds a place in many people’s hearts in Grace Baptist and Carter County; It is not going anywhere! So let’s keep singing those hymns and praises to our King!

6.    We planted the Common Ground to activate inactive members, and I would say not so much.
While the hope was to see some who have became inactive, active again, we could do better. Give those friends who are sitting around Sunday morning a call and encourage them to join us again!

7.    We planted Common Ground to empower more church members to use their Gifts and passions weekly, and it has!
Without a doubt, we did this! The praise band, set up the team, and reset team was not always engaged in weekly service at Grace Baptist. Now they are, we have also created new needs for others to join in!

8.    We planted Common Ground to help the Southern Baptist Convention to survive.
See 2!

9.    We planted Common Ground to fulfill our Church’s Mission Statement, “To Know Christ and To Make Him Known,” and we have. 
Four new souls for Christ and he used Common Ground to get them there! I would say that is making Christ Know for sure!

Gayle Cole’s Miracle

"Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church, and they should pray over him after anointing him with olive oil in the name of the Lord." -James 5:14 (HSCB)

This story began back in January 2014. I was honored to preach a funeral for a lifelong friend. He grew up with my Dad and was like an uncle to me. He had died at the age of 62 of bone cancer, a very painful sickness. I had spent time with him, praying with him, and hoping for a miracle, but it didn’t come the way we wanted. Carl passed on January 18, 2014, and we were heartbroken. I remember being in my office weeping, angry, and sad as I prepared yet another funeral message. Since I have been in the ministry, I have done way more funerals than weddings. I have attended, helped, or officiated hundreds of funerals. If everyone had to stand up over a casket and deliver a message of hope and comfort several times a year, I believe they would understand my emotions. The bottom line was I was sick of death! I was sick of watching people I love die. It felt like death was all around. I was bleeding emotionally. I once read you should only bleed on Jesus Christ, not on others. So I did just that, I cried out, “Lord, I am so sick of death, could you just save one from death? Just one time, it doesn’t have to even be in my family. I believe you can; I just want to see it happen one time.”

Fast forward to February of this year, and we find Gale Cole, a beloved church member of Grace Baptist, struggling to breathe. After weeks of doctor’s visits and tests, the doctors found a mass in the lung. I was sitting in the room when the oncologist came into the room. He said, “Mrs. Cole, you have single cell lung cancer, you will have a week to live without treatment, what do you want to do?” It was a devastating death sentence. A sad, dark moment for her, our church, and another one for me. Lung cancer claimed the lives of my Mamaw and Aunt. I had never heard of anyone coming back from this, especially this advanced. I never shared it out loud, but I thought, “Here we go another death, another funeral again. It appears that death wins again.” But things are not always what they seem to be. God was working and moving.
The Sunday following the news, Gayle’s Sunday School Class gathered around her with a few others from church. She asked for me to anoint her with oil, and pray over her. We did that, and I didn’t know what would happen. I once heard an FCA leader say, “I’ve told people all my life, “Jesus is all you need,” but you never know Jesus is all you need until you get to the place where He is all you’ve got. When He’s all you’ve got, then you know He’s all you need.” God was all she needed. Gayle took her treatments, hoped, and we all prayed. Four months later, the doctors could not find any cancer in her body! God had healed her; it was a miracle. God provided!

Should I Get A Tattoo?

In the last post I gave, we established that getting a tattoo is not a sin for a Christian. Today I would like to challenge you to think before you ink. Here are 4 to consider before you get a tattoo:

1.    Message- What will be the message of your tattoo? Tattoos send powerful messages to the readers revealing what you value. Tattoos also don’t come off in a couple of years but last a lifetime. Be sure that the message you are sending is one you want to send for the rest of your life. What does your tattoo say, does it draw attention to yourself or God? (1 Corinthians 10:31).

2.    Placement- Where will you place the tattoo on your body? Remember Jesus drew attention by who he was, not by the clothing or any other external marking. The same biblical principle that applies to clothing and modesty applies here. Ladies does the placement of the tattoo draw attention to a particular body part (1 Timothy 2:9)? Depending on your job or mission work do you need to be able to cover it up? Some jobs will not allow tattoos to show while on the clock.

3.    Cost– Do you have the extra money for the tattoo? Some tattoos can cost as much as $50-$100 or more, do you have that kind of money to get the ink or would the money be better spent somewhere else. Also, note that there is a risk for infection if the new ink is not taken care of properly. The tattoo should not take away giving from the local church, missions, bill payment, nor family needs. (2 Cor. 9:6-7; Matt. 25:29)

4.    Honor your Mother and Father- If you are a minor, are you honoring your parents? Some of you may have read my last post with glee! The pastor said it is ok to get a tattoo…WRONG! The pastor said it is not a sin to get a tattoo. If you are living at home with your parents, and your parents do not approve, you should honor their wishes. You can wait until you are out on your own to ink up. (Exodus 20:12).

If you love Jesus, and you are of age having a clear conscious on the issue. If you want to get a bible verse or something that will aid in witnessing, you can do it if you want to do it. It is not something that is forbidden nor commanded. It is a matter of christian freedom (1 Peter 2:16).

Is It a Sin for Christians to Get a Tattoo?

“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” –Romans 10:4

With about 20% of our culture having tattoos, I often get this question. While some Christians say yes and others say no, the only thing that matters is what the Word of God says. Only one verse in all of the scripture could be taken out of context to teach that tattoos are wrong and that is Leviticus 19:28 (NIV) which reads, “You shall not make any cuts in your [a]body for the [b]dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the Lord.” It should be noted that the King James will not have the word Tattoo because the word did not exist in English until the 1700’s. Let me explain why this verse may have been fulfilled in Jesus’ coming and the cross.

For centuries now, theologians and church historians have understood the over 600 laws in the first five books of the Old Testament (OT) as fitting into one of three categories: civil, ceremonial, and moral. Ancient Israel was governed under a theocracy, in other words, God was their king. So some of the OT laws applied only to that structure. The church is spread out among many different governments. The ceremonial laws were laws given to instruct God’s people on how they should approach Him before the Cross and how they should look different than their pagan neighbors. The OT was about God’s people being a pure nation. So laws that forbid: wear clothing with two kinds of thread (Lev. 19:22), don’t trim your beard (Lev. 19:22), and don’t get any kind of piercings including ear piercings (Lev. 19:28). I have not found a church yet that didn’t break these laws, so I believe that Lev. 19:28 has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ and we are no longer under these laws. Also, it appears their pagan neighbors would carve themselves as a sign of grief or get tattoos of a pagan God. Think of them like you would High School requirements, once you have shown up for all the classes, read the required materials, and passed the exams you are no longer required to do them. In the same way, Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws of the OT. Finally, the moral laws are those that carried over from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. Examples of these would be the Ten Commandments. While flexibility was grated on the issue of when the Sabbath should be, the principle remains for God’s people in the new covenant to take a Sabbath rest.

In conclusion, no it is not a sin to get a tattoo. In Rev. 19:16, Jesus has writing on his thigh could this be a tattoo? It could be. Let’s not be quick to judge the outside of others, when we know that it is the inside that counts in God’s kingdom (Matthew 23:27). None of us should take a verse out of context to use as a hammer against our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Why are We Slow to Forgive Others?

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,”
–Matthew 6:14

In the passage above, Jesus gives a command and a warning. Christians must forgive, but countless individuals struggle to do so. A 1988 Gallup poll on forgiveness found that 94% of respondents indicated it is important to forgive, but only 48% said they make it a practice to forgive. Why doesn’t the 46% forgive?

I think there are several reasons why we don’t want to forgive and here they are:

1.    We enjoy being a wounded victim. Like an ill child fretted over, we like to milk the attention and pity of others for all that it is worth. You will be hard pressed to find the phrases “I’m so hurt” or “I’m so wronged” on the lips of Jesus, the apostles, the prophets, or the patriarchs.

2.    We enjoy anger and hatred. The reality is that many of us lead boring and uneventful lives. Perhaps C.S. Lewis captured it best in the Screwtape Letters when the demon convinced a man to do nothing he realized it and said, “I now see that I spent most my life doing neither what I ought nor what I liked.” The feeling of anger and hatred at least cause us to feel, so we nurse grievances, keep bitterness stirred up, and resentment remains.

3.    We make non-repentance of the offender an excuse. It may be true that the one who offends you has not repented, but what prevents you from adopting an attitude of forgiveness? I believe that the hardest part of forgiveness is preparing our hearts to forgive another. An attitude of forgiveness must be in place to make the transaction of forgiveness. We must do the hard work of preparing our heart for forgiveness so that if repentance happens, we can forgive them fully reconciling the relationship.

4.    We fear the abuse of forgiveness. Steaming from the fear of being used or abused, we fear that adopting this attitude and command will make us a doormat. The Bible commands us to love and pray for our enemies (Matthew 5:44). Do you do that or do you love and pray for them?

5.    We think little and infrequently about the magnitude of our forgiveness. Perhaps a common reason that drives the other four, we don’t reflect on the immense debt of sin before God. If we were to sin only three times a day for a year that would be about 1,000 sins a year. And if the Lord blessed us with 70 years of life, we would face the judgment seat of God with 70,000 sins demanding payment. Praise God that Jesus made the great exchange (2 Corinthians 5:21) of our sin debt for His righteousness! When we realize what a debt Jesus took from us, our petty differences between one another become small potatoes.

How Do I Survive from the Heartbreak of a Church Split?

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.” 

-1 Peter 4:12

I write this from personal experience. Five years ago this month, I pastored a church that split. The split left wounds on my family and me that the Lord has healed, but we still carry scars. Scars not seen with the eye. The aim of this article is to help church leaders, pastors, and members of churches who have experienced the pain of a church split. Here are some things that helped our family:

1.    Acknowledge the Loss Openly and Honestly- Church splits are best compared to death or perhaps more acutely a divorce. As those who covenant together decide they no longer want to convent together, at least 25% of church membership leaves in a very short amount of time. Paul shows us through his painful last words in 2 Timothy 4:9-22 just how relationally hard ministry is. He acknowledges how Alexander the coppersmith harmed him, Demas deserted him, and NO ONE SHOWED UP at his trial! Friends in the church can let us down and never care about us again. Your “friends” may not have stood with you in that business meeting, and it cut deep. But remember Jesus is the only totally reliable friend you will ever have!

2.    Ask, “What is God Teaching Me Through This Pain?”- You are not going through this split for no reason, what is God trying to show you? Is there a sin or sins you need to repent of? Do you need to reach out to someone on the other side even if they are wrong? Am I being disciplined by the Lord (Hebrews 12:11)? Did I just experience what it means to live in a fallen world? How can I prevent this in the future?

3.    Recognize Sometimes Godly People have Sharp Disagreements-In Acts 15, Paul and John Mark disagree sharply leading to two missionary journeys instead of one. While we don’t have all the details, we know they patched thing up later (2 Timothy 4), and God used both of them for Kingdom work and church planting. Sometimes division becomes multiplication. While not encouraged, church splits do sometimes lead to at least a healthier and Godly church. Or the split could be releasing Godly members to be used in healthier local churches. Either way, do all that you can to seek forgiveness and reconcilation.

4.    Remember Jesus Remains in Control and His Kingdom Shall Last Forever- In Matthew 16:18, Jesus tells us that the gates of Hell will not overcome the church. While a local church may split or even die, new churches are born to take their place. We must be faithful to Jesus Christ and Kingdom work which displays itself in the local church. The battle may be lost, but the war will be won!