The Truth

Newsletter Brought to you by Pursuing the Truth Ministries
July 2005

WHat’s New

First let me apologize for the last two months. I have not sent out a newsletter for both May and June. I kept modifying and modifying some more the newsletter that I wanted to send out until here we are in July. My schedule has been very hectic as well.

Video Conferencing! That’s right. I will be adding video conferencing to our site. One way I am going to add this is by the use of MSN Messenger and the use of a webcam. This will allow me to talk face-to-face with you even if you are in another country. I would really enjoy that. Another method is to have a group participating in a video conference meeting (workshop, discussion, talk, etc.). I’ll keep you posted.

Have you tried the new search feature on our website. I must say that I am very pleased with this service, which is provided by picosearch (www.picosearch.com). I can see what people have been looking for and then provide even more resources for those topics. It’s truly great. Another great thing about it is that it enables you to find what you want much more readily than our old system.

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

This is one of the age-old questions that we ask ourselves when something catastrophic happens to others or us. There are many possible answers I suppose, but one answer stands out. Jesus said, “No one is good but one, that is, God” (See Matthew 19:17). A better question is, “Why do good things happen to bad people?”

Humans are sinful from birth. Even those who are saved (or claim to be) fight the sinful and selfish disposition of the flesh. The fact is that we don’t deserve anything good because we are sinful at the core. Let me give you an illustration of what I mean.

Recently I attended a college graduation. It was a typical graduation that you have probably attended. However, there was something different done that I had never noticed before. There was at one point a call for courtesy among the attendees of the graduation. The people were asked to be courteous in regards to taking pictures of family or friends that were graduating that day. I was really curious as to what the people would do.

As I had suspected, the people seemed to ignore the call for courtesy. People rushed to the isles to get a good picture and many even stood on chairs to get a good look or picture with seemingly no concern for the people behind them who perhaps were trying to be courteous. It was pitiful, but expected. This is the type of thing that humans do.

I am reminded of the call to love one another in the Bible. I would assume that courtesy would be extended to those that you love. Now I can’t say that all of these people were saved, but the fact is that humans are the same no matter what.

Humans will do almost anything given the “right” conditions or opportunity. Given the “right” opportunity a seemingly happy man will cheat on his wife and vice versa. Given the right opportunity a seemingly honest man will steal. The bottom line is that we are not good. Some may be more honest than others in terms of practice, but we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We are all bad.

It is only through Christ that we have any hope. It is only through the blood of Christ that we can even think of approaching the Father as children. We thank God for the blood of Jesus Christ and for the salvation that He has made available to us. Without this we would all be doomed to hell and everlasting separation for the true good, which is God.

Why don’t you get closer to Jesus so that you would be more courteous to people. Being courteous is more than a mindset. It is a disposition and a condition of the heart. I would dare say that it is an expression of love for your neighbor and for God. The Bible asks, “How can we say that we love God if we don’t love our brother?” The Bible says that love is of God and those without love are not of God.

Be courteous to those around you with no expectation of a return. Express the courtesy that God extends to you. He didn’t have to do anything for us and yet He continues to love us and take care of us. Be courteous to others and love God no matter what. The fact of the matter is that things happen to all of us, both good things and bad things. This is just a consequence of living on planet earth. Jesus said that the rain falls on the just a well as the unjust and the sun shines on the righteous and the unrighteous. So none of us are exempt from the things that happen on earth.

Self-Righteousness and the Desire to Be Righteous

Jesus Christ died for the sins of the world. Jesus Christ died so that we would not have to. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin, which is death. Sin begets death, which is total separation from God and all things pertaining. Jesus Christ is the reason we will not find ourselves in the bottomless pit for all eternity. Jesus is the reason we will enjoy eternity with the Father (starting the day you were saved not when you die).

However, we still are in this flesh and the flesh has a mind of its own so to speak. The flesh desires those things that are contrary to the way of God and the way of God is not consistent with the way of the flesh. The way of the flesh is ultimately selfish. It is all about self. We could describe the human race as a selfish race. We want things for ourselves.

This is where self-righteousness comes into play. We figure that we can do this and do that in order to earn the righteousness of God or in order to make ourselves righteous. Religion has a way of promoting such a paradigm. We think that we can make ourselves righteous if we pay our tithes, go to church every Sunday, and whatever else your local congregation or denomination demands. We therefore neglect the saving act of Jesus Christ.

Romans 4:5 (NKJV) “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness”

The blood of Jesus Christ has covered us if indeed you believe. It is not about what we can do or have done. It is about what Jesus Christ already did. He died on the cross for you and me. He took upon himself the sins of the world as a loving act of God. Through Jesus Christ we have the forgiveness of our sin.

So does this mean that I can live any way that I want since I have forgiveness of sins and am covered in the blood of Christ? No of course not. Someone who is saved and has the Holy Spirit residing inside would not think in such a way. He or she would grieve about the sins that he or she commits. Some people even have a hard time excepting the forgiveness of God because they feel as though they were so bad in their lives that God surely would not forgive them that easily.

One who is truly reconciled to God desires the things of God. This doesn’t mean that the flesh will not overpower one’s will. It does mean that ultimately the Christian is on the path of God and desires the things of God, namely righteousness, mercy, forgiveness, etc. However, the fact remains that we all sin and will continue to do so. This is why we must remember the saving act of Jesus Christ else we could propel ourselves in a life of self-righteousness.

My point here is to not throw yourself into a life of guilt about your sins. The ideal situation would be if we didn’t sin at all once saved. However, you and I know that such is not the case. We have to remain mindful of the fact that we have forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ. We also have the Holy Spirit that resides in us and who will help us live the righteous life.

We grow into the image of Christ day by day. Gradually we get closer and closer to the Lord. There will come a day when the flesh will be no more and we are only left with our glorified bodies and a spirit that yearns uninhibited for God. Remember Jesus and stop trying to save yourself. Just live according to the way of God and grow in your faith.

Living By Faith

Many times we forget that God is our heavenly father and that He loves us very much. He loves us so much that He sacrificed His son for our sakes. Even with that we still tend to try to do things on our own and only consider God when things go awry.

Trust God in all aspects of your life. Trust him in regards to the direction you should take in your life. Have confidence in God to take care of you. How? What a valid question. First start by developing an intimate and personal relationship with God and then you can move into the realm of trust.

Also, you have to realize that obedience is also extremely important. You have to do what God says so that you can see for yourself that He is true to His word and that following Him is indeed to your best interest. Of course, obedience shouldn’t be something that you do just for your sake. True obedience to God comes with trust and trust comes with love. Jesus asked, “If you love me then do what I say” (John 14:15).

So love God, trust God, and obey God. Then you will be able to truly live a life of faith.

Question of the Month

What do you think is the problem with the general religious church today?

Send your answer to pastor@pursuingthetruth.org