Pastor John Tulio continued his series on "The Gospel:  What It Is Not About" as he preached the fifth sermon on the subject on Saturday evening.

  

"The Gospel Is Not About Performance."  Perhaps it is the one area in our lives where our own performance doesn't count.  Certainly, one needs to perform in order to succeed at work, in school, and in most everything else in the universe. That's why "humans relate to their gods through performance of duties under some plan or program."

  

Pastor John made comparison of the Old Testament law system and the New Testament system of grace. He showed how under the old system imperfect performance earned the death sentence (Galatians 3:10) and that no one can be made right with God by law keeping (Romans 3:20). The good news is that under the new covenant, it is not about our performance (Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-9) that  qualifies us for salvation. We are saved not on the basis of our deeds but by His mercy and grace (Titus 3:5).

  

Furthermore, we are made holy through Jesus Christ's sacrifice once and for all time (Hebrews 10:10) and not because of anything we do or have done to deserve it. The good news, again, is that it's all about Jesus, and that God considers us righteous because of Christ's righteousness, based on His perfect performance and on the basis of our faith in Him.

  

Part of Pastor John's exposition was to differentiate between justification by faith ( an act in which God counts sinners to be righteous through faith in Jesus) which is "imputed" to us just as if we have lived the righteous life of Christ, and sanctification which is "imparted righteousness" accomplished intrinsically in us by the Holy Spirit.

  

When we accept Jesus Christ, His righteousness is imputed to us (Romans 3:21-22). And once this happens, there is no longer any condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ (Romans 8:1-2).

  

Our performance is actually produced by the Holy Spirit (Philippians 2:13). It is God who works in us, giving us both the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.  It is the Holy Spirit who works in us to become more and more like Jesus and ultimately changes us into His glorious image.  This is the clearest manifestation of His love to us.

  

The four previous sermons of the series  were entitled: 1) The Gospel Is Not About Religion, 2) The Gospel Is Not About Mere Hell Avoidance, 3) The Gospel Is Not About Celebration, and 4) The Gospel Is Not About Church Buildings. 

 

The main hall of the new office.

Core Group Meeting, Too!

Moving our stuff to our new offices is about done and we're beginning to settle in.  You are all invited to come and take a look-see at your new church offices.

  

There will be an "office warming" event on Saturday, January 12 at 2:00 p.m. We hope to have everything in its proper place by then.

  

We will also have a Core Group meeting sometime during the "office warming," but before we all go to the church for the service at 5:00 p.m. Please don't miss this one!

 

A Heavenly Strategic Planning Session

 

"And the Lord said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' One suggested this, and another that. - 1 Kings 22:20

There are few times we get a glimpse of what goes on in Heaven. Here is one instance when the angels were conferring with the Lord about the judgment of King Ahab for his sin and who was going to set up Ahab for this judgment.

If God wanted to use you to impact your world for Jesus Christ, what circumstances would have to be created in order for you to respond to His call? Would prospering you materially encourage you to this end? Would a major change in what you are presently doing be necessary? What would your response be should God and the angels conclude that the only way to move you into a position of fulfilling God's purposes was to remove some things that might be very dear to you? Would you agree with their plan if you knew this would be the only way you would achieve the purposes for which God made you? Hard questions, aren't they?

This is the very thing God does in many who have been called for a special mission. Moses had to be stripped of his royal position in the family of Egypt and sit in the desert for 40 years. The apostle Paul had to be knocked off his horse, blinded, and receive a personal visitation from Jesus. The 12 disciples had to leave their jobs for three years to follow Christ. Imagine what kind of disruption this had on their lives. There are many examples of God bringing major upheaval in the lives of those He called for His purposes. Why?

The reason is that we do not seek God with a whole heart in times of prosperity and comfort. Prosperity and comfort tend to breed complacency and satisfaction. It is rare to find the man or woman who seeks God with a whole heart who does so simply from a grateful heart. We often must have pain or crisis to motivate us. Eventually, that crisis bridges us to a new calling, and we embrace that calling if we are open to the Holy Spirit's work in us. We can actually thank God for the change that was required to get us to this place, but it is not without anguish of heart.

Would you be willing to sit in the strategic planning session for your life and agree with the plans God has for your life? Could you give God complete freedom to implement that plan, no matter the cost? Ask God to give you the grace and trust in His love for you to say "yes."

 (Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace) 

 

Kingdom Life

 

Note Day Change

There is a change in the day we'll do our monthly fellowship dinner.  Let's see how it works out for Saturday evening instead of the usual Tuesday evening.

  

Since most of us are already in the area on Saturday evening, what better way to spend a few hours after our church service than to fellowship at dinner as we have done on the third Tuesday evening of each month in the past?

  

Chances are that this will be more convenient for everyone concerned.  And perhaps better participation will result.  If you have children that you would like to take with you, please let Johnny or Nellie Chua know (call 909-228-2162).

  

Our next dinner will be on Saturday evening, January 19, at 7:00 p.m. (or thereabouts). We will do it again at the Mandalay Bay Seafood Restaurant (by popular request).