Faith Archives - Page 9 of 13 - The Gospel Outpost

Making All Things News: From Bones to Living

Making All Things New: From Bones to Living

January 22, 2018

Ezekiel 37, with its familiarity causes us to glaze over the full depth of the passage. We often are able to intellectually understand the idea of dry bones will rise and walk again. We picture images of skeletons standing up like cheap halloween specials but miss the significance of where we are in this story. As God shows Ezekiel the dry bones, God asks “Can these dry bones live?” Ezekiel while answering God, undoubtedly came to the same understanding and fear that we all face. We come to understand that we are the dry bones and fear that the answer is no.

Making All Things New: From Old To New

January 15, 2018

The author of Hebrews connects the prophesies of old with the works of Jesus Christ. For the old prophets, God revealed a future where the old covenant would disappear and a new covenant would be established. Where people once studied the word of God, in the new covenant, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the covenant would become a part of their DNA and their very identity. The sins will be forgiveness and they will be established for eternity. The old will be made new and restoration will come for the people. Through Jesus Christ, the Old Covenant established between God and His people will be fulfilled and a new covenant will be established by the grace of God. Our response to this new covenant is nothing short of following wherever God leads us and submitting to His will.

James 3:13-18 Both Sides of Wisdom

January 10, 2018

James continues his discussion of wisdom and how we apply it to our lives as Christians. James begins with a rhetorical question challenging to the reader to take a look inward and ask “Am I wise?” Wisdom goes beyond a simple understanding of what is right. While wisdom includes understanding, it goes beyond that. Wisdom, and thus a wise person, applies what they have learned. Yet, this wisdom is easily contrasted with the wisdom of the world. The world will encourage us to pursue selfish gain over and at the expense of others. The wisdom of Heaven, though, strives for a greater and deeper expression of a life changed and redeemed by an everlasting God.

Making All Things New: From Death To Life

January 8, 2018

Towards the end of John’s Revelation he understood God’s desire for the salvation of His people. God was making all things new. The plan wasn’t to attempt to tidy of or to make a used car to be like new, but to reform and remake a person new. There is a difference between new and like new and God would be making all things new. God, on His sovereign throne, would command existence itself to be restored to fullness by His powerful might and His wondrous grace. Though sin had been introduced to the world and through it death, God removes the decay for the restoration of mankind.

James 3:1-12 The Steering of Our Lives

December 20, 2017

It is fascinating how something so small can have such a tremendous effect. The tongue and the words we speak are an incredible guide for how we put on the full display of the Gospel in our lives. The way we address people, things, and discuss our situations can guide and steer our whole outlook and worldview. Even worse, it can reveal the treasonous nature inside of ourselves. The same mouth that produces praise for God also produces the same foul hatred and despair for others and the world around us. Clearly, the tongue, with its great potential to speak life also carries with it an undeniable temptation to tear down.

James 2:14-26 A Faith Expressed

December 13, 2017

Our relationship with Chirst is transformative in that it seeps into every creavase of our being. While the bible does contain many commandments for the Christian to follow, this is not the point. The point of the Gospel is that we are saved and transformed by the power of God and guided towards a new way of living. If we believe that Jesus Christ came and died for our sins then we understand that He is offering us a new and transformed life. Our faith goes beyond mere knowledge and straight to expressing that same belief.

The Book of James: Faith and Works - James 2:1-13

James 2:1-13 Money and Mercy

November 22, 2017

Too often we judge a person by their financial wealth and ability to produce. We give fine seats to those who have money and influence and place them above others. Through God, however, this system is turned on it’s head. God, having all the riches of the world, chose to come to those who were poor and in need. Likewise, James exhorts the readers to do the same. Money causes problems and conflict and generally serves as the sign the world uses for worth, even intrinsic worth. With God, however, the sign of worth comes from knowing and being known by our creator and heavenly Father.

Nobody Special: Stranger Things and Politicians

Nobody Special 022: Stranger Things and Politicians

November 17, 2017

This week, the boys of Nobody Special have finally caught up on sleep after their stunt from last show and ready to take on the news this week! But the news is a total bummer. With all the allegations of sexual assault, we look at what the Christian response is to holding leaders, both Christian and non-Christian, to higher standards.

Then we talk about Stranger things because Danny finally finished it. Man that took a while. We look at the good parts as well as the dangerous parts of the show. And things get a little turned upside down. Whaaaaat? Is that a reference? Maybe? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

The Gospel Outpost Presents Nobody Special

The Difference Between Justice and Blood Lust

November 13, 2017

When someone makes a mistake in their job, no matter how small the infraction, we move quickly to stating they should be fired. When a person commits an atrocious act, the response of those of the faith has been to hunt and kill them. All of this being guised by the call to justice. The issue is that the scale of the punishment and how quickly the conclusion was arrived at shows that something in the heart is not asking for justice but rather for vengeance. Instead of looking for the right thing to be done, the temptation is satisfy a blood lust and see our enemies suffer. The Gospel is ignored in our blood lust.

The Book of James: Faith and Works - James 1:19-27

James 1:19-27 Input and Output

November 8, 2017

James begins to look at the input and output of our religion. He reinforces the idea that whatever a person allows to rule inside of them will naturally flow through them. There is a natual expression of the change in our identity that occurs with Jesus Christ. Whlie James isn’t claiming that it is works that save us, he does state plainly that it is the works that show our faith, for good or bad. Whatever we allow in to shape our identity will be the thing that is expressed through what we do. Furthermore, this is not a passive process but an intentional shaping and molding as we allow the word of God to become implanted deep into our spiritual DNA.