Month: September 2014

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This We Should Do

We ought in the very order of things [in creation] diligently to contemplate God’s fatherly love…[for as] foreseeing and diligent father of the family he shows his wonderful goodness to us … To conclude once for all, whenever we call God the Creator of heaven and earth, let us at the same time bear in mind that… we are indeed his children, whom he has received into his faithful protection to nourish and educate… So, invited by the great sweetness of his beneficence and goodness, let us study to love and serve him with all of our heart.

John Calvin

– Reeves, Michael; Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith;  IVP Academic; Downer’s Grove, IL, Page 23

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Christianity Is Not Primarily Concerned About Lifestyle

Christianity is not primarily about lifestyle change; it is about knowing God.  To know and grow to enjoy him is what we are saved for…

– Reeves, Michael; Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith;  IVP Academic; Downer’s Grove, IL, Page 9

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This Is Our Mission

As a victorious warrior of Christ, your life is about being on kingdom mission with Jesus to help set other captives free. People are not ultimately your enemy; rather, they’re held in captivity by your enemy, and they need to be set free. Jesus doesn’t leave us to our own devices to fight this war. He leads the charge through his defeat of Satan, sin, and death and equips us with powerful weapons.

– Driscoll, Mark; Who Do You Think You Are? Finding Your True Identity in Christ; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, copyright 2013; Page 222

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What Is This Life Closest to For You?

In Christ, you are forgiven. In Christ, you are clean. In Christ, your captivity has been replaced with a new identity. For those not in Christ, this life is the closest to heaven they will ever get, and defeat is ultimately theirs. But for those of us in Christ, this life is the closest to hell we will ever get, and victory is ultimately ours. And as Winston Churchill once famously said, “If you were going through hell, keep going.”

– Driscoll, Mark; Who Do You Think You Are? Finding Your True Identity in Christ; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, copyright 2013; Page 227

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That Is Not the Question…

The question is not whether or not you live amid a spiritual war. The only question is what side you are on. For those who have peace with God through Jesus Christ, we are not only saved by grace; we are also empowered by grace to victoriously live out our new identity in Christ.

– Driscoll, Mark; Who Do You Think You Are? Finding Your True Identity in Christ; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, copyright 2013; Page 225

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The Lord Jesus Christ is Strong

The Lord Jesus Christ is strong. While on the earth, Jesus resisted every temptation from the enemy. In Jesus, the debt we owed to Satan through sin is canceled, thereby setting us free from enslavement to the kingdom of darkness and welcoming us as citizens of the kingdom of light. Today, Jesus rules and rains as King of Kings and Lord of lords overall things. By being in Christ, we, too, can live by the power of the Holy Spirit, as Jesus did on the earth, honoring his kingdom and living in victory over our enemy.

– Driscoll, Mark; Who Do You Think You Are? Finding Your True Identity in Christ; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, copyright 2013; Page 221

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Satan’s Ultimate Goal

Satan’s ultimate goal for those of us in Christ is a compromised and fruitless life beside my heresy and sand, and ultimately, death. If the enemy can’t tempt us with sin and error, he will simply try to exhaust us into surrender. This demonic opposition is increasingly pronounced for those who serve God most faithfully. As the Puritan William Gurnall said, “Where God is on one side, you may be sure to find the devil on the other.”

– Driscoll, Mark; Who Do You Think You Are? Finding Your True Identity in Christ; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, copyright 2013; Page 218

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Know Thy Enemy

It is not uncommon for people to make either too much or too little of Satan. C. S. Lewis said, “there are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the Devils. One is to disbelieve their existence. The other is to believe, and feel excessive and unhealthy interest in them.” Some people want to blame everyone and everything but Satan and themselves for the ills of the world.  Others want to shirk responsibility and blame Satan and demons for everything, as if we are only victims and never perpetrators. Though it is far for more important to know Jesus and his power over our enemy, Satan is real, and as Christians, it is important to know as much about our enemy as possible.

– Driscoll, Mark; Who Do You Think You Are? Finding Your True Identity in Christ; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, copyright 2013; Page 217

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Comfort In This Life Is Not One of the Spiritual Fruits nor Gifts

Throughout Ephesians, Paul discusses Satan and demonic powers frequently. In so doing, he wants us to know that we are in a spiritual battle. If we really believe this, we view life differently. We no longer expect comfort and ease in this life anymore then exhausted soldier on the front lines of battle.

– Driscoll, Mark; Who Do You Think You Are? Finding Your True Identity in Christ; Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, copyright 2013; Page 214