Doing a bit of a fast-track here. I really want to get all of this done so… well, so I could get even more done. Got me a huge list of things I’d like to… process through typing. Through writing.
You know, I’m pretty sure I could run all this through an AI but where’s the fun in that? This takes so much more time if I go through it, typing about it manually… but see, I’m sure there are valuable things to pick up along the way, beyond the main point I’m driving towards.
Besides, it’s good practice to just type, even when you don’t feel like it. Not that I’m not feeling it now – like I said, I’m pretty hyped about all of it (intimidated by just how much there is, but really more hyped about what may come out of all of it).
I was going to ‘recap’ the declarations I’ve come up with so far, but I figured I’ll do that when I have all my notes (all the way to these latest days of October) up to speed.
With that said, let’s keep going here.
The following verse was the central one we used for our main church’s anniversary celebration. We’ve been coming from Seeking the Lord, and now we’re in the phase of Schooling, before next year’s theme of Sending:
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Titus 2:11-14
We can see through this that God is gracious – not only to bring salvation to all people, but also to train us. I suppose that in our being saved, we would be trained, and as people are trained, they would inevitably be exposed to the glorious salvation we have through Christ.
For those of us in the body of Christ, seeing God’s grace reminds us of just how great of a salvation we have… and this passage tells us that there’s more to be had.
Apparently, this same grace that saved us, also trains us – to renounce ungodliness, and to renounce worldly passions. You could also say that this same grace trains us to accept godliness, and to accept heavenly passions, Godly passions, passions of the Holy Spirit.
This same grace that saved us also trains us to live self-controlled, upright, and Godly lives in this present age, and while in this fallen world. You could also say that this grace trains us to understand that we used to have dishonorable, crooked and un-Godly lives existences with total loss of control.
Finally, this same grace has us patient and hopeful – ‘waiting for our blessed hope’, to be precise. You could also say that we’re reminded of how we HAD no hope.
Someone might ask you what the grace of God is? Well, you have an answer in the rest of the verses… You just need to do a bit of rearranging:
Our great and glorious God and Savior Jesus Christ (yes, take a look at that – this Epistle acknowledges that Jesus Christ IS God) gave Himself for us to bring salvation for us (by redeeming us from all lawlessness), and to teach us to renounce all ungodliness and worldly passions (by redeeming us from lawlessness and purifying us for Himself, making us His own possession, zealous for good works).
I love how we could put it all together, but then it turns into an over-filling word ‘salad’ of sorts. Plain and simple, Jesus Christ is the literal grace of God, and as He saves us, so He teaches us, and as He teaches us, we continue to move from glory to glory (I say this because I couldn’t say He present-tense ‘saves’ us – He saved us once and for all!)
Titus 2:11-14 was really all that we had in terms of Scripture to set us up for the next year… but I thought I’d add a supplementary verse to it, to drive the point that we truly move by God’s goodness.
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
So if the grace of God saved us and trains us, the love of Christ consequently controls us. And here, Paul presents us with a perspective of what ‘control’ means, exactly: He died for all of us, for our sake, and we died. He was raised so we would live, yet (and this is the important part) we live for Him.
The love of Christ controls us – He died and we died to ourselves, and He rose again and now we live for Him.
And, really, if we keep in mind how the grace of God is also Jesus Christ, and how it saved us and teaches us – we can see just how much of a gain it really is for us to live for Him. To live for Him is to recall that we have died to all the ungodliness and worldly passions we were once bound to. To live for Christ is to celebrate how He has purified us for Himself, making us His possession (bound to Him), and as a natural effect, we are now zealous for good works.
I also included the following verse, and I guess this is also supplementary to our understanding what it means exactly to live for Christ. It’s to ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you’ (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
So how do I put all of this into a declaration?
By Jesus Christ, who is the grace of God, I am saved – I am redeemed from all ungodliness, lawlessness and worldly passions.
Through Jesus Christ, I am purified and zealous for good works.
I am controlled by the Love of Christ – I no longer live for myself, but I live for Him.
Through Jesus Christ, I rejoice always, I pray without ceasing, and I give thanks in all circumstances!
I have one last set of words to ‘process’ here from September, that hasn’t been passed on to October.
There’s a quote that was shared, first in the leadership conference, and then by one speaker in the Lausanne Congress: “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”
This quote, attributed to Augustine, served first as a sort of cornerstone, or guide for us to respond the right way as folks from other congregations from other locations asked us questions related to the main church’s overall Statement of Faith.
Now that I think about it, that time was the first time in a very long time (or, ever) that we indirectly communicated to people what we all thought were essentials and non-essentials. We implored for everyone who insisted that tongues and baptism were necessary for salvation – let us unite in agreeing that it’s in, through and by Christ alone that we are saved.
For everyone who had ‘gotcha’ questions (Where did Cain’s wife come from? Was the universe really created in the span of just a handful of days?), we implored for them to consider further thought into them, but not to deviate from the essentials…
…and, finally, no matter what came out as essentials and non-essentials for us, we communicated in charity – keeping in mind Christ, the grace of God that saved us and teaches us, keeping His love in mind.
In fact, I dare say that as we rejoice always, and as we pray without ceasing, and especially as we give thanks in all things, we are able to internalize and consequently communicate the will of God in Christ Jesus – bringing all together to unite in the essential Gospel, to be patient and liberal in all that is not essential, but, in all things, we shine charity, just as Christ was so charitable, so willing to give to us.
Now I mentioned the Lausanne Congress, and I had some questions to ask – well, at least from the first and second online plenary sessions.
Session 1 – What are the signs and wonders of the Holy Spirit in your own life? In your church? In your communities?
Session 2 – Christ comforts you and secures you, but how does Christ motivate you and inspire you?
I have reason to believe that we can answer these questions, at least for myself, by way of the declarations we derived earlier… and, really, all the declarations we’ve derived so far.
The signs and wonders of the Holy Spirit working in my own life come by way of Christ comforting me and securing me, and by way of Christ motivating me and inspiring me.
Christ is our wisdom from God. Christ is our righteousness, our sanctification (our holiness) and our redemption.
Through Christ, we are blessed. The community rejoices when we are blessed, and we are blessed when the community rejoices.
Christ humbled Himself and was given the greatest honor.
Christ humbled Himself, and we were honored.
Christ was honored, and we are humbled.
Because of Christ, we have the opportunity and privilege of prayer. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray, reminding ourselves of His presence, keeping corruption at bay.
We pray, and we have divine guidance and Godly wisdom for the power we have.
Because of Christ, we have the Spirit, and the Spirit leads us into all truth. We proclaim Christ, and we have victory; No weapon formed against us shall prosper, no tongue that speaks against us shall condemn, and our enemies will fight among themselves.
I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD for the generations to hear and repent.
Through Christ I am forgiven of all my iniquity, I am healed of all my diseases.
Through Christ my life is redeemed from the pit, and I am crowned with steadfast love and mercy.
and even in my pain, Christ fully satisfies me with good so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Through Christ who was the last of all and servant of all, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, I will receive all who are sent to me, I will listen to them, and be a servant to them.
Because Christ is humble, so I am humble. I will speak good words to them.
And these are the new ones:
By Jesus Christ, who is the grace of God, I am saved – I am redeemed from all ungodliness, lawlessness and worldly passions.
Through Jesus Christ, I am purified and zealous for good works.
I am controlled by the Love of Christ – I no longer live for myself, but I live for Him.
Through Jesus Christ, I rejoice always, I pray without ceasing, and I give thanks in all circumstances!
These are all we have from just September… and I think I should refine and rearrange them before going into what we have for October.
Christ is my wisdom from God.
Christ is my righteousness, my sanctification and my holiness.
Christ is the grace of God who saved me.
Christ is my redemption from all ungodliness, lawlessness and worldly passions.
Christ humbled Himself and was given the greatest honor.
Christ humbled Himself, and I was honored.
Christ was honored, and I am humbled.
I am controlled by the Love of Christ – I no longer live for myself, but I live for Him.
I proclaim Christ, and I have victory.
Because of Christ…
I am purified and zealous for good works.
I rejoice always, I pray without ceasing, and I give thanks in all circumstances!
Because of Christ…
I have the opportunity and privilege of prayer.
I pray, reminding myself of His presence, keeping corruption at bay.
I pray, and I have divine guidance and Godly wisdom for the power I have.
Because of Christ…
I have the Spirit that leads me into all truth.
no weapon formed against me shall prosper.
no tongue that speaks against me shall condemn, and my enemies will fight among themselves.
Because of Christ…
I am forgiven of all my iniquity and I am healed of all my diseases.
I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD for the generations to hear and repent.
my life is redeemed from the pit, and I am crowned with steadfast love and mercy.
even in my pain, Christ fully satisfies me with good so that my youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
Because of Christ, we are blessed. The community rejoices when we are blessed, and we are blessed when the community rejoices.
Because of Christ, who was the last of all and servant of all, I will receive all who are sent to me, I will listen to them, and be a servant to them.
How was that? Thinking of sharing this for our weekly newsletter. This was for September… I’m more excited for October.
Taking a breather here… there’s one more wonderful thing I want to share to close our traversing the Roman Road, so I’ll be hopping onto that next.
Until the next post, God bless you greatly and abundantly!
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