Tag Archives: salvation

October 10, 2012

From Darkness to Light

By Terrie van Baarsel

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Prison cell

Prison cell (Photo credit: decade_null)

The soul of man can never truly be happy apart from the light. The rich man dwells in darkness the same as the poor man. Give him possessions, or take them all away. Allow him a measure of fame or make him live a life of loneliness and despair, afford him great knowledge or leave him in ignorance, it matters not. Apart from God’s gracious calling, the rich and poor, the celebrity and unknown, the intellectual and the ignorant all walk in darkness still.

I was once a companion of darkness. I was at war with God because He is light. I opposed the truth, preferring the lie. In imminent danger, I was powerless to see my true condition because darkness cloaked the sin that ruled my heart. It was the worst possible combination, ignorance and peril. I was as a blind man navigating the slippery slope of a precipice from which there could be no rescue.

But Hallelujah! God in His mercy has shone a great light! The Gospel! The very power of God unto salvation for those who believe.

Thirty years ago the Father of lights graciously revealed to me my true condition. And, in His great mercy; He illumined my way. For, how hopeless would I be today had He stopped short of offering me the remedy for my sin, the antidote to darkness! Jesus, the light of the world!

The love of God broke through the gloom. I saw my sin. I saw His Son.

God calls His children to communicate His goodness to a world lost in darkness. And so I proclaim to you the excellencies of the One who dwells in unapproachable light. The one true and living God who calls you today for the sake of His own dear Son.

Is He calling you out of the darkness that blinds you? Open your eyes to His marvelous light! Listen to Him! Believe in Him!

For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. (Romans 10:13)

and

May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints of the light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:11-14)

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

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July 5, 2012

How People Get Saved

By Terrie van Baarsel

Sermon Notes-Pastor Milton Vincent
July 1, 2012-Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church

Text: Romans 10:9-15

The Essence of Salvation: God gives a person righteousness, deliverance, and satisfaction in Jesus. (See Romans 10:9-11)

Righteousness: Salvation is God giving to a poor, lost sinner, righteousness. His record of sin is wiped clean and he is clothed in the perfect righteousness of Christ.

Deliverance: God saves from something, from sin’s guilt and power, condemnation, wrath, hell, and a meaningless and hopeless life.

Satisfaction: We are sure to be let down if we put our confidence in things and people. God promises that when He is done doing what He wants to do in us through His Son, we will not be ashamed that we have put our trust in Jesus.

A FIVE-FOLD EXPLANATION AS TO HOW IT IS THAT HIS SALVATION GETS TO PARTICULAR PEOPLE

1. This salvation comes to those who call upon Christ.
…for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing His riches on all who call on Him. For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. (Rom. 10:12-13)
-We don’t just wake up one day saved, delivered, justified.
-It is people who cry out to Jesus who get saved.
-Salvation does not come from within, but from without and only through Jesus.
-Salvation is for those who stop calling upon anything or anyone else besides Jesus.

2. Those who call upon Christ do so because they believe in Christ.
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed?… (Rom. 10:14)
-Calling on Christ without believing would be meaningless.
-Belief is the fuel that drives the prayer of calling upon the Lord.
-Belief in Jesus is more than a bare believing of facts about Him.
-It is seeing a need for the Savior and withdrawing trust from themselves, anything or anyone else and putting trust in Jesus.
-It is believing and trusting that Jesus has the power and desire to save.

3. Those who believe in Christ do so because they have heard the gospel of Christ.
…And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?… (Rom. 10:14)
-This is God’s plan- through hearing.
-See Acts 11:14; 1 Cor. 1:21
-Hearing words, a message, is the means God uses to bring people to belief in His Son.
-Not a list of do’s and don’t's, but a piece of news that comes to us about Jesus.

“Faith indeed comes of hearing. Do not imagine men will be saved any other way.” -Newell

4. Those who hear the gospel of Christ do so because someone preached it to them.
…And how are they to hear without someone preaching? (Rom. 10:14)
-Preacher=Heralder, someone who announces a public message.
-Herald: someone who acts as a messenger of a king or commander.
-”…the herald announces no word more or less than he is bidden to announce and alters and changes nothing.” -Lenski
-There are many who don’t like certain parts of Scripture. but it’s not our luxury to pick and choose and preach only the parts that we like.

“The essence of other religions is advice; Christianity is essentially news.” -Tim Keller, The King’s Cross

5. Someone preaches the gospel to them because he is commissioned by God to do so.
And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” (Rom. 10:15)
-The sovereign God who is utterly sovereign in salvation has so structured things that He uses people to preach the Good News.
-God is the sending agent. He is behind it all!
-How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news! This comes from Isaiah 52. The Jews imagining the heralds running over the mountains to make the announcement that their Babylonian captivity is over. The dusty feet of the heralds would be beautiful to them.
-The idea is, how beautiful are the goings of those who bring the good news of the Gospel.
-We go to bring the Good News of salvation because we are sent by God.
-See Mark 16 and Matt. 28.

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April 25, 2012

Am I In Jesus? (Re-post)

By Terrie van Baarsel

It’s been a busy week, and I haven’t had a chance to write a post for Gospel Apprentice. When this happens, I usually repost something from the archives. This is one of those times. Our son, Eric wrote this in February, 2010. I will only add this:

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.
3 John 4

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

Here’s the post:

The following post was written by our youngest son, Eric van Baarsel. Thanks, Eric for contributing to Gospel Apprentice!

The most important question you can ask yourself in life is, “Am I in Jesus?” So, what I want you to do right now is ask yourself, “Am I in Jesus, and if so, on what do I base my answer?” My biggest fear is if someone thinks they know Jesus, but in reality they don’t know Him. Jesus said, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you…’ ” (Matthew 7:22-23) Please don’t be one of the many who this will happen to on the day when you stand before Almighty God! So, my goal in this article is to give you a better understanding of who Jesus Christ is, who you are, and finally what He did for you.

First, we must try to get a glimpse of who Jesus is. Jesus is the Son of God and the world was created through Him (John 1:10). He is part of the Holy Trinity, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was sent into this world and was born from the virgin Mary, so we see Jesus is fully God and also fully man at the same time (Matthew 1:18). Jesus experienced many of the same things we do. He had and loved friends and family, felt hunger and pain, joy and happiness, shed tears and knew sadness. And even “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15b) Jesus never sinned once and was completely blameless.

In Revelation 4:8 it says, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was , and is, and is to come.” If you look closely you will see something interesting in that verse. First of all, today when we are trying to emphasize something in our language we will underline and/or bold the phrase or word that we are trying to emphasize. In Greek, which Revelation was written in, they would repeat the word they are trying to emphasize. So, the writer of Revelation was really trying to make a point here. So, you may wonder what does it exactly mean to be Holy? It means that He is completely spotless, absolutely perfect, and has never done anything that is wrong (I John 1:5). All it takes to be the opposite of holy is just a single sin. It is impossible to fully understand how holy Jesus is because of how sinful we are. Also, God is all-knowing (omniscient, Psalm 139:1-5), is present everywhere (omnipresent, Jeremiah 23:24), and all-powerful (omnipotent, Luke 1:37). Although I listed several attributes of God, there is still so much more to be said about God that even if I wrote twenty more pages on His attributes I wouldn’t even come close to how big He is.

Now that we have had a glimpse of who Jesus is, we now must look and see who man is. “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27) So, clearly we see that God brought us into this world, and we were made in His image. He did this so that we may bring Him glory (I Corinthians 10:31). Before sin ever came into the world, man had a perfect relationship with God. but Adam and Eve sinned against God and brought suffering, wickedness, and death into the world. Sin caused a separation between God and man because God’s holiness does not fit with our wickedness. Because Adam and Eve were of the family of men and so are we, we inherited the sinful nature. Although we inherited Adam’s and Eve’s sinful nature, we are still accountable for our sin. Every one of us has sinned against God and deserve eternal punishment in hell for our actions. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) God absolutely hates sin, we see this in Hosea 9:15. “Because of all their wickedness in Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will drive them out of my house I will no longer love them; and all their leaders are rebellious.” The gravity of our sin is unfathomable. John Piper describes it like this: “The height of your sin is measured by the dignity of the one you are sinning against, and it is an infinite dignity.” So, we see that we are wicked creatures who are sinning against the absolutely Holy God. Because of this, we deserve death (Romans 6:23).

Now that we see how Holy God the Almighty is, and how sinful and evil we are and how we deserve eternal punishment for our transgressions, we must come to the understanding that we are facing a huge problem. In the Old Testament (before Jesus was sent into the world) men would have to find a spotless lamb and slaughter it to cover their sin. The blood of the animal temporarily (because this had to be done again and again and again) provided forgiveness for their sin (Leviticus 4:35). “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all sins are cleansed with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” (Hebrews 9:22) So we see that the only way for our sins to be forgiven is by the shedding of blood This is where Jesus comes in. God sent Jesus as our spotless lamb, but instead of only taking care of our sin temporarily, Jesus’ sacrifice takes away all of our sins permanently (Hebrews 7:26-28, John 1:29)!  Do you see how beautiful this is? We as men are evil and wicked and deserve eternal punishment and God sent His perfect and only Son to die for us! Jesus was crucified on the cross and God poured out His wrath that we deserve for our sin on His only Son so that we may be saved. After His death on the cross, Jesus then rose again, conquering death. This is what Jesus came for (Matthew 16:21). Only the blood of Jesus takes away every sin that we have done and He is the only way to be saved. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) The blood of Jesus is a gift to us from God to wash away our sin.

You might be wondering how you can receive this awesome gift. Jesus said to believe in Him and you will be saved (John 3:16). This is by faith alone that you are justified (Romans 5:1). You can’t do anything to earn your salvation (good works), it is by God’s grace, through faith (Ephesians 2:8,9). You must see your need for repentance, that you are wicked and need a Savior by trusting in Jesus alone to become saved. Luke 13:5 says, “I tell you, no! but unless you repent, you too will perish.” I pray with all my heart that you accept this truly beautiful and prefect gift by putting your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.

You might be thinking that you already know this and you are saved which is great! But, there are a few ways that you can test yourself just to see if you are truly in Jesus (2 Peter 1:10). Matthew 7:16 says, “you will know them by their fruit.”  So, do people see that you are producing fruit? If someone were to look at your life will they see that you have a passion for Jesus? Also, do you hate and fight your sin? In Psalm 97:10 it says, “Let those who love the Lord hate evil…” Also, what is Jesus to you? Do you believe in Him just so you won’t go to hell? Some people think Jesus is simply a ticket out of hell. Or, do you want Jesus just so that you will have good health or nice things? These are NOT the reasons why you should want Jesus The center of why you should want Him is because of your love for Him for what He has done for you! So, the ultimate question that I have left to ask you is ARE YOU IN JESUS?

In closing, I hope that this helped in any way possible and that you will think about your relationship with Christ. I pray that if you are not in Jesus that this will help give you an idea of what Jesus has really done for us!

Finally, “Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.” (James 4:8)

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April 11, 2012

Confessions of a List-Maker

By Terrie van Baarsel

I am a list-maker.

Each morning, I write out my “To Do” list for the day. It may look something like this:

-Make dentist appointment
-Mail bills
-Grocery Shopping
-Drop dog off at the groomer
-Call Mom

Well, you get the idea. I’ve been a list maker for as long as I can remember. Almost anything can be turned into a list. In school I listed my homework assignments. I’ve made pros and cons lists, baby name lists, Christmas card lists, and I wouldn’t dream of shopping without a well thought out grocery list.

While it may be helpful in accomplishing short-term goals for the day; I can think of at least two negatives to list-making.

One, it’s not a good idea to be tied too closely to a list. Sometimes things come up and if I’m too intent on accomplishing my list, I end up frustrated. Or worse, I may miss a blessing, or being a blessing to others, because I am too fixated on my own agenda. Blessed are the flexible!

Second, I have found that my desire to grow in faith and obedience to the Lord is actually thwarted by my propensity to reduce everything to a list. In the past, I have actually made lists such as this:

-Spend 30 minutes reading the Bible
-Spend 30 minutes praying
-Tell at least one person about Jesus today
-Count to ten to keep from responding in anger
-Don’t yell at the kids
-Respect my husband
-No complaining

Well, maybe not on paper exactly, but these were the kinds of things that I kept running as a sort of mental obedience list in my head. The problem is, obedience lists don’t really work, especially when it comes to a real and lasting change of heart.

If I were able to accomplish this kind of list on any given day, I would feel as if God was pleased with me. At this point, feelings of superiority and pride would often rise up causing me to sin even as I thought I was doing so well. If I were to fail, which is so often the case, I beat myself up, sure that God was angry with me. Fear of divine punishment would often be the result.

Keeping the obedience list is not only frustrating, but exhausting. Not to mention downright impossible if I’m banking on my own merit and strength.

The beauty of the Gospel is that Jesus kept the obedience list perfectly on my behalf.

For our sake he made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.   (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The truth of the Gospel is that Jesus’s death on the cross satisfied God’s judgment against me, and He bore the wrath that I deserved for my sins.

[I am] justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith…  (Romans 3:24-25)

The miracle of the gospel is that I am free from the burden of earning and maintaining my salvation; it is a gracious gift from my Heavenly Father.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  (Ephesians 2:8-9)

The reality of the Gospel is that Jesus is my righteousness; my mood and bravado are no longer dependent on my own merit, but on the excellency and sufficiency of Christ.

…Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.  (1 Corinthians 1:31)

The interesting thing is that when my heart and mind are set on the goodness of God as revealed in the Gospel, and when I’m walking in gratitude with the realization of all that Jesus has done for me; I find that the natural outcome is a joyful desire to obey the One who loved me unto death, the One who calls me daughter and friend, the One who freed me from the power of sin and death.

And when I do sin, the necessity of the Gospel is real.

…But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  (1 John 2:1)

The good news of the Gospel is that because of Jesus, I am neither a slave to sin nor am I reduced to hopelessly counting on my own effort to keep the obedience list.

So, if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed! (John 8:36)

What about you? Are you trusting in self-righteousness, your own ability to check off the items on your obedience list? Or have you trusted that your sin debt has been paid in full? Listen to Jesus’ final words from the cross: 

…”It is finished…” (John 19:30)

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

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February 28, 2012

Indications That God Is For Us, Part 3

By Terrie van Baarsel

Sermon Notes, Pastor Milton Vincent
February 26, 2012-Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church

Romans 8:28-30

3 MORE INDICATIONS THAT GOD IS FOR US WHO ARE HIS PEOPLE

First 4 points, Review:
1. God causes all things to work together for our good. (v.28)
2. God intentionally knew us long before we knew Him. (v.29)
3. God predestined us to be transformed into Christ’s image. (v. 29)
4. God predestined us to Christ-exalting community. (v. 29)

5. God effectually called us to salvation.

Effectual call: “an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which He summons people to Himself in such a way that they [willingly] respond in saving faith.” (Wayne Grudem)

-God made our salvation happen.
-Whatever this call it:
is a call that goes to the predestined. (v. 30)
is a call that results in justification and glorification. (v. 30)
is a call that puts a person inside the promise of v. 28.
-There is a general Gospel call, but this is different.
-It is a powerful, life-giving call which when delivered accomplishes the very thing it calls forth from the recipient.
-See John 6:44, John 15:16 (not denying the called made a willing response)
-We cannot take credit for our salvation.
-See Rom. 1:16, 1 Cor. 1:24
-This effectual call is an indication that God is for us.
-God determined the day of your salvation before the foundation of the world.
-We did not choose God because we are better, smarter, more noble etc. than others.

6. God justified us.

Justification: “…an instantaneous legal act of God in which He, (1) decides to think of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in His sight.” (Wayne Grudem)

-The doctrine of justification shows God is for us.
-Justification primarily occurs in the mind of God as He decides to forever think of your sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as yours.
-God keeps your justification ever before His eyes.
-God never looks at us apart from our justification or thinks any thoughts about us that are not governed by our justification.
-We live in the good of Romans 5 because of our justification!
-It does not mean that we turn a blind eye to sin.
-The doctrine of justification gives us courage to look at our sin honestly because we know that it is God who has justified us.
-Romans 8:1 is what Paul reminded himself of when he was in Romans 7 seasons.
-Believe it! God paid a great price to show us His “for-ness.”

7. God will glorify us.

Glorification: All that God does by way of transforming us into the likeness of His Son, culminating in the raising and glorifying of our bodies at the resurrection.

-God has never justified anyone whom He won’t glorify.
-Justification + Glorification = Unbreakable chain.
-See 2 Cor. 3:18; We are being transformed from glory to glory
-See Rom. 3:23; 5:2; 8:17, 21
-He will bring it to pass that we will be glorified, body and soul.

But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him. 1 Cor. 2:9

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February 9, 2012

God Speaks

By Terrie van Baarsel

“He is not silent. The reason we have the answer is because the infinite-personal God, the full Trinitarian God, has not been silent. He has told us who He is.”   -Francis A. Schaeffer, He Is There and He Is Not Silent (Ch. 1)

The conversation begins with creation. Majestic redwoods, lofty mountain-tops, ocean deeps, the nightly dance of stars and planets choreographed across the Milky Way; these natural events attest to the existence of God. From the vastness of the created universe to the minute intricacies of the human body, the miracles of creation unfold around us, advertising the glories of God. Their declaration is bold and relentless, but man suppresses the truth and finds himself without excuse.

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. (Rom 1:19-20)  

Man, for all intents and purposes, tells God to shut-up.

How does God respond to this? Surely He has not responded according to what we deserve. We deserve silence. The close-lipped silence of the grave, and certainly not the words of a gracious, life-giving God who sends His Son to die for the sins of the world.

What we deserve and what we get are two very different things. In the Garden of Eden, the Creator of the Universe uses words. He speaks to Adam and Eve. He gives them boundaries and defines their world. But Adam and Eve choose not to believe God’s words and give credence to Satan’s words instead. The consequences are catastrophic. God would have been completely within His rights to turn His back on Adam and cut off all communication. But instead, God seeks Adam out, calling to him in the cool of the day, “Where are you?”

Yes, we deserve silence…

…but in these last days he has spoken to us by His Son…(Heb 1:2)

Consider the words of the Word of Life:

Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matt 11:28)

…I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. (Mark 2:17)

…I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)

I am the bread of life. (John 6:48)

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. (John 3:14)

God speaks the Gospel through His Son. Will you believe His words today? 

Listen to the words of Jesus. Believe His words and be saved.

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

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November 1, 2010

Job’s Dilemma and a Mystery Revealed

By Terrie van Baarsel

In Job chapter nine, Job expresses the anguish of his suffering by asking two questions and by touching upon the truth of man’s need for an arbiter.

…But how can a man be in the right before God? (v. 2)
 Job asks the question, “Is there anyone who is perfectly righteous before God?” The answer, of course, is an emphatic, no! Paul tells it like it is: …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… (Rom. 3:23). Salvation is a gracious gift from God; …this is not your own doing… (Eph. 2:8).

…If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? (v.19)
Who can contend with God? The man who attempts to justify himself before God is not only foolhardy, but guaranteed to fail. Justification is made possible because of the redeeming work of Christ on the cross (Rom. 3:24). By faith and through Christ is the only way to satisfy the judgment we deserve. “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 5:1)

There is no arbiter between us who might lay his hand on us both. (v. 33)
We are at enmity with God and apart from God’s Grace we remain His enemies. But there is One who would bring peace, an arbiter, and that is Jesus Christ. Remember that you were…separated from Christ…having no hope and without God in the world…For He Himself is our peace…that He might…reconcile us…to God (Eph 2:12-15).

Job understood the profundity of man’s problem, but the mystery of God’s plan in the Gospel has now been revealed.

And you who were once alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the Gospel that you heard…(Col. 1:21-23).

The answer to Job’s dilemma, and to our dilemma too, is found in the Gospel.

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

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September 7, 2010

A Gospel Feast

By Terrie van Baarsel

Sermon Notes – Cornerstone Fellowship Bible Church – August 29, 2010
Pastor Milton Vincent

The Gospel in a nutshell is the Good News of Salvation for hell-deserving sinners through the person and work of Jesus Christ.

In the Gospel, we are forgiven, justified, made a child of God, become recipients of the Holy Spirit, are privileged to pray, loved by Jesus daily, filled with exceeding power, have fellowship with the saints, and have an inheritance in Heaven. The list of what is ours in the Gospel can go on and on. The Gospel is BIG.

…like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.   I Peter 2:2-5

THE EFFECTS OF GOSPEL FEASTING

1. Progressive growth into Salvation
-  If you feast on the Gospel, you will grow.
-  Increase in every way, size, stature, strength, ability, agility, wisdom (spiritual)
-  In this way, you will become a force to be reckoned with to the enemy, strong, not weak. Peter says, resist the devil and he will flee from you.
-  You get strong by Gospel feasting.

2. Continuous transformation
-  As you continually (present tense) come to Him as a living stone, daily and progressively, you are being edified (built up), a fitted stone for a certain purpose
-  The word edify literally means to build a house. From nothing to something, from something natural and raw to something fitted, prepared, useful. Edify includes the idea of transformation. For example in Genesis 2:22, the Lord edified Adam’s rib into a woman.

3. Likeness to Christ
-  “you also as living stones”… like Jesus, fitted, prepared and shaped for God’s purpose
-  So that others can partake of the living waters that flow from us, nourishing others in Christ

4. Radical community with like-minded lovers of Christ
-  Being built into a spiritual house
-  A community characterized by:
          the Spirit moving and glorifying Jesus
          holiness
          service (a holy priesthood, serving and representing God before people)
          worship (not just singing songs) but in actions, acts of service

May God help us to feast freely on what we have in the Gospel!

 

 
 

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August 18, 2010

A Testimony to God’s Faithfulness

By Terrie van Baarsel

Looking back over my fifty plus years, God’s faithfulness is clear. My Heavenly Father kept me until the Day of my Salvation and at the right moment, plucked me from darkness and transferred me into His Kingdom of Light. It is His doing, this quickening of heart and mind in response to the Glorious message of the Gospel. The Lord used both people and circumstances to bring His offer of redemption into sharp focus in my life, and I am thankful.

I did not grow up in a church-going family, but I did have parents who loved, cared, and provided for me. They were  instruments of God’s Grace and love. Every night, either Dad or Mom would tuck me in and say a prayer. “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.” My parents could not give me a true picture of Christianity, they did not have one themselves. But the sliver of truth that they did possess, they gave. My mom has since become a strong Christian. That bond has been strengthened. I am eternally grateful for the parents the Lord gave me.

I am also thankful for all the neighborhood VBS clubs I attended as a child. In second grade I learned to sing the books of the Bible at one such club. To this day I sing through the books if I’m unsure of the location of a Scripture reference. Over the years, all those crafts and Bible Stories laid a good foundation for the future. I am blessed thinking about the people whose names I may have forgotten, but whose seeds planted in the mind and heart of a little girl for Christ’s sake still yield fruit.

During my middle school years a neighbor lady invited us to attend a summer outreach at a Baptist church in town. There was a group of college students from Texas who came to teach from the Bible, give their testimonies and preach the Gospel for several weeks. I responded to the Lord that summer and was even baptized. However, when school came around I stopped attending church and lost interest in the things of the Lord. Was I truly saved that summer? I don’t know. I plan to ask the Lord about it someday. I would not return to Christianity until much later in life.

My senior year in high school coincided with the “Jesus Movement”. Many of my friends became Christians and invited me to tent meetings that were being held at what would later become Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa. I refused their invitations. A girlfriend explained the Gospel to me many times. I always found an excuse and continued to live for myself. But, the truth was still there, and I knew it.

After high school I drifted farther and farther away from anything or anyone that bore any semblance to Christianity. I lived for myself. I indulged my flesh. I did what was right in my own eyes. Over the years, I became cynical bitter, even angry. I hated what my life had become. I felt hopeless, alone and lost.

At one point during this time, a girlfriend who I had not seen for a long time got in touch with me. She invited me to hear a Christian band at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa. I liked the music, but after the band was finished playing a man got up to preach the Gospel. My heart was so hardened by this time that his words only made me angry. Although he spoke of God’s love, he also told the truth about what would happen to those who died without Christ. My attitude was: Who does this guy think he is telling me that I am headed for damnation if I refuse to turn to Christ for forgiveness and salvation?! I became so agitated that I actually got up in the middle of his sermon and exited the church in a huff, allowing the door to slam behind me.

It was two years later that the Lord would finally have His way with me. Hallelujah! By this time, my sister and her husband had become Christians. I watched the Lord heal their marriage. I noticed the love they shared with other Christians. I saw the joy that forgiveness and salvation bring. I realized there was a big difference between their lives and mine. I wanted what they had even though I wasn’t quite ready to admit it yet.

I began to attend a home Bible study held at their home. This little group of believers welcomed me. They loved me. They put up with my cynical attitude. I asked questions, dishonestly, only to see if I could trip them up. They answered my questions, honestly, with patience and transparency. In short, they wore me down with the love of Christ that was in them. I succumbed.

That was the summer of 1981. I don’t know exactly when it happened during that time period, but the Lord took hold of me. He loved me while yet a sinner, yes, even the chief of sinners! He washed me clean and made me a new creature. I was born again, saved. I have not been the same since.

The story of how the Lord has changed my life and blessed me since then would fill many more pages of this blog. I will save that for another time. I do not deserve all that the Lord has done for me. If left to my own devices, I would still be lost and a slave to sin. But God, rich in Grace and Mercy, loved me and gave Himself for me. He not only gave me hope for eternity, but also blessed me this side of heaven with a Godly husband and three beautiful children.

My point in writing all of this is two-fold. I need to remind myself how important it is to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, even when immediate fruit is not evident. I write also to encourage you to keep praying for that someone who refuses to respond to God’s offer of His Son. Trust the Lord for those little ones that come and go in your Sunday school classes and VBS clubs. Continue to preach the Gospel in word and deed, even to those whose hearts seem made of stone.

To God alone be the Glory! His Grace is sufficient. His Gospel is true.

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him in whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! (Romans 10:13-15)  

By His Grace and for the Gospel,
Terrie van Baarsel

7 comments   |  tags: , , , , , | posted in Gospel

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