Rivers Of Living Waters
What flows out of you?
Whenever a river flows, there is life nearby. All sorts of living things are in and around rivers all over the world. Rivers have been an important part of life for human beings from the beginning of time.
Believers in Jesus, like rivers of life in the Spirit, bring vitality to this parched and barren world. The world’s offerings, which appear enticing, are dried up, withered, and lifeless. They are mere mirages in the desert, empty, hollow, and devoid of true life.
Jesus said something of great significance that every believer should take to heart.
John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Jesus eagerly anticipated the moment when the Holy Spirit would begin His ministry in full here on earth through believers in Jesus who would be baptized with His power and presence. Jesus likened it to a river of life flowing through this world.
Believers themselves do not give life. It requires the work of the Holy Spirit!
John 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
Jesus spoke by the Spirit. He was not merely quoting Scripture. He was speaking in a timely and pointed manner according to the Spirit’s leading. Jesus was submitted to the Holy Spirit throughout His ministry, and He did everything that He did and spoke everything He spoke by the direction and power of the Holy Spirit. He ministered according to the Holy Spirit’s leading.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
The Holy Spirit also brings vitality to our flesh when we are submitted to Him in faith. But more than that, it is the Holy Spirit that makes us proper ministers.
2Corinthians 3:6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
To be a river in this world, we need to be surrendered to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives so that He can bring revelation and life to others.
The Holy Spirit is always looking to magnify Jesus and make Him known. The Holy Spirit promotes the New Covenant as it is the Covenant Jesus established. It is the Covenant of life.
No one wants to swim in a polluted river filled with muck and nasty, dangerous chemicals. But that is what mixture is, spiritually speaking. It seeks to pollute the river of life by bringing in things that are not beneficial and even harmful to someone. The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. I want to be a clean-flowing river of life to my generation that magnifies Jesus according to the flow and power of the Holy Spirit working in and through me. I do not wish to merely quote Scriptures but rather speak the appropriate truth at each moment that I am privileged to have the opportunity to do so.
What Kind Of Obedience?
Do you know what is expected of you?
Too often, when the word obedience is used, it triggers notions of keeping the law. But in the New Covenant, that is not what it is meant to do.
Instead, under the New Covenant, obedience is about aligning ourselves with the gospel. The New Covenant invites us to live in obedience to the gospel.
2Thessalonians 1:6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.
The obedience we are called to in the New Covenant is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!
We are to believe on the One the Father sent. This idea of believing is pervasive, too. It is not merely initially believe. It is continuing belief that brings us to a place of trust in Him. It is a relational belief that keeps us connected with Him in an active sense.
Believing the good news of Jesus Christ is our obedience. We maintain obedience by rejecting the notion that we must do something to assist His completed work on our behalf as if He failed in some way to do all that was required of Him.
Our confidence and rest in Him is a display of faith in His finished work on our behalf. Resting from our own works is the greater display of real faith. It is what the letter of Hebrews speaks of, and it is what Israel failed to do when He desired to bring them into the promised land. They would not believe He could give them vineyards they did not plant and homes they did not build. He wanted to give them something wonderful out of His goodness and abundance, and all they could see was hindrance and opposition in the natural, and thus, they believed their own eyes and measured themselves according to their own natural stature and ability. They could not possess in faith what He promised out of His goodness towards them. Therefore, they wandered in the wilderness.
Our greatest act of obedience is to believe Him. Believing Him produces the fruit of being empowered to accomplish His will for our lives according to the working of His mighty power, which works in us who believe. Being at rest in His finished work gives Him glory. Trusting in the good news and believing it so completely that it produces great confidence in our relationship with Him honors Him.
Knowing His love and receiving the bounty of His goodness revealed in Jesus Christ is a testimony of His glory on this earth. Trying harder on our own to merit His affection and favor is an insult to Him. He desires the obedience of a confident belief in the good news of the New Covenant that magnifies Jesus in every way possible.
Liar?
Would you trust a liar?
I recently had an interesting experience at the gym I go to. I was working out when I heard someone say all men are liars. It was a group I sometimes interact with, so I turned around and said, “Wait a minute, are you sure you want to say that?” One of the women said yes. They had been giving their male trainer a hard in jest. I jokingly asked, “Does that mean all women are emotional?” She said maybe. I then asked her in a less joking way, “Was Jesus a liar? She paused and said I don’t know if I want to go there. I then said, “Jesus was real, and He was a man; was He a liar?” She said of course not.
To that, I was able to ask, “Should we not believe everything He said then?”
The devil is a liar and the father of lies! He cannot be trusted, but when someone has put their trust in him, whether knowingly or not, the lies he tells become their truth, clouding their ability to hear and recognize the truth. Unless the Holy Spirit’s revelation from the gospel being declared breaks through their hearts, they remain in darkness.
Jesus used this reasoning when He was on earth contending with those who wrongfully accused Him and refused to believe in Him.
John 8:46 Which of you can truthfully accuse me of sin? And since I am telling you the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 Anyone who belongs to God listens gladly to the words of God. But you don’t listen because you don’t belong to God.”
This reasoning still stands today! It has been more than proven that Jesus was perfect and sinless!
That means He never lied! If He never lied and only spoke the truth, why should we struggle to take Him at His word?
The reason He did not lie is that God cannot lie, and He only spoke what He heard the Father speaking.
Psalm 89:35 I have sworn an oath to David, and in my holiness I cannot lie:
This should bring great joy to our hearts and begin to blow the clouds of doubt from our souls so that the faith we have received from Him can operate freely. Look at what Paul testified to!
Titus 1:1 Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, 3 but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;
God cannot lie. Jesus is God, and He cannot lie. The Holy Spirit is God, and He cannot lie! We have a triple guarantee when it comes to the things God has spoken to us from His word and what He speaks to us here and now in revelation from the Spirit. Liar? I think not! The devil is for sure, this world is for sure, but our Father cannot lie and will fulfill all that He has promised to us!
If Jesus cannot lie and thus is not a liar, why not believe all that He said? Why not dig into His word even more to discover the many promises made by the One who cannot lie and who swears by His holiness to fulfill His word? I am grateful that I can rely on all that He has promised!
Jesus Is Coming Soon
Are you ready?
It would almost seem as though these words have become a cliche in the church in these last days. But no truer words have been spoken.
These are very important and truthful words that should be given serious attention. Jesus said,
Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left.
Matthew 24:44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Matthew 25:13 “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
Mark 13:35 Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming—in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning—
Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
When someone is convinced something is wrong in their bodies based on symptoms (Signs), they see a doctor. If the doctor diagnoses something and prescribes a course of action to remedy it, they submit to the counsel and take action on it because they believe the doctor. Belief is a powerful force!
The question I have to ask myself from time to time is, do I believe Jesus is coming soon? Then, I allow that belief to impact my compassion towards others, and I ask the Holy Spirit to embolden me to present the gospel to those I come in contact with, especially those I love most and care about.
I will declare Jesus to them and invite them to join me in the gathering of the saints so they, too, can grow in their faith in Jesus.
From time to time, I have to ask myself, do I care more about being liked, accepted, and popular than I do about loving others enough to stand firm in my beliefs and declare to them what they need to hear most concerning Jesus and His love for them?
Will I allow such a belief as His coming soon to make me more persistent in my efforts to declare the gospel in order to give the opportunity to others to believe as I do in His soon return and His promise of eternal life?
I must be vulnerable enough and trust in His love enough to ask myself if it is possible to truly believe such truth and not be moved to share with others the good news of Jesus Christ with any real persistence. I am not obligated to share and be a witness as though it is required of me in order to merit His love and affection. However, my belief will push me based on the fruit of compassion and its drive to not allow someone I care for to go to judgment unprepared. I am not ashamed of the gospel!
In that sense, my silence would be a shout of unbelief on my part. I must proclaim Him to others, for I am compelled to do so based on what I have come to believe. Jesus is coming soon!
Why Wait?
Are you a procrastinator?
There’s a saying that goes, “Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.”
Procrastination, the act of delaying or postponing something, is not a good trait. It generally results in missed opportunities.
Too often, people have procrastinated when it came to confessing Jesus Christ as Lord, and they have departed this earth, leaving their loved ones in a lurch regarding their outcome as a result.
Not only did they miss out on the blessing of knowing Jesus Christ in this life and living for His glory, but they also left the ones they claimed to love in a position of concern. There’s a comfort in knowing that someone you care about knew Jesus and confessed Him as Lord in this life.
God the Father desires that every knee should bow and every tongue confess Jesus as Lord. At the judgment, there will be no other option but to acknowledge that Jesus is Lord, but then it will be too late for many.
This action can only be of great benefit if it occurs in this life. Only by surrendering to the truth of who Christ is and what He has done and desiring to belong to Him and to know Him can the confession of Jesus as Lord benefit someone.
Those who confess this at the judgment will do so to the glory of God, but it will not rescue them at that moment from what will await them.
The only time a person has to benefit from such a confession is while they are alive on this earth. Unless a person does so here and now on this earth, they cannot become a new creation in Christ, and only new creations in Christ have any hope of heaven and eternal life with Jesus.
Salvation must happen in this life! It is not something to procrastinate over. That is why it says in Hebrews,
Hebrews 3:12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said: “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”
In Scripture, there is an air of urgency when it comes to someone coming to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. It is not a passive attitude of maybe someday. It is gross arrogance for anyone to think they know how many days they will have and think they have all the time in the world to get around to such an important decision. Jesus has come, and He offers eternal life to as many as would believe and surrender to His offer of it.
Romans 10:8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
The end is near, His return is very soon, and there’s no time to waste. The opportunity is now, so if you know someone who has not been born again, be the best friend they’ve ever known. Tell them about Jesus and give them an opportunity to pray and confess Him as Lord of their lives. Why wait?
Finishing What Was Started
The ability to finish is admirable.
The summer Olympics are fast approaching, a time when athletes from all over the world unite to compete, not just for the thrill of the game, but to leave a lasting mark by finishing well. The broadcasters won’t be discussing who started with a bang but who had the grit and determination to finish strong, inspiring us all.
Someone may be first off the starting line, but if they do not finish, it doesn’t count.
We’ve all encountered individuals who start numerous projects but fail to see them through to the end. This tendency to leave things unfinished often results in a trail of unresolved tasks and unfulfilled potential.
Imagine a builder who markets homes and then goes out and only builds the floor and the frames of the houses but does not complete the roof, the walls, or any of the rest of the house. They start well, get halfway done, and then move on to another house. That is a builder who will not be in business for very long.
Completion is a big deal; it’s just something we do not often give much thought to. I’m glad Jesus is not that way.
The apostle Paul wrote a letter to the believers at Philippi while he was in chains for the gospel. In that letter, he wrote something I think is very important. He wrote about the confidence he possessed concerning the believers and why he possessed such confidence.
Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;
Paul’s confidence was not in the believers themselves. His confidence was in the One who began a work in them. Paul knew the builder! Paul’s confidence was in the character and faithfulness of the builder!
This is great news! My completion is not hinging on my abilities and willpower; it hinges on His determination and power. He has committed Himself to bringing me across the finish line! The same is true for you!
We have not come to a Savior who merely starts well but cannot finish what He started. Jesus will bring to completion every single one He has made a New Creation. It is Christ who will get us across the finish line. We run our best race when we trust in His goodness to give us a good start, sustain us in the middle of the journey, and then boost our strength with His own to bring us across the finish line.
Looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith! He is not just that starter of our faith. He is the finisher of it! Finishing what he started is His trademark! That should give us great confidence whenever we are at that part of the race that feels impossible. Look to Him! He will bring you all the way!
Spoken Well Of
Want to be appreciated?
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where someone showered you with compliments in your presence, only to hear them speak negatively about you once you were out of earshot?
Such behavior is often referred to as being two-faced. I do not know of anyone who hopes to be badly spoken of. I’m not very familiar with many people who make it their life goal to have a bad reputation and enjoy being spoken badly about.
It’s been my experience that most people I know like being liked and spoken well of. They especially enjoy it when someone they respect speaks well of them. No one that I know of would enjoy someone pretending to like them but then going away and speaking badly about them to others.
I know I would not want that. I can’t say I have never spoken badly of by someone out there. I have experienced someone making it their aim to make sure others thought of me according to their dislike of me due to an offense or disagreement. It’s never my goal to have such experiences, but Jesus said such would happen.
I’m delighted to know that my Father in Heaven does not engage in such behavior. In fact, this truth about God led Paul to praise Him.
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
When we say ‘blessed ‘, we are essentially saying ‘well spoken of ‘. In this case, it’s about speaking well of God. Paul emphasizes that God is deserving of such praise. But why is this so?
Because God has spoken well of us and done good things to us and for us, there is something heavenly about us now that leads God to see us and think of us from a different perspective than when we were without Christ.
God speaks according to heavenly things concerning us now that we are in Christ. He speaks well of us and says good things about us. Where is this speaking taking place? In heaven itself. In the high courts of heaven where, God is seated on the throne. God is not two-faced with us. He is consistent, and He is able to do so based on what Jesus has done.
God does not say good things about us to win our affection and devotion. He speaks good things about us because of the work His Son accomplished within us. He speaks them because they are true because of Jesus. The proof of this is explained as we read further in the text.
Ephesians1:4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
God is not changing His mind or His speech concerning you and me because it is based on the finished work of Jesus on our behalf. He does not say something nice to us and then complain to the angels about us. God, as our Father, is consistent in speaking good things over our lives. You are well-spoken of today by the highest and greatest authority that has ever been known and will ever be known. I hope that encourages you and sparks a desire in you to give Him praise.
Let Go Of Control
Need control?
I remember the first time I drove a rental car with lane assist, but I didn’t know that it had it or how it worked. I was driving along and drifting towards the other lane, and the steering wheel just began bringing the car back on its own. I felt it, and it was strange to me. I thought something was wrong and tried to fight it at first. It was an insecure feeling for me to sense I was losing control.
It took me some time to get used to it. I suppose the same is true for most people when it comes to the sense of losing control. It can feel very insecure to sense that you have no control over something. Handing over control of something may be one of the most difficult challenges for many. I know it has many times greatly challenged me to let go os something and let someone else have control of it.
There’s something very vulnerable about letting go of control. To let go of control requires trust. Now I will admit that I have not reached the level of trust that would allow me to let a car drive me without a human driver. There are such cars out there now. They can take a person where they need to go with no human driver involved. Technology has come that far but I am not that ready to trust it. Just being honest here.
The real spiritual challenge involves letting go of control, as in thinking I can obtain or even maintain my own righteousness by observing the Law. Leaders also face this challenge when preaching a New Covenant Gospel because it means freedom at a much higher level than ever before, and it involves letting go of using the Law to try to control the saints.
Being in control is not all that it is made out to be. It can be exhausting to attempt to control everything and other people.
Attempting to control oneself can be exhausting. We need to embrace the revelation of Christ in us the hope of glory!
There are all kinds of control tactics used on people and even ourselves. Mixing law and grace is a spiritual form of control. But true freedom will always only be ours in Christ. True security, confidence, and peace can only be ours through Jesus Christ.
To experience it at higher levels, one must relinquish control and fully trust in Christ. One must believe what the Scripture says, “God has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness in Christ.”
In Christ is everything that we could ever need. He is the supply, and that is the good news of the gospel. Jesus didn’t just kick off our salvation and leave the rest to us. He completes it too! In Him, we are complete. But such a wonderful truth alludes to experience until we relinquish control of our own life and over others.
I am not called to be the Holy Spirit for myself or for anyone else. I am called to be yielded to the Spirit and to walk according to the Spirit. I have been given life abundantly in Jesus and now have ears to hear Him so I might know Him and find rest for my soul. This promise is for all who belong to Jesus. Let go of control, learn of Him, and you’ll find rest for your soul.
Refusing To Submit
Do you understand surrender?
When I worked as a supervisor with a company many years ago, we had specific ways of performing certain functions that differed from the ways similar companies performed them. Sometimes, we would hire someone who had worked for such a competitor company, and it meant they needed to learn our way of doing things. If the person we hired insisted on doing things the way they had done them before, even though they might be working hard at doing something, it meant they were refusing to submit to our way. Such practices were not welcomed.
Submission, a concept often misunderstood, is a fundamental aspect of our faith as believers in Jesus. Yet, its true nature is often clouded by misconceptions. Some may think it’s about the works we perform to please God, but the Bible paints a different picture. It speaks of a people who, in their zeal for God, have not fully grasped the essence of submission.
Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
New things and new ways can be challenging to embrace, especially when they eliminate our ability to merit something. God does not owe anyone anything. There’s no such thing as God being beholding to a person based on what they did for God. No matter how zealous a person may be in their efforts to impress God, He will never owe anyone anything.
Every good thing we receive from God is given to us as a gift. The only time God is pleased is when we receive by faith His generosity towards us, not having earned it, and thus, it is rooted in a demonstration of His grace and mercy towards us.
God aims to demonstrate His great love and mercy here on this earth by blessing us even though we’ve done nothing good enough to earn such a blessing. By loving and showing mercy to undeserving ones who simply believe the truth of His desire to do so in His Son Jesus Christ, the world is shown clear evidence of His goodness and greatness. It also reflects His holiness in that it demonstrates He is so different and set apart that no one could measure up to the standard of Him, and thus He must, by means of His goodness and mercy, do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
To insist on trying to merit anything from God based on what we do is to refuse to submit to the righteousness He offers. It is a rejection of the free offer of His righteousness as a gift. There will never be a righteousness that can compare to His, no matter how zealously and devotedly one may try to work to achieve it. The wisest and best thing anyone can do to please Him is simply to submit to the righteousness He offers and receive it by faith in Jesus. Receiving by faith is submitting to Him and His righteousness, and it pleases Him when we do that. True humility receives freely with thanksgiving.
New Discoveries
What’s new?
I still remember a field trip I was part of as a young boy in the fifth grade in South Florida. My class went to the coastline and waded through a tidal pool area with diverse species of sea life in it. It was like a nursery of sorts. I remember being amazed and feeling like I was discovering another world. I was fascinated, and it was my favorite field trip ever.
Discoveries have that kind of power. They can make you feel alive by opening your eyes to the wonders around you.
The kingdom of God is like that, but even better! When living in step with the Holy Spirit, every day can be a new adventure with new discoveries. Not only does He reveal things concerning Jesus in fresh new ways, but He also leads us into doing things in fresh new ways.
The Christian life is anything but boring for those who live according to the Spirit rather than falling into the snare of business as usual. Business as usual functions as though all there is to know and discover has been done, and, as a result, all that is left is going through the motions.
Whenever I allow the Holy Spirit to be in charge of me and my day, new and exciting things open up, and I get fresh revelations on something I have read or considered many times before. New opportunities present themselves—opportunities to bless others and make a difference in someone else’s life.
It is exciting to be used by the Holy Spirit to encourage others in their journey in Christ! It feels more alive than when I make discoveries as I did in the fifth grade or as an adult on trips taken and things explored. For me, nothing is more exciting or fun than being available to the Holy Spirit to be a difference-maker for the kingdom of God.
People get burned out on dead religion because it is stuck in a “business as usual rut.” They are attracted to authentic Christianity that is full of joy, on adventures with and encountering the surprises the Holy Spirit has in store.
The Holy Spirit has discoveries awaiting you and me today. All we need to do is ask Him to reveal where He is at work and join Him in what He is doing. Be available and surrendered.
As a boy, my dad worked at the water plant, and whenever he would allow me to join him at his work, it felt so special to me. It was an adventure to join him at his work, and for him to allow me to do something he would usually do made me feel significant. His allowing me to partner with him in his purpose felt important and special to me.
We are invited into the partnering process with the Holy Spirit daily. It is not a just-on-Sunday occurrence for believers in Jesus. If the only time we are qualified to engage in spiritual life is on Sunday at church, all we have is religion. When we are alive spiritually, we cannot help but be who we are daily. That opens doors to adventures in the Spirit.
So, I encourage you today to ask the Holy Spirit what He is up to and to show you where and how you can join Him in what He is doing. You will not regret it!
Qualified
What qualifies you?
It’s a prevalent trend in today’s ministry to focus on self-declared qualifications. However, it’s disheartening to see that many of these ‘qualifications’ are far removed from the divine standards that God uses to qualify a person.
In Scripture, Paul, as an Apostle of Jesus, speaks about what qualifies him and those working with him to be ministers.
(NLT) 2Corinthians 3:4 We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 5 It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 6 He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death, but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.
(NKJV) 2Corinthians 3:4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
God is about New Covenant ministry. It is what He validates as authentic and from Him by exhibiting His glory to us in it. But what is New Covenant Ministry, and what is its glory?
The Glory of the New Covenant
(NLT) 2Corinthians 3:7 The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. 8 Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 9 If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 10 In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 11 So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! 12 Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold.
There’s a difference between being bold because one went to school and feels they know more than someone else as a result and being bold because one knows the Father very intimately because one believes in Jesus and has confidence that He did everything to secure their relationship with the Father.
The law produces an insecure boldness that is conditional and requires one to feel they have maintained a standard they believe makes them right with God. The New Covenant produces a boldness that cannot be shaken because its confidence flows from what Christ did. Why would anyone feel more qualified in ministering death to people by ministering the law, as opposed to ministering the life that is found in the New Covenant Gospel? The greater glory is the New Covenant glory!
In 1883, Karl Benz built the first automobile, and it could reach a top speed of 10mph. It looked like an oversized tricycle with a bench seat and single handlebar. It cannot even get close to a modern automobile today in terms of speed, practicality, looks, convenience, and safety. The only thing that would give that first automobile value is a sense of nostalgia. But everyone knows all it is good for now is to be looked at in a museum, not to be used and driven on the road as though it were viable means of transportation. Such is the Old Covenant Law in comparison with the New Covenant life in the Spirit.
If you desire to be qualified in the eyes of God as a minister, you should seek to minister the New Covenant.
God Is Worthy
What gets you to praise?
In the Old Covenant, those aware of God’s greatness and goodness were inclined to praise Him. The Hebrew word for praise is Yadah. It means to confess, give praise, give thanks, and glorify.
In our English language, giving praise means to give credit where credit is due. But how can a person give praise if they are unaware of where the credit is due? It could prove challenging to be a person of praise while believing in Murphy’s Law. Murphy’s Law comes easy when all a person can see is their circumstances. To see beyond the current state of things, you need a reliable source that overpowers what you can see with your natural eyes.
I asked a friend once how he was doing, and he said, “Under the circumstances....” To which I replied, “What are you doing under there?”
To constantly give praise no matter how things appear naturally, you must be able to believe in promises made by someone you are convinced is reliable and trustworthy.
When I asked my wife Sheila to marry me many years ago, when she answered yes, I was excited and told all my family, friends, and coworkers I was getting married. Between the time she said yes and when we stood at our wedding ceremony together, many circumstances tried to threaten our ability to proceed. Mind you, all I had to go on was her promise to follow through. But I had come to know her well enough to know that she would keep her word.
My confession (Thanksgiving, Praise, Acknowledgment) resulted from my confidence in Sheila’s character, which made her word reliable and trustworthy to me. In other words, I believed her!
God is way more reliable and trustworthy than any man or woman alive. God has spoken great promises to us in His word and even guaranteed those promises to us through His Son Jesus. All the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ Jesus.
The greatest of these promises is God’s guarantee to love us as His dear children and never leave or forsake us. God has promised to be a Father to us, lead us, and guide us. God has given us the Holy Spirit as our Comforter and Guide. God has promised that He is for us, not against us. This is praiseworthy truth. But our ability to constantly give praise to God is rooted in our belief in His word given to us. It is rooted in what we have come to believe about His character.
New Covenant believers are much better equipped to praise God no matter what the situations and circumstances may appear to be at the moment. Our joy and peace are not related to what is happening to us right now; they are held fast by what we know of God and what He has promised us.
The more we get to know God as our Father, Savior, and Lord, the more confident we become in our praise of Him. He is forever worthy! He does not change! He is perfect in all of His ways! His word will never fail!
I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to remind you of the Father and Jesus’ perfect character so you might be empowered to praise regardless of your current situation or circumstance.
When you become convinced God is worthy based on His perfect character, you are empowered to praise Him at all times.
Proper Mixture
Some things just go together
Have you ever seen what happens if you try to run straight gasoline in a two-cycle engine? It will burn it up and shut it down.
If you mix baking soda with white vinegar, it will react, bubble, and expand in a container. But if you mix baking soda with water, it does nothing.
Some things just will not work properly without the right mixture. This is also true of the gospel. The Scriptures reveal that it requires being mixed with something in order to work.
Hebrews 4:2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.
According to the word of God, a person can hear the gospel, but if it is not mixed with faith, nothing will come of it.
What is the evidence of the gospel being mixed with faith? We know that if we mix oil and gas in a two-cycle engine, it will run well. Likewise, we know that if we mix baking soda with white vinegar, it will react.
What happens when faith is mixed with the gospel?
Hebrews 4:1 Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it.
Hebrews 4:10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.
The evidence of faith in the gospel is the fruit of resting in Jesus’s finished work. It is the act of truly being confident and convinced that the righteousness of God is really my righteousness now that I am in Christ Jesus. I do not have to wring my hands in worry about my relationship with God.
When someone is frantically trying their hardest to “hang on to God” and impress others with their devotion to the law of Moses or an idea of a higher moral standard of morality that they can lord over others, that is not the fruit of a gospel mixed with faith.
Faith in the gospel will always produce a rest forged on the anvil of Jesus’s finished work. It will always deliver a person from dead works rooted in their best effort to obtain or maintain their right standing with God. A gospel mixed with faith bears the fruit of security in Christ as opposed to oneself. That is why faith and the gospel together are a proper mixture indeed. If you wrestle with insecurity, ask the Holy Spirit for a fresh gospel revelation and for His help in removing any doubt out of the way. Get a proper mixture of gospel and faith working in your soul, and you will find rest for your soul!
Grace Can Teach
There’s a lot more to Grace than meets the eye.
It’s not beneficial to go through life ignorant about things that matter. This is especially true when it comes to grace. Did you know that grace can teach?
Grace is wonderful. It brings hope, blessing, and promise and is powerfully transformative. But I have encountered some who think of grace as something it is not. They morph it into being something they wish it were while ignoring what Scripture reveals it truly is. Twisting and morphing happen when grace is made out to be about or to do something that it was never intended to be about or to do. It can also happen if passages that offer a different point of view on grace are ignored.
Sadly, grace is sometimes either not viewed as having the depth of reach it is meant to have or as going so far in its reach that nothing we do matters anymore. I believe in grace that is so powerful that it can be seen as scandalous while also being transformative.
Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. 12 It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, 13 At the same time, we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. 15 These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you.
Grace appeared when Jesus arrived on the scene and went to the cross to pay the penalty for the sin of the world. Your sin and my sin. That act of grace offers salvation to anyone who believes and receives it. This is because grace personified is Jesus. Grace is revealed in Christ!
Grace revealed in Christ teaches us something. It is a tiny but powerful two-letter word, “No.” Grace empowers us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passions because of grace and what it teaches us.
But more than teaching us to say no to those things, grace teaches us how to live! We get to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives. Grace reveals to us a broader scope of purpose to the death of Christ on the cross than just saving us from the penalty of our sin.
Grace reveals that Jesus died to save us from all wickedness and purify for Himself a people that are His very own, eager to do what is good. New Creation DNA is designed in this way. Jesus did not go to the cross so that if someone wanted to continue in wicked behavior, they could do so without threat of consequence.
The purpose of the cross was to redeem and transform. It is the gateway to becoming a New Creation in Christ filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered to live as a changed person who knows they are loved greatly.
This is what grace teaches us. It lets us know that as we seek to live as who He says we are and we find we miss the mark, we haven’t lost His love, and we still have His favor, and we are not left in the spot where we fell. He is there with us to help us get back on our feet again and live as the person He says we are.
It is essential to be taught by grace, not just be fascinated with it. I encourage you to embrace all the lessons Grace desires to teach you.
The Power Of Believing
What do you believe?
Have you ever wanted to do something and had that one person who overcomplicated it with all the things that could go wrong, making it seem impossible?
Overcomplicating, even with good intentions, can be detrimental to our faith and joy. While there’s a time for attention to detail, unintentionally overcomplicating something can steer us away from our original intentions. Let’s simplify our faith, with belief as our focus, and witness how it draws us closer to the glory of God. Never forget that the greatest miracle there is involves simply believing for it to take place. Jesus made me a New Creation by faith! A brand new species was created by faith. He kept it simple.
Overcomplicating happens when someone gets too caught up in the how from a logical point of view. It leads to imagining all the things that may prevent the how before the desire can even take root in the heart. Jesus witnessed this when He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.
John 11:38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time, there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
Over the years, I have witnessed many put a strong emphasis on God’s glory in an effort to create a desire for it in others. Years ago, I was one of the ones guilty of ignorantly doing such a thing. In an effort to see manifested glory, it’s possible to get too caught up in the how and overcomplicate it until it seems impossible to see it happen. Jesus makes things simple and thus doable.
The Lord Himself reveals the simple key to any experience of the glory of God. “If you believe.”
Jesus said, “These signs shall follow those who believe.” He did not say those who do these signs will believe. Believing precedes any true experience that is real.
In the case of Lazarus’ sisters and friends, Jesus did not say that if you do certain things, you will witness the glory of God. He said very clearly, “If you believe.” Lazarus was raised from the dead against the natural realities of being in the grave for four days and already decomposing. That is an exhibition of glory! It is one of the strongest exhibitions there is, and Jesus said it was available by just believing. This emphasizes the power of belief over actions, giving us hope and empowerment in experiencing God’s glory.
Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches, the Father may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.
Here, we find Jesus dwells in our hearts “by faith.” It also reveals that faith is the result of the Father strengthening us in our inner man. We also discover that by growing in our knowing the love of Christ, we are filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. This is just so simple. It encourages us to pursue knowing the love of Christ, which will result in experiencing the measure of all the fullness of God.
Glorious Covenant
Want glory?
Back in my youth, I had a passion for fast cars. I remember the thrill of leaving my competitors in the dust, their vehicles seemingly motionless in comparison. It was a feeling of exhilaration and superiority that I can still recall vividly.
In other words, I was going so fast that whatever motion they were making seemed like nothing.
This kind of concept is communicated in the Scriptures, just not with cars and speed. Instead, it is communicated in terms of covenants and glory.
2Corinthians 3:4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 7 But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.
Did you catch it? The Old Covenant, even though it had some glory, is like it had none at all when compared with the glory of the New Covenant!
Paul identifies himself and his coworkers in the gospel as being ministers of the New Covenant. They were not ministers of the letter but rather of the Spirit. Why? Because the letter kills!
Now, let’s, for the sake of understanding, get a little practical here. There are things today that we no longer use because we learned they are harmful to us. Generations before us used them regularly, but we know things now that weren’t known then, and therefore, we avoid them.
Paul spoke of a ministry of death written and engraved on stones. What do you suppose he is referring to? You see, the law is the ministry of death. It is meant to make people aware of just how dead they already are, and if they think themselves to be alive spiritually without Jesus, it is meant to make sure they are dead. But sadly, too many ministers today are still using law among the saints as opposed to teaching the New Covenant. Too many still think the law can bring them the glory of God based on their performance and devotion. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Why should I settle for a lesser covenant when I have received and been brought into a much greater and more glorious covenant in Christ? The real glory is experienced in New Covenant life and practice where faith in Jesus is the foundation and new life in Him is the means of experiencing the glory! Being in Christ and indwelled and overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit is no small thing. The greatest miracle Jesus has ever done is to make new creations whose sins have forever been removed, and condemnation and shame are buried in the past! This is a glorious covenant too good to be allowed to have a rival in anyone’s heart and mind.
New Life
Are you alive?
My favorite Scripture of all time and a home base Scripture to me is,
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
This Scripture says something about who I am now that I belong to Christ and He lives in me. My past is no more! Who I used to be and all that history of bad stuff is no more! All those bad decisions and choices are no more! All the things that led me into that way of life are no more!
As a believer, I am a living testament to the truth of this Scripture. To deny this revelation is to risk returning to a life of ignorance and separation from the transformative power of Christ.
As a new creation, I am created in His image, and I am changed from glory to glory as I behold Him!
It is intended that my identity be swallowed up in Him and His great love for me. I no longer have to go through life not knowing who I am and what I was created for. I no longer have to live my life in ignorance of His will for me and void a purpose and significance.
Christ lives in me, which is my hope of glory! He is my life, my joy, and my peace. When I am aware of being hidden with God in Christ and enjoying my privilege of being a new creation in Christ, I am empowered to live contented and joyful. I am at a place where I can hear Him speak to me, and I can know His will for me, and the thought of embracing it brings joy to my heart and soul.
As a New Creation in Jesus, I am given the revelation of His great love for me. While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me, and this is evidence of the love of God for me and for all who inhabit this planet of ours. The great love of God came in the person of Christ Jesus, and then Jesus laid down His life, surrendering Himself to die. He embraced death on the cross, although He was innocent and without sin.
Jesus, the Only Begotten Son, who knew no sin, became sin for us that we might become sons of God in Him! Being a New Creation is much more than just becoming a new species on this earth that is born from heaven. It is becoming one of God’s many sons! It is to be known as one greatly beloved by the Father! It is to come under His love, which fills everything in His kingdom! It is never to be alone again!
At eleven years of age, my earthly father committed suicide and left me and my mother and brothers alone on this earth. It was a hollow feeling of abandonment to us. But none of that matters since I became a new creation in Christ. His story became my story. He went through the pain of separation from His Father, so I will never again have such an experience. That moment on the cross when the Father turned His face away and for the first time in all of eternity, Jesus was truly alone. Jesus went through that so that you and I would never again have to.
I am greatly loved, never abandoned, always cared for, and able now to live in the will and purpose He has for me, knowing that He will always know best and have my best in His heart and mind. I get to live trusting Him with my life because only He is worthy of having the right to direct my steps. New Life! There’s nothing like it in all of this earth, and the world will never be able to copy it. Enjoy it to the fullest!
Belief Is Powerful
What do you believe?
Have you ever wanted to do something and had that one person who overcomplicated it with all the things that could go wrong, making it seem impossible?
Overcomplicating, no matter how well-intentioned, can be a faith and joy killer. I understand that there’s a time for attention to detail, but unintentionally overcomplicating something can derail the thing originally desired to start with. Let’s simplify our faith, focusing on belief, and see how it brings us closer to the glory of God.
Overcomplicating happens when someone gets too caught up in the how from a logical point of view. It leads to imagining all the things that may prevent the how before the desire can even take root in the heart. Jesus witnessed this when He knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead.
John 11:38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said. “But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time, there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.” 40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
Over the years, I have witnessed many put a strong emphasis on God’s glory in an effort to create a desire for it in others. Years ago, I was one of the ones guilty of ignorantly doing such a thing. In an effort to see manifested glory, it’s possible to get too caught up in the how and overcomplicate it until it seems impossible to see it happen. Jesus makes things simple and thus doable.
The Lord Himself reveals the simple key to any experience of the glory of God. “If you believe.”
Jesus said, “These signs shall follow those who believe.” He did not say those who do these signs will believe. Believing precedes any true experience that is real.
In the case of Lazarus’ sisters and friends, Jesus did not say that if you do certain things, you will witness the glory of God. He said very clearly, “If you believe.” Lazarus was raised from the dead against the natural realities of being in the grave for four days and already decomposing. That is an exhibition of glory! It is one of the strongest exhibitions there is, and Jesus said it was available by just believing. This emphasizes the power of belief over actions, giving us hope and empowerment in experiencing God’s glory.
Ephesians 3:16 I pray that out of his glorious riches, the Father may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.
Here, we find Jesus dwells in our hearts “by faith.” It also reveals that faith is the result of the Father strengthening us in our inner man. We also discover that by growing in our knowing the love of Christ, we are filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. This is just so simple. It encourages us to pursue knowing the love of Christ, which will result in experiencing the measure of all the fullness of God.
Good Works
Why do you do good things?
I remember when I was a young boy there was one Christmas with my dad that really is locked in my memory. We had gotten some old bike parts, frames, etc, and stripped them down, painted them, then put them back together and added the things they needed to be safe, reliable bicycles. Of course, my dad did most of the work; I was just there handing him a tool here or there, or a part, perhaps. I just remember enjoying doing this with my dad for the sole purpose of giving these bikes to some kids who could not afford a bike. Doing this with my dad was what made it a very special moment for me.
Good deeds have the power to make us feel good. They can make us feel good about ourselves or about the people we do them with. Good deeds are very much a part of the New Covenant life we have in Christ.
The point of sharing that experience I had with my dad is not so much about the good deed we did as it is about the connection I felt with my dad in the context of doing that deed. To me, it was the relationship moment that I treasure.
You see if I had done the good deed on my own, I am sure it would have felt good, but what made this particular deed so special was that my dad invited me to partner with him in doing it. It was special to me even though my contribution was very small. In this sense, I feel it is not unlike what Jesus experienced during His earthly ministry. You see, Jesus did what He saw His Father doing, and He spoke what He heard His Father speaking. Jesus partnered with His Father. So when we read something like:
John 10:32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
We begin to grasp what gave fuel to the works that Jesus did. The reason the people wanted to stone Jesus was because Jesus spoke so clearly and authoritatively about His relationship with His Father and the authority the Father had given Him to give eternal life. The people wrongfully thought Jesus was speaking blasphemy.
When the beauty and profound nature of Jesus’ relationship with the Father were revealed, the anger and religious jealousy of certain people were exposed. The relationship set Jesus apart, and the actions based on that relationship revealed what the Father was truly like. Jesus offered this counsel to His disciples,
Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
The phrase “Let your light so shine” is key to understanding the actual nature of Jesus’s counsel. Notice Jesus didn’t say, “Let your light shine.” He said, “Let your light so shine.” That little two-letter word is so important to a real revelation of what Jesus was getting at.
The word “so” means there is a specific manner in which the light is to shine. Jesus is not saying here that any and all good works automatically point others to giving glory to the Father. Jesus is indicating that the why and the way we engage in good works will be what moves others to give glory to the Father.
My good works are to be such that they clearly demonstrate my relationship to God the Father, and that relationship is the source of my good works to start with.
The Father is happy to call them my good works, nonetheless, just as my dad was happy to let kids think I was a large part of them getting bicycles that Christmas. But those kids knew it was my dad who was at the core of that blessing, and they were very grateful to him.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
The bicycles we gave to kids that Christmas were my dad’s idea and mostly his work, not mine. He allowed me to be included in it because he wanted me to share in the blessing of it. What good work is your Father in heaven up to through you today? He prepared it for you a long time ago with joyful eagerness to partner with you in it. I encourage you to partner with Him from that place of relationship made possible through Jesus and be a springboard for others to give Him glory. You’ll enjoy it like nothing else.
Good Preaching
Like preaching?
When some think of good preaching, they imagine a certain style of delivery. Yet others think of what they deem to be their interpretation of anointing. Still, others consider it to be the level of exegesis or exposition that makes a good preacher. There would be others who would argue that a good preacher needs to be able to hold your attention or tell good stories. Most of these opinions regarding what makes a good preacher have to do with personal preferences more than a Biblical understanding.
I would consider Paul the Apostle’s preaching good. After all, the Holy Spirit used him to pen most of the New Testament we read. When writing to the church at Colossae, he spoke of what motivated him in his proclamation of truth.
Colossians 1:26 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.
Up until that time, a mystery had been hidden that had only recently become known to the saints. It was this mystery that moved Paul to preach. But what was this mystery?
It was the mystery of how God willed to make known the riches of the glory of Christ in you, the hope of glory!
Throughout history, various notions of glory and its attainment have been discussed. The glory of God, in particular, has been the subject of many a preacher. However, in this context, the message is crystal clear: ‘Christ in you’ is the ultimate hope of glory. This profound truth was the cornerstone of Paul’s preaching.
Paul warned and taught every man in all wisdom. What does that actually mean? I look at that, and I perceive him to be saying that regardless of whatever wisdom a man professes to possess, Paul was ready to warn him to put his faith in Christ alone for the hope of glory as it was God’s will that this should be the way of salvation for any who would desire to know God and experience His life and presence.
Paul believed and preached that the only way to be presented as perfect before God was to be presented in Christ Jesus. He believed this so deeply and profoundly that he declared it was the reason he labored, striving according to His mighty working in Paul.
Paul had this desire to make this known to all, and with God’s power working in him, he could not help but preach Christ Jesus as the means of being presented as perfect before God and as the only hope of glory! Good preaching sets Christ at the center, presents Christ as the only hope of glory, and makes sure those listening realize that putting their faith and trust in Christ is the wisest and most reasonable thing there is. Good preaching seeks to unveil the finished work of Christ and all its benefits to those who believe and will put their faith in Jesus alone. Good preaching makes Christ known! It magnifies Christ! It enjoys putting Jesus center stage, in the spotlight for all to see! It does not appeal to the flesh for righteousness and hope. It points to Christ Jesus!
Good preaching remains true to the New Covenant Gospel of Jesus.