by Walt Henrichsen | Jan 22, 2018 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” 2Timothy 2:1 Scripture uses “grace” in two ways: The salvation given through Jesus Christ, and God’s provision of help in everyday life. In this verse the apostle uses it in the second way. He also said: “But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead.” 1 A man does not obtain grace by what he does, but by his understanding what he cannot obtain on his own. The dependent follower of Christ gains all the grace he needs, a gift unmerited as well as unlimited. He cannot finish the race of life without God’s empowerment, and God will empower all who look only to Him. 2 Grace is located only in Christ Jesus and consists of having Christ as his life. This is a moment-by-moment perpetual process. This admonition reemphasizes what Paul said in chapter one: “Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.” 3 To be “strong in the grace of Christ,” Timothy must cast off sloth and indifference, for the flesh is so sluggish that even those who are endued with marvelous gifts are found to slacken in the midst of their course if they are not frequently challenged. He adds “in Christ Jesus” to show that the grace comes from Christ alone and no other. If you are not...
by Jesse Hernandez | Jan 8, 2018 | Articles, Mentors Corner
The Cost of Comfort Whosoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27 As a believer today I will never be able to grasp the horror and magnitude of these words from Jesus. Why? In this present day I will not be able to fully understand the images and reactions that a cross would evoke in the life of a disciple who was following Jesus when these words were uttered. In the previous verse (26), Jesus quickly obtained the attention of the crowd when He stated that whoever “does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life”, he could not be His disciple. It is my impression that Jesus pauses long enough to draw another breath before He lays out the second cost of being His disciple. The cross was an instrument of shame, torture, and unimaginable pain aimed at punishing the most vile of criminals of the day. It was also used by the Roman government to effectively stomp out any form of insurgence. The public display of the cross was so painful and horrific that it was quite effective in spreading the message to others that crime and rebellion would be dealt with very aggressively, painfully, and swiftly. This is the second time Luke records these words from Jesus, the first in Luke 9:23. No doubt He was very serious about conveying his criteria to those who wished to be His disciples. Jesus boldly stated his disciple was to forsake life as he knew it, which...
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