Status Updates From The Gospel in Ten Words

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““It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality.” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). A gym instructor might use this scripture to tell you that you are not sanctified, that you need to be sanctified, and that the way to get sanctified is to avoid sexual immorality… Paul is not saying that at all. He is saying, "You are holy, therefore be holy."… Behaviour follows identity.”

“You are like the newlywed who wakes up on the first day of the honeymoon and says, "I don't feel married - this is all new to me- but because of what happened yesterday I am well and truly married." Just as you are either married or unmarried, you are either holy or unholy. The moment you said "I do" to the Holy One you entered into union with him and became just as holy as he is.

“Defining holiness as the avoidance of sin is like defining light as the absence of darkness. Technically it's true, but it's a poor definition. It is defining the thing in terms of something that is not the thing. It doesn't actually tell us what holiness is. In the beginning, there was no sin, and yet God was just as holy then as he is today. He was unblemished before there were blemishes.”

“Genuine acceptance is based on knowledge. You can’t truly accept someone unless you know them and God knows you.”

Do you know God? Or do you think you know Him? He wrote a great book about Himself and you can ask Him! How nice!

“Evangelists talk a lot about receiving Jesus but the good news begins with the announcement that Jesus receives you... In the eyes of the law you were disqualified by sin, but in the eyes of the Father vou have been qualified by grace… How did this happen? The moment you opened the door of your heart to Jesus, the favor and acceptance of heaven came flooding into your life.“

Camilla and I got married at four o'clock in the afternoon. Our wedding banquet kicked off at six o'clock. The two hours between the "I do" and "Let's party!" were two of the sweetest, yet most surreal, hours of my life. Many of us are looking forward to the wedding banquet yet to come, but Jesus is returning for his bride, not his fiancee. You are now living in the two hours between.

Appendix:
“Jesus said, "Any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33). He also said,' "Freely you have received" (Matthew 10:8). So which is it? Is salvation free or does it cost us everything? It's both. The gift is free but you can only receive it with empty hands... If you would follow the Savior you must forsake all other saviors including yourself.”

“Not even death can stop his love. Why do I believe in the resurrection? Because God says he loves us with an everlasting love. Everlasting means everlasting. Either God has to raise you from the dead and keep on loving you or else he is a liar. God is not a liar.”

“Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up all those things ... Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one ... That's why I'm going to stand by the play-world. I'm on Aslan's side even if there isn't any Aslan to lead it. I'm going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn't any Narnia.”

“Earthly, human love is a response to loveliness, but divine love is spontaneous, arising in and of itself. God does not love us because we are lovely but because he is love. It is his nature to love us. Since God always acts in accordance with his nature, his wrath, along with everything else he does, should be seen as an expression of his love.”

Paul preached the gospel without ever mentioning Hell by name