Life Long Laborers

The Value of Faith is in it’s Object

Jared Wass — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:00:56 +0000

“To say ‘justification by faith’ is merely another way of saying ‘justification by Christ’. Faith has absolutely no value in itself; its value lies solely in its object. Faith is the eye that looks to Christ, the hand that lays hold of him, the mouth that drinks the water of life.” – John Stott, The Cross of Christ

What Does it Mean to be Human?

Jared Wass — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:41:55 +0000

Most of us at some time (and some regularly) ask the weightier questions about life, “Who am I? Why do I exist? What is the meaning of life?” As a Christian, what would you say if a friend asked you why you think you exhist. In his book Salvation Belongs to the Lord, John Frame gives a helpful summary:

In short, we are God’s image. It is also helpful to describe ourselves as his sons and daughters, his friends, even his bride. We are God’s special creations, not children of animal ancestors. He made us man and woman, soul and body, responsible and free. And he sets forth our task, to be fruitful and multiply, replenish the earth and subdue it, so that his glory fills the earth.” – p. 85

The Primacy of Grace in Old Testament and New

Jared Wass — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 22:06:54 +0000

“The central message of the New Testament concerns God incarnate, Jesus of Nazareth, who did for us what we could not do for ourselves, in order to bring us, a lost people, back to God. The whole of Scripture is filled with the sense of the divine initiative in salvation.

In the Old Testament the sin of Adam and Eve, which brings the judgment of God, is not the end of the story because God has a plan of mercy and grace. The narratives of Noah and Abraham are eloquent of the sovereign work of God to bring rebellious humanity back from the brink of destruction. The covenant of God made with chosen people is before all else a covenant of grace. God elects his people, makes significant promises to them, and acts to bring about the fulfillment of these promises.

Only after the great redemptive act in the exodus from Egypt is Israel given the code of conduct in the law of Sinai: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage’ (Exod. 20:2). They are already his people through what he has done in the past. They could not save themselves from Egypt and from their bondage to foreign gods; they could only stand still and see the salvation that God would achieve for them (Exod. 14:13-14).

Then, having been saved by grace, they are bonded to their God in the covenant of Sinai. This primacy of grace, which is at work all the way through the Old Testament, points us to the centrality and primacy of the gospel of grace in the New Testament.”

- Graeme Goldsworthy, Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture

4 Talks from CO Alumni Conference

Jared Wass — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 21:59:59 +0000

You may know that Campus Outreach held its first ever alumni conference in Chattanooga, TN on Dec 30th-Jan 1st. You may not know that some of the seminar talks are online.

A Longterm Strategy to be a Witness at Work – Carl Richardson
Leading Yourself – Jason Ellerbee
Vocation – Neal Vinson
Alumni Panel

Check it out.

What is Love? Three Perspectives from John Frame

Jared Wass — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:00:04 +0000

I Corinthians 13:1-7 is Paul’s often quoted exhortation to and definition of love. We can be extremely articulate and knowledgeable and faith filled and sacrificial, but without love all of those things are worthless. As we look to the gospel as our source of power for love (Ro 1:16, Ro 15:25) and pray for the Holy Spirit to make this gospel sink into our hearts to be remembered and believed, it is advantageous to have a concise framework by which to aid our understanding.

Enter John Frame. In his helpful intro to systematic theology, Salvation Belongs to the Lord, he defines love as three inter-related perspectives.

Allegiance – faithfulness to a promise

Affection – emotional fondness

Action – doing good for the people we love

May the Lord be gracious to us and enable us to love those around us more more deeply.

Neature Walk Episode 3 – midweek comic relief

Jared Wass — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:00:48 +0000

]]>

A Crown of Love and Mercy

Jared Wass — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 14:33:58 +0000

A little gospel encouragement from the Psalms for your day today:

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.. – Psalm 103:1-4

Neature Walk Episode 2 – midweek comic relief

Jared Wass — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:45:12 +0000

]]>

Video: One Way Work is Worship

Jared Wass — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:18:12 +0000

Going to work as a missionary.

Excellent Thoughts From D.A. Carson on Discipleship

Jared Wass — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 04:00:45 +0000

How to Influence a Younger Christian is an excellent reminder of what life on life discipleship looks like. Pour some of this fuel in your personal ministry tank.