Our Sovereign Joy

Top Ten #2: Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth Elliot

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:59:00 +0000

Every culture has its stories. Every Christian generation has its martyrs. We all have stories that inspire us and challenge us. Very few, however, transform hearts as the story of five men speared to death in the Ecuadorian jungle by a savage tribe...and how the story didn't end with their deaths.

Jim Elliot is near the top of my list of "not Bible people" that I can't wait to meet once I get to heaven. His four friends, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, and Pete Fleming are right up there with him. Nikki first introduced me to the story of their families very early in my Christian faith. This is one story that every Christian MUST know. We have received many more details in recent years through the work of Nate Saint's son, Steve and a documentary and a feature film have been made to continue to tell the story. It was Elisabeth Elliot, however, that stands as the one who first captivated Christians everywhere with God's work among the Waodoni.

The love of the five men, who refused to fight back when attacked, for the Waodoni (then known as Aucas)so that they might know Jesus is amazing...the willingness of the families of these men to continue the work among the same people who murdered their family members is the stuff of Holy Spirit inspired legends.

We know now that many of the Waodoni, once known for being killers, send their own missionaries for Jesus to other tribes. We know that some of the children and grandchildren of the slain missionaries were baptized by the very men who murdered their dads and grandfathers. It was Through Gates of Splendor where I first saw God's heart for missions. It was through this book that I first truly understood that in Jesus, we have a cause that truly is worth paying the ultimate price. It is reported that the five men were asked if they would use their guns if the Aucas attacked. They answered, "No, we are ready for heaven, they are not." It is from Jim Elliot that we get one of our most beloved quotations from the 20th Century, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose."

Related works:

Shadow of the Almighty

Jungle Pilot

Top Ten #1: Knowing God by J.I. Packer

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 22:05:00 +0000

I should say at the outset that the intent of this series is aimed at Christians who WANT to grow in their faith. If you are looking for quick fixes, these books are not for you. They can be hard and convicting, but they are the books God used to shape my life and ministry in the early years of my walk with Jesus. If you have never been a serious reader, these books will serve as a great foundation to your personal growth and library. If you are someone who has never been a reader, I won't lie to you, it takes great work to grow in theology...but it is worth it!

My goal for each post is to not just give you a "top ten" list, but rather to give you one book that God used to open my eyes and heart and really made a difference in my life in one specific area. For each post I will share the book as well as how the book impacted me in that particular area. Up fist, Knowing God By J.I. Packer.

Knowing God was a lot of things for me. It was the first book that I used to do public teaching of any kind. I used Packer's chapter on Daniel 3 to teach at a Bible study group of students at Montreat College in North Carolina. This was a huge step for me. It was this night that I was sure that I wanted to answer God's call into the gospel ministry. That was the Spring of 1996.

I don't intend to break down each of these books in detail. For most, like in the case of Knowing God, it has been years since I last read them. Perhaps this series will lead me to work through them all again. But my purpose is to give the the "Aha!" moment that each book gave me. With Packer it was simple: The God of the Universe is KNOWABLE and desired to have a relationship with me!

I don't know if you've ever really thought about the heaviness of that statement. God is knowable. Let me say that again, God is knowable! Through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus, we can KNOW God. We live in a world crazed with celebrity worship. A culture where people would do anything to get a glimpse of Lady Gaga or President Obama or Justin Bieber. Most of us will never even see these people in person much less know them personally. Packer taught me that this isn't true with God. He is greater than all the celebrities of history combined, with an infinite amount of greatness to spare, and we can know Him!

If you've never read Knowing God by J.I. Packer, you have robbed yourself of a great blessing. Get it. Read it.

Our Test of Faith

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:55:00 +0000

Back in November, our son Luke was diagnosed with an atrial septal defect in his heart. This means he has a hole between his two atrial walls. It is a moderate sized hole, about 1.5 cm in diameter.

Luke is scheduled to have a procedure done on January 27th to attempt to close the hole. This will be a catheter procedure where the doctor will try to place a device in the hole to close it up.

Please pray that this procedure will work. If it doesn't, they will have to to in and repair the hole surgically. We are fighting hard to give Luke over to the Lord each day. Pray that these next few weeks will be gospel filled for our family. Pray for Nikki, that God will visit her mightily in the weeks to come and that He will be her peace, and mine.

Book Reviews in 2012

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:27:00 +0000

I am excited to announce that starting in 2012 Our Sovereign Joy will be an official book reviewing blog for Crossway Books. I will be reviewing one book per month for Crossway. I hope and pray that this will be a blessing for your and will assist you in your walk with Jesus. For His glory!

Christmas Gifts and the Grace of God

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:10:00 +0000

Sometimes you hear people say that they don't want Christmas to be about presents when it comes to their kids. Of course the kids usually aren't the ones who come up with this idea. I don't think we have to throw out the gift giving at Christmas time. Not only that, but I think Christmas CAN be about the gifts. Let me explain.

Have you ever considered that Christmas gifts are the perfect opportunity to teach your kids about the grace of God? They are. Do you know the difference between Santa and Jesus (besides the fact that one is real the other is not)? Santa gives presents based on merit. He gives to kids who have been good. Jesus gives to people who are not good, who are unlovable, who deserve hell. Jesus knows all that and loves people anyway. We can't earn His love and we can't do anything to make Him not love us.

Here is the application: give your kids gifts at Christmas based on your love for them...nothing else. Teach them that you desire to give them gifts solely because you love them. Tell them that you love them no matter what they do, good or bad. Then tell them that by sending Jesus, that's exactly how God loved us.

Merry Christmas!

Are You Captivated By Christmas?

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 20:41:00 +0000

Are you captivated by Christmas? That's a question I find myself asking a lot lately. So often Christmas is so filled with stress and shopping, plays and parties, cards and caroling that we forget that we are supposed to be captivated by the truth of Christmas.

And what is the truth of Christmas? In a word, the Incarnation. God the Son lowering Himself to becoming the unthinkable...a human. Born of a woman in a stinky stable in a backwoods town in first century Palestine. This baby wasn't just born to be a "good moral teacher" either. He came to become sin on our behalf, knowing no sin Himself, so that we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

So I ask again, are you captivated by Christmas? Do your passions soar when you think about the Incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God. Are you marveling day after day at the thought that Jesus is our substitute and that He not only died in our place, but lived a sinless life for us? Do you find yourself meditating over the title of that well known Christmas song "What Child Is This?"

What Child is this indeed.

Soli Deo Gloria and Merry Christmas!

Christmas In Persia

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:24:00 +0000

So you might say that I am not preaching from a traditional Christmas text this year. At North Fork Baptist Church we are in the middle of a series through the Book of Esther. At first glance, it does not seem that there is much of a connection the baby in the manger...but hold your Yule logs!

Esther is about God's sovereignty. Specifically it is how God used a Jewish girl to stop Satan's attempt at keeping the Messiah from cominm into the world. Yes, Haman wanted to annihilate the Jews, but behind every attempt like this in the Old Testament is the playing out of Genesis 3:15 in history.

Turns out that Esther is all about Christmas.

New Sermon Audio: Do Not Steal

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 15:24:00 +0000

New Sermon Audio: Remember the Sabbath

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 16:55:00 +0000

9/11 A La Carte

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 01:35:00 +0000

Here are a few blogs that have ministered to me as we remember 9/11:

John Piper with a two minute video on longing for the Muslim world

Ligonier Ministries offers a free Reflecting on 9/11 edition of Tabletalk

R.C. Sproul talks about when "innocent people die."

A Pastoral 911 Call post by a fellow pastor and CIU grad.

A great reminder on how the Muslim world may be our Samaria that we must pass through with the gospel.

Halfway to Being a Pastor

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 13:59:00 +0000

This month marks three years since God called me to serve Him as pastor of North Fork Baptist Church in Halifax County, VA. I shared something with my congregation two weeks ago that I am learning more and more is truth and wisdom. It's a nugget from the most influential professor I ever studied under, Dr. Richard P. Belcher at Columbia International University. Here is what he told us so many years ago, "It takes seven years to become a church's pastor."

I remember listening with skepticism. I was young. I was dumb. I was immature. Don't you just preach and everything falls together? Won't a church automatically love and respect you when they call you? Won't you as the pastor already have a deep love and commitment for the long haul to the church when you get there? Isn't there a natural trust that pastors and churches have for each other? In a word, no.

Pastors are to be students of the word. We are to be theologians. We are to spend our lives seeking God in the Scriptures and then sharing the fruit of this effort with our flock. But shepherds also must smell like sheep. The catch phrase over the last decade has been "do life together." This takes time. This takes patience. This takes understanding. This takes mutual grace and forgiveness from pastor and flock. Every church member still struggles with sin and so does every pastor. Learning to work through our shortcomings and failures in love is key.

Seven years. This means that most pastors today NEVER actually get to become the pastor of any church. We've all heard the introduction of a speaker that goes like this, Brother So-and-So has been a pastor for twenty years. Maybe. Maybe not. It's quite possible that he hasn't been a pastor for twenty years, but rather he's been a pastor for four years five different times. It's like I tell couples preparing for marriage: most divorces happen during the first seven years. Check the stats, it's true. Most marriages end because the couple doesn't hold on. After seven years things really do get better (I know there are exceptions). Church life is the same way. The first few years as a church and pastor get to know each other there will always be bumps in the road. Most pastors, however, to not "hold on" to the relationship. They don't allow their flock to see that they are with them not only when times are good, but when things get tough as well.

Seven years. This means I am halfway to being the pastor of North Fork Baptist Church. By God's grace, I will become their pastor. If you are a pastor reading this, I hope you will be encouraged to stand firm. Love your people. Enjoy your people. Don't blame your people for not "being the church you want them to be." Chances are you aren't always the pastor they want or need either.

Jesus saves!

Why I Preach Through Books of the Bible

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 15:48:00 +0000

I began preaching through 1 Peter the first Sunday of 2011 at North Fork Baptist Church. On August 21, I will preach the last sermon on the last passage in Peter's great letter. Every time I finish a book of the Bible in my pulpit ministry I feel like I am saying good bye to a good friend. You get to know these books. You love these books. They shape your life. You develop a relationship with the author (both Divine and human). This also presents me to rehash a few thoughts on why I personally preach through books of the Bible. This list is by no means exhaustive.

1) God sets the agenda - When you preach through books of the Bible, nobody can accuse you of preaching "pet peeve" sermons. I recently preached on the husband/wife relationship from 1 Peter 3 (you know, one of those pesky submission passages). After the service a visitor commented to me that I sure picked a difficult topic to preach on that day. I responded that I didn't pick the topic at all. I explained that my normal mode of operation was to preach through books of the Bible and this text simply came up next.

2) No restless Saturday nights - I can't tell you how wonderful it is not to sit up at all hours on a Saturday night wondering what to preach the next day. Or worse, wondering if I have picked "the right sermon" and debating on whether to do something else. Once I pick a book to preach through, at a minimum my sermons are covered for three months, sometimes more. This frees up a many of Saturday nights to relax with my wife and kids. Yes, pastors, that is a good thing.

3) Gets the authority right - I can't stress this enough. I once had a preaching professor that told me that when I am in the pulpit that I should NEVER close my Bible. This is because that when I close my Bible, I no longer have anything worthwhile to say. By preaching through books of the Bible, I send my congregation the message that the Bible, not their pastor is the final authority. Again, pastors, that is a good thing.

I certainly do not think that preaching through books of the Bible is the only right way to faithfully preach the Word. However, I think that a case can be made that every pastor should at least consider this as the method they should adopt.

C Is For Counter-Factual Knowledge

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:08:00 +0000

Today I had one of the famous lunch meetings with the Four Horsemen of Halifax County. Well, that's what I like to call our little minister's group that likes to congregate at the local Mexican restaurant to discuss the latest issues in theology and of course sports.

I love having a group of guys to bounce ideas off of and having a forum to discuss tough issues, many which there are sometimes more opinions than people. I guess I know how C.S. Lewis felt when he gathered with his group "The Inklings".

Today we discussed something that is way beyond my pay grade, but that's the beauty of it. I love being challenged. I love digging deep into theology and philosophy, sharpening my mind and spirit to better serve the Lord and His church. So, what did we talk about (besides who had more of an impact in basketball: Magic or Jordan)? We delved into the topic of providence. God is in control, but how does that work itself out. How does a Christian go about putting his brain around such a deep concept? Specifically, if God decreed the Fall, then did Adam's choice in Genesis 3 really matter and if not, why was he and the entire human race punished? I know you know where I am going, we had a discussion on compatabilism and molinism. OK, maybe you didn't see that coming, but God did! What is the relationship between God's providence and man's responsibility? Yes, an age old question. Are the simply compatible and we should leave the tension of apparent contradiction? Or does God exhibit what my friends Dave and Steve (real names have NOT been changed to protect the innocent) call middle knowledge?

Let me begin by saying that I am new to this particular discussion. I had never even heard of the term molinist until about two years ago and haven't spent serious time looking into it. Well, my brothers have peaked my interest and I desire to learn more on this topic. One thing that we all agreed on was the idea of counter factual knowledge. God has it. We know this because of verses like Luke 10:13, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you would have been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes." In other words, Jesus clearly demonstrated that He had knowledge of what would have happened to the people of Tyre and Sidon if they were placed in a different circumstance.

Why is this important? Well, one reason is that one major objection that Christians often hear from skeptics is how can God hold man accountable for choices that were made in accord with God's decrees. God decreed that we would sin (i.e. Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world) so how can God hold us accountable for sin that was His idea? One framework is Molinism and it's emphasis on middle knowledge.

Molinism was named by a guy named Molina (not the guy from Spider Man 2), but a Jesuit theologian. William Lane Craig may be the most well known of this camp, but those of Reformed persuasion who hold this position include Bruce Ware and John Frame. Molinists hold that not only does God know what will happen, but what His creatures will do/choose if placed in any circumstance. To understand this line of thought, you must embark on a study of necessary truths and middle knowledge (which include counter factuals).But evidently you can hold to believing in counterfactuals, but not hold to a view of middle knowledge. I hope to hash all that out in upcoming posts. Well, at least hash some of it out.

It basically amounts to this. God's decree of the Fall was based on middle knowledge. He didn't ordain it in such a way that Adam's choice wasn't real. He knew what Adam would do in all possible worlds and then actualized one of the worlds, which we read about in Genesis 3. God didn't cause Adam to sin, He simply ordained the Fall based on his knowledge of counterfactuals. He knew exactly how Adam would respond in any given situation, including the one that actually played out in history.

What's scary is that I think I understood the paragraph I just typed. If not, I have two good friends who will very shortly be messaging me on Facebook to make sure that they set me straight. If you are a pastor, this is why you need some guys you can get together with who are serious about theology and philosophy. I not only want to discuss these issues with my ministerial brothers, I NEED to. I plan to blog more not only on this topic, but on all of our "lunch meetings". Grace and peace.

When Are You Wise?

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:36:00 +0000

If you happen to be a young pastor of a small to medium size church (which if you are pastoring, most likely it is in this context), then maybe you have struggled with feelings of inferiority because you've never written a book or have been invited to speak at some big conference. Now, there is nothing wrong with either of those things but lets face it, the temptation to compare is always there. I found THIS helpful reminder today by Barnabas Piper. It encouraged me and I hope it will encourage you.

Labels, labels, labels

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:57:00 +0000

Throughout the New Testament, we see labels placed on people. The only problem is that the ones doing the labeling were almost always the Pharisees. It seems we have come to a place in church history where we have to have a label for everything. Young, Reformed, and Restless. Missional. Emergent. Charismatic. Calvinist. Modified Calvinist (whatever that means). Cessasionist. Non-cessasionist. Molinist (not modalist). Conservative. Liberal. Moderate. Baptist. Free Will Baptist. Landmark Baptist. Primitive Baptist. Southern Baptist. Evangelical. Christ follower (or are we Christians?). Traditional. Contemporary.

I'm not saying that theological distinctions aren't important. But no wonder those without Christ in our culture are confused by us.

Effective or Productive?

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:44:00 +0000

I caught myself saying something recently that I now realize I have said a lot after a long day of pastoral ministry. You know what it was? "I got a lot done today." On the surface, there seems no harm in that but I soon realized that I was measuring my "success" based on how busy I had been. I was focused on being productive, but not necessarily effective. Believe me, there is a difference.

As a pastor it is my calling to shepherd the flock of God (1 Peter 5:1). It is certainly a danger to get so "busy" that a pastor forgets what it means to be a shepherd, namely, to be with the sheep and lead them by example. I do not believe that God will say one day to pastors, "Well done, good and busy servant" but rather, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Don't get me wrong. I believe with all my heart that pastors should be the most hard working people around, but we must not forget that we can work ourselves to death and not be faithful. To put it another way, we can be productive without being effective. Here are some practical thoughts that I am working on implementing in my ministry:

1) Don't focus on where your church is, focus on what direction it is moving.

2) Just enjoy the flock God has given to your care.

3) Remember your first "flock", your family and make shepherding your wife and kids a priority.

4) Take care of yourself, a church's health is directly tied to the health of her pastor.

5) Preach the Word, love people, be patient, be patient, and be patient.

I plan to write more on this topic as I meditate on it in the future. I am praying for all the pastors that may be reading this. May God grant you productivity, but not without effectiveness.

The Preacher's Mistake

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 18:02:00 +0000

The Parish Priest
Of austerity,
Climbed up in a high church steeple
To be nearer God,
So that he might hand
His Word down to His people.

When the sun was high,
When the sun was low,
The good man sat unheeding
Sublunary things.
From transcendency
Was he forever reading.

And now and again
When he heard the creak
Of the weather vane a-turning,
He closed his eyes
And said, "Of a truth
From God I now am learning."

And in sermon script
He daily wrote
What he thought was send from heaven,
And he dropped this down
On his people's heads
Two times one day in seven.

In his age God said,
"Come down and die!"
And he cried out from the steeple,
"Where art thou, Lord?"
And the Lord replied,
"Down here among my people."

-William Croswell Doane

Real Men Love Jesus

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 17:39:00 +0000

We've all seen the bumper stickers, "Real Men Love Jesus." We've all passed that off as a trite cliche. But there is a lot of wisdom in that little statement. I ran across an article on the Grace To You Blog written by Phil Johnson that has not only convicted me, but encouraged me as well. What does being a man really look like? Johnson writes,

"Compare the apostle’s vision of manly maturity with John Eldredge’s famous “sine qua non of manhood.” Eldredge says, “Deep in his heart, every man longs for a battle to fight, an adventure to live, and a beauty to rescue.”That is a little boy’s lie. That’s the stuff of children’s fantasies. You simply won’t find a description of manliness like that in Scripture. Instead, Scripture says what motivates real men is a love for the truth; a contempt for error; and a passion for being used by God in the work of snatching people from the grip of the father of lies."

Johnson goes on to write that being a man is all about growing in our love for the truth. He writes,

Real manliness (“mature manhood”—Ephesians 4:13) is defined by Christlike character. Not just the Gentle-Jesus-meek-and-mild-style character, but the full-orbed fruit of the Spirit rounded out with strength, courage, conviction, and a stout-hearted willingness to oppose error and fight for the truth—even to the point of laying down your life for the truth if necessary.

You can read the rest of the article here. Let's be real men. Let's love Jesus and love His truth.

How Long Is Too Long For A Sermon?

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:27:00 +0000

Great words from Brian Croft on a topic that most small church pastors wrestle with. I know I have.you can read Brian's article here

Encouragement From The Past

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 13:43:00 +0000

I recently began keeping a file that I call "Keepers". I got the idea from an article that I read back in June. The premise is that whenever I receive something that really lifts my spirits, I stick it in the file. Then, during a period where I may be tempted to be depressed or throw in the towel, I pull out the file and read some of those encouraging things that remind me why I am doing what I am doing as a pastor.

I received an email last week about a blog I wrote four years ago. The woman encouraged me on how much the blog post had helped her. I was flooded with encouragement over the thought that a few words typed on my computer four years ago had helped a sister in her walk with the Lord. Yes, that one will be going in the file.

The Gospel Trancends Pre-Teen Girl Culture

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 11:27:00 +0000

I leave this afternoon for Camp Concord in Clarksville, VA where I will serve as camp pastor for their last week of summer camp...Girls Week. 50 or so 4th-7th grade girls, and one very not a girl dude as camp pastor. It is easy to see how one might be intimidated, but I got to thinking: the gospel of Jesus transcends every age and every culture, even the culture of Pre-teenage girls!

We never have to make it relevant, it is always relevant. As pastors (and Christians) we are called to trust God's gospel. It alone has the power to save people from their sin and the coming wrath of God (Romans 1:16). I can't wait to get to camp.

Do A Few Things Well

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:02:00 +0000

You might not think it in our Christian Rock Star world, but 9 out of 10 pastors serve the Lord in congregations of less than 200 in worship on average each Sunday morning (I am one of the nine). There is an ever present temptation to try to emulate men, godly men, who are blessed by the Lord to serve in "larger" ministries.

Remember, God has not called us to be successful, but faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2). Don't try to be all things to all people. Focus on a few things and do them masterfully. Perhaps a good place to start in a small church setting is to encourage your people to pour all their energy in one big ministry or event per quarter. Vacation Bible School, Christmas programs, Fall Festivals are all great outreach tools that your church may already be doing. Don't reinvent the wheel, use the systems already in place to be faithful in the context God has called you to serve.

Preach the Word, brothers!

Rest: A Four Letter Obscenity?

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 15:43:00 +0000

Pastors always have the temptation to be task driven before them. "The preacher is always on call" is what you hear again and again from not only parishioners, but also from other pastors. I have heard pastors brag about attending associational meetings on their day off and ridicule other pastors for having the nerve to miss the same meeting because they wanted to have some rest. This kind of mentality is of course absurd. I found this article posted over at Village Pastor to be very helpful and insightful. I hope it encourages you to rest more often, and not feel guilty about it. Remember, the health of a church is directly connected to the health of its pastor.

Returning to the Promised Land

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:11:00 +0000

I am excited to once again be blogging here at OSJ. After some prayer, soul searching and godly counsel, I have decided to write once again for the blog. I really hope to serve pastors serving in small church settings (like me).

I believe that we can mutually encourage one another. There is a growing trend, intentional or not, to discount ministry in the smaller church, even though this is the only kind of church most pastors will ever get to serve in. We can have great impact and I hope to continue to share with you the glorious gospel of God, who is Our Sovereign Joy.

Grace and peace.

A New Way of Life

skubala76@gmail.com (Scott Welch) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 14:42:00 +0000

1 Peter 1:18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,

I don’t know if you have every really thought about it this way as a Christian, but Jesus did so much more than just rescue us from hell (which by the way happens to be a very awesome thing in itself). He also ransomed, or purchased us, from our former perverse way of life. When Jesus said he came to give life abundantly, He meant a whole new WAY of life. Not only is He the way, the truth, and the life; He is the true way of life! This is something today that should cause us to rejoice. We are free. Not only free from hell, not only free from our past, but we are now free to live out a new way of life. This new way of life is a way of life that is pleasing to God because it is lived out in faith (Hebrews 11:6).

This new way of life is lived in a state of grace (Romans 6:14) and is entered into by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and being accepted into God’s family (John 1:14). We no longer are slaves to the sinful way of life passed down to us from our ancestors. We are free. Let me say that again: WE ARE FREE! Good news indeed. If you have not begun this new way of life by trusting in Jesus Christ, if you have never believed in His sacrificial death, do not wait another minute. The risen Savior desires to give you abundant life, a new way of life!