I'm part of the fellowship of the unashamed...

In 1980 a young man from Rwanda was forced by his tribe to either renounce Christ or face certain death. He refused to renounce Christ, and he was killed on the spot. The night before he had written the following commitment which was found in his room:

“I’m part of the fellowship of the unashamed, the die has been cast, I have stepped over the line, the decision has been made- I’m a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.

My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, sight walking, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed vision, worldly talking, cheap giving & dwarfed goals.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I won’t give up, shut up, let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up for the cause of Jesus Christ.

I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till everyone knows, work till He stops me & when He comes for His own, He will have no trouble recognizing me because my banner will have been clear.”

Sunday Psalm

 

Blessings,

       Lucas C.

Christ and Sin - 1 John 1:1-2:2

In our study of the Book of First John we have already covered the first chapter. On October 12th I wrote out an introduction to 1 John. Today I hope to go over some of the truths that I have learned from this chapter, and to share with you what the Word of God says.

1 John 1:1 - 2:2 Christ and Sin:

John opens his epistle by testifying to the deity of Jesus Christ. He says in verse one, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled..." John makes the claim that Jesus came in the flesh as a human being. He gives us four actions that he himself, one of the apostles, had done when Jesus was on earth. It has already been 60 years since Christ was on earth but the time spent with Him was still vivid in John's mind.  He remembers hearing the voice of Christ, seeing his person, being able to touch him, and look upon his glory. He says that this life of Jesus was shown to him, and that he is a witness to that life. In his letter, John is going to declare to us what he has seen and heard so, "...that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." And not only that we would have sweet fellowship with our Lord but also that our, "...joy may be full."
So, what is this message that John wishes to make know to us? He says in verse 5, "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." John begins his message by saying that God is light! In the scriptures, the word light refers to the truth of God's Word, holiness, and purity. God is the very essence of these characteristics. He is Holy, (1 Peter 1:15a) and perfectly pure, (1 John 3:5). All this reflects the light. Contrary to the light, is darkness and there is absolutely no darkness in God. The darkness, reflects that which is evil, sinful, and wrong. Because of the perfect purity of God, there can be no darkness in Him. And not only is there no darkness in God, we His people are called to flee from the darkness and live like our Master. So, what does it look like to walk in the light and to flee the darkness? Let's find out.

Walk in the Light:
To walk in the light is to live just as God would live. We read that God is light, he is pure, and holy, so we his people should live as he would want us to live. How would he want us to live? Well, 1 Peter 1:16 says, "because it is written, 'YOU SHALL BE HOLY FOR I AM HOLY." God wants us to be holy, and pure in his sight. An excellent passage that speak about us Christians walking in light is Ephesians 5:8-11, "for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (for the fruit of light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness but instead even expose them." In this letter, Paul makes the comparison as to what we were and now what we are. The old deeds of darkness are gone, they have been put off and now we are in the light. Do we still sin? Absolutely, but no longer are we slaves to that sin. And we do not sin willingly. John himself tells us what to do when we sin. I John 2:1, "My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, he has an advocate with the father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And he himself is the propitiation for out sins, and not for our only but also for the whole world." What marvelous mercy there is in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He has died for our sins and made us whiter than snow. We have been healed, justified, and made alive with Christ, His righteous blood covers every sin. We are children of God, and we live in the light.

Flee from the Darkness:
As we learned above, the darkness is that which is contrary to the light.  It is sin, whether big or small, all sin is darkness. The father of the darkness is Satan, the evil ruler of this world. We are the children of God, and therefore resist the darkness whenever we encounter it. Paul even said in Ephesians that we expose the darkness, not for the purpose of dwelling on it, but rather to keep the people of God pure according to His word. In our world many, so-called Christians delude the difference between light and darkness. In the word of God this is not the case. God will expose that which is darkness and for this reason we must avoid it at all costs.

Let us therefore arise, and live the Christian life with vigour and passion to glorify God in our actions. May we walk in the light, and learn that which pleases the Lord. So that we can bring our saviour the honour he deserves. Honour that He receives when we obey His will and His word.

Blessings,
       Lucas C.         

Happy Reformation Day!

October 31st was the day in which Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of Castle Church in Wittenberg, which sparked the reformation. The theses were nailed in 1517 almost 500 years ago! They thoroughly refuted the Catholic Churches practice of selling indulgences to the people. It stated that salvation was by God's grace alone!

In honour of this moment I built a little something out of LEGO that I wanted to share:

Luther nails the Theses to the door.

October 31, 1517

Blessings,
       Lucas C.

It is Well - Worship Song

It is Well

This is one of the most amazing worship songs ever written. It was written by Horatio Spafford after his four daughters died in a tragic sea-faring accident. The hymn speaks of how we run to God our Saviour no matter what has happened to us. We know that all things work together in the power of His sovereign will (Romans 8:28).
Even though our sin is great and has nailed the Saviour to the cross, It has been taken away! We are cleansed by His blood and are righteous before almighty God.
And may the day come quickly when we will be united with our Saviour never to be separate from Him again, Praise the Lord O, My Soul! 

 

 

 

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

 

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

 

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

 

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

 

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

 

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

 

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

 

Blessings,

       Lucas C.

Sunday Psalm

Psalm 2

 

Why are the nations in an uproar
And the peoples devising a vain thing?
The kings of the earth take their stand
And the rulers take counsel together
Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,
 “Let us tear their fetters apart
And cast away their cords from us!”

He who sits in the heavens laughs,
The Lord scoffs at them.
Then He will speak to them in His anger
And terrify them in His fury, saying,
 “But as for Me, I have installed My King
Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.
‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,
You shall shatter them like earthenware.’”

Now therefore, O kings, show discernment;
Take warning, O judges of the earth.
Worship the Lord with reverence
And rejoice with trembling.
Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way,
For His wrath may soon be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!

 

Blessings,

       Lucas C.

Sports - For God's Glory

In our world today there are millions and millions of athletes. From professional to casual, people everywhere take part in team and individual sports. Athletics is a massive industry that brings in millions, even billions of dollars every year. Over 219 million Americans watched the 2012 London Olympics alone! People watch sporting events daily through their TV, computer, or phone. Some events are world-wide like the Olympics, others take center stage depending on popularity or culture.

What I'm going to talk about today is my love for sports and how I can, as a Christian, use my sports to the glory of God. Compared to major sporting events that are televised worldwide, the team that I play for is much less popular. Ever since I was a kid, hockey has always been my favourite sport to play. Although I do enjoy playing other sports, hockey always stood out as my best. Growing up my sisters and I spent hours and hours playing street hockey with the neighbourhood kids. As I got older, it changed from street hockey to ice hockey. I first started on the ice at 13 and this is my fifth year. During that time of playing hockey, the Lord worked in my life and drew me unto Himself. At the age of 15 I put my complete trust in Christ as the saviour of my life. He was now my Lord over everything that I did. Colossians 1:18 says, "...so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything."
Early on in my Christian life I realized that Christ is to be first place in all that I do, even sports.
Just like any other young man, I am passionate about sports and have lots of competitiveness in me when I get playing. As a Christian, to be able to realise how to make Christ, first place in my sports I had to have an understanding of what Christ had given me.

1. A Thankfulness for the Abilities that I have.
When one becomes a Christian, he starts to see things so much differently than before. Since I love to play hockey and have enjoyed it, I realise the need to be thankful to my God for giving me the ability to play this sport. We read a very familiar verse in 1 Corinthians 10:31, it says, "Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." By taking this verse seriously, I can be thankful to the Lord for even the most common things that He has given me. First off, the Lord has given me a healthy body be able to perform the functions needed for the sport. He has given me legs to skate, arms to stickhandle and shoot a puck, and eyes and ears to see and hear what I need to do for the game. For myself, this is a way that I can give glory and honour to God in the sport I play. I don't deserve life from God, for it was my sin that nailed His Son to the tree! What grace he has given to us as humans to do earthly activities that bring joy to us. The least we can do is give the glory back to Him.

2. A Good Attitude in the Way I Play.
Another way that I can bring glory to God when I play sports, is to have a good attitude! Since I was  a little boy, I have been taught by my parents to have a good attitude about things. Having a good attitude really stems from my first point about being thankful. Whether winning or loosing, my attitude should be one that pleases God. There should be no reason to become angry, frustrated or out of control during a hockey game. I think of C.J. Mahaney's booklet titled, "Don't waste Your Sports". As a Christian I can't waste the opportunity I have while playing even a hockey game to give glory to my king and be a witness to others of my love for God.

3. A Humble Heart.
The most important way, I think, to give God glory in my sports is to have a humble heart. Humility is something that all of us struggle with. Especially in a sporting event we can become proud as to what we have done or can do. I know for I fact that I have been proud many times. I am reminded by the Lord though to keep a humble heart and give Him the well-deserved praise. To remind myself of this, I set aside a time before my game to pray, and ask the Lord to keep me humble and honouring to Him.

Right now, I play in a Christian Hockey league called CCJHL. It is a blessing to have a good environment and to make some good friends. To be able to enjoy the sport, and give glory to God is a privilege that I have a Christian. As I continue to play, I hope to be a witness to others of my love for God in my words, attitudes, and actions.
These points don't only apply to sports, but I shared them because they help me greatly to be a man who gives my God glory even in the, 'unimportant things' in life. As Christians, we sometimes think, How could you actually give God glory by eating, drinking, or playing a hockey game? Well, you can! Think of what the Lord has done for you, have a thankful humble heart, and most of all praise Him for the work of salvation in your heart. He has given us endless joy and blessings, let us as His slaves, give glory back to Him. You never know, God may bless you in ways you couldn't have imagined.

2012-2013 CCJHL Champions!

Blessings,
       Lucas C.