roybauer

Grace Does Not Come by Obedience…or Does It?

// July 9th, 2010 // 2 Comments » // Devotions, Relevant Faith, society in general

^{While riding down a fairly big highway in West Columbia, SC, I saw a sign out front of a church and it read, “Grace Only Come by Obedience Gal 5:4”. I put it in quotes because that is exactly what it said –I wrote it down. I’ve read Galatians. I’ve read and made notes on Galatians 5. I’ve studied and taught parts of it at various times. To my knowledge, nowhere in Galatians –or the Bible as a whole—does it say, “Grace comes by Obedience.” I’ll put the verse, and the surrounding verses, –for context— below. Read them….then re-read them.}

^{Galatians 5:1-6}

¹It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ²Mark my words! I, Paul, tell you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no value to you at all. ³Again I declare to every man who lets himself be circumcised that he is obligated to obey the whole law. ⁴You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. ⁵But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. ⁶For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Unless I’m missing something, the two verses following Galatians 5:4 actually give the answer to the question of how we get anything at all…….FAITH.

And to further make the point, Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9,

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.

Abraham was credited righteousness even though there wasn’t even a law to follow yet. How? Faith. Read Hebrews or Genesis, it’s all there.

For some reason this has really bothered me. I saw the sign about 4 1/2 hours ago and I can’t get it out of my head. I think the reason is because of what that first verse up there says (Galatians 5:1). “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free…” He did not set us free to go back into a different kind of slavery. We are not to trade one type for another, which is what some churches try to do to people. Read the second half of verse 1, “…and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Paul was writing this letter to the believers in Galatia because “Christian” leaders were trying to attach all kinds of rules and regulations to the people’s salvation: Faith + ______.

Paul wrote Galatians to put the kibosh on this teaching. That is deceitful and manipulative teaching, and churches have been using that tactic for thousands of years. I pray that we as believers can truly live in freedom. God did not just save us from something bad. He saved us to something better. God did not just deliver the Israelites and leave them in the desert to rot. He delivered them from slavery to the promise land. Please don’t let anyone put a yoke of slavery back on you. Or, like Paul fears in Galatians 4:11, someone wasted time in preaching salvation to you to begin with.

Back to the church sign. Maybe the church sign was simply a conversation starter: put there to get the drivers-by to ask questions. Somehow I doubt it. I pray that it will change here soon back to something less controversial…..to me at least.

Please comment on what you’ve read here. If you agree or disagree, let me know why. I’d love the feedback.

royb

Irony or Providence?

// June 21st, 2010 // No Comments » // Relevant Faith, Worship

Four or Five years ago I, subconsciously, picked up a tune that I kept playing over and over. It was a short riff that I began playing whenever I was leading worship or playing at a prayer service. Over the last few years I’ve played this tune hundreds of times but couldn’t ever remember where I had heard it. I searched my brain forever trying to remember the song and eventually just gave in to the fact that I’d probably never know.

But….

Last night, while playing at the Hispanic ministry I help with, someone heard me playing that song (during prayer time) and asked me if that was such and such a song? He said it sounded like one he knew, and in fact, he had the chord sheet and words for it with him. After seeing the title and thinking back, it was the song. I played the song a couple of times years back when we were preparing to go to Panama for a Missions trip.

The song?  “Yo Te Busco”, which means I Search for You.

Irony or Divine Providence?

Who Cares if a Pastor Has an Affair?

// September 23rd, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Relevant Faith

This is a letter to all Pastors.

You may be wondering, “who cares if a pastor has an affair?” Well, we all should. Why? Because our leaders are held to a higher standard than the rest of us. Because the world looks at pastors as examples of Christ-likeness. Because Paul said follow me as I follow Christ. That means, if we look at Paul and his life, we should see someone living out what the Bible says. Because they are teaching us how to behave and react to this world –and when they stumble, it sets us back. Because we, as believers, need our pastors to be strong for us.

Pastors, please understand the role you play in our lives. Please realize that we need you to be strong in the midst of overwhelming temptation. Our very lives –and nations– depend on there being good, strong, Bible-believing, leaders to guide and direct us. When you fall, we all fall. When you stumble, the world not only looks down at you but also second-guesses the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Pastors who cheat on their wives has become a pandemic that has to be stopped. It has to be reigned in or we will be crippled, as a Church Body, for years.

Yes, God is still sovereign and can overcome any stupidity we, as believers, throw out there, but He relies on us to be His hands and feet, and we can’t do that if non-believers can’t trust us to do what we say we will do.

Sincerely,

A believer who desperately wants to see the role of Pastor be restored to God’s original intent.

royb

Book Review: You Were Born For This: Seven Keys to a Life of Predictable Miracles

// September 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Book Reviews, Relevant Faith

His New York Times phenomenon The Prayer of Jabez changed how millions pray. Now Bruce Wilkinson wants to change what they do next.

Anyone can do a good deed, but some good works can only happen by a direct intervention from God. Around the world these acts are called miracles—not that even religious people expect to see one any time soon. But what would happen if millions of ordinary people walked out each morning expecting God to deliver a miracle through them to a person in need? You Were Born for This starts with the dramatic premise that everyone at all times is in need of a miracle, and that God is ready to meet those needs supernaturally through ordinary people who are willing to learn the “protocol of heaven.”

In the straightforward, story-driven, highly motivating style for which he is known, Wilkinson describes how anyone can be a “Delivery Guy” from heaven in such universally significant arenas of life as finances, practical help, relationships, purpose, and spiritual growth.

You Were Born for This will change how readers see their world, and what they expect God can do through them to meet real needs. They will master seven simple tools of service, and come to say with confidence, “I want to deliver a supernatural gift from God to someone in need today—and I expect to!”

You Were Born For This Can Be Purchased at Amazon.com

Author Bios:

One of the world’s foremost Christian teachers, Bruce Wilkinson is best known as the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller The Prayer of Jabez. He is also the author of numerous other bestsellers, including A Life God Rewards, Secrets of the Vine, and The Dream Giver. Over the past three decades, Wilkinson has founded several global initiatives, including organizations that recruited and trained thousands of Americans to address hunger, AIDS, and poverty in Africa. Bruce and his wife, Darlene, have three children and six grandchildren. They live outside Atlanta.

David Kopp has collaborated with Bruce Wilkinson on over a dozen bestselling books, including The Prayer of Jabez. He is an editor and writer living in Colorado.

Book Review: If God is Good: Faith in the Midst of Suffering and Evil

// September 22nd, 2009 // No Comments » // Book Reviews, Relevant Faith

Every one of us will experience suffering. Many of us are experiencing it now. As we have seen in recent years, evil is real in our world, present and close to each one of us.
In such difficult times, suffering and evil beg questions about God–Why would an all-good and all-powerful God create a world full of evil and suffering? And then, how can there be a God if suffering and evil exist?
These are ancient questions, but also modern ones as well. Atheists such as Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and even former believers like Bart Ehrman answer the question simply: The existence of suffering and evil proves there is no God.
In this captivating new book, best-selling author Randy Alcorn challenges the logic of disbelief, and brings a fresh, realistic, and thoroughly biblical insight to the issues these important questions raise.
Alcorn offers insights from his conversations with men and women whose lives have been torn apart by suffering, and yet whose faith in God burns brighter than ever. He reveals the big picture of who God is and what God is doing in the world–now and forever. And he equips you to share your faith more clearly and genuinely in this world of pain and fear.
As he did in his best-selling book, Heaven, Randy Alcorn delves deep into a profound subject, and through compelling stories, provocative questions and answers, and keen biblical understanding, he brings assurance and hope to all.

You Can Buy it Here, Amazon.com

Author Bio:

Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspectives Ministries and a bestselling author. His novels include Deadline, Dominion, Edge of Eternity, Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, The Ishbane Conspiracy, and the Gold Medallion winner, Safely Home. He has written eighteen nonfiction books as well, including Heaven, The Treasure Principle, The Purity Principle, and The Grace and Truth Paradox. Randy and his wife, Nanci, live in Oregon and have two married daughters and four grandsons.

royb

Kiss Me Again: Restoring Lost Intimacy in Marriage Book Review

// September 21st, 2009 // No Comments » // Book Reviews, Relevant Faith, society in general

If you’ve  ever wondered why God says not to have sex before we are married, Kiss Me Again: Restoring Lost Intimacy In Marriage, by Barbara Wilson,  answers your question,  and it addresses all the obstacles women face when they decide not to wait for marriage before they have their first sexual experience. In Song of Songs 2:7, we are instructed not to “awaken love until the time is right”. Why? Because there is an actual Invisible Bond that forms when two people share a sexual encounter.

The whole gist of the book is why women, who couldn’t resist sex before they were married, now that they have tied the knot, don’t want to anymore. It talks about why that happens and what to do about it. The thing that struck me the most is the fact that there is an actual reason for it. It is something that is fixable, women don’t have to live that way.

She uses actual real-life examples. Kiss Me Again addresses different problems or obstacles that women face in their sexual relationship with their husbands and gives steps for women to follow in order to allow God to begin the healing process.

It talks about the bonds that occur when two people have sex and how it affects the marriage later on. It isn’t just an emotional bond, it is a chemical bond that can bring serious, unneeded, baggage into a marriage.

No matter what is in your sexual past, God can heal your wounds and restore you marriage. God can heal the sexual issues you are struggling with in marriage. He can reignite your desire and deepen your emotional bond with your husband. (Barbara Wilson)

I recommend this book for anyone who has the desire for a deeper “physical and emotional closeness with their mates.”

In Kiss Me Again, Wilson:

·         Shares her own story of healing and renewed desire

·         Helps women forgive themselves and their husbands for past choices

·         Shows readers how to break free from “invisible bonds”

·         Explains God’s plan for helping a husband and wife to re-bond

·         Includes conversation helps for both wives and their husbands

·         Helps couples reignite the passion that they thought was lost

Barbara Wilson is the author of The Invisible Bond and former director of sexual health education for the Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center in Sacramento. She speaks nationwide to youth and adults with her message of sexual healing, and she teaches frequently in the women’s ministry at the multi-campus Bayside Church in Northern California. Barbara and her husband, Eric, have been married for twenty-eight years.

The Book That Made America: How The Bible Formed Our Nation

// September 7th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Book Reviews, Relevant Faith

There is much debate going on about what principles the United States of America was founded. Was it founded by a bunch of capitalists who just happened to be moralists? Or, was it founded on Judeo/Christian principles that were established thousands of years earlier in the Bible? You would think this would be a no-brainer, but somehow atheists (and others)  have their own version of why there are so many references to God and the Bible in the early writings and lives of our founding fathers.

In his book, The Book That Made America: How the Bible Formed Our Nation, Jerry Newcombe sets out to prove that our nation was indeed founded on Christian principles, and it is those same principles that we’ve strayed away from.

royb

The Book That Made America: How the Bible Formed Our Nation (Nordskog Publishing) by Jerry Newcombe is a definitive volume on the Christian roots of our nation. Those who want to restore knowledge of our Christian heritage have their work cut out. As secularism continues its stranglehold on American education, we move further and further away from retaining our Christian roots. The Book That Made America will challenge anyone to know the true origin of our Nation and to fight to keep it. Newcombe hopes to educate Americans by providing the facts of history, proving that America began as a Christian nation and American’s have every right to preserve and uphold that heritage.

All that is positive in our foundation can be traced back to the Scriptures. Recently, President Obama declared that America is not a Christian nation, while Newsweek announced the demise of Christian America. This book is the answer to America’s critics with the facts of history.

Click here to buy this book at Amazon.com

And/Or

You can win a free copy. I have one copy to giveaway to someone. Leave a reply stating why you think this book would be a good read and I’ll pick one entry to send a free book to.

Jerry Newcombe, D. Min., is senior producer for Coral Ridge Ministries and has produced or coproduced more than fifty documentaries. The host of two weekly radio shows, he has also been a guest on numerous television and radio talk shows – including Fox Business News, C-Span, USA Radio and Moody Radio. He is the author or coauthor of twenty two books, including with Dr. Kennedy, What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?, How Would Jesus Vote?, and The Presence of a Hidden God.

A Letter from Dr. Charles Hull Wolfe
President, Plymouth Rock Foundation

Dear Christian Friend,

Recently President Barak Obama, while on a trip abroad and without giving the matter sufficient thought, casually declared that the United States is not a Christian nation. If the President had been a little more analytical, and especially if he’d read the remarkable new book you now hold in your hands, in all probability he would never have made such a statement. For page after page, from the beginning to the end, The Book that Made America by the gifted and scholarly Dr. Jerry Newcombe tells us America was born a Christian nation and has been one ever since.
This book begins by exploring America’s Christian roots with the Bible as the country’s basic textbook, the Bible’s law and covenant illustrated in the lives of the Pilgrims and the Mayflower Compact, becoming our guide to individual self-government, structured constitutionalism, and a free market. If you turn all the way back to this book’s Appendix, what do you discover? The United States Supreme Court made it official: America Is a Christian Nation!
No matter what books you now own about our Christian history, I encourage you to get this one! – for an adult Sunday School or Teen Sunday School, for your pastor, or simply for your own edification. Become a more knowledgeable Christian citizen! After you learn about the significance of the Pilgrims, come visit their home in Plymouth. — CHW

Praise for The Book That Made America…

Say that America is a Christian nation and you’ll be brought up on hate crime charges – or at least thought an ignoramus. But what are the facts of history? The Book That Made America demonstrates that there once was a Book even more integral to this nation than Al Gore’s Earth in the Balance. I recommend Dr. Newcombe’s book highly!
— Ann Coulter, New York Times #1 Author

The Book That Made America is a most welcome addition to the growing literature that documents the foundational and pivotal role that the Bible played in the founding of our nation and the forming of our government. Dr. Jerry Newcombe combines accurate scholarship and careful analysis with engaging writing. This arsenal of historic wisdom from our Judeo-Christian heritage should be in your library. If you have funds to buy only one book on this topic, this is the one!
— Peter A. Lillback, Ph.D. Prof. of Historical Theology, Pres., Westminster Theological Seminary, Pres., The Providence Forum, Sr. Pastor, Proclamation Presbyterian Church, Bryn Mywr, PA

Historical revisionism is alive and well in our nation’s classrooms and in the media. So what has been the Bible’s role in American history? It certainly had a profound impact on the founding of this country as well as in the framing of the government. And where did we go astray as a nation? How can we return to our Biblical roots? Jerry Newcombe answers these and many other questions in The Book That Made America. Read this book to learn the history our nation has forgotten.
— Kerby Anderson, National Director, Probe Ministries International, Host of “Point of View,” USA Radio Network, and author of many books and articles

Jerry Newcombe has created a masterpiece of apologetics that skillfully portrays the power of Scripture in the transformation of the American wilderness into the world’s first Christian constitutional republic. His writing is profound and well documented, yet easy to read. This great book will become a timeless educational resource that catapults the centrality of Christ and His Word back to the heart of our civilization where it belongs.
— Marshall Foster, D.D. Founder and Pres., The Mayflower Institute and World History Institute, Speaker, and Coauthor of The American Covenant: The Untold Story, Thousand Oaks, CA

In The Book That Made America, Jerry Newcombe quickly cuts through the fog of agenda driven rhetoric to give a brilliant and unbiased examination of what made America unique among the nations of the world. Jerry’s commanding knowledge of history provides clear and undeniable evidence that the Bible was a key formative influence in America’s culture, economy, and form of government.
— William J. Federer Best-selling author and speaker, nationally known radio host on AmericanMinute.com, Pres., Amerisearch, Inc., St. Louis, Missouri

Jerry Newcombe has furnished Christian believers with a major weapon for the moral and spiritual civil war we are waging for the soul of America. He carefully provides us in a readable and engaging way with quotable evidence of the Christian roots of our nation. This book should be in the home of every American patriot.
— Peter J. Marshall Evangelist, speaker, and co-author of best-selling books, including The Light and the Glory, Cape Cod, MA

Cycling Devotion: It’s The Simple Things

// August 6th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Cycling, Devotions, Relevant Faith

When I leave from the house, whether I do an hour ride or a 3 hour ride, I always have this annoying, horribly rough, 1 1/2 mile road that leads up to my house. This road shakes my bike and my body to pieces every time.

Well, today they re-paved that road and it is no longer the worst part of my ride. Now, when I turn onto Pine Street, I won’t cringe at the thought of climbing that little hill.

And that got me to thinking. It’s the little things sometimes that mean the most. It’s a tiny paved road or the correct height on the seat or having a friend ride with you that you haven’t seen in awhile.

Next time you’re having a rough ride just take a minute and enjoy some of the little things that have happened along the way.

As for the spiritual aspect of this devotion, I’ll let you decide how that affects your relationship with Christ. Leave a comment if you think of something good. I’d love for others to see it.

royb

Cycling Devotion: When You See a Fellow Rider, Enjoy It

// July 28th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Cycling, Devotions, Relevant Faith

When you ride a bike in the mountains, or any long, out-of-the-way road, the only people you see are other riders.

A couple of weeks ago, I rode from Tryon, NC up to Saluda, NC.  I left from a parking lot near Tryon and rode a few hours up to Saluda and then took the express down –a seven mile fast descent. And, from the time I left the parking lot heading up the mountain, it was at least an hour and half before I saw another person, and it was a fellow cyclist going the other direction. I didn’t know this guy and will never see him again, but for a brief moment, we had something in common: a love of pushing ourselves to exertion and throwing up (I mean, cycling).

More often than not, when you ride somewhere out of the ordinary, you will see very few people; and the ones that you do see, you will feel a strange connection with. During another ride recently, the Tour de Cure here in Columbia, I somehow ended up between groups of riders. I spent nearly two hours riding by myself, which is somewhat daunting on a ride like that because the route usually is unfamiliar to you. But, I remember how relieved I was when I finally came up on some riders at a rest stop.

If you ride at a park or in a busy downtown area where everyone goes, you will more than likely see many, many people along the way. That’s because it is probably an easy, flat ride that is good for every type of rider. When you step out and do something different or harder, like a century or mountain ride, then the number of people you see will be considerably less, and at times, nonexistent.

Our walk with God is much the same way. As we try to follow Him and lead a holy life, we will only occasionally run into someone going the same way. Unfortunately, most people sitting on the pew beside you, or singing in the choir, are living in a comfortable little world that they’ve built, and they try very hard to keep it from getting disturbed. And if that is you, then so be it. But, if you feel like God is calling you to more. To reach more. To say more. To do more. To see more. To be more. Then, as you travel that road, use the people that God sends you as a time of refreshing, an oasis.

It can get lonely on that road sometimes, just remember to keep going. Just over the next hill could be someone to ride with you and be your friend along the way.

royb

Book Reviews: “Under the Distant Sky” and “A Gathering of Finches”

// July 6th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Book Reviews, Relevant Faith

Under the Distant Sky by Al & Joana Lacy

This was a “God-fearing” book, full of various circumstances in which the Copper family truly trusted the Lord in almost everything they did. They demonstrated the true meaning of “loving thy neighbor as thyself”, as they left their home town, joined a wagon train, and traveled westward.

Although it was a simple story, there was enough intrigue to keep you interested to the end. It’s a good book for a church or a family library.

Summary:

In the years following the Civil War, Hannah and Solomon Cooper decide to seek out a new life on the frontier. In the dangerous journey that follows, however, tragedy strikes. By all reasonable expectations they should return home. Yet to the surprise of everyone in the wagon train — and despite great opposition — Hannah presses onward, displaying grit, courage, and a faith deep enough to sustain her family through life’s greatest trials.

You can buy it at Random House.

A Gathering of Finches by Jane Kirkpatrick

This is a story about a young lady who doesn’t really know who she is, doesn’t like who she is, but does almost nothing to make a change in her life. Though very pretty and gifted, she has a hard time finding ways to give of herself.

Follow this young lady as she discovers that, though you may have it all materially, that doesn’t mean you are content or happy. In the end, does she make peace with God, or is it a life wasted?

Summary:

Based on historical characters and events, A Gathering of Finches tells the story of a turn-of-the-century Oregon coastal couple and the consequences of their choices, as seen through the eyes of the wife, her sister, and her Indian maid. Along the way, the reader will discover reasons to trust that money and possessions can’t buy happiness or forgiveness, nor permit us to escape the consequences of our choices. The story emphasizes the message that real meaning is found in the relationships we nurture and in living our lives in obedience to God

You can buy it at Random House.