“**Are you seeking to Know God?”**

Have you ever heard someone talk about the Gospel and wondered what that meant?

Well, the word Gospel means Good News. The Gospel of Jesus is, therefore, the Good News that we received from Jesus. What is it? It starts with what is amazing news:

God loves you…

God is love, and He loves the whole world.

Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life,” (John 3:16). “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”(John 10:10)

Do you want a relationship with the God who made you?

Do you want peace in the midst of this world filled with chaos and strife?

God built this desire into you. Animals do not struggle with lack of contentment. They do not mourn the wars and evils of the world. They do not sit around and wonder if there will be justice or whether there is something more to life. Humans are unique in that we yearn for the peace that can only be found with Jesus. This is God speaking to you. He is calling you to something more.

God sees everything that happens here on earth. He knows everything we have ever done or thought and He still loves us. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. He wants us to Know Him.

There is a big problem though:

Our sin separates us from God…

God created us for fellowship with Him, but He is perfectly holy and sin separates us from Him.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23); “For the wages of sin is death,” (Romans 6:23); “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God,” (Isaiah 59:2).

We may be nice people according to the world’s standards. We may give money to charity and take care of our families. We may even go to church. The problem is that goodness or niceness are not the only things that define our lives. We all sin and fall short often. We lie, gossip, slander or covet things our neighbors have and that we do not and take things that do not belong to us….on a regular basis.

We may be better than the person down the road from us but that does not deal with OUR sins.

We violate God’s laws in many different ways. It makes sense that breaking the law requires punishment, right? At the end of our lives, we will stand before a perfectly just judge in God and have to account for every single sin we did in our lives, big and little(in our eyes), in secret or in the open. It is a daunting thought, isn’t it?

Do we want to pay the price for all of that sin? Does a righteous judge ever just let a person who is guilty of thousands of crimes go without facing justice?

Think of our Sun that sits at the center of our solar system. It is amazingly hot, right? So hot that even with special protective armor spacecraft can only get so close to the Sun before they burn up. The Sun has no ill will towards those satellites, its temperature is just part of what it is. It would not be the Sun if it were not blazing hot. It also would not sustain billions of lives on Earth if it were cold enough to touch.

God’s holiness is the same idea. His white-hot purity is who God is, not something designed to hurt us. It is His nature. God’s nature is what causes beauty, justice, and wonder in the world. It also directly conflicts with sin. No matter how much protection we try to create, as flawed humans we can only get so close to God without the heat affecting us. On our own, there is nothing we could ever do to get close to the center of the entire universe because of our sins..

Thankfully, God understood this problem and wants us to come to Him despite our flaws. He sent His Son, Jesus to make a way for this to be possible. We can face His holiness in joy and gratitude despite everything we have done.

Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin.

He took the punishment for our sins on the Cross. He died so that we can be set free.

Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. Through Jesus Christ, we can have our sins forgiven and restore a right relationship with God. Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, tells us what we need to know to be saved, “…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” Jesus Himself declares that He is the only way of salvation in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

This is the really, really great news on top of the amazing news. God loved us so much that despite seeing all that we have done against Him, He sent His Son Jesus to stand in our place and take our punishment. Jesus died on the Cross of Calvary under the weight of the sins of the world. He is the sacrifice that faced what we deserved in our place. We deserve to pay for our sins, but He paid for them instead. Jesus died for you so that you can have an eternal abundant life with Him. Isn’t that wonderful news? We get all the benefit and do none of the work. Jesus is an awesome Savior.

He then rose again to show that this sacrificial offering was accepted by God. Death has been defeated for those who are willing to follow Jesus. He was resurrected from the death and someday believers will be resurrected from the dead to eternal life also.

Eternal life in Jesus is the reward we receive when we accept His completed work on the Cross.

How can I receive this free gift of salvation?…

Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness from God.

Repent and Receive Jesus as Savior.

We must place our faith in Jesus Christ as Savior in order to receive the gift of salvation.”If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved,” (Romans 10:9) Repent(change your mind about your sin) therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”(Acts 3:19)

John 1:12 describes how we become His people: “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” Acts 16:31, says it very clearly, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved!” We can be saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Repent does not just mean feel bad about something. I felt sorrow over a lot of things before I came to Jesus. Repentance is more than just bad feelings. It is feeling genuine, heart felt sorrow over what we have done and turning away from it. At heart, the repentance we need to get to Jesus is first sorrow over denying Him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus is the Eternal God who made every one of us. He gave us life and then when we were lost, gave His life so that we could be forgiven and accepted into God’s family.

Turn away from a life of disbelief and to a life in Jesus.

Then set out to learn about our Savior Jesus and learn to follow Him in the every day. This is a lifelong journey of discovery but it starts here and now. Today is the day of salvation. Today is the day to receive eternal life.

What is stopping you?

Calvary Catonsville – A Calvary Chapel in Maryland

5695 Main Street

Elkridge, MD 210675

(443)840-7475

Pastor Tom Neary

God Equips His People for His Work

God doesn’t call the qualified for His work. They are a dime a dozen. God calls the man who is devoted to God. He then equips him for the tasks ahead.

You make a mistake when you judge the qualities of a Christian by the world’s standards. A person’s eloquence, talent or success in the business world means nothing to God, on their own. A leading expert in a field can do nothing for God without a rock solid relationship with Jesus. The most successful CEO will be an utter failure running a church without a heart for the Lord. The sole defining quality of great workers for the Kingdom is being with the Lord. God will give you the ability to do His will if you seek to do it.

Judging for anything other than Godliness is setting up the church for disaster.

Say there is an opening on the elder board of a church. The standard operating procedure in response is to form a search committee. The committee looks at the church members to judge who in the congregation would be best suited for the role. If the job requires organization, they look to a winning coach or a leader in the professional world. If it requires handling money, they look at the successful businessman or banker. The reasoning is that they are used to handling people, leading people and raising money so they can transfer their skills into the church version. This makes sense according to man’s logic but is a terrible error in God’s eyes. God never judges a man by the world’s standards. God’s leaders are very different than man’s.

The man who has all the skills but doesn’t have God is completely unqualified.

The person who is completely overwhelmed by the idea of the position but is on fire for the Lord is God’s first choice.

The Apostle Paul’s Job Interview

Consider Saul of Tarsus’ qualifications when he was chosen by God. Paul is the greatest evangelist in human history. He wrote much of the New Testament. He is the example of faith millions have tried to emulate throughout history. He was a great leader and awesome Christian. Yet, when he was chosen to lead and serve, Paul was totally unqualified.

Can you imagine the search committee for the church at Antioch charged with picking the next evangelist for their church? You know what Paul the Apostle did when he was chosen by God to be His anointed vessel of the Gospel. It is easy to forget his resume. Saul’s interview before the official Antioch evangelist search committee would go something like this:

Interviewer Ananias: So you want to be hired by our church, what were you doing in your last position?

Interviewee Saul: Well Sir, I spent the last few years, up until a couple of days ago actually, doing my best to destroy other churches. I even tried to go to Damascus and destroy the new church you have there. I was really good at it too! They compared me with a wild animal tearing at its prey.

Interviewer Ananias: Ok, so I will write down that you are a real self-starter. How did you find out about our advertisement for a position?

Interviewee Saul: Well, it’s an interesting story. You see, I was holding the clothes of those who were stoning your friend Stephen to death, stoning being hard work and all and I heard him talking. Then I was helping put other church members in jail, forcing them to betray Christians and then having them killed. They were all talking about how great the pastor of your church is, how you have great benefits and how I should apply here. Then after I purposefully ignored that for a while, goads stink BTW, while I was on the way to Damascus to get more workers I mentioned killed or jailed, I met the boss. After He knocked me down and blinded me, He said I had the job!

Interviewer Ananias: What position are you applying for?

Interviewee Paul: I want to be a Chosen Vessel of God and an Apostle. I would also like to write the majority of Jesus’ New Testament and preach grace to the world.

Interviewer Ananias: Great, you are hired!

I have interviewed a lot of people in my career, but never someone as ill-suited for the position as Saul of Tarsus. He should have been thrown out of the interview and perhaps into jail, if the calling of Apostle was based on worldly wisdom. His resume proved he was totally unfit for the job. Yet, God chose him.

God Chose You For a Purpose!

Paul was perhaps the last person in the world to be chosen an Apostle before meeting Jesus. It would be like asking Osama Bin Laden to fill in as Prime Minister of Israel for a while. Based on logic and history, it is just not going to end well. But God picked Paul and made him His chosen vessel to use for the remainder of his lifetime.

God’s Power Made Perfect in Weakness Not Strength

Paul was extraordinarily weak in the very areas that God needed workers. This is exactly how God wants it. It is often when a man is totally weak and completely without ability that God does his best work. God is happy to show His power in abundance when you are reliant on Him. It is only when you think you are strong that God’s stage becomes cluttered. There is only one star of the show in God’s theater and it is not you. David is also a great example of the decision makin of God. David was not qualified to fight Goliath. God chose him anyway. He wasn’t huge like Saul but Saul did not trust God like David.

God’s choice of Paul was perfect and awesome. Paul converted thousands and taught holiness to the thousands more in the early church. This was not because Paul was a diamond in the rough. This was not Paul discovering his untapped potential. It was God’s power working through a desperately unqualified but willing servant. It was God’s plan, God’s mission and God’s power lived out simply, not Paul.

Why was David Chosen to Be King?

God Equips the Called – Do We Trust Him?

Do you feel called by God to do something in God’s Kingdom but feel unqualified? Do you feel worthless in your church, like you can’t do anything and have nothing to add?

If the answer is yes, then answer this:

Have you been out trying to destroy your church? Have you been killing Christians and forcing them to renounce Jesus’ name?

No, then you are already a better candidate for Christian service than Saul of Tarsus. You are hired!

God chose you for a purpose just like He chose Paul and David. His choice alone, His plan, His purpose.

It may not seem to make sense at the time, but God does not judge like you do. He does not look at the outward appearance, but at the heart and He is never wrong. He chose you, warts and all.

Do you trust God in His choice? He will provide His power to get His results. You provide the clay pot. You are enough because God picked you. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

It is the One who called that is important not the one who is called. Understanding and remembering this is the key to our every step in faith.

Do You Want to See God’s Glory?

How do I get to heaven? How do I know God?

“**Are you seeking to Know God?”**

Have you ever heard someone talk about the Gospel and wondered what that meant?

Do you want a relationship with the God who made you?

Do you want peace in the midst of this world filled with chaos and strife?

Our sin separates us from God…

Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin.

Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness from God.

Repent and Receive Jesus as Savior.

Turn away from a life of disbelief and to a life in Jesus.

God Doesn’t Call the Qualified, He Qualifies the Called

God Equips His People for His Work

The Apostle Paul’s Job Interview

God’s Power Made Perfect in Weakness Not Strength

God Equips the Called – Do We Trust Him?

“Are you seeking to Know God?”

Have you ever heard someone talk about the Gospel and wondered what that meant?

Do you want a relationship with the God who made you?

Do you want peace in the midst of this world filled with chaos and strife?

Our sin separates us from God…

Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin.

Confess your sins and ask for forgiveness from God.

Repent and Receive Jesus as Savior.

Turn away from a life of disbelief and to a life in Jesus.

God Equips His People for His Work

The Apostle Paul’s Job Interview

God’s Power Made Perfect in Weakness Not Strength

God Equips the Called – Do We Trust Him?

“**Are you seeking to Know God?”**