Revival Review (5 of 5)

If Christians are saved by grace, if good works don't earn God's favor, or obligate Him to let you into heaven, then what should motivate Christians to do good works?

That was the question answered by Dr. J.B. Hixson, Executive Director of the Free Grace Alliance and featured guest at the Little River Congregational Church's February revival.

In Luke 19:11-27, the Parable of the Minas, Jesus speaks directly to believers today about what we should be doing and why. In short, we should be busy doing God's business. Dr. Hixson emphasized five points:

Be patient (vv. 11-12)
The Kingdom of God has not yet arrived. It will arrive, but not now. Jesus has gone away.

Be busy (v. 13)
God has given us work to do. Preach the Gospel of sin and salvation. Love God and your neighbor.

Be aware (v. 14)
Some people are opposed to God. They live by their own agenda.

Be ready (v. 15)
The King will eventually return. Jesus will come back. He will ask us to give an account for how we lived on His behalf-- how we used the mina given to us by Him.

• Rewards gained (vv. 16-19). Here the motivation for good works. God will give his faithful servants eternal rewards. On Dr. Hixson's website, read 30 biblical reasons why believers should pursue good works.
  
• Rewards lost (vv. 20-24). Here is the negative motivation. Some who are saved failed to be busy while Jesus was gone.
• Summary principle (vv. 25-26). God will reward his servants as He sees fit. Here, Dr. Hixson explains in detail the doctrine of eternal rewards.
  

Be in awe (v. 27)
What Jesus says here is shocking. Unbelievers who oppose Him will be killed.

Jesus is away, but soon he will return. The King is coming. Be ready. And get busy!

Revival Review (4 of 5)

It's now March, but the spiritual glow from the Congregational Church's February revival is still with us.

Dr. J.B. Hixson, Executive Director of the Free Grace Alliance, was our featured speaker, five consecutive times, from February 10-13. In the first half of our time together, Dr. Hixson spoke on the "gift." Solely by His lavish kindness, God offers us grace and eternal security. We can do nothing to earn such gifts. We can only receive them--accepting them by putting our faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus.

The second half of our conference focused on the "prize." How should believers in Jesus respond to the gifts given them? By pursuing the call God has put on our life. By walking with God and imitating his character.

On Tuesday evening, Dr. Hixson reminded us that an essential part of our pursuit of Christ is studying the Bible. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." Dr. Hixson said the Bible is useful for teaching us what to believe (teaching), what not to believe (rebuking), how not to live (correcting), and how to live (training in righteousness). All of this is so you can become fully mature and ready for every good work.

So how would you describe your Bible reading habits? If you don't have a routine, try making an appointment with God's Word three times a week. Read one day in the psalms. Another day in Proverbs. And the third day reading through one of the gospels.

God's Word? It's our spiritual food.

Revival Review (3 of 5)

Eternal security-- the doctrine that once you trust Christ for salvation you cannot lose it-- was the topic of discussion on the third night of our church's revival conference, February 10-13.

Dr. J.B. Hixson, Executive Director of the Free Grace Alliance, and our conference speaker, offered seven reasons why once a person is saved by Christ, they are always saved:

Logical Proof-- John 3:16 promises "everlasting life" to whoever believes. But if salvation can be lost, eternal life is really conditional, temporary life, and not everlasting.

Biblical Proof-- Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, John 10:28-30, Romans 8:31-39.

Theological Proof-- Eternal salvation is a work of God (Eph 1:13-14). Eternal salvation is thus dependent upon the work of God and not the works of men (Rom 5:12-21). Works are not a requirement for eternal salvation (Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Eternal salvation cannot be earned (cf. Matt 5:20; Rom 9:30-10:4).

Legal Proof-- Justification, a term Paul uses often in Romans, describes how the believing sinner is credited with the righteousness of Jesus Christ (Rom 4:5; 5:1; 10:4). To say that someone could become unsaved after being saved would be to say that God changed His mind or reneged on His ruling.

Divine Declarative Proof-- Eternal life is staked upon the promises made by God the Son and God the Father, who does not lie (Titus 1:2).

Exegetical Proof-- In Romans 8:31, Paul refers to all those who have been justified as having also been glorified (aorist tense). The aorist tense in Greek (the original language of the New Testament) speaks of a past action with a continuing effect. Yet, the actual glorification of Christians does not take place until they arrive in heaven. By using the aorist tense, Paul is assuring the arrival of all Christians in heaven.

Hereditary Proof-- The moment a person believes the gospel, he is adopted into the family of God (Rom 8:15-17; Gal 4:4-5). He becomes a child of God (1 John 3:1). To say that salvation can be lost is to speak of disowning a member of the family.

The bottom line? Salvation does not depend on us, but rests in the promises of God.

Revival Review (2 of 5)

"What's so amazing about grace?"

Author Philip Yancy once asked this question, in the form of a book title, in response to John Newton's famous song, "Amazing Grace." Helping my church family answer the question was Dr. J.B. Hixson, Executive Director of the Free Grace Alliance. J.B. was guest speaker at our Revival Conference, February 10-13.

What is grace? A great place to start biblically is Ephesians 2. J.B. described it in a number of ways, but here is the most memorable:

God's Riches At Christ's Expense.

God's-- Grace originates with God
Riches-- Grace is extremely valuable
Christ-- Grace comes through Jesus Christ
Expense-- Grace is expensive.

Grace is amazing because God makes salvation available as a free gift. In fact, God delights in giving His gift of eternal life to those who don't deserve it. The gift is free to us, but it cost Jesus his life on the cross.

Amazing indeed!

Revival Review (1 of 5)

What is the Gospel? How is this "good news" being presented today?

That was the subject of the first in a series of revival messages at the Little River Congregational Church, February 10-13, presented by Dr. J.B. Hixson, Executive Director of the Free Grace Alliance.

In a message entitled, "The Gospel: Kaleidoscope or Microscope?" Dr. Hixson outlined six mistaken gospel models that are propagated in our postmodern society:

The Purpose Gospel-- The hope of this gospel focuses exclusively on the present age, like better relationships, less stress, more meaningful purpose, etc. Good stuff, but there's no mention of the afterlife-- heaven or hell-- nor emphasis on personal accountability to God.

The Puzzling Gospel-- What people should believe in order to be a Christian is not really made clear or is presented in contradictory ways. A lot of people live in this muddy puddle. Are you a Christian? The best they can answer is, "I'm trying."

The Prosperity Gospel-- A popular message that promises material riches with "name it and claim it" formulas. Again, it focuses on this world alone and obligates God to things He doesn't promise.

The Pluralistic Gospel-- All religions are equally valid pathways to heaven. Jesus is the normal path to heaven, but not the necessary path.

The Performance Gospel-- Believing in Jesus requires you either clean up your life before you believe or you must demonstrate a certain number of good works after you believe. Either way, salvation is in part dependent upon what you do.

The Promise-Only Gospel-- This gospel invites people to believe in Jesus, but without explaining who Jesus is and what He did. Knowing who He is and what He did isn't essential.

Finally, Dr. Hixson explained the "good news" message that best summarizes all the biblical data:

The Pure Gospel-- This gospel proclaims these essential elements:

• Jesus Christ-- This person is at the center of the Gospel message.

• Jesus' Identity-- He is the Son of God. In other words, deity with a unique relationship to God.
  

• Jesus' Work-- He died on the cross and rose again on the third day.

• Jesus' Accomplishment-- His death and resurrection pays your personal sin penalty and makes available to you the righteousness of God.

• Jesus' Offer-- He offers you the free gift of eternal life, which you may receive by putting your faith in Him.
  

The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 declares that the gospel that saves is the message about the death and resurrection of Jesus. More than 160 times, the Bible calls us to "believe" this good news. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone (Ephesians 2).

So why did this exposition start off our revival conference?

Simply this.

When you know and appreciate what God did for you in Christ, then you can really rejoice, give thanks, and be revived.

Revival Conference Weekend

This weekend, the Little River Congregational Church is holding a revival conference, starting Sunday and continuing through Wednesday.

Dr. J.B. Hixson, Executive Director of the Free Grace Alliance and a former classmate of mine at Dallas Theological Seminary, will answer the question, "What's so amazing about grace" and show us how grace is central to our relationship and walk with Jesus Christ.

If you live in the area, this my personal invitation for you to attend.

The other week, a church member confessed that he was somewhat spooked about our upcoming revival. He asked, "What's going to happen?"

I honestly had to say, "I really don't know." I know that over the next few nights, we'll do some singing, praying, and listening to God's Word. Humanly speaking, I know what we're doing. But how it impacts us-- that I don't know. That's up to God. My prayer is that when we eventually look back on the revival, we'll know that it was historically significant in our church's life.

I also told my friend that I hope being "spooked" means a willingness to be vulnerable before God. Jesus says in John 3:8 that "the wind blows wherever it wills... so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." As Kansans, we know that wind is unpredictable. Likewise, while God's ways are always biblical, they are not always predictable. When He surprises us, my guess is He's trying to get our attention and draw us closer to Him.

In C.S. Lewis' masterpiece, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Lucy is about to meet Aslan, the hero who saves the Kingdom of Narnia. When Lucy learns from Mrs. Beaver that Aslan is a lion, she utters, "Ooh! I thought he was a man. Is he quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion." Mrs. Beaver replies, "Nervous you will be dearie, make no mistake. Who said anything about being safe. Course he isn't safe. But he is good."

Who knows what God will do during a revival conference. One thing is for sure though. Whatever happens, it'll be good.

Local Coach Picks Up Win # 500

Congratulations to Shane Cordell, girls basketball coach of Little River High School. He won his 500th game last night, when Little River defeated Peabody-Burns, 54-29. Video highlights of the game and the celebration afterwards are available here.

Cordell told CatchItKansas:

"It's kind of the milestone you think about," he said. "It means a lot to finally do it. It was never a goal I had. But I've been here quite a while, and when you just do your job, some things start to happen. When I reflect back on all the girls who played and all the people who helped the program for years - I hope they got some enjoyment out of it too."

The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame credits Cordell's Little River teams with numerous state records. Among them:

* Most consecutive wins - 91 from 1994 to 1998.
* Most wins in a season - 28 in 1997.
* Most consecutive undefeated seasons - three from 1995 to 1997.
* Most consecutive state championships - four from 1995 to 1998.
* Widest average margin of victory for a season - 40.9 points a game in 1996.

Cordell's basketball coaching record is 500-183.

Shane is a class act who has blessed our community for a number of years.

I hope he's still coaching when my kids get to high school!