Foster Road Church of Christ

"I Have Some Good News and Some Bad News . . ." I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. Galatians 1:67... We have all heard good news/bad news jokes. Before we can fully appreciate the good news, we have to know the bad news. The literal definition of gospel is good news. But part of telling people the good news of the gospel is making them aware of the bad news. That means telling people they are sinners. Of course, people don’t like to hear that. I’m a what? I’m not a sinner! I’m a good person! We have to define what it means to be a sinner, because the Bible says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Yet there are preachers today who don’t want to tell people they’re sinners. They claim that most people know they’re doing wrong. But do they? I think a lot of people believe everything is fine as long as they try to live a good life. We have to break the bad news: I’m sorry to tell you this, friend, but you’re a sinner. You’ve broken God’s commands. You’ve fallen short of His standards, and there is nothing you can do to make this right. But God loved you so much that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for you, and if you will turn from that sin and put your faith in Christ, you can be forgiven. The bad news helps us fully appreciate the good news. Anything less than this is a false gospel that will give false assurance. That is why Paul wrote, I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God. . . . You are following a different way that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all (Galatians 1:67). We must be careful to preach the real gospel. (used by permission Greg Laurie Ministries Riverside CA 92504)

God on Our Terms Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. Lamentations 3:22... In ancient Rome when a conquering hero returned from war, he would be riding a donkey. So when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and the multitude cried out, Hosanna! the significance of this was not missed by the Romans or the Jews. The Romans thought Jesus was acting as though He were a returning war hero. But the Jews saw a different meaning. The prophet Zechariah had said of the Messiah, Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). For the Jews, Jesus was saying, I am your Messiah. And for the Romans, He was saying, I am your king. But Jesus did not come to conquer Rome. He came to conquer sin and death. The crowd said, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel! (John 12:13). These people wanted to see Jesus, but they wanted Him on their own terms: Lord, we want You to be our conquering King. There are some people who say they want God in their lives, but they want Him on their terms. They essentially would say to God, Look, God, you can come into my life. But don’t tell me what to do. I’m going to do it my way. But by the way, Lord, I could use Your help in this one situation. It doesn’t work that way. Who are we to stand and dictate terms to God Almighty? The Bible says, Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not (Lamentations 3:22). We all deserve His judgment, yet He is loving and tolerant with us. used by permission Greg Laurie Ministries Riverside CA 92504

A Full Life He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Isaiah 53:3 Jesus Christ was, according to the Bible, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. He knows and understands the pain and hurt deep inside your soul when you have lost someone you love.... John 11:35 tells us, Jesus wept. Tears rolled down His cheeks, tears of sympathy for Mary and Martha for all the sorrow that is caused by sin and death. And in that sense, Jesus has wept with us as well. Death never was God’s plan in the beginning. But now, because of the entrance of sin into the human race, all of us will die one day. Some will live longer than others, but we all will die. And we think the greatest tragedy is when someone dies young. While this is an extreme tragedy, I don’t think it is the ultimate tragedy. I think the ultimate tragedy is when a life has been lived to its entire length and has been entirely wasted and squandered on sin. I think of the words of Jim Elliot, who was a modern-day martyr of the faith, put to death as he tried to bring the gospel to a tribe in Ecuador known at the time as the Aucas. Jim was lanced through with a spear, and wrapped around that spear was one of the gospel tracts he and missionary pilot Nate Saint had dropped over their village from the air. In his journal Jim Elliot had written, I seek not a long life but a full one like Yours, Lord Jesus. We think that length of life is the ultimate goal. And yes, it’s good to live long. But what is more important is to live right, to do what is right before God. What is more important is to live a life that is pleasing to Him. (used by permission Greg Laurie Ministries Riverside CA 92504)

Biblical Optimism I saw a man at the grocery store walking with his wife who was obviously pregnant. They both seemed very happy. I asked the father if it was going to be a boy or a girl. With jubilation he announced it was going to be a boy. I said, What if it’s a girl? He looked at me and smiled and said, That would be perfect. That’s my 2nd choice. Don’t you just love it? So many things going on in our world it makes our heads want to spin. But we get the final say a...bout what we are going to do with what we get. I am sure that you have heard the adage: If the world hands you a lemon, make lemonade. Optimism is a beautiful thing. But there is a difference between optimism of the world and biblical optimism. Worldly optimism is more about temporal things of this world rather than eternal riches. That message is very appealing to the world. When I get more excited about an increase in salary or a new car than I do the presence of God, I’m being carnal, worldly. I have to remember every day that God is for me and not against me. I suppose there are people somewhere in the world who believe that God is just waiting for an excuse to zap you. I believe I have given him plenty of reasons to zap me and yet, here I am writing this article. Instead of zapping me he has lovingly and patiently wrapped his arms around and reminded me whose I am. His intentions are to give us hope and a future. That should be an encouragement to all of us. I wonder if that young man in the grocery store has a boy? Dennis Russell

Ignoring God's Warnings "But you would not listen to me," says the Lord. "You made me furious by worshiping idols you made with your own hands, bringing on yourselves all the disasters you now suffer." Jeremiah 25:7 Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were Jewish teenagers who ended up as captives in ancient Babylon. Through the years, their people had a propensity to turn to false gods. So the Lord raised up prophets again and again to warn them, but they didn’t listen.... God even raised up the prophet Jeremiah to tell them that if they didn’t stop their idol worship, He would judge them and allow another nation to defeat them in battle and take them captive. Not only did God tell them this would happen, but He also told them which nation would defeat them. The Israelites persisted in ignoring God’s warnings, however, and just as He predicted, King Nebuchadnezzar overtook them and hauled them off to Babylon as captives. Speaking through Jeremiah, God said to them, Because you have not listened to me, I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as my deputy. I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the surrounding nations. I will completely destroy you and make you an object of horror and contempt and a ruin forever (25:89). I can’t help but think that God has been giving warnings to our own nation as well. How long will people in the United States continue to thumb their noses at God? How long will they continue to mock Christians and mock the Word of God? Do they not think that God could allow another nation to defeat us? Do they not think that we could reap the inevitable consequences of our sin? We could. I believe the Lord is warning our nation. And I think we have two options before us in the United States: judgment or revival. I hope it’s the latter. used by permission Greg Laurie Ministries Riverside CA 92504

God Restores In 1934 darkness settled over America. Dust storms invaded New York to Boston and then headed south to the Great Plains, into Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and other places. Eventually, the same trails that had been traveled by pioneers were occupied by 250,000 people looking to escape those dust storms. Many of them found a home in California. California offered renewed hope and opportunities. Spirits were lifted and a new vision came into focus. Today the plains h...ave recovered and now they are very productive. On the other hand, California has been burdened with a drought that started a few years ago. The recent rains have lessened the impact of the drought. One of the things that it has done for Californians is allow them to see how God restores. Like the drought in California, many of us have found that our well is running dry. We find ourselves stressed and distressed. We hardly laugh anymore. We are exhausted at the end of the day and flop into bed to get some sleep before the routine starts all over again. We are impatient with people and think about the joy once enjoyed. We find ourselves in a pathetic situation. The dust bowl was nothing to God. He is in the business of restoration. The plains that once were barren and abandoned are productive now. The drought in California will eventually end. God has, and will continue to perform His mighty deeds on this land. And God can perform His mighty works in you as well. Dennis Russell

Why do we have pictures? Did you know that the Polaroid Camera (the one that gives you the picture instantly) can be bought on Amazon? Do you remember the Kodak disposable camera? Most people now use digital cameras. Some of us have pictures of not so familiar people. Pictures massage our memories and help us to recall a person, place or event. When you hear someone say something about the promises of God, what kind of picture comes to mind? Eternal life? Forgiveness? Maybe ...it is I am with you. Someone told me that was the offspring of God’s desire to be with His people. I am certainly not advocating a Pollyanna approach to life, but I am saying that you and I have a great picture album that reveals many facets of God. We can see numerous times how God used ordinary things to teach ordinary people how to appreciate ordinary experiences. Robert Louis Stevenson tells of a storm that caught a vessel off a rocky coast and threatened to drive it and its passengers to destruction. In the midst of terror, a man, contrary to orders, went to the deck, made a dangerous passage to the pilot house and saw the helmsman at his post holding the wheel unwaveringly. He was, inch by inch, turning the ship out, to sea. The pilot saw the visitor and smiled. Then the passenger returned to a gathering of other passengers and announced, I have seen the face of the pilot and he smiled. All is well. Being able to see the presence of God in your life is a major step in spiritual growth. Dennis Russell

A Divine Birth Announcement Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. . . . Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people." Luke 2:8, 10... If you are a parent, then you can remember the first people you called after you became one. You gave them the weight and length of the baby and the actual time when he or she was born. You shared the news with those who were closest to you. When God announced the birth of His Son, whom did He tell first? It seems likely that He would have started with Caesar Augustus. He could have sent the angel Gabriel to appear in Caesar's court and announce, "Check this out, buddy. You are not God! The Savior of the world has arrived!" Or He might have had Gabriel appear to the religious leaders and say, "Wake up! The Messiah has been born! The One you talk about, the One you pray forHe is here!" But that didn't happen. Instead, God first announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds. We tend to romanticize the shepherds along with everyone else in the Christmas story, but we don't understand who they were. In this culture, shepherds lived at the bottom of the social ladder. Shepherds were so despised that their testimonies were not even allowed in a court of law. Shepherds did the work that no one else wanted to do. They worked hard, but they were perceived as unclean because they could not observe the ceremonial hand washings. They were the outcasts, the nobodies. The only people less-regarded than shepherds were those who were suffering from leprosy. Yet God decided to announce His news to some shepherds in the fields as they kept watch over their flocks at night. This was the modus operandi of Jesus, from birth to death. He always appealed to the outcast, to the common, to the ordinary. And that should give hope to ordinary people like us. (used by permission Greg Laurie Ministries Riverside CA 92504)

Leaving and Cleaving Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24... The objective God has in bringing a man and a woman together can be captured in two very important words: leave and cleave. These come from Genesis 2:24 (KJV), which says, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." The word "cleave" means to glue or to cling. So to leave and cleave is to sever and bond, to loosen and secure, or to depart from and attach to. A successful marriage begins with leaving. In effect, you leave all other relationships. The closest relationship outside of marriage is specified in Genesis 2:24, implying that if it is necessary to leave your father and mother, then certainly all lesser ties must be broken, changed, or left behind. This doesn't mean that when you get married, you are no longer a son or a daughter or a sibling. But what it does mean is that you have a new, primary responsibility, and that is to your spouse. You must still honor your mother and father, but leaving has taken place. Leaving implies giving other relationships a lesser degree of importance. You still can have friends, but your best friend should be your spouse. Having members of the opposite sex as friends can be problematic at best and potentially destructive at worst. Most adultery happens through close contact and relationship, not mere sexual attraction. So be very careful. Your best friend should be your husband or your wife. In Malachi 2:14, God said of the relationship between a husband and his wife, "Yet she is your companion and your wife by covenant." The word "companion" used here means someone united with another in thoughts, goals, plans, and efforts. Are you united with your spouse in this way? (used by permission Greg Laurie Ministries Riverside CA 92504)

Our Ever-Present Shepherd The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1 A favorite Scripture passage for many of us is Psalm 23, which begins: "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul" (verses 13). We love that. It's such a beautiful picture of us as sheep being led by our Shepherd.... But it isn't a compliment when God compares us to sheep. Sheep are some of the dumbest animals on the face of the earth. If God had compared us to dolphins, that would have been great. Dolphins are super smart. If God had compared us to dogs, even that would have been a compliment. But God compared us to sheep. Sheep are stupid. Sheep tend to run with the pack. Sheep have no defense mechanisms. Sheep can't even escape from a predator. Sheep are basically leg of lamb in waitingall that is needed is the mint jelly. It's a done deal. Sheep need their shepherd. If the shepherd doesn't come through for them, they are dead. We are like that too. We love to read that the Lord is our Shepherd and that He makes us to lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still waters. But Psalm 23 goes on to say, "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" (verse 4). We love the green pastures and the still waters, but we don't like valleysespecially if they have the word death attached to them. Yet as David pointed out, the Lord is the Shepherd who was with him. And He is the Shepherd who is with us too. (used by permission Greg Laurie Ministries Riverside CA 92504)

Perfect Peace You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3... I remember asking Billy Graham a number of years ago about what he experienced when he gave the invitation for people to come to Christ at a crusade. He said, "When I am preaching and giving the invitation, I feel like power is draining out of me." I understand that, because it is a spiritual battle that rages on. When we are serving the Lord, it can be draining in many ways. It can even be draining spiritually. Jesus, who was fully God, also was fully man. That means He was human just like you and me. He felt pain. He felt sorrow. He felt hunger. And He could feel weary from a hard day's work. In Matthew 8, we read that Jesus, tired after a day of ministry, was sleeping soundly. He and the disciples were on a very primitive wooden boat, being tossed back and forth like a cork in the ocean. How do you sleep in a storm like that? You can sleep in a storm when you're confident in the will of God. In other words, you know you're doing what you should be doing. Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." Sometimes the worries and pressures of life keep us awake at night. When this happens to me, I'll pray about it and say, "Lord, I can't worry about this for a while, so I'm going to let You worry about it. I'm going to get some shut-eye." I'm being humorous, of course, because I know God isn't going to worry about it. But I'm entrusting the matter to Him. That is what we need to do when we're tired and overwhelmed by worry. We need to cry out to God. (used by permission Greg Laurie Ministries Riverside CA 92504)

Sins of the Spirit How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Psalm 19:12 Sin is not always obvious. Some sins are, however, such as murder, adultery, and stealing. But other sins are more subtle, like pride, selfishness, and gossip. Sometimes we will sin in ignorance or presumption. That is why David prayed, "How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins...!" (Psalm 19:1213). The Bible talks about sins of the flesh and sins of the spirit. Paul pointed out in 2 Corinthians 7:1, "Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God." What does it mean to commit a sin of the spirit? It is to knowingly go against what is true. We talk about some sins being worse than others. But it may not be the sins that we think. Jesus said to Pontius Pilate, "You would have no power over me at all unless it were given to you from above. So the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin" (John 19:11, emphasis added). Jesus was talking about either Caiaphas or Judas. Caiaphas was the high priest who had a hand in putting Jesus up on false charges and then sent Him to the Romans to do his dirty work and crucify Him. Then there was Judas, who betrayed Him. Either way it is the same. Judas was one of the handpicked disciples of Christ who betrayed the Lord, and Caiaphas, the high priest, should have known better. The point is, when you have been schooled in the Scriptures like Caiaphas or exposed to the truth and the power of God like Judas, you are without excuse. Knowledge brings responsibility. (used by permission Greg Laurie Ministries Riverside CA 92504)

A Remnant "Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had become as Sodom and had been made like unto Gomorrah" (Romans 9:29). During the last four months, I have connected with over 6,000 Twitter users, people from all over the world. I blocked many caught up in Satanic worship and others who indulge in pornography and such sins. I saw the culture of those who live to promote ungodliness. I cried with a man in England who tweeted his dying wife's last breaths, for a ...young man in Ecuador whose girlfriend was killed by police, and for the man living in the Colorado mountains whose little kitty was eaten by a wild animal. What caught my attention during my "tour" of the world is that the light of God shines strongly through the darkness. I met missionaries working in schools and orphanages in the poorest of countries. I found preachers teaching Muslims the Bible in the Middle East and Africa and saw Christians laboring against odds to spread the Word in Communist countries. A young woman in Los Angeles belted out the hymn "In Christ Alone." Her face expressed the joy she felt singing about her Lord. All over the world, bloggers, book authors, website builders, singers, counselors, churches, and preachers tell about our Lord and His love for mankind. Yes, just as God had a remnant of Israelites who obeyed Him, He has a remnant in our world today. Their voices are heard by millions. They work tirelessly and sometimes give their all to save others physically and spiritually. They are shining lights in a world of darkness. And yes, except God had raised up all these Christians, our world would be as Sodom and Gomorrah. God still calls each Christian to show His love to others. We don't have to go around the world. Maybe we can just step across the street. Won't you be a light shining in a world of darkness? Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me be aware of every opportunity to speak to someone about Your love and salvation. In Jesus' name. Amen. Donna Wittlif (copied with permission)