works

Grace and Works Revisited

November 17, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

grace vs. works,faith vs. works,works,grace,the sheep and the goats,Matthew 25:31-46,Ephesians 2:8-10,Ephesians 2:8-9,Ephesians 2:10,Matthew 7:22-23,salvation

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I can’t seem to get away from the constant debate of whether we are saved by grace alone or works alone. As I have often commented here, I don’t believe it’s a matter of grace or works, but rather grace and works. Before you bail on me, I wholeheartedly believe and affirm that we cannot be saved by anything other than the grace of God. Without grace, there is no possible way to “work” our way into salvation. Only our faith in Jesus and the grace He extends to us can secure our future with Him. The works we do are simply proof of our love for Him. If we are sincere in our devotion to Christ, obeying His commands – doing the things He told us to do – will be a natural extension of that love.

Are You a Fan or Follower?

September 22, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

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The group of believers with whom I meet weekly recently started the video study based on Kyle Idleman’s excellent book, “Not a Fan”. It’s been a while since I read the book, but it was absolutely life changing for me, and I highly recommend you make it part of your annual reading list. I’ve written several articles in the past that were inspired by the book, but the group discussion has stirred some fresh thoughts in me and has challenged me to ask once again if I am truly a follower of Jesus or merely a fan. Am I sacrificing everything for the sake of following Him, or am I merely playing at this thing we call Christianity?

God’s Power in Us

July 10, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

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When you come across something that seems necessary but it’s never been done before, maybe it’s because God intends for you to be the one to get it done. Most of us never think about the world that way. We see a difficulty and give up before even trying to overcome it. We see a perceived impossibility and believe it instead of trusting God to do what others say cannot be done. The proper attitude, the one all followers of Christ should have, is to trust God for the power and ability to accomplish His will. We need to look at situations through the eyes of Jesus rather than trusting in our weak and fallible vision.

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How Much More Could You Do?

June 30, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

a.w. tozer,tozer,commitment,Jesus as lord,Jesus is lord,giving your all

I once read a quote from A.W. Tozer that continues to both propel and haunt me. Tozer said, “Before the judgment seat of Christ my service will be judged not by how much I have done but by how much I could have done!” I mentioned this quote before (see “Living for the Emergency”), but wanted to dive a little deeper into it because it won’t stop gnawing at me. Each of us has been uniquely created with a combination of talents, skills, gifts, and passions. We have been designed with specific work in mind (Ephesians 2:10). We will choose to obey God and carry out the job He has given us to do, or we will reject Him and squander all He has blessed us with on our own selfish desires.

Why Are You a Christian?

June 2, 2014 by Tim Sherfy

what does it mean to be a christian,mission of Christ,God's mission,faith vs. works,Jesus first,lord of your life

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Why do you follow Jesus? Is it because you are looking to have your physical or material needs met? A large number of Christians only pray in times of need. As long as things are cruising smoothly along, they have little time for prayer and even less time to actually pursue the mission of Christ. Jesus is just something that sounded good at some point in their lives, but that was a long time ago. Now He is not much more than a convenient source of help when problems arise. Living this way is sacrificing your future for some very short lived pleasures today.