Council Grove Christian Church

9/10/26
Servants of God,
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”
1 Timothy 2:5,6
Will it all be alright in the end? Do the suffering and sorrow of this life have ultimate purpose? Will passing through the tough things of life eventually yield joy and peace? Christians believe God has acted to make it all right in the end and that the gospel is the testimony we must give to a broken world—a word of hope.
Do  you believe God? I am not asking if you believe that there is a God. Everyone does. Those who suppress the truth and claim they do not believe there is a God are liars. My question is not just for you. I am asking myself too. It is easy to talk about God or to acknowledge that God has spoken but it is a serious matter to truly believe God and to live out that belief.
Do you believe you are a product of creation? God has spoken clearly about that in the Bible. Do you believe that humans (including you) are fallen creatures? God has spoken clearly about that  too! Can our often-chaotic world make sense? God has spoken about that as well. Ultimately, it will all become crystal clear, immediately we are called to believe God and walk by faith through the fog of a great spiritual war.
If you are a well-taught Christian you believe God. You believe that humanity at large (and you personally) suffer from the terrible consequences of sin—rebellion against God by way of doubting his word and you know that you need divine help. You know you need someone to intercede between you and a Holy God who is the great judge of the universe.  When you received the gift of reconciliation to God through your faith in Jesus the Messiah, you passed from death to life and from slavery to sin into freedom in Christ. But you still live in this broken world.
Christians see hope in the midst of confusion, disappointment, sorrow and suffering because we believe what God says about everything. We are not perfect but we have been changed. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we are being changed daily by God. Part of that change is that we are consistently growing in our understanding. Light is pushing back darkness and truth is exposing lies.
Our world is badly mangled with false belief systems. The headlong chasing after human fixes for spiritual problems is a fool’s errand. It is the fool who says in his heart “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1). Here is the picture of a human who teaches or counsels himself. He speaks to himself and advises himself to reject the thought that there is a God to whom he is accountable. This is the path we see the unredeemed walking. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a good news message to that person. There is a God and he will rescue you from yourself if you will believe him!
As I have been teaching my Sunday School class about church history I have been reminded of a great truth. Jesus promised that he would build his church (Matthew 16). Jesus is the builder, not you or me. From the very beginning, the spread of the gospel has face head winds and obstacles. The church of Jesus has had to deal with numerous errors (heresies) and the temptation to substitute human ideas and structures for the simple teachings of Jesus and the Apostles. Through the centuries there have been dark times when the light of the gospel has burned low. God has never forsaken his people. He has raised up faithful servants to call the church back to the truth about God and humanity and the ultimate restoration of all things through the person and work of one sinless man—Jesus the Messiah. Jesus is still working at building his body—the church.
You and I are called to believe God and live to his glory each moment. There is no quick and easy way. There is no magic pill. There is no secret group to join. There is no escaping some degree of sorrow, loss and pain. There is only the ordinary intake of God’s word, declaring dependence upon him in prayer, and the worship, fellowship and service in Jesus’ name.
The Bible teaching that God’s people do not simply give intellectual assent to truth. We are taught that we must live in accord with the truth God reveals to us. When we do that, we will show that we have been reconciled to God and are joyfully living in fellowship with other believers who also have been forgiven by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1).
Blessings,
Pastor John
Coram Deo